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Pick the Right Kodi Box (UPDATED FEB 2015)
(2015-05-28, 13:02)jmh2002 Wrote: I don't see much mention of the Mele PCG03, or Minix Z64W, or Pipo X7 in this thread? Unless Im mistaken, if you want to run windows these boxes seem reasonable for something totally off shelf and ready to run Kodi.

There seems to be three price points there and this seems to be reflective in the quality too, from high to low in respect to the above list.

The various reviews seem to state that these boxes run Kodi very well.

The Mele seems the best of the bunch, but its also more expensive. The Pipo seems great for some of the prices that it has been sold for from time to time (sub $100), although I do seem some mention of problems in relation to the heat sink.

What are peoples thoughts here about these devices (for users that want to run Kodi on windows) ?

Mele: http://www.cnx-software.com/2014/10/13/m...ory-price/
Minix: http://hometheatrelife.com/minix-neo-z64...s-mini-pc/
Pipo: http://www.neowin.net/news/our-review-of...81-mini-pc

Any thoughts?
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The Pipo X7 has terrible thermal design and throttles in Kodi under Windows if you try and play challenging content. No HD Audio bitstreaming either.
Yes, noted, thank you Smile Now how about some more thoughts for the other two? Nod
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(2015-05-30, 14:32)jmh2002 Wrote: Yes, noted, thank you Smile Now how about some more thoughts for the other two? Nod

They're based on the same SoC family so will have same HD Audio limitations. Can't comment on heat issues.

If you want Netflix or Amazon Video - and frame rate switching - then they are probably better bets than some Android boxes. Not sure they offer much over a Pi 2 in pure Kodi terms.
Both the Mele PCG03, or Minix Z64W seem to have the heat dissipation properly sorted from what I have read in various reviews.

HD Audio is not a prerequisite for me and neither is Netflix or Amazon, although I believe there are Windows 8 apps enabling that functionality to be used outside of Kodi too if necessary. As far as audio is concerned Dolby Digital is sufficient for my purposes.

In relation to pure Kodi terms, no they may not offer more than a Pi, which is why I clearly stated "for users that want to run Kodi on windows", since the ability to also run Windows is useful and beneficial for some of us.

Im still interested in more thoughts from other people too
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ok so i think want the chrome box.

but heres a question that might change my mind.

My uncle has an Ugoos Android box fully loaded (http://ugoos.com/ugoos-ut1) is there anyway to copy the data from the box to the chrome box or another android box.
(2015-05-31, 17:43)ciao8167 Wrote: ok so i think want the chrome box.

but heres a question that might change my mind.

My uncle has an Ugoos Android box fully loaded (http://ugoos.com/ugoos-ut1) is there anyway to copy the data from the box to the chrome box or another android box.

What data in particular are you talking about?
Can you turn on ZBOX-BI320-U-W2 from a remote or keyboard? How about HP Stream 200?
I read about this only on Lenovo boxes, I hope others have this capability because I prefer to turn them off when they are not in use, or at least put them in hibernation.
(2015-05-24, 20:11)Matt Devo Wrote:
(2015-05-24, 20:06)megamawax Wrote: Has anyone used a Dell Inspiron Micro? http://www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-3050-micro-desktop/pd

it's an overpriced BayTrail box, not particularly interesting from a Kodi POV.

Not sure I agree that it's "not particularly interesting from a Kodi POV".

It's essentially the same box running the same base Celeron processor as the Dell Chromebox. If I were going to make a choice for a small box also running Win 8.1 (with upgrade rights to Win10 when RTM is out), I would certainly consider the Dell Inspiron Micro Desktop over the HP Stream. Same price essentially, but the deal-breaker with the HP is the wireless adapter, which is only 802.11 b/g/n, whereas the huge advantage for the Dells (both Chromebox and Win8.1 Micro) is that Dell uses an 802.11ac adapter (Intel AC7260 to be specific). .802.11ac can make an enormous difference with streaming, whether from internet sources or from a local NAS, at least that's been my experience. Pick the right router (I am partial to Asus' 802.11ac routers, and use the RT-AC3200 as my main router and two AC66U's (one as a media bridge and the other as a repeater).

In any event, I disagree that the Dell is "overpriced" when you consider the hardware advantages over a bare-bones system, or perhaps even the HP Stream 200; any install of Windows on a barebones is going to cost a minimum of another $80, and possibly more so add that to the cost, and adding the Intel AC7260 wireless adapter to either a barebones or the Stream 200 is going to set you back another $40-$50 (the real Intel cards I've purchased through Amazon run about $40...beware of fakes, they are out there). So even if you buy something less expensive, you're likely to wind up paying as much, if not more than the Dell Micro or Chromebox in the end.

Personally, I have found that both the Dell Inspiron Micro Desktop and the Dell Chromebox (running Open Elec on dual boot) are excellent platforms for Kodi, and with 802.11ac, I don't think there's any better value in the market right now.

So, suffice it to say, I respectfully disagree, and think that the Dell Micro is quite a capable box for Kodi if you intend to use it for streaming up to 1080p and DVD playback (I will admit I haven't run Blu Ray rips or 3D, but for everything else I've thrown at them, they work great).

I honestly have to say I was never a fan of Dell, and usually opted for Asus or HP for most of my hardware, but the Chromebox is such a great value, and so is the Inspiron Micro for Win, that I'm now a dedicated fan of these two little boxes.
@jegesq your argument would be valid if the Dell did indeed have the same Haswell Celeron as the HP Stream mini or Chromeboxes, but it doesn't - it has a BayTrail-M, which is significantly less capable than the Haswell (and now Broadwell) celeron from both a CPU and GPU perspective.
(2015-05-31, 18:00)noggin Wrote:
(2015-05-31, 17:43)ciao8167 Wrote: ok so i think want the chrome box.

but heres a question that might change my mind.

My uncle has an Ugoos Android box fully loaded (http://ugoos.com/ugoos-ut1) is there anyway to copy the data from the box to the chrome box or another android box.

What data in particular are you talking about?

i mean all the addons that he has. He bought his box preloaded for like 300 bucks and it would be easier then downloading everything.
[deleted and moved to it's own thread]
(2015-06-01, 08:17)Matt Devo Wrote: @jegesq your argument would be valid if the Dell did indeed have the same Haswell Celeron as the HP Stream mini or Chromeboxes, but it doesn't - it has a BayTrail-M, which is significantly less capable than the Haswell (and now Broadwell) celeron from both a CPU and GPU perspective.

http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/932/Int...2957U.html

As far as I can ascertain, there should be very little performance difference at all between the two wrt Kodi.

And as I said, the different in the wireless adapters definitely swings toward the Dell, since it has the Intel AC7260 802.11 ac adapter (which is a 2x2 ac adapter) vs.the 1x1 b/g/n adapter in the HP Stream 200. For most people, both chips will be indistinguishable when used for streaming media, but the difference between 150 Mpbs theoretical connection rate, (probably about 50-60 Mbps in the real world) in the HP Stream vs. a connection rate of 433 Mbps for the Dell, is far superior for streaming media, at least IMHO.

But to each his own. For $179, both boxes (HP and the Dell) have various trade offs. Personally, I've converted everything on my LAN to 802.11ac because it's so far superior to 802.11n, and in terms of .11b or .11g, all those protocols will do is slow down everything else.

So yeah, the Dell Micro, like the Dell Chromebox should be of interest to anyone looking for a nice little box to run Kodi on.
(2015-06-02, 03:42)jegesq Wrote: http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/932/Int...2957U.html

As far as I can ascertain, there should be very little performance difference at all between the two wrt Kodi.

And as I said, the different in the wireless adapters definitely swings toward the Dell, since it has the Intel AC7260 802.11 ac adapter (which is a 2x2 ac adapter) vs.the 1x1 b/g/n adapter in the HP Stream 200. For most people, both chips will be indistinguishable when used for streaming media, but the difference between 150 Mpbs theoretical connection rate, (probably about 50-60 Mbps in the real world) in the HP Stream vs. a connection rate of 433 Mbps for the Dell, is far superior for streaming media, at least IMHO.

But to each his own. For $179, both boxes (HP and the Dell) have various trade offs. Personally, I've converted everything on my LAN to 802.11ac because it's so far superior to 802.11n, and in terms of .11b or .11g, all those protocols will do is slow down everything else.

So yeah, the Dell Micro, like the Dell Chromebox should be of interest to anyone looking for a nice little box to run Kodi on.

if Kodi performance were purely a function of CPU, then I'd agree, but the difference in GPU (10 execution units vs 4) gives the Haswell celeron a huge advantage when it comes to 4K and deinterlacing (eg). If all you watch is low bitrate 1080p h.264, then performance is likely to be comparable.

in terms of wifi, obviously that does favor the Dell boxes if that's a concern; I have everything hardwired so I've never bothered to test wifi performance.
Im new to this so i am assuming most from what ive read, are really leaning towards eitther small boxes made by dell? I need something that has great wifi, BUT im have yet to upgrade to ac..... Most everything will be hardwired..... I see the hp talked about? Im use to openelec and ouya android..... Not to privy on windows but have seen where a lot more stuff is written for windows as far as certain add ons such as pulsar and it seems easier to do a few things thru windows..... So i wonder if a windows based might be better this go around? I stream 720-1080 and use it for music as well..... If u had to pick and it did not set u back over $200 which would u suggest?
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