Title: Super-quick review of the openelec box
Date: 2016-05-07 20:30

I wanted to replace my *home-made* NAS/mediacenter (an i7, with 16GB or RAM, and
3x3To on ZFS) with something <s>less completely overkill</s> more lightweight.

So I acquired a small NAS, and was looking for a machine to put [kodi](
https://kodi.tv ) on. I ordered a [wetek play]( http://openelec.tv/openelec-box ).

[![openelec box]({static}/images/openelecbox.jpg)]( https://wetek.com )

The box is small, fanless, and doesn't look cheap, and if you're too lazy to
[compile OpenElec]( https://github.com/OpenELEC/OpenELEC.tv ) yourself (of if you stumble upon the same `gcc: Internal
error` than me), you can download OpenElec images tailored for your
[device]( http://openelec.tv/get-openelec/category/54-wetek-play-openelec-box-builds ).

*[edit]* It seems that OpenElec [isn't maintained anymore](https://github.com/OpenELEC/OpenELEC.tv/releases),
fortunately, there is an up-to-date fork named [LibreElec](https://libreelec.tv/).

First, I couldn't manage to make it detect my screen: the bundled HDMI
cable doesn't work at all, so you'll have to buy one yourself.

Then, if your box is stuck into a boot-loop, you might need to open it to
[replug the security card]( http://www.wetekforums.com/v/index.php?p=/discussion/13059/tutorial-how-to-check-your-security-sim-on-wetek-openelec ).
Why a *security sim* in a media center?
Likely for [software protection]( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USTCmnM-7KE&lc=z12jyfegzzyygdq3g233wvkjuu3gypmq004.1446488489407720).

Now that everything is working, time to make it digest your music/tv
show/movie collection. I have something like 750GB of music and 1.5TB of video
than took a couple of hours to process completely, making it unusable during
this time.

Performance-wise, the box plays impressively nice with large libraries,
but often needs buffering when playing media (even for music sometimes),
and you'll have to [adjust your caching parameters]( http://kodi.wiki/view/HOW-TO:Modify_the_video_cache )
if you want to watch HD films. Speaking of HD, the device's (lack of hardware) support
of [h265]( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Efficiency_Video_Coding ) will turn your films into powerpoints. 

So overall an ok-ish device that is slowly starting to show its age.