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openelec box am I missing something?

post #1 of 24
8/26/12 at 10:58am
Thread Starter 
Okay I have gone through many media streamers, popcorn hour, ntv550, miccaep600g2, now working with a med1000x3d and have issues with all of them. Used a old pc with a gt430 installed, installed openelec and wow, it works. It is the best interface by a mile, the only other one that comes close is the x3d, but that is still far behind to me. The speed of navigation, etc. Built in scrapping, speedy menus, other apps for youtube, trailers, revision3 etc. For local content it has played all my files, that these other boxes struggle with one thing or another. I REALLY wanted to med1000x3d to be my winner, 3diso openelec will not do that. But other issues so far are keeping it from being a winner, maybee in a few firmware releases. But is is still slower than openelec and no built in scraping for content etc. The opene elec beta has full hd audio, and is just plain awesome!! I ordered a zotac box to try have read they are great for it. But if you have a old PC , pick up a gt430 card and the latest openelec frodo branch, and bam. A awesome network streamer! Or am I crazy?
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post #2 of 24
8/26/12 at 2:46pm
Its missing a lot of stuff, Not to mention they are not a cheap option. by the time you buy a small computer you are at least 300$ in plus windows if you want HD audio, plus a remote control, the cost adds up very fast, some of us have 5+ players so buying 700$+ machines for each room is not an option. Also xbmc is still not multi room friendly with mysql its a little better but still not very easy to share a watched db and things. Nor has my family ever found xbmc very user friendly. been awhile since I used it but before changing audio/subtitles was not a very easy task there was no single button push to swap tracks you had to click the on screen UI then click an icon and such.
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post #3 of 24
8/26/12 at 2:53pm
No your not crazy.... thousands of people enjoy XBMC. OPENELEC has the right idea.

openelec is linux and there are even bitstreaming open elec builds out now.....

certainly better to me than my PCH C-200 except for bitstreaming HD audio today.

Dunno where $700 comes from. My Acer cost $199 and my home built ION rig cost $260. you can get a nice new Acer for $330 that comes with Win7 and will bitstream HD audio. some folks in countries outside the US are getting the Linux box for substantially less money.

There is no right answer on HTPC versus Streamer. It depends on your goals.... I enjoy both.
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post #4 of 24
8/26/12 at 3:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sean_w_smith View Post

No your not crazy.... thousands of people enjoy XBMC. OPENELEC has the right idea.
openelec is linux and there are even bitstreaming open elec builds out now.....
certainly better to me than my PCH C-200 except for bitstreaming HD audio today.
Dunno where $700 comes from. My Acer cost $199 and my home built ION rig cost $260. you can get a nice new Acer for $330 that comes with Win7 and will bitstream HD audio. some folks in countries outside the US are getting the Linux box for substantially less money.
There is no right answer on HTPC versus Streamer. It depends on your goals.... I enjoy both.

Does the acer come pre installed with windows? And where is the information on the bitstream builds for linux?

I agree there is no true winner. For me stand alones function better for me and my family, I like some of the things xbmc offers but someone needs to make it multi unit/family friendly and it would be a lot better also better remote control support but I have herd this is semi better then it used to be, But keyboard/mouse combo still win vs remote,
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post #5 of 24
8/26/12 at 5:48pm
Thread Starter 
You can get a Zotac id80 or id40 anything with a nvidia ion2 or 520 for around 200 , then just use a USB thumbstck to house openelec, and 2 - 4 gb memory, 12 - 20 or so. And bam, around 250 In hardware, free software.Or if you have a older pc just add a gt430 and you have a $30 streamer. I run unraid have 2 openelec boxes now, just added a gt430 to another old box. One in the family room, on in the theater all streaming from unraid. I am liking it. It scans all your movies automatically, no need to scrape on the server. Search for openelec frodo built in google. I can post the link if you need. But so far, it runs ISo,Mkv,m4v, etc. nothing yet that it has had issue with. Dts-hd tru hd, all pass great. It has come along way, and very easy to me, and the wife has no issue either ( that is a miracle )
Openelec is to me just like a streamer, really not a HTPc. No config etc. I am in IT for a living, used to love HTPc and tinkering, now when I am done at work I just want to watch a movie and not have to maintain another computer. ( I know, lazy) spent the last few months turning a garage into a theater, and now time to relax and enjoy. Funny thing from the whole experience, the a/c is the most expensive thing in the room. Go figure.
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post #6 of 24
8/26/12 at 5:53pm
Thread Starter 
The mce remote works great with the build I am using, and it bitstreams hd audio great. You need ion2 or nvidia though. Gt430 or 520. Some of the units come with mce remote. It is worth a look, a lot has been added recently, I am really liking it.
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post #7 of 24
8/26/12 at 5:57pm
Thread Starter 
http://openelec.tv/forum/20-development-discussion/37948-unofficial-openelec-audioengine-issue-reports
You need to setup a login, it is free. And the hd audio builds are here.
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post #8 of 24
8/27/12 at 5:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by halfelite View Post

Does the acer come pre installed with windows? And where is the information on the bitstream builds for linux?
I agree there is no true winner. For me stand alones function better for me and my family, I like some of the things xbmc offers but someone needs to make it multi unit/family friendly and it would be a lot better also better remote control support but I have herd this is semi better then it used to be, But keyboard/mouse combo still win vs remote,

Yep $309 delivered with Windows 64-bit.

you can read about bit streaming linux builds in the XBMC forums or the OpenElec forums. plenty of discussion on both those forums....

I dont understand the rant about remote controls. I have much better IR control of my HTPC running XBMC than I do of my DUNE or my PCH. I never use a mouse or keyboard with my HTPC. It strictly uses harmony via IR.

no idea on family friendly gouge either. I have 6 installations of XBMC running at the current house. All share the same metadata, All display the same cover art (I use ember media manager), all update automatically upon startup. (all without needing a custom SQL lite server, guess thats what you are referring too).

not sure what your trying to say. Its not that different than YAMJ for PCH or YADIS for Dune (both of which I also use).....

There are pros and cons to both approaches and they change as time moves on. Having a dozen+ different streamers lets me evaluate them all and adapt as necessary.

Currently, PCH's are all sold. Dune, XBMC, ATV, and Boxee are my players of choice depending on the application and goal.
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post #9 of 24
8/27/12 at 6:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kpump View Post

Okay I have gone through many media streamers, popcorn hour, ntv550, miccaep600g2, now working with a med1000x3d and have issues with all of them. Used a old pc with a gt430 installed, installed openelec and wow, it works. It is the best interface by a mile, the only other one that comes close is the x3d, but that is still far behind to me. The speed of navigation, etc. Built in scrapping, speedy menus, other apps for youtube, trailers, revision3 etc. For local content it has played all my files, that these other boxes struggle with one thing or another. I REALLY wanted to med1000x3d to be my winner, 3diso openelec will not do that. But other issues so far are keeping it from being a winner, maybee in a few firmware releases. But is is still slower than openelec and no built in scraping for content etc. The opene elec beta has full hd audio, and is just plain awesome!! I ordered a zotac box to try have read they are great for it. But if you have a old PC , pick up a gt430 card and the latest openelec frodo branch, and bam. A awesome network streamer! Or am I crazy?

Does openelec support all the addons that Eden does running under Windows? For example, will the Netflix addon work?

Except for the Boxee Box, the general media players have been in the dark ages when it comes to interfaces.

Philip
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post #10 of 24
8/27/12 at 7:05pm
The Netflix addon is one of the few that won't work in OpenELEC, or ANY Linux-based build of XBMC, for that matter. Netflix requires Silverlight... and there's no Linux version of Silverlight. frown.gif
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post #11 of 24
8/27/12 at 8:53pm
Thread Starter 
Yup no one box will do it. I think the openelec and roku / atv is the blend. I am using the openelec and panasonic 210 for now. Maybee some day? Boxee box 2 , hd audio actually working.
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post #12 of 24
8/28/12 at 9:28am
for you all running openelec how is the remote control using a remote and not a wireless keyboard and mouse, Like to change subtitles and audio streams while watching something?
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post #13 of 24
8/28/12 at 9:58am
Quote:
Originally Posted by halfelite View Post

for you all running openelec how is the remote control using a remote and not a wireless keyboard and mouse, Like to change subtitles and audio streams while watching something?

By editing a couple of files (Lircmap.xml and keymap.xml) located within the shared userdata folder, you can get any MCE compatible remote to do just about anything that you'll need. Enable/disable subs, toggle thru the subs or audio tracks, offset subs or audio tracks forward/backwards, etc. I also have shortcuts on the remote that jump directly to the various libraries and sections: Movies, TV Shows, Live TV, Music, Photos, System Settings, etc... I'm sure that other remotes are supported, but I've only ever needed to worry about the MCE stuff.

I haven't used a mouse and keyboard with XBMC since first setting it up and even then, it wasn't completely necessary; it was just easier to type folder locations on the physical keyboard than to click the letters one by one on the on-screen keyboard.
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post #14 of 24
8/28/12 at 9:59am
Thread Starter 
I love it. you can hit the windows green button then select subtitle, audio track, etc. from the sound icon. Have not messed with a single button hotkey not sure if that is a option. But just use the mce remote and can access what i need. i also have the lenovo 5902 that I use for text entry. Or I use constellation on the IPAD, that is SWEET!
The more I get into opmelec the more I like it. Was using airplay from the ipad last night. works great!! No mirror function yet but It worked for music and youtube. Check out constellation if you have a ipad I really like the interface.
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post #15 of 24
8/28/12 at 10:01am
Thread Starter 
If they ever can get 3diso, and the online streaming on this interface I would LOVE it. But probably never happen. So a box for local content, and a box for on-line content. 3D iso may happen in the future.
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post #16 of 24
8/28/12 at 10:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ScottAllyn View Post

By editing a couple of files (Lircmap.xml and keymap.xml) located within the shared userdata folder, you can get any MCE compatible remote to do just about anything that you'll need. Enable/disable subs, toggle thru the subs or audio tracks, offset subs or audio tracks forward/backwards, etc. I also have shortcuts on the remote that jump directly to the various libraries and sections: Movies, TV Shows, Live TV, Music, Photos, System Settings, etc... I'm sure that other remotes are supported, but I've only ever needed to worry about the MCE stuff.
I haven't used a mouse and keyboard with XBMC since first setting it up and even then, it wasn't completely necessary; it was just easier to type folder locations on the physical keyboard than to click the letters one by one on the on-screen keyboard.


Exactly. and the even the OSD makes it trivial to change subtitles or anything else or you can map custom functions. The level of control and granularity is IR control is unrivaled by ANY streamer PCH and DUNE included. its not even close, there is a huge disparity.
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post #17 of 24
8/28/12 at 1:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sean_w_smith View Post

Exactly. and the even the OSD makes it trivial to change subtitles or anything else or you can map custom functions. The level of control and granularity is IR control is unrivaled by ANY streamer PCH and DUNE included. its not even close, there is a huge disparity.

OSD is what I did not like out of it, Hard for little kids to understand pull up the OSD goto this icon click this and that, rather then if the audio is wrong just push a button on the remote to switch it. Guess i will give xbmc a try again and see what it can do now. Need to find a weekend to sit down with it, as sounds like custom remote might take a bit since I will be using harmony remotes.
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post #18 of 24
8/28/12 at 2:06pm
Thread Starter 
Map a button to T for subtitle on/off and L next subtitle, i turn off subtitle by default. Not sure what the key is , or if there is for audio. Mine will default to the hd audio track if available. I am pretty sure the harmony will allow keyboard programming as well to map keys
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post #19 of 24
8/28/12 at 3:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ScottAllyn View Post

The Netflix addon is one of the few that won't work in OpenELEC, or ANY Linux-based build of XBMC, for that matter. Netflix requires Silverlight... and there's no Linux version of Silverlight. frown.gif

What about standard Eden addons that don't use Silverlight? Say Hulu or whatever? If an addon works on a Linux box will it work when using

I wonder how media players that use Linux manage without Silverlight?

Philip
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post #20 of 24
8/28/12 at 3:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by pmcd View Post

What about standard Eden addons that don't use Silverlight? Say Hulu or whatever? If an addon works on a Linux box will it work when using

Most other addons should work fine. It's the Windows specific addons that may not work.
Quote:
Originally Posted by pmcd View Post

I wonder how media players that use Linux manage without Silverlight?

They all have deals worked out with Netflix to access the video streams directly via an official app. Those deals probably require the media player manufacturers to bend over backwards to secure the devices to Netflix's satisfaction. Such security measures would likely cripple XBMC.
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post #21 of 24
8/28/12 at 7:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kpump View Post

Okay I have gone through many media streamers, popcorn hour, ntv550, miccaep600g2, now working with a med1000x3d and have issues with all of them. Used a old pc with a gt430 installed, installed openelec and wow, it works. It is the best interface by a mile, the only other one that comes close is the x3d, but that is still far behind to me. The speed of navigation, etc. Built in scrapping, speedy menus, other apps for youtube, trailers, revision3 etc. For local content it has played all my files, that these other boxes struggle with one thing or another. I REALLY wanted to med1000x3d to be my winner, 3diso openelec will not do that. But other issues so far are keeping it from being a winner, maybee in a few firmware releases. But is is still slower than openelec and no built in scraping for content etc. The opene elec beta has full hd audio, and is just plain awesome!! I ordered a zotac box to try have read they are great for it. But if you have a old PC , pick up a gt430 card and the latest openelec frodo branch, and bam. A awesome network streamer! Or am I crazy?

I have the exact opposite opinion on this. After having used HTPC's for many years over and over then powering up my new media player I never looked back. My first media player was an Ultio 800 player. I thought it was the best thing since sliced bread and removed my HTPC right away. I'm not big on having things look pretty and eye candy. Hey you never know...in a few years I may be forced to go back to an HTPC if media players keep on the same track.
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post #22 of 24
8/29/12 at 6:48am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Opentoe View Post

I have the exact opposite opinion on this. After having used HTPC's for many years over and over then powering up my new media player I never looked back. My first media player was an Ultio 800 player. I thought it was the best thing since sliced bread and removed my HTPC right away. I'm not big on having things look pretty and eye candy. Hey you never know...in a few years I may be forced to go back to an HTPC if media players keep on the same track.

For me, it's about much more than the eye candy. For local playback, everything (that I need) just works. I've owned an embarrassingly large number of media streamers and have run into annoying playback quirks with every single one of them that I just haven't encountered with my little OpenElec box. Then there's the scraping... I was sooo tired of messing with YAMJ, YANFOE, EMM-R, and the like. For my media, the XBMC scrapers do an excellent job and I rarely need to lift a finger. When I do need to make a correction, I can do it from within XBMC. None of the other media players have given me this same level of control with the remote, either. And Open Subtitles support is a nice little bonus.

I was actually very reluctant to go back to using an HTPC but my frustration with the media streamers pushed me back into it and I currently have no regrets. There are many little things that just make XBMC a better solution for me... and it just happens to look pretty, too! biggrin.gif
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post #23 of 24
8/29/12 at 12:01pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by ScottAllyn View Post

For me, it's about much more than the eye candy. For local playback, everything (that I need) just works. I've owned an embarrassingly large number of media streamers and have run into annoying playback quirks with every single one of them that I just haven't encountered with my little OpenElec box. Then there's the scraping... I was sooo tired of messing with YAMJ, YANFOE, EMM-R, and the like. For my media, the XBMC scrapers do an excellent job and I rarely need to lift a finger. When I do need to make a correction, I can do it from within XBMC. None of the other media players have given me this same level of control with the remote, either. And Open Subtitles support is a nice little bonus.
I was actually very reluctant to go back to using an HTPC but my frustration with the media streamers pushed me back into it and I currently have no regrets. There are many little things that just make XBMC a better solution for me... and it just happens to look pretty, too! biggrin.gif

100% same way I feel.
The only thing is, openelec eliminates the pc config issues etc. No codec packs, updates, windows problems. To me openelec is a xbmc streamer instead of a htpc. Same as the others, just better looking.
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post #24 of 24
8/30/12 at 12:35am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Opentoe View Post

I have the exact opposite opinion on this. After having used HTPC's for many years over and over then powering up my new media player I never looked back. My first media player was an Ultio 800 player. I thought it was the best thing since sliced bread and removed my HTPC right away. I'm not big on having things look pretty and eye candy. Hey you never know...in a few years I may be forced to go back to an HTPC if media players keep on the same track.

Well HTC's used to be complicated and tried to do too many things. If you have a small dedicated PC running XBMC primarily that almost feels like a media player. XBMC is really miles ahead of what is on most media players.

The Ulteo was also my first media player and it was great, especially once the fan was disabled wink.gif

philp
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