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nila
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Hi guys,
Both the mk808b Plus and the Raspberry Pi 2 are roughly the same price for me to get in Australia.
Just wondering which one is the better choice for running Kodi.
My settings are: Aeon Nox
3857 TV Shows
1692 Movies
The mk808b Plus seems to support MirrorCast and DLNA which I dont think the Pi does so it seems like a better choice?
As it runs Android, it will already have a ton of apps ready for it too which I can instantly install to set it up as a server with a bunch of features?
All pro's/cons appreciated.
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I don't know much about the android device but I have the pi2 its very fasta friend tried aeon nox on his pi 2 today and said it was nice and responsive.
I haven't used dlna for a while but it use to work on my old pi but I use nfs shares for my pis
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2015-02-05, 17:55
(This post was last modified: 2015-02-05, 17:56 by poofyhairguy.)
I don't have the Pi2 but I have a MK808B Plus.
I can say that the Pi 2 is the better Kodi device though. Ethernet port is a clear win, as is real refresh rate matching and better community support. The Pi 2 makes you pay for MPEG 2 and VC1 codecs, but the MK808B Plus can't really play those files worth a darn anyway.
The MK808B plus wifi is trash, like not good enough. And if you use a USB ethernet dongle it fails after a while. Finally Android simply is not a Tier 1 media center OS due to many issues, and the Openelec build for the MK808B Plus isn't perfect. Oh and Miracast has never really been a good standard.
Here is the thing- despite all this I really like the MK808B Plus. It plays every x264 file I have (which is most everything nowadays) and it works great when I connect USB devices for local playback. Also I like having Android because of the flexibility to easily throw a SNES emulator or an app like Netflix on there. It is the perfect travel stick, and is a great value for $40. I even love the included GUI launcher. It is not an every day primary HTPC kind of device though.
Honestly I think the Pi 2 is the FLOOR for a primary HTPC. I assume you mean you have 4000 TV episodes (which could be only like 50-100 series), and that of those 1700 movies they aren't mostly MakeMKV Blu Ray rips. If that is the case I see no problem with a Pi 2.
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I have both.
The mk808b is much cheaper, with case, flash memory, power, cables, wifi, BT hardware included. Android runs Netflix etc.
But the downside is lack of community support.
I cannot get surround sound working over s/pdif on the mk808 . Does it work over hdmi?
I would not have even considered using Android for a server, though I suppose its possible, as the device is rooted.
The only problem with the Pi is that it is ARM, and unlike Intel (e.g. atom) will not run a lot of proprietary software like Netflix, Flash etc. in Linux.
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Gino42
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It was down to these two models for me too and I decided to go with a Pi2 solely for the Ethernet port. Even though my router is right next to my tv, I've always used a wired connection for video streaming.
The Pi2 does cost more but in my opinion, it's an awesome little device. Plays YouTube video smoothly and any video app for that matter. (can't mention them for fear of going against forum rules). Trust me, it plays even 1080p flawlessly.
Total cost was roughly $140 bucks but that includes a Logitech K400 mouse/keyboard. Perfect device for searches. Don't wanna be typing stuff without a keyboard....just too cumbersome. Mouse function works well too.
Plus the Pi2 has never overheated. I've had it for almost 4 months now and it's always luke warm. I've read that the MK808b gets hot and that also worried me. So basically it was the lack of an ethernet port and heat issues that made me go with a Pi2. Plus, people on here have nothing but praise for it. For under $100 bucks, it's the best Kodi player running a solid 24p.
I also like that when it freezes up (and it will here and there), all you have to do is unplug it and re-plug it back in. Boots in less than 30 secs.
I bought my unit at Canada Robotix in Markham, Ontario. Hopefully you make the right choice!
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I have used both and the RPI2 is the better device IMHO. In fact I gave my MK808B to someone else due to lack of use. The MK808B just isn't as flexible out of the box. It has no terminal for a start. In a blind test, using my family, everyone preferred the image quality of the Pi when playing the same content. The lack of ethernet is a real PITA. Wifi is great to connect to a network with a phone, tablet or laptop but instant so great if you are streaming HQ video. My MK808B suffered from random crashes, my Pi does not. The choices of OS for the Pi is varied, for the MK808B it is not. I could not get the MK808B to talk to my AVR well, the Pi worked out of the box. The MK808B does not have the expandability of the Pi, on my Pi I can boot from an HDD, have an ambilight easily, utilise it's 4 USB ports for anything I like really and the same is true of it's GPIO. So the Pi doesn't have HEVC support, I honestly don't see much content that uses it.
I am very into low budget HTPCs and I have got one in every room of my house, it has cost less than £300 to do if I had been using MK808B boxes or similar it would of cost much more than that.
HTPCs: 2 x Chromecast with Google TV
Audio: Pioneer VSX-819HK & S-HS 100 5.1 Speakers
Server: HP Compaq Pro 6300, 4GB RAM, 8.75TB, Bodhi Linux 5.x, NFS, MySQL
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@
speedwell68
Note that the MK808B is very very different from the MK808B Plus. Confusingly similar names, but very different devices.
