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Thanks a lot!
Actually I just do IPTV. So I am thinking about the Amazon FireTV2 (or the stick?). I have a VPN which works for USA that should allow me to watch Amazon prime right? (And I have a prime account)
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2016-07-08, 00:46
(This post was last modified: 2016-07-08, 00:50 by lords8n.)
Hello All,
I'm looking for some insight in replacing/upgrading my aging HTPC.
My current hardware setup:
Win7 HTPC running WMC with a 6 tuner Ceton card for PVR duty (.wtv files, No DRM) streamed out to 3 Xbox360's running WMC plugin (hardwired Cat6).
8 TB NAS with movies (mostly .mp4 and .mkv @ 720 and 1080), TV shows (.mp4 and .wtv @ 720 and 1080).
I've been using this setup since 2010 and have gotten my wife and kids accustomed to it. As I'm sure you know, MS was nice enough to kill support for WMC last year, which has left me looking for a viable replacement ever since. I'd like to keep as much of my existing hardware as possible, so I'm planning on using my Win7/WMC HTPC as a backend for LiveTV/PVR, using ServerWMC to stream LiveTV to Kodi throughout the house and my existing NAS setup for movies, etc. I've been tinkering with Kodi on both a Win7 Laptop (2.4ghz i5, 4gb RAM) & Nexus 6 Android phone (both using Wifi) and I believe Kodi (with Aeon Nox 5 skin and a few addons) will fit my needs while keeping the WAF high.
Based on reviews and specs, I think an RPi3 running OpenELEC or OSMC will work well as a media player/TV frontend for my setup, but obviously the Rpi3 specs differ greatly from the hardware I've been testing on. Before I take the plunge and purchase the Rpi3, I'm wondering if anyone here has any experience with using the Rpi3 in a similar setup. Will the Rpi3 running Kodi be able to handle the LiveTV streams from ServerWMC? I've read and searched through the forum but couldn't find much about this, so any help/insight is greatly appreciated. Thanks.
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nickr
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Yes RPi3 should satisfy your needs, but buy just one and try it.
However it isn't strong on wifi, I would run ethernet cable if you can at all, or get dome powerline connectors.
If I have helped you or increased your knowledge, click the 'thumbs up' button to give thanks :) (People with less than 20 posts won't see the "thumbs up" button.)
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2016-07-08, 04:21
(This post was last modified: 2016-07-08, 07:21 by wrxtasy.)
I'm going to disagree with buying a RPi3, why - simply because its now looking like pretty old hardware and you will have to upgrade again very soon to satisfy future decoding needs. I would be considering more than just a 1080p Live TV streaming hardware platform in 2016.
The RPi3 has no 8/10bit HEVC hardware decoding, no HDMI 2.0, no 2160p support, no HD Audio passthrough, weak 2.4GHz only WiFi, no dual band AC WiFi, no IR receiver, no GigaE Ethernet, no fast eMMC memory and you have to supply your own case and power supply plus mpeg2 and VC1 licences. The SoC GHz clock rate is relatively slow as well compared to other hardware platforms.
I would still use the RPi3 for cheap multichannel FLAC 5.1 24bit 192kHz Audio, 1080p 3D, VC1 Bluray playback and to attach all manner of external hardware and dongles - which will come with excellent support.
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RogerS
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Nvidia Shield might be a good optioneel.
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2016-07-08, 08:13
(This post was last modified: 2016-07-08, 09:45 by wrxtasy.)
If you don't need 1080p 3D or comprehensive VC1 Bluray playback then the Chromebox is a more powerful, solid Hardware solution than the RPi3. It will also have better deinterlacing for TV viewing and be able to software decode a lot more 8/10bit HEVC content going forward. The Chromebox will be faster too due to its SSD, a far better solution for a large media collection long term than the RPi3.
Ultimately even software decoding of 8/10bit HEVC will run into a bitrate Software decoding wall where you need 8/10bit Hardware HEVC decoding.
AMLogic, this year in particular have really hit the sweet spot with their excellent bang for your buck S905 SoC.
AML Linux Kernel and Kodi Jarvis / LibreELEC support has finally caught up to the Hardware.
If you don't want to upgrade Hardware for a while and spend around $100, then the WeTek Hub is the current bang for the buck choice for a Kodi only media playback solution.
I would use a FLIRC IR USB receiver on both the Hub or Chromebox, with a remote control of your choosing and run LibreELEC Kodi as well.
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Thanks for the insight and opinions everyone. I may decide to go with something more powerful than an Rpi3 for my main setup (70" 4k) in my living room, but for now I'm trying to find a low cost replacement for the current (WMC, Xbox360) setup that my wife uses in my master bedroom (42" 1080p) and my kids use in our den (55" 1080p). They couldn't care less about 8/10 bit HEVC hardware decoding, 2160p resolution or 24bit audio, so I'm not going to spend the cash just so my kids can watch Disney channel in 4k.
I have a Pi1 that I experimented using Kodi with but, of course, the hardware couldn't handle the LiveTV streams or most of the 1080p I tested with it. I have a Pi3 coming from Amazon tomorrow, hopefully it will fit my needs for the wife and kids. It'd be great if I could get 2 low cost Pi3's for them and save the big bucks for my 70" 4k setup.