2015-11-26, 09:40
2015-11-26, 10:41
Most probably ... but since it's just a smaller micro version of the Raspberry Pi 1 tweaked *a little bit*
It won't compare performance wise to a Raspberry Pi 2 .. which is Quad-Core and 1GB of RAM
Bottom Line: Buy a Raspberry Pi 2 ... if you want a good OpenELEC Kodi experience
It won't compare performance wise to a Raspberry Pi 2 .. which is Quad-Core and 1GB of RAM
Bottom Line: Buy a Raspberry Pi 2 ... if you want a good OpenELEC Kodi experience
2015-11-26, 11:05
Pi zero will run kodi exactly the same as a model A/A+ Pi.
No network and only one usb. If TV has CEC you can control it with CEC and play videos off sdcard. No extra equipment needed.
Add a usb dongle for extra storage for videos. You can add a GPIO remote for a couple of dollars if you can solder.
You can add a wifi dongle to usb and control it with a smartphone. You can obviously add a usb hub and a USB->ethernet dongle for Pi 1 model B behaviour.
Anyone serious wanting to run kodi would be better off getting a Pi2, but it is genuinely the cheapest platform that can run kodi which will probably bring some users who just want to see it's possible.
Existing Pi1 builds of OE and OSMC will run on Pi Zero.
No network and only one usb. If TV has CEC you can control it with CEC and play videos off sdcard. No extra equipment needed.
Add a usb dongle for extra storage for videos. You can add a GPIO remote for a couple of dollars if you can solder.
You can add a wifi dongle to usb and control it with a smartphone. You can obviously add a usb hub and a USB->ethernet dongle for Pi 1 model B behaviour.
Anyone serious wanting to run kodi would be better off getting a Pi2, but it is genuinely the cheapest platform that can run kodi which will probably bring some users who just want to see it's possible.
Existing Pi1 builds of OE and OSMC will run on Pi Zero.
2015-11-26, 11:52
I would like to add that Raspberry Pi Model B Rev 2 and B+ still offer a really good Kodi experience and can be had super cheap. They will never be as quick as an RPI2, but with the right tweaking they have an acceptable level of performance. Also they, IMHO, more stable than a Raspberry Pi 2. I have a Raspberry Pi in my lounge and 3 bedrooms. The main family one is a Raspberry Pi 2 running OE6, the 3 Bedroom ones are Raspberry Pi Model Bs. On occasion the Raspberry Pi 2 will crash, normally due to an addon. The 3 model Bs never ever crash, they never get rebooted, they just work and the setup is identical, same SD cards, same PSUs, same leads and exactly the same addons. The only difference being is the Model Bs are overclocked to 1GHz, didn't feel the need to overclock the RPI2 and the RPI2 runs Hyperion for an Ambilight.
If you want a super cheap, reliable HTPC then RPI B/B+ are worth a look.
If you want a super cheap, reliable HTPC then RPI B/B+ are worth a look.
2015-11-26, 12:34
That is a crazy price. Remove the essentials kit and the uSD card and the Pi Zero appears to cost £4... (Though the cheapest shipping within the UK is £2.50)
If you need a tiny little device to feed a TV screen - that's a ridiculously small amount of money. Or if you are building something that needs to be really lightweight (say for a drone or a balloon project etc.)
So many applications for an existing Pi A+/B+ are now even cheaper. It's effectively a tiny Model A+ with double the RAM but without the analogue audio and composite video outputs, and camera/display headers isn't it? (I see composite video is still available via an unpopulated header, but I guess analogue audio isn't, though presumably I2S is still an option. Composite video on its own has some uses - like feeding little composite LCDs)
Wouldn't be my first choice for a Kodi platform - but there are definitely applications for Kodi that this would open up.
Official announcement on Raspberry Pi Blog : https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/raspberry-pi-zero/
Really smart idea to use Micro USB OTG too - there are loads of USB hubs, and Ethernet dongles popping up with that connector for use on tablets and smartphones.
If you need a tiny little device to feed a TV screen - that's a ridiculously small amount of money. Or if you are building something that needs to be really lightweight (say for a drone or a balloon project etc.)
So many applications for an existing Pi A+/B+ are now even cheaper. It's effectively a tiny Model A+ with double the RAM but without the analogue audio and composite video outputs, and camera/display headers isn't it? (I see composite video is still available via an unpopulated header, but I guess analogue audio isn't, though presumably I2S is still an option. Composite video on its own has some uses - like feeding little composite LCDs)
Wouldn't be my first choice for a Kodi platform - but there are definitely applications for Kodi that this would open up.
Official announcement on Raspberry Pi Blog : https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/raspberry-pi-zero/
Really smart idea to use Micro USB OTG too - there are loads of USB hubs, and Ethernet dongles popping up with that connector for use on tablets and smartphones.
2015-11-26, 12:56
I know what I said. But in the UK MagPi magazine are giving the Pi Zero away with the latest issue. So it is just a £5.99 purchase price of the magazine.
2015-11-26, 13:14
2015-11-26, 14:14
You guys want to see a video of it in action?
2015-11-26, 14:42
Interesting - the KordKutter review looks to be of an earlier model without the Composite TV header (in the pictures I've seen there are two two-pin header positions - RUN and TV - but in the Kord Kutter video just the RUN is present. I guess they realised adding composite SD would be useful to quite a lot of people.
2015-11-26, 16:49
A couple of questions that maybe @popcornmix or someone with a zero can answer (or maybe @natethomas already answered in the kk vid, can't watch it yet as I'm at work) - are the two micro-USB ports both usable for peripherals if you power the board via the GPIO pins, or is one dedicated to power only?
And from scale, is it a full-size HDMI socket or a micro-HDMI?
But in any case it looks mighty interesting as a bare-bones play toy, and perhaps something that the BBC Micro:Bit should have been (and something I'd happily let my kids play with for GPIO and such without much worry if they miswire it and blow something up).
And from scale, is it a full-size HDMI socket or a micro-HDMI?
But in any case it looks mighty interesting as a bare-bones play toy, and perhaps something that the BBC Micro:Bit should have been (and something I'd happily let my kids play with for GPIO and such without much worry if they miswire it and blow something up).
2015-11-26, 17:07
It's mini-HDMI. Only one USB socket has data lines - the other is power only. You can obviously attach a USB hub.
2015-11-26, 17:40
(2015-11-26, 17:07)popcornmix Wrote: It's mini-HDMI. Only one USB socket has data lines - the other is power only. You can obviously attach a USB hub.
Thanks. Just saw the adaptor kit in the Pi Store which looks like a good addition to cover most requirements (plus a hub as you say).
2015-11-26, 18:48
As someone who has wrestled with wifi on RPi B+ and RPi2, I wouldn't recommend it. Ethernet all the way!
It can work on wifi, but it's a pain if it becomes saturated, you know with ethernet that you'll always have full speed.
It can work on wifi, but it's a pain if it becomes saturated, you know with ethernet that you'll always have full speed.
2015-11-26, 21:00
(2015-11-26, 18:48)bledd Wrote: As someone who has wrestled with wifi on RPi B+ and RPi2, I wouldn't recommend it. Ethernet all the way!
It can work on wifi, but it's a pain if it becomes saturated, you know with ethernet that you'll always have full speed.
USB to ethernet adapters exist. You could even get an ethernet enabled hub if you wanted. http://amzn.to/1Idat4f
