If all I want to do is play local media in mkv etc. formats what's a good TV Box to get? I don't give 2 shits about streaming, I just want to hook up an external drive and play media off it.
>>109363823Any mini ITX machine running Linux.
>>109363823
>>109363823If you give a shit about bloat the bare minimum for good AV1 4K30FPS video playback seems to be a quad-core CPU with AVX, so pretty much any used USFF PC made in the last 10 years or so qualifies, no hardware AV1 necessary.https://openbenchmarking.org/test/pts/dav1dIf you don't then pretty much any shitbox android TV thing will have hardware acceleration for H.264. I've heard those shit ass Fire sticks support OTG so you might be able to hookup a laptop 2.5" hard drive to them.
>>109363823NUC
>>109363865no hdmi cec no dolby codecs
>>109364480hdmi cec is a bad thing, that means you have to unplug the pc when you want to do something else with the tv
ONN
>>109363823you posted it
Fire TV Cube 3, if you can get an old one that still allows for changing the launcher.
Vero V has support for AV1 and covers all codecs you will encounter.
pizero2w is ok for a budget pleb
>>109363823Grab a Dell OptiPlex 7070 Ultra off eBay for like $40, a $5 USB-C - HDMI (DP Alt Mode) cable, and either throw whatever SATA SSD you have in there or pick up someone's old Steam Deck 2230 M.2 drive. It's as thin as a jewel case, just tape it to the back of your TV. AV1 is a fucking meme but it can handle 1080p AV1 just fine. H.265 in hardware up to 4K and that's all that really matters for TV. You got 2 USB3 ports left over, 3 if you use a BT keyboard and mouse, and 4+ if you use a USB-C HDMI hub thing meant for laptops instead of the cable. Plug all the hard drives you want in.Install Windows. Or whatever flavor of Linux you feel like. Kodi on either if you want a 10 foot UI for the shit on he hard drive. If it's simple enough for my 57 year old mom to use after she hands me the flash drive sticking out of hers to "gimme the next season" it's simple enough for /g/
>>109363823Android based system so you can run Nuvio to stream pirated content.
>>109365223no one looking for a tv box wants a computer to watch their media, do you sit with a keyboard and mouse in your couch?
>>109363823somehow all of them are so bad people still shill the seven years nvidia shield with its 11 years old hardware just get whatever you will have shit experience anyways
>>109365203Niggers
>>109364480You can retrofit HDMI CEC with an adapter if you really want to deepthroat the HDMI consortium harder.
>>109365560So open fucking Kodi and use a Bluetooth remote? Why would I pay for ARMslop if I can get a headless 8th gen i5 laptop for less? I get both a TV box and a whole ass computer I can use.
>>109363823i had an original shield tv for a long ass time but it eventually crapped out. replaced with a ser 5 or ~ near there 6 5 idk, but it works way better, i personally will never go back to android tv slop. the real desktop experience is 1000 times better
>>109365560literally yes i have a wireless keyboard and mouse, it works fine, barely need to use the keyboard and the mouse just sits on coffee table
>>109364142You are SO brain damaged, like, WOW.
>>109365743obsessed
>>109363823Ugoos AM6B+
>>109365560I heard that Valve actually went out of the way to make universal remote control works on the Gabe Cube.Why wouldn't it be feasible?
I have found that all these dedicated mini TV boxes are too limited. You will always sooner or later need to do something that does not work on them, or is too cumbersome.Just build a proper small form factor HTPC.
>>109364480usecase for dolby?
>>109365743Why not use CEC?
>>109366266Can't do AV1 and is very expensive.
>>109363823They are really cracking down on those black box media boxes these days and so what I might do is just use an old phone and a salvaged TV with a 50usd chrome cast or hdmi to usbc for the phone with the popcorntime app these days, which is practically what I did when I worked for the Navy. I think I have also had a win 10 media center pc but once I left that job I just threw everything away because it wasn’t worth the trouble of moving everything. But if I had to do it all again a PS4 or 5 might be a better option because I think it will play most dvdvripped files and even if it doesn’t you can always just cast from a phone to your TV and have the ps4 or 5 as a blue ray player if your local library has physical media like some of the better places around the country. What you always want to avoid in my experience is wireless keyboards and mice and unnecessary junk that will just end up in a closet, with the exception of maybe controllers and dongles because even in a pinch an hdmi to usbc will technically work on a iPhone or iPad, although you’ll still have those black bars but sometime convenience wins when your trying to find an impossible solution. The corporations and governments hate the fact that you can own shit, which is why I’m never having kids and doing as little work as possible these days. You gotta look at for yourself these days. 100%
M4 Mac Mini
>>109363823A Shield is only a good choice if your hardware supports DTS:X and Dolby Atmos as it's STILL the only piece of hardware that can seamlessly decode both.
>>109364480>>no hdmi cec no dolby codecsso it's not just about playing mkvs then
>>109367307clean all this shit up
>>1093664244k movies for my woled and sound system.
