daveh75
Well-known member
bigboss said:
It sounds like when you added your video sources/scanned your library you didn't have scraper settings configured correctly.
Have a read through the Kodi wiki
http://kodi.wiki/view/Set_content_and_scan#Scanning_and_updating_files
bigboss said:
As far removed from a Streacom fanless system as you can get I would think! Looks like it may well be noisy with small screaming 80mm fans and intended to live in a rack in a cupboard well away from your media room.
You could talk to these guys as an alternative to QuietPC -
http://www.kustompcs.co.uk/acatalog/System_Quote.html
I bought a bespoke 'quiet' computer from them 8 or 9 years ago (before I realised how easy it is to build one yourself) and they were very helpful and good to deal with.
Thanks pauln. I'm thinking of putting it in under stairs cupboard if I go for one with fan. They are very keenly priced, and I'm also getting a good discount being their past customer. I'll check with kustompcs today.
Just caught up with this thread and thought i'd share my thoughts on the Shield TV. I picked one up recently as i wanted to get a more stable experience.
The main plus for me is that the images are much brighter and sharper in my experience over the Pi KODI. The shield itself is lightning fast and as i didn't bother with the 500gb drive version is silent and without the issues widely reported with the pro versions.
The is plays all the latest formats including VC9/HEVC/H.265 and will also output at 2160p with HDR. I think atmos is supported but don't have atmos set up presently. Also there is a specific application for KODI tuned to the shield called SPMC which is downloaded from the play store. Took less than 10 mins from powering on to having KODI set up with the same skin and file settings.
The main plus for me is that the images are much brighter and sharper in my experience over the Pi KODI. The shield itself is lightning fast and as i didn't bother with the 500gb drive version is silent and without the issues widely reported with the pro versions.
The is plays all the latest formats including VC9/HEVC/H.265 and will also output at 2160p with HDR. I think atmos is supported but don't have atmos set up presently. Also there is a specific application for KODI tuned to the shield called SPMC which is downloaded from the play store. Took less than 10 mins from powering on to having KODI set up with the same skin and file settings.
i3 processor, 16TB (8GB X 2 SATA hard drives) + 2TB SSD for OS, 8GB RAM and blu ray drive for £1135. This comes with a fan ("near silent"). OS is Linux. All software (including ripping) is preloaded.
What do you think of the price?
What do you think of the price?
Thanks, that's helpful. I had a play with Kodi on Fire TV. I like the interface. NVidia Shield is what I'll mostly go for.Feral said:
bigboss said:
I take it this is the rack mount example? Sounds good apart from the 2TB SSD for the OS - 256GB would be more than adequate and would save you in the region of £500!! I feel there is something amiss there if they are advising you to get a 2TB SSD. Something doesn't add up because the rest of the components without the SSD would come to around £800 - £900; your 8TB HDD's retail for around £270 each for a start. That's £540 plus around £300 for CPU/RAM/Motherboard/PSU and £50 for the BluRay drive so with the SSD that's a total of about £1400 - £1500 inc VAT. Does the £1135 include VAT?
Does the included software rip to both the SATA HDD's so one acts as a back up?
Even I thought 2TB SSD is a lot, especially for the price. It includes VAT. I'll check again.
I'm not fussed about backup; the blu ray discs will act as backup anyway.
I'm not fussed about backup; the blu ray discs will act as backup anyway.
bigboss said:
i'd want to know what ripping software is included and what formats are supported for bit rates, they are not all equal. Assuming you are going for a raided pair of 8tb drives you'll want to rip to mkv in h.265 to save space but you also need a player that can handle it. I'm using a simple 2 bay NAS with media server and no transcoding as this is all done by the shield. It takes significantly more time to encode in h.265 esp if you do not have software that can use CUDA acceleration on the gpu.
bigboss said:
Will they allow you to downgrade to something more reasonable? There is no need whatsoever for one so large, in fact the need for an SSD of any description in a media server is questionable unless it's to eliminate mechanical HDD's altogether to reduce noise - which you're not.
Isn't it better to load the OS on an SSD anyway? I don't think downgrade is possible. Basically, I'll only end up losing space if they use a smaller SSD, since I will want the OS on SSD.pauln said:
bigboss said:
If you're happy paying an extra £500 for SSD space that you don't use then fine. Personally I wouldn't be. The OS plus all applications will easily fit on a 128GB SSD that costs around £40 as opposed to £550 for the 2TB. You will gain nothing by putting video files on it, besides you have 16 TB of HDD's for that. Your call.
I'm very sure I won't get a £500 discount by downgrading the SSD size, it'll be more like £100-150. If you look at the page, there isn't any option to choose the SSD size. The total price is very good though, isn't it? If you were offered the same specs with 128GB SSD instead, how much would it have cost?
bigboss said:
I had a look - I don't see any mention of SSD's in the drop down box. It is highly unlikely that anyone would put a 2TB SSD in a system like that, especially at that price because they would be making a loss, which is why I flagged it up in the first place. Two 8TB HDD's and one 2TB SSD would retail at £1100 on their own. Caveat emptor.
Price for the system as specced but with 128GB SSD; not including OS or software - about £900 in HTPC style case if you bought the components and built it yourself. If you wanted a fancy case, quiet and efficient psu, quiet fans and cpu cooler, add another couple of hundred quid.
I've been conversing with them on AV forums conversation.
I asked: Are you sure it's 2TB SSD?
They replied: Positive, we build them.
They further said: I will ask the guy who build them if we can steal some of the spare capacity of the 2TB and add it to the main 16TB storage. If i remember that is possible.
So I have a written confirmation from them. I can always return it if it doesn't match the specs they claim.
I say "they" but it's actually one person. I've dealt with him last year and bought few things from him during my home cinema build (speaker cables, Philips Hue lights etc.).
I asked: Are you sure it's 2TB SSD?
They replied: Positive, we build them.
They further said: I will ask the guy who build them if we can steal some of the spare capacity of the 2TB and add it to the main 16TB storage. If i remember that is possible.
So I have a written confirmation from them. I can always return it if it doesn't match the specs they claim.
I say "they" but it's actually one person. I've dealt with him last year and bought few things from him during my home cinema build (speaker cables, Philips Hue lights etc.).
You might need to compromise on the one box solution. I can see the attraction of what you are after but sometimes separates is the way to go.
as there is no GPU listed I'm assuming that encoding would be done via the CPU and if that's the case you really want i5 or i7 for multithreaded encoding assuming the software can cope. For example I have an overclocked i5 and it takes around 2 hrs to rip a br to 11-13gb at losses and 320kbs audio sampling. Nearer to 8 hrs if h.265 but files are smaller at 4-6gb. On that basis you are going to be spending a long time ripping and 3D will take even longer at full sbs.
I'm not sure what other equipment you have but if you have a pc then you might want to upgrade the graphics card for CUDA acceleration and cut the time down but also the rips can be saved to the NAS but if you only want it to act as a file server then it might be your better option. Cost wise it might work out similar but you will be able to upgrade different parts as and when required.
as there is no GPU listed I'm assuming that encoding would be done via the CPU and if that's the case you really want i5 or i7 for multithreaded encoding assuming the software can cope. For example I have an overclocked i5 and it takes around 2 hrs to rip a br to 11-13gb at losses and 320kbs audio sampling. Nearer to 8 hrs if h.265 but files are smaller at 4-6gb. On that basis you are going to be spending a long time ripping and 3D will take even longer at full sbs.
I'm not sure what other equipment you have but if you have a pc then you might want to upgrade the graphics card for CUDA acceleration and cut the time down but also the rips can be saved to the NAS but if you only want it to act as a file server then it might be your better option. Cost wise it might work out similar but you will be able to upgrade different parts as and when required.
bigboss said:
OK, fair enough.
Also agree with feral re processor; for encoding purposes more cores is better.
bigboss said:
It's transcoding that needs CPU power not ripping per se; if you rip losslessly you don't need it, just loads and loads of hard drive space!! Are you planning to transcode to mkv or mp4? I was assuming not, as you seem like you want max quality. If you are transcoding then yes go for more cores/threads - a Xeon 8 core/16 threads would be good together with a cuda graphics card but would be serious money.
Also consider a platinum rated PSU which is more expensive initially but more efficient thus saving energy/cost long term/the environment and of course creating less waste heat in your cupboard under the stairs - both aspects quite important if your machine is going to be working it's ass off round the clock.
Thanks. Yes, I'll be ripping to lossless MKV. Already have 150 blu ray discs, this number will only increase. Will i5 or i7 and RAM upgrade help?
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