[chobo2]

Hi

I currently have a pivos xios m3 box, when I bought the device I wanted to go as cheap as possible as I did not know how xbmc would be at the time and did not want to invent more than $100 bucks.

However now after like 2 years, I am sort of getting fed up with it. I find it so slow and sometimes can take me like 20 mins till I finally load up what I want to watch. First it takes so long to navigate through each screen of a plugin.

Almost all of these actions should be fast since half of those options should not be pulling any data from the server especially after the first time.

I tried on my home computer and it is alot faster so I am thinking maybe I should get a mini pc and stick it by my T.V but I have no clue what specs I need nor how much that will cost. I know there are alot of other boxes but what I found with android you have very good specs otherwise it is so slow(I had a low end android phone and it was so slow)

Also I use on my box mini network monitor so I can see how fast the stream is downloading at so I am not sure if something like that exists on windows.

Also do T.V remotes still work(I have a harmony remote and it works with my pivos once I hooked it up).

So far I be recommended Chromecast from hp or the hp mini stream. I don't know much about either but I do prefer windows though but other than that I would not know how to compare them or if there is something else to consider.

[Steve_uk]

I have Kodi setup and running on the new version of raspberry pi 2 and it's rapid mate.
Even on a bigger skin with all the fan art I can still browse all the menus nice and smooth

[skylarking]

I also have a RPi-2, it's quick to navigate the standard confluence skin and i like the CEC capabilities meaning if your TV supports CEC you can use the TV remote to control it.

It won't handle every codec but at $50 for the RPi-2, $10 for the case and $12 for the power adapter, it's not a bad a price.
Add to that an MPEG-2 and VC-1 codec licence, to handle DVD and some BD rips, would set you back a further $6 (i haven't done this as yet).

Since i already had a uSD card and a keyboard, etc, i saved some dollars on these but even if you bought such things the whole package would still be less than $100 and it's quite capable.

The only gripe i have so far is that i don't like cables hanging out the rear and side of the box, it's a little untidy.

NUC is also a good option as it has IR and runs Windows.
It can be costly though it does provide full PC capabilities which can ofset the hurt.
But the latest 5th generation seems half baked as it wont do full H.265 hardware decode, that would likley come end of this years.

So get a RPi-2 to tie you over till then

[DocG]

This is a pretty good summary of current options. All depends on what you really want/need.

[skylarking]

Good link DocG

[poofyhairguy]

But the latest 5th generation seems half baked as it wont do full H.265 hardware decode, that would likley come end of this years.

Two things on that:

1. Nothing but a single $200 Nvidia GPU (the GTX 960) has what I consider to be "full" HEVC hardware decode. Nothing in ARM or anywhere else outside of CPU decode has the robustness of a solution like that. So its not like Intel missed a boat or something, no one is doing it now.

2. The hope is Intel delivers that next generation in Skylake. I plan to migrate my primary system to being a Skylake NUC to find out soon as I can. And I will update that thread with results.

[shabuboy]

See "Pick the Right Kodi Box (UPDATED FEB 2015)"

I would recommend: AFTV box or stick, Pi2, Chromebox and Zotac BI320. But it depends on your requirements.

[jnevill]

I just built a cheap one using an ECS Mini ITX MOBO/Intel J1800 combo for 40 bucks from Newegg http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6813135393

I used the Morex T3410 Mini ITX case that comes with a fanless 60w PSU (70 bucks). Which is a nice box because it's tiny, comes with the PSU, and has the mounting bracket so you can mount this on the back of most monitors/TVs.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005PI1Z7O

I found 2x2gb cheap-o memory, a 128gb SSD (I keep everything on my NAS in the basement). The whole rig is under 200 bucks, it's silent, and fast.

I use the FLIRC Infrared Remote/USB adapater (http://www.flirc.tv/product/flirc/) This allows you to use any remote with your computer so you don't have to monkey around with LIRC or buy a complicated universal remote. It's a pretty amazing product.A 3 dollar used remote from the thrift store and a 20 dollar flirc and your set.

In about an hour and a half and around 220 bucks (including the FLIRC) I was able to build a solid, silent, and fast KODI box for our bedroom.

[AbRASiON]

My machine ended up being a MiniITX with the anniversary edition Pentium G3258 (?), 4gb of ram, small SSD and a cheap ATI video card.
I used an Apple TV2 once and it was disgustingly slow. Loading the library from the slow, cheap flash ram, made all the thumbnails just kind of phase in far too slowly.
There needs to be an Android box with some half decent speed flash memory in it and a competent CPU / memory.

[MrCrispy]

I just built a cheap one using an ECS Mini ITX MOBO/Intel J1800 combo for 40 bucks from Newegg http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6813135393

I used the Morex T3410 Mini ITX case that comes with a fanless 60w PSU (70 bucks). Which is a nice box because it's tiny, comes with the PSU, and has the mounting bracket so you can mount this on the back of most monitors/TVs.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005PI1Z7O

I found 2x2gb cheap-o memory, a 128gb SSD (I keep everything on my NAS in the basement). The whole rig is under 200 bucks, it's silent, and fast.

I use the FLIRC Infrared Remote/USB adapater (http://www.flirc.tv/product/flirc/) This allows you to use any remote with your computer so you don't have to monkey around with LIRC or buy a complicated universal remote. It's a pretty amazing product.A 3 dollar used remote from the thrift store and a 20 dollar flirc and your set.

In about an hour and a half and around 220 bucks (including the FLIRC) I was able to build a solid, silent, and fast KODI box for our bedroom.

That looks like a great build! It's also cheaper than the prebuilt Celeron box like this one - http://www.amazon.com/EB1036-B0534-Deskt...B00LIXLVNI

Are you running Windows or OpenElec? I wonder how it compares to a Chromebox.