Intel PC on a stick ..

[TechBill]

intel PC on a stick ...

http://www.maximumpc.com/intels_pc--..._april_24_2015

I am not sure if it can support a client version of SageTV since it run on an Atom CPU

Bill

[stanger89]

Atom is x86, so client would run. Now whether the graphics are up to snuff, that's a different question.

[SWKerr]

ECS LIVA: Impulse buy when it was on sale for $99 at Newegg.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16856501007

I was waiting for the Intel stick but this came up and I went with it mainly because it has a wired connection as well. (2GB RAM WiFi\Bluetooth and 32GB eMMC)
It only supports Win8 right now but it works great. The interface is just as snappy as my regular HTPCs. Not much free space once you install Win8 but there is enough for Kodi\SageTV.

I am using it with this Gyroscope Mouse keyboard IR Remote I picked up at amazon. ($35)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Plus a Flirc for IR control: ($25)

All in the hardware was $160 plus the Windows License.

The only real complaint is the Windows Apps for Netflix\Plex\Hulu etc are not remote friendly. You simply can not Navigate in them without a mouse. The Gyro mouse works OK but being able to use normal keyboard commands and media controls would be better.

Overall I like this setup better than the Amazon Fire Stick or Raspberry Pi as an Extender replacement. The Intel stick seems cool but with all the intermittent issues I have had with slowish WiFi I think a wired solution would be better. Plus more than one USB would be nice as well.

I was not thinking this would replace one of my Big TV HTPCs but I did test it and was able to use Passthrough audio to my AV system and the picture quality looked great so it might work for that as well. Still the Windows setup might be more complicated than many people would want to deal with.

[mikejaner]

Originally Posted by stanger89

Atom is x86, so client would run. Now whether the graphics are up to snuff, that's a different question.

Yes, they should be fine. I have two Winbook700s which are 7" tablets with the same quad core atom, and only one gig of ram with 16gb storage. Using either the LAV, or FFDShow decoders result in ~20% CPU during playback of MPEG2 TV. H.264 uses even less CPU if I recall correctly. Every client I threw at it (Plex, Kodi, SageTV, nextPVR, and VLC),worked perfectly smooth.

[emveepee]

I've got one of those cheap Windows with Bing Bay Trail tablets and I found it good except it does need very good wifi coverage for 1080i. I think these sticks will suffer like that. These should have been designed with 802.11ac

Martin

[mikejaner]

Originally Posted by emveepee

I've got one of those cheap Windows with Bing Bay Trail tablets and I found it good except it does need very good wifi coverage for 1080i. I think these sticks will suffer like that. These should have been designed with 802.11ac

Martin

True.
I plugged a USB network adapter into it to relieve that problem.

[KryptoNyte]

They have a USB port - wouldn't that open up other options for connectivity if the onboard wireless wasn't enough?

[emveepee]

Originally Posted by mikejaner

True.
I plugged a USB network adapter into it to relieve that problem.

Kind of defeats the purpose of a pc stick though. For my tablet that USB is already shared for used for charging and driving a USB speaker for Spotify.

Martin

[jchiso]

Originally Posted by emveepee

Kind of defeats the purpose of a pc stick though. For my tablet that USB is already shared for used for charging and driving a USB speaker for Spotify.

Martin

The WinBook Tablet has a full-sized USB port as well as a micro-USB port for charging/power ...

[mikejaner]

Originally Posted by jchiso

The WinBook Tablet has a full-sized USB port as well as a micro-USB port for charging/power ...

Yup. Also, if I were plugging one of those Intel sticks to the back of my TV, where my HD300 currently sits, I would plug a network cable with the usb dongle up to it anyways. I wouldn't use the usb port for anything else.