Your Recommendations Please (File Server/Multimedia Box)

[compliCATor]

Hi!

I've been interested in getting a SBC for a while now and I've done a bit of “researching” during the past two weeks. I'm getting quite frustrated searching for the right one since every board seems to have a list of disadvantages which I probably don't fully understand. I also am not sure what processor/specs would be fit for my needs.

The Armbian community seems to be very productive and helpful so I'm asking you to please aid me with your SBC suggestions based on the description below.

 

My wishes

a) File server:

* (High priority) To run (audio) server software (Logitech Media Server/Squeezebox Server) that serves files (flac) to a network audio player. All decoding is done by the player.

* (High priority) Run sftp server for occasional file share with friends. I expect transfers of a 1-2Gb file, a few times per week.

For this I would like it to be able to:

* (High priority) Run a torrent client with web interface (like Transmission)
- Connect an (external) drive (transfer speed doesn't need to be super fast but an USB3 or SATA option woud be a plus)
- Connect to internet via etherent cable
- Run the system from a fast on-board storage (eMMC?)

 

b ) Video player:

* (High priority) To be able to play popular video formats and display it on my TV via HDMI (standard "HD" resolution, no need for 4K)

* (Medium priority) Get the audio out separately (not just HDMI) so I can hook it to my stereo. My TV sadly can't pass the audio on.

 

c) Games :

* (Medium priority) Run RetroArch (or similar) to play 8/16 bit era console games
    - Possibly via a bluetooth gamepad (It's OK if I need to use a separate bluetooth adapter)

 

d) Convenience:

* (High priority) I want a board that has a case/enclosure available as an accessory.

* (High priority) Board that is relatively stable so that the server is "always" on-line. I see that many boards have "overheating" listed as a disadvantage. I’m OK with “restarting” it once or twice per month. 

 

Budget

I'm OK with spending up to 200-250 EUR for the SBC, enclosure, cables & adapters. External disk & bluetooth gamepad cost NOT included.
 

Questions
Please give me advice / answers to:  
 

1. What SBC would you recommend based on the description above?
 

2. Additional condition:
What SBC would you recommend if I also want to have a mainline kernel? I just want security updates mainly.

    - I see that graphics drivers are a problem with mainline kernels.
    I don't mind if the video playback is software based (no hardware decoding) if it's able to do it reliably.

    - Preferably a Debian based OS.

3. Additional condition:
 What would you recommend if I also want:

    - I'd prefer if the SBC maker has a history of being open-source community friendly.
      Olimex (OLinuXino) and CubieBoard seem like good choices to me in regard of their "openness", but are they feasible in my scenario?
    I see that Allwinner A20 has good open-source support, but is it underpowered for what I want it to do?

    - I’d prefer to run as little proprietary blobs as possible.

Thank you very much!
-compliCATor

[compliCATor]

Hi!
How come noone replies?

Are my wishes unrealistic? What parts?
Can you answer it partially?

Thanks!

[zador.blood.stained]

1 hour ago, compliCATor said:

Are my wishes unrealistic? What parts?
Can you answer it partially?

Combining server functionalities (especially with USB3 and/or SATA requirements) and a multimedia player is not realistic.

It's better to split this into 2 devices: server - i.e. Odroid HC1, multimedia box - any good Amlogic based TV box running Android. Open-source and HW video acceleration with GPU acceleration don't go well together, so Android with Kodi will be a good choice that works out of the box. Alternatively you could look into Allwinner H3 based devices that have RetroOrange images, but AFAIK it will support less video formats than an Amlogic based device.

[compliCATor]

Thanks @zador.blood.stained for your answer.
I will investigate further.

What do you think of these options/questions?
1.) For server use: Is an A20 processor powerful enough for running server tasks (even torrents) reliably or would I benefit from a more powerful processor?
2.) Do you think Orange Pi Plus 2E could handle running RetroOrangePi video playback (whatever format it supports) while also running the sftp/torrent in the background? (Let's say I'm OK with USB2 as a HDD connection)
3.) How about going with the "original" raspberry 3 for the media stuff (because of its available support, especially since I can get modules like "SPDIF" digital audio out) and then having more "open source" options for the server stuff?

Thanks in advance.
Others, please chime in with ANY suggestion.
Thanks!

[zador.blood.stained]

On 29.11.2017 at 12:10 PM, compliCATor said:

1.) For server use: Is an A20 processor powerful enough for running server tasks (even torrents) reliably or would I benefit from a more powerful processor?

Reliably? Yes. Fast? Probably no. Also please keep in mind that A20 SATA write speed is hardware limited - 45MB/s max

I would recommed reading this: https://linux-sunxi.org/Sunxi_devices_as_NAS

 

On 29.11.2017 at 12:10 PM, compliCATor said:

2.) Do you think Orange Pi Plus 2E could handle running RetroOrangePi video playback (whatever format it supports) while also running the sftp/torrent in the background? (Let's say I'm OK with USB2 as a HDD connection)

No idea, never used and don't plan to use sunxi devices for multimedia, better ask on RetroOrange forums about which video formats are supported in their Kodi.

 

On 29.11.2017 at 12:10 PM, compliCATor said:

3.) How about going with the "original" raspberry 3 for the media stuff (because of its available support, especially since I can get modules like "SPDIF" digital audio out) and then having more "open source" options for the server stuff?

Mostly depends on the definition of "multimedia". Do you want to use Kodi? Do you want to run Linux instead of Android? I still would suggest an Amlogic based device - either a TV box or Odroid C2 running official Hardkernel Android images. Don't have any experience with (and don't care about) RPi 2/3 and their multimedia potential.

[jeanrhum]

Hi,

 

I have similar needs and here is my current configuration at home with the following hardware:

- OPi+2E as server (nas+plex+home-assistant+small other various things)

- an Amlogic TV box for multimedia (hdmi to TV  and spdif to an home cinema for tv audio and airplay server)

 

Previously I used a RPI2 (with raspbmc or openelec) instead of my TV box, but I had to plug a dac to have a decent audio rendering. Depending on the tv box you choose, you can have spdif and optical audio outputs for less money than a RPI+dac and android offers much more possiblities for multimedia and other activities, but it is less customizable than a real linux. You can also use Balbes150 armbian images on such hardware (look at TV box section of this forum). There are also android community firmwares which will most often deliver a better experience than the default one (look at freaktab forum).

 

I think that for less than 80 euros you can have a good config with a sbc as server with a H3/H5 or A64 soc and GBE (or tv box with armbian on it) and a tv box for multimedia on your tv. Moreover, this config may not consume much more power than a big sbc around 200 euros (like those with A72 cores).

[compliCATor]

Thank you @jeanrhum for the input, much appreciated!

Do you by any chance know if such TV boxes are also able (in terms of supported software) to run RetroArch so I could have the "fun stuff" separate from "server stuff"?

Thanks again!

[jeanrhum]

I haven't tested it. You have 2 possibilities:

- look at retrorangepi to customize balbes image since they based their work on armbian and support most xunluong h3 boards.

- use some similar emulators running on android.

 

I just quickly test some emulators on android, and the main problem is with controllers. Since your are on a classical android, the user interface is based on tactile interactions (ie smartphone). Some of them allow to use a bluetooth or wired gamepad, which is very well supported by android, but mine low-cost one is not well recognized by the emulator itself. I just made some quick tests with some MAME emulators and it is not in my priorities to invest more times in this direction.

[compliCATor]

Thank you very much!

Some "investigation" is now required on my part