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Pick the Right Kodi Box (UPDATED FEB 2015)
or the HP 260 G1, if your in the UK
http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=229668&page=4

same cpu as chromebox
comes with windows with bing
twice the storage
quieter than the chromebox
able to turn on from cold boot with remote
virtually half the price (if your in the UK)
able to add hdd through sata (additional cable needed £12)
comes with keyboard and mouse
2 extra usb ports

it will need a displayport to hdmi adaptor but youc could get one cheap, no wifi and bluetooth though.
sorry....what about the himedia player? q5/q10/m3 ..... ?
are good for kodi ,or are trouble ? .... for use also the addon and plugins i mean.....
Hi All

I'm looking for a IP TV streaming box for streaming some European content as well as whatever else is available.

I've noticed the Droid player which seems to have a nice GUI to XBMC

I also noticed the MAG254 player. Not sure if the GUI is as sexy, but this is what I'm trying to work out.

Which is easier to navigate, considering I'm setting it up for my in laws
Do they both use the same software to present the channels ?
Any other suggested IP streaming boxes?

Some links to references would be great.

I should have mentioned I'm in Australia.. not sure if it matters since we are streaming?


Thanks in advance.
Hawkeyez
If you want a device that is well supported with mature Firmware and a device that is pretty slick with the best remote control going around have a look at these guys with their box named the Wetek Play.
They are in Europe and are actually a Kodi sponsor.

https://wetek.com/

Just a heads up, Zotac Zbox is $187 on amazon, and with Amazon Charge Card, you get $9 back, making it $186+tax, minus $9.35 back.
What is a good RAM upgrade for Zotac, or is it not necessary?

How is this as an alternative?
http://flash.newegg.com/Product/N82E1688...ID=1225267
It's $120, Quad Core AMD A4-5000 1.50GHz, Radeon HD 8330, 4GB RAM, with what looks like a net-top board, not sure how durable it will be as 24/7 server or as KODI box. For the price, it's probably worth getting it for RAM+HDD alone.
(2015-06-30, 07:11)hyde01 Wrote: What is a good RAM upgrade for Zotac, or is it not necessary?

As you haven't told us how much RAM it has, its hard to say. However 2G is sufficient for kodi, unless you want for some reason to use windows, then you may want 4G.

http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=...pid2041319 is a sure fire bet for kodi.
If I have helped you or increased your knowledge, click the 'thumbs up' button to give thanks :) (People with less than 20 posts won't see the "thumbs up" button.)
(2015-06-30, 08:14)nickr Wrote:
(2015-06-30, 07:11)hyde01 Wrote: What is a good RAM upgrade for Zotac, or is it not necessary?

As you haven't told us how much RAM it has, its hard to say. However 2G is sufficient for kodi, unless you want for some reason to use windows, then you may want 4G.

http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=...pid2041319 is a sure fire bet for kodi.

Thanks, since Zotac was a commonly recommended unit, I thought it was well known that it comes with 2GB.
You are right, 2GB will be enough for most tasks in Kodi and we can just buy it and try to see how it does, then consider RAM upgrade later.

I see the other one is dell chromebox, zbox has a slightly better processor, and to be honest personally I prefer windows box over chromebox, just for the productivity, compatibility and ease of customization alone. I know many people run Chromebox but I think windows is well worth the $40-$50 premium.
(2015-06-30, 15:35)hyde01 Wrote:
(2015-06-30, 08:14)nickr Wrote:
(2015-06-30, 07:11)hyde01 Wrote: What is a good RAM upgrade for Zotac, or is it not necessary?

As you haven't told us how much RAM it has, its hard to say. However 2G is sufficient for kodi, unless you want for some reason to use windows, then you may want 4G.

http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=...pid2041319 is a sure fire bet for kodi.

Thanks, since Zotac was a commonly recommended unit, I thought it was well known that it comes with 2GB.
You are right, 2GB will be enough for most tasks in Kodi and we can just buy it and try to see how it does, then consider RAM upgrade later.

I see the other one is dell chromebox, zbox has a slightly better processor, and to be honest personally I prefer windows box over chromebox, just for the productivity, compatibility and ease of customization alone. I know many people run Chromebox but I think windows is well worth the $40-$50 premium.
There are 25 Zotac Zbox models http://www.zotac.com/products/mini-pcs/z.../zbox.html
If I have helped you or increased your knowledge, click the 'thumbs up' button to give thanks :) (People with less than 20 posts won't see the "thumbs up" button.)
Its the Zotac bi320 that is recommended around here. And yes it is more open then a chromebox. The barebones model hangs around $110-$120 and the fully loaded one with windows 8.1 with bing and 2gb of ram and a 64gb msata runs between $180-$220 give or take the day. More storage on the ZBox and windows 8.1 for roughly the price that the chromeboxes started at is great. The Windows license itself is anohter at least $90+ another $50ish for the 64gb msata ssd. so yeah its a bargin to get the fully loaded zbox. I personally just spent some money on getting a used Thinkpad T420 which I have been using as a htpc when I am at home and a laptop on the go. so for me I don't really need another system for kodi since I can just run it on my laptop hooked up to a larger screen or just use the built in 14" one for watching.
(2015-07-01, 08:28)Topken Wrote: Its the Zotac bi320 that is recommended around here. And yes it is more open then a chromebox. The barebones model hangs around $110-$120 and the fully loaded one with windows 8.1 with bing and 2gb of ram and a 64gb msata runs between $180-$220 give or take the day. More storage on the ZBox and windows 8.1 for roughly the price that the chromeboxes started at is great. The Windows license itself is anohter at least $90+ another $50ish for the 64gb msata ssd. so yeah its a bargin to get the fully loaded zbox. I personally just spent some money on getting a used Thinkpad T420 which I have been using as a htpc when I am at home and a laptop on the go. so for me I don't really need another system for kodi since I can just run it on my laptop hooked up to a larger screen or just use the built in 14" one for watching.


Thanks, Zotac is nice but I am using X220 right now which is about to be replaced by T450s soon (I hope) so I can turn my X220 into HTPC if needed (I was actually planning to turn my wife's Ideapad S405, AMD A6-4455M, 14", 4GB RAM, Windows 8 and maybe let her use my X220 as her computer, since S405 has HDMI but my X220 does not. What do you think?

I need something at home with my son watching stuff all the time, plus it's a pain to plug everything on/off (I got it hooked to home theater, IR receiver, those hard drives, etc..).
the make display port to hdmi cables/adapters you can buy so the fact that your x220 only has displayport isn't really a problem. Also a hub/dock is great for having mulitple things plugged in at once.
**Idea for first post update**

The HDD spiel was pretty good, in addition to that, maybe a short blurb on bootable USB sticks in comparison to M.2 SSDs or 2.5" SSDs. Speed, longevity, size. useage, pro/cons, etc.

Another very massive deciding factor for me was the type of wireless, I couldn't use anything less than AC 5GHz 867Mbps wireless to stream full blu-ray rips to my NUC.

I would almost make a permanent note that if anyone intended to run Windows (maybe excluding Win 10 that is about to be released) that 4GB RAM is probably mandatory for smooth operation on any of the boxes mentioned.
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(2015-07-01, 09:26)Topken Wrote: the make display port to hdmi cables/adapters you can buy so the fact that your x220 only has displayport isn't really a problem. Also a hub/dock is great for having mulitple things plugged in at once.


Totally right, thank you! Since my T450S cannot use my old X220 dock, I can actually use it that way too, although it will just sit there without much removal/docking you made a great point!
The only problem is I was hoping to have just HDMI from my HTPC to my AVR, I guess that won't be possible anymore so I still have to run both HDMI and 3.5mm to RCA to my receiver, which would mean lower sound quality in comparison to HDMI, right?
Why wouldn't you be getting audio over HDMI?
If I have helped you or increased your knowledge, click the 'thumbs up' button to give thanks :) (People with less than 20 posts won't see the "thumbs up" button.)
Displayport handles Audio just fine if that is what you are thinking is wrong.
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