What would be the best way of running XBMC on a wall mounted tv? I have tried to purchase a small Android HDMI stick in the past, however it constantly crashes and is very unreliable.
I basically need something small enough that it can be hidden behind the tv, and doesn't require any bulky power packs, etc.
Thanks!
I've had a look at the Raspberry Pi, and to be honest it seems really confusing. The Minix range seem to be pretty interesting http://www.minix.com.hk/Products/MINIX-NEOSeries.htm
Although, they are around the $100 mark.
I use XBMC on my Minix Neo G4… No issues whatsoever.
A NUC mini PC
I did a quick google for them, but they seem a bit pricey/over the top for what I'm looking for. Thanks for the suggestion though
Can you install Linux onto your Android MiniPC?
I've had a quick look on some forums/google and there is nothing specific to the device I have (MK809II) AND the instructions seem so complicated/lacking that I would prob screw it up.
Worth a crack.. if you're not using it anyway cause it's unstable you only have time to lose.
Also worth trying a higher quality, higher amperage power supply with it to ensure that's not the problem and/or drilling some holes in the case to ventilate it better if it feels hot to touch.
My Android TV stick MK808b is perfectly stable. Although I find XBMC for Android unstable.
Chromecast(if you can get your hands on one cheap in AUS) and Plex
Plex for chromecast you still have to pay for, but all the paid features eventually become free
Do you know where they might be on sale in AU? Also - is there any way to get XBMC on it? I've got my eye on a few plug ins that I'm not sure are available on Plex.
+1 for chromecast and plex. Bought my chromecast from fishpond.
all the paid features eventually become free
What does that mean?
At the moment 'casting' the Plex library to a Chromecast is only available to people signed up for Plex Pass. At some point this feature will become available to those who don't subscribe to that and just use the free service.
As of 13 Mar 2014, Chromecast support is free to everyone. Go enjoy! But IMHO the Plex Pass is worth the few dollars a month it costs to help support the (rapid) development of Plex Server.
https://blog.plex.tv/2014/03/13/chromecast-free-everyone-gre…
I have a old small form factor pc that I don't use anymore running XBMC over ubuntu next to my TV. Bought a xbox media centre remote off ebay for less than $10 delivered and voila, my TV is now plays media off my PC shares.
Best looking, no. Most cost effective, yes. :)
Raspberry Pi, no question.
There's lots of support, multiple solutions, and the ARM chip on it was designed for set top boxes. Only trick is to make sure you get a good PSU to go with it.
+1 for the nuc.. check out http://www.shoppingexpress.com.au/buy/intel-nuc-celeron-n282…
better solution for long term imo…
+1 to this. Offers flexibility and you can upgrade the software or change what it is running really easily.
There have been some good specials on ozbargain recently for them.
I've got a Roku 3 + Plex (Roku channel & server) on a FreeNAS and I can't praise it enough. The Roku is about $95 USD on Amazon.
Not the cheapest but i bought a Zotac ZBox, second hand from ebay. It has a nvidia GT520M videocard inbuilt, which will let you decode video up to 720p and a few(very few) 1080p movies. It has a Atom processor, which there is a build for( I use OpenELEC-ION.x86_64, works perfectly )
I did use RaspberryPi before the Zbox, but i found the cpu was not fast enough to decode all videos i download, the zbox hasn't missed a beat, plays everything(720p and below at least)
Curious as to what you found your raspi not powerful enough to play? I can play 1080p movies on mine quite happily..
Here are some options that I have been closely watching:
http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/nuc/overview.html
http://www.minix.com.hk/Products/MINIX-NEOSeries.htm
http://www.pivosgroup.com/xios.html
http://cubox-i.com/
http://matricom.net/products/g-box-midnight-mx2/
http://www.cloudsto.com/mk902-pc.html
http://www.geniatech.com/pa/atv1800.asp
Currently using Raspberry Pi (512 MB) with RaspBMC. Quite happy, except that it stutters at times if you play 1080P with 5.1 AAC. AC3 works fine though. I believe it is because xbmc coverts AAC to AC3 at run time as most home theater receivers can't decode it. It even played smoothly a 6.5GB 1080P BRRIP with DTS!
The flexibility of playing/doing anything + ongoing support for new formats/features is something missing in dedicated media players like WD Live, Asus etc. I wish they soon add a browser with flash support to XBMC soon :)
To be honest I am leaning towards the Minix products at the moment, they're not too pricey and apparently have their own version of XBMC which runs well on their devices.
I know you want something small and easy but imo to get the best out of XBMC you shd put together a proper HTPC - totally customisable to your needs then.
Check out Whirlpool http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum/126?&g=187 where they have a large number of threads on this topic
highly recommend a Rasperry Pi, with raspbmc. It takes a few minutes to install.
You can control it with your android/iphone/ipad which is a big plus.
Also, There is a free add on for australian catch up tv. Tonnes of free add ons.
Sounds interesting.. do you think you could link me with a place to buy it from? I've tried to have a loot but I get confused with what I actually need (Do I need a case? Is wifi included?)
Raspberry Pi Model B with 8GB Micro SD Card Bundle
http://au.element14.com/raspberry-pi/raspberry-pi-8gb-usd/sb…
Above has - Raspberry Pi Model B 512MB + 8GB Micro SD Card Pre Loaded with NOOBS (Installer with diff OS bundled, select RaspBMC (or OpenElec) for media player use)
Add
ENCLOSURE, RASPBERRY PI, CLEAR (or whatever color you want). Optional, but better to keep it clean and good-looking. I have heard of ppl using Lego blocks to build a case.
Don't forget to get a 2A USB power hub + micro usb cable (like phone's) - perhaps cheaper in ebay
I would suggest wired over wireless. You need to get a USB wifi adapter else. Eg: TP-Link, $10 on ebay.
Keep a USB keyboard handy to setup initially. You can later use an air mouse or Android remote control app. I got a Mele Air Mouse which has keyboard on one side.
Hope you have an HDMI cable with you already!
Thanks for taking the time to give me a run-down of what I'll need. I've searched eBay and found the following, do you think these will work okay?
Raspberry Pi Model B w/8GB MicroSD Card Bundle $49.50
Clear Case $3.30
TP-Link Wifi Adapter $9.95
2A Power Supply $7.99
Also - regarding the wifi adapter, is it worth spending a little more on something with a better range? I need the wifi to be reliable as I will be streaming videos a lot. I already have a micro usb cable and HDMI cable, although I might buy some more to have around the house.
Thanks again!
using tp link that cost me $7-8 from ebay - works fine in a 2bedroom unit in my bedroom where the router is in the living room
I used a Raspberry Pi for a while. Got annoyed with the YouTube plugin continually failing whenever YouTube updated something. However, it was faster and more stable than the WD TV Live I bought to replace it. But at least YouTube works on that.
Jailbreak an Apple TV, have that running in another room and use a belkin screencast av4 to wirelessly watch your xbmc goodness.
Apple tv 2's are all but impossible to find these days…and you cant jailbreak a ATV3
Rather than give a straight answer you need to look into your requirements a bit more… where's the media being played from, for example? If you already have a NAS on your network somewhere then an Android stick or Pi would be easy enough. If you have the data on a USB drive then again a Pi would be enough for you to just plug it into. If you want local storage with redundancy (RAID) then you'd want a little PC or even a microserver (my N40L runs as a NAS and has XBMC on for local playback on my TV). If you have a little home server holding the media then you could install Plex Media Server on that and just use a Chromecast to receive the playback on your TV instead of XBMC.
Lots of options but making a decision needs other factors considering really.
how to stream xbmc running of n40l to my bedroom tv ?
Does it have to be XBMC?
Just an idea… (if u have a samsung based smarttv)..
For one of our clients.. We've been running a PlexServer & accessing its contents on a few locations via either a SAMSUNG SmartTV or a Samsung BD-F6500 with its PlexClient support. Works flawlessly. If you have SmartTv with dlna support u can also access the plexservers content via that (but works best using the samsung PlexClient)..
..just an alternative to xbmc..
I am using a RaspberryPi with OpenELEC distro. However I find that crashes are not an uncommon occurance and its reliability is not as good as I would like it ideally