Kodi recommendations

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timmmay

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#1850199 22-Aug-2017 10:22

Bit ugly to have a nice little media player, plus potentially a USB hub then a USB to ethernet adapter. I guess the main reason for USB on the Pi is for a remote and maybe a keyboard, so maybe not needed. WiFi might be ok for most people.

reven

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#1850211 22-Aug-2017 10:42

i just attached my mibox to the wall behind the tv, dont even see anything.

rscole86

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#1850215 22-Aug-2017 10:45

You could try usb hub/rj45 all in one like this, that would help tidy it up a bit. But mine is hidden so it does not really both me having both a usb hub and the rj45 adapter.

Blanch

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#1850217 22-Aug-2017 10:49

reven:

i just attached my mibox to the wall behind the tv, dont even see anything.

Yep, I just use the hot glue gun and attach to the unit.

Wiggum

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#1850227 22-Aug-2017 11:19

rscole86:

You could try usb hub/rj45 all in one like this, that would help tidy it up a bit. But mine is hidden so it does not really both me having both a usb hub and the rj45 adapter.

how well do these gigabit adapters perform on USB 2?

Gurezaemon

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#1850609 22-Aug-2017 18:24

Blanch:

reven:

i just attached my mibox to the wall behind the tv, dont even see anything.

Yep, I just use the hot glue gun and attach to the unit.

Adhesive-backed Velcro does the same thing, and makes it easier to remove if you need to fiddle with it. That's what I have with my Raspberry Pi Kodi setup. Of course, the Mibox probably won't need as much tweaking…

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chevrolux

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#1850628 22-Aug-2017 18:53

Rather than looking at devices you do need to think what services you actually use.

I don't use Netflix, Lightbox or Neon. The partner watches a bit of TV3/TVNZ on demand. The rest we watch local content from my NAS (it seems to just keep filling with content. god knows how!).

So just Kodi is all I need and have run it on a Raspberry Pi for years now (started with a Model B and just upgraded each time). Havent bothered moving to RPi3 yet as no need for Wifi. Control is purely through the Kore app on smart phones.

As Reven says though, lots of people these days want Netflix etc. So an android based box is the way to go.

driller2000

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#1850641 22-Aug-2017 19:40

+1 Mi Box (International version)

4k - YT, Netflix (and I sideloaded Amazon Prime)

(Note: Kodi has struggled with 4k playback, but so does my Sony Android TV - whereas my Shield eats it like a champ.)

Kodi - For local media and addons (Pro Tip = Covenant) OR SPMC.

Music - Spotify, Google Music (and Soundcloud via Cloud Radio)

Gaming - Lightweight android gaming + emulators e.g. Mame (gamepad required)

Remote - Proper battery (unlike the Shield), wireless so not fussy about direction and integrated voice search (incl your library if you use SPMC instead of Kodi)

Wireless - Has been fine ime - albeit I purchased a dongle with 3x usb ports (added flash drive for more internal storage + kb/mouse in case i need it) + ethernet port.

Android TV - Is excellent imo and the Leanback interface is great - with 99% of what you need to do all controlled by the remote.

So yeah great box at $100 NZD - not as good as a Shield but it is 1/3 the price.

lchiu7

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#1851717 24-Aug-2017 09:34

Does the box pass through HD audio like Dolby TrueHD or DTS Master Audio? So far the only box I have seen that can do that is the Shield but as you say it's 3* the price. Something cheaper that could pass those streams through would be good.

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lchiu7

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#1860756 8-Sep-2017 11:10

Just upgraded OpenElec on my Pi3 and got a new version of Kodi. Nice is now I was able to install the official Plex plugin for Kodi which was just made free.

Works so much better than the Plexkodi plugin somebody made as now the interface looks like native Plex.

Now if only I could find a box running Kodi that could pass HD audio through which the Pi can't do. For content which is in HD Audio I still resort to my aging but still working Popcorn Hour :-)

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dryburn

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#1860776 8-Sep-2017 11:45

I purchased a Mi box int version for a family member and had problems using kodi to stream h264 mp4 from a europe server. Not sure if this has been fixed yet.

My raspberry pi 2 streams flawlessly so thinking of replacing the mi box with a raspberry pi.

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#1860807 8-Sep-2017 12:11

I've just got a mi box and its shipped right now, so waiting!

Intend it for the following:

Live TV - TVheadend Live Channel so it integrates correctly with the channels component of Android TV - Can stream Sky NZ channels from it with full timeshift

Movies/TV Series - Likely be Emby as I prefer that interface but clearly can use Google Play movies to purchase and stream.

Music - Combo of spotify and google music

Big picture streaming - Moonlight can emulate access to nVidia Game Stream so can access my games on the game server on the tv, hopefully Steam will release a native Android streaming app

Obviously can run netflix, youtube etc. with a decent interface so happy there too.

The Live TV channel thing really sold it for me as that was critical to getting a decent system running as otherwise I would have to autoboot with Kodi and that changes how the remotes work... Also happy that it has built in IR for a more comprehensive remote support!

This will replace a Windows 10 powered i5 HTPC that has no where near the same level of integration and is a fraction of the size, all for $120 including the official Ethernet dongle.

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