2012-06-11, 19:06
Hello-
I am very new to XBMC and all this, but I will be going "off the grid" lol cable wise in a month, So I am trying to get a system set up that will work the best possible. I am techno savvy but not looking to build anything ( would be willing to upgrade ram and ssd if needed).
This is what I have:
LED 1080 tv
Bose 321 series iii
Roku (older HD version)
PS3
Harmony 1100 Remote
This is what I want the system for:
use xbmc
Stream movies from online, Netflix, even though I have 2 HD ways to do it now, i would like to simplify if possible , also youtube, and diffident sites such as ABC NBC, etc etc.
..MAYBE add tv tuner so i can record, but should I even bother with this?
I want Windows based. I know people dont like it here, but I am used to it, and like it.
Want to be able to do some light web surfing ( hard to see when surfing now with laptop or tablet hooked up, so just basic, like when searching for a movie online or something)
Email would be good
I am not too big into Downloading and storing movies. I watch them once, USUSALLY unless I am amazed, and thats it, so dont need very much storage for that.
Only have a few hundred songs,
maybe a thousand pictures (both songs and pics are on cloud though)
My main reason for wanting a mini pc is to do things the ps3 and roku cannot, like watching content from certain websites. Or if i do decide to DL a movie, I can easily serch and DL it. Basicly to move most stuff into one place instead of having to fool with several things) I want to move my roku in another room) BUT I have to say I am NOT a heavy HT person. BUT i am very impatient and hate choppy pictures or slow rendering.
I am looking at these 4 mini's.. Am I on the right track or should I get a barebones and add (to be around the same price) Oh thats another thing $400 is really too much for me to spend but what other options do I have?
ASUS 1012P ($375 Ebay macmall of all places)
ASUS 1501P ($379 refurbed ebay)
ASUS 1021 ($394 ebay)
Lenovo q180 (although this has better specs, people say it does a poor job??) ($399 ebay)
Thanks for your help and patience with my ignorance!
I am very new to XBMC and all this, but I will be going "off the grid" lol cable wise in a month, So I am trying to get a system set up that will work the best possible. I am techno savvy but not looking to build anything ( would be willing to upgrade ram and ssd if needed).
This is what I have:
LED 1080 tv
Bose 321 series iii
Roku (older HD version)
PS3
Harmony 1100 Remote
This is what I want the system for:
use xbmc
Stream movies from online, Netflix, even though I have 2 HD ways to do it now, i would like to simplify if possible , also youtube, and diffident sites such as ABC NBC, etc etc.
..MAYBE add tv tuner so i can record, but should I even bother with this?
I want Windows based. I know people dont like it here, but I am used to it, and like it.
Want to be able to do some light web surfing ( hard to see when surfing now with laptop or tablet hooked up, so just basic, like when searching for a movie online or something)
Email would be good
I am not too big into Downloading and storing movies. I watch them once, USUSALLY unless I am amazed, and thats it, so dont need very much storage for that.
Only have a few hundred songs,
maybe a thousand pictures (both songs and pics are on cloud though)
My main reason for wanting a mini pc is to do things the ps3 and roku cannot, like watching content from certain websites. Or if i do decide to DL a movie, I can easily serch and DL it. Basicly to move most stuff into one place instead of having to fool with several things) I want to move my roku in another room) BUT I have to say I am NOT a heavy HT person. BUT i am very impatient and hate choppy pictures or slow rendering.
I am looking at these 4 mini's.. Am I on the right track or should I get a barebones and add (to be around the same price) Oh thats another thing $400 is really too much for me to spend but what other options do I have?
ASUS 1012P ($375 Ebay macmall of all places)
ASUS 1501P ($379 refurbed ebay)
ASUS 1021 ($394 ebay)
Lenovo q180 (although this has better specs, people say it does a poor job??) ($399 ebay)
Thanks for your help and patience with my ignorance!