Kodi Community Forum

I have been running a houseful of XBMC clients for several years, starting with Windows/XBMC and slowly moving to OpenElec installs.

I have a new bedroom TV that needs a HTPC that can run XBMC. I had a spare Raspberry Pi which plays HD video surprisingly well, but any kind of navigation or searching in the UI takes a very long time. I am looking for something a step up from the Pi but less than a Windows-centric HTPC. All media is on a separate server in the house.

Requirements:
- fanless or nearly silent
- RJ-45 Ethernet, Wifi not needed or desired
- Decent speed in the UI but doesn't have to match PC speeds
- Netflix streaming would be a plus
- Somewhat straightforward to use

I know there are Android HTPCs but I have not tried them myself. Is there any clear winner in terms of hardware? I assume most Android HTPCs have a way to access the App Store to get the Netflix app. I see that some people use the Amazon Fire TV, how well does that work with XBMC? Based on the description, it looks like XBMC get shunted down into a Applications area instead of showing on bootup. I am concerned this will be too complicated a user experience for non-techies.

XBMC on Amazon FTV is quite good, with some caveats. I'd wait for Google's official Android TV boxes to roll out as I think they'll eclipse FTV and the gamut of Chinese Android boxes on the market today. Should be this Fall or by winter.

FTV is also region locked. Ouya is supposed to be OK but haven't tested it myself. I still fail to see a reason for going android due to it being a compromise.

Quote:FTV is also region locked.

Only if you need Netflix, Amazon, etc. Also, they are releasing these in UK and Germany.

OK. I was looking into Android to stream Netflix, but only if it is easy and works well. Netflix does not work on Linux/Openelec. I am not willing to go back to running Windows HTPCs. It would make more sense to buy a cheap Roku box just for that purpose, and run XBMC on a Intel mini-ITX system.

Fire TV is by far the best XBMC experience I've ever had. It can literally do everything my htpc can do besides play actual blu-ray discs. And it has Netflix, Hulu, Amazon video, watch ESPN, HBO go, etc. Incredible device for $100 if you can root it.

Odroid U3 from hardkernel.com. Already have cm 11 on them and will run $100 for everything. Ethernet, 2gb ram, emmc 8gb-64gb, equivalent to Samsung s4 hardware.

Great community ND support. I have 8 of them with central dB. Works amazingly with gapps installed, and emulators.