How good would this be as a HTPC?

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littleheaven

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#171781 30-Apr-2015 23:07

I'm looking at options for a HTPC, and I was wondering how well this Gigabyte Brix would suit my needs:

Gigabyte Brix

It appears to have the SSD and RAM pre-installed, and would just need an OS to complete the build (which suits me fine). I like that it's fanless, given the living room is small and therefore we would sit close to the machine.

My main requirements are being able to stream NZ TV On Demand sites, YouTube, any other SVOD services I can't get on Apple TV or PS3, and general web surfing. I'd also like to run Kodi on it. I don't intend to game, record TV or store large files. It would be nice to stream downloaded content from my Mac but not a deal breaker as I can do that on my Home Theatre System thanks to a cool wee programme on the Mac called Playback. I'd like it to operate smoothly and responsively, and run Windows.

Or would I be better off going for the J1900 processor with a smaller hard drive for $40 extra?

Geek girl. Freelance copywriter and editor at Unmistakable.co.nz.

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#1294688 1-May-2015 00:35

Your link doesn't seem to be correct, it just takes me to a sign in page.

Is this the one it should be?
http://www.acquire.co.nz/acquire/default.asp?PageID=ProductDetail&pf_id=3639576&dept_id=1000010
If that's the one then it will be fine.

I have a Celeron Intel NUC, which is basically the same as the Brix except it has a built in iR receiver for the remote.
I can play 1080p video on it fine and it can stream any online service without a problem (running Windows 8 on mine)
I only have a 64GB SSD as there isn't really anything installed on the machine except Windows & MediaPortal.
I have a Logitech Harmony remote for using with Mediaportal and a wireless Logitech Keyboard with the touchpad on the side (K400r) for browsing the net.

Opinions are my own and not the views of my employer.

littleheaven

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#1294690 1-May-2015 01:21

Oops, I was signed in to my account so that must be why the link went wonky. Your link is to the correct item. Thanks for the advice. I am also considering a NUC - I have a Harmony remote so good to know that will work with them. Is yours also fanless? Quiet operation is pretty high on the wish list. I'm hoping to come in at $500 or less, otherwise I may as well just bite the bullet and get a Mac Mini.

Geek girl. Freelance copywriter and editor at Unmistakable.co.nz.

freitasm

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#1294714 1-May-2015 07:56

I am using a BRIX as HTPC (Windows 7 Media Center), mainly for watching live Freeview (we have a HDHomerun in our LAN), but since the arrival of the Amazon Fire TV this is used less and less.

We have an Intel i3 version. It is running on 4GB RAM and 128GB mSATA SSD with Intel HD 5000.

The listing you point out doesn't specify which Intel HD version it's running but anything from HD 3000 should be ok if you are talking Freeview | HD, BluRay, etc. The Intel Celeron might be something limiting but if you use it ONLY as a HTPC it should be fine.

It works so well that when wife's Mac died a couple of months ago I just got a new widescreen monitor for the home office, installed Adobe Cloud and she continued work on this little machine with no problems. We watch so little live TV that she only used it to watch a program a couple of times on the smaller screen (the advantage of having a HDHomerun is that your TV is in your LAN and any computer can get it).

timmmay

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#1294801 1-May-2015 09:20

Raspberry Pi 2 for $35 is hard to beat. The v1 is what I use. Not sure it can stream, but W10 beta is available for the Pi2.

littleheaven

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#1294818 1-May-2015 09:30

freitasm: I am using a BRIX as HTPC (Windows 7 Media Center), mainly for watching live Freeview (we have a HDHomerun in our LAN), but since the arrival of the Amazon Fire TV this is used less and less.

We have an Intel i3 version. It is running on 4GB RAM and 128GB mSATA SSD with Intel HD 5000.

The listing you point out doesn't specify which Intel HD version it's running but anything from HD 3000 should be ok if you are talking Freeview | HD, BluRay, etc. The Intel Celeron might be something limiting but if you use it ONLY as a HTPC it should be fine.

It works so well that when wife's Mac died a couple of months ago I just got a new widescreen monitor for the home office, installed Adobe Cloud and she continued work on this little machine with no problems. We watch so little live TV that she only used it to watch a program a couple of times on the smaller screen (the advantage of having a HDHomerun is that your TV is in your LAN and any computer can get it).

Great advice, thank you. I am perpetually confused over what I should be looking for, spec-wise. Clearly a quad-core would be a safer bet, and I'm quite keen on the NUC now I know about the IR capability. That's a nice touch. Problem is by the time I buy the unit, SSD, RAM and OS, I'm looking at north of $600 and for that I may as well get a Mac Mini to fit in with my mainly-apple ecosystem. It seems like overkill (or over-spend) for something that will mainly be a streamer, and perhaps I'd be better off with a Minix Windows box, although I don't want to waste money on crap, and having a decent unit means I can always repurpose it later if needed.

Timmay - can you stream TVNZ On Demand and TV3 On Demand on the Raspberry Pi? I've always discounted them because I thought you couldn't. Price is obviously extremely attractive, but it has to have the functionality I need.

Geek girl. Freelance copywriter and editor at Unmistakable.co.nz.

littleheaven

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#1295007 1-May-2015 13:22

How about this NUC?

http://www.pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=MBDINT2520391&name=Intel-Next-Unit-of-Computing-Kits-(NUC)-BOXDN2820F

My main concern is that the Intel HD Graphics don't appear to be that flash, but I'm not planning on streaming massive 4k files or anything. The most it would be is 1080p.

I'd be adding this hard drive and RAM (is that the right RAM for this machine?)

http://www.pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=HDDOCZ1120&name=OCZ-Arc100-Series-120GB-2.5-7mm--SATA3.0-19nm-Tosh

http://www.pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=MEMCRU054098&name=Crucial-4GB-LAPTOP-DDR3-1600Mhz-SODIMM-1.35V1.5V-2

Could I potentially put the developer release of Windows 10 on it? Or do I need to shell out $160 for Win 8.1? Actually, I am technically a student (doing a correspondence course at night) so could I use the student version of 8.1 Pro? It says for people running Win 7, but doesn't mention about clean installs on machines with no OS pre-loaded. That would be a good saving if I could use it.

http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msnz/en_NZ/pdp/Windows-8.1-Pro-Student/productID.288538700?icid=Windows_CAF

Geek girl. Freelance copywriter and editor at Unmistakable.co.nz.

freitasm

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#1295033 1-May-2015 13:52

If you are doing Windows Media Center remember MCE is a separate license you need to buy - but included in Windows 7. If you are planning on using other media centre software then disregard this comment.

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littleheaven

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#1295044 1-May-2015 14:04

freitasm: If you are doing Windows Media Center remember MCE is a separate license you need to buy - but included in Windows 7. If you are planning on using other media centre software then disregard this comment.

Thanks - I am planning to use Kodi.

Geek girl. Freelance copywriter and editor at Unmistakable.co.nz.

sultanoswing

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#1295308 1-May-2015 20:24

The Intel NUC 5i5RYK (or H for the full height version) is a lovely little box, especially when paired with an M2.SSD.

It's overkill as a simple streamer, but great as a near-full spec HTPC. The only minor downside is lack of VDPAU (it's got the Intel HD6000 graphics chip), which means no Advanced 2x deinterlacing for 1080i content in mythtv/kodi under Linux.

geekiegeek

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#1295365 1-May-2015 22:32

It all depends what your needs are.

Personally I want silence, perfect video and the best sound possible which for me would rule this out.

From what I have heard these boxes are not that quiet and I would not trust Intel graphics due to past issues with 24P (this may have been fixed but to late for this buyer).

I run a full ATX HTPC with a mid range Nvidia GPU so I can have silence, correct 24P video and a case that fits in with other stereo/AV equipment. But in saying that I only watch full blu-ray for movies and 1080P Web-DL plus Freeview on mine and I want those to look and sound the absolute best possible, not just play.

If you just want to play stuff and you're not to worried about quality, should be fine.

sultanoswing

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#1295434 1-May-2015 23:38

geekiegeek: It all depends what your needs are.

Personally I want silence, perfect video and the best sound possible which for me would rule this out.

From what I have heard these boxes are not that quiet and I would not trust Intel graphics due to past issues with 24P (this may have been fixed but to late for this buyer).

I run a full ATX HTPC with a mid range Nvidia GPU so I can have silence, correct 24P video and a case that fits in with other stereo/AV equipment. But in saying that I only watch full blu-ray for movies and 1080P Web-DL plus Freeview on mine and I want those to look and sound the absolute best possible, not just play.

If you just want to play stuff and you're not to worried about quality, should be fine.

I hear ya.

The 24p bug was fixed long ago in both Win & linux. The fan on the NUC is inaudible at 1 foot distance to my ears (which are not insensitive to such matters), and is not a factor in any real world use. With the size of the NUC case it can actually mount behind the TV (screw holes are provided in the case for just this pupose) or virtually anywhere and be invisible. With the HDMI output and passthrough it's bitstreaming multichannel digital audio, including hi-def formats where available. All in all sweet.

I was skeptical that so much could be packed into a small form factor, believe me, but I'm a convert. Over the past few years, PC's haven't needed to get that much more powerful to do what most people do with them, so they have shrunk instead, and I've been surprised by just how much.

That said, I *do* still rely on my large, loud, mid-tower ATX, NVIDIA-powered server in the upstairs office to deliver the backend services & storage to the NUC.

Now, if only Intel would incorporate VDPAU into their integrated video circuits....

littleheaven

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#1295449 2-May-2015 01:48

Most of my watching needs are covered by a Sony Home Theatre which streams nicely from my Mac Pro upstairs, or my Panasonic PVR. Apple TV takes care of Netflix and Hulu. So the HTPC is really just for the streaming sites I can't get on those things, like TVNZ, and web browsing. Having read a few reviews I'm still a bit worried a Celeron with low-end graphics might disappoint, which would annoy me for a $400 + outlay. It looks like I might end up saving my pennies for an i3 Nuc with Intel 5500 graphics, or I can get an i5 Mac Mini for about the same (actually a little less with my PB Tech corporate discount). The drawbacks with the latter being size, a slow hard drive and reported issues with the HDMI audio output. Also lack of upgradability because the RAM is soldered in.

Good to know the Nuc is nice and quiet - thanks for that info. It seems like the front runner so far!

Geek girl. Freelance copywriter and editor at Unmistakable.co.nz.

littleheaven

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#1296061 3-May-2015 11:47

I spent a bit of time yesterday experimenting with an old Acer Aspire One netbook plugged into the TV and it quickly became apparent that my main requirement is just streaming and a bit of surfing. Both my PVR and home theatre hub play videos across the network from my Mac just fine, and none of those are much more than 1080p H.264, or the odd MKV. So that means $700+ to get a decent NUC or Mac Mini is just overkill. I also feel like $450+ for a lower-end NUC is more money than I'm comfortable spending for that small purpose. So I did some research and purchased a Minix Neo Z64 with Win 8.1 with Bing for $211. Expansys are doing no-GST on purchases under $400, which is good timing. The unit has reviewed really well and seems capable of what I need it to do, and it's at a price point where I can accept the limitations.

In a few years when the TV and home theatre need updating, I'll probably reconfigure the whole setup and pop a decent full-purpose machine in there, but for now I'm hoping the Minix will fill the little gap.

Geek girl. Freelance copywriter and editor at Unmistakable.co.nz.

CYaBro

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#1296210 3-May-2015 17:48

Can you confirm if it has a built in iR receiver?

Expansys website specs say it does but the manufacturer website doesn't mention it at all as far as I can see.

Opinions are my own and not the views of my employer.

littleheaven

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#1296250 3-May-2015 19:43

CYaBro: Can you confirm if it has a built in iR receiver?

Expansys website specs say it does but the manufacturer website doesn't mention it at all as far as I can see.

From what I've read the boxes are the same for Windows and Android versions, so both have the IR receiver. However there is no remote supplied with Windows and the Minix forums state it's not functional in that version. There is speculation an IR remote will work with Kodi on Windows but I've not found confirmation. I'll have a test when I get it and report back.

In the meantime I've downloaded and tested an app called Air Remote which turns an iPad into a wireless keyboard and trackpad for PC. Worked great on my big HP laptop. It'll do until I work out if I need to go buy a wireless media keyboard.

Geek girl. Freelance copywriter and editor at Unmistakable.co.nz.

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