[DrGrafix]

I'm currently running my ATV1 with the BroadcomHD card (no wifi) hard wired, drawing media from my NAS My Cloud drive. Generally speaking the atv1 has served me well once I made the jump to a NAS source, and also taking out the wifi card and using the Broadcom HD card. I have to thank Ned Scott for all his advice over the past couple of years. Currently openELEC setup and it's on the atv1's hdd. But I'm still seeing some stuttering and if I miss a scene, I can't visually back up. The picture freezes but the audio plays, then a few seconds later the video kicks back in. At the beginning of any movie, the audio goes on, but the picture freezes for 10-15 seconds until it cuts to the movie.

So maybe the ATV1 is getting a bit dated? If I was to go in a different direction, there's the RPi2, then there's the boxed devices like the WeTek and Amazon Fire. My requirement is that I have to have a device with a HDMI out, a reliable power supply and circuit board, a small, ATV-sized footprint, and a simple remote to control it... Not a keyboard or mini keyboard. I have more faith in a hard-wired setup... so it needs to have Ethernet connectivity.

I know the WeTek comes with KODI built in, but how tough is it to put the KODI interface into the RPi2 or the Amazon Fire? Any advice or pros/cons would be appreciated. No rush I'd like to buy something in the next 30-45 days. Thanks!

[eskro]

...


~$35 USD
RASPBERRY Pi2
-----------------------------------
does a really good job at being just a KODI box.
Not the most powerful in terms of using heavy skins
but i just keep the default one and im happy with it i like it.
like we all know, it plays 1080P without a hitch and even does perfect 24p.
no built-in WiFi here though you need a usb dongle but has ethernet built-in.


~$135 USD
ASUS CHROMEBOX
-------------------------------------------
again, does everything perfectly 1080P and 24p.
has enough horsepower for heavy skins.
built-in wifi and ethernet.


~$125 USD (rumoured price)
WETEK CORE 4K
--------------------------------------------------
not out yet but expected real soon
http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=238923
will be my choice once released over the CHROMEBOX.


...

[wrxtasy]

Currently openELEC setup and it's on the atv1's hdd. But I'm still seeing some stuttering and if I miss a scene, I can't visually back up. The picture freezes but the audio plays, then a few seconds later the video kicks back in. At the beginning of any movie, the audio goes on, but the picture freezes for 10-15 seconds until it cuts to the movie.

This new OpenELEC 5.95.5 should have fixed the problems you describe with the ATV1:
http://chewitt.openelec.tv/appletv/
http://openelec.tv/forum/123-apple-atv-m...or-appletv

[tomvs123]

I went through an xbox, atv1, atv2, fire tv 1, and used a fire tv 2 for a bit. I'm currently looking for a new media player. Here's what I've researched so far. It may help you make a decision:

Fire tv 2 had good hardware specs for the price, but is currently buggy. If they're able to patch in 24p support and fix the bugs, this will be a great device for $100. See http://www.aftvnews.com/ for news and updates about this one.

Wetek core has pretty impressive specs (better that the fire tv 2) and has 24p support out of the box. I just wish is was able to decode 10 bit HEVC content (which I predict will be more popular than 8 bit HEVC content within the next few years).

Nvidia Shield. This appears to be the best android-based player out there. 24p, 4k, 10bit content are all supported. Downsides to this one for me is that it's $200, doesn't come with a remote, and needs active cooling (a fan runs inside it).

Chromebox or Intel NUC. These play everything, but they're PCs and you'll need to spend a bit more to get them fully up and running (ram, hard drive, remote, OS).

Apple TV 4: I've ordered one and will see how well it works. Bad news is that Kodi probably won't work on it for a while and there's no guarantee that it will work. Supposedly only 1080p max output and no word on 24p support, but it's processor is pretty impressive and should be able to decode 10-bit content with no problem. Supposedly it hardware-decodes h264 hi10p (per firecore). It is also capable of hardware-decoding HEVC (not sure if 8 or 10 bit), but I'm not sure if that functionality is available to outside developers.

[DrGrafix]

Generally speaking, I think I can live with something that does 1080p bc I have no intention of buying a 4K big screen for a few years. I have my 65" Mits DLP and I kind of like it LOL. My only regret is that it has one HDMI but I run everything thru my Yanaha AVR so it's not too much of a problem. I'd be perfectly happy with an apple tv4 if that would allow me to easily stream my stuff from the NAS HDD.So if KODI went on the ATV4 I'd be all set.

But I'm willing to try some other approach as long as it meets my basic criteria noted above.

Mike

[Tinwarble]

Nvidia Shield. This appears to be the best android-based player out there. 24p, 4k, 10bit content are all supported. Downsides to this one for me is that it's $200, doesn't come with a remote, and needs active cooling (a fan runs inside it).

Chromebox or Intel NUC. These play everything, but they're PCs and you'll need to spend a bit more to get them fully up and running (ram, hard drive, remote, OS).

The Shield works with CEC or Harmony remotes (IR and BT), so the remote argument isn't that big of a deal. It also "has" active cooling (doesn't "need" it), and the fan rarely runs, never even heard it come on while using Kodi. You'd need something that pushes the SoC harder than Kodi to kick on the fan, like gaming.

The Chomebox doesn't need anything but a remote and for you to be willing to take a couple of minutes to open the box and remove a screw. Then just follow the detailed instructions to install OpenELEC.

[calibos]

I have unfortunately had to put off building my media server with mySQL shared Library again till next spring. My problem however is that the Arctic MC001's I use with their Dual core D525 Atom CPU's are painfully slow when scanning the library for new content. Something the server with library sharing would have rendered moot. My pair of DNS323's Nas while ancient are not the cause because my i5 SFF PC can complete a library scan in like 30 seconds despite not having updated the library in a month on that machine. ie. Weeks and weeks worth of new content to scan in. The other extreme is the MC001's with their Atoms that can take 5 or 10 minutes to complete a library scan.

How fast are library scans on the likes of the Chromeboxes or Shield?

[Matt Devo]

How fast are library scans on the likes of the Chromeboxes or Shield?

The Chromebox is probably as fast as your i5 SFF box, and the Shield TV isn't slow either, but I haven't done a timed comparison between the two

[DrGrafix]

I'll admit I'm just a dumb novice when it comes to many of the features you guys have mentioned. For the immediate future, my main concern is relatively smooth playback of MP4 and/or Mkv formatted movies in 1080p with decent sound thru my AVR setup.

Sounds like the WeTek Core would fit the bill, and perhaps the WeTek Play or WeTek openELEC would also work out ok for my use. Is the Core vapor ware or is it really available? And if all else fails, an AppleTV4 would be ok if KODI could be installed.

I'm willing to spend $100-$150 to get something that is not buggy and is easy to set up.

[wrxtasy]

HD Audio in a fastest device of the lot, get a Chromebox and run OpenELEC on it. All you need is the standard ASUS one. Excellent support on the forums to set it up. Mr Chromebox has done wonders for this device.

The WeTeK Core I'm testing is pretty quick as well and is quite snappy even in Android Lollipop. The last of the features are being added to the new WeTeK Lollipop launcher as I type. It's looking quite nice. Christian Troy the WeTeK Android dev is a pretty skilled coder. This is a plug and play box.

[maverick72]

This is a plug and play box.

This is why i'm waiting for this box impatiently. Bugging Wetek on twitter with all their halloween deals for the play

[DrGrafix]

Can somebody decipher the various tuner options for the WeTek boxes or for Chromebox for that matter? I have DirecTV that I use 90% of the time, our local cable provider is Comcast, and you have to use a special Comcast HD box to get anything. If there's a tuner option that replicates either DirecTV or Comcast HD I'd like to know about that.

Wrxtasy suggests the Chromebox but is this device a quick fix inexpensive improvement to my Appletv1 that will be relevant when the Core comes out? I can live with my current setup for a month or so if the core is shipping early December and it's a breakthrough device that actually is PNP.

[ozkhan1]

HD Homerun cablecard is what you need.

[wrxtasy]

Wrxtasy suggests the Chromebox but is this device a quick fix inexpensive improvement to my Appletv1 that will be relevant when the Core comes out? I can live with my current setup for a month or so if the core is shipping early December and it's a breakthrough device that actually is PNP.

The WeTek Core runs an AMlogic S812-H.
You will get a better quality deinterlaced TV picture from a Chromebox or any of the S8xx AMLogic devices than the ATV1.

AMLogic devices have problems with mpeg2 video playback contained in .vob containers commonly found on some full ISO DVD rips. 29.97fps VC-1 also has issues.

So long as potential purchaser knows a boxes limitations, then all is fine as there are no nasty surprises.

---

I think this is what ozkhan1 is talking about:
https://www.silicondust.com/products/models/hdhr3-cc/

This HDHomerun CableCard would Plug N Play into any machine running Kodi.

There is even a recently developed HD Homerun Addon for Kodi:
http://kodi.wiki/view/HDHomeRun

[DrGrafix]

The more I read the more confused I get LOL. Minor reset needed. So my ATV1 with Crystalcard no wifi but works ok via Ethernet. Currently running KODI 15.1 Git:f4dda26(compiled Sep 5 2015). OpenELEC is v.5.95.5.

Pros: it works as far as streaming my movies from NAS on my current 65" DLP Mitsubishi via my Yamaha AVR.
Cons: getting some minor stuttering early in a movie for a few seconds, then all is well. Also if I try to "rewind" the audio works, but the video stays locked on the scene where I pushed the rewind button for maybe 10 seconds, maybe more. So no visual reference to replay a scene missed while I walked out of the room.

So sure, the ATV1 has grey whiskers but it's served me well, and is extremely simple to operate, especially using the uncomplicated Apple remote.

Whatever I replace it with only needs to basically do what the ATV1 did, stream from my NAS drive via Ethernet, and use a familiar XBMC/KODI interface. I don't want a keyboard or mouse, I want a minimalist remote. It almost sounds like the WeTek CORE might be a great solution bc it's a newer, faster, maybe more versatile version of the WeTek Play. I'm under no pressure to buy immediately, so if the Core is going on sale in a few weeks I can wait. If it offers me no real advantage over a plain Jane WeTek openELEC maybe I'll just go that route.

The Chromebox looks nice, but it also looks like I'd need to buy a remote and probably a mouse/keyboard... and if that's what it needs to work it's not on my list of solutions. I'm a firm believer in the K.I.S.S. method LOL. I thought it might be cool to have a tuner to use either DirecTV or Comcast cable, but that sounds like more complications.