Yet another "Death to HTPC" thread - Page 4

I think it's more the hit/miss codec support and supposed lack of HD audio

XBMC Frodo (afaik) is the first release to feature an Android port. It will (according to the wiki) support HD audio

HD video is software-decode only (at the moment) which is problematic for a lot of Android devices. Hardware-decode support would make this usable, but it's not clear what GPUs will be supported (Tegra, Mali, up in the air)

The favi smartstick is an android based stick as well :-)

because the economy could use an influx of cash...

you wouldn't want the economy to suffer would you?

Is there an android stick that can play bd rips? dvd?

My real reason for posting that is to question if an android stick can really be claimed as a non-htpc? Roku? They all accomplish the same thing.

Does the stick (I'm assuming with Plex) handle Blu-Rays? Don't care about menus or extras for this, but playing back the main movie ok? (don't even need the HD audio codecs either as would use TV speakers).

Actually, this could be hit and miss, not if it could work, but more on the TV. If you have a Android smartphone or tablet with microHDMI or HML adapter, and the visitee has a compatible TV (HDMI or HML input) would be easier. Heck, with Plex's new web browser streaming, if they can connect a computer to their TV, you're set.

I did this with the Plex Android app back in November with a tablet when I visited a friend who lives five hundred miles from my home. We watched the Oakland Raiders' Silver and Black pregame promotion show through Plex that I had DVR'd earlier that day. Then watched the Raiders on Sunday through the NFL Game Pass app.

You could do it with a broswer on a Android device, but at this moment, a lot of stuff still requires Flash Player. Android got rid of it. If you have it, and have a browser that supports Flash Player, than you may be able to. I find this stuff to be hit and miss.

The way I see it, why bring the stick, when you can just use something you're probably already bringing with you.

This is more answer by what do you consider a PC and what you consider an HTPC. Obviously, there is a lot of stuff we're able to do now on Android that falls well within HTPC functionality. Then again, Android is just an OS, just like Windows, Linux, and OSX. Themselves don't make an HTPC, it's about how the hardware is used and the software to do so and where the machine is physically located or some combination.

This is more answer by what do you consider a PC and what you consider an HTPC. Obviously, there is a lot of stuff we're able to do now on Android that falls well within HTPC functionality. Then again, Android is just an OS, just like Windows, Linux, and OSX. Themselves don't make an HTPC, it's about how the hardware is used and the software to do so and where the machine is physically located or some combination.

Oh, come on. There is nothing you can buy that doesn't come from China.

I hope my car isn't made in China. Ohh, wait it isn't. It seems to be mainly small things that children can more easily assemble that are made in China.

You mean your car isn't assembled in China. I guarantee it has lots of components that originate there, or Mexico, or somewhere where there is cheap labor.

PS they replaced a bridge in the San Francisco bay area. The bridge was built in china and the entire thing shipped to the US for installation, I don't call that small.

When something says made in china that normally means assembled in china, parts come from all over the world. Machines are still the cheapest labor. Just pointing out that your statement is more of a catch-phrase than fact.

Back to topic. The HTPC isn't dead it just has cheap options now...

I posted this over in the XBMC sticky as well, but it looks like full blu ray support will be coming to Android soon

XBMC Frodo has a few betas that work with Android, but there is no hardware decoding support

currently every SoC is using software decoding for video playback. This works (in my experience with the Nexus 7) all the way up to 720p

The Tegra 3 cannot keep up with full 1080p rips using cpu only software decoding. When hardware acceleration comes it will probably be capable, but there is no word on which SoCs will actually receive hardware decoding nor is there any indication of when this will happen.

I'm actually going to hold off on the stick purchase until I know which GPUs will get decoding support from XBMC

Oh, and since this thread is more related to Plex than XBMC, it would be noteworthy to mention that Plex's directstream option (for local sharing from your Plex server) doesn't have hardware acceleration for Android either. Since they've already put work into making your server capable of transcoding, it's not likely that they're working very hard on making your Plex for Android client capable of hardware acceleartion

all's good...
been HTPC free since '09

• I no longer have worry if I will actually get to watch a movie when I plan on watching one
• my health has improved
• my mental health has improved
• I have more energy now
• I am sleeping better
• my stress level has gone way down
• my thoughts are clearer
• the voices in my head stopped yelling at me

I highly recommend everyone go HTPC free and get that monkey off your back. because there is nothing worse than having a monkey on your back, as that monkey will eventually have to "Go Number 1", and that's just nasty...
Edited by Somewhatlost - 1/17/13 at 4:21pm

Sounds like you are singing the cut my brother in half blues....

Lol, what are you doing starting a death to htpc thread?

Couldn't resist.

Weird. All my HTPCs run great. All my movies work. TV works. CableCard works. Music works. Photos works. Everything just works. When it doesn't I can just reboot. I don't need a guy from Comcast to come out and give me a new box.

I've totally jinxed myself but there is.

I don't see what the big deal is.

it still is the best PC forum around...

11 is just crazy talk. So you had 11 TVs too? 2 sounds much better.

I only have 3 actual HTPCs, two WMC and one OpenELEC, a server, a couple of desktops and a laptop. 3 HTPCs is a record.

I've probably built 100+ HTPCs though. With these mini-ITX cases with the power supply already built-in it can be done now in under 20 minutes. Friggin' tower PCs take half a day.