[xbmcnewbb]

Hi guys, i've used xbmc on my iphone 4 but still relatively new to this scene so will appreciate some help. I've streamed live sports using xbmc on iphone so with the football season starting again, I am thinking of trying this on my tv. Have a budget of £100 and after reading these forums, come to the conclusion that cheapest option will be apple tv (1st or 2nd gen) or an acer revo (cheaper models second hand) - although i've heard something about rasberry pi Basically, I only need a device to

1) stream live tv channels/sports without buffering(!)..i mean smooth playback -> xbmc
2) stream tv shows/movies (icefilms) ->xbmc
3) would be great, but not necessary, if I can play some movies (mkvs) etc i've downloaded onto my pc upstairs

Which device would you experts recommend and if apple tv, 1st gen or 2nd gen? (i know 1st has internal memory but would this really help me that much for what I want from the device)

Please post why you think what device would be ideal

[xbmcnewbb]

anyone plz?

[aaronb]

HI, and welcome to the forums. A bit of advice, it is generally expected that you should wait a day or so before bumping a thread, the XBMC userbase is worldwide so people will be posting from all different time zones.

I don't use any streaming services in XBMC so I can't be much help here, but give it some time and someone will likely be able to help you

[Ned Scott]

Apple TV 2 prices seem to have gone out of control on places like ebay. If you can find one in good condition and get the BCHD (wiki) card for it, I'd go with the Apple TV 1 and install Crystalbuntu (wiki) on it. I use mine set up like that every day, and it out preforms the ATV2 on most tasks. It's also easier to get both the used ATV1 and BCHD for under £100 than it is to get an ATV2 for that price.

[filthycatbox]

Having just sorted out a Revo RL70 for someone else, I can say that this is surprisingly excellent.
You're not really gonna get much for £100. I paid around £180 for the Revo (ebuyer.com) which when you factor in the cost for the AppleTVFlash is not much more than the incredibly inferior AppleTV.
The new Revos are really quick through even the most graphic heavy skins, and have played everything I've thrown at them so far.

[GortWillSaveUs]

I'd also highly recommend into the Acer Revo RL70-UR10P. I've setup a few for friends and neighbors with XBMC,..and they love it.

[xbmcnewbb]

Hmmm, thanks guys. Didnt realise I'd have to pay for atvflash as well, i just assumed it would be free like the iphone jailbreak. Is there a free jailbreak method available? Just some more questions: 1) What are the advantages of getting that BCHD card for apple tv 1st gen for streaming etc 2) Anyone here actually using acer revo with xbmc for STREAMING TV/icefilms etc?

[xbmcnewbb]

and how do you add rep?

[xbmcnewbb]

And i understand these nettops (acer revos etc) dont have the best CPUs in the world although i've read GPU handles most of the raw video stuff. Im far from an expert on computers so does streaming tv channels (sports etc) or icefilms on xbmc too much for an acer revo CPU?

[hdmkv]

Another +1 for Revo RL70. No issues streaming 1:1 BD rips via wired SMB connection. Also, no issues playing IceFilms streams; haven't tried any sports. Also, RL70 supports bitstreaming hd audio (TrueHD, DTS-MA) via XBMC nightly.

[Ilia]

@hdmkv, hd audio streams only on the windows os platform, right? I didn't think ati had the drivers under Linux

[charlie0440]

@hdmkv, hd audio streams only on the windows os platform, right? I didn't think ati had the drivers under Linux

Correct. As he is talking about the RL70 that will only bitstream in Windows.

BUT the older model the Revo 3700, runs on ION so it DOES support bitstreaming in LINUX! Being older its cheaper too and its a great bit of kit play uncompressed BD rips with bitstreaming no problem. I have one dual booting Windows 7 and Openelec.

You won't get one for £100, I bought an ex demo one of ebay recently for £200, but I opted for the Windows 7 version with the higher spec (4gb RAM, 500gb hard drive). The basic model with a Linux OS is all that is needed if you just want to install OpenElec, but I wanted to dual boot Windows.

There is one of ebay for £160 inc Windows 7: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ACER-ASPIRE-RE...959wt_1398

[Ned Scott]

Hmmm, thanks guys. Didnt realise I'd have to pay for atvflash as well, i just assumed it would be free like the iphone jailbreak. Is there a free jailbreak method available? Just some more questions: 1) What are the advantages of getting that BCHD card for apple tv 1st gen for streaming etc 2) Anyone here actually using acer revo with xbmc for STREAMING TV/icefilms etc?

You don't have to use ATVflash to use XBMC on an ATV, which is completely free: Apple TV 1 FAQ (wiki)

You can play just about everything in HD on an ATV1 if you install a BCHD card. If you also install Crystalbuntu (wiki) them you can output in 1080 (beyond the normal 720 max of the ATV1). An ATV1 + BCHD is my most used HTPC right now and plays everything I throw at it. The main challenge is finding them in good condition.

Sorry, we don't allow discussion on IceFilms here. However, I will say that streaming add-ons will all work about the same for the various solutions/hardware posted here, regardless of the add-on.

[Ilia]

Revo 3700 is fantastic, especially with openelec (I have one), the unfortunate thing is they are hard to find, as most online shop are out of stock now (none on ebay), even the Zotac Ion2 are hard to find, this is what I noticed here in Australia.