When the Raspberry Pi was announced I thought it was an awesome device I could attach to my TV via HDMI to watch videos, movies and browse the web. However, when I finally received the email to say I could order one, I was disappointed to find the delivery time was 11 weeks. So now I am looking at alternatives as I am too impatient to wait that long.
I found this: http://apc.io/about/ which is almost the same as the Pi, but a bit bigger, but again that doesn't have a release date (only early July) and no info about shipping time, let alone costs from the US.
I have an old ATX mobo with CPU, RAM and GPU that I could use, but that would be too loud, large and draw too much power, unless I find a really quiet HSF and silent GPU and a smallish case to hold ATX mobos. Would also need a new PSU for it, so getting expensive.
Mini ITX boards and cases look great, but they are pretty pricey as well once you get everything for them.
Then I read about the Nexus 7, and although a bit more expensive that getting a Mini ITX mobo, I would have alternative uses for it being a tablet. But, I have read that the Nexus 7 doesn't support HML, which is a real shame.
I have already bought a HML cable for my HTC Sensation, and although it plays SD stuff fine, it struggles with even 720p, lagging quite a bit and sometimes not outputting at all. I am not sure if this is somehow a limitation of my Sensation or if it's a cheap cable or something.
So, does anyone know the cheapest options to create a HTPC of sorts, even if it's a portable device, prebuilt or if I have to make it myself? What do you use, and how much did it cost? I'm struggling to think of alternatives.