Pick the Right Kodi Box (UPDATED FEB 2015)
(2015-12-18, 13:14)JustAnotherUser Wrote: So, whats your goto media box (non HTPC), Kodi or non-Kodi, when you want to watch a film with playback that just works?
NOTE: 24p = 23.976 PLUS 24fps nicely synced video output.
So consequently Rockchip / FireTV's / Sticks / Google Nexus / Macs running OSX / ATV4 are all not listed here, even tho the ATV4 is showing great potential with a fork in the Kodi media player Software for it called MrMC This is a first for a Kodi derived App to make it into the Apple TV App Store.
- Cue the MC Hammertime music Mr DJ !

Kodi important, core features should include: dynamic refresh rate switching, 5.1 Audio Passthrough, 3D SBS/HSBS playback (Half resolution), H264/AVC/mpeg2 Hardware video decoding, 23.976fps video output and finally quality video deinterlacing for Live TV and to support PVR users.

Bonus features on some platforms, some of which are fast becoming mainstream:
Full 1080p 3D, H265( HEVC) hardware decoding, 4K video decoding, HDMI 2.0, VP9 decoding for 4K YouTube, HD Audio passthrough and HDMI CEC remote control.

24p / 2D video playback only....no HD Audio passthrough considered...
The two carryover 2015 Kodi reigning champs still have a lot to offer...

(hint for Newbies - click the blue Device Name hyperlinks)

- Most flexible, best supported Kodi media player device = RPi2, running OpenELEC or OSMC. It may be a bit slow for some, lacking 4K and hardware HEVC decoding, but good full 1080p resolution 3D is a bonus. Nice quality deinterlacing when Overclocked running Kodi Jarvis. Excellent bang for your buck ($$)

24p / 4K devices from here onwards....
- Chromebox architectures running OpenELEC = much faster than RPi2, due to its powerful GPU/VPU. Very mature Intel Haswell platform, Very good deinterlacing.
Great bang for the buck, and Very popular. Excellent support from Kodi's own - Mr Chromebox aka Matt Devo. Smile

24p / H265 (HEVC) Hardware decoders start from here...

- Intel Microarchitecture, Skylake, Braswell & Cherry trails. Great support as well shown from the Kodi devs. You get what you pay for here, which is massive flexibility and a lot of grunt in the higher priced NUC's. Top Spec, Top of the Tree deinterlacing. Software decoding of any problematic video codecs on i3/ i5 / i7 NUC's, means virtually all video playback problems are covered here.

- Then we get to the very cost effective AMLogic devices like the S812-H SoC's. MINIX NEO X-8H+ and the WeTek Core to name two. Faster than the RPi2, with the Core nearing Chromebox speeds, especially when running OpenELEC. Both do 24p H264/AVC playback well. Deinterlacing, really is excellent.
Both will have problems with Kodi playing old DVD ISO Rips containing mpeg2 .vob files. This is a well known Kodi AMlogic issue on all platforms. Apps such as MX Player will have no .vob playback problems.

Android Lollipop as you would see on the WeTek Core means a faster Android OS due to modern ART Android runtime optimisations, compared to Android KitKat you get on an older MINIX X-8H+. I would no longer recommend any expensive Android device running KitKat because of this in 2016

AMLogic devices to keep an eye on would be the very recently released AMLogic S905 series like the new Lollipop equipped MINIX U1. Other S905's will be coming in 2016, from well known reputable manufacturers. Devices that are not rushed to market, like dirt cheap stuff from Asia with lots of Firmware bugs and NO support.
Quote:You need all the after sales support you can get with new Android Hardware. I cannot stress this enough.
Naturally the best Android device support comes from the 3 Kodi Diamond Sponsors - MINIX, nVIDIA and WeTek. Smile

24p / 10-bit / HDMI 2.0 from here onwards...a peek into the future...without a Delorean !
You will need a compatible 4K HDMI 2.0 10-bit TV to take full advantage of these devices.
Also to note here is Kodi cannot do true 10-bit video output for increased color depth, video output is 8-bit only.

The new AMLogic S905 has a fresh out of the wrapper, Android Lollipop SDK, new Linux Kernel and comes with upgraded 10-bit / HDMI 2.0 tech specs compared to the S812-H's.
Speed is pretty similar to a Lollipop equipped S812-H, but with a reduced number of cores in the GPU/VPU. As all this is very new, users need to be aware the Firmware is immature with bugs currently being ironed out.
Even 10-bit video output is an unknown quantity at this stage.
As an example MINIX with their U1, provide proper support with this device to the usual high standard which is definitely needed on brand new gear like a S905.

Family friendly with Apps that are specifically built for remote control usability on a big screen TV....
Is this the Android Kodi Champ ?


- The nVIDIA Shield is a slick, fluid 10-bit HDMI 2.0 - Android Kodi media player & games machine. Small bugs are still being ironed out here as well for better Kodi compatibility, HD Audio passthrough not activated yet in Kodi. 25/50fps mpeg2 TV is still causing problems. Hardware Deinterlacing quality not the absolute top shelf, but still pretty good.

However, Kodi users have fallen in love with the superbly remote control friendly - Android TV OS
This OS has been designed with the primary consideration, being ease of use from the couch with a remote control in hand. Flexibility and App variety is quite limited compared to the regular Android Lollipop OS and may be a Big problem for some. Android Marshmellow upgrade to come soon and massive potential when a mature solid platform emerges in 2016.

** @ Matt Devo please check your PM.



Messages In This Thread
[No subject] - by ion_man - 2011-02-15, 13:48
[No subject] - by bmcclure937 - 2011-02-15, 17:34
[No subject] - by eskro - 2011-02-15, 17:42
[No subject] - by Beer40oz - 2011-02-15, 17:49
[No subject] - by poofyhairguy - 2011-02-15, 23:21
[No subject] - by eskro - 2011-02-15, 23:25
[No subject] - by poofyhairguy - 2011-02-16, 00:21
[No subject] - by eskro - 2011-02-16, 00:36
[No subject] - by poofyhairguy - 2011-02-16, 01:29
[No subject] - by Superorb - 2011-02-16, 01:48
[No subject] - by Knighthammer - 2011-02-16, 02:11
[No subject] - by poofyhairguy - 2011-02-16, 02:43
[No subject] - by spartan711 - 2011-02-16, 02:57
[No subject] - by xecutionx - 2011-02-16, 03:53
[No subject] - by XxTRAINEExX - 2011-02-16, 04:19
[No subject] - by poofyhairguy - 2011-02-16, 05:44
[No subject] - by poofyhairguy - 2011-02-16, 05:45
[No subject] - by poofyhairguy - 2011-02-16, 05:47
[No subject] - by eskro - 2011-02-16, 06:07
[No subject] - by poofyhairguy - 2011-02-16, 10:03
[No subject] - by spartan711 - 2011-02-16, 10:29
[No subject] - by poofyhairguy - 2011-02-16, 10:35
[No subject] - by topfs2 - 2011-02-16, 10:48
[No subject] - by Nasa - 2011-02-16, 16:07
[No subject] - by eskro - 2011-02-16, 16:17
[No subject] - by xecutionx - 2011-02-16, 22:02
[No subject] - by gabbott - 2011-02-16, 22:23
[No subject] - by wsume99 - 2011-02-16, 22:25
[No subject] - by Superorb - 2011-02-16, 22:50
[No subject] - by xecutionx - 2011-02-16, 23:01
[No subject] - by bmcclure937 - 2011-02-16, 23:09
[No subject] - by poofyhairguy - 2011-02-17, 00:30
[No subject] - by poofyhairguy - 2011-02-17, 00:31
[No subject] - by poofyhairguy - 2011-02-17, 00:33
[No subject] - by Geeba - 2011-02-17, 00:45
[No subject] - by EarnheadJ - 2011-02-17, 03:36
[No subject] - by Superorb - 2011-02-17, 04:52
[No subject] - by poofyhairguy - 2011-02-17, 05:41
[No subject] - by poofyhairguy - 2011-02-17, 05:46
[No subject] - by poofyhairguy - 2011-02-17, 05:48
[No subject] - by Superorb - 2011-02-17, 16:38
[No subject] - by XxTRAINEExX - 2011-02-18, 06:38
[No subject] - by eskro - 2011-02-18, 07:19
[No subject] - by poofyhairguy - 2011-02-18, 07:50
[No subject] - by IAmNotAUser - 2011-02-18, 18:01
[No subject] - by Superorb - 2011-02-18, 18:51
[No subject] - by bmcclure937 - 2011-02-18, 19:12
[No subject] - by Superorb - 2011-02-18, 19:15
[No subject] - by htpc guy - 2011-02-18, 19:48
[No subject] - by Superorb - 2011-02-18, 19:57
[No subject] - by wsume99 - 2011-02-18, 20:56
[No subject] - by poofyhairguy - 2011-02-18, 22:14
[No subject] - by Superorb - 2011-02-18, 22:19
[No subject] - by poofyhairguy - 2011-02-18, 22:55
[No subject] - by Superorb - 2011-02-18, 23:21
[No subject] - by IAmNotAUser - 2011-02-18, 23:42
[No subject] - by eskro - 2011-02-18, 23:45
[No subject] - by spartan711 - 2011-02-19, 00:27
[No subject] - by eskro - 2011-02-19, 00:39
[No subject] - by Dumb ? - 2011-02-19, 04:45
[No subject] - by maddog808 - 2011-02-19, 05:34
[No subject] - by maxinc - 2011-02-19, 09:06
[No subject] - by IAmNotAUser - 2011-02-23, 13:40
[No subject] - by Superorb - 2011-02-23, 16:58
[No subject] - by IAmNotAUser - 2011-02-23, 17:07
[No subject] - by Superorb - 2011-02-23, 17:13
[No subject] - by IAmNotAUser - 2011-02-23, 17:31
[No subject] - by Superorb - 2011-02-23, 17:33
[No subject] - by IAmNotAUser - 2011-02-23, 17:36
[No subject] - by Superorb - 2011-02-23, 17:48
[No subject] - by wsume99 - 2011-02-23, 17:56
[No subject] - by Chris! - 2011-02-25, 20:26
[No subject] - by eskro - 2011-02-25, 20:45
[No subject] - by Superorb - 2011-02-26, 00:06
[No subject] - by eskro - 2011-02-26, 00:07
[No subject] - by Superorb - 2011-02-26, 00:09
[No subject] - by Juno - 2011-03-03, 19:21
[No subject] - by poofyhairguy - 2011-03-04, 01:19
[No subject] - by seanch87 - 2011-03-11, 16:26
[No subject] - by poofyhairguy - 2011-03-11, 21:02
[No subject] - by Juno - 2011-03-14, 11:24
[No subject] - by T800 - 2011-03-14, 11:29
[No subject] - by bmcclure937 - 2011-03-14, 13:35
[No subject] - by T800 - 2011-03-14, 16:19
[No subject] - by gnif - 2011-04-10, 18:17
[No subject] - by poofyhairguy - 2011-04-12, 09:29
[No subject] - by Choque - 2011-04-12, 09:43
[No subject] - by poofyhairguy - 2011-04-12, 09:46
[No subject] - by xecutionx - 2011-04-12, 09:54
[No subject] - by Choque - 2011-04-12, 09:55
[No subject] - by ion_man - 2011-04-14, 13:34
2nd build - by flymods - 2011-04-19, 23:04
[No subject] - by Choque - 2011-04-20, 05:43
[No subject] - by flymods - 2011-04-20, 16:21
[No subject] - by Superorb - 2011-04-20, 16:26
[No subject] - by flymods - 2011-04-20, 16:52
[No subject] - by Superorb - 2011-04-20, 16:55
[No subject] - by nemek - 2011-04-20, 16:55
[No subject] - by flymods - 2011-04-20, 17:19
[No subject] - by rbrohman - 2011-04-24, 19:00
[No subject] - by Superorb - 2011-04-24, 19:03
[No subject] - by flymods - 2011-04-24, 21:34
[No subject] - by Superorb - 2011-04-24, 22:00
[No subject] - by flymods - 2011-04-25, 00:02
unraid - by flymods - 2011-05-08, 23:08
[No subject] - by maxinc - 2011-05-09, 07:10
Unraid Plus License - by maddog808 - 2011-05-09, 07:21
[No subject] - by IAmNotAUser - 2011-05-09, 12:45
[No subject] - by flymods - 2011-05-09, 15:19
[No subject] - by IAmNotAUser - 2011-05-09, 15:38
[No subject] - by olympia - 2011-05-09, 15:56
[No subject] - by flymods - 2011-05-09, 16:14
[No subject] - by flymods - 2011-05-09, 16:15
[No subject] - by IAmNotAUser - 2011-05-09, 16:27
[No subject] - by flymods - 2011-05-09, 16:54
[No subject] - by Superorb - 2011-05-09, 17:01
[No subject] - by IAmNotAUser - 2011-05-09, 17:09
[No subject] - by flymods - 2011-05-10, 02:27
[No subject] - by Superorb - 2011-05-10, 05:07
[No subject] - by flymods - 2011-05-10, 05:37
[No subject] - by Superorb - 2011-05-10, 06:14
NAS recommendations - by dopethrone - 2011-05-14, 04:04
[No subject] - by eskro - 2011-05-14, 04:12
[No subject] - by Superorb - 2011-05-14, 04:43
[No subject] - by dopethrone - 2011-05-14, 06:45
[No subject] - by jwlb - 2011-05-14, 11:56
[No subject] - by Superorb - 2011-05-14, 16:11
[No subject] - by dopethrone - 2011-05-15, 00:26
[No subject] - by Superorb - 2011-05-15, 00:38
[No subject] - by eskro - 2011-05-15, 01:10
[No subject] - by dopethrone - 2011-05-15, 01:15
[No subject] - by eskro - 2011-05-15, 01:17
[No subject] - by bodhi - 2011-05-19, 11:43
[No subject] - by eskro - 2011-05-19, 18:40
[No subject] - by mtense - 2011-05-23, 18:44
Latest Dell Zino HD PC's - by puulima - 2011-06-12, 05:05
[No subject] - by nemek - 2011-06-12, 09:05
64 vs 32 bit version of Windows? - by puulima - 2011-06-12, 16:43
[No subject] - by nemek - 2011-06-13, 09:44
[No subject] - by Gunserotti - 2011-06-23, 15:31
[No subject] - by eskro - 2011-06-23, 15:46
[No subject] - by poofyhairguy - 2011-06-24, 12:42
[No subject] - by Gunserotti - 2011-06-29, 08:03
[No subject] - by Superorb - 2011-06-29, 08:10
[No subject] - by poofyhairguy - 2011-06-29, 08:46
[No subject] - by QLink - 2011-06-29, 09:37
[No subject] - by QLink - 2011-06-29, 09:40
[No subject] - by Superorb - 2011-06-29, 15:27
[No subject] - by poofyhairguy - 2011-06-29, 22:37
[No subject] - by Superorb - 2011-06-29, 22:40
[No subject] - by Gurney - 2011-06-30, 09:48
[No subject] - by phatgeek - 2011-07-05, 11:37
[No subject] - by Superorb - 2011-07-05, 15:47
[No subject] - by reta - 2011-07-09, 14:51
[No subject] - by eskro - 2011-07-09, 17:02
[No subject] - by reta - 2011-07-09, 17:20
[No subject] - by eskro - 2011-07-09, 17:23
[No subject] - by zwat - 2011-07-19, 01:13
[No subject] - by eskro - 2011-07-19, 02:45
Poofy, please advise: - by nchall - 2011-07-20, 19:20
[No subject] - by Superorb - 2011-07-20, 19:45
[No subject] - by eskro - 2011-07-20, 19:49
[No subject] - by nchall - 2011-07-20, 20:42
[No subject] - by ARCHA1C - 2011-08-05, 17:29
[No subject] - by ARCHA1C - 2011-08-05, 17:34
[No subject] - by LB06 - 2011-08-12, 17:36
[No subject] - by Superorb - 2011-08-12, 18:20
[No subject] - by LB06 - 2011-08-13, 00:04
[No subject] - by loady - 2011-09-09, 23:18
Please advise - by Peter42 - 2011-09-12, 20:39
[No subject] - by seand - 2011-09-12, 21:11
[No subject] - by Superorb - 2011-09-12, 21:20
[No subject] - by seand - 2011-09-12, 21:24
But is it enough for real 3D? - by Peter42 - 2011-09-12, 21:48
But can it do full 1080p 3D? - by Peter42 - 2011-09-12, 22:06
[No subject] - by seand - 2011-09-12, 23:00
Dedicated backup option W/unRAID - by CpTHOOK - 2011-10-10, 04:32
[No subject] - by Superorb - 2011-10-10, 17:31
[No subject] - by CpTHOOK - 2011-10-10, 17:41
[No subject] - by robla64 - 2011-10-23, 03:30
[No subject] - by bluray - 2011-10-23, 04:16
[No subject] - by robla64 - 2011-10-23, 19:00
[No subject] - by bluray - 2011-10-23, 19:55
[No subject] - by eskro - 2011-10-23, 23:34
[No subject] - by shateredsoul - 2011-10-26, 21:48
[No subject] - by Superorb - 2011-10-26, 22:03
[No subject] - by shateredsoul - 2011-10-26, 23:22
[No subject] - by jackh - 2011-10-26, 23:34
[No subject] - by shateredsoul - 2011-10-27, 17:17
[No subject] - by johnny87au - 2011-12-28, 11:04
FireTVs - by jac55 - 2015-01-30, 19:48
; - by jac55 - 2015-01-30, 21:18
RE: Advice on Kodi Boxes - by poofyhairguy - 2015-01-31, 07:19
Raspberry Pi - by KoopaTroopa - 2015-02-03, 04:50
RE - by poofyhairguy - 2015-02-03, 18:51
RE: RE - by bym007 - 2015-02-03, 19:41
Pick the Right Kodi Box - by Carousel - 2015-10-22, 11:35
RE: Pick the Right Kodi Box (UPDATED FEB 2015) - by wrxtasy - 2015-12-19, 05:48
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