Mini pc or media player?

liger

Spent a few hours looking thru the web for things like, dell zino, acer revo and mini mac but have to say i feel a little lost now!!

I currently have my desktop pc hooked into the back of my 40" tv. Works well because i'm short of space. I just play my files thru VLC player and thats grand. However i will be moving soon and want to split them.

I'm looking for something cheap, small and has a hard drive on it that i can watch my media files on. if it will let me do a little browsing and streaming that would be a big plus. Would i be better off with a mini pc or will something like a WD player/hard drive media player let me do all that??


Thanks for any advice/ recommendations

digitaldr

I started with a WDTV but soon got sick of it - no DTS support, limited/no control over aspect ratio and worst of all it couldn't get movie/TV data off the net. So went at got an acer revo 3610 from ebuyer. Very pleased with it. Have it dual booting XBMC and Windows XP. It took a bit of tweaking eg to get Internet working. Didn't have any prior knowledge of Linux but there were some very good guides on the net. Also bought a very cheap MCE remote & IR receiver on eBay but you could always use an iPhone/iPod touch - there's a great xbmc remote app that even shows movie/tv artwork & plot on the iPhone screen.

I was a bit worried that xbmc might be subject to crashes - would have annoyed the wife something rotten. Happily it's very stable.

I'm short I'd advice you to go down the mini pc route much slicker interface and no worries about file incompatibility. Also nice to be able to stream rte player, 4OD and BBC iplayer (via VPN)

liger

digitaldr wrote: »

So went at got an acer revo 3610 from ebuyer.

Very pleased with it. Have it dual booting XBMC and Windows XP.

Also nice to be able to stream rte player, 4OD and BBC iplayer (via VPN)

Ordered a revo from ebuyer, great price.

I have no idea about XBMC so will look into that and also the VPN because it annoys me that i cant stream off certain sites.

Thanks for the info.

BenEadir

Guys,

I have the same dilemma and would appreciate a steer from you.

I want a "device" whose primary role will be to download, store and play movies as well as act as a repository for home/family videos, pictures etc etc. If it can be used to browse the web and stream content from sites like RTE Player all the better.

My pal has an Iomega ScreenPlay Director 2TB HD Media Player and loves it's simplicity but the Acer Revo's seem to be able to do the same as the Iomega Media Player but also much much more as they are fully functioning PC's. I am competent at tweaking software and loading drivers etc but wouldn't be a serious modder or hacker.

My questions are:-

1. Which 3700 model currently for sale on eBuyer should I be going for? There is this http://www.ebuyer.com/product/236579 entry level Linux based model for £199 at one end of the spectrum or this http://www.ebuyer.com/product/236581 fully blown Win 7 model at the other end for £331.

2. Can I download, store and play movies, stream content and generally browse the web 'out of the box' or do I need to hack/mod the box in any serious way? (I have no clue or experience with Linux so maybe I just pay the extra and go for the Win 7 version?)

3. How can the Acer Revo be a serious Media Player if it only comes with a 160GB (Linux) or 500BG (Win 7) Hard Drive? Would I have to add a 2TB Slave drive onto it via USB in order for it to really function as a Media Player?

4. If the machine is tucked away behind my HD Plasma how can I control it? They seem to come with a wired keyboard and mouse which won't be much use. I have an Android phone and have used Gmote to control my Laptop for playing movies so I guess there are similar applications which would let me control the Revo?

5. Can I run the Revo through my Onkyo amp in order to get the full benefit from my Jamo surround sound system or does it need to be connected directly to my TV?

6. Where do solutions like the Boxee Box, Mede8er and PLAYON!HD fit into the equation? Are they somewhere in between the plane Jane Iomega Media Player and the Acer HTPC solution?

I know I'm seriously confused.com so really would appreciate some advice. At the moment I'm storing and playing video content via HDMI output from my Laptop through my Onkyo Amp to my Plasma TV and Jamo surround sound systems so I know I need to find a better solution and when better to dive in than the month of January when I'll have loads of evenings to set it up and might even get some discount off during the sales!!

Cheers in advance to anyone who takes time to help me with this.

Ben

liger

BenEadir wrote: »

Cheers in advance to anyone who takes time to help me with this.

Ben

Ben,

I am not a big tech head but should my order from ebuyer ever arrive i will be able to at least let you know how the revo works. I ordered a revo plus 1TB hard drive delivered for 230€. i thought that was good value. Was due to arrive yesterday according to ebuyer but no sign of it yet.

Knasher

BenEadir wrote: »

1. Which 3700 model currently for sale on eBuyer should I be going for? There is this http://www.ebuyer.com/product/236579 entry level Linux based model for £199 at one end of the spectrum or this http://www.ebuyer.com/product/236581 fully blown Win 7 model at the other end for £331.

From your post I'd probably go with the second, simply because it has more RAM (although 2GB is enough if you were using Linux and XBMC only) and a wireless keyboard. You sound like you are considering the space too small anyway so if you replace the hard-drive and don't plan on using windows it might change things.

BenEadir wrote: »

2. Can I download, store and play movies, stream content and generally browse the web 'out of the box' or do I need to hack/mod the box in any serious way? (I have no clue or experience with Linux so maybe I just pay the extra and go for the Win 7 version?)

Depends on how you see it working, when you get it first its just a small computer and works exactly like any other.

BenEadir wrote: »

3. How can the Acer Revo be a serious Media Player if it only comes with a 160GB (Linux) or 500BG (Win 7) Hard Drive? Would I have to add a 2TB Slave drive onto it via USB in order for it to really function as a Media Player?

Personally I have a separate NAS so 160GB is more than overkill to me, however if you want you can either replace the hard-drive or use a external enclosure. However I think if I was in your situation I would probably get something bigger (or build it myself) that can take desktop hard-drives.

BenEadir wrote: »

4. If the machine is tucked away behind my HD Plasma how can I control it? They seem to come with a wired keyboard and mouse which won't be much use. I have an Android phone and have used Gmote to control my Laptop for playing movies so I guess there are similar applications which would let me control the Revo?

XBMC has android remotes for free in the market. However I would recommend getting a sony bluetooth remote and using that instead, it's well documented how to set it up and you wouldn't need to worry about line of sight. You may also need to get a bluetooth dongle if it doesn't have it built in.

BenEadir wrote: »

5. Can I run the Revo through my Onkyo amp in order to get the full benefit from my Jamo surround sound system or does it need to be connected directly to my TV?

Assuming your Onkyo has HDMI input, definitely. If its an older spdif only then its not as good.

BenEadir wrote: »

6. Where do solutions like the Boxee Box, Mede8er and PLAYON!HD fit into the equation? Are they somewhere in between the plane Jane Iomega Media Player and the Acer HTPC solution?

I don't recognize the other two, but Boxee is just a branch of XBMC so it can be as powerful and customizable.

BionicRasher

similar to the needs I have - again any help and advice greatly appreciated.

Currently running Iomega Screenplay 1TB Media Player directly plugged in to my 11yr old TV via scart (new TV needed pretty soon but finance won't allow at present). I have this networked (wired) to my router and I then have an old laptop (Win XP) and monitor in the bedroom running Boxee and I stream movies, TV programs, music etc to this. Old Sky box that gets basic FTV TV channels. Also have a Wii connected (wireless) to the Router so all in all I have enough basic equipment to get some decent streaming going.

Current issues are that

a) Iomega interface is very poor and wont ever get updated I believe (it dosent even have a random or shuffle for music) I advise that you avoid these like the plague

b) Streaming music etc to the laptop is very slow as the laptop is due to fall over any day soon now

c) Cant play anything on the Wii (Music, Movies etc)


Here is the Plan


• Purchase a Revo R3610 Win 7 version. Stick the 1TB Iomega on it via USB as my main storage. Place it somewhere with good wireless connection and connect via something (not sure what yet) to the TV.

• Install Boxee on the Revo (love the Boxee interface BTW – so easy to use and you can control it with Android too)

• Somehow get the FTV old Sky box connected so I can record to the hard drive - not sure if thats possible but I am sure I can work it out

• Have the Wii set up in another room with Orb installed on the Revo and Wii and stream all the stuff to the other room via Orb - looks pretty straight forward

• Finally – give the old laptop a spring clean and continue to use it in the bedroom to stream stuff (via Boxee again)

Might even get my hands on another laptop or old PC and Monitor to stick in the spare room and stream stuff to that also via Boxee or even a DLNA enabled TV for the main bedroom and stick the laptop in the spare room.


Questions are –


• Will the Revo R3610 handle all this or do I need to beef it up a little with extra RAM etc to get it all flowing at the same time?

• Should I be looking at getting some kind of wireless extender if the Revo has a poor wifi reception etc?

BenEadir

Thanks for the info lads.

Liger, I look forward to hearing how your install went and first impressions etc.

Ben

Knasher

tui0hcg wrote: »

• Somehow get the FTV old Sky box connected so I can record to the hard drive - not sure if thats possible but I am sure I can work it out

• Have the Wii set up in another room with Orb installed on the Revo and Wii and stream all the stuff to the other room via Orb - looks pretty straight forward

Its very doubtful that the Revo would have the processor speed to do any decent type of video encoding, unless you are willing to completely sacrifice video quality and file size. Unfortunately this pertains to your wii thing as well, as what that does is encode video into h264 and embed it into a flash container.

BionicRasher

Knasher wrote: »

Its very doubtful that the Revo would have the processor speed to do any decent type of video encoding, unless you are willing to completely sacrifice video quality and file size. Unfortunately this pertains to your wii thing as well, as what that does is encode video into h264 and embed it into a flash container.

OK - thanks for the info

really could do without the recording of TV from the old Sky Box - was just something that maybe i thought i could accomplish if i was out of the house and needed to record something then I could set up some kind of auto record to switch on a timer and record the program - but no big deal really

The Wii could also be hooked up using TVersity maybe that would be better. Not sure what that entails but it would essentially be just for the kids to watch the odd movie in the other room when they wanted to.

Knasher

tui0hcg wrote: »

The Wii could also be hooked up using TVersity maybe that would be better. Not sure what that entails but it would essentially be just for the kids to watch the odd movie in the other room when they wanted to.

TVersity works in exactly the same way so it should be no better than Orb. You *might* get away with it if you are doing low quality videos and what not, though I wouldn't bet on it, I'd imagine that there will be a lot of dropped frames especially during high motion scenes. If you really wanted it to work, I wouldn't advise anything less than a core 2 duo (or the AMD equivalent), there are boxes out there that pack that much processing power.

The annoying part is that the graphics probably does pack enough power to handle all this, however the ability to use it is still pretty new and isn't implemented in hardware across the board yet, so nobody is really coding to take advantage of it on the encoding side. Eventually you will be able to do what you want with that hardware, but it isn't worth waiting for.

Knasher

Knasher wrote: »

From your post I'd probably go with the second, simply because it has more RAM (although 2GB is enough if you were using Linux and XBMC only) and a wireless keyboard. You sound like you are considering the space too small anyway so if you replace the hard-drive and don't plan on using windows it might change things.

I forgot to mention, the revo doesn't have enough power to handle h264 without using the GPU. In linux it can use vdpau for the acceleration, however the last time I checked it didn't have any built in acceleration in windows. I think its possible to manage using an external player, which is something you will absolutely need to look into if you are going the windows route.

BenEadir

Knasher,

Are you saying the Revo won't be powerful enough to run HD video?? I thought that's what 90% of the users here were using it for primarily.

Confused.com again

Knasher

Sorry for not being clear, the short answer is yes you can play HD video.

The more technical answer is that the CPU isn't powerful enough to play HD video on its own, however you can use the GPU to accelerate the playback in order to compensate. I use linux on mine and the nVidia driver has an API built in which XBMC can use, however from what I've heard XBMC doesn't use the API for Windows. The workaround to this is to use an external player (by which I mean separate software which XBMC can call) to playback the video using acceleration. Once it is set up, I believe its meant to be pretty seamless.

The only reason I mention this is because when you start using it, if you notice that playback is quite choppy, then this is what you need to start looking at in order to get it working correctly. It is of course possible that they have implemented the API by now and everything will just work.

Hopefully I was a little bit clearer this time.

BenEadir

Thanks for clarifying Knasher.

liger

BenEadir wrote: »

.

Liger, I look forward to hearing how your install went and first impressions etc.

Ben

Well Ben,

Just unpacked it and hooked it up,. First thing i thought was wow thats really small. Its only a little bit bigger than my netgear router!!!

Hooking it up was simple, took a few mins to boot up but no problems at all. It automatically detected my wifi connection so no hassle there and my wireless keyboard and mouse worked without any problems. Of course its a bit slower than my desktop so thats going to need a bit of patients!!!


Only thing is i need to play about with the display settings, I am using hdmi cable and the desktop was too large, spilling over the edge of screen. Fixed that with Nvidia conrol panal but the text on the screen looks a little blurred. Maybe a bit too much colour.

Downloaded vlc and boxee is on the way. ran a few files thru vlc player and the standard files work fine but HD files wont. Thats just out of the box so will have to see how to fix that.

Hope that helps, bit to soon to say if good or bad investment yet.!!!

BenEadir

Thanks Liger,

I look forward to hearing that you got it working the way you want.

Have to say I'm turning towards this Asus EEEBox http://www.amazon.co.uk/Asus-EeeBox-EB1501P-Factor-Premium/dp/B0043D29EK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1294405724&sr=8-1

It's got USB 3.0, a DVD drive and an external ariel for Wi-Fi. Doesn't have a wireless keyboard and mouse but I would probably have gotten a keyboard with built in mouse anyway.

Still not 100% though!!

Ben

liger

I was so busy downloading and updating that i forgot to check the software on it. The HD files that Vlc wont play without lag work fine on the windows media player already on the revo!!!!

BenEadir

Well that's good news Liger.

Have a good weekend playing with your new toy and dopn't forget to update us on progress!!

Ben

Fat_Fingers

Zotac Z-Box Mini PC
2Gb Kingston Value ram 800Mhz DDR2 CL6 SO DIMM
Western Digital Scorpio Blue 500GB Sata 8MB Cache 2.5 Inch Internal Hard Drive OEM
Windows 7 32bit
XBMC 10

Very happy, have this system for about 3 months now. No problems with any files (HD or SD)