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2016-03-24, 07:40
(This post was last modified: 2016-03-24, 17:55 by SuperMar1o.)
So, I usually prefer to do the research myself and just come to a conclusion but wrxtasy seems like a god when it comes to Kodi boxes and apparently specs are not always what they seem on face value so I will ask for some help here. This may seem like a TL;DR post but believe me I tried to keep it short.
I have an ODroid C1+ and run your OpenElec builds, they work great but it box often crashes, freezes, corrupts (not your fault, I know) or has other general issues like, when I try and skip forward 10 seconds, it literally takes 10 seconds waiting on the skip to catch up and things to buffer again. I am currently running OpenElec 16 from a Jump Drive, however I have had it installed on the eMMC as well, it was just more work to re-install when it breaks so I got lazy.
I play ALL my movies off a Gigabit NAS (my desktop) and my playback files are what you would expect, 5gb 720p's, 10gb 1080p's, 2gb norms, 300mb episodes and some 4K's from YouTube. Me and my brother are both extremely computer literate people, we are very proficient in Windows, Linux and as of late, Kodi. We have tried all the "Tweaks" and settings, replaced cords, reinstalled OE, switched skins, bought an eMMC, you name it we probably tried it. At this point, it really seems to be a hardware bottleneck.
We will be trying Windows Kodi on our desktops tomorrow to do some double checking with some desktop hardware (i7/GTX 980) but to get the ball rolling I figured I would ask if you have an suggestions for a reasonably priced NUC/MiniPC/Set-TopBox/PC/Something that you think would be ideal for someone like me? If possible, I would prefer something that I can install the OS from scratch instead of Android based, however you are the expert so let me know either way.
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I knew someone would bring this up.
The HDMI 2.0 S905 C2 I have plays back 4K YouTube clips. All the GoPro stuff, any 4K I can find on YouTube, so I'm not sure what codec Google are actually using for 4K YouTube clips.
I've set the Android GUI to 2160p60Hz420 on the C2.
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Yes you're right.
Pulled up the YouTube Nerd stats OSD (in Settings) and it appears even though Vids are labelled 4K Ultra HD they still stream as 1920x1080p using a avc codec on the S905. And are then upscaled to 2160p on the C2.
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Your reply was exactly what I was looking for wrxtasy, loved all the suggestions, especially the NVidia Shield, however the price is a bit steep for how locked down it is, if I end up spending that much, I would rather something I can at least install my own firmware on. In comparison, for $300 someone has an i7 4790 desktop on my local craigslist. Honestly though, I would rather something less power hungry and more space-saving.
so I am curious then just for the heck of it, which of the boxes would you recommend? Chromebox, WeTek Core, RPi3, MINIX U1, Odroid C2?
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2016-03-26, 02:33
(This post was last modified: 2016-03-26, 02:47 by wrxtasy.)
Tinkering = RPi3 or Odroid C2 both will be pretty snappy.
No OpenELEC currently on C2 and I would not use it for Interlaced TV viewing due to broken codec display modes when refresh switching is turned on. Works well for 8/10-bit HEVC decoding and general Kodi video playback using mediacodec in Android, just avoid Interlaced TV at the moment. Read the HardKernel forums for current issues.
WeTek Core and MINIX U1 have both been reviewed to death. I would not be mucking about with custom Firmware on the WeTek Core. I have seen 3 people now brick the device due to corrupting the DRM HDCP Keys with flashing Foreign Firmware which results in a black screen and video output is stuffed.
Chromebox is still the OpenELEC virtual Plug n Play King, can now even Software decode low/medium 8/10bit 1080p HEVC, HD Audio Passthough, the best deinterlacing, the list goes on.....
Workout what video codecs, audio requirements and/or and Android App requirements you have and go from there.
PS. Don't forget WeTek have a bunch of new AML S905 gear out in about a month that will shake up the budget end of the market.
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What is your opinion on the Ubox?