G+_John Mink Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 Media Center Recommendations: I'm trying to find a good solution to my Home Theater setup. I already have a PC which works great, but it's kinda a pain to turn on & I don't wanna leave it running 24/7. If I want something small & simple (and always on) to play stuff from my server (I have DLNA setup, and no, i'm not moving the server to my TV) or stream from TWiT or YouTube videos? I'd do raspberry pi but I want 1080p & not be potentially limited by computing power. Is there a cheap device (like one of those Android based Thumb drives) or maybe a Roku/Google TV type thing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Dan Phillips Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 A Roku would work and it was I would suggest for those that want something "cheap". I'm not sure how they handle DLNA so someone else chime in if you want. I personally spent $300 three years ago an Acer Revo 3610 and run XBMC on it. Other suggestions would be a Zotac box or an AD10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_John Mink Posted March 8, 2013 Author Share Posted March 8, 2013 Seems so weird that Roku wouldn't be able to do DLNA, but weirder things have been known to happen. I was trying to avoid the HTPC since it seems like overkill in my case as I have my gaming rig connected to the TV, but maybe it's what I need? What about one of those android computers that's the size of a thumb drive (or possibly a bigger form factor)? I'd use an old phone but the HDMI on it is dead....so... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Dan Phillips Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 HTPC's are not as big as you think. My Revo is smaller than a Wii and since I use a bluetooth remove, it's hidden out of site. HTPC are also quiet (I can only hear it when it turns on) and use very little wattage so they can be left on 24/7. I'd give Android another few years. Google TV is not great and things like XBMC for Android are in the early beta stages. Great if you want to hack around but frustrating if you want something that "just works" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Sal Calfa Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 I have been running an acer revo 3610 since it came out 3 years ago and it has been on 24/7 also have an hauppauge her -1950 tv tuner to get over the air show and with windows media center doe all my dmvr stuff. I also have a roku 2xs and just ordered the roku 3 I amsurem ther are better solutions but this has been mine for the past 3 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Ronald Kurr Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 I've used both an Acer Revo and the Raspberry Pi to run XBMC and I prefer the Pi. What is really nice is that the Pi can handle 1080p content -- I have converted our Blu-Ray movies to H.264 using Handbrake and things look great. For $35 you really can't go wrong trying out the Pi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Sal Calfa Posted March 9, 2013 Share Posted March 9, 2013 Yes I saw the TWIT cast with XBMC do you know if it supports tv tuners on raspberry pi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Alex Knutson-Smisek Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 Sal Calfa the raspberry pi with xbmc would support a tuner that shared the signal over the network like the hd homerun. I would also assume that it would be able to use a usb tuner but I haven't tried this myself Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_John Mink Posted March 20, 2013 Author Share Posted March 20, 2013 Ronald Kurr I thought Iyaz said something about having some problems with the raspberry pi on 1080p, but it's good to know that I (probably) misunderstood that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_John Mink Posted March 20, 2013 Author Share Posted March 20, 2013 My temporary solution is to just hook my phone up to my TV as I just discovered that my old HDMI cable was dead, not the HDMI-out on my phone. I suspect i'll find a more eloquent solution in the future, but I've got a tablet (TF700T) so I can use that for DLNA control & I also have a full desktop hooked up if I need more power (or a real OS). Now, I just need to figure out what I can do with my tablet & phone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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