Win Intel HTPCs/NUCs & Kodi-native 3D MVC Playback
Comparative Intel MVC 3D Review:
Dell Inspiron Micro 3050 vs. Intel D34010WYK NUC
Updated on May 8, 2016


Overview:

This will be my last review for a while, for self-funded h/w tests. Until Kaby Lake h/w (adding full 4K) arrives at the end of the year, I've settled on an Intel h/w for my dedicated home theater. This was after trying out i5-4570 latop with Intel HD4400 (already had it, but laptop isn't ideal for HT use), DN2820FYKH Celeron NUC, Beelink BT3 with Intel Atom x5-Z8300, and finally D34010WYK i3 NUC and Dell 3050 Micro with Celeron J1800. The last two are evaluated in this comparative review...

Both D34010WYK NUC and Dell 3050 are first-rate Intel boxes with first-rate 3D MVC and HD audio bitstreaming! There are just a couple of key differentiators that may push you, like did me, to one. In my case, I'm keeping the D34010WYK NUC.

In my initial testing of D34010WYK, I had mentioned possibly noticing some ghosting and edge enhancement with 3D. May have had to do with the extra glasses of wine that evening Wink, because upon in-depth testing (with several 3D ISO's, for longer periods), I'm not seeing any such issues. I've now also watched two 3D movies all the way, and both looked great. Also, both D34010WYK and Dell 3050 don't suffer from the dreaded lip-sync error, at least with the April 1 Kodi Windows MVC build I'm relying on for now.


Verdict: Based originally on afedchin's April 1 Kodi 17 MVC Windows build (limited re-testing done w/May 5 build)
  • Overall grade: A+ for both (Dell 3050 is the all-inclusive budget champ, while D34010WYK is the performance horse)
  • PQ = A++ (As many have already chimed in, 3D just looks amazing on compatible Intel h/w, with excellent depth, details and punch!)
  • AQ = A (All formats bitstream; only Dolby Digital Plus is broken in Kodi 17 master at this point, but there's a temporary workaround; see below)
  • User experience = A- (Windows by itself doesn't have that media player feel, but Launcher4Kodi comes to the rescue)
  • Ease of set-up = B+ for both (Some effort is necessary; not that plug-and-play media player with NUC, and for Dell, crapware clean-up; see below)

As I've alluded, the reason for this comparative review isn't to proclaim one "best". That wouldn't be fair as we're talking about a 'budget' Celeron vs. a higher-level performer with i3. Also, just 2GB of preinstalled RAM on Dell vs. 4GB I opted to install on the i3 NUC. It's about the cost to performance ratio, set-up effort, and about the differentiators that may matter to you in spending more for the i3 NUC.


My Dell 3050 Set-Up Details ($125 used off eBay):
  • Nothing to build, or even put together; it's all-inclusive (32GB SSD and 2GB RAM), plus Windows 10 64-bit
    (Learned, of course after having bought it for more, that Dell 3050 has gone on sale for $98 or less, for new. Seriously, no brainer at that price!)
  • Took over an hour however to remove all the preinstalled (cr)apps Angry by Dell, and run CCleaner (including registry scanning, clean-up)
  • Graphics/audio driver combo that worked best was latest as recommended by Intel's Driver Utility

My D34010WYK NUC Build and Set-Up Details ($191 used NUC w/new SSD + RAM):
  • Intel BOXD34010WYK D34010WYK i3-4010U with power cord ($142 shipped, off eBay, used, but nice condition!)
  • ADATA Premier Pro SP310 SATA 6Gb/s mSATA Solid State Drive ASP310S3-32GM-C ($26 via Amazon)
  • Crucial 4GB Kit (2x2GB) DDR3 1600 MT/s PC3-12800 CL11 SODIMM 204-Pin CT2KIT25664BF160B/CT2CP25664BF160B ($23 via Amazon)
  • Windows 10 Home 64-bit unregistered w/some limitations (Free)
    (If you can gets your hands on Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB 64-bit, use that as @sarcoptic has suggested as it's a pared-down build)
  • SSD and RAM installs were a snap. Just be aware D34010WYK takes mSATA SSD, not the more common 2.5" SSD
  • The best graphics/audio driver combo is v.Beta 15.40.23.4444. But, keep an eye out for later versions

Photo Gallery:

watch gallery



Performance:

With any HTPC set-up, my Windows install is kept minimal (I don't have the LTSB version yet), with only Kodi, Launcher4Kodi, CCleaner and Google Chrome installed. Nothing else, other than background Windows processes, running or installed. Launcher4Kodi is what gives Kodi under Windows that OpenELEC, set-top box or media player feel as you're powering on and booting right into Kodi.

Kodi runs fluidly, and is responsive on both systems in this review. But, some differentiators...
  • [Boot up] Press power button to Windows 10 desktop: Dell about 21 seconds; D34010WYK 18 seconds (minor)
  • [Windows/Kodi use] Both snappy, but D34010WYK is ultra-fast by comparison (you can feel it)
  • [Launch Kodi] Dell 7.5 seconds; D34010WYK just 3 seconds (adds a little time to overall power-to-Kodi straight boot)
  • [Kodi with local movie/TV libraries] Both snappy, neither have lags, but D34010WYK is noticeably quicker (you can feel it)

See my signature below for my HT gear and set-up, basis for this evaluation.

A/V Tests: Applies to both systems, except where noted...
  • [Audio] DD5.1 (640Kbps) = pass
  • [Audio] DD+ 5.1 = fail (no audio)
  • [Audio] DD+ 7.1 = fail (no audio)
    (For DD+ 5.1/7.1, the issue is in Kodi 17 master; disable DD+ under audio passthrough to get lossless multichannel for now)
  • [Audio] TrueHD 5.1 = pass
  • [Audio] TrueHD 7.1 = pass
  • [Audio] ATMOS = pass*
  • [Audio] DTS (1.5Mbps) = pass
  • [Audio] DTS HRA 5.1 = pass
  • [Audio] DTS HRA 7.1 = pass
  • [Audio] DTS-HD MA 5.1 = pass
  • [Audio] DTS-HD MA 7.1 = pass
  • [Audio] DTS:X = pass*
  • [Audio] AAC 5.1 = pass
  • [Audio] FLAC 5.1 = pass
  • [Audio] LPCM 5.1 = pass
  • [Audio] LPCM 7.1 = pass
  • [Audio] 96kHz, 192kHz and 96kHz/24-bit = all three pass
  • [Video] 29.970 MPEG2 (VOB from a DVD rip) = pass, perfect playback at proper framerate
  • [Video] 29.970 MPEG2 1080i 4:2:0 = pass, perfect playback at proper framerate
  • [Video] 29.970 MPEG2 1080i 4:2:2 = perfect playback on D34010WYK; stutter, jumpy playback on Dell
    (D34010WYK is the first Kodi-capable box I've tested that plays MPEG2 4:2:2 well. @alanisrox69 informed me only non-Kodi WD TV and Popcorn Hour media players have been able to play this demanding video type for him. They're usually high bitrate C-Band satellite captures. Although Dell had issues with this, it did slightly better than Beelink BT3. Most media players, including HiMedia Q10 Pro and nVidia Shield exhibit green-pixellated mess or no picture at all with this)
  • [Video] 59.940 MPEG2 720p = pass, perfect playback at proper framerate
  • [Video] 23.976 1080p H.264 = pass, perfect playback at proper '23.97' framerate (as my projector indicates)
  • [Video] 24.000 1080p H.264 = pass, perfect playback at proper framerate
  • [Video] 29.970/60.000 1080p H.264 = pass, perfect playback at proper framerate
  • [Video] 25.000/50.000 1080p H.264 = pass, perfect playback at proper framerate
  • [Video] 23.976 1080p VC-1 = pass, perfect playback at proper framerate
  • [Video] 29.970 1080i VC-1 = pass, buttery smooth playback by D34010WYK, and on Dell, after initial few seconds of slight stutter, fine
  • [3D MVC] 23.976 3D ISO = pass, perfect playback (my PJ shows '23.94' oddly (vs. '23.97', but didn't notice any frame skips or microstutters)
  • [3D MVC] 23.976 3D MVC = pass, perfect playback (same as above)
  • [3D MVC] Left/right eye swap = pass
  • [Forced subtitles] SRT, PGS forced subs supported in MKV and ISO
  • [Bitrates] Birds clips up to 90Mbps = no sweat, perfect playback
  • [Bitrates] Jellyfish clips up to 255Mbps = no sweat, perfect playback
    (I don't test higher than 255Mbps as there's no point; no existing or upcoming 4K is expected to go higher than 128Mbps)
* For ATMOS and X, I don't have capable h/w set-up yet, but I'm confident both will bitstream these based on users-in-the-know's verifications.


Extras:
  • Both systems will do HD steaming of Netflix, Amazon, etc. (either via Windows store apps or simply via Google Chrome) as added value, making this better options over most Android boxes.
  • For Logitech Harmony remote control users, adding D34010WYK is a snap. No MCE or FLIRC dongles needed, as D34010WYK has front IR. For Dell, you'll need to use an IR dongle or try Bluetooth.

Support:

A+, via this thread with helpful user insights, and via @afedchin's developmental thread. @movie78 and I've chatted about this, and our only concern is that @afedchin seems like the sole developer behind MVC support in Windows, which we're all benefiting greatly from. While it's great to have @afedchin dedicated to this, I hope other Kodi developers get involved, or if there are and we're unaware, would love to know.


Wrap-Up:

I ended up settling on D34010WYK NUC, but had I never tried it for whatever reason, I'd most likely be just as happy with Dell 3050. But, Intel D34010WYK's extra power, power-to-straight-boot-into-Kodi of about 21 seconds (vs. about 29), ability to play just buttery smooth even those most demanding video types, and integrated IR all together are what pushed me over. But, whether D34010WYK is worth 50% or so more cost for these differentiators for you, that's a very subjective call.

Bottom line, it's a great time for us 3D MVC and all-in-one box enthusiasts with Kodi with Intel h/w, with plenty of options Big Grin! Just see post #1!
[H]i-[d]eft [M]edia [K]een [V]ideosaurus
My Family Room Theater
Reply


Messages In This Thread
RE: Intel-specific HTPC/NUC Selection w/reliable MVC 3D ISO - by hdmkv - 2016-04-09, 20:10
What about xvYCC / x.v.Color - by ma9ick - 2016-04-15, 14:01
June 30 download link broken? - by CooperCGN - 2016-08-02, 08:18
MVC build on AMD Ryzen - by te36 - 2019-09-18, 15:09
RE: MVC build on AMD Ryzen - by robsch - 2019-10-08, 17:41
RE: MVC build on AMD Ryzen - by te36 - 2019-10-13, 22:33
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