Smart TV or cheap media center PC?

hat · Jul 1, 2016

If you send me one I'd be happy to provide any power draw data you'd like...

Mussels · Jul 1, 2016

HTPC or android box.
I don't like the rokus and other similar 'streaming only' devices - i like the proper android ones that i can install apps on, with USB ports for local playback and app support for direct file playback over the network from my NAS (no transcoding, no DLNA, just straight access to a network share)

~$50 on ebay will get you a chinese android box (MXQ is a popular brand) with H265/HEVC hardware decoding.

They may not have the grunt of a proper HTPC, but the size, weight, and super low power consumption (and ease of use with just an 'air mouse') has some large benefits.

AsRock · Jul 1, 2016

hat said:
If you send me one I'd be happy to provide any power draw data you'd like...

hehe, will not be getting one for a long time though lack of interest for 4k.

remixedcat · Jul 1, 2016

flash them to alt firmware where you can block nasties.... some stock chinese firmware has a TON of nasties.... enterprise firewalls pick it up but consumer routers don't....

newtekie1 · Jul 1, 2016

Mussels said:
They may not have the grunt of a proper HTPC, but the size, weight, and super low power consumption (and ease of use with just an 'air mouse') has some large benefits.

My current full blown Windows 10 64-bit HTPC is extremely small(4.5"W x 2"T x 3"D), weighs 10oz.(385g), and consumes just 7w while streaming 1080p content. The only real advantage an android box has over a HTPC is if you get a chinese android box off ebay it costs about half the price of my HTPC did from newegg. Of course, my HTPC also has proper support from a brand name company...

hat · Jul 2, 2016

Mussels said:
HTPC or android box.
I don't like the rokus and other similar 'streaming only' devices - i like the proper android ones that i can install apps on, with USB ports for local playback and app support for direct file playback over the network from my NAS (no transcoding, no DLNA, just straight access to a network share)

~$50 on ebay will get you a chinese android box (MXQ is a popular brand) with H265/HEVC hardware decoding.

They may not have the grunt of a proper HTPC, but the size, weight, and super low power consumption (and ease of use with just an 'air mouse') has some large benefits.

Relevant to interests. You say a $50 chinese doohickey could direct stream even HEVC? Can you get a remote with those?

FordGT90Concept · Jul 2, 2016

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B019ESY3RY/?tag=tec06d-20

I bought one of these and run it with Emby. Only complaint is the remote (doesn't even have a play button).

It handles MPEG-2 TS 1080i/720p fine and that shit is a lot heavier to decode than HEVC (because it has extensive error correction).

shovenose · Jul 2, 2016

HTPC!

hat · Jul 3, 2016

FordGT90Concept said:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B019ESY3RY/?tag=tec06d-20

I bought one of these and run it with Emby. Only complaint is the remote (doesn't even have a play button).

It handles MPEG-2 TS 1080i/720p fine and that shit is a lot heavier to decode than HEVC (because it has extensive error correction).

MPEG-2 harder to decode than HEVC? Unreal...

remixedcat · Jul 3, 2016

I'd get an HTPC and make sure it does HDMI correctly, however the problem might be with some ARC and CEC issues with the TV and sending audio back to a soundbar like SONOS and being able to also use it with cable boxes and consoles and such. Denon HEOS Homecinema is the only soundbar that works properly with this. Tested a SONOS and it would not work right with that at all... the Denon one worked though.

The TV choice is crucial for it. Mine is a TCL RokuTV 40 inch in the LR and it works fine bc I have the PC connected to the AUX jack and the TV connected to HDMI ARC/CEC and all I have to do is open the app and then switch inputs on it and it's pretty smooth. The HEOS Homecinema also has Optical and coaxial. SONOS is optical only and is MANDATED by the TV and if your TV has "protection" to where even a single HDMI source is connected to the TV the optical is DISABLED and you can't use it AT ALL! Only a handful of "dumb TVs" and only a small set of certified smart TVs'll work with SONOS! My RCA "dumb tv" does not work with SONOS for stuff liek Rokus or HDMI connected PCs, only with cable or OTA sources and blame them for giving into HDCP bullshit.

SONOS is a headache and thier desire for simplicity makes stuff hard and restrictive since they make the TV the controller and not the actual app and hardware!

hat · Jul 7, 2016

Mussels said:
HTPC or android box.
I don't like the rokus and other similar 'streaming only' devices - i like the proper android ones that i can install apps on, with USB ports for local playback and app support for direct file playback over the network from my NAS (no transcoding, no DLNA, just straight access to a network share)

~$50 on ebay will get you a chinese android box (MXQ is a popular brand) with H265/HEVC hardware decoding.

They may not have the grunt of a proper HTPC, but the size, weight, and super low power consumption (and ease of use with just an 'air mouse') has some large benefits.

How's this?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QEYBX84/?tag=tec06d-20

For $40 I'd surely consider giving up my money for this. I'm sure the power draw has got to be much less than the clunky old PS3 as well. If I can encode in h.265 for this that'll be really efficient... I don't care if I encode at 1fps, once it's done it's done and I have it forever after that.

FordGT90Concept · Jul 7, 2016

Newer and cheaper:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GKUGGME/?tag=tec06d-20
There's several other brands available. The key is Amlogic S905 and Android 5.1.

Mind you, the remotes with these boxes suck (no play, record, jump forward, or jump back buttons).

In terms of filesize:
MPEG2 = 100%
MPEG4 = 20%
HEVC = 15%

MPEG2 has the best picture quality but requires the most capacity/bandwidth/performance. So yeah, MPEG2 is a beast compared to MPEG4 and HEVC. MPEG4 was literally created for weak portable devices.

hat · Jul 7, 2016

I can't assign the buttons to do that manually somehow? No app for that or anything?

FordGT90Concept · Jul 7, 2016

Not that I discovered. If you have an Android phone, you should be able to use an app on that to control the Android TV box. From what I gather, that's really the only way to get a decent remote.

I've been looking around at better remotes but haven't bought/tried anything yet mostly for fearing they won't work.

hat · Jul 7, 2016

Well I definitely don't want to be using my phone as a remote... that's just really inconvenient in my eyes.

FordGT90Concept · Jul 7, 2016

Agreed. If I find something that works better, I'll post about it.

Makaveli · Jul 11, 2016

hat said:
Well I definitely don't want to be using my phone as a remote... that's just really inconvenient in my eyes.

+1

I always have a friend harassing me to use a phone as a remote.

And him I would rather use my Logitech Harmony One then to drain my battery on my phone as a remote so when I need to leave the house I have to worry about charging my phone.

newtekie1 · Jul 11, 2016

FordGT90Concept said:
Agreed. If I find something that works better, I'll post about it.

From what I can tell, the box you posted is using Kodi as the media player. It will work with any normal keyboard and mouse, I use one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Z81U3YY/?tag=tec06d-20

Jetster · Jul 11, 2016

Ive tried man micro keyboards. I always end up back at the K400

newtekie1 · Jul 11, 2016

Jetster said:
Ive tried man micro keyboards. I always end up back at the K400

I use a K830 in the livingroom, but I prefer the smaller keyboard for the bedroom so I don't end up sleeping with a big keyboard...

FordGT90Concept · Jul 11, 2016

newtekie1 said:
From what I can tell, the box you posted is using Kodi as the media player. It will work with any normal keyboard and mouse, I use one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Z81U3YY/?tag=tec06d-20

I'm using Emby because Kodi...it just...isn't good.

That said, at this point I wouldn't recommend the Leelbox I linked because the remote sucks. A DVR/HTPC needs a play button at bare minimum and should really have more (jump forward/jump backwards, record).

It also struggled to play videos in the YouTube app. I couldn't scroll the search results and the framerate, while not bad, it was clearly straining the hardware to render it.

I'm very tempted, at this point, to blow the $200-400 on a Windows-based HTPC along with at least a decent remote. The Leelbox will work fine for basic IPTV/DVR viewing in Emby but, that remote...

That said, I'm probably not going to try other remotes for a month. Maybe I'll find some universal remote that works great with it but I'm not holding my breath for it.

newtekie1 said:
I use a K830 in the livingroom, but I prefer the smaller keyboard for the bedroom so I don't end up sleeping with a big keyboard...

You know you want to! :roll:

silentbogo · Jul 11, 2016

As a former owner of over 12 various ARM-based dev. platforms, mini-PCs and STBs I suggest - forget about anything ARM-based.
In the past few years some Chinese manufacturers started to make some amazing devices based on Intel Cherry Trail CPUs (e.g. Atom x5 Z8300).
I've tried a few Windows 10 tablets and was surprised to see how fast they are. MiniPCs on the same platform are currently under $100 (usually $80-$85 range), and include 2GB of RAM and at least 32GB EMMC expandable with SD cards and external USB storage.

Here's an example:
http://www.gearbest.com/tv-box-mini-pc/pp_343636.html

Get something like that, and you will also receive a hardware-accelerated HEVC/4K @30Hz, Gigabit ethernet, and max power consumption of 15W. And it runs Windows.

FordGT90Concept · Jul 11, 2016

Does that come with Windows 10 or is it sold separately? Me tempted, very.

newtekie1 · Jul 11, 2016

FordGT90Concept said:
I'm using Emby because Kodi...it just...isn't good.

That said, at this point I wouldn't recommend the Leelbox I linked because the remote sucks. A DVR/HTPC needs a play button at bare minimum and should really have more (jump forward/jump backwards, record).

It also struggled to play videos in the YouTube app. I couldn't scroll the search results and the framerate, while not bad, it was clearly straining the hardware to render it.

I'm very tempted, at this point, to blow the $200-400 on a Windows-based HTPC along with at least a decent remote. The Leelbox will work fine for basic IPTV/DVR viewing in Emby but, that remote...

That said, I'm probably not going to try other remotes for a month. Maybe I'll find some universal remote that works great with it but I'm not holding my breath for it.

Android supports keyboard and mouse too, so anything with a USB port will work with the mini-Keyboard I posted actually.

FordGT90Concept said:
You know you want to!

I wouldn't really mind, but my wife...

silentbogo · Jul 11, 2016

FordGT90Concept said:
Does that come with Windows 10 or is it sold separately? Me tempted, very.

It comes with Windows 10 pre-installed and activated, but at that price I'm not so sure about the origin and legitimacy of such license.
Those tablets I was talking about have a dual-boot Win10/Android, so there might be something similar in mini-PC equivalent.
For the past two weeks I've been torturing myself with not buying similar tablet: Chuwi Hi8 with Z3736F on board, 2GB DDR3, 32GB eMMC, FullHD screen and dual-boot Win10/Android.
Same manufacturer just released a 12" tablet with 1440p display, x5 Z8300, 4GB RAM, 64GB eMMC, and full-sized USB 3.0 and 2.0. And it is only $240.

http://www.gearbest.com/tablet-pcs/...8DjVo5kKVIyohKpi18FRJjoR33A3QXImAQaAtNO8P8HAQ

System Name	Starlifter :: Dragonfly
Processor	i7 2600k 4.4GHz :: i5 10400
Motherboard	ASUS P8P67 Pro :: ASUS Prime H570-Plus
Cooling	Cryorig M9 :: Stock
Memory	4x4GB DDR3 2133 :: 2x8GB DDR4 2400
Video Card(s)	PNY GTX1070 :: Integrated UHD 630
Storage	Crucial MX500 1TB, 2x1TB Seagate RAID 0 :: Mushkin Enhanced 60GB SSD, 3x4TB Seagate HDD RAID5
Display(s)	Onn 165hz 1080p :: Acer 1080p
Case	Antec SOHO 1030B :: Old White Full Tower
Audio Device(s)	Creative X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Pro - Bose Companion 2 Series III :: None
Power Supply	FSP Hydro GE 550w :: EVGA Supernova 550
Software	Windows 10 Pro - Plex Server on Dragonfly
Benchmark Scores	>9000

System Name	Rainbow Sparkles (Power efficient, <350W gaming load)
Processor	Ryzen R7 5800x3D (Undervolted, 4.45GHz all core)
Motherboard	Asus x570-F (BIOS Modded)
Cooling	Alphacool Apex UV - Alphacool Eisblock XPX Aurora + EK Quantum ARGB 3090 w/ active backplate
Memory	2x32GB DDR4 3600 Corsair Vengeance RGB @3866 C18-22-22-22-42 TRFC704 (1.4V Hynix MJR - SoC 1.15V)
Video Card(s)	Galax RTX 3090 SG 24GB: Underclocked to 1700Mhz 0.750v (375W down to 250W))
Storage	2TB WD SN850 NVME + 1TB Sasmsung 970 Pro NVME + 1TB Intel 6000P NVME USB 3.2
Display(s)	Phillips 32 32M1N5800A (4k144), LG 32" (4K60) \| Gigabyte G32QC (2k165) \| Phillips 328m6fjrmb (2K144)
Case	Fractal Design R6
Audio Device(s)	Logitech G560 \| Corsair Void pro RGB \|Blue Yeti mic
Power Supply	Fractal Ion+ 2 860W (Platinum) (This thing is God-tier. Silent and TINY)
Mouse	Logitech G Pro wireless + Steelseries Prisma XL
Keyboard	Razer Huntsman TE ( Sexy white keycaps)
VR HMD	Oculus Rift S + Quest 2
Software	Windows 11 pro x64 (Yes, it's genuinely a good OS) OpenRGB - ditch the branded bloatware!
Benchmark Scores	Nyooom.

Processor	AMD 3900X \ AMD 7700X
Motherboard	ASRock AM4 X570 Pro 4 \ ASUS X670Xe TUF
Cooling	D15
Memory	Patriot 2x16GB PVS432G320C6K \ G.Skill Flare X5 F5-6000J3238F 2x16GB
Video Card(s)	eVga GTX1060 SSC \ XFX RX 6950XT RX-695XATBD9
Storage	Sammy 860, MX500, Sabrent Rocket 4 Sammy Evo 980 \ 1xSabrent Rocket 4+, Sammy 2x990 Pro
Display(s)	Samsung 1080P \ LG 43UN700
Case	Fractal Design Pop Air 2x140mm fans from Torrent \ Fractal Design Torrent 2 SilverStone FHP141x2
Audio Device(s)	Yamaha RX-V677 \ Yamaha CX-830+Yamaha MX-630 Infinity RS4000\Paradigm P Studio 20, Blue Yeti
Power Supply	Seasonic Prime TX-750 \ Corsair RM1000X Shift
Mouse	Steelseries Sensei wireless \ Steelseries Sensei wireless
Keyboard	Logitech K120 \ Wooting Two HE
Benchmark Scores	Meh benchmarks.

System Name	RemixedBeast-NX
Processor	Intel Xeon E5-2690 @ 2.9Ghz (8C/16T)
Motherboard	Dell Inc. 08HPGT (CPU 1)
Cooling	Dell Standard
Memory	24GB ECC
Video Card(s)	Gigabyte Nvidia RTX2060 6GB
Storage	2TB Samsung 860 EVO SSD//2TB WD Black HDD
Display(s)	Samsung SyncMaster P2350 23in @ 1920x1080 + Dell E2013H 20 in @1600x900
Case	Dell Precision T3600 Chassis
Audio Device(s)	Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80 // Fiio E7 Amp/DAC
Power Supply	630w Dell T3600 PSU
Mouse	Logitech G700s/G502
Keyboard	Logitech K740
Software	Linux Mint 20
Benchmark Scores	Network: APs: Cisco Meraki MR32, Ubiquiti Unifi AP-AC-LR and Lite Router/Sw:Meraki MX64 MS220-8P

Processor	Intel Core i7 10850K@5.2GHz
Motherboard	AsRock Z470 Taichi
Cooling	Corsair H115i Pro w/ Noctua NF-A14 Fans
Memory	32GB DDR4-3600
Video Card(s)	RTX 2070 Super
Storage	500GB SX8200 Pro + 8TB with 1TB SSD Cache
Display(s)	Acer Nitro VG280K 4K 28"
Case	Fractal Design Define S
Audio Device(s)	Onboard is good enough for me
Power Supply	eVGA SuperNOVA 1000w G3
Software	Windows 10 Pro x64

System Name	BY-2021
Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 5800X (65w eco profile)
Motherboard	MSI B550 Gaming Plus
Cooling	Scythe Mugen (rev 5)
Memory	2 x Kingston HyperX DDR4-3200 32 GiB
Video Card(s)	AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT
Storage	Samsung 980 Pro, Seagate Exos X20 TB 7200 RPM
Display(s)	Nixeus NX-EDG274K (3840x2160@144 DP) + Samsung SyncMaster 906BW (1440x900@60 HDMI-DVI)
Case	Coolermaster HAF 932 w/ USB 3.0 5.25" bay + USB 3.2 (A+C) 3.5" bay
Audio Device(s)	Realtek ALC1150, Micca OriGen+
Power Supply	Enermax Platimax 850w
Mouse	Nixeus REVEL-X
Keyboard	Tesoro Excalibur
Software	Windows 10 Home 64-bit
Benchmark Scores	Faster than the tortoise; slower than the hare.

System Name	Sierra ~ Server
Processor	Core i5-11600K ~ Core i3-12100
Motherboard	Asus Prime B560M-A AC ~ MSI PRO B760M-P
Cooling	CM 212 Black RGB Edition ~ Intel Stock Cooler
Memory	64GB (2x 32GB) DDR4-3600 ~ 32GB (4x 8GB) DDR4-3200
Video Card(s)	XFX Radeon RX 6950 XT ~ EVGA GeForce GTX 970
Storage	4TB Samsung 990 Pro with Heatsink NVMe SSD ~ 2TB Kingston NV1 NVMe SSD + 500GB WD Blue SATA SSD
Display(s)	2x Dell S2721QS 4K 60Hz ~ N/A
Case	Asus Prime AP201 - Open Frame Chassis
Power Supply	Thermaltake GF1 850W ~ Thermaltake Smart 500W
Software	Windows 11 Pro ~ Proxmox VE
Benchmark Scores	Laptops: Dell Latitude E7270, Dell Latitude 14 Rugged 5420.

System Name	The Expanse
Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D
Motherboard	Asus Prime X570-Pro BIOS 5013 AM4 AGESA V2 PI 1.2.0.Ca.
Cooling	Corsair H150i Pro
Memory	32GB GSkill Trident RGB DDR4-3200 14-14-14-34-1T (B-Die)
Video Card(s)	AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX 24GB (24.3.1)
Storage	WD SN850X 2TB / Corsair MP600 1TB / Samsung 860Evo 1TB x2 Raid 0 / Asus NAS AS1004T V2 14TB
Display(s)	LG 34GP83A-B 34 Inch 21: 9 UltraGear Curved QHD (3440 x 1440) 1ms Nano IPS 160Hz
Case	Fractal Design Meshify S2
Audio Device(s)	Creative X-Fi + Logitech Z-5500 + HS80 Wireless
Power Supply	Corsair AX850 Titanium
Mouse	Corsair Dark Core RGB SE
Keyboard	Corsair K100
Software	Windows 10 Pro x64 22H2
Benchmark Scores	3800X https://valid.x86.fr/1zr4a5 5800X https://valid.x86.fr/2dey9c

System Name	Juliette // HTPC
Processor	Intel i7 9700K // AMD Ryzen 5 5600G
Motherboard	ASUS Prime Z390X-A // ASRock B550 ITX-AC
Cooling	Noctua NH-U12 Black // Stock
Memory	Corsair DDR4 3600 32gb //G.SKILL Trident Z Royal Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 3600
Video Card(s)	ASUS RTX4070 OC// GTX 1650
Storage	Samsung 970 EVO NVMe 1Tb, Intel 665p Series M.2 2280 1TB // Samsung 1Tb SSD
Display(s)	ASUS VP348QGL 34" Quad HD 3440 x 1440 // 55" LG 4K SK8000 Series
Case	Seasonic SYNCRO Q7// Silverstone Granada GD05
Audio Device(s)	Focusrite Scarlett 4i4 // HDMI to Samsung HW-R650 sound bar
Power Supply	Seasonic SYNCRO 750 W // CORSAIR Vengeance 650M
Mouse	Cooler Master MM710 53G
Keyboard	Logitech 920-009300 G512 SE
Software	Windows 10 Pro // Windows 10 Pro

System Name	WS#1337
Processor	Ryzen 7 3800X
Motherboard	ASUS X570-PLUS TUF Gaming
Cooling	Xigmatek Scylla 240mm AIO
Memory	4x8GB Samsung DDR4 ECC UDIMM
Video Card(s)	Inno3D RTX 3070 Ti iChill
Storage	ADATA Legend 2TB + ADATA SX8200 Pro 1TB
Display(s)	Samsung U24E590D (4K/UHD)
Case	ghetto CM Cosmos RC-1000
Audio Device(s)	ALC1220
Power Supply	SeaSonic SSR-550FX (80+ GOLD)
Mouse	Logitech G603
Keyboard	Modecom Volcano Blade (Kailh choc LP)
VR HMD	Google dreamview headset(aka fancy cardboard)
Software	Windows 11, Ubuntu 20.04 LTS

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