IT aboard

[socaldmax]

Originally Posted by Bob666

I heard Smart-TV:s aren't that smart.

I missed a link earlier:
Marsking Nexbox A95X Android TV Box 5 1 Powered by Amlogic S905 64bit Kodi 16 1 | eBay

This seems to be a nice product.

Didn't see the forest because of all the trees. Similar to what I got at home, just that this is newer, less power hungry etc etc. Will be sweet in the boat. I'll ask them to put "sample" on the package, could only find it in USA on eBay and doesn't seem available over here. I won't get any hassle with PAL vs NTSC, right? We use PAL in Europe I think.

Will it power a USB disk via its USB ports I wonder? I'd rather buy USB disks that are powered that way. Less hassle.

Can this be correct?:
2TB 1TB 512GB Swivel USB 2 0 Flash Drive Memory Stick Pen Storage Thumb U Disk | eBay

2 Tb for that price?! Not possible...

I can surf also and stream with it, will get a wireless keyboard with touchpad, so I can lie in the bunk while surfing, separate mouse is problematic.

I wonder if it supports SVT Play (Swedish Television streaming)? However hard to play SVT Play outside of Sweden. Unless you fool their service via a proxy. I'll investigate that and post something maybe.

We have Netflix also, but won't pay for that while cruising. However one might want to rent a movie online in a marina, when having wifi. Will work.

Cheers

Yes, the Android TV boxes will support (and power) up to 4 USB HDDs via the USB ports.

Look around on Ebay and make sure you buy a unit that has 3 or 4 USB ports. That way you can plug in a wireless USB KB/mouse plus 3 HDDs, if you use 2TB HDDs, you'll have 6TB of movies available. The one I linked to only had 2 USB ports.

Here's one with 4 USB ports but the price is too low, might not be legit.
4K HD Smart TV Box S905 MXQ Pro XBMC Fully Loaded ANDROID5 1 Quad Core WiFi Kodi | eBay


Here's one that's about $56 with shipping

UHD 4K ANDROID5 1 Smart TV Box Quad Core 3G 32G Kodi XBMC WiFi Media Player R1Y2 | eBay

[Bob666]

A warning is in place:
All About Fake Flash Drives 2013 | eBay

Don't buy the too cheap USB sticks on eBay.

[Bob666]

Thanks, I think I'll order this one:
MX IV Smart TV Box Android 5 1 Amlogic S905 Quad Core 2GB RAM 8GB ROM 1000M W6M5 | eBay

As I want a keyboard with Swedish layout (We have "Å", "Ä" and "Ö" also), so better buy separately, not bundled.

And the power plug looks correct to me. Suppose it's 220 V. I'll be using it on the boat, but for testing at home.

Just have to buy a 12 V DC to 5 V DC converter and mount it in the boat!

Bought a 2 Tb USB 3.0 Disk as well.

[socaldmax]

Originally Posted by Bob666

Thanks, I think I'll order this one:
MX IV Smart TV Box Android 5 1 Amlogic S905 Quad Core 2GB RAM 8GB ROM 1000M W6M5 | eBay

As I want a keyboard with Swedish layout (We have "Å", "Ä" and "Ö" also), so better buy separately, not bundled.

And the power plug looks correct to me. Suppose it's 220 V. I'll be using it on the boat, but for testing at home.

Just have to buy a 12 V DC to 5 V DC converter and mount it in the boat!

Bought a 2 Tb USB 3.0 Disk as well.

You're going to love it!
There are literally thousands of content providers on Kodi, all for free. Check out Exodus, probably one of the top add-ons. It can access a lot of the new movies (sometimes a few days before they hit the movie theaters in the US), new TV shows, old TV shows, live TV, etc.

There are a lot of guides on youtube explaining how to install add-ons.

I've bought 3 of them, one for each TV at home. I don't have to plug and unplug my USB movie collection, I can stream it from one unit to another, or watch content from the web, use my phone as my internet connection if I'm not at home, etc.

[barnakiel]

We just keep the movies on some kind of memory (drive, pen, hdd, whatever) and then watch the movies on the laptop.

And when you have a nice big TV screen, you just plug it into the laptop (hdmi).

I think I have seen big TV screens that actually can display any usb content right away, without any interfacing.

OP really made a simple task overly complicated.

Cheers,
b.

[goat]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

OP really made a simple task overly complicated.

Cheers,
b.

That's what IT guys do. ;^)

goat

[Bob666]

Or is the Raspberry Pi 3 a better choice. Think it draws 2,5 Amps.

The other unit is already configured with Lollipop etc whereas the raspberry is more flexible in that respect.

What do you guys use to convert DC 12 V to DC 5 V for these kind of devices? Just by anything from eBay?

Cheers

[conachair]

Originally Posted by Bob666

Or is the Raspberry Pi 3 a better choice. Think it draws 2,5 Amps.

The other unit is already configured with Lollipop etc whereas the raspberry is more flexible in that respect.

What do you guys use to convert DC 12 V to DC 5 V for these kind of devices? Just by anything from eBay?

Cheers

A Pi 3 draws closer to a few hundred milliamps, I've been using osmc.tv on a pi zero in a hotel for a few weeks, it's great! So simple to set up and seems to do anything I need so far, just add usb hub, wifi dongle, pen drive full of films and a cordless mouse(on screen keyboard) . Lots of plug ins, youtube etc.
The zero suould run off most dc converters, the pi3 doesn't like too much voltage drop.

[Thorne]

The Raspberry pi is a great little device but only the raspberry pi zero can get away with less than 1 amp. The pi 3 absolutely requires 2 amps. It will corrupt your flash memory if you use less. ( been there, done that )

[conachair]

Originally Posted by Thorne

The Raspberry pi is a great little device but only the raspberry pi zero can get away with less than 1 amp. The pi 3 absolutely requires 2 amps. It will corrupt your flash memory if you use less. ( been there, done that )

Possibly momentarily, stick a data logger on it and you'll see the average is way way under 1a at 12v.
These tend to match up to what I've seen., not including an usb bits..

Power Consumption | Raspberry Pi Dramble

[Bob666]

How does the other devices discussed stand out in comparison, regarding the power consumption, please?

[GILow]

Originally Posted by Paul L

Get a TV that will read directly from the USB drive, like a Samsung. That way you don't waste the power having to run a laptop and a PC at the same time.

+1.

As an IT manager, says admin and programmer with 25 years in my trade, I can say this is the most delightfully simple solution. This is what I have done because farting around with any kind of a computer just feels like a day at the office to me.


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[conachair]

Originally Posted by Bob666

How does the other devices discussed stand out in comparison, regarding the power consumption, please?

Can't comment on the others but this is a pi zero.. About 400mA at 5v

[DotDun]

Newer NAS's (QNAP) have HDMI out, embedded media library apps, can play directly to TV/monitor. Or use the NAS VM feature and run OS du jour and play media directly. Power draw for the NAS is less than the monitor (~25w). Shut the NAS down when underway to protect the rotating media. I can't imagine bouncing enough at anchor to bother a hard drive. Maintain raid 1 and keep a spare drive aboard and a backup on land somewhere. Use the NAS to backup laptops, smartphones, etc.

I have Plex running against iTunes media, hence, 2 library systems using the same media files.

[jamhass]

hmmm...
RPi Zero ...$5
Powered USB Hub ... 40 (needs power to run HD)
Bluetooth ... 5 (to run keyboard & mouse)
rpi power supply ... 5
Keyboard & mouse ... 0 (on hand or need for Android box?)
HDMI adapter ... 5
SD card ... 5
Total ... $65. without case or cables.

Unless you want to play, go the commercial unit.

And, yes, I do have an RPi for play, but using a WD box for simplicity...