2015-02-03, 19:41
(2015-02-03, 18:51)poofyhairguy Wrote:I am also considering the Asus Chromebox currently and ready to checkout soon. However, do you think its not powerful enough to stream from online sources?(2015-02-03, 17:33)313Flex Wrote: So I live overseas however I have a friend in the US at the moment.
What would you guys recommend for XBMC/Kodi, I'm torn between the Amazon Fire TV, Amlogic S802/S805 (Minix X8/X8-H/X8-H Plus), Raspberry Pi 2, Xiaomi MiBox 3(?).
I have no intention on playing local content, the purpose of the box will be streaming.
It's a bit time sensitive me making the choice therefore I would really appreciate any advice you might have. Thanks!
What do you mean by streaming?
Here in the states that means Amazon/Netflix/Hulu/etc. But I know those often don't work internationally without a VPN. If those are your goal and you have some router VPN fanciness, get a FireTV.
If you are wanting to do plugin-style streaming (aka "pirate" sources) then you want a box with a fully supported setup and all the proper libraries, and optimally a good CPU. That is either a Pi 2 or something beyond a Pi 2 (like something with an Intel chip). Honestly I have had decent luck with my S805 board too, not NEAR Intel but as good as I can expect for like a fourth the power of a Chromebox.
If by streaming you mean you don't want to play off the HD but play off the network I would find the best S805 with a real antenna or ethernet that runs Openelec. None you listed will, so look for something like this:
http://www.enybox.com/En/product/html/?192.html
Or the Pi 2 would also work for that.
Seriously though, if you can afford it just get your friend to buy a Chromebox. It blows all of these away for anything but Netflix.