Mini PC for Windows based media players

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So I find myself browsing mini-PCs to use as media servers. Something like this.

Its probably overkill and definitely not a cheap option, but I kinda like the design of it, and I have reasons for wanting to go heavy on the performance end of it. There are other versions as well, like a Special Edition SE version, and one that looks like its geared more toward HT use.

My QNAP NAS already has a quad core Celeron and HDMI out. I run Kodi on it now. And I do like Kodi, but the NAS is Linux based, and I know nothing about Linux. Upgrading Kodi on the NAS is now an issue because QNAP has "withdrawn support" for it. So I would prefer a windows based media player, even if it is Kodi for windows (which I also use on my laptop). And there is more. I would like a real trial using JRiver, and Foobar as well. I really like the Foobar presentation some of you show in screenshots on the forum. Roon looks interesting as well, though costly. I'd like to try these out on my main system.

I'm also wondering about what's available for PC based DSP as well. Can you load up a DSP package like Dirac and run it in conjunction with a media player? I think I read where those types of plugins are available for JRiver now.

All these reasons point to a need for a higher performance windows based PC in my future.

So my questions are:

Do you have any experience with the Shuttle products in the links above?

Do you have any experience with PC Based DSP packages running in conjunction with a media player?

Do you think I'm wasting my time looking at this stuff?:ugham:
 
Interesting, some of the Intel processors have support for 7.1 Audio over HDMI as standard on chip, some don't, so its worth checking before buying. This box looks like you add your own processor as it mentioned a socket.

So I find myself browsing mini-PCs to use as media servers. Something like this.

Its probably overkill and definitely not a cheap option, but I kinda like the design of it, and I have reasons for wanting to go heavy on the performance end of it. There are other versions as well, like a Special Edition SE version, and one that looks like its geared more toward HT use.

My QNAP NAS already has a quad core Celeron and HDMI out. I run Kodi on it now. And I do like Kodi, but the NAS is Linux based, and I know nothing about Linux. Upgrading Kodi on the NAS is now an issue because QNAP has "withdrawn support" for it. So I would prefer a windows based media player, even if it is Kodi for windows (which I also use on my laptop). And there is more. I would like a real trial using JRiver, and Foobar as well. I really like the Foobar presentation some of you show in screenshots on the forum. Roon looks interesting as well, though costly. I'd like to try these out on my main system.

I'm also wondering about what's available for PC based DSP as well. Can you load up a DSP package like Dirac and run it in conjunction with a media player? I think I read where those types of plugins are available for JRiver now.

All these reasons point to a need for a higher performance windows based PC in my future.

So my questions are:

Do you have any experience with the Shuttle products in the links above?

Do you have any experience with PC Based DSP packages running in conjunction with a media player?

Do you think I'm wasting my time looking at this stuff?:ugham:
 
Interesting, some of the Intel processors have support for 7.1 Audio over HDMI as standard on chip, some don't, so its worth checking before buying. This box looks like you add your own processor as it mentioned a socket.

Yes. It has to be outfitted with the users choise of CPU, memory, and SSD/HD.
 
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