[zag]

Thread for the 2nd generation Intel Compute Stick



Specs
Processor Intel Atom x5-Z8300
(4C/4T x 1.44 GHz, 14nm, 2MB L2, 2W SDP)
Memory 2GB DDR3L @ 1600 MHz
Graphics Intel HD Graphics
Disk Drive(s) SanDisk DF4032 32GB eMMC
Networking 2x2 Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265 802.11ac
Audio Capable of 5.1/7.1 digital output with audio over HDMI
Operating System Windows 10 Home x86

Price
As configured above: $159

Reviews
http://www.anandtech.com/show/9939/the-i...l-review/6

1st generation thread is here

[Topken]

Ok manged to find it on amazon after digging around a bit

$150 for the new Z-8300 Cherry Trail model http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01ASB0DJ8

[zag]

Nice, looking forward to the first real world reviews.

[Sta11ion]

Support for HDMI CEC? Couldn't find info in the Anandtech review.

[Willith]

Mine arrived today.

Initial thoughts:
It is very small
Windows 10 runs pretty well, i was amazed to hear a fan running inside at times
it seems very windows orientated

I booted windows and used it to download the latest 64bit Openelec image which i was able to do no problems. The new edge browser did seem to crash at one point and i had to close it (downloaded Chrome instead).

When i rebooted, i headed straight to the BIOS configuration. The intel compute stick seems to support 32 and 64bit booting (or as it labels it, "Windows 32Bit" and "Windows 64Bit"). 32bit is selected by default. I changed it to 64bit for Openelec.

I booted off my newly imaged USB stick and was able to get to the Openelec installation menu. Previous Openelec installations on traditional desktop PC's with Core 2 Duo chips are very fast and i became a bit concerned when the installer got stuck at 28%. At this point, it was formatting the internal 32GB flash storage. Since this was the first time i have experienced the installer waiting at this stage, i tried inserting a microSD card and installing on that but the Openelec installer does not even recognise the presence of a microSD card.

I gave the installer one last go and let it sit at 28%. After a few minutes it finally reached the end and successfully installed.

On first boot, i was very happy with the speed at which Openelec ran on it. I was also happy to see that WiFi was recognised and i was able to connect to my WiFi network. I got TvHeadEnd client up and running with no problems. Had i experienced problems with the network, i would have plugged in a USB to Ethernet adaptor but WiFi seems to work fine.

Having carried out the setup on a computer monitor, i was ready to plug it into my TV. I have a pulse eight CEC adaptor, and the compute stick plugged straight into the little CEC adaptor which was quite nice. The short USB cable barely reaches as the USB port on the compute stick faces the other way.

Now just as i was about to retire my Mac Mini, i noticed one major problem - NO AUDIO!! Openelec does not recognise the audio device inside the compute stick.

I will be looking into this to see if it can be resolved.

[noggin]

Now just as i was about to retire my Mac Mini, i noticed one major problem - NO AUDIO!! Openelec does not recognise the audio device inside the compute stick.

This was an issue with previous Bay Trail Compute Sticks too ISTR. Linux drivers for the Bay Trail HDMI audio were tricky.

Linuxium has written on this : http://www.linuxium.com.au/Downhome/late...erlingcity

Looks like there are patches that add HDMI audio for Bay Trail equivalent SoCs (Z-series not N-series), but they haven't been mainlined.

[Willith]

Now just as i was about to retire my Mac Mini, i noticed one major problem - NO AUDIO!! Openelec does not recognise the audio device inside the compute stick.

This was an issue with previous Bay Trail Compute Sticks too ISTR. Linux drivers for the Bay Trail HDMI audio were tricky.

Linuxium has written on this : http://www.linuxium.com.au/Downhome/late...erlingcity

Looks like there are patches that add HDMI audio for Bay Trail equivalent SoCs (Z-series not N-series), but they haven't been mainlined.

Having a read of that, it seems like mainstream support is unlikely to be achieved.

This is frustrating as it looked to be an ideal computer for running Openelec on. As i wish to have something streamlined and optimised, Windows 10 for me is not really an option.

[Matt Devo]

Having a read of that, it seems like mainstream support is unlikely to be achieved.

This is frustrating as it looked to be an ideal computer for running Openelec on. As i wish to have something streamlined and optimised, Windows 10 for me is not really an option.

which version of OE did you test? The mainline 6.0.x version doesn't have full support for Braswell/Cherry Trail, you need to either use my 6.0-based Intel-EGL build, or one of the Kodi 17 test builds from Milhouse or fritsch

[noggin]

Having a read of that, it seems like mainstream support is unlikely to be achieved.

This is frustrating as it looked to be an ideal computer for running Openelec on. As i wish to have something streamlined and optimised, Windows 10 for me is not really an option.

which version of OE did you test? The mainline 6.0.x version doesn't have full support for Braswell/Cherry Trail, you need to either use my 6.0-based Intel-EGL build, or one of the Kodi 17 test builds from Milhouse or fritsch

Does that support HDMI audio on Zxxxx series BayTrail and x4-z8300 Cherry Trail devices Matt Devo? If so - HD Audio, PCM 5./7.1, or just PCM 2.0 with DD/DTS?

[Matt Devo]

Does that support HDMI audio on Zxxxx series BayTrail and x4-z8300 Cherry Trail devices Matt Devo? If so - HD Audio, PCM 5./7.1, or just PCM 2.0 with DD/DTS?

No idea, test it out and lmk? =)

[noggin]

Does that support HDMI audio on Zxxxx series BayTrail and x4-z8300 Cherry Trail devices Matt Devo? If so - HD Audio, PCM 5./7.1, or just PCM 2.0 with DD/DTS?

No idea, test it out and lmk? =)

Only have those in Tablet form factors - may have a go booting from a USB OTG cable just for fun. (They both have HDMI outputs)

[Willith]

Having a read of that, it seems like mainstream support is unlikely to be achieved.

This is frustrating as it looked to be an ideal computer for running Openelec on. As i wish to have something streamlined and optimised, Windows 10 for me is not really an option.

which version of OE did you test? The mainline 6.0.x version doesn't have full support for Braswell/Cherry Trail, you need to either use my 6.0-based Intel-EGL build, or one of the Kodi 17 test builds from Milhouse or fritsch

Hiya

I used the latest 64bit Generic build.

Do you have a link to your 6.0 based build that i could try?

Thanks

[Matt Devo]

Hiya

I used the latest 64bit Generic build.

Do you have a link to your 6.0 based build that i could try?

Thanks

Links are on Chromebox wiki, linked in my sig, and fritsch's stickied EGL post in the Linux support forum

[Willith]

Hiya

I used the latest 64bit Generic build.

Do you have a link to your 6.0 based build that i could try?

Thanks

Links are on Chromebox wiki, linked in my sig, and fritsch's stickied EGL post in the Linux support forum

Hiya

Have tried it and no luck. Openelec hangs for a moment when accessing audio settings, then doesnt show any outputs present.

Thanks

[Matt Devo]

Hiya

Have tried it and no luck. Openelec hangs for a moment when accessing audio settings, then doesnt show any outputs present.

Thanks

Well, was worth a try. If the patches mentioned earlier by noggin are easily merged I can add them to my build. Will try to take a look later today