Advice needed for choosing my HTPC/ media box !
#1
Hello to everyone here, and before I start thank for this great forum !

Quick presentation of myslef : i love linux and movies AND XBMC (kodi ^^). I spend about 20 to 30 hours a week watching movies, and i am looking for the TV/movie player box that will suit my needs the best.
(been using XBMC for about 10 months on a RPI + raspbmc)

here is my actual home theatre installation :

TV : samsung UE55F6500 (smart tv, 55'', 400hz, 1080p etc)
Projector : benq w1070+ 1080p (image base is 2.80 meter, in 2.35:1 cinemascope only)
speakers : jmlab focal 5.1 chorus 715 x2, 710x2 and cc700. Subwoofer is moscade titan
Sound amplifier : pioneer vsx 323 (changing it soon for a cambridge)
internet : fiber optical 200 Gbs
video library : to this day, my movies are stored on PC (ubuntu) with dlna server /and/ or nfs server
Custom tv player : Rasperry pi B+

so to this day im watching movies through my Rpi, but i find the Rpi a bit limited for what i need so im looking to upgrade my PI for another solution
(please dont start trolling on the PI ^^ I LOVE my PI, ive been using it for about 6 months, ive been tweaking it and playing with it to its max capabalities, and i do everything with it, but its just not powerfull enough for me. The PI keeps on lagging once a while on 1080p movies with DTS, and there is NO way i can watch a 1080p movie with DTS HD sound without a quite amount of lag and freeze and stuff.... I tried it all, believe me)

my needs are :
im looking for a TV/movie box with following features :
- android or linux only (no amazon fire tv, no roku, no WD TV, etc... Linux or android ONLY
- fast ethernet needed 10/100
- XBMC/KODI can be installed and upgraded on it (latest XBMC/KODI install can be done)
- i need à IR feature so i can use a custom remote control (minix neo X8 wont be a solution for me due to the lack of IR feature)
- i need to be able to play 1080p movies and 1080p 3D movies (large files > 15 GB) with DTS with NO LAG at all.
why ? Because i use a 1080p projector with 9.18 feet image base, and i invested money to have a cool movie theatre experience (image/sound) so im really looking for a smooth experience when watching movies in DTS.. No lag, image hanging/freezing at ALL !!! not even 1 second image freeze in the movie
- it would be great if i could use a USB hard drive too at times. But im going to buy a NAS synology soon, so most of the media content will be on the NAS.
- cost arround $180 max


so my bet goes to solutions like Tronsmart vega s89h but i read it has issues with some 1080p and DTS HD...
i would have buy a minix neo x8, buti read there is no IR feature for custom remote , so i will pass on this one

At this time a good solution seems a baytrail NUC like INTEL DN2820FYKH, but I read the DN2820 chip has a bug and was not able to support DTS-HD passthrough

so im seeking advice on this forum on what could be the best box/HTPC for me ... (i dont know them all)

And, my config : PC (or NAS) will be connected to the media box (wired ethernet 10/100)
HDMI output on the media box will go to pioneer vsx 322 amplifier (with audio passthrough DTS and DOLBY Digital, 5.1 all the way)
HDMI output on the pioneer will go to benq W1070+ projector (or TV)

so.. What media box/HTPC do you think is the best for me ??

Thanks you in advance !!
Alex
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#2
(2014-10-04, 15:01)HTfreak Wrote: At this time a good solution seems a baytrail NUC like INTEL DN2820FYKH, but I read the DN2820 chip has a bug and was not able to support DTS-HD passthrough

I think this "bug" does NOT apply to Linux/OpenELEC.
 
  • Intel NUC Kit DN2820FYKH ~ Crucial DDR3L SO-DIMM 4GB ~ SanDisk ReadyCache 32GB SSD ~ Microsoft MCE model 1039 RC6 remote
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#3
(2014-10-04, 15:44)xbs08 Wrote:
(2014-10-04, 15:01)HTfreak Wrote: At this time a good solution seems a baytrail NUC like INTEL DN2820FYKH, but I read the DN2820 chip has a bug and was not able to support DTS-HD passthrough

I think this "bug" does NOT apply to Linux/OpenELEC.

correct. If the OP is US-based, a ChromeBox might end up being a better/cheaper option for him
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#4
It's not a bug, it's a lack of a feature Smile and yes it only applies to Windows which requires PAP for HD audio bitstreaming.
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Advice needed for choosing my HTPC/ media box !0