2011-03-12, 16:47
Hi all.
I am about to retire my aging soft-modded XBox which is running XBMC - it has served well but the hardware just can't cope with HD content.
I am looking to build an XBMC box in small form factor case. The Shuttle XS35GT is the kind of thing I am looking for, but it lacks optical output. Having done a search on Google, I am having trouble finding a unit that meets these specific requirements:
Does anyone know of a unit that would fit the bill? My amp doesn't have HDMI input, so I need to use an optical cable to get 5.1 audio to it from XBMC.
Other than those specific requirements, it of course needs to be powerful enough to run XBMC Live. I will be adding my own SSD and RAM, and don't need an OS pre-installed, so a barebones unit would be best.
I was also looking at the ASUS B204/6, which has HDMI and S/PDIF, but seems to be based on an AMD video chip, which I want to steer clear of.
Also, one last thing - can anyone recommend an IR remote control for XBMC? I don't care how poorly laid out the remote is - I just need the IR receiver really as I'll map the remote to my Pronto.
Thanks for any advice you can give!
I am about to retire my aging soft-modded XBox which is running XBMC - it has served well but the hardware just can't cope with HD content.
I am looking to build an XBMC box in small form factor case. The Shuttle XS35GT is the kind of thing I am looking for, but it lacks optical output. Having done a search on Google, I am having trouble finding a unit that meets these specific requirements:
- nVidia ION / ION2
- HDMI
- Optical S/PDIF on the REAR I/O panel
- Can run audio through HDMI to TV and optical to Amp simultaneously
- All-black case
Does anyone know of a unit that would fit the bill? My amp doesn't have HDMI input, so I need to use an optical cable to get 5.1 audio to it from XBMC.
Other than those specific requirements, it of course needs to be powerful enough to run XBMC Live. I will be adding my own SSD and RAM, and don't need an OS pre-installed, so a barebones unit would be best.
I was also looking at the ASUS B204/6, which has HDMI and S/PDIF, but seems to be based on an AMD video chip, which I want to steer clear of.
Also, one last thing - can anyone recommend an IR remote control for XBMC? I don't care how poorly laid out the remote is - I just need the IR receiver really as I'll map the remote to my Pronto.
Thanks for any advice you can give!