[di4medollaz]

like the title says i wanna get my mother a XBMC capable player but the problem is she has no tech knowledge what so ever so i need something thats easy to use and something that will just always work even if its a bit slow. Would sacrafice performance for stabilaty.
It will be used strictly for xbmc and the common xbmc video add ons "dunno rules on posting names" that everyone uses for tv shows and movies and netflix

She has a 55 inch lcd tv and do not need 1080p , 720p is perfectly fine and the tv's audio is also fine "no receiver".
I am in Canada so take that into account for prices and i usually buy things from ebay or amazon or wherever is low risk buying from and ships fast.

I am willing to spend $150 to $300. So if something would be better for my needs if i spent the $300 then so be it. So let me know whats best for these circumstances thanks
ps: have apple tv2 jailbroken i havent used in years but didnt think it was stable enough for her at that time and build of xbmc

[artrafael]

Welcome to the XBMC forums.

If your mom has no technical knowledge, XBMC probably isn't the best option for her unless you want an excuse to visit her regularly (which she may love) to fix any issues she may encounter, especially with video add-ons whose names you dare not speak (they're not known for their stability/reliability). Aside from that, she may accidentally click something and suddenly the appearance changes, options disappear or she ends up in the nether regions of the GUI. She'd be better served with a simple, fixed-function device where the homepage just displays buttons to access the major services such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Pandora, etc.

[GortWillSaveUs]

As much as I love XBMC,...I have to agree with artrafael.
Heck, I consider myself to be pretty technical and there are times that it can frustrating.
Usually this happens when I accidentally (or purposely) press a button or change a configuration item where I say "Gee, I wonder what this does".
I've always fixed my problems,..but this isn't for the "no tech knowledge" user. At least not the "absolutely no tech knowledge" person.

I remember watching a movie one time and my dog walked by, wagged its tail, hit my keyboard, and poof, I went form full screen to not full screen.
Nothing I tried would fix it,...until I realized the dog hit the "/" key.
/ = Not Full Screen
/ = Full Screen

[di4medollaz]

ya problem is canadian netflix sucks bad lol. The american one is awsome wich i myself can access cause i have my gaming rigs hooked up to all the tv"s in my house so i can use simple firefox and chrome add-ons to always stay on american netflix from canada
Now im not positive but isnt the only way to access american netflix from canada on a media box using aquired D.N.S codes you find around the web and entered into network settings? or is there a add-on or program you can use in a linux or android based box that will always stay on and think im in america?

Also im still gonna try out xbmc with her and if she screws it up thats fine but im thinking i will just get her a cheaper $200 one and get her the remaining $300 i usually spend on her on other gifts.
Wich box do you think out of what i described would be most stable for the gui and the xbmc part and semi easy? how is that ouya console? any $200 reccomendations would be greatly appreciated

ps: I always do my own google search and reaserch stuff before i post on a forum but MAN when it comes to XBMC media boxes there is sooo many conflicting reviews and storys lol i dont know what to believe hence posting on the uber xbmc forums lol

[GortWillSaveUs]

Yeah,..I'd suggest going with Ouya!!! It's not going to break the bank since it's only $99
That would mean $400 for other gifts for her.

OR, you could spend that $101 you saved on me,....

[Leo8978]

I think turning on Kiosk mode in XBMC, and customizing the the keymap so it only includes the absolute neccesary functions, would minimize the chance of accidentaly changing something or hitting the wrong key/button.

[00b5]

I'd give her the ATV2. She can use it as is, get netflix, movies from itunes, etc, and have an icon for XBMC.

Problem there is where you are going to store the movies, you can't hook up an external drive to it, so you'd need network storage of some sort (perhaps a newer router with a USB hdd?)
Now you are probably getting more complicated than just building something WITH storage in it.