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2015-01-15, 17:52
(This post was last modified: 2015-01-15, 17:56 by malcolmbarr.)
Sniffer77
I am in the UK too and bought my Asus Chromebox from Amazon US and used their Global Expedited Shipping Service to buy one of these. On this service you pay the import taxes up front (I actually ended up getting a small refund on that), and Amazon then takes care of the shipping and duties. I found this service actually worked very well - I am always wary of stuff you import getting stuck in customs, but I was able to track the thing though to delivery and it all went very smoothly.
If you look for "ASUS CHROMEBOX-M004U Desktop" on Amazon US, you will find it listed for $159. Including shipping and taxes this works out as approx £140 if I try and buy one today. I have Amazon Prime, but I don't think that is having any effect.
I have been testing a lot of android based boxes of late - mainly looking for 3D support - and can honestly say none of them come close to Openelec on a Chromebox. You will need to attach a keyboard for initial set up (follow the steps in the wiki). But the get yourself a PS3 blu-ray or other Bluetooth remote, pair it with the Chromebox via bluetooth, and it works very well.
Just relating my experience - don't kill me if you order one from the US and it goes pear shaped! Unlikely with Amazon, though....
By the way, I also have a Fire TV. It runs Kodi very nicely, and I think it is really good value for money, particularly if you value the amazon services on the box or really need to run android apps. But if the budget can go to it, Openelec on the Chromebox is just a much smoother experience once it is installed.
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00b5
Senior Member
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I want to get a chromebox next. Its basically a NUC that comes with a "hdd" (16GB SSD is plenty for local install of KODI) as well as bluetooth/wifi (i don't want wifi, but BT is nice to reuse my PS3 remote).
The big thing about a NUC is buying local storage, many of them need mSATA. They used to have more of a price premium on them, but not as much anymore. You can also get a NUC that fits a 2.5" drive, giving you more options (and that one also has IR built in, for a remote).
Again, I'll suggest a chromebox option, since it comes with RAM and SSD already. If you don't need local storage, I think its a great option (and has a real x86 cpu, as opposed to something ARM/etc based in all the other options).
Currently, I use 3 pi's around the house for all the media, and 3 flircs for remote control access. All hardwired with ethernet. I'd only really consider upgrading the main one to something more "robust", but that doesn't mean faster. You can just do more, have more addons that are written poorly, faster library imports/updates/etc. Pis play my 1080p content just fine, though I have recently starting looking into hi-10 (or whatever its called) anime, and even some h.265 which requires raw cpu power to decode for the most part these days.
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Guys my budget has gone up to around £250/£260 after selling my Apple TV 2 for a nice sum and I have also returned my nas.
I'm after something now a big harddrive min 1tb and pref ir control .
Any changes to what has been suggested already ?
Should I steer clear of aliexpress boxes ?
Cheers
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Thanks for the advice . Will now look at prices of what you have suggested ,
Can I ask am I likely to get a better picture, especially of sd content than my current intel dn2820.
Thanks again for helping me with your knowledge .
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Hi guys , sorry restart this thread. I'm planning on getting a asus chromebox for my dad . Would go zotac but no wifi etc this seems simpler .
Now which is the best model to get ? Just to run oe for kodi?
My brother is off to USA , Vegas etc travelling around for couple of weeks. Are there any retailers he can pick one up from or are they all mail order?
Thanks
Jamie
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The chromebox has been as low as $140 but it seems to have gone back up to $160 online at least on Amazon and Newegg.
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Thanks , think at $180 work out about £120 here . Will check what uk prices are too.
$140 would have been a great price
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Right my brother is sorting me one of these when in USA .
Does the asus come with adapters for the power supply for uk, if not what is if likely to cost main uk ? And where is best to purchase ?
Thanks
