2013-12-20, 12:38
Hiya,
I've got one of those aliexpress 1037u machines - works great! Fanless and quick. One problem - it doesn't suspend but fairly low power usage so just leave it on all the time.
Running openelec off a 16gb msata and it flies.
You'll need an usb ir receiver for it though
Seems pretty reliable. How about getting it all setup just as required then making a backup in openelec, they could restore if problems that cannot be resolved by off/on?
Also give them a usb stick with openelec installer on it.
This way, in the event of something going seriously wrong, you can easily talk them through a complete system rebuild (re-install openelec from the stick then restore config from backup) over the phone?
I've got one of those aliexpress 1037u machines - works great! Fanless and quick. One problem - it doesn't suspend but fairly low power usage so just leave it on all the time.
Running openelec off a 16gb msata and it flies.
You'll need an usb ir receiver for it though
Seems pretty reliable. How about getting it all setup just as required then making a backup in openelec, they could restore if problems that cannot be resolved by off/on?
Also give them a usb stick with openelec installer on it.
This way, in the event of something going seriously wrong, you can easily talk them through a complete system rebuild (re-install openelec from the stick then restore config from backup) over the phone?
(2013-12-18, 13:32)MicroLabrat Wrote: Hi All,
I’ve been an XBMC user for quite some time on a custom HTPC and after the Grandparents witnessed it on their last visit I have been charged with supplying them with something similar.
Distance will prohibit regular assistance from me, so I need hardware which runs XBMC reliably.
It will mainly be used for streaming through youtube and other add ons (via wifi), and perhaps playing content from an external hardrive (via usb).
The budget is $150-$250 (AUD). The cheaper the better, as they are Pensioners and don’t have a lot of money.
Thus far I have considered an OUYA, however I did read that its wireless was a times insufficient and there were also HDMI handshaking issues.
It’s extremely important to have a system that will work reliably over a long period of time, and which won’t be disrupted by updates to XBMC or OUYA’s operating system.
Provided this would work effectively it is the cheaper of the two options I have examined, being $150 AUD (when bought with a keyboard).
The other option I have been considering is an Intel Celeron 1037U based system, with OPENELEC installed. The benefits of having an operating system designed expressly for XBMC, I thought might help with reliability. Also the possibility of creating a recovery partition which could be booted in the event of any software issues, restoring the box to the state in which I gave it to them is appealing from a tech support point of view.
Once all the bits have been added together for that it comes to about $240 AUD. But I am a little hesitant of buying something from AliExpress.
Link: Celeron Option
Having never had personal experience with either type of device, I thought I would ask here.
Any help, would be much appreciated.
Thanks!