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2015-06-07, 23:27
(This post was last modified: 2015-06-08, 00:40 by hifiaudio2.)
So I just recently became aware that people are taking these relatively cheap i3 Chromeboxes and making great Openelec Kodi boxes with them. I just bought a Shield and, while I hope they add all the codecs necessary to make it the go to, easy out of the box Kodi / Emby unit, it seems that OE with a Chromebox is already there. However, I would like to also have the box serve as a web browser for the few times I want to do that at the TV. So I can just dual boot a Chromebox back to regular Chrome OS and get on the web when I want? My ultimate goal is to have a box that I deploy at every TV in my house that can play back, I assume through KODI, my 1:1 Blu ray rips with proper 23.976 support and HD audio bitstreaming. And then of course having an app, apparently also in KODI, for the upcoming HDHR DVR. Obviously I miss out on native 4k Netflix and the gaming of the Shield by going this route. Anything else?
I actually would REALLY like to just use Emby's Android TV player and the Shield, since I love Emby and use their server, but using their player requires that the Shield natively support all of the containers and codecs that I use, which it currently does not. Perhaps I will give them a month or two to see what they are going to add, then just just drop Shield in favor of a ChromeBox with OE and KODI if it appears they are not going to add those codecs.
Last question... in running OE and Kodi, do you need to know / understand Linux commands? I can type verbatim what I am told in wiki entries or setup guides, but I am totally lost when it comes to understanding Linux commands. Sudo this and that, etc..... No idea..... long time Windows guy with a few Command line or powershell bits thrown in very sparingly. Do I need to know that to get along nicely with an OpenElec install?
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hyde01
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Posts: 108
Did anyone consider one of the better spec'ed Zotac boxes?
Are they worth the difference in price, compared to the performance bump? Or is it negligible for Kodi/HTPC device only?
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Joined: Jun 2015
Hi all,
I've seen various different units for using xmbc/kodi and need some advise on what is really best for my needs
I've come from a pch c-200 that played all my media without issues (i have lot of mkv passthrough of bd movies with full dts-hd and true-hd audio tracks)
I'm now needing a new box to play the same but using kodi and to also allow streaming from internet
I've tried the following without success
OpenHour Chamelon - Couldn't play MKV's with stuttering, overall extremely poor performance
Mede8er 600 - This worked for media, but was experiencing issues with random crashes/lockups and issues with the RTC (kept loosing time and settings)
Minix Neo Z64 - This couldn't play my MKV's or even H.265 encoded media
Minix Neo 8H Plus - Currently testing and have found that this does not support DTS-HD or True-HD passthrough
I'm using a Onkyo TX-NR515 and have been looking at the following units
Asus Chromebox
Intel NUC5i3RYK
Would either of these units be suitable for my playback (including DTS-HD & True-HD passthrough)
The box will only be used for media playback and nothing else (ie MKV (BD & DVD) and Music)
Will opening the Chromebox to make the changes to install a different OS invalidate any warranty and can you easily upgrade the memory to 4GB (and would you need that)
Or would be better to pay that bit extra and get the NUC and purchase 4gb low profile memory and 64gb ssd
I have been searching for the best, but it's a minefield
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thanks for the reply - i've been reading a lot of information at the moment and had been looking at the chromebox and nuc wiki for kodi