I am trying to decide which is better between the two pieces of hardware at this point in time for a streaming box.
Do they both support 4k with HDR?
Is there any usability issues I should be aware of?
I noticed that the Raspbery Pi 4 model B has better hardware but I see all these extremely old ( and I suspect out of dated) comments saying that the Vero 4K runs better.
How is the app store of OSMC? What is in it?
What are your thoughts of using some FOSS Android TV OS verse OSMC?
Pi 4 on OSMC doesn’t support HDR10 yet but will in the future. HDR10+ will take significantly longer I believe as the video stack they use doesn’t support dynamic metadata flagging at this point.
This is a bit vague. Have you used Kodi before?
I explained this to you in IRC. It’s quite limited but there is a Debian system underneath so you can install a lot of packages.
That’s up to your preference. I’d say we are better at software support and getting things fixed faster than Android TV vendors but I am biased.
I’m not an OSMC guy, just an end-user, but I guess I can offer one user’s perspective…
There isn’t an app store, really. OSMC is designed to run just one app - Kodi. As Sam says, it contains a full implementation of Debian Linux, so anything you can run under Debian you can probably get working here, in time. But it isn’t really designed to run anything except Kodi.
You can enable some other functions by installing Kodi add-ons. For example, you can access YouTube or Netflix videos, but you don’t do it with a dedicated app, you use a Kodi add-on. That sometimes sets some limits on the experience - the UI is less sophisticated than a dedicated app, and there are often video resolution limits too. (Disney+, for example, is capped at 720p; Prime Video maxes out at 960x540). If you only want to play locally-stored video and audio, that won’t matter, but if you’re looking for a device to play Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, etc. then OSMC probably shouldn’t be your first choice.
This is true.
Streaming websites that you can watch in a browser. Is there any way to make them have a Roku like experience through some piece of software? For example, navigating Tubi or Crunchyroll like it is an App?
Can I cast to the OSMC?
There is no browser support in OSMC, means for those you would need to find a Kodi Addon
https://kodi.tv/addons/matrix/
Not with “normal” casting. You can sent audio via bluetooth or airplay. And you can use an app like Yatse to send streams that are playable by OSMC also OSMC can be a DLNA reciever.
If your only looking at apps and streaming then buy whatever Android/Roku/AppleTV/Fire* that tickles your fancy. Or just upgrade to a smart TV that has the same type of device built in. You can do some of that stuff with Kodi but due to the smaller user base and DRM requirements there is going to be broader options on the other platforms.
Kodi’s strength lies in playback of local media files and provides a great interface for someone who maintains a library of their own media. If you own a PC you can just install Kodi on that and play with it to see what it is all about. If you find it is for you then you can then figure out what hardware and OS you want to run it on.
I thought it was a full Debian system? I can’t install the Debian Firefox browser on it?
You can install a browser (but for that you need to install a Desktop/X-Server system) but Video playback in that browser would not be accelerated which would limit the Video Resolution you could play smoothly.
How well does ODROID N2+ run OSMC compared to Vero 4k+? I like the detailed information you given before about Raspberry Pi 4 vs Vero 4K+.
Odroid N2+ is not officially supported by OSMC so you would hardly find any information here on how well it runs.
I have both the Vero 4k and a Pi4. Both run OSMC really well but they are very different machines with very different aims.