Set-top box or nettop?

[Brainonska511]

Since I just got a new 1080p tv, I'm looking for a way to stream videos from the web onto the tv. Hooking up my laptop all the time is a pain in the ass and not that good.

I'm thinking about some kind of wireless set-top device that could work with various sites.

I want to be able to watch Hulu (without having to pay for Hulu Plus), CBS tv shows (available through their website), the Daily Show and Southpark (also available through their websites), Youtube videos, and/or streaming Netflix/Amazon OnDemand.

Would these tasks, particularly HD video, be too much for a Ion or next-gen Ion nettop (would go dual-core Atom) to handle? Would I be better off with something like a Boxee Box or Roku?

Edit:
It does not have to have an integrated DVD drive or anything. I have an upconverting DVD player already for that stuff.

Edit 11-13-2010:
Decided to just get an HTPC:

(in case anyone ever searches for HTPC builds or set-top boxes):

Lite-On DVD burner (SATA) - $17
Samsung EcoGreen 1TB SATA - $50
Rosewill B/G Wireless - $12
Hauppauge Single TV Tuner - $50
Antec EarthWatts 380W PSU - $40 - $15 Rebate ($25)
Patriot 2GB DDR2 800 - $32
Athlon II X2 250 + Asus M4A785-M combo - $110
Windows 7 64-bit HP + HEC 6T mATX case combo $125

Price after shipping & rebate: ~$433

Plus, I get the ability to record a little TV. I'll run a splitter before the PC so that I can record one show and watch TV at the same time. I don't record that much anyway, so I figured a dual-tuner is unnecessary.

 

[Aikouka]

If I remember correctly, the ION nettops do not handle Netflix well because ION only has support for Flash acceleration and Netflix uses Silverlight.

I'm not even sure how to easily play some of those streams in some media center apps... I use XBMC myself and it has support for YouTube, but I don't know of any other. I just use my PS3 for Netflix.

 

[Brainonska511]

If I remember correctly, the ION nettops do not handle Netflix well because ION only has support for Flash acceleration and Netflix uses Silverlight.

I'm not even sure how to easily play some of those streams in some media center apps... I use XBMC myself and it has support for YouTube, but I don't know of any other. I just use my PS3 for Netflix.

Yeah, I've been seeing that stuff about Netflix as I browse around. I don't have my heart set on getting Netflix at the moment, but it would be a nice option to have. Supposedly, MS is working on fixing it.... but they seem to be moving like molasses.

At the moment, most of what I want to access is flash-based video (Hulu, CBS tv shows, youtube, Daily Show, Southpark). And I guess Amazon's On Demand (for when I get those random promo codes) is probably okay too...

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

If you can hold out for a few months you'll be able to choose from the Sandy Bridge and Fusion variants that will be available in SFF systems. They should have plenty of power to handle anything you can throw at them.

 

[zerocool84]

If you can hold out for a few months you'll be able to choose from the Sandy Bridge and Fusion variants that will be available in SFF systems. They should have plenty of power to handle anything you can throw at them.

Yup a real computer is the only thing that can access the sites he wants. Nothing like Apple TV, Roku, Xbox/PS3, or any other streaming box is going to be able to access the sites he wants.

 

[Bacstar]

I was looking for a solution for the same problem you are having. I was tired of keeping my main desktop running 24/7 for media center and stuff. Not to mention it's a power hog and heats up my room enough where I have to open the windows when I fire up both the monitors.

I mainly wanted to watch streamed hockey games from NHL Gamecenter Live. Also needed something that was a bit more power efficient. I ended up getting a Dell Inspiron Zino. After researching the various atom/ion configurations out there, I wasn't happy about some of the stuff I was reading, so I decided the Dell would be a better option.

Dell has several configurations, but I wanted to go cheap so I only upgraded the CPU to the dual core athlon. It seems to handle everything I've thrown at it so far. I also use it to stream movies to various devices (iPad, xbox, ps3). Another plus...it has hdmi out w/audio so I can hook it directly to my tv with one cable. I had a spare bluetooth dongle, and I found a bt keyboard/fingerpad combo which works great or I can remote into it from anywhere in the house via the iPad.

 

[Brainonska511]

The Zino definitely seems like a viable option. I would just get the base configuration (bumped to dual-core) and add my own half-height miniPCIe wireless after I got it.

As for waiting - idk... I'm not to keen on such an idea. Though future tech may be able to handle what I want, there must be a decent solution available now.

edit:
or just use a USB wireless device. Probably better than trying to see if there are internal antenna (conflicting reports) or if they lock it down so that third party wireless cards are not allowed...

 

[Bacstar]

The Zino definitely seems like a viable option. I would just get the base configuration (bumped to dual-core) and add my own half-height miniPCIe wireless after I got it.

As for waiting - idk... I'm not to keen on such an idea. Though future tech may be able to handle what I want, there must be a decent solution available now.

I use a 4-port wireless bridge/hub to handle wireless. Not even sure you'd be able to install a wireless card in there either. The case is pretty small. Dell support has exploded views of the internals... Also AVS Forum has a thread dedicated to it:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1267894

 

[Brainonska511]

I use a 4-port wireless bridge/hub to handle wireless. Not even sure you'd be able to install a wireless card in there either. The case is pretty small. Dell support has exploded views of the internals... Also AVS Forum has a thread dedicated to it:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1267894

From what I've read, it uses a half-height miniPCIe card. There are internal antennas. The service manual and several posts on their community forum confirm that you can do this.

What do you use as a remote? I was thinking of getting either some sort of WMC remote (but can you use it to browse the web?) or just get the wireless keyboard/trackpad combo (which has fn hotkeys).

 

[Bacstar]

What do you use as a remote? I was thinking of getting either some sort of WMC remote (but can you use it to browse the web?) or just get the wireless keyboard/trackpad combo (which has fn hotkeys).

I have a bluetooth keyboard w/ integrated touchpad or remote access using my Ipad. Then for all the other components, I have a Harmony 600 Remote. I think that's the model.

 

[Brainonska511]

I have a bluetooth keyboard w/ integrated touchpad or remote access using my Ipad. Then for all the other components, I have a Harmony 600 Remote. I think that's the model.

Interesting. It sounds like it (the Zino) might be the best option for me. I'll just pop in a wireless card after I get it. I'll probably sit on this for a week or so just to give it some thought.

 

[Bacstar]

I was the same way before pulling the trigger. So far, it's working great. It's quiet, runs cool, doesn't take up a lot of space, and kept me from spending a whole lot more trying to build my own.

If only I could hard-wire everything. Wireless is not the ideal solution I was hoping for. When it comes to streaming HD movies from my NAS's in my room to the living room, I do run into some issues, entirely due to the nature of wireless. Streaming video from the internet works perfectly. Eventually, I think I'll be moving my NAS's next to the TV.

To add: DRM sucks.... all the digital copy movies I've purchased and transferred to my main desktop computer don't work when I try to view via the zino.

 

[Bacstar]

Not sure if you have an xbox or PS3. There was another option I was looking at to get around the hulu or whatever streaming provider you were trying to use....PlayOn that allowed you to stream to either of those boxes.

http://www.playon.tv/download?sourc...ayon&ad=001b&gclid=CIfa8KzNl6UCFSBugwod5GnXIA

It's software you install on your networked computer that allows you to stream. It's a subscription service with an option for a lifetime one-time payment. They do have a 14-day trial. I wasn't happy with it mainly due to some of my hockey games I wanted to watch were not televised. It was hit or miss...

 

[Brainonska511]

Yeah, I don't have any gaming consoles. It seemed like an option (PlayOn), but I wasn't really looking for a stop-gap measure.

 

[Aikouka]

I don't know if you're a picky audiophile or anything, but be aware that you'd need to upgrade to the Radeon 5450 in the Zino HD to be able to do bitstreaming. That's the one reason why I balked a bit on buying one... the price just jumps up quite a bit if you want to get the 5450 and Windows 7 Professional :\.

The only bad thing about everything you want is how to control it? Chances are you won't find an elegant solution. Although, I used to use a wireless keyboard and mouse with a HTPC before. It looks a bit obtuse, but it works really well when you need to access stuff. It's also quite possible to get a remote that has programmable buttons and you can assign certain ones to access the webpages that you want. I have a Gyration one that was recommended, but I don't think it can be reprogrammed (not 100% sure on that though).

 

[Brainonska511]

I don't know if you're a picky audiophile or anything, but be aware that you'd need to upgrade to the Radeon 5450 in the Zino HD to be able to do bitstreaming. That's the one reason why I balked a bit on buying one... the price just jumps up quite a bit if you want to get the 5450 and Windows 7 Professional :\.

The only bad thing about everything you want is how to control it? Chances are you won't find an elegant solution. Although, I used to use a wireless keyboard and mouse with a HTPC before. It looks a bit obtuse, but it works really well when you need to access stuff. It's also quite possible to get a remote that has programmable buttons and you can assign certain ones to access the webpages that you want. I have a Gyration one that was recommended, but I don't think it can be reprogrammed (not 100% sure on that though).

I don't really care about bitstreaming. I only have a tv - no speakers beyond that, and even if I did have speakers, I doubt I'd really notice. I was thinking for control, just get one of those HTPC keyboards (with the trackball for a mouse). Not quite a remote or a keyboard, but good enough for what I would want. I just don't see changing webpages that often if I'm watching videos of 20+ minutes. And it would be about what I would have spent if I went to the nettop route. Definitely more than a set-top box, but those seem such half-ass solutions at times, especially with all the video available on the web.

 

[Aikouka]

I don't really care about bitstreaming. I only have a tv - no speakers beyond that, and even if I did have speakers, I doubt I'd really notice. I was thinking for control, just get one of those HTPC keyboards (with the trackball for a mouse). Not quite a remote or a keyboard, but good enough for what I would want. I just don't see changing webpages that often if I'm watching videos of 20+ minutes. And it would be about what I would have spent if I went to the nettop route. Definitely more than a set-top box, but those seem such half-ass solutions at times, especially with all the video available on the web.

Well, can't blame you there then. Since you're going to use a keyboard, you probably won't need Professional either. I mostly prefer it for remoting into the machines without having to turn a TV on or hook up a keyboard/mouse. I think you can hack terminal services to work though....

 

[Brainonska511]

Well, can't blame you there then. Since you're going to use a keyboard, you probably won't need Professional either. I mostly prefer it for remoting into the machines without having to turn a TV on or hook up a keyboard/mouse. I think you can hack terminal services to work though....

I didn't even consider that latter stuff. This was just going to be attached to the TV (which would double as its monitor) and some sort of input device would serve for controlling it...

 

[Brainonska511]

Then again.... I was thinking about retiring my old Core Duo laptop early next year and replace it with something newer. I could retire it into a media player role - just keep it hooked up via VGA to the TV... I wouldn't have to sink $300-$400 on a small desktop.

Edit:
Or maybe sometime next year, I'll put together a small, cheap DVR HTPC that could do all I want as well.