[GTALUG] best choices for tiny mlinux media centre in 2016?

William Park opengeometry at yahoo.ca
Tue Dec 29 05:46:29 UTC 2015


You missed "used laptop" which is still the cheapest option.  KWLUG
(Kitchener/Waterloo LUG) got them by truck loads.
-- 
William

On Mon, Dec 28, 2015 at 01:38:20PM -0500, D. Hugh Redelmeier wrote:
> | From: Matt Price <moptop99 at gmail.com>
> 
> | I'm looking to replace my  desktop-based xbmc movie playing box with a much
> | smaller and more energy-efficient ARM-based DIY project.  II'd love to hear
> | what other people recommend for specs.  I'd like to build a system with:
> 
> - XBMC is now called Kodi
> 
> - it has become semi-mainstream
> 
>   - it will run under Linux, Windows, Android.  I don't know about OSX
>     or iOS (google surely knows)
> 
>   - there are tonnes of cheap chinese-brand sticks and boxes that even
>     come with it pre-installed.
> 
> - From what you said, the amount of storage is going to be an issue.
>   Roughly how much storage do you need?
> 
>   - Raspberry Pi 2 is great in many ways but adding storage isn't so easy
> 
>     + is USB 2 fast enough?  If so, an external drive would work (but
>       that requires another box)
> 
>     + do you have a network file server where stuff could be stored?
>       (but remember that the Pi's ethernet goes through the USB bottleneck)
> 
>   - typical chinese boxes don't have internal store either.  Some have
>     native ethernet (faster than the Pi).  Few if any have USB 3.
> 
> Some local optima:
> 
> - Raspberry Pi 2.  
>   + Well support by community
>   - slow expansion storage
>   - guess: no hope for proprietary streaming sources like Netflix,
>     Shomi, etc
>   + Linux!
> 
> - cheap chinese-brand TV stick or box (Android)
>   + cheap, comes with Kodi
>   + can choose models with ethernet
>   + some models have a community of modders (creating other ROMs)
>     but they are limited since key device drivers are closed source.
>   - manufacturers very soon stop releasing new firmware
>   - parts of chips are secret and hence hard to support
>   - Really important: check if Kodi has native drivers for the video playback.
>     I don't really know how to do that (lots of googling).
>   + you can select cost vs features.
>     - 32 vs 64 bit ARM
>     - 1G vs 2G RAM (an anagram of ARM!)
>     - 4G, 8G or 16G flash memory
>     - cheap brand or one with a community
> 
> - Nexus Player.  Currently on fire-sale ($70) meaning it is a dead product.
>   + runs latest Android (Marshmallow)
>   + run Kodi and is well-supported
>   + runs Netflix including HD (only a few Android devices do HD (for
>     some reason that Netflix hasn't explained))
>   - won't run Shomi app (for some arbitrary reason)
>   + can accept google "casting" from a phone or tablet
> 
> - a random (but carefully selected) Android tablet.  Pretty much the
>   same as cheap chinese-brand stick or box.
> 
> - a fair number of Windows-based choices that are like the sticks,
>   boxes, or tablets.
> 
>   For example, right now, Newegg offers this for $139.99 + 4.99
>   shipping (- $10.00 if you use Visa Checkout and a coupon):
>   <http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883722001>
>   It comes with Windows but should be able to run Linux instead
>   (not enough "disk" for dual booting).
> 
> - some little PCs.  Deals come and go.
>   Here's one that's almost sold out:
>   <http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=7_1203_1157&item_id=069768>
>   This is a real PC and will run ordinary Linux distros just fine.
>   It includes a 500G HD.  And a power switch.  And probably a remote.
>   Takes real power, but nothing like a desktop.
>   If you want control, this is the easiest path.
> 
> - cheap bare ARM boards from chinese brands.  Too much of a circus for
>   me to recommend.  Surely there is good value somewhere there (Banana
>   Pi?  Cubie Board?)  but likely too much adventure if you only care
>   about the result (TV!).
> 
> | - relatively simple and manageable OS (Raspbian has been nice on my old RP
> | rev b)
> 
> If you want to be in control, it is hard to beat the Pi without going
> to a full PC.
> 
> | - some kind of hobbyist board, raspbi or beaglebone or whatever seems best;
> 
> That sounds like you want control.  Lots of these ARM things have
> pain-points.  For example, the beaglebones didn't do FullHD (hardware
> limitation).  Most have closed drivers for video.  Codecs are a pain.  
> Bootloaders are all different so that a generic Linux distro cannot work 
> (yet).
> 
> | - cheapest possible large ssd drive
> 
> Most don't take SSDs (or hard drives) except as externals (USB or NAS).
> If you find your media collection grows, SSD is bound to be too small
> or expensive.  SSDs are great for the OS but don't really have an
> advantage for videos.  Since videos are accessed mostly-sequentially,
> the seek time of a hard drive is not a problem.
> 
> Some little PCs come with room for a 2.5" drive.  You can get 2.5"
> hard drives up to 1TB.  If you need more than 1TB, you need 3.5"
> drives, something little computers don't accommodate.
> 
> | - a power button (!)
> 
> Not really needed for the really low power ones.
> 
> | - a wireless keyboard or other control device
> 
> Easy to add via USB or bluetooth.
> 
> | - HDMI out
> 
> At FullHD.  Too early for good UltraHD support.
> 
> | - some kind of a box to hold everything together (likely self-designed out
> | of some very cheap scrap materials)
> | - power source that can drive all these pieces
> | - as little cost as possible
> ---
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