XBMC & Minix X7

[Evergreen]

Hello,

I am new in this forum so hi all.

The thing is that I am planning to get my parents an Android box to run XBMC.
95% of the times, XBMC will be used only to play mkv files (mostly 720p, but also a few 1080p ones) that will be stored in an Western Digital 500 GB external HD plugged to the Android box via USB cable (that is: we don't plan to stream any video files at all).
Also the XBMC video library should be around 25-30 video files.

So considering this info, do you think that Minix NEO X7 is a good choice?... I have read in this forum that chipset rk3188 is not the best option to run XBMC, but it is also true that this Minix have a customized version of XBMC that some users are reporting to run quite ok...
I also have read that the Rockchip RK3188 quad core devices don't have good picture quality (much worse color rendering)... is this true?. If so, is something fixable thru software updates?

I would love to hear opinions from people here that currently have the Minix X7 about its ability to run XBMC and plays, directly from the hard drive, 720p and 1080p mkv files.

Thanks a lot.

PS: sorry for my poor English.

[Flumpster]

XBMC runs on the X7? I shall have to try and do a bit of reading in this thread to see if anyone else has got it working.

[leolas]

Re: XBMC & Minix X7

Yes it works very well, I use it to play 720p, 1080p and some sd from a local external usb hd, using 5.1 spdif output for sound. And I suggest beyond xbmc from flumpster , a customization of minix xbmc that works great for me.

leolas.

[Flumpster]

Yes it works very well, I use it to play 720p, 1080p and some sd from a local external usb hd, using 5.1 spdif output for sound. And I suggest beyond xbmc from flumpster , a customization of minix xbmc that works great for me.

leolas.

bah, you spoiled my fun lol

[Evergreen]

XBMC runs on the X7? I shall have to try and do a bit of reading in this thread to see if anyone else has got it working.

Hi Flumpster,

Thanks for your reply. I am Spanish, so I do not have problems with the sarcasm.
Although I am new in this forum I am an active member in others, and therefore I know pretty well the basic rule when it comes to forums: search before ask.
As a matter of fact, I have read a LOT in this forum before registering today to post because I was told that this the best place to get info & resources (lets say cooked roms) for TV Android boxes.

But I probably did not make my question correctly (again sorry, but English is not my native language).

From what I have read here, I understand that:

- RK3188 chipset is not the best option when you try to run XBMC. Some lag when playing large files and strange colour management have been reported from many users.



- Both the official ROM/drivers for the X7 and even more the offical customized version of XBMC seems to be in an early stage of development so alternative ROMs and XBMC unofficials versions are available (one the best, according to many user, the one from some guy called Flumpster... or so )


- But it also true that most of the people reporting lag and/or other problems related to XBMC playback are actually playing their videos from remote locations. That is, there seems to be more problems when streaming the HD files.

But I did not find enough people talking about the XBMC playback when playing files directly from a 2,5 portable HD attached via USB to the X7 to make clear conclusions...
That was my point: are all those XBMC playback issues also present when playing local files rather that streaming them?


Also, what about the bad picture quality (color rendering) that seems to be present in the RK3188 devices?... is this something to be worried about?


Thanks all for your patience.

[Evergreen]

Yes it works very well, I use it to play 720p, 1080p and some sd from a local external usb hd, using 5.1 spdif output for sound. And I suggest beyond xbmc from flumpster , a customization of minix xbmc that works great for me.

leolas.

Thanks leolas...
yes, I heard about someone called flumpster and his XBMC excellent work

[Evergreen]

bah, you spoiled my fun lol

[Flumpster]

Hi Flumpster,

Thanks for your reply. I am Spanish, so I do not have problems with the sarcasm.
Although I am new in this forum I am an active member in others, and therefore I know pretty well the basic rule when it comes to forums: search before ask.
As a matter of fact, I have read a LOT in this forum before registering today to post because I was told that this the best place to get info & resources (lets say cooked roms) for TV Android boxes.

But I probably did not make my question correctly (again sorry, but English is not my native language).

From what I have read here, I understand that:

- RK3188 chipset is not the best option when you try to run XBMC. Some lag when playing large files and strange colour management have been reported from many users.



- Both the official ROM/drivers for the X7 and even more the offical customized version of XBMC seems to be in an early stage of development so alternative ROMs and XBMC unofficials versions are available (one the best, according to many user, the one from some guy called Flumpster... or so )


- But it also true that most of the people reporting lag and/or other problems related to XBMC playback are actually playing their videos from remote locations. That is, there seems to be more problems when streaming the HD files.

But I did not find enough people talking about the XBMC playback when playing files directly from a 2,5 portable HD attached via USB to the X7 to make clear conclusions...
That was my point: are all those XBMC playback issues also present when playing local files rather that streaming them?


Also, what about the bad picture quality (color rendering) that seems to be present in the RK3188 devices?... is this something to be worried about?


Thanks all for your patience.

I was only playing with you mate, I knew someone would be along to answer you properly soon afterwards

I honestly have no problems at all with xbmc, even with streaming 20+ gig 1080p files. I am connected to lan instead of wifi tho using powerlan adapters that plug into the mains. Do these even work in spain? I don't know if they require the earth cable on a ring main to work and I know you don't have proper earth.

I have a few test files kept on the machine locally and they work fine also but that was to be expected as they work when streaming.