My little in-car XBMC/Android tablet project
#1
Hello All,

I've made a little movie about an in-car XBMC project: http://youtu.be/-N4ZiAhZV88

I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in XBMC, i have been a fan since XBOX1 days.
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#2
Just checked it out and I like it. Asked on your youtube page but figured I may get a faster response here. Are those video files SD 720 or 1080 (don't follow the android stuff much at the moment). Are there wireless headphone options for those tablets? That may be a bit too noisy for the driver. Do you think the wireless could handle a third client? I have 3 kids now. Thanks
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#3
Nice! I remember the days when people would rig up a mini-ITX system in an automotive case (basically a giant heat sink), place it in the trunk and then snake a cable back into the passenger compartment to the LCD display. Using the Nexus 7 tablets with WiFi to the media storage device makes it much simpler and allows for independent viewing/listening. It's a well thought out and implemented project. And being able to control what your kids are watching via your iPad is pure evil! Devil Thanks for sharing this with us.
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#4
Hi Slithers,

Thanks.

Well there is a headphone jack that works just like any other headphone jack.. the speakers will mute. Bluetooth is supported by the Nexus 7, but honestly I never tested a Bluetooth headset so I can't tell you if it is a viable option yes or no.

I deliberately selected 1080p movies for my tests and they are playing well, however it all depends on what format you are playing. For example: a 9 GB mkv is not a problem, but a 50 GB Blu-ray iso or mts file will probably not work, even though they are both 1080p (not counting differences in audio stream differences of course).

The way I look at it, if you can download the move across the Wi-Fi in a shorter time than the length of the movie, then streaming is not a problem.

When it comes to kid #3... tough one... a dual band router has the added benefit that you can let one Nexus connect to 2.4 Ghz instead of 5 Ghz, but the big question is: can the USB drive or the USB port handle the load of three destinations streaming HD content?
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#5
How did you spend to realize all this? In total?

I would like to have something similar.. (maybe with cheap android tablets for the kids)
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#6
That's very cool. My kids are a little old for long family trips these days, but this would have been great 5 years ago!
If I have helped you or increased your knowledge, click the 'thumbs up' button to give thanks :) (People with less than 20 posts won't see the "thumbs up" button.)
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#7
I am so tempted to turn my raspberry pi in and put a setup like this together.

So much cleaner
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#8
Great idea and (relatively) simple setup !
I like it !
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#9
Hey Skank,

Sorry for the late reply, it has been busy.

Anywas here is the full list:

$ 458 - 2x Google Nexus 7's (2013)
$ 33 - 1x Hama 4.2A USB car charger
$ 22 - 1x Various cables and connectors
$ 80 - 2x iGrip Universal tablet holders
$ 46 - 2x JVC HA-S600-A-E over-ear headsets
$ 75 - 1x TP-Link WDR3600 N600 wireless dual band router

Ive converted most prices from euros to dollars... We pay a lot of taxes here in The Netherlands, im pretty sure most items are cheaper in the states. From the list above the only items that i actually bough in the US are the Nexus 7's.

The USB harddrive i already had and the ipad in the video is optional, they are not listed.
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#10
Very nice and practical setup.

I always wondered if there was a way around the kids having to watch the same movie at the same time.

Well done.

Ive bookmarked this page so i can refer to it when i try this out soon.

Edit: Just a quick question SKiNNiEH, would any wireless router with a usb port do the job or is there any minimum criteria that has to be met regarding the type of router? Thanks.
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#11
Well, I am now thinking of buying this instead:
http://www.seagate.com/gb/en/external-ha...less-plus/

Just put that drive somewhere in the back of the car and not even switching off the ignition will stop it from sending out a signal.. at least, until the battery wears out.
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#12
I've got the older, Seagate satellite pro, wifi HDD and with the hacked software it works great with XBMC on my iPad min to give a truly portable experience.

Will have to get a write up on here soon, along with my living room setup.
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#13
Cool setup, and quite simple. I will pursue this myself. what remote where you using on the ipad?
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#14
Hello again!

OK. I have been able to test the Seagate Wireless Plus today and here is the hard truth: it doesn't have the horsepower. The W+ is a nice little harddisk and it does have potential. Out of the box it is built to only work properly with the apps from Seagate and will only stream mp4 format. I have actually bought the custom firmware from http://hackseagatesatellite.com which gives you the ability to use the W+ the same way as I have been doing with the TP-Link and separate USB HD. Which is sharing through SMB. It DOES work, but sadly it lacks the throughput that I need to run two HD streams to two separate nexus's. It starts to buffer on both devices and supposedly one 720p stream will work fine, but anything more is bound to be problematic... which I can confirm... one single 1080p stream is choppy.

The TP-Link method can handle two 1080p streams (10 Gig movie) simultaneously and no hick-ups. TP-Link is the winner still, for me.

My next test is to buy a 12v battery pack like the one in the link below, connected to the TP-Link and have it charge at the same time via a cigarette lighter. When I turn off the car, the TP-Link "should" then still function on the battery, allowing the kids to watch their movies without interruption. Possibly the TP-Link is able to run all day on just battery power alone, but I like to have it charge whenever possible.

http://www.ebay.nl/itm/DC-12V-Super-Rech...1191951954
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#15
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(2014-05-29, 21:26)SKiNNiEH Wrote: http://www.ebay.nl/itm/DC-12V-Super-Rech...1191951954

I wouldn't charge this one on the cigarette lighter.

Your car will have no constant voltage. It will be between 11 and 14V so it will likely kill this battery pack, unless you are using an additional 12DC to 12V DC converter.
And killing the battery pack means it can explode!

What you want is a small Gel or AGM battery. http://www.varta-automotive.com/en-gb/pr...ports/gel/
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