I really do hope for a world where (if we accept DRM as a given) DRM is more universally accessible. I'd love to get one of these machines to use a media center PC, but I can't do things like watch Netflix/Amazon Prime on them.
(I know I can get a Roku box or similar, but I'm yet to find something that can replicate all the functions I want. An Android machine would be perfect)
Already mentioned, but Android should support the Netflix app. The restrictions being you can't have a "rooted" version of Android. The larger issue to me, is does this include the licenses/use of said hardware decoders? Raspberry Pi doesn't, and it's a pita to use the actual hardware decoding for video. This is of concern to me.
Another issue is that's the base/lowest price? There are already competing boards/kits that may be better priced than this is. Once you add the cost for the faster (quad-core) cpu, and storage, how will this compare to an AMD ITX based solution? Whenever I see a media solution like this, that's always the path I go down. When I'm going to actually spend more than $200 for a full version of an ARM solution, I tend to rethink that an ITX solution with an AMD board/APU seems like a better deal.
I honestly think it will take a bigger name to actually push a decent solution like this. Apple TV hasn't done too well here, and nothing else even comes close to that. Roku and other media hubs are pretty limited, but effective. What I don't like so far are the solutions integrated into the TV... those in the blueray players are a little better, but still, would like to see something more open as a platform. I do think that something like Ouya could be that, but Ouya is targeted at games, and almost no media so far... though I haven't checked the Ouya store in a few weeks.
Android with Netflix/Hulu/Amazon plus XBMC ought to make a very satisfying set top box. If you're doing that though, you might be better off buying an Ouya for the same price, and getting the controller + games as well.
My biggest issues with the Ouya are that the one USB port is USB2 (not 3), and that the options for USB storage are pretty gimped currently. Some apps aren't too bad at being able to use USB storage, others are.. and you can't install anything to secondary storage as it stands.
Definitely true. I stream most of my media (home server, seedbox, or Netflix) so the storage isn't that big a deal. I have an 8gb flash drive for ROMs and haven't come close to filling the internal storage with games.
I wouldn't use the Ouya for serious storage anyway because I couldn't readily access or manipulate that data through the network, but that's just me.
(I know I can get a Roku box or similar, but I'm yet to find something that can replicate all the functions I want. An Android machine would be perfect)