[RiotingSpectre]

Despite being a heavy anime watcher and a big fan of Hi10p I don't know "exactly" what I need to run THIS flawlessly. What I get from this 65 pages is that since this encode is unpopular despite it's advantages and age and it all comes down to pure processing power, right? I would like to know what is the bare minimum in GHZ as I like distractions to increase....productivity. Yes, I'm one of those people.

Basically, I would like to know what I need for a Hi10p oriented device. Doesn't necessarily have to be a HTPC(they are overpriced anyways). Would a Quad-Core 1.8Ghz ARM Cortex-A9 work or do I have to take the red pill and go down the rabbit hole that is a mortgage?

I tell people that a safe bet is a core2duo or better. ARM processors are highly unlikely to be able to playback H10P in the near future, even with the most powerful ones on the market today.

An overclocked quad-core ARM processor (around 2Ghz, IIRC) was shown being able to decode just normal h.264 at 1080P with just CPU/software decoding, and that was with a massive heatsink on it. Even at 720P, Hi10P will be a lot more demanding than that.

Can you do it for under $200? Definitely. Can it be fairly small and compact (typical DVD/bluray player size)? yes. Just stay away from ARM. Desktop (x86) processors such as ATOM and some of those AMD APUs are just on the border of being able to handle them, depending on the file and who you talk to, so I would aim a little bit higher than those. Be careful of some forum suggestions, though. I've heard people claim that they have ARM this or that and will play H10P, but it was using the hardware decoder (which will cause nasty visual artifacts) and not the CPU.

My 2009 laptop, which is a mobile 2.8Ghz core2duo, can handle it, just to give you an idea. Just about any of the Intel core-I processors should have you covered, with maybe some of the low-end i3's not being the best.

Alright, cool. Figures that the only thing I see now a-days is ARM processors. I wouldn't mind building a HTPC if it didn't have to have all the extra fat which in turn becomes dollar signs. I swear, all I want is a (literally) bare-boned media player. Something that supports every type of video including 1080p Hi10p, music and photos. Doesn't have to have internet, DVD/Blu-Ray drive and 800 usb ports. I'm currently searching for this type of thing, recipe or pre-made on Google right now.

It's not about being cheap per-Se, it's about not wanting these things I will never use and it being a waste of money. I really appreciate your help as I had a ARM product in my shopping cart, lol. To be perfectly honest with myself. I'm a expert computers while at the same time being nearly "special" with the technical things.