Tablet as HTPC

Archer0915 · Oct 26, 2015

Long story short, the kids busted the touch screen on a win tablet and only half of the screen works. So I was getting ready to trash it and I stopped. I mean though they are not powerful they play netflix, minor games and deliver streaming content. So my newest HTPC will be a broken tablet.

I really can see no drawbacks to this and just wanted to share in case others have a similar tablet situation.

When the BT mouse and KB get here and I get everything hooked up I will share.

knoober · Oct 26, 2015

duct tape that thing to the back of a real monitor and have the illusion of an AIO desktop!

AnimeMania · Oct 26, 2015

You didn't mention what operating system the tablet was running.

Archer0915 · Oct 26, 2015

AnimeMania said:
You didn't mention what operating system the tablet was running.

8.1 at the moment but I have upgraded the main HTPC to win 10 (from 7 because 8 sucked on HTPC to me) as I find it much better than 7 or 8 0n an htpc.

rescuetoaster · Oct 26, 2015

knoober said:
duct tape that thing to the back of a real monitor and have the illusion of an AIO desktop!

Well look at Mr. Fancy pants here with his big important desk that he can't put a tower on.

But seriously, that's a solid idea lol.

knoober · Oct 27, 2015

rescuetoaster said:
Well look at Mr. Fancy pants here with his big important desk that he can't put a tower on.

But seriously, that's a solid idea lol.

I was joking a bit, but I would do it! All those cords get in the way of my pokemon cards and legos

Seriously though I'm working on something similar-ish. Ive got great fascination with integration between tablets and the regular old desktop. When I first used an ARM device I thought the desktop was dead for certain, but then I saw the possibilities. Current project (which is not very far along at all) is a streaming media server - so I can listen to some tunes whilst I slave away in chore pergatory.

The biggest issue to the AIO Illusion PC is the outputs on the tablet. If its got HDMI out then all is well, but if you must use the micro usb port to output the video then how will you charge the device while it is in use. This leads to severely limited use time. I know certain tablets can push high resolutions, but have no idea if that extends to external displays. Sound is a fairly simple matter with the 3.5mm jack/bluetooth/possibly HDMI - whatever your poison happens to be. I believe NFC would also be an option for music playback , but I think it is a no go when it comes to dynamic sounds (sounds from the UI, youtube videos, etc). After that is the keyboard/mouse combo and that's already figured out.

Just spitballing. Tablets these days are fairly powerful and its a shame to let that go to waste. Im not sure how involved a project the OP has in mind though

Archer0915 · Oct 27, 2015

knoober said:
I was joking a bit, but I would do it! All those cords get in the way of my pokemon cards and legos

Seriously though I'm working on something similar-ish. Ive got great fascination with integration between tablets and the regular old desktop. When I first used an ARM device I thought the desktop was dead for certain, but then I saw the possibilities. Current project (which is not very far along at all) is a streaming media server - so I can listen to some tunes whilst I slave away in chore pergatory.

The biggest issue to the AIO Illusion PC is the outputs on the tablet. If its got HDMI out then all is well, but if you must use the micro usb port to output the video then how will you charge the device while it is in use. This leads to severely limited use time. I know certain tablets can push high resolutions, but have no idea if that extends to external displays. Sound is a fairly simple matter with the 3.5mm jack/bluetooth/possibly HDMI - whatever your poison happens to be. I believe NFC would also be an option for music playback , but I think it is a no go when it comes to dynamic sounds (sounds from the UI, youtube videos, etc). After that is the keyboard/mouse combo and that's already figured out.

Just spitballing. Tablets these days are fairly powerful and its a shame to let that go to waste. Im not sure how involved a project the OP has in mind though

I have the BT KB and mouse coming and a lap desk on the way as well. The main HTPC doubles as a media server and there is no need for expansion.

It will be going in my moms room so she can play solitaire and a few other games on the TV and I hope I can get her streaming.

knoober · Oct 27, 2015

is XBMC going to be a part of the setup? even less tech-savvy folks tend to appreciate a smooth organization/UI

Archer0915 · Oct 27, 2015

knoober said:
is XBMC going to be a part of the setup? even less tech-savvy folks tend to appreciate a smooth organization/UI

Well the BT mouse was a POS but I found one at staples. So I get it hooked up and mom decides she does not like it.

Everything else is Roku or smart or a roku smart TV. Guess I will put it in the bedroom as a solitaire and other game player.

Archer0915 · Oct 29, 2015

Gonna make it simple here. Conclusion is, if you have a busted screen or touchpad and an HDMI output it is worth it to turn it into a streaming box. I have also used it as a web device. Gaming, well it is what it is and the windows store has some fun freebies.

So, no need to scrap the tablet and if you have an old monitor... Duct tape that bad boy to it as suggested earlier in a joke. Wonder what an android phone as a PC would be like........ Gotta test that. Old cell phones as a streaming box.

knoober · Oct 29, 2015

Archer0915 said:
Gonna make it simple here. Conclusion is, if you have a busted screen or touchpad and an HDMI output it is worth it to turn it into a streaming box. I have also used it as a web device. Gaming, well it is what it is and the windows store has some fun freebies.

So, no need to scrap the tablet and if you have an old monitor... Duct tape that bad boy to it as suggested earlier in a joke. Wonder what an android phone as a PC would be like........ Gotta test that. Old cell phones as a streaming box.

I cant speak for android as a PC, but I never throw an old phone away/ or trade one in. They stay at home to be little fun devices. Watch movies, stream music etc. This project really is right up my alley. I just wish I had some more to add, but Im still building my stuff and Im really working everything out bit x bit.

Simple is best. there isnt a need to throw away any of these devices unless there is something more serious than a broken screen (which by the way only needs a replacement and is usually only connected with a ribbon cable)

Archer0915 · Oct 29, 2015

knoober said:
I cant speak for android as a PC, but I never throw an old phone away/ or trade one in. They stay at home to be little fun devices. Watch movies, stream music etc. This project really is right up my alley. I just wish I had some more to add, but Im still building my stuff and Im really working everything out bit x bit.

Simple is best. there isnt a need to throw away any of these devices unless there is something more serious than a broken screen (which by the way only needs a replacement and is usually only connected with a ribbon cable)

Yeah I am going to try an old galaxy III and see what comes of it. Still I will need to root it because it still has the Sprint blockware on it.

I just got rid of three working phones not long ago when I fired Spring and moved to Verizon. Got decent trade in credit for the old clunkers and I went 3 months with no bill.

knoober · Oct 29, 2015

Archer0915 said:
Still I will need to root it because it still has the Sprint blockware on it.

Not gonna argue with you because Ive read your threads and know that you have your head on straight with this stuff, but IIRC correctly it is Verizon that makes it tough to root. Ive rooted several devices on sprint networks (although they were not sprint devices nor were they samsungs, so have a grain of salt) and they put up absolutely no fight. As I said, Verizon is apparently the hater of root. I cant speak much to that either, as Ive never had a verizon phone myself.

Curious to know how it turns out , please make a post about it

Archer0915 · Oct 29, 2015

knoober said:
Not gonna argue with you because Ive read your threads and know that you have your head on straight with this stuff, but IIRC correctly it is Verizon that makes it tough to root. Ive rooted several devices on sprint networks (although they were not sprint devices nor were they samsungs, so have a grain of salt) and they put up absolutely no fight. As I said, Verizon is apparently the hater of root. I cant speak much to that either, as Ive never had a verizon phone myself.

Curious to know how it turns out , please make a post about it

IDK about the verizon phones, I got win phones through them and thus far... Heads and tails above Sprint, mainly because I can actually use them.

The Sprint phones are generally limited because and one of the reasons is the unlimited internet plans. I could not HDMI out of my HTC phones with anything other than email and the like. No streaming of major functionality over HDMI was allowed. I think the Galaxy has the same issue. Gotta crack that.

Update:

Found this: http://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters...36406&sr=8-3&keywords=galaxy+s3+to+hdmi+cable

knoober · Oct 29, 2015

Archer0915 said:
Update:

Found this: http://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters...36406&sr=8-3&keywords=galaxy+s3+to+hdmi+cable

Id beleive it more if USB 3.0 support was available/active on your device. I dont know any reason why it wouldnt work. I can say that even though it says it will work with your device you may want to check and see if it will support that option. Ive seen threads where OTG support (I know this isnt OTG, but it seems in the same family of product) had to be added in with a custom rom. Once again though, not a product Ive used at all. If I want to stream, I use the device as a hotspot/AP and tether something that will stream to the phone itself -- not much help unless the device is in service

edit: http://deardanielim.info/samsung-galaxy-s3-hdmi-mhl-and-otg.ddr this guys seems to say it is an officially supported option and that they have an OEM version of the cable you linked. Should be good to go. I dont know how their third party support is, but with a name like samsung... well it will probably work

Archer0915 · Oct 29, 2015

knoober said:
Id beleive it more if USB 3.0 support was available/active on your device. I dont know any reason why it wouldnt work. I can say that even though it says it will work with your device you may want to check and see if it will support that option. Ive seen threads where OTG support (I know this isnt OTG, but it seems in the same family of product) had to be added in with a custom rom. Once again though, not a product Ive used at all. If I want to stream, I use the device as a hotspot/AP and tether something that will stream to the phone itself -- not much help unless the device is in service

edit: http://deardanielim.info/samsung-galaxy-s3-hdmi-mhl-and-otg.ddr this guys seems to say it is an officially supported option and that they have an OEM version of the cable you linked. Should be good to go. I dont know how their third party support is, but with a name like samsung... well it will probably work

Yup jailbreak the Galaxy to set it free from its masters constraints! Then see what it will do. I mean all a smart tv, ROKU,.. is, is a freaking droid of sorts.

knoober · Oct 29, 2015

Archer0915 said:
Yup jailbreak the Galaxy to set it free from its masters constraints! Then see what it will do. I mean all a smart tv, ROKU,.. is, is a freaking droid of sorts.

Meh, if there isnt a task you have in mind that you KNOW needs root I wouldnt bother. Unless its just an adventure in tinkering , then go for it. Rooting simply doesnt give as much extra functionality as a person would want. however I have been working on getting a regular desktop distro to work on android hardware (with a little help from more knowledgable folks). I had a certain brand new Windows OS in mind for the job -wanted to test continuum- but there were snags. Ive read reports and fully believe a desktop linux would work smoothly on an old android box, I just havent gotten around to the actual work of it yet.

Archer0915 · Oct 29, 2015

knoober said:
Meh, if there isnt a task you have in mind that you KNOW needs root I wouldnt bother. Unless its just an adventure in tinkering , then go for it. Rooting simply doesnt give as much extra functionality as a person would want. however I have been working on getting a regular desktop distro to work on android hardware (with a little help from more knowledgable folks). I had a certain brand new Windows OS in mind for the job -wanted to test continuum- but there were snags. Ive read reports and fully believe a desktop linux would work smoothly on an old android box, I just havent gotten around to the actual work of it yet.

Sprint was notorious for blocking the HDMI capabilities. Imagine if they allowed it. Network congestion from all the streaming. Hell I had the unlimited data but where I am it did not matter the connection sucked. But if I could have I would have had phones hooked up to stream netflix.

knoober · Oct 30, 2015

Archer0915 said:
Sprint was notorious for blocking the HDMI capabilities. Imagine if they allowed it. Network congestion from all the streaming. Hell I had the unlimited data but where I am it did not matter the connection sucked. But if I could have I would have had phones hooked up to stream netflix.

I cant imagine the android community just layed down and said "that's ok , we dont need to use HDMI out" . I do know that Samsung's have some of the biggest develpment pools so it wont be hard to find custom firmware that you like. With an issue like that I can see that you will probably want root for certain.

I will add though that my carrier never had an issue with streaming. They did eventually make hotspotting a "pay for" service though, which was how I accomplished my streaming. Streaming just chews through a data plan/ gets you to throttled speeds quicker. They didnt care when the throttle kicked in as long as you knuckled under and took your user experience at the speed of molasses

Archer0915 · Nov 5, 2015

Well after a week it has not been used unless I played with it for fun (Hooked to ROKU tv) but it is definitely a proof of concept there and this will work for anyone.

Going to further do some things with the older smartphone stuff because there is really no need for people to waste money on other devices when they may have what they need in a box somewhere.

Tablet as HTPC

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