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jsp1 has given a good summary. If you want to only use it as an XBMC client, i.e. run OpenElec, then Chromebox is a better choice. The other limitation is IR is not built in and doesn't power on/off like it does on NUC.
I decided I'll get Chromebox because its more powerful, the 100GB Google drive is worth $50 and I will use it, and its more future proof, for cheaper.
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I am planning on just running OpenELEC so I am now leaning towards ChromeBox.
I had been all set to buy a NUC when the N2830 version came out but that seems to be taking a while.
My only question at this point is can I boot the ChromeBox over network with Yatse?
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jsp1
Senior Member
Posts: 165
After all the work Matt has put in to make the Chromebox user friendly and the continued support he provides I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. I don't know about Yatse powering the box on though...sorry. It has such a low power draw I usually cut it on once in the day (by switch) and leave it until I shut it down remotely. Admittedly suspend and resume functions are not a strong point on the Chromebox and it doesn't have a traditional bios to play around with to try and get them working. Though Matt has said he is working on it...and he has come through on pretty much everything else so far.
The pace at which problems are being solved is very satisfying and lightning fast compared to any other product I have owned.
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I'm close to pulling the trigger on the ASUS Chromebox.
Problem: my sound system requires either optical or coaxial digital input. No HDMI input to my stereo system is possible, and my TV is not capable of de-embedding the audio and passing it out (it always outputs 2-channel PCM no matter what the source is). The Chromebox only has HDMI output.
Can Asus Chromebox (with Chrubuntu presumably?) take a USB soundcard that has an optical output, and does XBMC support this on the Chromebox?
Anyone doing exactly this, and can recommend which USB soundcard(s) work well?
If it helps: my audio system can take dolby digital up to 5.1, and DTS up to 5.1. It is the logitech Z-680 speaker system (ancient now, I know....)
Thanks for any help.
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Still trying to decide what remote to get that would work well. From the posts above I understand that -
- you can't wake up or power on Chromebox via any remote or keyboard (connected via BT/IR/USB)
- you can wake up from sleep with Yatse (presumably some form of WoL)
- only way to power on from off is physical switch
What I'd like is a good remote that doesn't need line of sight, so RF/BT is preferred, fast response, and has a keyboard built in for searches.
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Hi guys thanks for the links. So, you recommend HDMI splitters over USB soundcards -- good to know. However i'm in Switzerland and the splitters i see with separate audio out start at $300 :S
so, no usb soundcards eh?
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Help Matt!!
I followed the instructions on the wiki that you posted. Everything was fine until I the box restarted and the message on the screen is this,
SeaBIOS (version chromeos-2014.01.27-20140521_143233-MattDevo)
Booting from Hard Disk...
early console in decompress_kernel
KASLR using RDRAND...
Decompressing Linux... Parsing ELF... Performing relocations... done.
Booting the kernel.
This is all on a black screen, and it just hangs there.
I hit Ctrl+Alt+F2, no command prompt comes up, I can type on the black screen but nothing happens.
Any ideas on how to fix?
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You saved my ass Matt! Worked with no problem.
If I wanted to revert back to ChromeOS would that be possible?
Thanks again!
if so should i/we try the latests kernels (so far v3.15-rc7-utopic/ is the latest) from 