Posts: 6
Joined: Nov 2012
Reputation:
0
For the last seven years or so, I've had multiple original XBOX consoles in my house whose sole purpose in life has been to stream video from my linux box's samba shares. But now that .mp4s and .mkvs are becoming more prevalent (and since I finally got a new TV), the old XBOXs have since been retired and I've tried my best to deal with Google TV but it's extremely painful and I love XBMC.
So I'm looking for a new device that won't be too expensive or complicated for the wife to operate that I can install XBMC on. Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm thinking I might go the craigslisted Apple TV 2 route but I'd love to hear other recommendations.
Thanks in advance!
Posts: 189
Joined: Nov 2009
Reputation:
1
ATV2 prices have obviously skyrocketed since the ATV3 replaced it (and the ATV3's lack of a jailbreak), demanding anywhere from 50% - 150% premium over the MSRP. I've decided that old tricks are the best tricks when it comes to cheap XBMC clients... off lease and recycled business-oriented desktop and SFF desktop PCs from the likes of Dell, HP, etc. If you know what models to look for, you can often times find a P4 w/ 1gb+ RAM, 40gb+ HDD, and a PCI-e slot (for HDMI video card capable of hardware decoding) for $30-$50. If you're really lucky you can occasionally find a Pentium D or C2D with 2gb+ RAM, 80gb+ HDD, DVI output, in the same price range and possibly not even need an additional video card. If necessary, add an inexpensive graphics card like a GeForce 210 for ~$20 and an IR receiver/remote for around $10 and you're ready to go. Also, don't be afraid of many of these PCs that don't include an HDD (either removed as a failure or for data security by the IT department recycling it) since you can easily throw OpenElec on a small USB stick.
For instance, just yesterday I picked up for $30 a Dell Dimension 4700c SFF PC with:
- 3.2 GHz P4 HT CPU
- 2gb DDR2 memory
- 250gb SATA2 HDD
- On-board external optical SPDIF jack (helpful since I'll be connecting to a non-HDMI AVR)
This was a local find on Craigslist... asking $50, offered $30, he bit. Since this will be going on a screen with an older non-HDMI AVR I was lucky the PC had an optical SPDIF output for the audio connection. To finish it out as a functioning 1080p capable XBMC client I'll be adding:
- OEM Acer NVIDIA G100 graphics card (HDMI, no on-board audio) - $9
- Rosewill USB IR Receiver - $0 (on-hand)
- Logitech Harmony 650 remote - $0 (already in-use in this room)
So, I have a fully functioning XBMC client for only $39. If I hadn't already had the IR receiver, the total would jump to $52 assuming I picked up an HP MCE IR receiver from eBay. If I'd needed HDMI audio, the total would have jumped further to $63 assuming a $20 GT210 video card instead of the $9 G100. I'll probably even rob the 250gb SATA HDD and use it for something else, while running OpenElec from a USB stick for XBMC.
There are obviously a few downsides to going this route. The four main cons I see are:
- Size: most of these PCs are larger and possibly harder to keep out-of-sight compared to something like an ATV2 or mini-ITX.
- Noise: most of these PCs will have fans that will generate some noise.
- Heat: these aren't exactly low-power consumption PCs, so there will be heat that needs to be dissipated.
- Reliability: most of these PCs are 4-5+ years old, these is no warranty, and certain models are notorious for blowing capacitors.
If you can work around these downsides you can save quite a bit of money compared to the $150-$200 you'll pay for an ATV2 or the $300+ for a capable mini-ITX PC (either built or off-the-shelf). The PC I described above is fairly small and looks at-home in a cabinet with other Home Theater equipment. The cabinet placement also helps hide the noise generated, but does make heat dissipation a concern that needs some additional attention. I setup a pair of USB-powered laptop cooling fans to draw air/heat out of the back of the cabinet.. they only power-on when the PC comes out of S3 sleep and are not really audible at the seating positions, and barely so if standing beside the cabinet. Regardless, these are the primary concerns you'll need to consider before going this route... one or more could rule out this type of build depending on your specific needs.
I was tempted to put power consumption as a negative, but I'm looking at these boxes for use as XBMC clients and assuming properly configured S3 sleep when not in use. If you're doubling up on one of these machines as a server or for other always-on tasks, you may want to consider the power consumption involved.
Anyway, this is one potential alternative to the AppleTV 2 that can result in a fully-functional XBMC client for anywhere from $30 - $75 each depending on a few factors and what parts you already have on hand. It's not for everyone, but should be considered if you're looking for the cheapest possible clients, you can work around the cons listed above, and you aren't scared off by some older hardware.
Posts: 6
Joined: Nov 2012
Reputation:
0
Thanks, IsleOfMan! Actually, now that you said that, I went down to the basement and dug up an old Shuttle SB61G2 and here are its specs:
- Pentium Celeron D 2.8GHz CPU
- 1GB PC3200 mem
- 200GB SATA HDD
Is this enough to stream 1080p video? Looks like upgrading the mem to 2GB is a $39 from newegg. Are these the other things that I'd need?
- GeForce 210 graphics card ($27.50)
- Logitech Harmony 650 remote ($35)
- HP TSGI IR01 IR receiver (does this work in linux?) ($11)
Is it easiest to go with a XBMCbuntu install?
Thanks again!
Posts: 6
Joined: Nov 2012
Reputation:
0
Thanks for the reply. That Shuttle is definitely pretty old but are you saying that even with its Celeron D proc and lack of PCI-e slots, with that PCI GeForce 8400, it still might be able to stream 1080p? Or do I just need to start looking for something that's at least a Core 2 Duo? Sorry for the questions; just trying to get it right the first time.
Thanks again!
Posts: 189
Joined: Nov 2009
Reputation:
1
With a graphics card capable of hardware decoding 1080p content, the bulk of the heavy lifting for video playback is handled by the video card and not the PC. That leaves the PC to handle the GUI (some major parts of which are handled by the graphics card too), audio decoding, networking, etc. With a PCI GeForce 8400 or similar, that old Shuttle should be quite capable. The Celeron D is on the same page as the P4 I'm using, maybe with a bit less cache. There are people running XBMC successfully on old 800 mHz P3 PCs with GeForce 8400 PCI cards, so I think you'll be fine.
Do you need audio output over HDMI? If so, I think the GeForce 8400 lacks on-board HDMI audio and requires a SPDIF cable to go take audio from a header on the Motherboard to the video card. Your board more than likely has one, but it may be being used by the external TOSLINK output... you can always disable that and redirect it to the Video Card if you need HDMI... I doubt you would need both at the same time. If you don't need HDMI audio, just use the TOSLINK if you're going to an AVR or analog if you're going directly to a TV.
Posts: 189
Joined: Nov 2009
Reputation:
1
Yes, the white 3-pin plug on the Video Card is the SPDIF input. You'll need a cable to connect it to the SPDIF Header on the motherboard which is LIKELY already connected to the TOSLINK output on the back of the case. You'll need to take a look at the connectors on each (mobo and video card) and find the appropriate cable. Good luck!
