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2014-03-14, 05:45
(This post was last modified: 2014-03-16, 22:55 by jjd-uk.)
OK, I know this is a subjective question but I am anxious to hear input from others!
I'm looking at inexpensive (< $150) hardware for running XBMC. I currently have a Raspberry Pi for the job and it's not quite cutting it. The performance is a bit on the laggy side. (Not complaining for $35!) And I want to "upgrade" to a slightly faster platform so I am looking for input from the experts here.
Some of my requirements are:
XBMC support (duh!)
Easy HDTV connection (HDMI)
Internet browser support with flash
External USB media support
One platform that came to mind was the Ouya console. That has an added benefit of being able to play games. This is not a must have for me, but it is a positive.
I know that there are several other Android TV "dongles" out there that might suit my needs but just not certain.
I'm not stuck on ANdroid, it just seems to be the easiest path to my end from my research.
Thanks in advance for your input!
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Thanks for the reply! This is a product I had not seen before.
I'll have to think about this because the $130 price tag still has a lot of "add ons" required to make it work.
I'm really trying to ride the edge of cheap and good performance.
One other thing that I firgot to include in my original post is portability. I travel for work and the primary reason for having an XBMC machine is to take it with me when I travel.
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At the end of the day, "you get what you pay for".
The only addon needed is a 4GB stick of ram if you are desperate to keep it low - assuming that you have a USB drive lying around somewhere and already have the HDMI cable.
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ODROID-U3 (
http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid...pid1647512 ) or NUC. The NUC is totally doable for at max price of $150, since all you need is ram and a USB drive.
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ext23
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would there be any advantages for me upgrading my revo r3610 to a newer, smaller box like the NUC? other than perhaps size.
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i heard the rasberrypi is decent.
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ext23
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2014-03-16, 10:40
(This post was last modified: 2014-03-16, 10:42 by ext23.)
thanks, guess i'll stick with my old faithful running off an SD card!
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nickr
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2014-03-16, 12:25
(This post was last modified: 2014-03-16, 13:12 by nickr.)
I put openelec 4beta2 on my revo 3700 today and the box is still great.
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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noggin
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2014-03-16, 13:08
(This post was last modified: 2014-03-16, 13:09 by noggin.)
The OP wants a browser with Flash support. I guess if you go down the NUC route that means also installing something other/in addition to OpenElec? Windows or a Linux distro and a browser with Flash support?
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Piers
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2014-03-16, 13:11
(This post was last modified: 2014-03-16, 13:11 by Piers.)
My Microserver (N54L) only cost £98 after the £100 cashback (rebate). That's just a little over your $150 budget but does give you a powerful and small PC for the money with space for up to 4x4TB HDDs. I've bought two more simple because of the price and then plan on adding another 32TB to my network.
Edit: I'm not sure about rebate offers in the USA (guessing you're talking about USD?). But I think HP does something similar over there.
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2014-03-16, 14:05
(This post was last modified: 2014-03-16, 14:18 by joelbaby.)
Cubox-i2 Ultra - 1/4 the size of a Raspberry Pi, and 10x faster.
Celeron NUC - bit more expensive, but less hassle.