xbmc to tv > best option
#1
hi all,

ive just installed xbmc on a spare android phone had knocking around and i must admit, i dont know why i didnt do it sooner!

now as great as it is, i want something thats easier to navigate as the screens tiny! i would also want it to connect to my tv and dont know what the best way to go about it is,

my options are:

- i have an ipad 2 that i could put xbmc on and then play through my tv with apple tv via airplay?

- buy one of those generic chinese 10 inch android tablets then connect via hdmi

- buy one of those generic chinese android tv boxes

- buy an ouya

- buy some kind of raspberry pi media centre

any info / guidance / help would be appreciated (y)
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#2
Buy a PC. Everything else on that list will be something of a compromise.
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#3
got a pc buddy, looking for a stand alone unit that I can connect to my tv
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#4
The best option is another PC. Hooked up to your TV via HDMI, and plugged into a network.

Keep the Android phone as a remote, so you can control it from anywhere in the house with Yatse.
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#5
What he probably means is something with an x86 processor. A lot of boxes are coming out now that are basically full PCs, but priced and sized very cheap and small. Some, like the new Celeron Intel NUC (wiki) are pretty much in the same price range as many of these ARM (Android, for the most part) based boxes, and are only 4x4 inches big. Somewhere around $160-ish when you add RAM and a good USB drive to boot from.

XBMC being AirPlayed from an iPad to an ATV2/3 works surprisingly well. Instructions here: HOW-TO:Use video output on iOS (wiki)

A Raspberry Pi (wiki), despite being pretty "weak" hardware, is tweaked and refined to be very responsive for it's low specs. It's very usable in a day by day basis for most XBMC tasks in most skins. A Pi can be had for about $35, but add a little bit more if you don't have a spare SD card or micro USB cable laying around, because all you get is the bare board.

An OUYA (wiki) is an excellent little box as well, and is a good value for $100 (or sometimes less if you buy it second hand). I just bought one for $80 on craigslist, because the guy didn't find any good games for it, and it's in great condition. It, and other Android based boxes, have the added benefit of native video applications that you can't get via XBMC, like Netflix, in a remote control friendly format. The controller works okay as a remote, but you can also add one of many inexpensive RF remotes out there via the USB port.

Those are the four options that I would focus on.
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#6
And many many more suggestions here: http://forum.xbmc.org/forumdisplay.php?fid=112
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#7
Ned you absolute legend

will look into that link when i have a spare min

cheers all for the replies
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#8
I bought the android mx2 box hooked to tv via the hdmi works great other than the problems I create this thing works great. looked on amazon and seen the price has more than doubled
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#9
You should buy a MK808B. You can get it on Amazon for about $50. I have one and xbmc runs great on it. It's basically an android phone connected to your TV via HDMI.

Google it.
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