2015-06-17, 04:39
Time to move up to newer technology.
I am a retired American expat living in the mountains of western Panama. I am fairly tech savvy, a lifelong audio enthusiast, and have reliable 15mbps internet service here in Panama. I currently use a WDTV box for streaming video from my NAS and the internet. Kodi has recently been getting excellent recommendations here in the expat community, and I am considering moving to it.
I have used Firefox as my laptop browser since it's early days, and really like it's open architecture and the many apps and add-ons that are available for Firefox. I see the same flexibility and creativity with the Kodi platform and it's configuration options and open-source apps.
I have narrowed down my box options to an ASUS Chromebox with a Logitec wireless back-lit keyboard I will likely install OpenELEC and Kodi in dual boot configuration. Then I could also use Chrome as a web browser for my big living room TV - a big plus for me. (Ubuntu Linux can be installed on the Chromebox and then you can use Firefox as a browser, but the special Linux for Kodi does not support web browsers - so I cannot have both.)
My goal with Kodi is to use it for streaming video, both from the internet via the Kodi apps and from my Synology NAS (NFS) via an ethernet cable from my OpenWRT Linux-based wireless router. My router is configured to use the "Unlocator" DNS system to avoid regional blocking - because as an American, I would like to be able to watch American TV and videos.
For audio, I would really like to feed the digital audio signal from the Kodi box to my DAC/amp like I do with my WDTV, but it doesn't seem like that will be possible. My Sony Bravia LCD TV has digital optical audio out, so if I cannot get USB digital audio out via Kodi on the Chromebox, I can use the TV digital audio output.
Also, I really hate to have a 40" LCD TV turned on just to listen to music, and may keep the Squeezebox just for music and internet radio.
I'm not a big sports fan, but I occasionally like to watch F1 auto racing, 49'ers football or special programming. I haven't subscribed to cable TV for many years, and I'm wondering if I can watch occasional programs like that with the Kodi system without expensive subscriptions?
I am a retired American expat living in the mountains of western Panama. I am fairly tech savvy, a lifelong audio enthusiast, and have reliable 15mbps internet service here in Panama. I currently use a WDTV box for streaming video from my NAS and the internet. Kodi has recently been getting excellent recommendations here in the expat community, and I am considering moving to it.
I have used Firefox as my laptop browser since it's early days, and really like it's open architecture and the many apps and add-ons that are available for Firefox. I see the same flexibility and creativity with the Kodi platform and it's configuration options and open-source apps.
I have narrowed down my box options to an ASUS Chromebox with a Logitec wireless back-lit keyboard I will likely install OpenELEC and Kodi in dual boot configuration. Then I could also use Chrome as a web browser for my big living room TV - a big plus for me. (Ubuntu Linux can be installed on the Chromebox and then you can use Firefox as a browser, but the special Linux for Kodi does not support web browsers - so I cannot have both.)
My goal with Kodi is to use it for streaming video, both from the internet via the Kodi apps and from my Synology NAS (NFS) via an ethernet cable from my OpenWRT Linux-based wireless router. My router is configured to use the "Unlocator" DNS system to avoid regional blocking - because as an American, I would like to be able to watch American TV and videos.
For audio, I would really like to feed the digital audio signal from the Kodi box to my DAC/amp like I do with my WDTV, but it doesn't seem like that will be possible. My Sony Bravia LCD TV has digital optical audio out, so if I cannot get USB digital audio out via Kodi on the Chromebox, I can use the TV digital audio output.
Also, I really hate to have a 40" LCD TV turned on just to listen to music, and may keep the Squeezebox just for music and internet radio.
I'm not a big sports fan, but I occasionally like to watch F1 auto racing, 49'ers football or special programming. I haven't subscribed to cable TV for many years, and I'm wondering if I can watch occasional programs like that with the Kodi system without expensive subscriptions?