Device Advice Wanted

[Peanut]

Hi, and apologies if this is in the wrong section.

I have been using Plex for many years but have decided, for many reasons, to switch to Kodi. I have spent the past few days looking at dedicated "boxes" to access Kodi yet I am still scratching my head for the best option that suits my needs.

I have no interest in Android apps, I solely want a device for playing 1080p movies with 5.1 audio (some with DTS). Adversely, I don't relish the prospect of setting up the Raspberry Pi - on paper this seems like my best and cheapest option but it appears underpowered when compared to the current crop of Android TV boxes. I have also looked at the more expensive option of a Chromebox but worry about setting it up to play nicely with a remote control.

All I want is a reasonably powered, decent looking box that will run openelec for Kodi and have a fully functional remote control that operates all of Kodi's features. Is there anyone out there who can suggest the very best device for this?

I fully appreciate and gratefully thank anyone who takes the time to reply...

[chewitt]

The second generation pi is a large leap forward in spec/performance from the first and is worth consideration. pi also has the advantage of a huge community and dedicated engineering behind it; the kind of support that is frequently lacking with other low power ARM devices. The WeTek box is also a good spec. There are a few grumpy posts about it in the forums here but issues are mostly related to the DVB/IPTV experience which has some inherent complexity from too-many moving parts, and is perhaps best described as "work in progress" on Linux so it's not really a WeTek specific problem. Also remember that online forums always attract more posts from unhappy users with a problem than they do happy users with no issues. I'd personally advocate anything x86 with an nVidia GPU. It will cost a bit more but it's a proven formula.

[Peanut]

Many thanks for your response. I think I will go for the Pi. My main drawback with the Pi was the lack of a remote control - can you suggest the best option on this? I already own a Flirc - would this do the job or is it a pain to get it to function properly on the Pi?

Thanks again.

[chewitt]

I've no suggestions on remotes .. all my stuff has standard RC6 support so it's not something I ever needed to play about with. However, flirc is a simple USB device that should work the same on pi as any other hardware.

[fredfred]

I got a Pie2 and a flirc, It's super simple and really sweet to use
You just program the buttons on your tv remote that is not used to actions in openelec.
When my TV is on the input HDMI 1 the guide button on the remote does nothing, so I programmed the guide button on the remote to send key E as a keyboard press and that makes EPG pop up in OE - simple and sweet
That being said, the Pie have support for CEC, so depending on your tv you might be in luck - your remote might just work straight out of the box and you can use your flir for something else och sell it.

[Peanut]

That's great news, thanks to you both

[gda]

The RPi has HDMI-CEC support. I never had the need for a remote control for the RPi. The remote from the TV controls it just fine.

Gerald

[RedRat]

I use nearly all of it (Pi, Pi2, Wetek, x86). For me the smootest solution is the Pi2 ! Speed is good, CEC is great. Pin it to the back of your flat an you'll be happy !


Kind regards,
Alex