[bgvillones]

Hi there I just want to know what's the best tv box for xbmc use only? Linux, windows, android, ios or raspberry? and the specific tv box? Help me pls because I'm planning to buy one that I'm gonna use on a 4k led tv. Thank you so much!

MOD EDIT: removed large text formatting. It doesn't make you "louder" to make the text larger.

[amendolaro]

I love my Amazon fire

[waikit83]

I use a Roku 3 box for a tv box, this is before I found out about xbmc, There are many tv box out there for xbmc depends on how much you want to spend, I was looking around an I like the MiniX Neo X7. Hope this helps.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00E2R0Z3Y/re...UPC3IMQUJN

[smitbret]

Hi there I just want to know what's the best tv box for xbmc use only? Linux, windows, android, ios or raspberry? and the specific tv box? Help me pls because I'm planning to buy one that I'm gonna use on a 4k led tv. Thank you so much!

MOD EDIT: removed large text formatting. It doesn't make you "louder" to make the text larger.

Chromebox running OpenELEC.

FireTV is nice, but the extra horsepower under the hood of the Chromebox is a nice backup in case something glitches with hardware decoding and you have to go software decoding. Plus the nearly instant bootup is nice.

[wrxtasy]

The state of play late 2014.....

First rule - don't even look at an Android based box if you want perfectly 100% synced video, with good quality XBMC Live TV de-interlacing.
This excludes the Amazon Fire TV.
These boxes are unable to switch display refresh rates on the fly to match up with 25Hz, 50Hz and 23.076fps (24p) video.
This may change when Android 5.0 Lollipop is more widely distributed.

XBMC use only with perfect switchable on the fly video + good support here on the forum: (very very important!)

1. Cheapest - Raspberry Pi B $35 (case + power supply needed, WIFi dongle RT5370 - if required)
2. Medium - ASUS or HP Chromebox $140 ish
3. Most - Intel NUC with Haswell Chipset and HD 5000 Graphics $350 (bare bones - expensive once parts added)
4. Expensive / Integrated - late 2014 Mac Mini - Intel Haswell equipped as well. $499

The top three will all need some sort or IR connector and a remote control. The IR is integrated in the Mac Mini, no remote however - a Harmony remote works well with this once programmed.

One distinct advantage with the Raspberry Pi is HDMI CEC control - you can control XBMC basic functions with some TV remotes straight out of the box.

If I had my time again and wanted to future proof the system down the track somewhat. I would get a Chromebox, Flirc IR dongle and possibly a quality programmable Harmony Remote.
The Flirc can be programmed to learn any spare remote you have lying around the house to control XBMC.
Run the XBMC version - OpenELEC on it and it will literally fly.

Chromebox and 4K TV:
http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=202201

This gets you an easy to setup system, with a great range, quality and flexible IR remote system that can be programmed with shortcuts for XBMC and learn IR commands for your TV as well if you get a Harmony.

Then just get a cheap Chromecast HDMI dongle if you need Netflix etc...

http://kodi.wiki/view/Chromebox
https://flirc.tv/
http://openelec.tv/
http://myharmony.com/

[suku_patel_22]

You could also consider a N2820 NUC add a 2GB ram and add a SSD or a HDD or run OpenELEC off a USB.

[lmyllari]

3. Most - Intel NUC with Haswell Chipset and HD 5000 Graphics $350 (bare bones - expensive once parts added)
..
The top three will all need some sort or IR connector and a remote control. The IR is integrated in the Mac Mini, no remote however - a Harmony remote works well with this once programmed.

At least the i3 and i5 NUCs come with an IR receiver built in.

[upsfeup]

I'l following this thread with quite some interested.

I'm currently running XBMC on a Rpi with openelc. While I love, it fall short some times as it not uncommon to crash during playback. Let just say that is not the best experience to watch something and the whole system freezes to the point that I can only hard reboot.

So, i'm in the market for a more beefy setup without spending hundreds (plural) of euros.

Please continue to list the prons and cons of each one

[Maxi]

Another point to take into account is that we're in the verge of a technology change. Once 4K media becomes more popular & widespread, compression will move from current H.264 to H.265. Problem is, for the time being H.265 is only supported via Software (no HW decoding). So, if you now go for a cheap box (raspberry, or anything ARM or Atom based), later on the road you'll have to waste a lot of space to save 4K movies using H.264 (and most probably convert H.265 movies to H.264) because those CPUs don't have the muscle to decode H.265 smoothly (I'm not so sure if Celeron CPUs can or can not).

So, if you don't have a space problem now, or you don't have too-much 4K content on H.265, you can go with a cheap box accepting that you'll need to change it sooner rather than later. Or you can spend some extra bucks on a HW that will serve you well for a long time, even if now it might look a little "oversized" for the task (i3 will be more than enough, or AMD FX, Celeron I don't think so...maybe somebody can comment on that)

[Stereodude]

Uh, the i3 processors found in the NUC or similar low power boxes aren't fast enough to software decode UHD/4k HEVC content, you need a near top end desktop i5 or i7 processor if you want to software decode it.

[wizziwig]

Uh, the i3 processors found in the NUC or similar low power boxes aren't fast enough to software decode UHD/4k HEVC content, you need a near top end desktop i5 or i7 processor if you want to software decode it.

If you're hellbent on HEVC/4K, you can always get one of the newer cheap Android boxes. Of course, then you'll be stuck with typical Android bugs and limitations.

I don't think it makes any sense to "future proof" by buying a high-end desktop PC. By the time there is any significant amount of HEVC content, prices of hardware to play it back will have dropped significantly - probably below what you would have to add in price today for such support.

[Stereodude]

I don't think it makes any sense to "future proof" by buying a high-end desktop PC. By the time there is any significant amount of HEVC content, prices of hardware to play it back will have dropped significantly - probably below what you would have to add in price today for such support.

I agree. I was just trying to clear things up about the possibility of a low power i3 software decoding UHD HEVC.

[SteveInNC]

4. Expensive / Integrated - late 2014 Mac Mini - Intel Haswell equipped as well. $499

Will the Mac Mini do HD Audio?

[whammy2008]

How about Zotac boxes? are they any good?

[shabuboy]

I have always use Zotac boxes, they are pretty good.

However, for just XBMC might be overkill. Chromebox and/or FTV are better choices.

My next box, will be one of those...