(2016-07-13, 02:22)timstephens24 Wrote: $259 for the UHD set, not $500. $259 for $60 worth of hardware and not having to DIY and deal with it doesn't seem too high to me. I might actually get it.
(2016-07-12, 22:17)Lunatixz Wrote: Yes, but for a ridiculous price... Not sure what High end market they are trying to appeal to.
IMO there are way too many cheaper alternatives.
You guys are still comparing apples and oranges in my opinion.
Your average DIY project for Kodi run in a PC or Raspberry Pi does not support any HDMI sources at all, instead they need to run a software on the same computer to capture the rendering.
It is much more than $60 dollars’ worth of hardware if you want to have ambilight from other HDMI sources as you need at least need a HDMI-matrix switch that supports 4K @ 60 fps (or a HDMI-splitter + a HDMI-switch), and a hardware HDMI video capture device that also supports 4K @ 60 fps just to begin to compare, and just those two alone are going to cost more than $200 put together. Then you really also need to include the price of a computer that can capture 4K @ 60 to analyze the picture and convert to data for the LED strip, and there a Raspberry Pi will not be enough for 4K @ 60 fps. And if you want to capture HDCP encrypted videos then all your equipment need to support that as well.
So, you first have to understand cannot compare this with a DIY project where you only run Kodi and have a LED-strip connected to a Raspberry Pi or PC with an Arduino. As the point with Lightpack 2 and similar solutions like DreamScreen is that they support HDMI input and multiple HDMI inputs, such as multiple video game systems. With a solution like Lightpack 2 and DreamScreen you can connect multiple HDMI sources such as an Xbox One, a PlayStation 4, a Chromecast, or Blu-ray Disc player, as well as a device running Kodi, and have all connected all the time, as the Lightpack 2 as an integrated HDMI switch and DreamScreen support you connecting any HDMI switch.
While you can achieve input from any HDMI source with some DIY projects too, it requires many more parts and the solution gets much more complex which is going to cost you a lot more than $60 dollars, especially if you also want support input from any 4K sources @ 60 fps. Not something your average DIY:er puts together, and even if you do you will not be saving a lot of money of doing this yourself if you want a solution that supports 4K @ 60 fps.
To compare with Lightpack 2 UHD solution your DIY project need components like:
- 4 x 2 HDMI-matrix switch that supports 4K @ 60 (or a HDMI-splitter + a HDMI-switch that both supports 4K @ 60 could do the same job as a
- HDMI video capture device that support capturing 4K @ 60 fps encrypted with HDCP, (if your capture device only supports 1080p then you need a separate HDCP-stripper and 4K to 1080p down-converter in between).
- Computer that can analyze 4K @ 60 fps to convert
- Arduino
- LED-strips
- Power-supply for Arduino and power-supply for LED-strips.
Just follow these links to a DIY project that lists all components and shows the complexity needed for doing this on the cheap just for supporting any 1080p HDMI source, (but does not include a HDMI-switch for supporting multiple HDMI sources). And again remember, if you want the same type of solution to support 4K at 60 fps then the price for the parts needed will almost be ten-fold for many of these devices/components, or you need to introduce additional devices/components which adds even more complexity.
https://christianmoser.me/how-to-ambilig...mi-source/
http://schematics.com/project/ambilight-box-32568/
Add the extra HDMI cables and some nice cases to hide all the parts in then all of the sudden Lightpack 2 will look like cheap deal for something that does all this in one box.
(2016-07-14, 11:10)ianuk2005 Wrote: Have to admit the extra $100 for 4k support is high and going to put some users off. With decoding 4k being so cheap, you can literally do it with commercial hardware for <$40 it feels like they haven't just added on the extra cost. I, and i'm assuming others were expecting it to be moved into the standard model at the same price point.
With the exception of decode such as a chipset in a simple Android 4K media player does, 4K devices for the rest of the function you need does indeed not come cheap, not cheap at all.
Yes chips that cab decode 4K might be cheap today, but capturing and analysing is not the same as letting a chip decode and render to surface. And as noted above, a 4K HDMI-matrix (or 4K HDMI-splitter + 4K HDMI-switch) and 4K capture device is not cheap, and niether is supporting input from a 4K HDMI 2.0 source which is encypted with HDCP 2.2 today.
However, this will of course all change soon enrough as 4K for every component will become mainsteam within a couple of years from now and then price for those parts will also become cheap, but fact remains that today all those parts are not cheap.
Today, when you need all compoents/functions to support 4K @ 60 fps then the solution will not be cheap, not even for DIY.