Black Box That Does Chrome Browser?

[(PeteCresswell)]

Has anybody got a box that:

- Connects to the TV

- Has no moving parts

- Takes very little power

- Presents an instance of the Chrome browser

- Allows USB keyboard/mouse to be connected?


I see a lot of boxes out there: Boxee, Roku, and so-forth.
Push-comes-to-shove, I might just put a small PC under the TV.... but
I'd rather have something silent and easy on the electric.

Chrome because I've got all my bookmarks stored in my Google account -
so Chrome is a strong nice-to-have... but not a deal breaker.

[Elmo P. Shagnasty]

Post by (PeteCresswell)
- Connects to the TV
- Has no moving parts
- Takes very little power
- Presents an instance of the Chrome browser
- Allows USB keyboard/mouse to be connected?
I see a lot of boxes out there: Boxee, Roku, and so-forth.
Push-comes-to-shove, I might just put a small PC under the TV.... but
I'd rather have something silent and easy on the electric.
Chrome because I've got all my bookmarks stored in my Google account -
so Chrome is a strong nice-to-have... but not a deal breaker.

You should be able to use XMarks to sync your bookmarks independently of
the actual browser itself. But, there's no real reason to avoid Chrome.

That being said, it sounds like you want either a Chromebook (see
Google's Play store under Devies) or maybe a Raspberry Pi or similar
with Windows or Linux installed.

Intel NUC with SSD running Windows or Linux would do it quite nicely as
well.

[meagain]

Post by (PeteCresswell)
- Connects to the TV
- Has no moving parts
- Takes very little power
- Presents an instance of the Chrome browser
- Allows USB keyboard/mouse to be connected?
I see a lot of boxes out there: Boxee, Roku, and so-forth.
Push-comes-to-shove, I might just put a small PC under the TV.... but
I'd rather have something silent and easy on the electric.
Chrome because I've got all my bookmarks stored in my Google account -
so Chrome is a strong nice-to-have... but not a deal breaker.

I have one and am astonished that it ("ChromeCast") appears to send
HD TV from laptop (wireless) to the TV HDMI interface. Dingus plugs
into HDMI, takes power from USB, and syncs with laptop.

Not sure that it meets your criteria for a remote screen, but close!

[(PeteCresswell)]

Post by meagain
I have one and am astonished that it ("ChromeCast") appears to send
HD TV from laptop (wireless) to the TV HDMI interface. Dingus plugs
into HDMI, takes power from USB, and syncs with laptop.
Not sure that it meets your criteria for a remote screen, but close!

For thirty-five bucks, maybe I have to give it a try - but long term, I
was hoping to avoid the complication and battery wear-and-tear of having
the laptop fired up.

OTOH, I've got a 24-7 desktop PC already running and maybe ChromeCast
could be based on that....

What do you do for cursor control? Laptop's pad?

[Jim Wilkins]

Post by (PeteCresswell)

Post by meagain
I have one and am astonished that it ("ChromeCast") appears to send
HD TV from laptop (wireless) to the TV HDMI interface. Dingus plugs
into HDMI, takes power from USB, and syncs with laptop.
Not sure that it meets your criteria for a remote screen, but close!

For thirty-five bucks, maybe I have to give it a try - but long term, I
was hoping to avoid the complication and battery wear-and-tear of having
the laptop fired up.
OTOH, I've got a 24-7 desktop PC already running and maybe
ChromeCast
could be based on that....
What do you do for cursor control? Laptop's pad?
--
Pete Cresswell

I have a wireless keyboard with touchpad, a wireless mouse and a
trackball to control the laptop that records TV. The trackball is
probably best overall because it stays in place on the arm of a chair.
The others control the computer better but are less compatible with
living room furniture.

[Shadow]

On Sun, 02 Mar 2014 20:14:04 -0500, "(PeteCresswell)" <***@y.Invalid>
wrote:

They used to call it Carnivore.
It's name is secret now.
[]'s

[(PeteCresswell)]

Post by Shadow
They used to call it Carnivore.
It's name is secret now.
[]'s

Actually I did not write that - and I don't even see it anywhere in the
thread...

??

[Shadow]

Post by (PeteCresswell)

Post by Shadow
They used to call it Carnivore.
It's name is secret now.
[]'s

Actually I did not write that - and I don't even see it anywhere in the
thread...

Sorry, I fsckd up my quoting. My fault.
[]'s

[Les Cargill]

Post by (PeteCresswell)
- Connects to the TV
- Has no moving parts
- Takes very little power
- Presents an instance of the Chrome browser
- Allows USB keyboard/mouse to be connected?
I see a lot of boxes out there: Boxee, Roku, and so-forth.
Push-comes-to-shove, I might just put a small PC under the TV.... but
I'd rather have something silent and easy on the electric.
Chrome because I've got all my bookmarks stored in my Google account -
so Chrome is a strong nice-to-have... but not a deal breaker.

I will bet that the Cubieboard series computers will do what you want.

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/cubieboard-open-arm-box

I booted the one I played with with Lubuntu, so I don't
know what the Android side can do.

--
Les Cargill

[(PeteCresswell)]

Post by Les Cargill
I will bet that the Cubieboard series computers will do what you want.
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/cubieboard-open-arm-box
I booted the one I played with with Lubuntu, so I don't
know what the Android side can do.

That certainly looks promising.

Yesterday I posted on the CubieBoard forum asking which of the three
models (if any) would be most appropriate for Chrome use.

http://www.cubieforums.com/index.php?topic=1912.msg12262#msg12262

First reply cited "CubieTruck1/2" running Android as being more than
enough.

Once I figure out what he's talking about with Cubie Truck1/2, I'll
probably order one. AFIK, there are currently 3 models of the
CubieBoard....but I wonder if I have the latest info.

The whole thing feels like something that really took off once the
initial production run got out into the world and the developers are
kind of scrambling to keep up... and the terminology, online docs are
lagging.

[Les Cargill]

Post by (PeteCresswell)

Post by Les Cargill
I will bet that the Cubieboard series computers will do what you want.
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/cubieboard-open-arm-box
I booted the one I played with with Lubuntu, so I don't
know what the Android side can do.

That certainly looks promising.
Yesterday I posted on the CubieBoard forum asking which of the three
models (if any) would be most appropriate for Chrome use.
http://www.cubieforums.com/index.php?topic=1912.msg12262#msg12262
First reply cited "CubieTruck1/2" running Android as being more than
enough.

Yep - I'd go there because that's where the mass of development will be.
One thing to watch out for - Allwinner may or may not have a long run
supply of chips available for Cubies. The "board support
package" is also closed, if that matters to you.

In other words, if you like it, buy two and keep a spare, It may not be
available next year.

I'm mainly using it *at work* as a general purpose computer.

Post by (PeteCresswell)
Once I figure out what he's talking about with Cubie Truck1/2, I'll
probably order one. AFIK, there are currently 3 models of the
CubieBoard....but I wonder if I have the latest info.

Your understanding is consistent with mine - Cubie 1, Cubie 2 and
CubieTruck.

Post by (PeteCresswell)
The whole thing feels like something that really took off once the
initial production run got out into the world and the developers are
kind of scrambling to keep up... and the terminology, online docs are
lagging.

Yeah. But it's an Anrdoid basically, so you should be able to find good
docs there. If you prefer Linux, there's a Lubuntu port that just
takes copying a .iso/.img file image to a Micro SDHC ( like in
cellphones, not the larger ones in cameras ) and instant Linux.

I am not 100% sure, but I think even Netflix works on Android.

And if your TV is not for-real 1080p, you may have challenges.

[(PeteCresswell)]

Post by Les Cargill
Yeah. But it's an Anrdoid basically, so you should be able to find good
docs there. If you prefer Linux, there's a Lubuntu port that just
takes copying a .iso/.img file image to a Micro SDHC ( like in
cellphones, not the larger ones in cameras ) and instant Linux.
I am not 100% sure, but I think even Netflix works on Android.

I ordered the 'Truck just on GPs. About $110 delivered. The rationale
being that, if I actually manage to get the thing working, I will find
other, unplanned/unexpected, uses and the WiFi/BlueTooth might come in
handy.

I am hoping that there will be a jumper or something that tells the
board to boot from an external SDD instead of the built-in ROM. That
way, I can play with Linux images on the SDD without compromising the
built-in Android.

Since it only pulls about 5 watts, I'm thinking there will be a whole
host of potential uses for this thing running 24-7.

[Les Cargill]

Post by (PeteCresswell)

Post by Les Cargill
Yeah. But it's an Anrdoid basically, so you should be able to find good
docs there. If you prefer Linux, there's a Lubuntu port that just
takes copying a .iso/.img file image to a Micro SDHC ( like in
cellphones, not the larger ones in cameras ) and instant Linux.
I am not 100% sure, but I think even Netflix works on Android.

I ordered the 'Truck just on GPs. About $110 delivered. The rationale
being that, if I actually manage to get the thing working, I will find
other, unplanned/unexpected, uses and the WiFi/BlueTooth might come in
handy.
I am hoping that there will be a jumper or something that tells the
board to boot from an external SDD instead of the built-in ROM.

Is that "SSD" instead of "SDD"?

SSD or one of those really tiny SDHC micro? I know you can boot from an
SDHC micro without reflashing the flash on the mainboard.

This is what I mean by SDHC micro:
http://www.amazon.com/b?node=3015433011

Post by (PeteCresswell)
That
way, I can play with Linux images on the SDD without compromising the
built-in Android.

You're good to go - there are images for multiple O/S choices but I
think it's only booting from SDHC, not SSD.

You can't just put *any* O/S on them - the Allwinner "board support
package" is proprietary. There are disk images to be downloaded.

http://cubieboard.org/download/

Post by (PeteCresswell)
Since it only pulls about 5 watts, I'm thinking there will be a whole
host of potential uses for this thing running 24-7.

Probably.

[(PeteCresswell)]

Post by Les Cargill

Post by (PeteCresswell)
I am hoping that there will be a jumper or something that tells the
board to boot from an external SDD instead of the built-in ROM.

Is that "SSD" instead of "SDD"?
SSD or one of those really tiny SDHC micro? I know you can boot from an
SDHC micro without reflashing the flash on the mainboard.
http://www.amazon.com/b?node=3015433011

Yes, SSD... my typo.

I have seen vids of people running an SSD as a SATA drive, but SDHC
sounds like the low-cost option to me - since I have a couple of Class
10's laying around. I'll try that and then, if speed becomes an issue,
I'll break down and buy a proper SSD as in http://tinyurl.com/kk7zdex

[Charlie Hoffpauir]

Post by (PeteCresswell)

Post by Les Cargill

Post by (PeteCresswell)
I am hoping that there will be a jumper or something that tells the
board to boot from an external SDD instead of the built-in ROM.

Is that "SSD" instead of "SDD"?
SSD or one of those really tiny SDHC micro? I know you can boot from an
SDHC micro without reflashing the flash on the mainboard.
http://www.amazon.com/b?node=3015433011

Yes, SSD... my typo.
I have seen vids of people running an SSD as a SATA drive, but SDHC
sounds like the low-cost option to me - since I have a couple of Class
10's laying around. I'll try that and then, if speed becomes an issue,
I'll break down and buy a proper SSD as in http://tinyurl.com/kk7zdex

Class 10 on an SD/SDHC card "means" a MINIMUM transfer speed of 10
MB/sec/ (1)

On the other hand, my Samsung SSD connected to a SATA II Controller
(too old for SATA III) gets a MINIMUM transfer speed of 171 MB/sec.
That looks to me like 17x faster.... or looking at it the other way,
your SDHC card will be 3x slower than my USB 2 connected external
drive.

(1)
http://kb.sandisk.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1996/~/difference-between-speed-class,-uhs-speed-class,-and-speed-ratings

[(PeteCresswell)]

Post by Charlie Hoffpauir
Class 10 on an SD/SDHC card "means" a MINIMUM transfer speed of 10
MB/sec/ (1)
On the other hand, my Samsung SSD connected to a SATA II Controller
(too old for SATA III) gets a MINIMUM transfer speed of 171 MB/sec.
That looks to me like 17x faster.... or looking at it the other way,
your SDHC card will be 3x slower than my USB 2 connected external
drive.

Been there.... knew it was slow... but not *that* slow....

Maybe I'll just run out and get an SSD anyhow.

Les Cargill: What's your take on this?

[Les Cargill]

Post by (PeteCresswell)

Post by Charlie Hoffpauir
Class 10 on an SD/SDHC card "means" a MINIMUM transfer speed of 10
MB/sec/ (1)
On the other hand, my Samsung SSD connected to a SATA II Controller
(too old for SATA III) gets a MINIMUM transfer speed of 171 MB/sec.
That looks to me like 17x faster.... or looking at it the other way,
your SDHC card will be 3x slower than my USB 2 connected external
drive.

Been there.... knew it was slow... but not *that* slow....
Maybe I'll just run out and get an SSD anyhow.
Les Cargill: What's your take on this?

I am pretty sure they support SSD. I don't know if they boot from them,
but it's easy to:

1) Reflash the board to boot from the
onboard FLASH whatever O/S you choose and mount the SSD as storage, or
2) Install an SDHC to boot from and mount the SSD as storage. It might
even work with the "write" tab opened so the SDHC never suffers a write
cycle.

If Android supports NetFlix and VLC then I cannot imagine what else
you'd require of it.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/239830/netflix_now_works_on_more_android_devices.html

I'd prefer to pull over a network for storage if I could
because, well, that makes sense. You're using the spinning drives
on your network for that; spinning drives are still the
least cost solution. Your bog-standard 802.11G network may not keep
up but...

its hard to explain how much these little things give you the feel
of being a real computer.


--
Les Cargill

[Les Cargill]

Post by (PeteCresswell)

Post by Les Cargill

Post by (PeteCresswell)
I am hoping that there will be a jumper or something that tells the
board to boot from an external SDD instead of the built-in ROM.

Is that "SSD" instead of "SDD"?
SSD or one of those really tiny SDHC micro? I know you can boot from an
SDHC micro without reflashing the flash on the mainboard.
http://www.amazon.com/b?node=3015433011

Yes, SSD... my typo.
I have seen vids of people running an SSD as a SATA drive, but SDHC
sounds like the low-cost option to me

It is.

Post by (PeteCresswell)
- since I have a couple of Class
10's laying around. I'll try that and then, if speed becomes an issue,
I'll break down and buy a proper SSD as in http://tinyurl.com/kk7zdex

They work with those fine - just not certain they boot from them.
An SDHC that never gets written to will last a long time - you can test
that, ensure that by flying the really tiny write protect tab.