2013-10-20, 07:17
Hi everyone,
I have a LG 3D Full HD TV with optical audio output. I already have NAS and media server attached to my Gigabit wireless router Asus RT-N56U. My LG TV is smart TV and have its own media player application. The TV can play all movie on media server from the router by its own without the need of external media player hardware.
However I still want to setup external hardware to install xbmc to stream movie and live TV from internet.
I am searching for good and cheap hardware for xbmc to use with my LG TV and found 2 good options:
option 1:
MINIX NEO X7 MINI Android TV Box RK3188 Quad Core TV BOX Android 4.2 WiFi HDMI Bluetooth 2G/8G USB RJ45 OTG
Processor Rockchip RK3188 Quad-Core Cortex A9 Processor (1.6GHz)
GPU Quad-Core Mali 400
Memory 2GB DDR3
Internal Storage 8GB NAND Flash
Processor Frequency: 252MHz~1608MHz
Wireless Connectivity 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi
Bluetooth Bluetooth V4.0
OS Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2
Video Output HDMI 1.4a, Full HD 1080p, 3D movie file format supported
Audio Output HDMI 1.4a two channels, Optical S/PDIF AC3 multi-channel
Peripheral Interface RJ-45 Ethernet jack (10/00Mbps)
SD/MMC card reader (SD 3.0, MMC V4.41)
USB 2.0 HOST port x 2
IR receiver (built-in, remote included)
Supported Video Format AVI/RM/RMVB/MKV/WMV/MOV/MP4/WEBM/DAT(VCD format) VOB(DVD format)/MPEG/MPG/FLV/ASF/TS/TP/3GP
Supported Audio Format MP3/WMA/WMV/APE/OGG/FLAC/AAC
price US$108 ~ US$111 (include shipping)
option 2:
XCY X-26 INTEL C1037U 1.8GHz (1.8GHZ Frequency) Dual-core CPU
CPU INTEL Celeron C1037U 1.8GHz (1.8GHZ Frequency) Dual-core
Chipset Intel C1037U+NM70
Graphics Cores INTEL{R}HD Graphics
RAM DDR3 SO-DIMM 2GB
graphics memory GPU onboard 512M
Resolution 1024*600,1366*768,1920*1080,,800x600,640x480
Color Depth 32bit
Dimension 19.7*19.7*4cm
Hard Drive Capacity 2.5 inch 8G SSD
Video HDMI+VGA
audio frequency Realtek ALC6662
OS Supported WIN7, Linux, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows 2003, Ubuntu,Debian etc.
Network 1*RTL8111DL Onboard NIC Gigabit Lan, Wake-On-LAN Or WIFI
I/O Port 4*USB2.0, 1*HDMI 1.3, 1*VAG, 2*MIC, 2*SPK, 1*DC-IN jack, 1*RJ 45Lan port, 1*On/Off Power Switch
Wireless Connectivity 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi
price US$183 ~ US$195 (include shipping)
I do not know which one to choose and need your opinion to make decision.
Advantages of minix neo x7 mini over xcy x-26:
1. Minx neo x7 mini have optical audio output which can output 5.1 multi channels audio to Sonos playbar. My LG tv already have optical audio output so I may not need this feature. However, for other users, if your TV does not optical audio output you may need this optical audio output on neo x7 mini to output 5.1 audio to Sonos playbar. For your information, Sonos wireless speakers is one of the best wireless speaker solution in the world. I plan to buy 5.1 sonos system for my home theater. Sonos wireless speaker 5.1 system is around US$3400 for 1 Playbar + 1 Sub + 2 Play:3.
2. Minix neo x7 mini has Quad-Core while xcy x-26 has Dual-core. But I am not sure Rockchip RK3188 Quad-Core Cortex A9 Processor (1.6GHz) will be faster than INTEL Celeron C1037U 1.8GHz (1.8GHZ Frequency) Dual-core or not.
3. Minix neo x7 mini has HDMI 1.4a while xcy x-26 has HDMI 1.3 (For your infomation HDMI 1.4a support ethernet connection over HDMI cable)
4. Minix neo x7 mini has IR remote control while xcy x-26 does not have remote control. (I still can use xbmc remote control on androis phone or iphone to control xbmc on xcy x-26 but some user still prefer physical remote control)
5. Minix neo x7 mini is fanless while xcy x-26 has fan but some users reported xcy x-26 fan is very quiet, you could not hear it unless your ear is 2" near to the xcy x-26.
6. Minix neo x7 mini is cheaper than xcy x-26. US$70 ~ US$80 cheaper than xcy x -26
Advantages of xcy x-26 over minix neo x7 mini:
1. xcy x-26 is real PC while minix neo x7 mini is not. I can install window OS, MS office, window games, linux on xcy x-26 while I can not do the same on minix neo x7 mini. I can play install and play other window games on xcy x-26.
2. can use xcy x-26 to setup NAS and media server while minix neo x7 mini can not do that. I may not need this feature as my asus router RT-N56U already has this feature. However for other users, this feature may be useful for you.
3. openelec run perfect on xcy x-26 while xbmc on andoid minix neo x7 mini is still buggy.
4. can install openelec on usb thumb drive and plug to usb port of xcy x-26 to boot direct to xbmc while minix neo x7 mini can not do that. When using openelec on usb thumb drive of xcy x-26, we still can install normal window or linux desktop OS on SSD harddrive of xcy x-26. If I want to use normal desktop OS on xcy x-26 I just need to remove openelec usb thumb drive and xcy x-26 will boot to window or linux desktop OS.
5. xcy x-26 has Gigabit RJ45 Lan Wake-On-LAN Or WIFI while minix neo x7 mini only has 100Mbps RJ45. I have Gigabit router and I want to connect home theather to router using wire ethernet cable so Gigabit RJ45 feature on xcy x-26 is advantage over 100Mbps RJ45 on minix neo x7 mini.
6. xcy x-26 has VGA output to use with old monitor. I may not need this VGA output feature because I do not have old monitor. I can still use VNC to connect and control xcy x-26 from my laptop or android phone/tablet.
I do not know which one to choose and need your opinion to make decision. Right now I still use lousy 7" android tablet connect to TV to run xbmc while waiting to buy proper hardware for my xbmc.
Please help me to make decision by sharing your opinion or experience if you have minix neo x7 mini or xcy x-26.
Thanks.
I have a LG 3D Full HD TV with optical audio output. I already have NAS and media server attached to my Gigabit wireless router Asus RT-N56U. My LG TV is smart TV and have its own media player application. The TV can play all movie on media server from the router by its own without the need of external media player hardware.
However I still want to setup external hardware to install xbmc to stream movie and live TV from internet.
I am searching for good and cheap hardware for xbmc to use with my LG TV and found 2 good options:
option 1:
MINIX NEO X7 MINI Android TV Box RK3188 Quad Core TV BOX Android 4.2 WiFi HDMI Bluetooth 2G/8G USB RJ45 OTG
Processor Rockchip RK3188 Quad-Core Cortex A9 Processor (1.6GHz)
GPU Quad-Core Mali 400
Memory 2GB DDR3
Internal Storage 8GB NAND Flash
Processor Frequency: 252MHz~1608MHz
Wireless Connectivity 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi
Bluetooth Bluetooth V4.0
OS Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2
Video Output HDMI 1.4a, Full HD 1080p, 3D movie file format supported
Audio Output HDMI 1.4a two channels, Optical S/PDIF AC3 multi-channel
Peripheral Interface RJ-45 Ethernet jack (10/00Mbps)
SD/MMC card reader (SD 3.0, MMC V4.41)
USB 2.0 HOST port x 2
IR receiver (built-in, remote included)
Supported Video Format AVI/RM/RMVB/MKV/WMV/MOV/MP4/WEBM/DAT(VCD format) VOB(DVD format)/MPEG/MPG/FLV/ASF/TS/TP/3GP
Supported Audio Format MP3/WMA/WMV/APE/OGG/FLAC/AAC
price US$108 ~ US$111 (include shipping)
option 2:
XCY X-26 INTEL C1037U 1.8GHz (1.8GHZ Frequency) Dual-core CPU
CPU INTEL Celeron C1037U 1.8GHz (1.8GHZ Frequency) Dual-core
Chipset Intel C1037U+NM70
Graphics Cores INTEL{R}HD Graphics
RAM DDR3 SO-DIMM 2GB
graphics memory GPU onboard 512M
Resolution 1024*600,1366*768,1920*1080,,800x600,640x480
Color Depth 32bit
Dimension 19.7*19.7*4cm
Hard Drive Capacity 2.5 inch 8G SSD
Video HDMI+VGA
audio frequency Realtek ALC6662
OS Supported WIN7, Linux, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows 2003, Ubuntu,Debian etc.
Network 1*RTL8111DL Onboard NIC Gigabit Lan, Wake-On-LAN Or WIFI
I/O Port 4*USB2.0, 1*HDMI 1.3, 1*VAG, 2*MIC, 2*SPK, 1*DC-IN jack, 1*RJ 45Lan port, 1*On/Off Power Switch
Wireless Connectivity 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi
price US$183 ~ US$195 (include shipping)
I do not know which one to choose and need your opinion to make decision.
Advantages of minix neo x7 mini over xcy x-26:
1. Minx neo x7 mini have optical audio output which can output 5.1 multi channels audio to Sonos playbar. My LG tv already have optical audio output so I may not need this feature. However, for other users, if your TV does not optical audio output you may need this optical audio output on neo x7 mini to output 5.1 audio to Sonos playbar. For your information, Sonos wireless speakers is one of the best wireless speaker solution in the world. I plan to buy 5.1 sonos system for my home theater. Sonos wireless speaker 5.1 system is around US$3400 for 1 Playbar + 1 Sub + 2 Play:3.
2. Minix neo x7 mini has Quad-Core while xcy x-26 has Dual-core. But I am not sure Rockchip RK3188 Quad-Core Cortex A9 Processor (1.6GHz) will be faster than INTEL Celeron C1037U 1.8GHz (1.8GHZ Frequency) Dual-core or not.
3. Minix neo x7 mini has HDMI 1.4a while xcy x-26 has HDMI 1.3 (For your infomation HDMI 1.4a support ethernet connection over HDMI cable)
4. Minix neo x7 mini has IR remote control while xcy x-26 does not have remote control. (I still can use xbmc remote control on androis phone or iphone to control xbmc on xcy x-26 but some user still prefer physical remote control)
5. Minix neo x7 mini is fanless while xcy x-26 has fan but some users reported xcy x-26 fan is very quiet, you could not hear it unless your ear is 2" near to the xcy x-26.
6. Minix neo x7 mini is cheaper than xcy x-26. US$70 ~ US$80 cheaper than xcy x -26
Advantages of xcy x-26 over minix neo x7 mini:
1. xcy x-26 is real PC while minix neo x7 mini is not. I can install window OS, MS office, window games, linux on xcy x-26 while I can not do the same on minix neo x7 mini. I can play install and play other window games on xcy x-26.
2. can use xcy x-26 to setup NAS and media server while minix neo x7 mini can not do that. I may not need this feature as my asus router RT-N56U already has this feature. However for other users, this feature may be useful for you.
3. openelec run perfect on xcy x-26 while xbmc on andoid minix neo x7 mini is still buggy.
4. can install openelec on usb thumb drive and plug to usb port of xcy x-26 to boot direct to xbmc while minix neo x7 mini can not do that. When using openelec on usb thumb drive of xcy x-26, we still can install normal window or linux desktop OS on SSD harddrive of xcy x-26. If I want to use normal desktop OS on xcy x-26 I just need to remove openelec usb thumb drive and xcy x-26 will boot to window or linux desktop OS.
5. xcy x-26 has Gigabit RJ45 Lan Wake-On-LAN Or WIFI while minix neo x7 mini only has 100Mbps RJ45. I have Gigabit router and I want to connect home theather to router using wire ethernet cable so Gigabit RJ45 feature on xcy x-26 is advantage over 100Mbps RJ45 on minix neo x7 mini.
6. xcy x-26 has VGA output to use with old monitor. I may not need this VGA output feature because I do not have old monitor. I can still use VNC to connect and control xcy x-26 from my laptop or android phone/tablet.
I do not know which one to choose and need your opinion to make decision. Right now I still use lousy 7" android tablet connect to TV to run xbmc while waiting to buy proper hardware for my xbmc.
Please help me to make decision by sharing your opinion or experience if you have minix neo x7 mini or xcy x-26.
Thanks.