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Stick PC for a media client?
(lemmy.zip)
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this post was submitted on 23 Aug 2026
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Do you know what number model it is? I tried using an old 2B but it was too slow and doesn't have hardware decoding as far as I can tell. I've heard you need around 4B for media playback, but the price is not so great for a simple use like this. Stick PCs seemed to have some cheaper options, including hardware decoding, with the advantage of plugging straight into the HDMI port
I'm pretty sure mine is a 2B as well, but I'd have to go digging behind the TV to know for sure. I know it's not newer than that. It works fine for me running LibreElec+Kodi+Jellyfin, but I don't play anything more complicated than 1080p h264. If you want HD or Atmos or whatever complications, yeah, you'll want hardware decoding.
The ethernet jack is also a plus for me, but I think most video will stream satisfactorily over WiFi these days.
Ok interesting it looks like it does do 1080p H264 hardware decoding https://cdn-shop.adafruit.com/pdfs/raspberrypi2modelb.pdf
Pretty sure I tested mine on video playback and it struggled (quite badly), but I didn't check the playback format, maybe if you stick to the right codec then it works.
I tried using the pi 2B again, I've been using the GUI & browser to show jellyfin and the interface is so sluggish I think it would be hard to use regardless of the ability to play videos
You would need to use LibreElec or OSMC with the Jellyfin addon, Not a desktop and browser.
https://jellyfin.org/docs/general/clients/kodi/
I'll give it a try. I think it suggests model 3B somewhere but can try it with a 2B
All of the Raspberry Pi models have hardware decoding. Even a Pi 1B will play a 30 mbps 1080p bluray rip. I used to run OpenELEC on a 1B. The interface on XBMC was really laggy, but h.264 videos played smoothly.
You need a Pi 4 or newer for h.265 hardware decoding. The Pi 3 has enough power to software decode some h.265 videos.
The video player you use needs to be compiled specifically for a Raspberry Pi for the hardware decoding to work though.
The Raspberry Pi 5 doesn't have h264 hardware decoding blocks anymore afaik. But it's fast enough to do better and faster software decoding anyway from what I've heard.