[Banzi]

So I'm getting rid of my current HTPC. It doesn't do 4K and no multichannel audio > 5.1 passthrough. It doesn't have PCI-E 3.0, so I'm unable to put in one of the latest NVIDIA cards as well.

Current setup:
Asrock 890GX Extreme4
AMD Phenom II X6 1055T processor
4GB memory
using the integraded AMD Radeon HD 4290

My projector would do HDMI 2.0 with HDCP 2.2 (and HDR)
The receiver would do 4K 60Hz passthrough (may not be HDCP 2.2, but I can buy something to bypass this issue)

Last year I was looking at the NUC 6th generation. It didn't do 4K 60Hz yet, so I decided to wait for the 7th generation.
The idea was to have the NUC7i5. But reading these forums scare me a little bit, because I would need a seperate USB - HDMI converter to make use of 4K and Atmos

What has been ruled out:
- Android devices, as I would like upscaling to be done by the projector. I don't want to set 1080P and 4K all the time.
- RPi, as it only does 1080P

What is an option:
- Vero4K (but it uses a non-standard fork of Kodi. Therefore not preffered as I might want to use custom plugins etc)
- NUC7i5 (should be able to handle everything I need, but does it actually?)

Within reason, I don't care about the costs. My current HTPC is dated from 2010...

What it should do:
- 4K (at all frame-rates)
- Dolby Atmos (and other multichannel formats) over HDMI. I've got a 9.1 Atmos setup now.

What is nice to have:
- HDR
- 3D (haven't watched a single movie in 3D at home yet, so I wouldn't mind leaving this out)
- Normal PC hardware to make a dual-boot between Kodi (LE or Windows) and a stand-alone OS to be able to surf the internet or something.
- 4K Netflix (would need windows, right?)

Can someone just tell me:
Get the NUC7i5, buy at least X-amount of ram. Install Windows. Get the USB-C - HDMI converter and your good to go...

[Klojum]

I'd wait for Intel's Coffee Lake cpus, with proper HDMI 2.0 support and is supposedly coming in August/September.
A Nvidia Shield TV can do a lot of the above. Not sure about 9.1 Atmos though.

[wrxtasy]

- Vero4K (but it uses a non-standard fork of Kodi. Therefore not preffered as I might want to use custom plugins etc)

You are confusing the OS - being OSMC with Kodi itself. In reality OSMC includes a pretty standard version of AML ARM Kodi Krypton - in fact its basically the same as AMLogic S905 LibreELEC Kodi Krypton - with a different Kodi Skin used.
Any ARM Kodi Addons that work on other LibreELEC Platforms will also work with OSMC - Kodi Krypton.

4K Netflix needs a HDMI platform that has both HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2 - and if the Intel Apollo / Kaby Lake platforms are having issues with that HDMI 2.0 adapter I would be pretty worried.

I would definitely take @Klojum's advice above if wanting a (hopefully) stable HDMI 2.0 Intel platform.

[sarbes]

It doesn't have PCI-E 3.0, so I'm unable to put in one of the latest NVIDIA cards as well.

It doesn't have to. PCI-E is for- and backwards compatible.

[Banzi]

It doesn't have PCI-E 3.0, so I'm unable to put in one of the latest NVIDIA cards as well.

It doesn't have to. PCI-E is for- and backwards compatible.

Would I be better of using my current setup and add a new graphics card like:
https://www.msi.com/Graphics-card/GeForc...cification

It shows HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2. Should do 4K, but how would I know if it does Atmos and HDR?

[noggin]

It doesn't have PCI-E 3.0, so I'm unable to put in one of the latest NVIDIA cards as well.

It doesn't have to. PCI-E is for- and backwards compatible.

Would I be better of using my current setup and add a new graphics card like:
https://www.msi.com/Graphics-card/GeForc...cification

It shows HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2. Should do 4K, but how would I know if it does Atmos and HDR?

Usual rule of thumb is that if it bitstreams True HD/DD+ it will bitstream True HD+Atmos and DD+ +Atmos. HDR10 needs HDMI 2.0a (though HDMI 2.0 to 2.0a upgrade can be done by drivers ISTR, unless the HDMI 2.0 output is - itself - an upgraded HDMI 1.4b variant), HLG needs HDMI 2.0b.

[sarbes]

I would keep the old PC if power consumption/heat/noise is of no concern. It would make a nice rig for libretro emulators.

[ars92]

A gt1030 would be perfect for you. It'll work fine on your mobo and give you all you need, provided your projector supports 4K HDR etc.


Sent from my iPhone

[RockerC]

- 4K Netflix (would need windows, right?)

See => https://devices.netflix.com/en/ and https://help.netflix.com/en/node/13444 for Netflix hardware compatibility lists.

Currently 4K Netflix needs a Netflix certified solution, so for Kodi capable devices that includes the latest Amazon Fire TV and Nvidia Shield TV with Android TV, and also a PC with Windows 10 if you either have a Intel Kaby Lake processor or Nvidia GeForce GTX 10-series graphics card.

If I was you then I would upgrade my existing HTPC with a GeForce GT 1030 card that have passive cooling heatsink for a silent setup.

https://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop...ifications

Note! All newer PCI-Express / PCI-E 3.0 graphics cards are backwards compatible with PCI-E 2.0, and some if not most newer cards are even backwards compatible PCI-E 1.0 so you can use them on an older motherboard slots if it has a free right-size PCI-Express x16 slot with enough lanes (uses x4).

Do a good search for "GeForce GT 1030 silent" and among other you find these without fans (passive heatsink only) and "LP" for (Low-Profile model) which are normally intended for HTPC:

• MSI GeForce GT 1030 2GH LP OC Passive LP with 2GB VRAM has one HDMI 2.0b port and one DisplayPort 1.4 port
  
• MSI GeForce GT 1030 2GH LP OCV1 Passive OCV1 with 2GB VRAM has one HDMI 2.0b port and one DVI port
  
• Asus GeForce GT 1030 Silent LP with 2GB VRAM has one HDMI 2.0b port and one DVI-D port
  
• Inno3D GeForce GT 1030 Passive LP with 2GB VRAM has one HDMI 2.0b port and one DVI-D port
  
• Gigabyte GeForce GT 1030 Silent LP with 2GB VRAM has one HDMI 2.0b port and one DVI-D port

All of those GeForce GT 1030 cards which have passive cooling are practically all made for HTPC usage.

[Klojum]

FYI,

Most of those LP cards have a HDMI 2.0 and a DVI-port on them.

The MSI card has a HDMI 2.0 and a DisplayPort. I picked that one, as it is more usefull to me.

[wrxtasy]

Question is does this work properly ?

Netflix is available in Ultra HD on Windows computers. To stream in Ultra HD, you will need:

The Microsoft Edge browser or the Windows 10 app
A 4K capable display (with HDCP 2.2 connection if external display), Intel's 7th generation Core CPU, and the latest Windows updates

[nsnhd]

What's about Nvidia requirements of 3GB VRAM cards for 4K Netflix, is that not valid anymore ?
http://nvidia.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/4457

[Banzi]

Thank you guys!
I've ordered a GT 1030 (the MSI version with HDMI and DisplayPort).

I had contacted Netflix as well. At first they said it wouldn't work, but later on they mentioned the CPU shouldn't be the bottleneck. If the card could do 4K and HDCP2.2, it should work.
Netflix was on the wishlist, so not 100% necessary.
I'll try it in a later stage...

[nsnhd]

Thank you guys!
I've ordered a GT 1030 (the MSI version with HDMI and DisplayPort).

I had contacted Netflix as well. At first they said it wouldn't work, but later on they mentioned the CPU shouldn't be the bottleneck. If the card could do 4K and HDCP2.2, it should work.
Netflix was on the wishlist, so not 100% necessary.
I'll try it in a later stage...

Good luck, waiting for your testing results, especially with 4K@60fps HDR clips

[prekopix]

Hi, with a gt1030 is enough to hdmi 2.0 hdcp2.2, 4k hdr and netflix 4k? On windows or libreelec?