2015-02-23, 16:20
I have been running XBMC/Kodi on all kinds of plattforms and hardware under the years.
My ideal hardware device for Kodi should be:
When Android based devices started to become mainstream and low cost i thought that i finally was able to get the device i was waiting for.
As part of my hobby is to test latest gadgets from China i soon realized that running under Android can cause lots of issues.
Android development being so defragemnted and different SoC platforms fighting for marketshares results in not very stable Kodi support.
When Intel started to invest in the Chinese low cost manufacturers last year i realised that we very soon will be able to run Intel / Windows based devices that will solve lots of the issues related to Android's defragmented nature.
I also realised that it would not take long before GNU/Linux based distros would adopt to be able to run on the new Atom based solutions, and today i want to share what i have found already today.
I received a Intel Atom Z3735F based box (Mele PCG03) directly from the manufacturer for testing, and decided to try getting Debian run on it. I was a bit sceptical as i know Linux is not very friendly to latest hardware but was positively surprised when i booted into Debian desktop.
I was also surprised that XBMC run without very well testing few 1080p files, i still have work to do as audio drivers didnt get installed during the installation and i also need to figure out how to get wifi dirivers to kick in.
I believe there will be a flood of cheap Intel based miniPC coming out of China this year and i may finally get my "ideal" TV box replacing my current Android box.
Anyw, enough of bull.
Here are few screens showing XBMC for Debian in action, and a video i made:
Playing local 1080p file.
Streaming via xbmctorrent.
http://cngadget.info/2015/02/23/running-...03-minipc/
Let me know if you want me to test anything specific in Kodi on the box, or if you can advice how i should go about to get the audio drivers and wifi working under Debian.
My ideal hardware device for Kodi should be:
- low cost
- fanless
- disk less
- running free os
When Android based devices started to become mainstream and low cost i thought that i finally was able to get the device i was waiting for.
As part of my hobby is to test latest gadgets from China i soon realized that running under Android can cause lots of issues.
Android development being so defragemnted and different SoC platforms fighting for marketshares results in not very stable Kodi support.
When Intel started to invest in the Chinese low cost manufacturers last year i realised that we very soon will be able to run Intel / Windows based devices that will solve lots of the issues related to Android's defragmented nature.
I also realised that it would not take long before GNU/Linux based distros would adopt to be able to run on the new Atom based solutions, and today i want to share what i have found already today.
I received a Intel Atom Z3735F based box (Mele PCG03) directly from the manufacturer for testing, and decided to try getting Debian run on it. I was a bit sceptical as i know Linux is not very friendly to latest hardware but was positively surprised when i booted into Debian desktop.
I was also surprised that XBMC run without very well testing few 1080p files, i still have work to do as audio drivers didnt get installed during the installation and i also need to figure out how to get wifi dirivers to kick in.
I believe there will be a flood of cheap Intel based miniPC coming out of China this year and i may finally get my "ideal" TV box replacing my current Android box.
Anyw, enough of bull.
Here are few screens showing XBMC for Debian in action, and a video i made:
Playing local 1080p file.
Streaming via xbmctorrent.
http://cngadget.info/2015/02/23/running-...03-minipc/
Let me know if you want me to test anything specific in Kodi on the box, or if you can advice how i should go about to get the audio drivers and wifi working under Debian.
