Hello. Can you pls advice me which x86 board version will be sufficient to run kodi and play fluently movie files encoded with h.265 fullhd and 4k, file size will be quite big, couple dozens of GB sometimes. I assume that ultra version will be the best solution but maybe I don't have to spend this amount of money and maybe lower version of x86 like advanced will be good choice? I plan to run on it ubuntu + kodi with nfs client.
Hi @n01knows, welcome to the community! The Intel Braswell processors used in the UDOO X86 range of boards, all support hardware decoding of HEVC, H.265, MPEG2, VC-1 and WMV9. During the crowdfunding campaign, an earlier version of the ADVANCED board was used to demonstrate a triple 4k setup. So to answer, due to the hardware decoding, they will all be good choices. As a recommendation however, I would opt for the ADVANCED if you can afford it, due to the integrated GPU being twice as fast as the BASIC (640 MHz & 320 Mhz respectively).
I would be very careful before selecting Braswell for h.265 support, Braswell is limited to 8-bit HEVC and since its 1.4 HDMI that's only 4K 30fps. From memory I think kodi plays h265 well at 1080p unless you move to the i5 range where 10-bit content might be possible but its in the realms of software decode. Unfortunately just because the processor supports 4K display output people assume it supports standard 4K video decoding (HEVC Main10) which isn't the same thing. I have a bunch of embedded boards with Braswell processors so can speak from experience of whats possible or not. This Kodi link is very useful regarding what hardware supports 4K and to what level. I suggest do your research (and read the fine print) before purchasing.
