I'm not sure whether this post belongs under hardware or here, because both topics come into question.
I was originally running an Acer Revo3700 (1.8Ghz Intel Atom, 2 GB RAM, Windows 7 Home) as a player. Playback was rather slow and delayed. I thought this was an internet connection issue at first, but once I tried the same content layout on a MediaBox100, I realized it wasn't. The playback was both smooth and without delay, even running on a wireless connection.
So now I'm wondering how much of that comes down to the operating system vs. the hardware? The MediaBox has only slightly more processing power than the Revo; the Revo has more RAM, and I'm assuming the GPUs are on par with each other (they both support Flash 10 acceleration, correct me if I'm wrong).
Windows XPe is so lightweight compared to Windows 7. Secondly, I'm kinda familiar with the idea that XPe is programmed for the hardware it's running on, and the software it's running. Does that also make a drastic difference?
I've considered building my own players but have had concerns with the operating system. Windows XP cannot be bought OEM anymore, and Windows XPe would require too much cost and effort to program for a system with hardware that could change with every build. I need players that can allow live TV, so that cancels out Ubuntu. Which leaves Windows 7.
What is the primary solution for better performance? Hardware or OS? Do I spend on hardware performance to cope with Windows 7? Or is the MediaBox simply the best solution for those of us that cannot program XPe?
