my new htpc - me likey

[ChGr]

I know the "I can build a computer for 1/2 that price" guys will come out now. but if you're looking for an off the shelf 4K compliant htpc, this might be the coolest thing ever. I am really happy I got this right now.


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06WGRRH43/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Did this come with an OS?

 

[sholling]

For Android TV use SPMC. Works much better than Kodi on certain boxes due to the fact that it is forked specifically for Android TV. I use it and love it.

Thanks! I'm finding that Plex does everything that I want it to do. I run a couple of internet channel apps on it like TWIT and I'm happy with that. Since I don't pirate movies or TV I really don't need access to all of the esoteric Kodi stuff.

 

[ratso]

sorry haven't looked at this thread in a while. no it doesn't come with OS. and just as an aside, I love kodi. plex is nice too, but I have found kodi's setup to be a lot more refined. choose whichever you like, but note that all the piracy BS has nothing to do with kodi and they are actively fighting against using kodi to hijack content.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

also btw: copyright infringement is neither theft nor piracy
I'm not advocating it by no mean. Authors and creators deserve to get compensated, it's just to fix movie/tv piracy it would be required to create cheap, easy and without limitation streaming service(s) aka Spotify.
When was the last time you went to torrent a song? Exactly...

 

[Bucknekked]

also btw: copyright infringement is neither theft nor piracy

When I read your opening line about copyright infringement I thought of an old joke.
"How many times do I have to buy the White Album? Geez"
If you're too young to have had to buy the dang thing on at least 4 different media types, it may not be funny.

Disclaimer: I pay for my music so the artists get a shot at getting paid. THEN I rip it and store it.
Just like BSA, I think creative types should get paid for their work. How much and how is completely out of my hands. Before the Napster case explained "sharing" for what it actually was, I "shared" many a tune on to my computer. Once I understood I didn't have a leg to stand on from an ethical point of view, I stopped and eventually went out and purchased the music.

And no, I don't want to get in to a discussion about what piracy and theft and torrent are all about.
Just having a little fun with the White Album memory.

 

[slipperybidness]

When I read your opening line about copyright infringement I thought of an old joke.
"How many times do I have to buy the White Album? Geez"
If you're too young to have had to buy the dang thing on at least 4 different media types, it may not be funny.

Disclaimer: I pay for my music so the artists get a shot at getting paid. THEN I rip it and store it.
Just like BSA, I think creative types should get paid for their work. How much and how is completely out of my hands. Before the Napster case explained "sharing" for what it actually was, I "shared" many a tune on to my computer. Once I understood I didn't have a leg to stand on from an ethical point of view, I stopped and eventually went out and purchased the music.

And no, I don't want to get in to a discussion about what piracy and theft and torrent are all about.
Just having a little fun with the White Album memory.

I also pay for music. I do tend to prefer to find USED CDs, and I don't think the artists make any royalties from used resells.

But, even if you buy a new CD or Vinyl, the artists usually see pennies on the dollar for that purchase, with the record label taking the lions share of the profit.

Artists tend to make their $ on tours and merchandising!

So.....if you really want to support the artists.....go see live shows!

 

[Bucknekked]

I also pay for music. I do tend to prefer to find USED CDs, and I don't think the artists make any royalties from used resells.

But, even if you buy a new CD or Vinyl, the artists usually see pennies on the dollar for that purchase, with the record label taking the lions share of the profit.

Artists tend to make their $ on tours and merchandising!

So.....if you really want to support the artists.....go see live shows!

slippery
its sad, but its true. In the olden days, an artist could make a decent living with record sales and then royalties. Live touring was icing on the cake and a method to promote the album.

Today, I think the economics of the music business are a mess if you want to make a living at it.
You are correct about touring verses records. If an artist wants to make a living at music today, touring and live shows are where the money is. CD sales etc are largely for the labels and the mega stars. Merchandising is the next layer on the cake.

We know the family of Lindsey Stirling, a violinist. She has CD's, but, she makes her living touring and doing youtube and lots of "non traditional" ways of bringing in the benjamins. She knows the current markets and channels and uses them to her best advantage. Just kicking out a single and hoping it gets enough airplay to push an album is a dead business model for all but a handful of musicians.

I think making a living as a musician has always been a hit or miss, very difficult proposition for most musicians. I don't know the percentages, but its a pretty small slice that make millions. Most make modest sums. Its a hard way to make a living, but, if you have talent, how much fun would that be ? A ton I would think.. I have no talent so its never been a question for me........

 

[Bucknekked]

I also pay for music. I do tend to prefer to find USED CDs, and I don't think the artists make any royalties from used resells.

me too on the used CD's. I go to Zia Used records here in my area.
It's a good question: if you buy used CD's at a retail store that sells copyrighted material used, does the artist see anything? I actually don't know. Once again, a chance to learn something on the AH.

 

[moves]

ok guys... easy question for everyone here... I understand what an HTPC is but what should you install on it so you can watch your HD content?

I listen to my music VIA spotify and also have downloaded music on iTunes...

what about tv. content and movies? I will likely have satellite tv as cable is not available. I also will only be able to get DSL @ 10 mbps download speed.

 

[sholling]

ok guys... easy question for everyone here... I understand what an HTPC is but what should you install on it so you can watch your HD content?

Lots of things work. Plex, Kodi, and VLC all work for movies as long as your rips aren't encrypted.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I use KODI.

 

[moves]

But what about for streaming? Are there any kodi add ons that you can recommend?

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

I'm in the cheap azz category here. I use 2012 Mac Mini Core I7 something/ssd (free from last work) as my Security camera video recording box or NVR is the fancy term. I record 5x 720p cameras around the house and it's hauling azz just fine.
For my actual htpc (client) I still use atom/nvidia based very tiny asus pc. recently swapped 2.5" disk for ssd. it helped a bit. It's fast enough for local/streaming 1080p and bitstream hd audio to avr. The key is not the processor, but video card acceleration which does heavy lifting.
Running recent build of OpenElec. I agree that NUC is more than enough for HTPC. If asked I'd say modern Pentium class cpu is more than enough.

The thing to worry about/Exceptions are: 10 bit videos (mostly anime), H265/HEVC and 4k. For now, most of these are edge usage cases AFAIC

Only a Year passed and h265/HEVC, 4k, and 10bit videos are much more common now for me and few other AH regulars OpenElec on S905x box is the answer. It's fast enough for my needs and supports all of these video formats. Cost?
https://www.geekbuying.com/item/Khadas-Vim-Development-Board-2G-8G-375853.html

 

[panteragstk]

Only a Year passed and h265/HEVC, 4k, and 10bit videos are much more common now for me and few other AH regulars OpenElec on S905x box is the answer. It's fast enough for my needs and supports all of these video formats

If you just need Kodi IMHO the s905x boxes are better than an HTPC in lots of aspects. That is, if you plan on using Windows and installing Kodi. There are specific OpenElec and LibreElec builds for PC, but for $30 the s905x is a much smarter investment. Mine is flawless after some tinkering.

Before moving to the Android TV platform and the s905x box I had HTPCs at every TV for many many years. I don't regret moving away from them. Much less hassle now that I use quite a few streaming services.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

No Windows, no windows updates, no viruses, no cost. LibreElec updates automatically on boot.
Once installed, there's zero maintenance.