I have been wanting to start a Fantasy Thread about a hypothetical device for a while now.
Now with the N2, VIM3 or Raspberry Pi 4 b out I started to think again what a perfect CoreELEC device would be for users.
So this is just for fun but what would your fantasy specs be?
I ask for:
My dream box would be an N2 with dual HDMI out, one for the tv one for the AVR.
I’ve just bought the latest DENON AVR 2600 (released two weeks ago) and it has eARC and all the stuff but blocks the CEC from the tv remote to my N2 if I use box-avr-tv connection.
Back in 2016 the media were telling us that within a year we would all be using USB-C.
3 years later and we are still seeing devices with USB 2.0.
So my fantasy device would use USB-C exclusively.
One of the reasons why we do still see USB 2.0 is that there is still a great desire to produce the most power efficient devices, which is great but realistically be do have to start to up the anti to get more versatility and be up to date technologically wise but even raising power usage 4 or 5x many current boxes would still result in energy efficiency and low cost.
Right now the benchmark for SBC SOC’s has to be the Tegra in the Shield, so next gen devices do at least have to match that for performance, which I’m sure that many gamers would relish.
I don’t mind active cooling when used by silent fans, which are available.
All future devices should have the ‘case’ integral and not optional as realistically we are more likely to buy one.
I would be happy to pay a couple of hundred pounds if what is included dos take advantage of more up to date technology that would not be considered out of date in no time.
Although I do hope that nobody attempts to take advantage of con technology such as 8k just to sell a device.
But perhaps the greatest advance would be to have a manufacturer that actively wants to support all aspects of the market, providing all the drivers, blobs etc that any OS can take advantage of.
The manufacturer that does this will reign supreme and provide a win/win scenario for all.
Second that on USB-C, my laptop computer I bought just last year only has one C port, wish it had at least two.
Type c USB totally fits the fantasy aspect here.
I personally hold it against a device if i see a type c connector on it. Type c USB is unfortunately currently a shit show, of incompatible not to spec devices/cables, and confusion around what to expect from the port. Since the port can be a mix of anything from USB 1.1 to what ever the latest stupid naming is for USB 3.x to several other non USB standards. It gets even worse when you look at using it for power delivery.
Could you not use an HDMI Splitter?
True, but if you look at the mechanical specs type C is really much better, 10k cycles versus 1500 cycles for type A. That’s mainly what I like about it. I’ve had type A ports go flakey on me before. Plus it’s not polarized. I like how I don’t have to fumble around with the correct direction. Sometimes that really gets me on type A ports.
Another advantage with type C is the contacts that apply mating force are in the cable plug rather than the receptacle. Contact fatigue can be corrected simply by replacing the cable. For type A those contacts are in the receptacle. The receptacle is usually not replaceable being soldered to the device’s circuit board.
This seems a bit illogical imo USB-C is the way forward as more power can be supplied to external devices then ie external HDDs.
Supposedly, but in reality cdu13a is right about it being a shit show in terms of what you might actually get. There’s a lot of devices and cables on the market failing to meet specs in terms of power delivery and/or transfer speeds. It’s really a case of buyer beware right now. Things should converge over time though.
The solution to the USB-C cable problem is for the device manufacturer to sell packs of authorised and verified cables at a price point to make it attractive to users who otherwise might consider looking at the third party market.
Apple is a good example of what not to do, which is sell basic peripherals at extortionate prices that drive purchasers elsewhere.
AFAIC, CE is nothing more than a Linux OS boots into kodi. That said, I would always wanted to have a system that runs Linux OS with hardware specs as follows:
For items 1-2, I don’t mind to settle for an octa-core system with a 4 GB RAM. For items 3-4, a single port for each SATA and USB3.1 ought to suffice. Item #6 is important in the sense to run the device of a 12VDC marine battery being charged with a win generator (or solar panel). Certainly, I wouldn’t pay more than US $30.
The RPi4 with 4GB and quad core CPU is $55. You want more than that for half the price?
RPi4 also needs memory card+power adapter+micro HDMI cable+case?
Some local vendors in European countries are charging +10% + delivery also.
Soon bumps up that $55 price.
I think some here are missing the point.
I’m asking for SoCs that already exist or are planned. Otherwise me too would wish for a 128 Core @8.7Ghz with 256GB ram for 15$ 
Don’t forget the 1 W TDP.
Oops, I had missed the SOC must exist element.
So using the N2 as a baseline, an improved model would therefore include:
Updated A311D SOC
4 x USB-C (with 4 authorised cables included) +1 for power delivery. It’s about time the barrel jack was consigned to history.
Onboard dual band ac WiFi with at least 2 antennas
Onboard Bluetooth 5.0
M.2 Socket (using an internal SSD with larger capacity and faster speeds will always be preferable. not to mention likely cheaper per Gb than eMMC)
Included case (It’s not really an option when most people will already buy one)
Larger SPI memory to support a multi OS boot GUI environment. Decent CE, Linux, Android environments would also make the device way more attractive to a far larger purchasing base.
I’d be happy to pay the equivalent to a Shield.
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