So whats the best box for xbmc?
#1
I was looking at buying the appletv2 when I came across some android boxes but I have no idea which ones the best I've looked at the pios and g-box midnight...What are my other options?
I'm buying one to occasionaly streaming bluray video but mostly watch tv shows and live sports.... I've done some research on stuff like navi-x and devilsports have a lot more to do

Also are the android boxes as stable as apple tv 2?
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#2
get a atv1 instead of 2 its better..
xbmc on Android is still on a very early stage so it's hard to recommend right now.
You could get one of the Acer revo boxes with atom + ion/nvidia - its a bit pricy compared the ones you mentioned but it's a lot better Smile
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#3
(2013-01-24, 13:36)RaggSokk3n Wrote: get a atv1 instead of 2 its better..
xbmc on Android is still on a very early stage so it's hard to recommend right now.
You could get one of the Acer revo boxes with atom + ion/nvidia - its a bit pricy compared the ones you mentioned but it's a lot better Smile

Price isn't an issue at the moment I'm in the research stages right now...I would prefer 1080p

Is the acer revo the best or would HTPC be the best? Is there a top 10 list anywhere of the best boxes out right now?
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#4
There is no such thing as a "best" box, it all depends what you want. For instance, I want low power, zero noise and such a small footprint I can easily mount it on the back of a TV, completely out of sight. I dont care about TrueHD audio but I have an HDMI capable AVR, to decode DTS/AC3, so I switched to a Raspberry Pi. Others may require TrueHD, or SPDIF, or need larger storage, ability to run skins like Aeon Nox, perhaps even do PC gaming. Guess what, they will need a different box.
In general, Android specific issues aside, just about anything you buy now would have no problems decoding 1080p, as long as its not Atom based without ion, you should be fine on that front. Its what else you want the box to be able off that will determine whats "best".
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#5
(2013-01-24, 13:41)derrickrozay Wrote:
(2013-01-24, 13:36)RaggSokk3n Wrote: get a atv1 instead of 2 its better..
xbmc on Android is still on a very early stage so it's hard to recommend right now.
You could get one of the Acer revo boxes with atom + ion/nvidia - its a bit pricy compared the ones you mentioned but it's a lot better Smile

Price isn't an issue at the moment I'm in the research stages right now...I would prefer 1080p

Is the acer revo the best or would HTPC be the best? Is there a top 10 list anywhere of the best boxes out right now?

Unlike the ATV and android devices the Acer Revo is a PC (albeit a small format factor one). As you might gather from above its not particularly powerful for other stuff - its no gaming machine - but it's perfectly capable of 1080p video and runs XBMC very well.
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#6
(2013-01-24, 15:05)Rick P. Wrote:
(2013-01-24, 13:41)derrickrozay Wrote:
(2013-01-24, 13:36)RaggSokk3n Wrote: get a atv1 instead of 2 its better..
xbmc on Android is still on a very early stage so it's hard to recommend right now.
You could get one of the Acer revo boxes with atom + ion/nvidia - its a bit pricy compared the ones you mentioned but it's a lot better Smile

Price isn't an issue at the moment I'm in the research stages right now...I would prefer 1080p

Is the acer revo the best or would HTPC be the best? Is there a top 10 list anywhere of the best boxes out right now?

Unlike the ATV and android devices the Acer Revo is a PC (albeit a small format factor one). As you might gather from above its not particularly powerful for other stuff - its no gaming machine - but it's perfectly capable of 1080p video and runs XBMC very well.

It's got the perfect amount of power for Aeon and 1080p - it also does truehd bit streaming if I remember correctly Smile
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#7
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#8
Thanks for the responses guys read each one

Heres what I need the box for

-Streaming bluray video to the box...Although I could settle for playing bluray off of a usb but ill be streaming tv shows and stuff off my home network
-Watching live sports & UFC PPVs like I mentioned from sportsdevil and navi-x or whatever (still in the researching phase)

No gaming for me...Other than that I just want 1080p output & something thats stable
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#9
(2013-01-24, 20:18)PobjoySpecial Wrote: The Pivos XIOS is probably the most stable at the moment. The ATV2 is at the bottom of the bin for "best box to run XBMC," IMO.

How will you be watching TV shows and live sports? Recorded broadcasts, live stream from a PVR back-end, internet stream?

Agreed, the ATV2 box is not a viable option for XBMC. Works great with PLEX though but XBMC leaves much to be desired. And since they're going for like $175 a piece in the secondary market right now I'd suggest getting something else.
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#10
I'd disagree on the atv2. I have been running one for a while and am very happy. The main limitations are that it's limited to 720 (which is ok for me b/c I use it for one of my smaller tv's) and that its not powerful enough to run skins like Nox.

My first recommendation is to get something with a wired Ethernet port. Streaming 1080 over wireless can be problematic.

I'd suggest the following choices:
-A Raspberry Pi - $35
-A Pivos XIOS running openelec $100
-A pre configured HTPC (Zotac, Foxconn, etc...) $200-300
-A custom build HTPC - $??
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#11
thats interesting. My ATV2 has always struggled with HD video, even 720p. At first I thought it was my wireless connection, but my dedicated HTPC I recently built handles the same files with ease so I knew it was the ATV2.
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#12
hi guys i have been searching everywhere and im stuck!

basically i have a few TB's of films, tv shows and cartoons, i really want to stream it over the wireless network if not ethernet or direct usb will do.

looking for the best options most of my movies are 1080p and 720p

whats best grabbing a net top like revo or lenovo? an ATV1200, apple tv? or a privos

any help would be muchly appreciated!!!!
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#13
(2013-01-24, 13:15)derrickrozay Wrote: I was looking at buying the appletv2 when I came across some android boxes but I have no idea which ones the best I've looked at the pios and g-box midnight...What are my other options?
I'm buying one to occasionaly streaming bluray video but mostly watch tv shows and live sports.... I've done some research on stuff like navi-x and devilsports have a lot more to do

Also are the android boxes as stable as apple tv 2?


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6856102002

Intel NUC

Flawless IMHO. Have one silently mounted behind bedroom tv.

Openelec running perfect with 2.0 intel build and mythbuntu pushing dual ota hd recordings via hdhomerun.
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#14
looks good anythings a bit cheaperHuh
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#15
For live sports TV you need something with good deinterlacing since some of them are 1080i broadcasts. With Intel CPUs I get strange stuttering but dropping an HD5450 into that machine solved it and then I replaced it with a A8-3820. I've found the AMD GPU to be very good for deinterlacing and that's what I have in my living-room HTPC now.
(2013-01-25, 04:59)nostic Wrote: Intel NUC

Flawless IMHO. Have one silently mounted behind bedroom tv.

Openelec running perfect with 2.0 intel build and mythbuntu pushing dual ota hd recordings via hdhomerun.

I'd be very curious to know if you see any weirdness with CBS 1080i NFL games with Windows Media Center with the Intel 4000 HD graphics. Myself (among many others) have seen strange stuttering and combing with Intel HD and Intel 2000 HD. I am wondering if Intel 4000 HD does a better job.
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So whats the best box for xbmc?0