[decpvr]

I'm based in the UK and I'm after a portable device to run Kodi on; mostly for using with video streaming add-ons such as iPlayer etc.

I just want a cheap (around £100 GBP) little 8" tablet which will work well without crashing and has decent wifi (I have a AC1900 router at home).

I may also stream a bit of live TV locally, from my TVHeadend server (UK DVB-T/T2 freeview material).

Does anyone have any recommendations on whether a cheap Windows tablet (such as the Linx8) or Android (such as MeMo Pad 8 or Lenovo S8-50) would be best for my purposes?

Is there much between them when running Kodi on similar hardware (Intel Z3735G, 1GB RAM)? I know the Lenovo I mentioned above has 2GB, but for Kodi will it make much of a difference?

Basically I'm after something which is stable and reliable (doesn't crash).

HDMI out would be a bonus, so I can hook it up to a TV when travelling and I'm after a tablet (rather than RaspberryPi2 or similar), so I can just walk around the house with it, or use it in bed.

A windows based device would have the bonus of running traditional windows software (albeit on low-power hardware).

Can anyone offer their advice or experience on running Kodi on any of these, or similar, devices. I don't want to drop £100 on a device, only to find its a dog and not fit for purpose.

I already run Kodi on several devices around my house (Raspberry Pi, Zotac box, home-built Mini-ITX PC with OpenELEC) so I'm familiar with setting it up and changing settings.

I actually have an old HP touchpad running Android, but I find the wifi is too unreliable and it hangs/crashes too often when testing Kodi.

Thanks.

[whitebelly]

Don't know about those, but I have a Galaxy Tab 3 8 inch that runs KODI nicely. You might find a used one in your price range. It can do HDMI using a usb/HDMI/OTG adapter (cheap on Ebay) and it has a micro-SD card slot for extra local storage.

The down side is it is stuck with the Jellybean version of Android, no more OTA updates to newer versions. Not a big deal to me, as it meets all my needs.

I have not used it for the streaming add-ons though, only playing content on my LAN.

[decpvr]

Don't know about those, but I have a Galaxy Tab 3 8 inch that runs KODI nicely. You might find a used one in your price range. It can do HDMI using a usb/HDMI/OTG adapter (cheap on Ebay) and it has a micro-SD card slot for extra local storage.

The down side is it is stuck with the Jellybean version of Android, no more OTA updates to newer versions. Not a big deal to me, as it meets all my needs.

I have not used it for the streaming add-ons though, only playing content on my LAN.

Interesting, thanks - looks like they're currently about £150 (new) on Amazon, or £85 (refurbed - Via Tesco) on eBay. I'll keep it in mind.

Anyone else have any experience running Kodi on either Android or Windows tablets?

[trogggy]

The Linx 8 runs kodi very well. I mostly use it as a tablet but connecting to a tv is as straightforward as a windows laptop. If you want to plug in usb peripherals it won't charge with the stock charger, but there are easy solutions. I bought a kensington dock for about £7 that gives me extra usb ports, 5.1 sound and ethernet connection - in that respect it's more flexible than an (my) android tab.
I've not used any heavy skins with it - CCM works well on the screen and tv so I've stuck with that.
Battery life isn't fantastic - it's a cheap tablet so no great surprise there.
My other tab is a tegra note 7 (advent vega) - that runs kodi just fine too, a bit more messy getting the HDMI output right but once done that's fine too - but it's not as flexible when it comes to plugging stuff in (can't sync / charge).
Then there's the whole windows / android thing - personally if I had to choose for kodi it would be the linx every time.
The linx has a forum - http://www.linxtablet.co.uk/index.php - worth a read if you're considering one.

Edit: wifi on the linx is N but single band.

[decpvr]

The Linx 8 runs kodi very well. I mostly use it as a tablet but connecting to a tv is as straightforward as a windows laptop. If you want to plug in usb peripherals it won't charge with the stock charger, but there are easy solutions. I bought a kensington dock for about £7 that gives me extra usb ports, 5.1 sound and ethernet connection - in that respect it's more flexible than an (my) android tab...

I have been tempted by the Linx8 due to the flexibility you mention. Thanks for the input.

I have looked at the Linx forums previously, but don't recall much discussion about running Kodi on the device. I'll take another look either way as it's usually a good way to get users opinions and experiences.

Do you have link to the Kensington dock you mentioned above?

[trogggy]

There's not much kodi-specific stuff there - one or two threads maybe, probably not very helpful. It does run very well, maybe there would be more threads if it didn't!
The dock I bought is here.

Edit: the dock isn't a solution to charging - in case I gave that impression. Not, at least, without a bit of hackery.
The easiest way to charge and use usb peripherals on the 8 seems to be one of these things.

[decpvr]

There's not much kodi-specific stuff there - one or two threads maybe, probably not very helpful. It does run very well, maybe there would be more threads if it didn't!
The dock I bought is here.

Edit: the dock isn't a solution to charging - in case I gave that impression. Not, at least, without a bit of hackery.
The easiest way to charge and use usb peripherals on the 8 seems to be one of these things.

Thanks for the links about the dock & charging.

Looks like the £30 trade-in/cash back offer is still valid if you buy from Staples.

I may have to get my old HP Touchpad ready for a trade-in. £69 seems a decent price for the Linx8 (after the cash back).

Do you know if a simple usb->Ethernet adapter would work with the OTG/USB charging hub? That way I could use Ethernet, charge and any accessories while the Linx is plugged into the TV. It's a nice option to have for temporary usage.

Does anyone else want to add any experiences on using Android tablets with Kodi?

[trogggy]

Do you know if a simple usb->Ethernet adapter would work with the OTG/USB charging hub? That way I could use Ethernet, charge and any accessories while the Linx is plugged into the TV. It's a nice option to have for temporary usage.

I've used an old nintendo wii one with a windows pc in the past - and that was plug and play. If it has windows drivers there's no reason why not. If I ever find mine again I'll be able to check - don't hold your breath though.

[Mark142]

The Linx 8 runs kodi very well. I mostly use it as a tablet but connecting to a tv is as straightforward as a windows laptop. If you want to plug in usb peripherals it won't charge with the stock charger, but there are easy solutions. I bought a kensington dock for about £7 that gives me extra usb ports, 5.1 sound and ethernet connection - in that respect it's more flexible than an (my) android tab.
I've not used any heavy skins with it - CCM works well on the screen and tv so I've stuck with that.
Battery life isn't fantastic - it's a cheap tablet so no great surprise there.
My other tab is a tegra note 7 (advent vega) - that runs kodi just fine too, a bit more messy getting the HDMI output right but once done that's fine too - but it's not as flexible when it comes to plugging stuff in (can't sync / charge).
Then there's the whole windows / android thing - personally if I had to choose for kodi it would be the linx every time.
The linx has a forum - http://www.linxtablet.co.uk/index.php - worth a read if you're considering one.

Edit: wifi on the linx is N but single band.

What dock have you got.. As to tablets. I use a voyo 8 windows tablet. Works fine for kodi and has hdmi out. Beware with cheap with does tablets. Some have very bad touch screen so unless your in metro mode they are almost unusable with touch screen. I hear the linx is good and is highly recommended. Also consider the hudl 2 which has full HD screen and had micro hdmi out.

[decpvr]

What dock have you got.. As to tablets. I use a voyo 8 windows tablet. Works fine for kodi and has hdmi out. Beware with cheap with does tablets. Some have very bad touch screen so unless your in metro mode they are almost unusable with touch screen. I hear the linx is good and is highly recommended. Also consider the hudl 2 which has full HD screen and had micro hdmi out.

Good point about the Hudl 2, I forgot about that one. I think I have some clubcard vouchers as well. Do you have one, or does anyone else?

I'd be interested to know how well Kodi works on the Hudl 2. Although I am leaning towards the Linx8, especially with the £30 trade in offer. I think it's also possible to extract and sell the Office 365 sub as well, which effectively makes it cheaper as well.

[trogggy]

The dock's linked in post #6.
And yes, the office sub is easy to extract.

[User 272824]

currently running kodi on samsung tab 3" - i currently have 64gb sdcard in mine with a 64gb kingston usb (mini version) connected via otg cable and works perfectly

[decpvr]

I'll be able to answer my own question soon; I've ordered both!

I managed to get a refurbished Hudl2 (Tesco Android tablet) for £57 with some vouchers I had.

I've also ordered a Linx8 (Windows tablet) and will trade in my old HP Touchpad for £30 cash back.

There's also an OTG charge/hub from aliexpress, linked to above, a micro HDMI adapter and a cheap bluetooth mouse on their way to me.

I'll post my thoughts once I've received both and had a chance to try Kodi.

Can anyone recommend a brand of microSD card which seems good - so far Sandisk seem a good bet (judging by responses for the Raspberry Pi2). I know some tablets/phones can be picky with certain cards acting a bit flakey if they're not a decent brand.

[stammie]

I'm a fan of the Linx tablets and have a 7" one and a 10.1" one, they are great little devices but you have to remember they are budget devices.
I'm not sure how the battery on the 8" compares to the one in the 7" but if its similar you'll only get around three and a half hours to four hours max out of it running Kodi,
the sound is also a bit weak and tinny.
If you're using it in tablet mode you will need to keep an eye on the task manager and close some programs down that are running in the background, the 1 GB RAM gets filled up fairly easily, especially if Chrome is your preferred browser and you have a few tabs open on it.
You might want to have a mouse plugged in when you first get it to set it up, that will make setting the font and window sizes a whole lot easier.
Connecting to a TV is simple and if you set the TV to be the sole display the tablet will have no trouble running at 1080P.

I don't know what size microSD card you want but I have one of these in all my portable devices and never had a problem http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00K7...ge_o07_s00
I'm unsure of the data speed you'd get with one transferring files directly to it from the device its on as I haven't tried that, but via wifi on the Linx you'll get around 7 MB/s, this is due to the single channel on the units, using my dual channel device I get 17 MB/s transfers to the card.

[decpvr]

stammie - thanks for the info. I have set my expectations to 'low', so I shouldn't be disappointed.

I wasn't expecting great battery life, so 3-4hrs sounds fine.

Do the Linx tablets support exFat formatting for the microSD cards? The Hudl 2 appears to be limited to Fat32, so they'll be a max file size of 4GB.

I've ordered this 64GB microSD card: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B0000799...ref=plSrch

I haven't considered transfer speeds, I may see if I can pick up a cheap USB->Ethernet adapter.