HD300 replacement. "kind of"

[gabrielcab]

Now that we know that the Ceton Echo probably wont be a full HD300 replacement "as of yet". Is there any other box out there that could complement the Ceton Echo for playing MKV, lossless, BR/DVD rips and every other video format existent with at least a covert artwork list.

[Fuzzy]

any modern win7/8 pc... seriously, with the cost they continue to charge for the single purpose BluRay capable streamers, I don't see this as a bad alternative.

[reggie14]

At this point I'm keeping an eye out for the PCH-A400. On paper it has good support for different formats, and the mobile navigator app for selecting what to play is pretty nifty. My major complaints are Syabas doesn't have the best track record for fixing problems, and the $250 price tag is pretty high. If they can get blu-ray folder structures and PGS subs working then I'll probably get two.

Otherwise, I'm thinking about putting together an OpenELEC box with a mini computer like this. It would be more flexible, but potentially more of a headache to setup and maintain. I'd probably prefer the less flexible A400 if it does everything I need.

[gabrielcab]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

any modern win7/8 pc... seriously, with the cost they continue to charge for the single purpose BluRay capable streamers, I don't see this as a bad alternative.

Yes, but i'm looking for a small box that consume very low power and just works without having to look for a keyboard/mouse to setup codecs and endless maintenance.

Originally Posted by reggie14

At this point I'm keeping an eye out for the PCH-A400. On paper it has good support for different formats, and the mobile navigator app for selecting what to play is pretty nifty. My major complaints are Syabas doesn't have the best track record for fixing problems, and the $250 price tag is pretty high. If they can get blu-ray folder structures and PGS subs working then I'll probably get two.

Otherwise, I'm thinking about putting together an OpenELEC box with a mini computer like this. It would be more flexible, but potentially more of a headache to setup and maintain. I'd probably prefer the less flexible A400 if it does everything I need.

That PCH-A400 looks very promising. How about this one Micca EP600 G2

[Fuzzy]

Originally Posted by gabrielcab

Yes, but i'm looking for a small box that consume very low power and just works without having to look for a keyboard/mouse to setup codecs and endless maintenance.

I believe someone posted up a preconfigured image for AMD based systems (e450 I think in particular, but would likely work for just about any modern AMD system).

[BobPhoenix]

Originally Posted by gabrielcab

Yes, but i'm looking for a small box that consume very low power and just works without having to look for a keyboard/mouse to setup codecs and endless maintenance.

I setup my i3 client once haven't touched it since. Did have to use a keyboard and mouse but once it was setup I haven't had to change it.

[reggie14]

My problem with going down the route of an OpenELEC box is that it is really, really hard to tell what works and what doesn't work with certain computer models. It can be hard to find reports/reviews from people using the same machine, and even then it seems like a good percentage of people on the forums there are running dev builds.

[mistergq]

IS XBMC playing friendly with Sagetv? I will say that it can be installed on an Apple TV is intriguing though.

I am reluctant to go that route at this point since it can't control guide, favorites, recordings, etc. That is something that is important to my family, as well as myself.

I am very close to start building small computer to test a client setup again. I have not used a client in years (might be 2008 when I got the first HD 100). But there is something about the client looking and feeling just like sagetv.

[reggie14]

Originally Posted by gabrielcab

How about this one Micca EP600 G2

That looks interesting. It has a decent price. I can't find a lot of reviews on it, though. My biggest issue with it is that the interface is pretty ugly. The A400 seems to have a much nicer interface.

[silkshadow]

I have a Micca Slim-HD I use for traveling. I absolutely love the thing, but I have to say the interface and remote sucks and the company is terrible for support.

[KJake]

interesting small pc: http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/10/i...xposed-priced/

[Fuzzy]

Originally Posted by KJake

interesting small pc: http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/10/i...xposed-priced/

Yeah, that's what I've been looking for for future PC client builds, still just a little pricey just to get the tiny form factor though. A comparable mini-itx build would be about half that cost, and only be a little bit bigger.

[drewg]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

Yeah, that's what I've been looking for for future PC client builds, still just a little pricey just to get the tiny form factor though. A comparable mini-itx build would be about half that cost, and only be a little bit bigger.

Slightly more detail at Anandtech: http://www.anandtech.com/show/6444/i...uting-hands-on

What is the verdict on the HD4000 for HTPC use? Did Intel ever fix their 24Hz problems (eg, 24fps rather than 23.976fps) ?

Another advantage is that with mini-itx, you can add a discrete graphics card in case the on-board graphics does not pan out (though with tbolt, you could theoretically add a card in an external tbolt enclosure, though it would run at PCIe Gen2 x2 speeds)...

Drew

[Fuzzy]

Originally Posted by drewg

Slightly more detail at Anandtech: http://www.anandtech.com/show/6444/i...uting-hands-on

What is the verdict on the HD4000 for HTPC use? Did Intel ever fix their 24Hz problems (eg, 24fps rather than 23.976fps) ?

Another advantage is that with mini-itx, you can add a discrete graphics card in case the on-board graphics does not pan out (though with tbolt, you could theoretically add a card in an external tbolt enclosure, though it would run at PCIe Gen2 x2 speeds)...

Drew

don't know about the 24 vs. 23.976 issue, but I currently am using an i3-530 for my main living room client, and have no problems - though I would actually prefer it run at 24Hz to 23.976, as that's what the movies are designed to be anyway. With ReClock, it is able to adjust properly to whatever refresh the video card is running at anyway.

[panteragstk]

Originally Posted by drewg

Slightly more detail at Anandtech: http://www.anandtech.com/show/6444/i...uting-hands-on

What is the verdict on the HD4000 for HTPC use? Did Intel ever fix their 24Hz problems (eg, 24fps rather than 23.976fps) ?

Another advantage is that with mini-itx, you can add a discrete graphics card in case the on-board graphics does not pan out (though with tbolt, you could theoretically add a card in an external tbolt enclosure, though it would run at PCIe Gen2 x2 speeds)...

Drew

From what I've read they have resolved that issue. AMD cards work perfectly in that respect, so that's what I stick to.

[wayner]

How about a Raspberry Pi running RaspBMC or OpenElec?

[Fuzzy]

Originally Posted by wayner

How about a Raspberry Pi running RaspBMC or OpenElec?

Of course, it's doable, and cheap, but it is still very limited (mostly, in UI speed, which makes the HD100 and/or MediaMVP seem blazing fast).

[davidjames]

Originally Posted by wayner

How about a Raspberry Pi running RaspBMC or OpenElec?

I've been playing with a Pi running OpenElec for about a week. I've got a couple of HDHomeRun's. I've been able to configure it and actually get some TV, but the performance is horrid and unreliable. I never bothered to figure out EPG.

It's still early in the cycle for OpenElec on the Pi so I'm hoping it gets better.

I didn't try RaspBMC as what I've read said OpenElec is better.

[Fuzzy]

Originally Posted by davidjames

I've been playing with a Pi running OpenElec for about a week. I've got a couple of HDHomeRun's. I've been able to configure it and actually get some TV, but the performance is horrid and unreliable. I never bothered to figure out EPG.

It's still early in the cycle for OpenElec on the Pi so I'm hoping it gets better.

I didn't try RaspBMC as what I've read said OpenElec is better.

I really don't see it getting that much more responsive. XBMC was just designed with much higher hardware specs in mind. There are so many API layers involved, it will be sluggish on any extremely low end hardware like the Pi. Of course, they will be able to eek a little bit more performance here and there, as they find the worst case spots and eliminate them, but it is, in my mind, not worth the extremely low price, for such an extremely poor experience. I'd rather run something OpenELEC on something only costing $60 or so more, and get a MUCH better experience.

[TwistedMelon]

Based on the raw performance of the graphics core of the RBPi, there's no reason an XBMC-like UI should perform poorly unless it was not written with performance in mind. Which is probably the case.