Raspberry Pi - $35 Linux computer

Tinders · 17 Feb 2015 at 09:43

I'd go with a PI2 purely because of the support community.

bledd · 17 Feb 2015 at 09:50

Very happy with my Pi2. The interface is almost as sleek as my Intel Core2Duo install.

It's now very usable, whereas before it was just quick enough for the GUI to be not-unbearably slow

Scottland · 17 Feb 2015 at 10:05

bledd. said:
Very happy with my Pi2. The interface is almost as sleek as my Intel Core2Duo install.

It's now very usable, whereas before it was just quick enough for the GUI to be not-unbearably slow

My thoughts exactly, I found the Pi too slow for me but the Pi2 is much much better. It's about to replace my Amazon FireTV in the bedroom, Live TV playback is much better on Openelec.

uncle_rufus · 17 Feb 2015 at 11:32

Woohoo! My pi2 just showed up at work

Initial impressions - it seems so much smaller than my 256Mb B... The FLIRC case looks great as well, can't wait to test it out

Update: Wow! This thing really flies... haven't had much of a chance to play with it but I installed OpenELEC via NOOBS (which happened to be pre-installed on the micro SD I bought) and it's night-and-day compared to the previous Pi. You can happily seek in big HD files and even load up all the menu and look through categories and things with a HD video playing in the background (which would completely cripple the old one)

Once I have time to sit down and tinker properly it's onto the project... trying to splice together Kodi, Limelight and possibly RetroPie into a single seamless system

TBirdUK · 17 Feb 2015 at 23:26

need some help - my raspberry pi recognises my windows mce ir receiver and the remote works, but only some buttons (there is no back or home and the enter key works but not the 'ok').
Is there any easy way to remap the keys so the mce remote works fully.

So far the volume, arrow keys, enter, power, mute, play, fast forward, reverse, stop all work but the other dont.

I have tried keymap editor but this doesnt seem to recognise the buttons ie 'ok' button as enter.

Any ideas?

Scottland · 18 Feb 2015 at 09:46

Have you tried plugging into another machine to test it does actually work and the remote isn't wonky?

Failing that, I think there is a command you can run to see if the receiver is actually recognising the commands, I can't remember it off the top of my head though.

uncle_rufus · 18 Feb 2015 at 10:06

uncle_rufus said:
Once I have time to sit down and tinker properly it's onto the project... trying to splice together Kodi, Limelight and possibly RetroPie into a single seamless system

I've been reading up on this a little today... it seems like OpenELEC isn't (ironically) anywhere near as "Open" as the name might lead you to believe... I don't think I'm going to have an easy time trying to use it as a base for the above idea... It seems like either raspbmc (OSMC now?) or Xbian will be a better starting point - anybody got any idea which of these is in a better state as I haven't used Xbian before and rasbmc since ages ago (I switched to OpenELEC as raspbmc at the time seemed very bloated)

Frozennova · 18 Feb 2015 at 11:15

uncle_rufus said:
I've been reading up on this a little today... it seems like OpenELEC isn't (ironically) anywhere near as "Open" as the name might lead you to believe... I don't think I'm going to have an easy time trying to use it as a base for the above idea... It seems like either raspbmc (OSMC now?) or Xbian will be a better starting point - anybody got any idea which of these is in a better state as I haven't used Xbian before and rasbmc since ages ago (I switched to OpenELEC as raspbmc at the time seemed very bloated)

I had the same problem.

I have some DS18B20 temperature sensors on plugged into a DIY PCB plugged into my Pi monitoring a couple of sensors and ended using raspBMC as its a full Debian base system with XBMC over the top

uncle_rufus · 18 Feb 2015 at 11:26

Do you think raspbmc adds enough value to use it as a base rather than starting from a pure raspbian/debian install and setting up Kodi/XBMC myself?

Frozennova · 18 Feb 2015 at 11:54

I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure raspbmc/osmc are pretty heavily optimised from a standard Debian install.

I really don't think youd gain anything as far as performance starting with Raspian over raspbmc/osmc. Not to mention the increase is configuring etc.

TBirdUK · 18 Feb 2015 at 17:56

tested the mce remote and it works fine with windows so thats not the issue - I think its something to do with mapping the keys - ie changing the purpose of the ok key to enter as windows has a use for ok but xbmc does not.

IC3 · 18 Feb 2015 at 18:47

Does anyone from here have a comparison between the RASPBERRY PI 2 MODEL B and Odroid (C1) alternatives? I'm looking at setting up a small multmedia center with openlec, the Odroid alternatives seem to be a lot more powerful than Raspberry Pi.

MonkeyBasher · 18 Feb 2015 at 20:47

IC3 said:
Does anyone from here have a comparison between the RASPBERRY PI 2 MODEL B and Odroid (C1) alternatives? I'm looking at setting up a small multmedia center with openlec, the Odroid alternatives seem to be a lot more powerful than Raspberry Pi.

Taken directly from the review on the only UK stockists of the ODRIOD.

I've been using this board for the last month as a small headless server (running Docker containers for rsync backup, web servers, etc, on Arch Linux) and it's been a brilliant bit of kit. Yes, there are teething problems to be sorted out, there always are - remember what the Raspberry Pi used to be like in the early days? UHS-1 can be fickle. My Sandisk SD card works great in UHS-1 mode when powered up, but logs CRC problems after a reboot, so for now I halt + power cycle instead. Without a doubt this wrinkle will get ironed out over time. I've also got a Raspberry Pi 2. The C1 is clearly faster in real use, not just in the benchmarks. It's not hard to see why. Faster CPUs, faster memory, better storage options (UHS-1, eMMC), better I/O architecture (Ethernet, USB and USB OTG are independent buses; they all work off the one USB bus on the Pi), gigabit Ethernet: it all adds up. The Pi is more mature and has a larger ecosystem. The C1 has the better hardware. Take your pick.

IC3 · 18 Feb 2015 at 20:54

MonkeyBasher said:
Taken directly from the review on the only UK stockists of the ODRIOD.

Thanks, for XBMC the Rassberry Pi seems to be better due to more powerful graphics. But, ODROID seems better for home server, I may buy both and try them out.

Mobius 1 · 18 Feb 2015 at 21:06

http://www.lilliputdirect.com/odroid-raspberry-pi/odroid-c1-raspberry-pi-hardware-comparison

Tealc · 18 Feb 2015 at 21:11

IC3 said:
Does anyone from here have a comparison between the RASPBERRY PI 2 MODEL B and Odroid (C1) alternatives? I'm looking at setting up a small multmedia center with openlec, the Odroid alternatives seem to be a lot more powerful than Raspberry Pi.

I can't compare Odroid C1 to Raspberry Pi 2 as I don't own a Pi2 yet. I do however have the C1 setup with a version of Openelec. It works well, fast and responsive, but for me at the moment it is a partial solution as I can't seem to find and install TVHeadend as the Openelec addons are missing. It boots in next to no time with a UHS SD card installed and scans new media very quickly. So much faster than my old Pi B.

I am thinking of getting a Pi 2 to replace my C1 if I can't get a solution to the problem. I'm sure it would work with the Pi.

Quinnaay · 18 Feb 2015 at 21:57

Do some streams buffer/lag more than others? i have a 152mb connection and get buffer with zero cache settings on a 720p stream so frustrating.

Biz.Kid09 · 20 Feb 2015 at 09:46

Hi guys,
Looking into setting up a small Kodi box to use for streaming media and so on. Can't decide between a Pi 2 or the Amazon Fire TV.

Would I be right in saying that for a basic setup, I just need a Pi/Micro-Sd and a power cable?
I can use my phone as a remote and will use Ethernet for streaming.
If I wanted to make use of AirPlay through OSMC, do I need a bluetooth adapter or does it work through my home network?

A Pi 2, SD Card, Case and power cable come in at £47 at the rainforest, the Fire TV is on offer for £64....which too choose!

bledd · 20 Feb 2015 at 10:17

With a Pi, you can use your TV remote with the Pi, it uses 'CEC' through the HDMI port to forward certain buttons to the Pi.

IE, the Up/Down/Left/Right buttons and Ok button for selecting the media. You can customise other buttons like the Red/Blue/Yellow/Green to do other functions too.

Punt · 20 Feb 2015 at 10:19

I briefly played with a FTV to replace my Android s802 box, didn't like it and sent it back.

I'm now on a Pi2 with OpenElec and I'm more than happy. Does everything I want and is just as nippy as my old Android box.

You may also be able to use your TV remote if yout TV supports CEC (Consumer Electronics Control). Initially limited functionality but not rocket science to modify your xml.

I also followed some advice on the OpenElec forums about using a good USB3 stick for storage (settings, cache, etc). This made a huge performance increase.