Mini PC vs. Media Players for Home Theater
You want free TV, that is why you are here. Using a mini PC for your TV has some downside, but is absolutely the best way to maximize your free TV experience. Roku, FireTV or an Android box are also great options to pull in totally free TV. Let me show you some of the advantages a mini PC based solution offers compared to those other alternatives.
Convenience
I don’t think there will be too many who will argue that having a remote and a few navigation buttons isn’t a lot easier than using a mouse and keyboard to locate your video sources. A Windows Media Center remote works great with Windows Media Center, but not for most other programs or moving around to different Web pages. As navigation goes, I like Roku the best, the remote feels solid and responsive. The Fire TV and Stick remotes are OK, but moving around Amazon’s version of Android isn’t as intuitive as traversing Roku’s screens. Most Android TV boxes come with awful remotes.
Set up your Browser – Favorites/Bookmarks
If you are going to cut the cord and use a PC as your main entertainment source, ease of use will become more important. I have set up my browser to display the main sources of TV in my favorites and abbreviate the names to make more fit across the screen. The major networks make most of their shows available on their Web sites. Making this work for you will take away some of the inconveniences.
One last thought, as simple as apps are, sometimes they are really buggy. User ratings on name brand apps for SlingTV, NBC Sports Live Extra, etc, are often around 3/5 stars. Using a Web browser to get to your content might not be smooth, but at least most of the features usually work.
Better features on a mini PC
Feature sets are usually richer with a mini PC based program vs. an Android or other media streaming player’s app. For example, I like to watch baseball, but don’t really like to sit through all 3 hours of it. MLB.TV offers condensed games for free, no subscription needed. The PC version via a Web browser is easier to get to where you want to go compared to their app. SlingBox also works much better with a Web browser than using either their free or paid apps.
I am a little upset at Microsoft’s decision to no longer support Windows Media Center starting with Windows 10. I loved using it as my antenna-based DVR and it worked great with my Media Center compatible remote. WMC gave me the closest experience to using my DirecTV DVR (back when I paid for TV). For those XBMC/Kodi users out there, there are several PVR options to choose from, but finding one as easy to use as Media Center will be difficult. I have got them to work, but I also had to work to make it happen. Media Center wasn’t perfect, but it was pretty close for me and only available for PCs and for those of you who haven’t updated to Windows 10, still a viable option.
Hulu for Free
One of the best free and easy sources of TV is basic Hulu and it is available for viewing only on a computer via your Web browser. You can try to play Hulu via your Android or TVs Web browser, but it won’t work. Hulu knows what type of device you are using and they don’t allow tablets or phones to access their free version. There are differences between the paid and free versions of Hulu, but if you are looking for totally free TV, regular Hulu will provide thousands of hours of entertainment.
Mini PC Cost
One downside to using a PC vs other options is cost. I have a Lenovo Q190 that works great, but at a cost of more than $200 it is quite a bit more expensive than other media streamers. Mine came with a 5000GB hard drive which might not be a big deal for those of you who only stream, but handy for users that want to keep more content saved and maybe use their PC as, well, a PC. Some lesser equipped mini PCs are sold for less than $100, but most models are targeted between $100 and $200 for HTPC (home theater personal computer).
Some of the money you spend on a HTPC will be recouped as apps for other devices will often cost real money. Until recently Slingbox only had a paid version of their app and that went for $15. Monsoon Media’s Vulkano apps are still selling for $13.
I do think the advantages of a PC based box can outweigh the cons, but when you think that a Chinese android box can be had for less than $40, the initial investment will make a difference for some, especially if you have multiple units for additional TVs.
Mini PC-based Solutions Comparison Chart
| Category | Lenovo Q190 | Quantum Byte | HP Stream 200 | Minix Z64 |
| Price | $230.00 get current price  |
$170.00 get current price |
$235.00 get current price |
$155.00 get current price |
| Amazon Rating | 4.4/5 | 4.3/5 | 4.4/5 | 4.6/5 |
| Operating System | Win 8 w/Bing | Win 8 w/Bing | Win 8 w/Bing | Win 8 w/Bing |
| Processor | Celeron 1.6Ghz, Dual Core | Baytrail-T 1.8Ghz, Quad Core | Celeron 1.4Ghz, Dual Core | Bay Trail 1.8Ghz, Quad Core |
| Memory | 2GB | 2GB | 2GB | 2GB |
| USB Ports | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| Video | VGA and HDMI | VGA and HDMI | Display Port and HDMI | HDMI only |
| Storage | 500GB hard drive | 32GB Internal, micro SD Card | 32GB Internal, SD Card | 32GB internal, microSD Card |
