[ffgjgf1]

> there are still plenty of legitimate reasons to do hardware video encoding

But from what I understand Pi 5 still doesn’t have any HW encoder? So if your task relies on that you it basically loses its main advantage against the N100, lower power usage since you get it for free with Intel.

[alias_neo]

If we compare with the Pi5 yes, something like an N100 based board might be preferable (we should really compare the BCM to the N100, not the Pi itself).

Pi4 _does_ do hardware video encoding, so that is still a valid option for many applications; RP has a good record, decent board design, great software support and a huge community; if we compare with Radxa and their X4 for example; their track record is one of poor board design, poor software support and a miniscule community.

My personal opinion, and it's just that, my opinion based on my experience;

Unless I'm looking at an "embedded" task (board needs to go _inside_ a product), I wouldn't use an SBC; If I'm running Plex/Jellyfin/etc, I'd use a mini-PC or "bigger"; something with a better board design (there are questions about the board design of the Radxa X4 with N100 given its power envelope), proper cooling, better storage and GPU etc.