HTPC and Kodi

Panrich

I am thinking of putting a HTPC between my HP microserver running Xpenology and Panasonic Plasma TV because the media server interface on the TV is very clunky.

I am thinking about something like this might be good or am I going the wrong route with what I am trying to achieve?

http://www.saverstore.com/product/20915039/MSI-Cubi-Ultra-Compact-PC-Celeron-3205U-with-4GB-RAM---500GB-HDD-Bundle

tommycahir

Yeah that would certainly suit but you didn't really specify what you wanted to do with the box between your TV and the NAS server.

If it is just to run kodi to view the content stored on your NAS then a raspberry pi 2 with openelec installed (I have this setup and there are no issues) or one of the android boxes with kodi from playstore would suit.

if you plan on using it as a download station or to stream IPTV etc. then your requirements change a little.

Panrich

I'm really just looking to stream from the Xpenology box. I have bad experience in the past though with cheapo boxes like the nowtv and the likes with 1080p content so I don't want to scrimp on price and be disappointed with stuttering video. I have never looked at the pi. I do have a gigabit network/switches so that should help.
I do see my brother has an android box that struggles with 1080p. Not sure of the model.

tommycahir

As I said I have the Pi 2 and have had no issues with 1080 content on it using the basic openelec install and only some selected addons etc, I had an older model b and that was slow.
Some of the android boxes can struggle and depends on box as to how it performs, personally I would avoid them.

There have been alot of good reports on the NUC boxes even if they are a little more expensive (expect Johnnyboy to pop by verifying this claim )
A box that has become very popular lately and was on offer over the weekend was the Nvidia Shield and comes in at a similar price point to the box you are looking at above but has android, gaming and capability for 4k
here's a review of it - http://kodicommunity.com/nvidia-shield-tv/

Panrich

That looks nice but you can't run Kodi on a synology device so my past experience with Plex would indicate that whatever device I get would have to be capable of running the kodi server and client together without issue. I think it should possible but I am not up to date in this area.

Tinder Surprise

Panrich wrote: »

That looks nice but you can't run Kodi on a synology device so my past experience with Plex would indicate that whatever device I get would have to be capable of running the kodi server and client together without issue. I think it should possible but I am not up to date in this area.

I dont know what your budget is, so assuming its around the €200 mark from your original link then as the other poster mention the Nvidia Shield TV is a no brainer.
Do not lump it in with other Android boxes as it is as far away from your cheap Android STB as you can get.

If you want more storage and can increase your budget then the 500gb version might be better.

read the reviews, videos etc. as its wiping the floor with anything else in its price point, and you would be future proofed for 4k.

beardybrewer

Well you wouldn't run Kodi on your Synology. Leave the NAS to do it's job. Stick with your plan to get a small HTPC dedicated to just to stream videos from your NAS (or elsewhere). What you have there looks more than capable but that's fine especially if you want to have a heavier OS like Win7 on it perhaps for other applications you have in mind? I have an old Acer Revo stuck to the back of my TV's VESA mounts (like this) running Win7 myself. It's worked great for both Linux and Win7 and is a 100% dedicated appliance just running Kodi. It doesn't need a huge amount of hdd space (that's what the NAS is for). I put in a small 64gb SSD in mine so it boots up in about 20 seconds. It's at least 5 years old but hasn't shown it's age at all in all that time. Only issues I ever had with this setup was trying to stream wireless. I spent a couple hours one afternoon running a cable which has saved me countless moments of frustration when we're trying to relax and watch something.

Johnboy1951

tommycahir wrote: »

As I said I have the Pi 2 and have had no issues with 1080 content on it using the basic openelec install and only some selected addons etc, I had an older model b and that was slow.
Some of the android boxes can struggle and depends on box as to how it performs, personally I would avoid them.

There have been alot of good reports on the NUC boxes even if they are a little more expensive (expect Johnnyboy to pop by verifying this claim )
A box that has become very popular lately and was on offer over the weekend was the Nvidia Shield and comes in at a similar price point to the box you are looking at above but has android, gaming and capability for 4k
here's a review of it - http://kodicommunity.com/nvidia-shield-tv/

I also use a couple of R-Pi devices.
I had no difficulty even with the model B from the display side.
It did 1080 fine here.
It would stutter etc if trying to use a wireless connection to the backend/server.
Not the fault of the Pi.

The Pi2 is better ... much better.
Channel changing etc is much more responsive that the B.
It can object sometimes when I mess with plugged in devices such as wireless dongle for headset and such. A quick reboot solves that.

As mentioned I use a NUC also.
I got one that is over specified for the job it is currently doing.
(I wanted room to experiment )
With built in IR receiver and space to add whatever HDD & memory one decides I found it very attractive ... but pricey.
I do consider it money well spent.

The R-Pi got rather dear when one factored in case, good PSU, FLIRC IR etc., so while they are great fun I consider the NUC a more professional device.

I had intended getting a Brix but failed and now the interest has waned

At this time I have been using Openelec on all the R-Pi devices, the NUC, and the backend tuner box (old Dell P4) serving the LiveTV streams and recording.

I don't venture into Windows land any more so not sure how all that relates to you