Posts: 1,787
Joined: May 2008
Reputation:
8
xbs08
Posting Freak
Posts: 1,787
You do realize that XBMC Live has linux running in the background, dont you?
You need a PC to run Live and WD HD it's just another SIGMA chip, it's NOT a PC.
- Intel NUC Kit DN2820FYKH ~ Crucial DDR3L SO-DIMM 4GB ~ SanDisk ReadyCache 32GB SSD ~ Microsoft MCE model 1039 RC6 remote
Posts: 3
Joined: Jul 2008
Reputation:
0
Nice to see it is available now, with NIC, it is almost another XBOX. And so far, XBOX is bit slow when playing most of the media now.
Posts: 79
Joined: Nov 2008
Reputation:
0
It needs 2 usb ports to be of use. One for usb wireless or ethernet and the second for usb key for xbox live to run on.
This is the type of thing that looks like a lovely platform to use. oh well.
Roy
Posts: 1,787
Joined: May 2008
Reputation:
8
xbs08
Posting Freak
Posts: 1,787
WD TV its just another SIGMA chip, its a video player NOT a PC, so it will never run a program like XBMC or a OS.
Maybe a xbmc like skin could be made but nothing more.
- Intel NUC Kit DN2820FYKH ~ Crucial DDR3L SO-DIMM 4GB ~ SanDisk ReadyCache 32GB SSD ~ Microsoft MCE model 1039 RC6 remote
Posts: 90
Joined: Feb 2009
Reputation:
0
My brother in law bought one, liked it at first but shortcomings such as no network and no DTS support caused him to sell it and ask me to build an xbmc box.
Posts: 87
Joined: Nov 2008
Reputation:
0
>What am I missing?
Well, mkv support, for one. WiFi support, for another. Built-in storage, for another. At the price point of $156-222, it's for techno-nots who buy on buzzwords.
1080p support is gonna be a common feature, now that online videos are getting popular. "Dumb" boxes like these will be a dime a dozen. The problem that none of the current ones solve isn't 1080p, but network bandwidth. 802.11n may not reliably carry a single 1080 HD stream, let alone multiple streams. Any solution that does streaming will need to tackle the bandwidth issue. My guess is that we'll see a bunch of proprietary stuff, from MoCA to Powerline to UWB to WUSB yada yada. The only sure thing that exists today is a Cat5E wired network with a gigabit router and NICs.
Getting back to the boxes, the best solution hands down is a "smart" box, i.e. an actual x86 computer capable of running a standard OS. That way, you will always be able to update to whatever codec or function you need. The Ion will be available round summer, and I'm sure AMD will have its own comparable small HTPC solution. The downside is that it's a PC, and will appeal to techs more than regular joes. Then again, by reading this, you are already geek-qualified.
Posts: 87
Joined: Nov 2008
Reputation:
0
>What am I missing?
Well, mkv support, for one. WiFi support, for another. Built-in storage, for another. At the price point of $156-222, it's for techno-nots who buy on buzzwords.
1080p support is gonna be a common feature, now that online videos are getting popular. "Dumb" boxes like these will be a dime a dozen. The problem that none of the current ones solve isn't 1080p, but network bandwidth. 802.11n may not reliably carry a single 1080 HD stream, let alone multiple streams. Any solution that does streaming will need to tackle the bandwidth issue. My guess is that we'll see a bunch of proprietary stuff, from MoCA to Powerline to UWB to WUSB yada yada. The only sure thing that exists today is a Cat5E wired network with a gigabit router and NICs.
Getting back to the boxes, the best solution hands down is a "smart" box, i.e. an actual x86 computer capable of running a standard OS. That way, you will always be able to update to whatever codec or function you need. The Ion will be available round summer, and I'm sure AMD will have its own comparable small HTPC solution. The downside is that it's a PC, and will appeal to techs more than regular joes. Then again, by reading this, you are already geek-qualified.
Posts: 90
Joined: Feb 2009
Reputation:
0
Someone mentioned on a previous page that the firmware supports DTS downmixing now...I do not see that feature in the wiki page.
