Cheap HTPC, be creative :P

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I've been planning to do this for some time now, not satisfied with Chromecast & Apple TV, and if possible it would be nice to keep this under about $200 CAD.

 

I'm very open to suggestions and thinking outside the box here though.  I've so far considered everything from building a "normal" PC with older low-end used parts to save money, to an Intel Compute Stick (and similar devices), to a Raspberry Pi, to a cheap laptop of some sort, and I would entertain other things as well if you can think of them.

 

It needs to have an HDMI out port, and be able to handle things like Netflix, 1080p 60 fps YouTube, Spotify, and other basic tasks, including general web browsing.

 

I have a feeling YouTube will be the most demanding thing in that list, and I've been wondering what the weakest CPU that can handle that would be...

 

Just want ideas for the core system - don't worry about peripherals, display, etc.

 

P.S. I already have a PSU and HDD if I do end up going the build a PC route.

Edited February 1, 2017 by Ryan_Vickers

[Droidbot]

xiaomi mi box

its a home theater device and a chromecast in one. 1080p yt, kodi, etc.

[Drak3]

I'm obligated to suggest the NVidia Shield TV 16GB, because the 500GB version is the best or second best solution that isn't just a bog standard PC (it trades blows with my Xbox One, trading slight stability/consistency in Hulu for 4K capability) I've used.

 

Then you also have Supermicro's Atom server boards.

 

Then Intel's cheaper NUCs.

 

And there's always the cheap PC with Linux and Kodi.

[elkenrod]

Right now I'm just running Microsoft Wireless Display adapter from my main PC and a powerful remote....

 

Gets the job done, but by apartment is only one level.

[KuJoe]

I recommend at least an i3. I've been researching building an HTPC for a few months and have pretty much ruled out all other CPUs (excluding AMD) when it comes to video playback of high quality content (both streaming and otherwise). I was looking at something like this: https://slickdeals.net/f/9717072-refurb-hp-prodesk-400-g2-i3-6100t-4gb-ddr4-500gb-hdd-wifi-win10-pro-320-5-shipping?src=catpagev2

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50 minutes ago, Droidbot said:

xiaomi mi box

its a home theater device and a chromecast in one. 1080p yt, kodi, etc.

I'll have to look into that thing

24 minutes ago, Drak3 said:

I'm obligated to suggest the NVidia Shield TV 16GB, because the 500GB version is the best or second best solution that isn't just a bog standard PC (it trades blows with my Xbox One, trading slight stability/consistency in Hulu for 4K capability) I've used.

Yeah I've had my eye on it but I feel like I could get an older used i3 ram and motherboard for less than the $280 they charge for the 16 GB version here

24 minutes ago, Drak3 said:

Then you also have Supermicro's Atom server boards.

Interesting idea... I'll have to look into that as well

24 minutes ago, Drak3 said:

Then Intel's cheaper NUCs.

Eh... the affordable ones are disconcertingly weak and the good ones are as much or more than a basic PC

24 minutes ago, Drak3 said:

And there's always the cheap PC with Linux and Kodi.

Yes  

21 minutes ago, KuJoe said:

I recommend at least an i3. I've been researching building an HTPC for a few months and have pretty much ruled out all other CPUs (excluding AMD) when it comes to video playback of high quality content (both streaming and otherwise). I was looking at something like this: https://slickdeals.net/f/9717072-refurb-hp-prodesk-400-g2-i3-6100t-4gb-ddr4-500gb-hdd-wifi-win10-pro-320-5-shipping?src=catpagev2

Yeah I was thinking along the same lines.  A decent Sandybridge i3 or modern equivalent should be more than enough but I worry about going too much lower than that.

[Drak3]

1 minute ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

Yeah I've had my eye on it but I feel like I could get an older used i3 ram and motherboard for less than the $280 they charge for the 16 GB version here

Yes, but do you get a damn good AndroidTV experience without tweaking the hell out of Android x86 or doing the work of getting a similar experience with Windows or desktop Linux?

2 minutes ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

Eh... the affordable ones are disconcertingly weak and the good ones are as much or more than a basic PC

No doubt, but for a basic HTPC, that and a lighter Linux distro does have some potential. At least for a highly portable, traveler's unit.

[Droidbot]

1 minute ago, Drak3 said:

Yes, but do you get a damn good AndroidTV experience without tweaking the hell out of Android x86 or doing the work of getting a similar experience with Windows or desktop Linux?

No doubt, but for a basic HTPC, that and a lighter Linux distro does have some potential. At least for a highly portable, traveler's unit.

MiBox is similar but does 1080p best. It's an Android TV (not Android tablet, proper Android TV) box for 75USD. Pretty freakin good on paper.

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32 minutes ago, elkenrod said:

Right now I'm just running Microsoft Wireless Display adapter from my main PC and a powerful remote....

 

Gets the job done, but by apartment is only one level.

Forgot to reply to this  

Interesting idea as well... I have to assume that slightly lowers the quality though, yes?  And what about consistent framerate?  Can you get 60 on it, and with very little latency?

4 minutes ago, Drak3 said:

Yes, but do you get a damn good AndroidTV experience without tweaking the hell out of Android x86 or doing the work of getting a similar experience with Windows or desktop Linux?

No doubt, but for a basic HTPC, that and a lighter Linux distro does have some potential. At least for a highly portable, traveler's unit.

Frankly I'd like to avoid Android if I can.  I would actually prefer a "real" OS like Linux/Windows if at all possible, though even android would be a step up from the current situation... in theory... I hope  

[KuJoe]

1 minute ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

Frankly I'd like too avoid Android if I can.  I would actually prefer a "real" OS like Linux/Windows if at all possible, though even android would be a step up from the current situation... in theory... I hope  

In my experience Android and ChromeOS blow Windows and Linux out of the water when it comes to video playback. I took my old HP Mini 210 (Atom N450) and put ChromiumOS on it to play around with it an OMG the experience was like night and day. I could watch Netflix and Plex on it when I never could before, the quality was great and no buffering or dropped frames. I have an ODroid C1 with a 1.5GHz quad-core ARM on it and when I boot into Android it outperforms my Celeron N2830 running Windows or Linux in terms of video playback. If you want a cheap and effective HTPC experience, don't discount Android/ChromeOS unless you want to step up your CPU game. Not to mention browsing with Chrome on Android/ChromeOS is much more pleasant than using Chrome on Windows or Linux.

[Drak3]

1 minute ago, Droidbot said:

MiBox is similar but does 1080p best. It's an Android TV (not Android tablet, proper Android TV) box for 75USD. Pretty freakin good on paper.

Having no experience with the UI and UX of it, I can't say anything about it. All I know is Roku is hot, steaming shit. The PS4 is fairly good when it's responsive, but sometimes the media apps just seem about as responsive as a dead sloth. I've got a Vizio SmartTV and a Vizio Smartcast TV, and both provided rock solid experiences.....for the first day, then when the way of the Roku. Between HTPCs, the Xbox One, and Shield Tablet, I find the latter two easy to recommend for a no/little hassle experience. I'd only suggest the HTPC if one wants to hassle with Linux on low end hardware (i3 or lower), or are willing to get a cheaper locked i5.

5 minutes ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

Frankly I'd like to avoid Android if I can.  I would actually prefer a "real" OS like Linux/Windows if at all possible, though even android would be a step up from the current situation... in theory... I hope  

Do I need to say the whole "Android is Linux" thing? There's also Android x86, which is more or less Linux with Android apps (although an ARM library is needed for most of them).

6 minutes ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

Interesting idea as well... I have to assume that slightly lowers the quality though, yes?  And what about consistent framerate?  Can you get 60 on it, and with very little latency?

I've used it a bit, and it's an affair of it works or it doesn't. Products like Microsoft's Miracast adapter work consistently, but they require a strong and reliable connection, and some materials used in walls can mess with performance (plaster, concrete), even if wireless performance to the broadcasting device is otherwise fine.

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2 minutes ago, Drak3 said:

Do I need to say the whole "Android is Linux" thing? There's also Android x86, which is more or less Linux with Android apps (although an ARM library is needed for most of them).

I know it is at its core but as I'm sure you're aware, there's a very different feeling of control between true Linux and a locked down mobile OS

2 minutes ago, Drak3 said:

I've used it a bit, and it's an affair of it works or it doesn't. Products like Microsoft's Miracast adapter work consistently, but they require a strong and reliable connection, and some materials used in walls can mess with performance (plaster, concrete), even if wireless performance to the broadcasting device is otherwise fine.

Hm, well the whole reason I'm doing this is to get something that always works without issues, so I don't like the idea of potential random issues.

[Drak3]

1 minute ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

I know it is at its core but as I'm sure you're aware, there's a very different feeling of control between true Linux and a locked down mobile OS

Hm, well the whole reason I'm doing this is to get something that always works without issues, so I don't like the idea of potential random issues.

Android is probably the best solution for what you want, but you'll always have some issues with technology.

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5 minutes ago, Drak3 said:

Android is probably the best solution for what you want, but you'll always have some issues with technology.

I've decided life's too short for that mentality   When something doesn't work properly for me, it gets replaced  

[Drak3]

1 minute ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

I've decided life's too short for that mentality   When something doesn't work properly for me, it gets replaced  

If I had Bill Gate's money, I'd be broke in a week living by that mentality

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1 minute ago, Drak3 said:

If I had Bill Gate's money, I'd be broke in a week living by that mentality

Well it's worked well for me so far.  Only things I've bought are a wireless adapter for Xbox controller and a 1 TB SSD for my steam library, and none of my tech frustrates me on a routine basis  

[Drak3]

1 minute ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

Well it's worked well for me so far.  Only things I've bought are a wireless adapter for Xbox controller and a 1 TB SSD for my steam library, and none of my tech frustrates me on a routine basis  

It doesn't frustrate me, it's just that most of my tech has minor issues that constitute "not working properly"

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2 minutes ago, Drak3 said:

It doesn't frustrate me, it's just that most of my tech has minor issues that constitute "not working properly"

rip  

[Drak3]

1 minute ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

rip  

Like I said, minor issues. Nothing that actually interferes with what I'm doing, just hiccups that would probably annoy other people. Mostly due to my AMD+NVidia GPU setup.

[elkenrod]

20 minutes ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

Forgot to reply to this  

Interesting idea as well... I have to assume that slightly lowers the quality though, yes?  And what about consistent framerate?  Can you get 60 on it, and with very little latency?

 

It's fine for anything but gaming. 

 

I've done Raspberry pi with Kodi and a 2nd PC for the living room, and it always feel like an "extra step" to get functionality that I'm used to at my desk.  If you're just browsing the web and watching video it is 95% of the desktop experience you get.  The 5% depends on the number of walls in your house and the remote/keyboard/mouse you choose to use.

 

Frankly, it's better than using my smart TV's software for youtube/nextflix/whatever and has the added bonus of being able to seamlessly continue to work on whatever I was doing at my desk.

 

Audio might be an issue for you depending on your setup.  I use bluetooth headphones and speakers regularly.  Though I do have audio cables running from my PC to my bedroom and living room. 

 

 

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4 minutes ago, Drak3 said:

Like I said, minor issues. Nothing that actually interferes with what I'm doing, just hiccups that would probably annoy other people. Mostly due to my AMD+NVidia GPU setup.

I got a wireless adapter for my controller because the cord sometimes caught on the corner of my desk.  Is your "minor" more or less severe than that?  

 

[Drak3]

2 minutes ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

I got a wireless adapter for my controller because the cord sometimes caught on the corner of my desk.  Is your "minor" more or less severe than that?  

 

Apparently less severe, because I don't feel like expending any effort into fixing them.

[vanished]

It's still early but so far the solution I came up with seems to be working well.

 

We found an older laptop in the basement that was just collecting dust anyway and hooked that up, and that's about it   With an HDMI port and an i5 2520M, it's more than capable of what we wanted and seems to be working beautifully so far.  IMO, you just can't beat having a real computer hooked up.  It's faster and more reliable than casting, and easier to use than a dedicated device due to mouse and keyboard.  And, since we already had this machine it cost nothing to setup.