2018-10-16, 04:28
Since my HTPC with Kodi is running now since a few weeks, I'll give a short (and I think it will be not as short as many readers expect) feedback.
My Hardware
I use a Gemini Lake board (ASRock J5005-ITX) with 8 GB RAM (2 x G.Skill RipJaws SO-DIMM 4GB, DDR4-2400), a 250GB SSD (Crucial MX500), a small case (Inter-Tech MW-02) with an external power supply and I also have an internal DVD drive (LiteOn DS-8ACSH). I also have WLAN (Intel Wireless-AC 9260) with internal antenna (Delock 89569) but the PC is connected by Ethernet to my router (via switch).
My HTPC hangs on an AVR (Denon AVR-X2400H).
As input devices I use a wireless keyboard with touchpad (Logitech K400 Plus) and an airmouse (XORO AMW 100).
Total price is EUR 425.
My Software
I'm running Linux Mint 19 Xfce (in dual boot with Windows 10). Kodi is actually the latest stable release (17.6) with default skin. PVR I do with Tvheadend/hts.
I also use Kore (Android App) sometimes.
Why this hardware?
I wanted to buy recent hardware, which has enough power but still is silent (fanless) and not consuming too much power. I take the Gemini Lake platform because it's the first 4K low-end 4K board without LSPCON. I took the most powerful J5005 CPU (Pentium Silver, 4 cores, 1.5 GHz, up to 2.8 GHz), also because of the most powerful GPU (UHD Graphics 605).
Many readers may think that 8 GB is not necessary and maybe they are right. Nevertheless I installed the maximal supported RAM size (officially), also if RAM is/was not very cheap. I wanted to be fit also for the future and also for applications, which use a little bit more memory. And I also did it, because the internal GPU is using shared memory. By now I'm not using all the memory and 4 GB would be just enough but so I have quite a lot of memory in reserve.
I planned to be fanless. This was intrinsically important to me. Since the board get very warm in stress test (Linux "stress", core-temp up to 100 °C and above), I decided to install fans. Reasons for getting warm might be a quite small case which is totally crammed. My case is not designed for fans but I installed them on the sidewalls (one blowing to the CPU/SoC, one suck out warm air from the case). I used the slowest BlackSilentFan, one in 40 mm, the other in 50 mm. The fans run in the lowest stage with BIOS control, with the maximal target temperature. In normal operation the fans are very, very silent and I don't hear them in close vicinity. Only with high load (e.g. stress test) the fans turn up and are audible. Since the case stands in an open sideboard, a few meters in distance, I'm sure I will never hear them. Since now I never heard anything, even if I'm very sensitive to noise. I hear the fan of my Blu-ray disc player, but nothing from my HTPC.
The reason for installing an optical drive was mainly for ripping my CD's (to FLAC). Maybe I will also use it for DVD sometime. Since I only have a DVD burner I can't use it for Blu-ray disc. There are not many slim-line Blu-ray drives available and they are very expensive (about 120 Euro and more) whereas a DVD burner is around 15 Euro. First I thought about an external USB drive, but then I decided for an internal drive (check, never need to connect/disconnect it).
I also build in Wi-Fi, even if I'm not using it to connect my PC to my local network. I thought, if I build a new system, I build a complete system. Now I can use the Wi-Fi adapter as Access Point (e.g. for guests).
Overall I'm quite happy with my hardware! Only with my input devices I'm not happy at all.
Initially I had problem to get my system running because my first RAM modules (Mushkin D4S 8GB 2400-17 Essential) did not run (not compatible with my board?). My Wireless adapter was not supported by the board at the beginning and needed a new BIOS version (which I get as Beta version, now it's finally released). The connection to the front USB was a little bit tricky because USB2 and USB3 connectors are shared, but it's running (1 x Card Reader, 1 x USB3, 1 x USB2) - even if my configuration is not officially supported/recommended.
Some points are a little pity: CEC is not supported by the board and the board supports 10 Bit decoding, but no HDR. Also an IR receiver might be very useful.
But again: It's quite a good, powerful hardware configuration and it's running fine.
I know, 425 Euro is not the cheapest solution and actually my hardware has more power than I need, but for me it is fine and I hope I can use it for a long time.
BTW: I planned to buy a Zotac ZBOX CI329 nano but it was not available all the time. So I decided to build my system myself.
4K was just important for me, but currently I don't use it, because of different reasons (AVR has limited 4k support, to less 4k content, limited internet connection).
Why this software?
I made the system a dual boot system with Windows and Linux. One reason for Windows is the usage of EAC (Exact Audio Copy), which is often recommended as best audio ripper. I just used it once and I'm not sure, if this will be my solution to rip my CD's. I don't have a license for Windows by now and I will use Linux as my primary system.
I think, there is no perfect Linux distribution. I've tried a lot of Linux distributions over years in the past. Most recently I used also Linux Mint (Cinnamon) on my main PC and so I started with Mint. Then I was not happy at all and I switch to Manjaro Xfce. I also had some issues there and so I switched back to Linux Mint, now with Xfce. For me Mint is a little bit more stable than Manjaro, even if it's not as recent.
BTW: I can't understand, why I have to install VAAPI manually, on all tested distributions. For me this is just a little bit stupid.
For me Linux Mint, the Ubuntu und Debian based distribution, is running fine now. I had problems with the Kodi-version of Ubuntu because the web interface was not running. With the official XBMC-release of Kodi everything is just fine. I run the default skin of Kodi, Estuary. It's okay but there are also some points I don't like at all (navigation, missing media flag on sources with media stubs). Maybe I'll change the skin in the future.
Xfce is principally total sufficient for me. Only the weak support for HiDPI bothers me a little bit. For the usage on a TV, distance around 3 meters, it's not always fine and I don't have everything in a perfect style. A normal HiDPI support, used for a desktop monitor, is also not the perfect solution for a TV in a distance.
The IPTV Simple Client doesn't fit my need at all and so I use Tvheadend/hts. Even if it's quite more complex, it's running fine for me.
My input devices
It was not easy to decide for the input devices.
First I thought, I will control it only by a wireless keyboard with touchpad. I take the Logitech K400 Plus. It is okay, I'm not happy at all. I don't take care of the design (gray/black, with some yellow). Per se it's working quite well. Speed and range is okay. The Unifying receiver is at the back panel of my case. The build quality of the keyboard is average. For me this is the lowest level of build quality which I will accept. It could be substantial better. Range was also an important point for me. Since on every wireless keyboard you can also read negative reviews regarding the range, the Logitech K400 seems to be one of the best solution for me. As I used it for a while as only input device, I saw the weak points. One pain weakness is the touchpad. Basically it's working well enough, I touch it sometimes inadvertently (with the small finger of the right hand). On a normal desktop environment this might not be a big problem, but in Kodi this can also have negative effects. To have no illumination is also too bad (in a dark living room). The cursor keys are not separated and up/down are smaller than left/right and I don't like this. I also don't like the function keys (F1 - F12) to be used with Fn-Key (otherwise they have media functions). As this might be okay only for media usage, it's quite annoying if you use the keyboard on normal desktop work. Would I buy it again? No, I don't think so. Even if I wouldn’t know what to buy, I guess I would try a different keyboard.
As you can see some important points above, a keyboard should have for me. There are some other important features I need. I must be a QERTZ keyboard with German umlauts, in a common layout. Not every keyboard is available in a QWERTZ version and some have a very strange layout. Build quality should be good, illumination is mandatory for me in a dark living room, cursor keys should be separated and in a common layout, escape key should be separated, F and J should have good haptic marks, two control keys (at the very ends), and maybe some points more, I can't remember by now.
Other models I checked and I decided against are the Rii K12 (strange German layout, especially the Ä-key), Microsoft All-in-One Media Keyboard (no Ctrl key right, no Home and End keys).
I think, the best keyboard for me might be Logitech K830, but it's too expensive for me.
One other feature, I'm a little bit wondering of, is that Logitech has not game pad with Unifying. Why they don't make such a device? I can't understand this. Since I don't like Logitech very much, I don't take care of it and I'll buy a keyboard from a different vendor in future.
Overall i can control my HTPC and my Kodi quite good with my K400 Plus, it's not very nice always to have a (big) keyboard in the living room.
Since I'm not a big fan of CEC and I didn't take care of it at the beginning, I miss it now! If it would work, it would be fine to control my Kodi with my remote control of the TV.
The only solution I found at Pulse-Eight. Here I don't like the external USB version, because I don't want to add anything into the HDMI-line, I think of using the internal NUC version. I know, I have to braze it to the board, but this should not be a problem. I asked the support but don't get any answer by now. Since you can also read of supporting problems (no answer) from Pulse-Eight in other threads, I will refrain from buying a Pulse-Eight CEC adapter.
There might also be another problem with the internal adapter because I don't have a free USB connector (pin head) to use. So I need to buy and internal hub, a PCI card with USB ports or kill an existing external port.
Now I've bought an airmouse, the XORO AMW 100. Well, it's just new and I can't give a final review. What I can tell is, that I'm also not happy at all with this device. With the connector at the back panel the connection is not possible or very glitchy. I have to use my USB port at the front (and so I lose my only type A port on the front) or buy an extension cable. As it is for the big keyboard, it's also here my which to have a QWERTZ layout. Here it is much more catchier to get a device with good QWERTZ layout. The Xoro has one, even if the layout is also not very good (no separate umlaut keys). Nevertheless I can live with this layout. The cursor keys are not as bad. Let's see how it will work in practice.
Beside the weak range, the airmouse is rechargeable (by Micro-USB) whereas I'd prefer normal AA(A) batteries. The manual (the single page) has at least one error (wrong key for right-click). It has also IR but there is no information about it and no way of programming it (learning, code
). If you look at the pictures, you found matt and glossy. My is glossy but I'd prefer matt but this is not so important. The keyboard is quite okay. If you flip it and use the mouse it's not working got. Sometimes I have the mouse cursor, sometimes not. I guess this is not a problem of the AMW 100 but a problem of Linux (or Kodi). If the mouse cursor is not displayed, it's quite good to use the cursor pad (e.g. switch channels or navigate thru the menu). If the moose cursor is displayed, the cursor pad is more or less unusable. So it's not a solution, I will become happy with. I have to see what I can do in the Kodi settings. To disable mouse and touch control might be no suitable way for me.
The Kore app: I use it sometimes. It's not as bad, but also not a perfect way. The feature I miss most is a direct input for digits, so that I can select a channel by number. I hope Kore will get this feature soon!
Conclusion
My HTPC is running fine and Kodi is just a good solution, maybe the best solution. Essentially I'm quite satisfied with it. I'm not happy with the control at all. I think, I don't have the perfect input device for my needs.
Since I use it for IPTV, I miss some EPG data, which I cannot find for free (XMLTV). My provider has a JSON API with EPG data, but Tvheadend has no grabber for it. I have EPG data for the most important channels and I have to content with these channels. Maybe I find a suitable solution for all (other) channels.
I'd like also to have better (official) add-ons for Kodi. E.g. the YouTube add-on is not as good as it could be. I will not use VPN and illegal content. It's to complicate for me.
My Hardware
I use a Gemini Lake board (ASRock J5005-ITX) with 8 GB RAM (2 x G.Skill RipJaws SO-DIMM 4GB, DDR4-2400), a 250GB SSD (Crucial MX500), a small case (Inter-Tech MW-02) with an external power supply and I also have an internal DVD drive (LiteOn DS-8ACSH). I also have WLAN (Intel Wireless-AC 9260) with internal antenna (Delock 89569) but the PC is connected by Ethernet to my router (via switch).
My HTPC hangs on an AVR (Denon AVR-X2400H).
As input devices I use a wireless keyboard with touchpad (Logitech K400 Plus) and an airmouse (XORO AMW 100).
Total price is EUR 425.
My Software
I'm running Linux Mint 19 Xfce (in dual boot with Windows 10). Kodi is actually the latest stable release (17.6) with default skin. PVR I do with Tvheadend/hts.
I also use Kore (Android App) sometimes.
Why this hardware?
I wanted to buy recent hardware, which has enough power but still is silent (fanless) and not consuming too much power. I take the Gemini Lake platform because it's the first 4K low-end 4K board without LSPCON. I took the most powerful J5005 CPU (Pentium Silver, 4 cores, 1.5 GHz, up to 2.8 GHz), also because of the most powerful GPU (UHD Graphics 605).
Many readers may think that 8 GB is not necessary and maybe they are right. Nevertheless I installed the maximal supported RAM size (officially), also if RAM is/was not very cheap. I wanted to be fit also for the future and also for applications, which use a little bit more memory. And I also did it, because the internal GPU is using shared memory. By now I'm not using all the memory and 4 GB would be just enough but so I have quite a lot of memory in reserve.
I planned to be fanless. This was intrinsically important to me. Since the board get very warm in stress test (Linux "stress", core-temp up to 100 °C and above), I decided to install fans. Reasons for getting warm might be a quite small case which is totally crammed. My case is not designed for fans but I installed them on the sidewalls (one blowing to the CPU/SoC, one suck out warm air from the case). I used the slowest BlackSilentFan, one in 40 mm, the other in 50 mm. The fans run in the lowest stage with BIOS control, with the maximal target temperature. In normal operation the fans are very, very silent and I don't hear them in close vicinity. Only with high load (e.g. stress test) the fans turn up and are audible. Since the case stands in an open sideboard, a few meters in distance, I'm sure I will never hear them. Since now I never heard anything, even if I'm very sensitive to noise. I hear the fan of my Blu-ray disc player, but nothing from my HTPC.
The reason for installing an optical drive was mainly for ripping my CD's (to FLAC). Maybe I will also use it for DVD sometime. Since I only have a DVD burner I can't use it for Blu-ray disc. There are not many slim-line Blu-ray drives available and they are very expensive (about 120 Euro and more) whereas a DVD burner is around 15 Euro. First I thought about an external USB drive, but then I decided for an internal drive (check, never need to connect/disconnect it).
I also build in Wi-Fi, even if I'm not using it to connect my PC to my local network. I thought, if I build a new system, I build a complete system. Now I can use the Wi-Fi adapter as Access Point (e.g. for guests).
Overall I'm quite happy with my hardware! Only with my input devices I'm not happy at all.
Initially I had problem to get my system running because my first RAM modules (Mushkin D4S 8GB 2400-17 Essential) did not run (not compatible with my board?). My Wireless adapter was not supported by the board at the beginning and needed a new BIOS version (which I get as Beta version, now it's finally released). The connection to the front USB was a little bit tricky because USB2 and USB3 connectors are shared, but it's running (1 x Card Reader, 1 x USB3, 1 x USB2) - even if my configuration is not officially supported/recommended.
Some points are a little pity: CEC is not supported by the board and the board supports 10 Bit decoding, but no HDR. Also an IR receiver might be very useful.
But again: It's quite a good, powerful hardware configuration and it's running fine.
I know, 425 Euro is not the cheapest solution and actually my hardware has more power than I need, but for me it is fine and I hope I can use it for a long time.
BTW: I planned to buy a Zotac ZBOX CI329 nano but it was not available all the time. So I decided to build my system myself.
4K was just important for me, but currently I don't use it, because of different reasons (AVR has limited 4k support, to less 4k content, limited internet connection).
Why this software?
I made the system a dual boot system with Windows and Linux. One reason for Windows is the usage of EAC (Exact Audio Copy), which is often recommended as best audio ripper. I just used it once and I'm not sure, if this will be my solution to rip my CD's. I don't have a license for Windows by now and I will use Linux as my primary system.
I think, there is no perfect Linux distribution. I've tried a lot of Linux distributions over years in the past. Most recently I used also Linux Mint (Cinnamon) on my main PC and so I started with Mint. Then I was not happy at all and I switch to Manjaro Xfce. I also had some issues there and so I switched back to Linux Mint, now with Xfce. For me Mint is a little bit more stable than Manjaro, even if it's not as recent.
BTW: I can't understand, why I have to install VAAPI manually, on all tested distributions. For me this is just a little bit stupid.
For me Linux Mint, the Ubuntu und Debian based distribution, is running fine now. I had problems with the Kodi-version of Ubuntu because the web interface was not running. With the official XBMC-release of Kodi everything is just fine. I run the default skin of Kodi, Estuary. It's okay but there are also some points I don't like at all (navigation, missing media flag on sources with media stubs). Maybe I'll change the skin in the future.
Xfce is principally total sufficient for me. Only the weak support for HiDPI bothers me a little bit. For the usage on a TV, distance around 3 meters, it's not always fine and I don't have everything in a perfect style. A normal HiDPI support, used for a desktop monitor, is also not the perfect solution for a TV in a distance.
The IPTV Simple Client doesn't fit my need at all and so I use Tvheadend/hts. Even if it's quite more complex, it's running fine for me.
My input devices
It was not easy to decide for the input devices.
First I thought, I will control it only by a wireless keyboard with touchpad. I take the Logitech K400 Plus. It is okay, I'm not happy at all. I don't take care of the design (gray/black, with some yellow). Per se it's working quite well. Speed and range is okay. The Unifying receiver is at the back panel of my case. The build quality of the keyboard is average. For me this is the lowest level of build quality which I will accept. It could be substantial better. Range was also an important point for me. Since on every wireless keyboard you can also read negative reviews regarding the range, the Logitech K400 seems to be one of the best solution for me. As I used it for a while as only input device, I saw the weak points. One pain weakness is the touchpad. Basically it's working well enough, I touch it sometimes inadvertently (with the small finger of the right hand). On a normal desktop environment this might not be a big problem, but in Kodi this can also have negative effects. To have no illumination is also too bad (in a dark living room). The cursor keys are not separated and up/down are smaller than left/right and I don't like this. I also don't like the function keys (F1 - F12) to be used with Fn-Key (otherwise they have media functions). As this might be okay only for media usage, it's quite annoying if you use the keyboard on normal desktop work. Would I buy it again? No, I don't think so. Even if I wouldn’t know what to buy, I guess I would try a different keyboard.
As you can see some important points above, a keyboard should have for me. There are some other important features I need. I must be a QERTZ keyboard with German umlauts, in a common layout. Not every keyboard is available in a QWERTZ version and some have a very strange layout. Build quality should be good, illumination is mandatory for me in a dark living room, cursor keys should be separated and in a common layout, escape key should be separated, F and J should have good haptic marks, two control keys (at the very ends), and maybe some points more, I can't remember by now.
Other models I checked and I decided against are the Rii K12 (strange German layout, especially the Ä-key), Microsoft All-in-One Media Keyboard (no Ctrl key right, no Home and End keys).
I think, the best keyboard for me might be Logitech K830, but it's too expensive for me.
One other feature, I'm a little bit wondering of, is that Logitech has not game pad with Unifying. Why they don't make such a device? I can't understand this. Since I don't like Logitech very much, I don't take care of it and I'll buy a keyboard from a different vendor in future.
Overall i can control my HTPC and my Kodi quite good with my K400 Plus, it's not very nice always to have a (big) keyboard in the living room.
Since I'm not a big fan of CEC and I didn't take care of it at the beginning, I miss it now! If it would work, it would be fine to control my Kodi with my remote control of the TV.
The only solution I found at Pulse-Eight. Here I don't like the external USB version, because I don't want to add anything into the HDMI-line, I think of using the internal NUC version. I know, I have to braze it to the board, but this should not be a problem. I asked the support but don't get any answer by now. Since you can also read of supporting problems (no answer) from Pulse-Eight in other threads, I will refrain from buying a Pulse-Eight CEC adapter.
There might also be another problem with the internal adapter because I don't have a free USB connector (pin head) to use. So I need to buy and internal hub, a PCI card with USB ports or kill an existing external port.
Now I've bought an airmouse, the XORO AMW 100. Well, it's just new and I can't give a final review. What I can tell is, that I'm also not happy at all with this device. With the connector at the back panel the connection is not possible or very glitchy. I have to use my USB port at the front (and so I lose my only type A port on the front) or buy an extension cable. As it is for the big keyboard, it's also here my which to have a QWERTZ layout. Here it is much more catchier to get a device with good QWERTZ layout. The Xoro has one, even if the layout is also not very good (no separate umlaut keys). Nevertheless I can live with this layout. The cursor keys are not as bad. Let's see how it will work in practice.
Beside the weak range, the airmouse is rechargeable (by Micro-USB) whereas I'd prefer normal AA(A) batteries. The manual (the single page) has at least one error (wrong key for right-click). It has also IR but there is no information about it and no way of programming it (learning, code
). If you look at the pictures, you found matt and glossy. My is glossy but I'd prefer matt but this is not so important. The keyboard is quite okay. If you flip it and use the mouse it's not working got. Sometimes I have the mouse cursor, sometimes not. I guess this is not a problem of the AMW 100 but a problem of Linux (or Kodi). If the mouse cursor is not displayed, it's quite good to use the cursor pad (e.g. switch channels or navigate thru the menu). If the moose cursor is displayed, the cursor pad is more or less unusable. So it's not a solution, I will become happy with. I have to see what I can do in the Kodi settings. To disable mouse and touch control might be no suitable way for me.The Kore app: I use it sometimes. It's not as bad, but also not a perfect way. The feature I miss most is a direct input for digits, so that I can select a channel by number. I hope Kore will get this feature soon!
Conclusion
My HTPC is running fine and Kodi is just a good solution, maybe the best solution. Essentially I'm quite satisfied with it. I'm not happy with the control at all. I think, I don't have the perfect input device for my needs.
Since I use it for IPTV, I miss some EPG data, which I cannot find for free (XMLTV). My provider has a JSON API with EPG data, but Tvheadend has no grabber for it. I have EPG data for the most important channels and I have to content with these channels. Maybe I find a suitable solution for all (other) channels.
I'd like also to have better (official) add-ons for Kodi. E.g. the YouTube add-on is not as good as it could be. I will not use VPN and illegal content. It's to complicate for me.
