I've been waiting for a small HTPC box to arrive with 4k@60hz .
$605 down to $484 with code delivered in AU. Why wait a few months for the intel 7th Gen NUC's i5 when you can get it now and cheaper.
I thought it was worth sharing those hanging out for the new NUC Gen 7 boxes.
Use code CSUNNY20 for 20% off
Ends 15th Jan.
Original 20% off at Selected Stores on eBay Deal Posts: CSITE20 & CSUNNY20
yeah I better give clearer instructions! bare with me!
Anyone make something like this with a tvtuner built in for kodi?
Have never seen any with a built in tuner, would take up more space I suppose. Getting one or two of those PS3 PlayTVs with the dual tuner would probably be the best route
i use xbox at the moment for TV but i would prefer to put it through kodi so I only have one machine on at a time.. and was thinking that I should downsize my htpc at the same time as it is over kill for these days and takes up so much room..
Guess I'll have to look at external solutions for tuner..
Believe it or not I had a Toshiba laptop with a tv tuner built in. All I had to do was plug in your normal set of rabbit ears antenna and I was good to go.
That was until Windows pulled the plug on Media Centre…
I am looking to have a PC to act as NVR and if possible NAS. I was thinking to purchase an old laptop 3rd or 4th gen i5. this seems like a good choice.
Anyone used these small beasts? How much power they use?
if you need nas then use nas… i dont have proof but i suspect laptops will break very soon if you turn it on 24/7
NVR is first operation and NAS second. Used thinkpads in the past and they worked fine for 3-4 years.
OP, there were only 9 quantities available for this and it does not meet the requirements for posting a deal on OZB.
Anyone run Foxtel Go (not play) on one of these?
That's some overkill for a HTPC! I mean, I wouldn't say no to one but yeah
True. I5 will be sufficient for HTPC. These ones might be more suited as office workstations or pc alternative hidden behind monitor.
Even the celeron ones are great as HTPCs once you get a good build of Kodi with hardware acceleration running. The only thing they can't decode properly is x265 10bit but that tends to wipe out a bunch of detail anyway
Sorry, didnt realise you will give negg on overkill for HTPC. As I said above, it can be used for multiple purposes. Also bear in mind these are power saving dual cores and not same compared to i5 from prevous gens. Much like full version i3.
You could have done it for quantities which is less than 10 and does not meet the posting guidelines.
@Gaggy: didn't realise people took negs so seriously lol. I initially did it because as a HTPC this definitely isn't a bargain in my eyes. As a multi-purpose machine I can see it but for a straight up HTPC I'd just buy an Android box for under $150 and wait until 4k/HEVC etc is out of its infancy and prices come down on that hardware.
Apparently I'm cheaper than most!
@hambuger: Its ok. I think it is a good price compared to NUC similar version and I saw earlier on mWave which has title: MSI CUBI 2-016AU Barebone Mini-PC - Intel 7th Gen Kabylake Core i5 and costs $529 ( no stock though).
Looks like PC Byte realised that more people search for HTPC and posted it like that.
BTW, I didnt negg you :)
Edit: Wanted to say i3 will be sufficient.
I currently own a NUC 5th Gen with i3 processor. Whilst it does an OK job, those looking for a smoother operation feel to the setup, I personally think i5 especially when planning on running your desktop at 4k res. However its a choice and depends the persons budget. Ozbarginers arent just Core i3 purchasers, they can afford i5's and i7's.
The point of the post was to pass savings onto the Ozbarginer those searching for an i5 not i3.
Your response also implies that 50" Hisense TV will be sufficient over a 50" Sony TV. Would you neg all Sony Tv posts because its overkill?
Not so much of an overkill if you connect it to a 4K TV at native res in Windows.
The N3050 can do it, even on Windows
While running multiple chrome tabs/ etc. It can't.
@hambuger: I watch content through chrome so really depends what you want out of a HTPC. Back in the days when you just had video files to play, there are a lot more streaming options now like Netflix/Hulu/TV Station streaming etc etc. Using a browser to view media is a reasonable assumption.
@OnlinePred: True. That'll work on anything. I just see "HTPC" and think dedicated player instead of a multifunction thing but I guess I've been wallowing in the Kodi community for too long!
@hambuger: I use Kodi on my elementary os machine which is an old i5 with 4gb ram and a 128gb ssd. I have all my content on shared drive elsewhere, but also have netflix/stan/hulu/amazon/ which I could use apps for but the browser handles it very well and no need to update apps etc.
I used to have an old celeron as my HTPC running ubuntu with kodi, but it struggled when playing full hd videos through a browser.
@OnlinePred: Intel Processors after 2011 do hardware decoding of the videos which might take some stress out of GPU and new Celerons can handle them better.
@Gaggy: Yea just not enough CPU grunt to power many tabs of chrome with FULL HD video is the issue. Mostly down to poorly coded websites/browser hehe ;-)
You may be correct about the overspec, but it's not really a valid reason for a neg though…
I negged because as a HTPC it isn't a bargain.
I presume that as it's essentially a NUC, that a HTPC isn't the only use for it?
I would get it if it had optical out options. Even if its optical 3.5mm like the macbooks.
Search for "HDMI audio extractor" on eBay and you'll get your optical
Best thing about a small form factor NUC is the size and plug and play. If you decided to use splitter etc you could have many other options. Doesnt have to be a NUC, if you know what i mean
Hi Guys, would you recommend this over the current available NUCs for HTPC?
I just purchased the NUC6i3SYH and it is being shipped as we speak. But maybe I should sell it when it comes and get this one instead.
Do you guys recommend this Cubi 2 over the NUC mainly for HTPC hooked up to my TV?
If you're running OpenELEC or LibreELEC on either you won't notice a difference. CPU doesn't matter too much when it comes to HTPC, most video decoding is done by the GPU which handles it easily. I used an old Pentium 4 with a $40 video card capable of decoding 1080p for like 5 years, it was fine. Currently using a NUC5CPYH which itself is overkill at $160.
I don't really see this as a "bargain" HTPC, at least not standalone.
That old HTPC would die in the arse with HEVC and 4K at 60Hz is just not possible.
Well yeah, but HEVC is crap. The only reason I upgraded from that box is the physical space. By 60hz do you mean 60fps?
Yes 60hz is essentially 60fps, it's the sync speed between your GPU and monitor, to achieve this via HDMI you need HDMI 2.0 as HDMI 1.x does not have enough bandwidth to output 4K at 60Hz and is the issue with many HTPC and older GPU's…
Ah, didn't know it was that restricted. Like you can pass 1080p over VGA at 60hz. I thought the other guy was referring to 4k videos at 60fps and was prepared to say that movies ain't at 60fps so it shouldn't matter. Today I learnt something new about HDMI!
I don't think they can pass HD audio, Atmos etc
my intel nuc n2820 with openelec can pass HDaudio including atmos to onkyo nr3030.
Yes that's true, but windows wont
That's a problem with Windows 10 apparently, a bug somewhere. People have reported it working fine via WASAPI on 7 & 8. The only real reason to install Windows on something used as a HTPC is Netflix. Can't think of anything else Windows can do that linux can't
Sure is, although my NUC is not gathering dust, moved / upgraded??? to the Odroid C2 using OpenPHT.
You have to tell the software to pass audio through, not to decode. My htpc passes Dolby HD through fine.
Where do you see HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2 in the specs?
It doesn't but it does say it supports 4K at 60Hz.
I think it is HDMI 1.4a and DP 1.2. Not sure how it will do 4k from HDMI. Will it?
Very interesting, I also can't find any confirmation it supports HDMI 2.0 on the MSI website either… I have a feeling as there is no mention of HDMI 2.0 it might not have it as surely they would know thats what people are looking for and would have included it in the specifications if it was included? You could use the Displayport for 4K 60hz but most TV's don't have DP so might wait for confirmation…
Thanks for sharing the link of this unit though!
Have a look at the Picture with the couple sitting on the couch.
Says 3840x2160 @ 60hz (4k)
Intels kaby Lake 7th Gen comes with HDCP 2.2
Dont you require HDMI 2.0 for 60 Hz 4k?
Yes you do required HDMI 2.0 for 60hz at 4K… You can always use the DisplayPort but most TV's don't have this port/option.
Agree 100% with you and it's my thought process as well, I'm just very supprised they did not say HDMI 2.0 as it's a selling feature many are after in the HTPC market… They list the USB ports very well but the display ports are lacking detail… I'm sure being 7th gen processor it should be HDMI 2.0 as you say it's included with this CPU now but I'm always a little worried when details are missing as I've been burnt in the past but it does look like a possible oversight from the marketing team and website team I'm thinking…
7th Gen does not have native HDMI 2 but Intel added it to the latest NUCs announced a few days ago via a DisplayPort thingee.
http://www.intel.com.au/content/www/au/en/nuc/products-overv…
Good enough.
Yea, MSI went to each detail of usb3 or 3.1 or type C and totally skipped HDMI section. Looks like they think users wont notice for 30 Hz 4k and as it is possible only via DP without HDMI 2.
MSI has a curtain to hide behind when someone fudge saying it is possible only via DP.
MSI site does not mention HDMI is 2.0 in the specs.
And, Anandtech said it is HDMI 1.4b
1x mini-Display Port 1.2 (3840x2160 @ 60 Hz)
1x HDMI 1.4b (4096x2160 @ 24 Hz)
@O O: Yea.Anandtech is a very reliable source. But they reviewed a slightly diff. model. But I am sure it is still HDMI1.4a else they would mention it everywhere.
Until confirmed, OP will need to remove HDMI2 from product description.
Can someone send me a PM and explain to me what these machines are used/good for exactly?
Why should someone opt to get something like this over lets say a Nvidia Sheild TV?
Appreciate it!
If you are looking for movies/music on your tv, and already have a pc/nas/hdd that you use to store the media, then the shield is the better option.
OP is vague on how these will be used.
Is it intended as a Kodi box via LibreElec?
Or are you going to install Win-10 for Netflix UHD? (looking even less of a bargain)
Where would you get 4K media?
And do we really need HDMI2.0 for a HTPC? In theory, HDMI-1 can do 4K 24Hz for movies, but does that work in practice?
The op should just take 'HTPC' out of the title and let people decide whether it is a bargain or not for a NUC clone. I own a 6i5 NUC and use it as a PC and as a HTPC but paid about a thousand for it once you add all the components (16G RAM/fast SSD etc). Overkill for a HTPC maybe but its also running great as a PC on my desk taking up minimal work space and am very happy with it.
I've been looking into something like this for HTPC, I need something that can handle anime smoothly (10-bit, x265 etc) but I was also wondering about emulation too, what could something at this level be able to handle?
waiting someone to comment "but i saw price of $605…"