Roku 3 or Amazon or HTPC or Other

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Alright Guys,
I've kind of made it easy to break down the issues in bulletin points so its easy to follow:

Situation:
Moving house- in the middle of putting together a list of stuff for my AV setup.

Hardware:
55" Sony TV, Sony AV Amp, AE 5.1 speaker setup

Content:
MKV's stored on the home PC which will be in another room

Requirement:
Stream via wifi or Ethernet the MKV's stored on the home PC to the TV in the living room. Must do 5.1 surround sound. Ideally 24fps playback. Ideally use Plex Media Server.

Budget:
As cheap as possible and something the Mr's can easily operate

Current setup:
Streaming via Chromecast using Plex Media Server

Narrowed it down to Roku 3, Amazon or a HTPC or....
What do you guys suggest?

Many thanks inadvance

 

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24fps rules out pretty much all the Andoid boxes/Amazon TV.

24fps is ideal but not essential

 

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Thanks guys.
Looks like if i really want to future-proof myself (HD Audio/24fps) i am better off with a HTPC.

Whats the best, cheapest and easiest solution for HTPC? The only thing i don't like about the HTPC is that i will need a keyboard/mouse and i was hoping for just a simple remote so the Mrs can easily use it. I don't want to spend loads..ideally no more than £150.

Also, How does Plex work on a HTPC when the Plex Media server is on another pc?

 

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Do you need to use plex?

You could install Openelec which is based on the Kodi platform (very similar), that way you could then use a remote control (or a phone based app) to control the content so it's easy for your Mrs.

Dont need to use Plex but i like the ease of navigating and playing files with Plex and its very user friendly which the Mrs likes. I suppose i could still use it if i wanted to along side something better like Openelec...which i can operate and the mrs then still has Plex for easy operation which she can control via her phone.

HP 260 G1 Desktop Mini PC, can be had for under £100. Does everything you need it to and more. I've got about 12TB of media ranging from DVD rips to uncompressed Blu Rays all being played through Plex and the G1 has been faultless.

Will have a look at this- thank you.

Intel NUC Sounds like it fits the bill. Grab a cheap 60Gb SSD and 4Gb sodimm and away you go.. Should work out less than 150quid for the Celeron one that does DTSHD(I think) 24fps etc... Can be ran on Windows or Openelec with no issues. Small, quiet and low power use.

Must admit the NUC does seem like the option. Small, discreet and easy to setup. Would a Celeron be enough for 1080p playback as well as being silky smooth in menus? Likewise 4Gb enough? Will prob use Win8.1 as the OS. I would need a wireless mouse and keyboard though for the NUC so would also need a BT dongle?

 

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Ive decided to go the NUC root and have spec'ed the following:

£90 - Intel DN2820FYKH Barebone Desktop (Celeron N2820 2.39GHz, HD Graphics, WLAN, Bluetooth 4.0)
£19 - HyperX Impact 4 GB DDR3 PC1600 CL9 SO SODIMM Notebook Memory Module
£35 - Kingston 60GB mSATA Solid State Drive
£16 - Intel 7260.HMWWB - Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 Network Adaptor PCI Express Half Mini Card 802.11ac 2x2 Bluetooth 4.0 USB

Works out around £160

Firstly......will all the modules i have chosen work in the NUC (Sorry, my knowledge of putting these together is non-existent)

Secondly.....anything i can do to shave some money off?

Cheers

 

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You may want to wait on the Intel NUC Braswell - its already out in the states, so should be imminent in the UK. Code is BOXNUC5CPYH, seems to be pre-order for £106 elsewhere.

Here are the specs: Intel NUC5CYPH

The beefier quadcore is pre-order for £140 elsewhere.

that looks ideal should have everything up and running £250 with windows 7 SSD and RAM

That would be nice but my budget is £150. I only want it to play 1080p MKV's with 5.1 HD Audio

 

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That would be nice but my budget is £150. I only want it to play 1080p MKV's with 5.1 HD Audio

Why not just get an WDLIVE TV you can stream off your pc and use plex to the WD Plays everything you throw at it. i have one even tho i love the fact it plays everything thrown at it. Its just a little slow but as a media player it will play everything without issue

I have but the NUC can double up as a PC too which is what i like about it.