Hi,
I would like to make a HTPC with DVB tuner. I currently have a Shuttle XS35V4 with USB DVB-T tuner running Linux and Kodi. It is a nice setup but pretty expensive. I would like to get something cheaper for my weekend house. The main purpose will be to use it as a set-top-box to watch live TV. Currently in my country is used DVB-T but it should be switched soon to DVB-T2 with HEVC (H.265).
Time to time I would like to check something on the internet, play video from Youtube or other online services and play a movie from external hard drive. I don’t care about 4K, CEC, multichannel audio or other advanced features.
I read a lot in the forums but still can not decide what should be the correct choice. A good one (but not really cheap) would be probably WeTek Play 2. But it is almost twice as expensive compared to the pretty similar Xtreamer mxV Plus. Almost identical to Xtreamer mxV Pro seems to be KII Pro. They claim to support Android and Kodi. But I¨m afraid that the TV tuner will not work in Kodi on Android. Or has the situation changed? Using a proprietary application for live TV is something I would like to avoid. Xtreamer claims they have a dualboot to OpenElec, which would be fine if it works correctly.
Another option I see is RPi3 or Odroid C2. But those are not cheap solutions either. Both will come close to $90 if I include nice box, BT, WiFI, memory, power supply and remote. Then I would need to get a TV tuner. The cheapest one with Linux support is close to $30 so I’m looking at $120 device. That doesn’t make much sense IMO.
The last option (I can imagine) is an Intel mini PC. It can be as cheap as $70 for this one. And in this case I will not have to worry about DVB-T tuner Linux compatibility and get for example this one for $20. I hope I can use almost any DVB-T tuner on Windows with Kodi, right? It should create a full featured media center including MS Silverlight and Adobe Flash support (I hate those technologies but you need them sometimes). It seems to be the best option for me. It is also by far the most powerful HW.
What do you think about my ideas? I’m very eager to hear your suggestions and comments.