2016-12-03, 23:22
Hello to all.
Just registered to say thank you to wrxtasy for the greatly helpful guide and tell you my story, to which I would appreciate your informed comments.
I started 5 years ago with a BRIX running OpenElec. Quite a few hiccups.Then got foolish and tried a cheap Chinese android box. One big hiccup. Then I realised my mistake, so I went straight to a Shield TV 16GB running SPMC. Hiccups again.
Compared to the previous devices, the Shield was definitely a lot snappier. Problem is, it still had its issues. The device would get stuck after finishing one movie and before opening the next one (SPMC and source videos from NAS), or the image would go dark after fast forwarding but the audio would still keep playing, even after exiting SPMC and going back to the Shield's main menu. Up until yesterday, when I tried to turn it on as usual, and it wouldn't turn on. Tried whatever I could find online but nothing. Contacted NVIDIA support and they agreed to offer a replacement as the device is only 2 months old and unrooted. They seemed aware of the problem and only asked me very basic troubleshooting questions, such as "did you try a different wall socket?"
Strangely enough, I can't say I've ever been completely happy with any box I've had running XBMC/KODI/OpenElec/SPMC. There was always something not running properly. The remote wouldn't work or would only work half the time, even with keymapping plugins (tried I don't know how many different types of connections/remotes, Flirc, Amazon, Bluetooth, IR, cheap Chinese, expensive Chinese, Logitech, whatever). Or the movie would suddenly stop and the machine would reboot (that's the Chinese box for you). Or it would get stuck when I was adjusting the subtitles delay. Or it would forget all settings. Or it would get stuck at the boot screen (Brix with OpenElec). Or it would show double subtitles and no developer could find any possible solution (Brix with OpenElec). Or... or... or...
The online community has always been extremely helpful to me any time I asked. Nevertheless, I never got any device to work as it should.
I've tried all suggestions, spent countless hours reading, asking, redoing everything from scratch, reinstalling OSs, changing settings, changing them again, trying, testing, failing and all over again.
I know nothing about Linux, but I'm very capable of following logical instructions and I have a background in IT, if that means something.
So I'm getting tired of all this.
Maybe my needs are extremely demanding:
I need to play my 1080p or 720p or 480p movies and tv series on my tv.
I need to play my 3D Side by Side or Over Under 1080p movies on my tv.
All content comes from a NAS or a USB 3 drive.
Sound to come from the tv's stereo speakers. Only.
No amps, no preamps, no Dolbys, no DTSs, no HD Audios, no 7.1s, no 4Ks, no complicated connections, no demanding x265 formats, no full BR rips, no strange demands for 24, 25, 26, 27, 157 frames or what have you.
No Netflix, no YouTube, no Google or Amazon apps, no games, no HULU, no piracy plugins. Just locally stored content.
One box with a remote control (not a mouse, it's a media player), to be connected to a power supply, a LAN cable and a TV, that simply works.
I don't care about the cost, but it needs to work.
One would think that after all this effort put by so many kind people in programming, free or paid, it would be doable.
It seems that I've either been extremely unlucky (a factor which technology should be there to eliminate, I reckon), or KODI and all its forks simply can't offer that, or I still haven't found the device that does it.
I know lots of people have devices that are working perfectly.
Or maybe they (the devices) don't, but they (the people) compromise with what they have.
My needs are so low, that if I compromise with anything less, I could just as well watch stuff from my PC connected via HDMI to my tv. Cheaper, easier, happier.
I don't mind setting a device up.
I don't mind reading and following pages after pages of instructions to set it up.
I don't mind not updating, my needs have been the same for the past 5 years.
I don't even mind to pay for KODI or SPMC or whatever.
But after all the above is over and done, given that there's no technical faults, the device needs to work if I don't update it, I don't alter it, I don't touch it.
I thought buying the fastest device of all (Shield) would solve the problems. It didn't.
Have a look at NVIDIA's forums and you'll see.
The first time I turned it on, it didn't even want to connect to NVIDIA's own controller! What a nice out-of-the-box experience!
Sure it's a powerful device. But does it actually work without problems?
I see in the OP this question:
This will be my last resort. I'll try it with a LibreELEC only install (no dual boot).
I'm almost convinced that even this will have issues as all other devices did.
Hopefully that'll be the end of my search, either by finding the device that works, or by removing KODI from the equation for ever.
I'd appreciate it if the OP (or anyone else) could suggest a specific model, along with a specific remote that definitely works when running LibreELEC as the only OS in the device.
I have read that Chromeboxes work with Amazon Fire TV remotes, and I already have that as I was using it for the Shield, so if someone could confirm that it works it would be great.
I never thought that after so much time and money spent, I would still be out here looking for a device that simply works.
I thought a media player is used to help you spend most of your time watching stuff, instead of fixing stuff.
Please accept my kind apologies for the long post and rant.
Just registered to say thank you to wrxtasy for the greatly helpful guide and tell you my story, to which I would appreciate your informed comments.
I started 5 years ago with a BRIX running OpenElec. Quite a few hiccups.Then got foolish and tried a cheap Chinese android box. One big hiccup. Then I realised my mistake, so I went straight to a Shield TV 16GB running SPMC. Hiccups again.
Compared to the previous devices, the Shield was definitely a lot snappier. Problem is, it still had its issues. The device would get stuck after finishing one movie and before opening the next one (SPMC and source videos from NAS), or the image would go dark after fast forwarding but the audio would still keep playing, even after exiting SPMC and going back to the Shield's main menu. Up until yesterday, when I tried to turn it on as usual, and it wouldn't turn on. Tried whatever I could find online but nothing. Contacted NVIDIA support and they agreed to offer a replacement as the device is only 2 months old and unrooted. They seemed aware of the problem and only asked me very basic troubleshooting questions, such as "did you try a different wall socket?"
Strangely enough, I can't say I've ever been completely happy with any box I've had running XBMC/KODI/OpenElec/SPMC. There was always something not running properly. The remote wouldn't work or would only work half the time, even with keymapping plugins (tried I don't know how many different types of connections/remotes, Flirc, Amazon, Bluetooth, IR, cheap Chinese, expensive Chinese, Logitech, whatever). Or the movie would suddenly stop and the machine would reboot (that's the Chinese box for you). Or it would get stuck when I was adjusting the subtitles delay. Or it would forget all settings. Or it would get stuck at the boot screen (Brix with OpenElec). Or it would show double subtitles and no developer could find any possible solution (Brix with OpenElec). Or... or... or...
The online community has always been extremely helpful to me any time I asked. Nevertheless, I never got any device to work as it should.
I've tried all suggestions, spent countless hours reading, asking, redoing everything from scratch, reinstalling OSs, changing settings, changing them again, trying, testing, failing and all over again.
I know nothing about Linux, but I'm very capable of following logical instructions and I have a background in IT, if that means something.
So I'm getting tired of all this.
Maybe my needs are extremely demanding:
I need to play my 1080p or 720p or 480p movies and tv series on my tv.
I need to play my 3D Side by Side or Over Under 1080p movies on my tv.
All content comes from a NAS or a USB 3 drive.
Sound to come from the tv's stereo speakers. Only.
No amps, no preamps, no Dolbys, no DTSs, no HD Audios, no 7.1s, no 4Ks, no complicated connections, no demanding x265 formats, no full BR rips, no strange demands for 24, 25, 26, 27, 157 frames or what have you.
No Netflix, no YouTube, no Google or Amazon apps, no games, no HULU, no piracy plugins. Just locally stored content.
One box with a remote control (not a mouse, it's a media player), to be connected to a power supply, a LAN cable and a TV, that simply works.
I don't care about the cost, but it needs to work.
One would think that after all this effort put by so many kind people in programming, free or paid, it would be doable.
It seems that I've either been extremely unlucky (a factor which technology should be there to eliminate, I reckon), or KODI and all its forks simply can't offer that, or I still haven't found the device that does it.
I know lots of people have devices that are working perfectly.
Or maybe they (the devices) don't, but they (the people) compromise with what they have.
My needs are so low, that if I compromise with anything less, I could just as well watch stuff from my PC connected via HDMI to my tv. Cheaper, easier, happier.
I don't mind setting a device up.
I don't mind reading and following pages after pages of instructions to set it up.
I don't mind not updating, my needs have been the same for the past 5 years.
I don't even mind to pay for KODI or SPMC or whatever.
But after all the above is over and done, given that there's no technical faults, the device needs to work if I don't update it, I don't alter it, I don't touch it.
(2015-12-21, 03:43)wrxtasy Wrote: [*]nVIDIA Shield (the fastest Android box of them all) (1080p AIV)
I thought buying the fastest device of all (Shield) would solve the problems. It didn't.
Have a look at NVIDIA's forums and you'll see.
The first time I turned it on, it didn't even want to connect to NVIDIA's own controller! What a nice out-of-the-box experience!
Sure it's a powerful device. But does it actually work without problems?
I see in the OP this question:
(2015-12-21, 03:43)wrxtasy Wrote: Q. I need the most stable, proven, bullet proof, 1080p Kodi use only, box going around ?
- ASUS Chromebox running LibreELEC - Kodi Jarvis
This will be my last resort. I'll try it with a LibreELEC only install (no dual boot).
I'm almost convinced that even this will have issues as all other devices did.
Hopefully that'll be the end of my search, either by finding the device that works, or by removing KODI from the equation for ever.
I'd appreciate it if the OP (or anyone else) could suggest a specific model, along with a specific remote that definitely works when running LibreELEC as the only OS in the device.
I have read that Chromeboxes work with Amazon Fire TV remotes, and I already have that as I was using it for the Shield, so if someone could confirm that it works it would be great.
I never thought that after so much time and money spent, I would still be out here looking for a device that simply works.
I thought a media player is used to help you spend most of your time watching stuff, instead of fixing stuff.
Please accept my kind apologies for the long post and rant.
