room312 Wrote:Unless I missed a thread somewhere, I would think this would get more attention. Maybe because it isn't embedded. Maybe it might get more attention if/when it gets released. I also thought it would get more attention because XBMC is backing the remote, so they might also back this HTPC.
I first looked at the price. $375 + $45 DVD + $38 Remote (They've discounted the remote $22 if you buy it together). I thought this was a little high at first for something that's crossing over the line into "XBMC Appliance", but alas, it isn't. It's still billed as an HTPC and a similarly spec'ed mini-PC would come out to about the same price.
Whatever premium you think you might be paying, you can maybe think you're also buying into their dedicated support. Pulse-Eight is now pressured to be responsible for coming up with resolutions for everything that might go wrong with it. They picked out all the hardware and software. With every other mini-PC manufacturer (Acer Revo, for example), we can't go to them with our XBMC issues and expect them to fix it in a timely manner, especially when they have to worry about Windows XP/Vista/7, everything else that might not work with it, and people being responsible for providing their own hardware. With the OpenELEC HTPC, Pulse-Eight knows exactly what hardware and software they have to support, which should allow them to provide better customer service.
As an aside, I have a Zotac ZBOX. I remember back then when they designed these with XBMC in mind. So Zotac's support for XBMC is apparent, even in their forum, but they still have to worry about other OSs and hardware. Their complete mini-PCs with HDD/RAM doesn't have XBMC as they know their customers aren't necessarily using them as XBMC boxes.
As far as the design, I personally don't care for it as I have all my equipment hidden. But if I had to comment on it, it's not bad. I like the sleek glossy black finish. It reminds me of Western Digital's Elements hard drive line. There's no picture of the bottom, but it looks screwless. Since this wasn't meant to be a modder's box, there shouldn't be any need to open it up. Let's hope Pulse-Eight really gives us no reason to have to open it up.
That angled corner looks inspired by the Acer Revo. I always felt it was unattractive, but it's only a minor point. My ZBOX pales in comparison. Some mini-PCs really look designed for the component cabinet. Some don't. This OpenELEC HTPC comes close but isn't quite there. I'm not sure what it is. Maybe throw in some minimal branding. Parts of it look retro and other parts scream "modern", especially what seems to be a slot-loading optical drive. I'm actually surprised they were able to fit an optical drive in there. I'm guessing/hoping there won't be a slot there if you opt out of the optical drive. Or I suppose they'll just keep it open as an air vent..?
Speaking of cooling, it's unfortunate that they had to include fans in this. It's not surprising though as it's still packing real PC hardware. What I don't see is sufficient venting. I don't see any on the top. I see three long horizontal slits on the rear. One must be for the SD card reader? The other 2 must be for venting. Perhaps there will be vents on the bottom, which isn't the best design. The surface it's sitting on will obviously block that air flow.
I like the design of the rear I/O panel. It has the same feel as the rear of the Apple TV 2. I do have certain criticisms though. From the looks of it, there's going to be some sort of power brick. I always disliked those things as they're inconvenient to replace. If they really wanted this to be more of an appliance, I'd rather pay a little more to have the device be a little larger and accommodate a standard power interface where the power cords are a dime-a-dozen at any thrift store.
I'm a little surprised as to the ports the decided to include. I'd throw out the Firewire, Mini-DisplayPort, microphone, and maybe speaker. I'd replace these with DVI and/or component video/RCA audio, as these A/V outputs would have been more commonly used. At least one of the USB ports should be in the front. Maybe one USB port should have the remote RF receiver built-in. They should have made it internal WiFi if they wanted to include WiFi at all. I never found WiFi reliable for 1080p streaming.
I think Pulse-Eight is definitely on the right track here. We already have a plethora of this form factor. The case just needs some minor tweaks and we need appropriate outputs if we want to get this into as many living rooms as possible. This has the makings for the first real XBMC box (well, 2nd if we're including the box that start it all - Xbox). There actually are other manufacturers selling XBMC HTPCs, but they don't come in this form factor. Correct me if I'm wrong. If we can't get an appropriate mini-PC, we might have to wait for embedded after all.
Hi,
Thanks for all the comments, basically just to set the record straight, I found a manufacturer of this existing hardware, its not built for us, but the hardware is generic enough that it means it should work on pretty much any linux flavor you like.
If you wan't to put anything but the OpenELEC distro that Pulse-Eight supplies then the only support you will get is with the hardware (but I will try to help where I can by hosting any compatible drivers etc)
I will post some interior shots of the case, (the one's I have are from the manufacturer), the HDD is a standard 2.5", the target audience is new users, offering them an entire solution, whereby they can store content on the device along side the actual 'appliance/installation' seems to me to be a win, considering the cost and complexity of having to get users to shell out for an additional item before they can use it.
Yes it will be an external power brick, they are relatively cheap, also housing the power outside reduces the cooling requirements and as such the size and cost, your comment about the power cable I think is muted, because you can get replacements for less than $10 at a radio shack.
It's not perfect, but I haven't found anything else that really can compete in terms of features and functionality that come in at the same price point, unless you roll your own, and for that, i've put up a case that isnt that much bigger but will take standard components.
M