looking for CPU comparison chart

[atgcpaul]

Just an FYI. RasPlex took less than 5 minutes to install to an SD card and boot up on the Pi. It found the Plex server on my desktop without any intervention and loaded in all my libraries. After that it was downhill. I need to look at the documentation because fast forwarding/reverse weren't working well and eventually I had no more streaming. I had to set the server up to transcode the media so that may have slowed things down and I think my virus scanner had also turned on.

Will play with it some more today.

I've also saw really quickly this morning that there is VNC for Pi. If sound also carries through that stream, I could possibly connect to my desktop from the Pi with VNC and open up a web browser to watch Hulu. Not sure what that quality will be like, though.

[LinuxRandal]

I fear that the issues with PI, might have a lot to do with bandwidth, especially if one has an EARLY model B with 256mb (back from when you could only order one). I think it was about 9 months into its existence when 512 became the standard. (around the time the England manufacturing ramped up)

I have the Beaglebone for the Kali Linux stuff, planned. I've been thinking the 256 version 1 model B's will be a TOR/VPN router and maybe a centralized web server (put all my bookmarks in one place, that if I am not home, I could VPN into the network and use them).

I am not sure if the .264 streams from the newer tuners, are going to be easier, due to bandwidth, or harder on the processor and memory.

[atgcpaul]

I think Plex was the problem. I went back to Raspbmc and installed XBMC on my desktop. Shared my media files via UPnP on my desktop and the Pi found them. The DVDs I had ripped and encoded played fine over the network with no lag. The audio worked on the Windows Media Center recorded TV shows but not the video. I'm pretty confident it's because I don't have the MPEG-2 codec so I bought them. I'll know for sure in a couple of days when I get the license code.

So far so good. My wife turned up the skeptical corner of her mouth at me but I'll get her to warm to it. Gotta have hope.

[atgcpaul]

I do appreciate all the input, but for the time being, no new HTPC for me. My current PC would have been the simplest solution but then I'd need to replace it in the office. If I built/bought one with the specs I needed, I think I'd be out $500 which wasn't going to get approved.

I already had the Pi and some accessories for probably $80 and I've made enough compromises that I'm happy with the final arrangement. If you're interested, I used this to guide me. It really was the best resource. I can't say I'd go this route again but because I had all the other components--decent PC with tuner card--it was at least worth trying.

http://mymediaexperience.com/raspber...-with-raspbmc/

I considered upgrading my Roku several months ago because the new ones allowed streaming from PBS. Well, there is a XBMC PBS add-on that lets me stream PBS. I also have a channel for full episodes of Daily Show amongst other things. I'm waiting for the $4 MPEG-2 license then I can stream the TV shows I've recorded. I will also be able to stream live TV from that box but that's only a side benefit of being able to schedule recordings from my couch rather than in Windows Media Center in the office.

I don't have Hulu but for $40 I could install another media server to allow this. I have enough content to watch that I don't see this happening any time soon.

I'll play with it some more and then try to familiarize the wife with it. I'm hopeful because she revealed to me that she's ready to move from her iPhone (which I rip on all the time) for an Android phone. She even said, "Maybe you can root it for me." I was floored.

Paul