[eclark5483]

Hi all, first post here.

Soo.. guess I'll start off with a little background, then move on to all the parts I am using in this new build, then I will move on to questions I have about configuration.

My current HTPC is an outdated eMachines EL1352G I traded my mom for when I built her a new one. I give her a discount on the price for letting me have her old machine. Upgraded the old Sempron chip to an Athlon II x4 650, SSD, 8 gigs of ram, and an nVidia 730GT video card. Not super fast, but fast enough for use as an HTPC on the 50" TV in the basement. Back then when I upgraded it, I was using Windows 7 on it, with Windows Media Center and an MCE remote. I also use an HD Homerun CableCard tuner. Took the free upgrade to Windows 10, and of course, you know the rest.. Well anyways, I've been getting by using a Logitech k400+ keyboard and the HD Homerun app for TV, but I of course, use other media sources like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Pandora, Sirius XM, and I also have an RTL-SDR.

I dabbled a bit with Kodi, figured out how to install plugins and what have you from the repository to test this and that, and it seems that Kodi is looking like THE program I want for what I have in mind. But, I don't want to configure it on that outdated eMachine, though it's been a good machine and still runs like a champ. I'll probably take it and use it as a cloud server on my network after I build the new HTPC.

I just ordered the parts last night which consist of

nMediaPC 1800B HTPC Case

Ortek VRC-1000 MCE remote control

Inteset USB Internal Infrared Media Center Receiver (to be installed into nMediaPC case)

GIGABYTE GA-F2A88XN-WIFI motherboard

AMD A10-7860K CPU

8 GIGS OF Mushkin Enhanced Stealth ram

Noctua NH-L9a 92mm SSO2 CPU Cooler

FSP220-60LE Power Supply

SYBA SY-CAB65008 Extender cable

I plan on reusing the old SSD, DVD-Rom, & k400+ keyboard

I figure that should make a nice well rounded HTPC setup that will see the family through several years, and should be able to run most all emulators just fine as well for some fun gaming.. none of us are really into the more modern games except my son, and he games on his machine with the 1080GTX.

So my plan is to install Windows 10 on the new machine. I thought of installing Linux, but then, I'm the only one who has ever used it, the wife and kids would just get confused. But then I'm not sure, by doing some research here and there, if Windows is gonna do what I need. From what I could tell, some of the packages I think I would want for Kodi only work in Linux. I guess I have no problem with that if Kodi can be ran as a shell. Apps/services I want to integrate are:

HD Homerun
Netflix
Pandora
Winamp
LibreOffice
Emulators like Dolphin, ZSNES, Nestopia, MAME, etc
Sirius XM
RTL-SDR FM tuner


But here's the thing... I want to be able to control all/most of the functions using the Ortek VRC-1000. So I guess I am wondering are all, or most of these apps possible using Kodi, can I run it as a shell app? And how do I reprogram the remote to respond to button presses for various functions? Assign Apps to the different colors on the remote, things like that. I'm sure the answers are already here, just haven't been able to hunt down specifics that I need. Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

[jools5000]

You can run Kodi as a shell app, or simply add it to the Windows startup group (prefrebly enabling auto login in Windows so the machine boots directly to Kodi)

I use http://xbmccustomregis.sourceforge.net/remote_auto.html this installs the right mappings to make MCE remotes play much easier with Kodi

Integrating apps etc is harder. I'm not sure how you would use Libreoffice with a remote or Kodi! In theory with Kodi's UI you are only using the remote control to use it and most of what you mentioned are not usable with a remote.

I find with Kodi the commercial services are more limited with addons. While you can use Netflix etc via addons, I ended up using a Roku to give me the regular full UI which was much more satitfying, but then you have an extra device and remote.

In the end its how it works for you and how happy you are with it. Addons dont always work as well as you would like or can break and dont always offer full features. The 'one media center to do it all approach' sounds great in theory but you might find its a bit of a compromise in practise due to the integration.

But still:
Let is know how you got on, what worked and didn't and how you got around some issues

[PatK]

As far as the equipment is concerned, this post might be better handled in the 'Hardware' forum, the boys in that area are pretty savvy. https://forum.kodi.tv/forumdisplay.php?fid=112

Should you want me to relocate this post, I would oblige.

[eclark5483]

I guess when I say I want to integrate with Kodi on some of these Apps, (like LibreOffice), I just want to have icons for them in Kodi so I can navigate to them with the remote, click on them, and have them open, then switch to the K400+/game controller to use. I noticed that apps like Netflix with Kodi are possible as is RTL-SDR fm tuning, but I haven't been able to get it to install the package for it from a .zip file. I am assuming this is because it is Linux only, or maybe I'm not doing something right. I haven't dabbled with Kodi too much as I just downloaded it a couple days ago, but it just seems super rich in features and capabilities.

As for moving this topic, doesn't matter to me, whatever keeps the forums organized. I wasn't sure where to post this at, and since I'm talking about several things besides hardware, I figured I'd just put it here. I'm not exactly a novice PC builder and have done hundreds of builds over the (last 30+) years, several HTPC's, as well as created my own Jukebox, and several arcade game machines.

Here's a video of 1 of the machines I built: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_cNGQuvUVo

And here's one where I intergrated Hyperspin as a shell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBd9df1PDhY

Even restored an old Honda Spree https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lU49lL_Xx4s

It's more fun and more of a challenge to configure a PC for something OTHER than normal use, editing .xml and .php files, and designing cool things.

I guess I'm wanting to see the Kodi interface look something like the Windows 8 touch interface where I can navigate all the icons with the remote and select them... in other words... SMART TV.

I was originally going to do a NUC and mount it to the VESA mounts on the back of the 50" TV downstairs, but doing that meant I would have to use the VRC-1000 with the USB cable sticking out of the case, and I really didn't want that, so I chose the nMediaPC case instead to give it a more appliance look, and to integrate a DVD player into it all as well.

[PatK]

Even restored an old Honda Spree Big Grin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lU49lL_Xx4s

something special, the game machine I can appreciate.

I'm wanting to see the Kodi interface look something like the Windows 8 touch interface

A little bit of discussion here https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=312799

I'll move this thread to hardware, hopefully, you'll get some fresh eyes on this.

[eclark5483]

Yeah, that would be what I'm looking to do. Live tiles, or images or icons that I can assign an executable to, then reprogram the remote for functions like alt+f4, minimize, maximize. This is why I want to run it as a shell. The end game here, is hiding the OS underneath it all. Already plan on modifying boot up animation logo and what have you. Wanna make the Kodi interface look like it's own OS.

[Powerhouse]

Some of what you ask is easy, others not so much.

Things I would Change...

1. That Remote has issues with the Mouse pad. I have one, and it currently sits in a drawer unused.

2. Getting other programs to run under Kodi can be challenging. This is one reason I switched to Android, using a Nvidia Shield TV. It does exactly what you want. I have Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hula with their own buttons to launch in Kodi. When I exit these programs I simply return to Kodi (so you never see the OS). Pandora acts similar, and there are quite a few radio stations apps (iHeart radio, spotify, soundcloud, etc).

3. Windows is terrible about updating your system, which ends up messing up Kodi. But you wont recognize it, until you try to do something in Kodi (like play or Movie, or listen to Music, and it won't work). Most of the time this requires a reboot, but sometimes you are forced to reinstall (or download new) drivers to fix the issue. I would look into Android TV devices, or LibreElec on a thumbdrive to boot into Kodi directly.

4. For Emulators, have you read about RetroPlayer, that is being built into Kodi? https://forum.kodi.tv/forumdisplay.php?fid=194

[eclark5483]

So, from what I am gathering from what you are saying, it might be better if I do a Linux distro, which is what android is based on. One thing I was considering, is just using the android vector remote app like I do now. That can be programmed to work over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. But anyways, have any remote recommendations?

[Powerhouse]

Personally I use the Logitech Smart Remote... https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Harmony-...B00BQ5RYI4
There is also the Smart Home version... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N3RFC4G/ref...B00BQ5RYI4

I use these remotes because I have an Receiver, so I use it to turn on the TV, Receiver, and Shield TV. Or for Gaming via Steam, power on the Steam Link. Your needs may very. I'm almost able to use the Shield TV remote which has CEC to turn on the TV and Receiver, but switching to the Steam Link requires another remote, so I stick with the Logitech.

[eclark5483]

But anyways, back to the software end.. I like the nVidia Shield TV, it has alot of nice features and can do what I am wanting, but it's kind of lacking a bit options. The advantage of using an ITX board, is I can customize the OS, run dual boot multiple OS's, configure it how I personally want it. I have also ran into issues on every Android device I have tried using an HD Homerun CableCard tuner, whereas, I have never had issue with it in Windows or Linux.

And well.. bottom line.. Buying a Shield to me, is just simply cheating. There is no fun or challenge in that.. I mean, looking under the TV, would one rather see a Shield, which looks like a stupid video game system, or would they rather see this?



See what I'm saying? It just looks more professional (for lack of better words).

Another advantage, is Kodi in Windows will display program information. Android/Shield won't. Then of course, there is the emulators. The way I see it, if I can't get Kodi to do all the things I want, then no need to run it as shell. It will be just another program on a Windows 10 HTPC which is fine as well.