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Pick the Right Kodi Box (UPDATED FEB 2015)
(2015-02-19, 20:29)poofyhairguy Wrote:
(2015-02-19, 10:37)Skank Wrote: So 3d + chromebox is not possible in any way?
For me is not THE Box out of all boxes then.

I use 3D with my Chromebox all the time for testing. It is 3D ISOs that aren't supported by Kodi. For what Kodi supports, a Chromebox is THE box.

But if you care about 3D ISOs that solution is in my post. You are going to sacrifice the Kodi experience to get it though.

yeah i meant 3d iso
it seems himedia has a box with much less lemitations, perhaps add it to your list?
I have read this post and it got me thinking about an ASUS Chromebox.

I read and I read and then reconsidered a Chinese Kodi TV box.

Ok poofyhairguy, I found these available for Kodi 4K dual band, with H265 hardware decoding:

http://www.geekbuying.com/item/TV01II-RK...32175.html
@ 84.99 USD

http://www.geekbuying.com/item/Q8-RK3288...31613.html
@ 86.79 USD

Asus Chromebox VS one of those two?

Why do you choose what you do?

Thanks.
(2015-02-19, 20:33)Skank Wrote: yeah i meant 3d iso
it seems himedia has a box with much less lemitations, perhaps add it to your list?

I will be honest, I am not a fan of the himedia box. For two reasons:

1. The only way it does what it does is by replacing the default Kodi video player, like we used to do with DS Player. That means that it is a dead end, and as soon as we get Kodi 15 or whatever it will be a piece of abandonware most likely as Himedia moves onto the next box. I only like recommending solutions with fairly broad community support that use standard Kodi features, because that means it will work fine with future versions of the software. The Himedia box is a hack designed to get around current limitations that will be like a time capsule of our current limitations years from now. A Chromebox will improve with every update. The VidOn Box isn't perfect, but I feel they are providing better community support than Himedia and at least they aren't pretending they have a Kodi solution.

2. The CPU power of that Himedia box still isn't enough for me. Anything with worse single core performance than the Chromebox will be a GUI step down from the Chromebox. To me the Chromebox is the floor for an elite experience.

I mean I am glad that solution exists, but it will take GOOGLE fixing Android before any Android box is up to the level of Openelec. They need to add HD audio bitstreaming and 24p support to the OS core. Between now and then every Android box will be a hack like the Himedia, or a compromise device for less demanding users or secondary viewing stations like the FireTV.

How could you AFTER reading more and more consider a Chinese Kodi box?

He's recommendation is a Chromebox. Look at the thread, people love it.
(2015-02-19, 20:45)mpmp Wrote: Asus Chromebox VS one of those two?

I would still get a Chromebox.

Quote:Why do you choose what you do?

Because:

1. ANYTHING ARM won't touch the Chromebox's GUI performance, which is a HUGE part of the Kodi experience. If you don't care about the GUI, you should be using something like MPC HC with MadVR on a PC for maximum picture quality. All of this is for the GUI, which is better on a Chromebox than any ARM box. The GHz might be close, but the IPC isn't.

2. ANYTHING Android will be a compromise from Openelec, period. Android is a second class HTPC OS and requires hacks to get 24p support or HD audio support.

3. If an ARM box has an Openelec build there is no way it get the support the x86 build does. No way. x86 wins for plugins and long-term support.

4. Fretting about h265 support or 4K support is dumb IMHO. Why? Well for one we don't HAVE 4K Blu Ray HEVC so there is no way to know if these boxes can handle it. Given that they often can't handle some 1080p Blu Ray formats (like high bitrate VC1), worrying about h265 support is like worrying your engine in your car isn't big enough when you don't even have tires on the rims. I use my Chromebox on my 4K TV and it plays almost all the 4K I got. That is futureproof enough for me.

5. The Chromebox is VERY popular, and will be support in this community for a while- like the old Acer Revo. You get a random ARM box you are almost guaranteed no Android updates past say a year, nor will you be sure future Kodi versions will work with it (then you are having to find forked versions).

A Chromebox is the Kodi box right now. Everything Android is all hat and no cattle in comparison. They have uses (especially sub $40) but if you can afford a Chromebox it should be the option you go with.

(2015-02-19, 20:59)poofyhairguy Wrote:
(2015-02-19, 20:45)mpmp Wrote: Asus Chromebox VS one of those two?

I would still get a Chromebox.

Quote:Why do you choose what you do?

Because:

1. ANYTHING ARM won't touch the Chromebox's GUI performance, which is a HUGE part of the Kodi experience. If you don't care about the GUI, you should be using something like MPC HC with MadVR on a PC for maximum picture quality. All of this is for the GUI, which is better on a Chromebox than any ARM box. The GHz might be close, but the IPC isn't.

2. ANYTHING Android will be a compromise from Openelec, period. Android is a second class HTPC OS and requires hacks to get 24p support or HD audio support.

3. If an ARM box has an Openelec build there is no way it get the support the x86 build does. No way. x86 wins for plugins and long-term support.

4. Fretting about h265 support or 4K support is dumb IMHO. Why? Well for one we don't HAVE 4K Blu Ray HEVC so there is no way to know if these boxes can handle it. Given that they often can't handle some 1080p Blu Ray formats (like high bitrate VC1), worrying about h265 support is like worrying your engine in your car isn't big enough when you don't even have tires on the rims. I use my Chromebox on my 4K TV and it plays almost all the 4K I got. That is futureproof enough for me.

5. The Chromebox is VERY popular, and will be support in this community for a while- like the old Acer Revo. You get a random ARM box you are almost guaranteed no Android updates past say a year, nor will you be sure future Kodi versions will work with it (then you are having to find forked versions).

A Chromebox is the Kodi box right now. Everything Android is all hat and no cattle in comparison. They have uses (especially sub $40) but if you can afford a Chromebox it should be the option you go with.

Thank you for your answer.

Ok ... I defer to your choice that the Chromebox is better.

Now is there anything to gain by looking at the Intel NUC vs the Asus Chromebox?

http://www.logicsupply.com/components/motherboards/nuc/

,or a populated one:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-DN2820FYKH...4d25124e75

Thank you in advance.

Smile
The only reason to go for a NUC is for the extra power, like for gaming or you really really like Anime.

(2015-02-19, 22:28)poofyhairguy Wrote: The only reason to go for a NUC is for the extra power, like for gaming or you really really like Anime.

Thank you for your response.

So to run Kodi this Asus Chromebox would work better than anything in its price range and has ample power to run Kodi including H265 coding and decoding just fine.

Would that be a fair statement?

Thanks.
(2015-02-19, 22:33)mpmp Wrote:
(2015-02-19, 22:28)poofyhairguy Wrote: The only reason to go for a NUC is for the extra power, like for gaming or you really really like Anime.

Thank you for your response.

So to run Kodi this Asus Chromebox would work better than anything in its price range and has ample power to run Kodi including H265 coding and decoding just fine.

Would that be a fair statement?

Thanks.

If you want encoding then maybe I would look at the HP Stream Mini. Basically a Chromebox but the CPU supports Quicksync.

I will say that the Asus Chromebox would work better than anything in its price range and has ample power to run Kodi including playing VC1, 1080i, and almost all of the 4K material readily available.

(2015-02-19, 22:44)poofyhairguy Wrote:
(2015-02-19, 22:33)mpmp Wrote:
(2015-02-19, 22:28)poofyhairguy Wrote: The only reason to go for a NUC is for the extra power, like for gaming or you really really like Anime.

Thank you for your response.

So to run Kodi this Asus Chromebox would work better than anything in its price range and has ample power to run Kodi including H265 coding and decoding just fine.

Would that be a fair statement?

Thanks.

If you want encoding then maybe I would look at the HP Stream Mini. Basically a Chromebox but the CPU supports Quicksync.

I will say that the Asus Chromebox would work better than anything in its price range and has ample power to run Kodi including playing VC1, 1080i, and almost all of the 4K material readily available.
I'm just going to poke my nose in here and say Thanks to poofy for taking time to share and encourage others to move in the right direction based on experience and research Cool
I just ordered my chromebox, although delivery will require some time.

In the meantime, I am looking for a easy to follow guide to convert it into a standalone htpc.
Primary Sony 85" X8500F LED, Yamaha RX-V685, Odroid N2 4GB running CoreElec 19.4 RC1 (Kodi Matrix), SVS 5.1 Sound
Secondary Panasonic 50" ST50 Plasma, Pioneer AV916, Asus Chromebox running LibreElec (Kodi Leia)
(2015-02-20, 00:07)kdnoel Wrote: I'm just going to poke my nose in here and say Thanks to poofy for taking time to share and encourage others to move in the right direction based on experience and research Cool

Thank you, but honestly nowadays I am a shadow of what I used to contribute. It is people like Matt and the great developers who are really helping us all. Nowadays the HTPC side is so easy compared to just a few years ago, the real hard part is not getting stuck with a bad long-term solution. I find it harder and harder to justify having a self-built HTPC and I think Skylake will end that period of my life.

(2015-02-20, 00:31)bym007 Wrote: In the meantime, I am looking for a easy to follow guide to convert it into a standalone htpc.

https://pricklytech.wordpress.com/2014/1...chrome-os/

Quote:I will be honest, I am not a fan of the himedia box.
Me neither, but they were the first to out a RTD1186 based player, long before M8R. I plan to get a Q5 4K 3D and see how it compares to VidOn.
[H]i-[d]eft [M]edia [K]een [V]ideosaurus
My Family Room Theater
Fair enough, let us know!

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