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+--- Thread: Nearly a year in, I still haven't found the best feature/price xbmc box/build. (/showthread.php?tid=169350)
Nearly a year in, I still haven't found the best feature/price xbmc box/build. - exoscoriae - 2013-07-19
Hello everyone.
Last fall I began digitizing my entire movie collection and quickly immersed myself into xbmc. My first media center build was designed to be overkill as I also use it as an arcade/console emulator. It runs a 3rd gen core-i5 in a silverstone MILO case. The thing is a beast and it has fan noise to match.
With that running I decided I needed boxes for the rest of the rooms in my house.
I started by purchasing a used Zotac Ion MAG-HD. While I awaited it I also started building a small ion based system myself using a AMD A8-3850 Llano 2.9GHz on a ASUS F1A75-I Deluxe board. I tried windows installs, open elec and linux live installs of xbmc on both systems. Windows obviously killed performance. Open elec eventually made the AMD A8 build work fairly well, however no combination of installs could get the Zotac to play full 1080p video without stuttering.
Since then I have also tried out a raspberry pi and ouya with similar results.
At this point I am looking for a system that can boot xbmc, is compatible with a usb remote, has a lan port connection, hdmi output, and is capable of playing a straight bluray rip (uncompressed) without stuttering. The smaller the form factor, the better.
I have seen some threads on the Pivos Xios DS, however I'm not 100% clear that it can play 1080p data and I am also concerned about it's speed after hearing that it chugged just on the menus. I have also searched ion2 on newegg and found a mess of systems in the $200-$250 range and it seems like there are a lot of choices there. I am partial to the small form factors of devices such as this, however I am not sure they can compete with the larger builds.
Opinions and advice o n the smallest form factor capable of the above abilities would be greatly appreciated.
RE: Nearly a year in, I still haven't found the best feature/price xbmc box/build. - Stantor - 2013-07-19
I have a zotac zbox id42. I used a ssd hdd and replaced the wifi chip with a 5ghz chip. Plays bluray uncompressed without any problems. I will say it does have broken frames if you don't use the standard settings. I am also using windows 8
RE: Nearly a year in, I still haven't found the best feature/price xbmc box/build. - exoscoriae - 2013-07-19
My media is on a server drive and will be arriving to my box via ethernet, so the hd speed should have no effect on my playback.
That said, I don't see an ID42 for sale anywhere other than eBay where it is sitting around $335. At that price range, I would be tempted to just build my own box in the range of the AMD A8 above.
Nearly a year in, I still haven't found the best feature/price xbmc box/build. - ilovemymac - 2013-07-19
The pivos will studder big time. I have tested 1 and I can't get it to play some 720p files. That is running Linux. Your talking a 800mhz processor here so not much. Tried the jynxbox with a 1.2ghz processor and its better but still not great. My little Apple TV 2 runs circles around either.
Maybe you need a custom htpc with a intel dual core processor small form factor one of the guys here makes them. Looks great for the price
RE: Nearly a year in, I still haven't found the best feature/price xbmc box/build. - Ned Scott - 2013-07-19
(2013-07-19, 06:10)ilovemymac Wrote: The pivos will studder big time. I have tested 1 and I can't get it to play some 720p files. That is running Linux. Your talking a 800mhz processor here so not much. Tried the jynxbox with a 1.2ghz processor and its better but still not great. My little Apple TV 2 runs circles around either.
This is really not the norm, and I can't emphasize that enough.
RE: Nearly a year in, I still haven't found the best feature/price xbmc box/build. - nickr - 2013-07-19
Quote: While I awaited it I also started building a small ion based system myself using a AMD A8-3850 Llano 2.9GHz on a ASUS F1A75-I Deluxe boardIf you tried an ION build of anything on that, it won't work very well. That is not an ION board. I have no difficulties with 1080p on any ION board, or any VDPAU capable nVidia graphics CPU. You really are doing something wrong...
RE: Nearly a year in, I still haven't found the best feature/price xbmc box/build. - Dougie Fresh - 2013-07-19
The Lenovo Q190 might be what you're looking for. There's a good thread here about it. It has the Celeron 847 / Intel HD2000 in it which plays 1080p and runs OpenELEC exceptionally well. This would put you around $250. If you want a barebones, I can make some recommendations of my own that might be even less expensive to which you'd just need to add the OpenELEC USB stick (or SSD or whatever you want to install it on).
RE: Nearly a year in, I still haven't found the best feature/price xbmc box/build. - jammyb - 2013-07-19
i3 NUC.
RE: Nearly a year in, I still haven't found the best feature/price xbmc box/build. - exoscoriae - 2013-07-19
(2013-07-19, 07:59)nickr Wrote: That is not an ION board. I have no difficulties with 1080p on any ION board, or any VDPAU capable nVidia graphics CPU. You really are doing something wrong...
Mistyped that part. I did not put an ion build on that system. Either way, my point was the A8 worked fine. My problem with it is it is extremely bulky and somewhat loud.
(2013-07-19, 17:13)Dougie Fresh Wrote: The Lenovo Q190 might be what you're looking for. There's a good thread here about it. It has the Celeron 847 / Intel HD2000 in it which plays 1080p and runs OpenELEC exceptionally well. This would put you around $250.
Hmm, a quick search put me at amazon where the system is listed at $350. New Egg was even more expensive. Where are you finding them for $250?
(2013-07-19, 19:15)jammyb Wrote: i3 NUC.
This one looks interesting, however it is nearly $300. I have several rooms I need to put media receivers in, and at $300 a room it gets a little out of control. It does look quite impressive though. I suppose i was hoping to find something that could run xbmc w/ aeon nox and 1080p video for around $200. Based on the info i am getting here, it seems like that may not be a possibility yet.
RE: Nearly a year in, I still haven't found the best feature/price xbmc box/build. - Dougie Fresh - 2013-07-19
There is also a Celeron 847 NUC that is cheaper. Like the Q190, it too will run 1080p and XBMC with no issues. The flavor of Q190 I am referring to is the Celeron 847. You would only need the i3 if you need 3D. The Celeron 847 Q190 is often on sale on the Lenovo website for $249.
RE: Nearly a year in, I still haven't found the best feature/price xbmc box/build. - jammyb - 2013-07-19
Arcade/console emulator. Go i3 for no problems.
For just 1080p streaming. Go Celeron.
Both are NUCs.
Nearly a year in, I still haven't found the best feature/price xbmc box/build. - ilovemymac - 2013-07-20
(2013-07-19, 06:47)Ned Scott Wrote: This is really not the norm, and I can't emphasize that enough.
I have played with several pivos boxes. They can't handle 1080p sure some movies play fine others do not. It's even slow loading the add ons icons. The jynxbox works a little better but yea still slow. I think the Apple TV 1 with Broadcom chip works ok. And I think a custom box would do well
RE: Nearly a year in, I still haven't found the best feature/price xbmc box/build. - exoscoriae - 2013-07-20
I have yet to find a custom box that has a form factor that can compete with the prebuilts.
I also can't seem to find a Q190 with a Celeron 847 for sale. I checked the Lenova website and their customer service actually told me the only model available is the celeron 887.
RE: Nearly a year in, I still haven't found the best feature/price xbmc box/build. - Ned Scott - 2013-07-20
(2013-07-20, 04:33)ilovemymac Wrote:(2013-07-19, 06:47)Ned Scott Wrote: This is really not the norm, and I can't emphasize that enough.
I have played with several pivos boxes. They can't handle 1080p sure some movies play fine others do not. It's even slow loading the add ons icons. The jynxbox works a little better but yea still slow. I think the Apple TV 1 with Broadcom chip works ok. And I think a custom box would do well
They can handle 1080. If it can be hardware decoded then the Pivos should be able to play it. Everyone on Team XBMC has one and can verify this. If your unit is slow even loading add-on icons then something is really wrong.
It's not that I don't believe you. I think this really is happening to you. I'm just saying that it's not normal.
*shrug*
RE: Nearly a year in, I still haven't found the best feature/price xbmc box/build. - hellt - 2013-07-20
Does i3 NUC support full 3d 1080p and DTS?