The story in brief:
Decorated the spare room/office and bought a new SFF PC, QHD monitor and active monitors. It's now our main space for watching TV (though we only a watch a few times a week at most).
Bought a Roku stick as recommended on here to avoid booting the PC up and for the better UX.
Problems:
- WiFi signal isn't great (PC uses ethernet over powerline, works fine). Even plugging range extender into powerline adapter in the same room, it's buffering in HD.
- iPlayer app crashes half the time. iPlayer is the main use case.
- Audio via mini jack cable not ideal.
- Needs USB cable for power supply.
- Sticks out the bottom of the monitor.
- Monitor doesn't downsample the 4k. I knew this was a probability, and would have upgraded it if it was the only issue.
Most of these things were foreseeable, or not the Roku's fault, but its a downgrade so it's going back. Wrong choice of solution on my part.
I see you can buy high end streaming devices with Ethernet ports, but more than I want to pay, especially given I already have perfectly acceptable hardware.
I'm thinking the right solution might be (mainly) software... Dual boot with a media centre specific OS. My last foray into this was an XBMC setup I had in the 00s.
My brief research finds Kodi is the successor to this. Anyone using this or an alternative?
I have a spare SSD in the PC. There was a standalone Kodibuntu distro but no longer supported. I assume it works just as well/better on Ubuntu as Windows?
A hardware remote control would be good (app sounds like faff). Any recommends?
I see you can buy high end streaming devices with Ethernet ports, but more than I want to pay, especially given I already have perfectly acceptable hardware.
Totally going against what you have written here, but an Apple TV is as good as it gets in terms of streaming hardware, and ticks all your boxes.
Or a WiFi mesh node or AP to get better WiFi in that room. Connect it to your Ethernet over powerline device. (Range Extenders are almost 100% universally shit, i couldn't get a quite high end one to work when it was within line of sight in the same room as my router, this is not unusual. They just duplicate an already bad signal.)
Or A Chromecast streamer with ethernet.
Roku sticks have been hit and miss for me. Don't have any now, sent them back (tried two or three, terrible connection, my chromecast connected first time and stayed connected for 5 or 6 years, excepting the occasional upgrade that required a manual reboot)
What does "downsample the 4k" mean? That's a new one on me.
Ethernet adaptor for Roku?
Totally going against what you have written here, but an Apple TV is as good as it gets in terms of streaming hardware, and ticks all your boxes.
Yeah, agreed, it's mainly the cost that's off-putting. Some older ones around cheaper, but for 4k (for future-proofing) I'm looking at 2 or 3 Rokus (was £25 in the sale).
Or A Chromecast streamer with ethernet.
See above.
Or a WiFi mesh node or AP to get better WiFi in that room. Connect it to your Ethernet over powerline device. (Range Extenders are almost 100% universally shit, i couldn't get a quite high end one to work when it was within line of sight in the same room as my router, this is not unusual. They just duplicate an already bad signal.)
My (basic TP Link) wifi extender works fine for extending to garden/other bits of the house, so I think maybe this:
Ethernet adaptor for Roku?
Didn't realise that was an option, but does solve the main problem, albeit in a not very neat style.
Wondering about a second hand Roku Ultra... only worry is longetivty of already older tech (they don't make them any more).
What does "downsample the 4k" mean? That's a new one on me.
Roku will only output 1080p (HD) or 2160k (4k). Monitor is 1440p (QHD). Apparently some QHD monitors will appear as 4k to the source and downsample to 1440p. This one won't, so I'm stuck with HD.
Huh. Interesting, cheers.
In any case. I'd be setting up that lot plugged directly into the router as a testing step before spending more money. You could do to narrow down whether your issue is network-related or down to the existing hardware. Turning your home into a Jobscentre Plus isn't going to help if your network is lagging like a plumber, similarly running Cat27 cabling across the house isn't going to fix a dogshit streaming stick. Find out what the cause actually is before playing Parts Darts.
I have an Amazon firestick with an ethernet adapter, the iplayer app will still occasionally say 'optimising for 4k' and then not ever show a picture, other apps do not have this problem. I know it's an Amazon product, but it works really well.
If you are on ethernet can you get a small router in that room & run the PC & then box off that?
Or does the SFF PC have a wifi connection? Could you use that to hotspot for the stick?
it's mainly the cost that's off-putting. Some older ones around cheaper, but for 4k (for future-proofing) I'm looking at 2 or 3 Rokus (was £25 in the sale).
but the thing with the Roku - as you've discovered - it's shit 😂 So you might reasonably expect to pay more for something that's good 🤔 (my vote's for a 2nd hand/old stock ATV in case you hadn't guessed!)
What would be your use-case for Kodi? The main one these days, if we're being honest, is pirating live streams. Watching iPlayer reliably is not really its forte!
If you want to play media off a server, it can do that do, but personally I use Plex as there's a native ATV app so it's as easy to use as any other service i.e. Netflix etc
Or a WiFi mesh node or AP to get better WiFi in that room.
you could have an AP right next to it and the WiFi could still be shit if you have interference or crowded channels etc. One benefit of a decent router is it makes troubleshooting this kind of thing very simple, otherwise it's probably a case of trial and error to sort it!
In any case. I'd be setting up that lot plugged directly into the router as a testing step before spending more money. You could do to narrow down whether your issue is network-related or down to the existing hardware. Turning your home into a Jobscentre Plus isn't going to help if your network is lagging like a plumber, similarly running Cat27 cabling across the house isn't going to fix a dogshit streaming stick. Find out what the cause actually is before playing Parts Darts.
I'm not sure what you mean... The PC is cabled to router (downstairs) via the powerline adapters - works fine for streaming at QHD qualities. Powerline adapter is right next to the PC/monitor, so cabling a streaming device wouldn't be an issue (though would need a hub/switch since the adapter only has one port).
I have an Amazon firestick with an ethernet adapter, the iplayer app will still occasionally say 'optimising for 4k' and then not ever show a picture, other apps do not have this problem. I know it's an Amazon product, but it works really well.
Yeah, suspect the iPlayer app(s) are ultimately at fault - the failure at startup seems to be it failing to do some handshaking on a spotty connection and throwing its toys out the pram. We had a couple of Amazon Fire sticks on the TV downstairs (next to the router) and they both got so laggy/crashy/dead we had to chuck them.
If you are on ethernet can you get a small router in that room & run the PC & then box off that?
Or does the SFF PC have a wifi connection? Could you use that to hotspot for the stick?
The idea of the stick is it would negate the need for the PC to be on at all. It boots quicker than the Roku, so except for having to log in, open a browser and navigate to iPlayer/Netflix, I'm not seeing the advantage. Presumably the "premium" boxes (Apple TV, Roku Ultra) have better processors/more RAM, so all quicker all round, but more spendy, and just buying hardware I already own for the sake of better UX... hence wondering if I can improve the UX with software.
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But are you streaming 4K to a shit roku stick wedged in behind a telly in the garden?My (basic TP Link) wifi extender works fine for extending to garden/other bits of the house,
I still think either an ethernet switch and a wired streamer, or (much) better WiFi is the way to go.
Have you tried a HDMI extension cable so you can put the Roku in a better position?
But are you streaming 4K to a shit roku stick wedged in behind a telly in the garden?
I very much agree with this
I still think either an ethernet switch and a wired streamer, or (much) better WiFi is the way to go.
and since I already have an ethernet port next to monitor I want to stream to, that seems to make the most sense. Even better if it uses the hardware I already have and I don't need to buy a switch to get another port.
Have you tried a HDMI extension cable so you can put the Roku in a better position?
No, but I don't think anywhere in the same room is going to make a significant difference. I don't have an HDMI extension to try anyway.
What does "downsample the 4k" mean? That's a new one on me.
Not sure in that context but it's widely used in pro camera systems - the sensor has more pixels, and a downsample from the sensor say 6k to 4k produces a cleaner image.
My set up is Nvidia shield (the best playback device for multi-format and usb sticks etc, as well as all the streaming regulars.)
Then to a Benq 4k> 1080p (72inch) projector - calibrated to rec 709/2.4 gamma
I've recently referenced against a cinema with a feature film we've just released and the colours were accurate. So well pleased.
I like a projector because there are zero reflections.