[geoffpalmeruk]

Sorry to create another thread asking for advice but i think my requirements are quite different.

In my house i currently have an old Mac mini G4 running Leopard server connected to airport express via ethernet which in turn talks to my Virgin router and my apple TV3 connected via wifi to the router and then HDMI to the TV (non smart 42 inch plasma)

I have been thinking of ways to reduce this to just one or 2 devices.

All my content is on a 1tb 2.5 inch HDD.

I was thinking of using a roku 3 and connecting my hdd via usb into it?
Or get a raspberry pi and usb content?

Are there any other recommendations? ideally i would like to pay as little as possible as i have a very small budget (under £100)

and i don't really want to go the NAS route.

My main requirements are:

No real requirement for streaming media / online services as i have virginmedia tivo
Quiet (this is a must ideally passive cooling)
Low energy (less than Mac Mini, Apple TV and Airport Express combined)
Direct attachment for usb hdd (don't want buffering over the wifi)
Ethernet port would be nice.
As few devices as possible (hide it behind TV so wife doesn't see!)

Thanks in avdvance.

[mayoman]

Depends somewhat on the format of your files, as a lot of cheap boxes are not good at some HD formats.

If your TV supports CEC, then I would recommend Raspberry Pi (Pi can be controlled by TV remote). Meets all your criteria and has the best playback for the common range of video formats. One possible concern is the the USB HDD - the Pi may struggle to power it directly. (You may want to power the HDD through a USB hub or a separate power supply.) Also menu navigation can be slow at times.
Ouya is another possibility to compare with the Roku. Negatives v the Pi are that MPEG2 HD playback is an issue and lacks CEC (currently) but this is balanced by faster menu speed and having its own remote.
There are 1001 cheap android boxes - hard to keep up as there is a new one every week but if your video is SD only in a supported format then one of them will probably do ok.

[wgstarks]

I don't know if you'll find one to fit your budget, but I really like the Mac Mini's. I got a used one from eBay and it has worked great for me with a setup similar to what you are describing.

[geoffpalmeruk]

Thanks for the replies. most of my content will be SD (only 1 or 2 HD versions (even then they're compressed to approx 1 or 2 gb. my current setup is being sold hence the desire for a smaller setup.

has anyone has experience with the CuBox?