[robbis]

I have done a bit of searching to see if there is anything on this but couldnt find anything.

I have 3 xbox's running xbmc in my house, using a NAS server. My 2 brothers have similar setups in their houses.

We are thinking of upgrading the xbox's to newer hardware to handle HD. However i know very little about the different options. Ideally i want something cheap, quiet (ok the xbox isnt that quiet), fast boot (like the xbox), stable, easy to use (my 6 year old uses xbmc with the xbox with no problems), with at least the same features as the xbox version, and HD.

I have considered other options to XBMC, but i like the movie library on it, and others dont seem to have a library.

Any advice? or am i asking for too much?

Thanks,

Rob.

[spiff]

get something ion and run live.

[marcdd2]

Used Apple TV's seem to be going for about $150 on ebay. Mine worked fine, but once I upgraded to full powered HTPC I don't know if I'll be able to go back. Just the improved UI responsiveness makes the price difference worth it. I just took an old desktop and popped a graphics card in it. As far as noise goes, I'm 3 feet away from the box and can barley hear it.

[jhsrennie]

The Acer Revos work well with XBMC. The Revo 3600 and 1600 (do they still sell the 1600?) are the cheap option while for a bit more money the 3610 adds an optical audio output and a dual core processor. The Revos work well with both XBMCLive and Windows 7. The former gives quicker booting while Windows 7 is more flexible if you want to run other apps as well as XBMC.

The Revos don't have a DVD or CD drive (though you can use a USB DVD). If you want a DVD or Bluray drive then the Asrock 330HT has had good reviews. If you want the best get a Mac Mini, but it's *very* expensive!

All the above are virtually silent.

I use a Mac Mini, which I love, though I bought it from eBay not at full price!

JR

[poofyhairguy]

(My theory is that) The Revo is the reason XBMC no longer supports the Xbox. It might as well be called XBoxHD. Only downside is having to get an IR receiver for it.

[bionic1234]

..... Only downside is having to get an IR receiver for it.

I still use my wireless XBOX controller with the Acer/Win7

[robbis]

Thanks for all the info, i am now looking into all the options suggested.

With regard to the mac mini, is there a minimum spec one that is recommended? Some seem quite cheap on ebay. i.e. G4 mini's for say £170 , so similar to revo 3610. Or would a G4 be too low spec and a core 2 duo be needed?

Thanks,

Rob

[ould]

I personally use the Zotac ION ITX(dual core external power supply version) board in a MiniBox M350 case. The case is really small and is relatively cheap and has lots of mounting options(you can even mount it to the back of your tv so it is out of sight. The motherboard is almost silent save for a tiny fan on the cpu heatsink. It suspends nicely as well. I am thinking of replacing my bedroom xbox with a similar unit. Also I network boot off my linux server so no hard drive required either. Basically it's the motherboard, ram and case and an MS Remote currently.

Kevin

[poofyhairguy]

Thanks for all the info, i am now looking into all the options suggested.

With regard to the mac mini, is there a minimum spec one that is recommended? Some seem quite cheap on ebay. i.e. G4 mini's for say £170 , so similar to revo 3610. Or would a G4 be too low spec and a core 2 duo be needed?

Thanks,

Rob

A G4 mini is only good for SD and therefore is not an upgrade to an Xbox.

A Intel GPU Dual Core Mini is needed for smooth 720p and low bitrate 1080p

A Nvidia Mac Mini (so the model before the current one) is needed for high bitrate 1080p.

In comparison an ION box has no trouble in XBMC with the highest bitrate x264.


Mac Minis are only good HTPC deals if you:

1. Like OSX

2. Have trouble fiddling with stuff (its the easiest box from purchase to XBMC use)

3. Want to do things outside of XBMC that ION boxes can't do well, like HD Netflix or HD Flash.


The best deal for price is by far your average ION box. Here is a start:

http://www.techstore.co.uk/browse.php?a=...eID=153632

[jhsrennie]

A G4 mini is only good for SD and therefore is not an upgrade to an Xbox.

etc

Far be it for me to disagree with my learned friend, but designwise the Mac Mini makes the Acer and Asrock look like they were assembled in a shed, in the dark, by a engineer wearing boxing gloves :-) I also think the sound is better on the Mac than on the Revo, though this is subjective. But I have to concede that the Revo works perfectly and you could buy three Revos for the price of one new Mac Mini.

However I do agree that you need a Core2 Duo Mac and ideally it should have the NVidia graphics as the older Intel graphics don't support DXVA2. You'll find these are still pretty expensive as second hand Mac Minis hold their value very well.

I have two Mac Minis. The older is a 1.66GHz Core Duo (not Core2) and the newer is a 1.86GHz Core2 Duo with Intel graphics. Both play 720p just fine, and both will play the only 1080p rip I have (XMen Origins Wolverine) fine, but at a rather high CPU.

I use Windows XP with Boot Camp on both Macs, which may seem an odd decision, but it's the Mac hardware I like not OSX and I have other Windows apps I run on them. If I were to buy a third Mini (and let's face it, every household needs at least three Mac Minis) I'd be looking for one with the NVidia graphics, but expect to pay around £400 for it.

JR

[sho]

While I like your analogy very much, I think he was saying that a PPC mini is not really an Xbox upgrade .

[Marvel]

get something ion and run live.

Do This

[poofyhairguy]

Far be it for me to disagree with my learned friend, but designwise the Mac Mini makes the Acer and Asrock look like they were assembled in a shed, in the dark, by a engineer wearing boxing gloves :-) I also think the sound is better on the Mac than on the Revo, though this is subjective.

I agree, that is why I built my own ION box to my specs.

I have two Mac Minis. The older is a 1.66GHz Core Duo (not Core2) and the newer is a 1.86GHz Core2 Duo with Intel graphics. Both play 720p just fine, and both will play the only 1080p rip I have (XMen Origins Wolverine) fine, but at a rather high CPU.

Last year I did basically only Mac based HTPCing (I have grown a lot since then). At the time I had the 1.66 Dual core Mini and I hated it. A freaking 12 GB mkv would eat its lunch, let alone a 43gb Blu Ray rip (that a ION box will play perfectly).


ION boxes are just a better value when it comes to playing back local HD content than any other option.

[Superorb]

ION is probably the cheapest way toward a single small box to do HD with a new system.

I took an old Pentium 4 and used all the old components in it and bought a newer nVidia 8xxx video card with DVI out and it plays any bitrate 1080p mkv files I've thrown at it without issue.

The Flash 10.1 hardware accelerated update was pushed a few days ago on windows, but I don't know when it'll be available on Linux though.