2013-08-05, 16:14
...
2013-08-05, 16:26
Alright, then this evening I will fire it up again and give it another go. That said, the post Vertigo made is very clear that while the Pi is capable of 1080p, it has a large share of caveats in getting it to work. He also mirrors my concern in regards to the ethernet,
"but the Pi can serve the same files to my x86 machines, and they wont stutter. In short: it appears to be a problem when playing big files with DTS over the LAN. Local files from a USB drive seem to be fine, "
On the last page a user writes:
"The Pi has issues with playing media over SMB shares so I would assume SMB is going to be the issue here. Is there anyway to stream over NFS? NFS works great for streaming media."
This is *exactly* how I access my files.
And when it comes to the audio, I don't keep a receiver in every room - and the two rooms I do have receivers in are currently very happy with XBMC clients powered by core i5's running Aeon Nox.
So who exactly is the Pi aimed at? The person who has a high end receiver, doesn't care for a full features skin (not just visually, but also feature wise), and doesn't use SMB to access their files? If it didn't rely on a receiver for DTS then i would say it would be great for a kid's room or extra bedroom or something.... but who keeps a receiver in rooms like that?
For the record, I run Aeon Nox. The Pi doesn't like that one very much.
"but the Pi can serve the same files to my x86 machines, and they wont stutter. In short: it appears to be a problem when playing big files with DTS over the LAN. Local files from a USB drive seem to be fine, "
On the last page a user writes:
"The Pi has issues with playing media over SMB shares so I would assume SMB is going to be the issue here. Is there anyway to stream over NFS? NFS works great for streaming media."
This is *exactly* how I access my files.
And when it comes to the audio, I don't keep a receiver in every room - and the two rooms I do have receivers in are currently very happy with XBMC clients powered by core i5's running Aeon Nox.
So who exactly is the Pi aimed at? The person who has a high end receiver, doesn't care for a full features skin (not just visually, but also feature wise), and doesn't use SMB to access their files? If it didn't rely on a receiver for DTS then i would say it would be great for a kid's room or extra bedroom or something.... but who keeps a receiver in rooms like that?
For the record, I run Aeon Nox. The Pi doesn't like that one very much.
2013-08-05, 16:41
And that is understandable. However when someone asks if it can play a bluray movie, i think those caveats are important to mention. A simple "yes", while correct in some cases, can also be misleading.
2013-08-05, 19:32
(2013-08-05, 15:54)exoscoriae Wrote: Nu7s: Here is a very honest breakdown of the capabilities of the Pi:
http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=152339
I've red that one before. Very good write-up.
2013-08-05, 19:44
(2013-08-05, 19:32)Nu7s Wrote:(2013-08-05, 15:54)exoscoriae Wrote: Nu7s: Here is a very honest breakdown of the capabilities of the Pi:
http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=152339
I've red that one before. Very good write-up.
+1
Maybe if some of the mods are reading they could make it a sticky in the pi sub forum?
2013-09-21, 05:22
The ouya is nice. I think it runs well. It's a gaming machine I know but you can use it as just a media center.
2013-09-22, 01:07
(2013-08-05, 16:45)ThePolarSky Wrote: ...
Apparently ThePolarSky doesn't have as much faith in the raspberry pi as he used to. After vigorously arguing for it, he has blanked out all his posts.
(2013-09-21, 05:22)ilovemymac Wrote: The ouya is nice. I think it runs well. It's a gaming machine I know but you can use it as just a media center.
The ouya still requires the libstagefright special build to play 1080p file last I checked. Plus you have to sideload and give up several high end features such as dts, true hd audio, and audio passthrough for receivers.
Combine that with the fact that you can't boot directly into XBMC, and instead have to deal with Ouyas wonky menu system, and I am not a fan.
Had the Ouya met the booting requirements and been able to use a standard Frodo build with Aeon Nox, I would have bought 5 or so, one for each TV.
2013-09-22, 01:31
You can make the Ouya boot directly to XBMC.
Download Autopilot, choose XBMC as a booting program, done.
You no longer have to sideload I believe, there is a non-official hardware accelerated version in the Ouya store. Official version is being worked on.
Download Autopilot, choose XBMC as a booting program, done.
You no longer have to sideload I believe, there is a non-official hardware accelerated version in the Ouya store. Official version is being worked on.
2013-09-22, 03:18
OUYA can boot directly to XBMC as Enigman explained. And there is a build by Koying that I found it's quite good for me. More recent than the one in OUYA Store.
https://app.box.com/s/mul45ditnur1vks88145
But then there are some features that not working for OUYA. First is refresh rate would stuck at 60Hz so someone maybe ok with it some won't. Multichannel Audio passthrough is still not working correctly from what I read. But then I don't use reciever just plug direct to TV so OUYA works fine in most case. And I also use Aeon Nox and it works really good. Better than other droid boxes I've tested.
https://app.box.com/s/mul45ditnur1vks88145
But then there are some features that not working for OUYA. First is refresh rate would stuck at 60Hz so someone maybe ok with it some won't. Multichannel Audio passthrough is still not working correctly from what I read. But then I don't use reciever just plug direct to TV so OUYA works fine in most case. And I also use Aeon Nox and it works really good. Better than other droid boxes I've tested.
2013-09-22, 05:29
Good to know. Might give me something to do with this thing other than be a fancy paperweight 
Looking forward to the official build!
Looking forward to the official build!
2013-09-22, 09:13
DTS passthrough has issues with HDMI handshake or something, but should work. At the very least, it's possible and advertised by OUYA (I has no OUYA myself to test with).
I have no idea about HD audio. However, considering most AVR and surround equipment is way more than $100, anyone buying a $100 HTPC probably isn't putting to much emphasize on the latest audio formats.
I have no idea about HD audio. However, considering most AVR and surround equipment is way more than $100, anyone buying a $100 HTPC probably isn't putting to much emphasize on the latest audio formats.
2013-09-22, 10:15
(2013-09-22, 09:13)Ned Scott Wrote: DTS passthrough has issues with HDMI handshake or something, but should work. At the very least, it's possible and advertised by OUYA (I has no OUYA myself to test with).That is one of the more perceptive comments I have seen for some time!
I have no idea about HD audio. However, considering most AVR and surround equipment is way more than $100, anyone buying a $100 HTPC probably isn't putting to much emphasize on the latest audio formats.
2013-09-22, 15:16
I think you guys have missed the fact that a lot of people read threads like this have no idea at what price range they can get an HTPC setup for that works for them. $100 is completely relative. This thread is about finding the best build for the price. Some people will swear that a $35 raspberry pi will do everything for you, while another might suggest the Ouya. The point of this thread however was/is to notate the pros and cons of these systems, rather than just saying - oh ya, that one will work fine. The Ouya is not a bad solution, but it is by no means a perfect one.
