Cheap Media Centre Help Please

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Geektress

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#177381 31-Jul-2015 14:33

Wanting to set up a cheap media centre - I have used Plex but would like to learn to use Kodi. I am a self taught tech gal so not too the technical (or let me know what I need to read up on).

Devices I have already:
Amazon Fire TV
Tivo
Xbox 360

I am keen on a centre that is not laptop based so I dont have to fire it up and leave it running.
Want to easily view stored photos and movies.
Also want to burn our kids collection of DVDs and store them on the centre so we can chuck the discs (how do I do this ?)

Mattmannz

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#1356087 31-Jul-2015 14:40

Why don't you run Kodi on the FireTV? That's what I do and it's great. Side load it. Plenty of tutorials.

Blanch

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#1356103 31-Jul-2015 14:57

You can learn to use Kodi by installing it on your Amazon Fire TV

As for cheap media centre, I would go AMD A-Series APU have a look at steam machines.

For the kids collection of DVDs you need makemkv and hand brake, (I tired of finding dvds under the tv, kitchen etc) or just use Netflix, Neon etc

PANiCnz

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#1356166 31-Jul-2015 16:40

What's the budget?

robjg63

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#1356181 31-Jul-2015 17:02

Kodi on the fire TV works brilliantly.
You don't have to do anything to hack it.
http://kodi.wiki/view/HOW-TO:Install_Kodi_on_Fire_TV
Only takes a couple of minutes to install.
I have content on my pc which I have shared on my network.
First and kodi has played everything I have chucked at it.

Required budget $0.

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

timmmay

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#1356184 31-Jul-2015 17:05

Raspberry Pi 2 with OpenElec.

SumnerBoy

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#1356196 31-Jul-2015 17:29

Raspberry Pi 2 with OSMC.

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JimmyH

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#1356241 31-Jul-2015 18:28

Geektress: Wanting to set up a cheap media centre - I have used Plex but would like to learn to use Kodi. I am a self taught tech gal so not too the technical (or let me know what I need to read up on).

Devices I have already:
Amazon Fire TV
Tivo
Xbox 360

I am keen on a centre that is not laptop based so I dont have to fire it up and leave it running.
Want to easily view stored photos and movies.
Also want to burn our kids collection of DVDs and store them on the centre so we can chuck the discs (how do I do this ?)

Cheap NAS to store the content - cost circa $200 plus hard drives.

Kodi on the Fire TV for playback - cost $0.

Job done

Geektress

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#1369158 19-Aug-2015 10:42

Great - thanks for all suggestions. I have managed to side load Kodi using Llama onto the Fire TV and have it as an icon. I am now looking at a cheap NAS - can I connect say a synology NAS to the Fire TV if it not rooted. The reading I have done so far says that files are restricted to FAT 32 file system and usb3. Anybody else have this setup? If I get a NAS off amazon can I plug in with just a cheap power adapter?

JimmyH

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#1371045 20-Aug-2015 18:44

Geektress: Great - thanks for all suggestions. I have managed to side load Kodi using Llama onto the Fire TV and have it as an icon. I am now looking at a cheap NAS - can I connect say a synology NAS to the Fire TV if it not rooted. The reading I have done so far says that files are restricted to FAT 32 file system and usb3. Anybody else have this setup? If I get a NAS off amazon can I plug in with just a cheap power adapter?

Get the NAS here. The cheap ones are only around $200 on sale and, in my opinion, any minor savings you might make by importing aren't worth it once you account for loss of local warranty, shipping costs, needed power adapters and (potentially) voltage issues etc.

FAT32 and USB3 should be irrelevant if you are storing the files on a NAS and accessing them over a network. Which is what I do (NAS->Kodi) although, admittedly, not on a Fire TV.

freitasm

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#1371077 20-Aug-2015 19:49

Price comparison for NAS in New Zealand.

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shrub

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#1371092 20-Aug-2015 20:22

What is the budget? TBH id just buy a box off trademe something like a core2quad or an older i5 system they less than $150 now and just get a good used video card $50. It will be more versatile than a NAS box. But a NAS box is a simple fix. So many options but without a budget its hard to suggest the appropriate solution.

Also want to burn our kids collection of DVDs and store them on the centre so we can chuck the discs (how do I do this ?)

There are plenty of ways to do this but not many are "legal" Aimersoft DVD Ripper is one option but there are many programs that will do it.

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jonathan18

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#1371316 21-Aug-2015 09:24

JimmyH:
... I am now looking at a cheap NAS - can I connect say a synology NAS to the Fire TV if it not rooted. The reading I have done so far says that files are restricted to FAT 32 file system and usb3. Anybody else have this setup? If I get a NAS off amazon can I plug in with just a cheap power adapter?

...

FAT32 and USB3 should be irrelevant if you are storing the files on a NAS and accessing them over a network. Which is what I do (NAS->Kodi) although, admittedly, not on a Fire TV.

Yep, totally - the FAT32 limitation relates to files accessed via the USB, not via the network (ie, the file system of the device serving the media is irrelevant if it's accessed via the network).

We have a Fire TV connected to our network (ethernet, just for stability/guaranteed speed), and Kodi pulls its content from the NAS (which has its drives formatted in NTFS).

Agree re advice regarding buying a NAS locally; they're really not that expensive, and if you're patient some retailers do some good specials on them every now and then. There was another thread on the best device for accessing content (a networked harddrive, versus a NAS, versus a dedicated PC for the purpose, versus leaving one's PC on all the time...) only a couple of weeks back, so I suggest you dig this out and have a read. You'll get different advice from everyone you ask!

Personally, I'd recommend a dedicated NAS given they are low power users, quiet, small, upgradable (can often even start with only one drive if you need to keep cost down), can run various other things like media servers, torrent clients etc, provide an on-site back-up solution...

JimmyH

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#1372077 22-Aug-2015 18:18

jonathan18:

Personally, I'd recommend a dedicated NAS given they are low power users, quiet, small, upgradable (can often even start with only one drive if you need to keep cost down), can run various other things like media servers, torrent clients etc, provide an on-site back-up solution...

Yes, so would I. They have a much lower maintenance requirement, and probably quieter, and are almost certainly smaller and much use less power than a re-purposed old PC. Plus, you can do RAID, which while it isn't by any means a backup does dive you some fault tolerance and easier rebuild if you get the inevitable drive failure. Two drive failures a year apart are what put me off just using USB hard-drives.

Personally, I got an 8-bay NAS model on sale for circa $900. Populated the first 3 bays with 6TB drives (in RAID 5 for 12TB usable), which is significantly more than enough storage for my current needs. If I need more, it's as simple as popping another drive in an unused bay, and just clicking through a menu to expand the array. With 5 bays left, I imagine it will take quite a few years before I worry about storage constraints again.