Android TV Box

[Asure7]

what's the advantage/disadvantage of Official Android TV OS ?
Can still use apps like Kodi etc?

 

[c1steady]

I bought a TV box from AliExpress 2GB 16GB Rockchip RK3229, Android 8.1. It claim can play 4k video, but when I play YouTube the max setting is only 720p. Later was told the box can play 4k but output to HDMI is only 720p. I thought now the standard is 1080p for any standard box.

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[yxannes]

Hi, if cost is not an issue, what is the best box to get?

 

[c1steady]

Nividia shield. I have it. Very good

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[Sambuca78]

Which shop to get the Tanix TX3 Max inthe show?

I got my tx3 max from shopee around 38 after discount.

https://shopee.sg/fineshow.sg/1462248988?version=06e844fbd60d159bc662a2d13127b411

It is quite good no lag but hor sometimes when i boot it up the display is blur, i have to unplug and plug in the hdmi cable.

Maybe i need to do a reset.

 

[xiaofan]

I bought a TV box from AliExpress 2GB 16GB Rockchip RK3229, Android 8.1. It claim can play 4k video, but when I play YouTube the max setting is only 720p.

Do not buy any boxes based on RK3229. I have one myself and it is way better to get an Amlogic S905W based box at almost the same price or only S$10 higher.

 

[xiaofan]

It is quite good no lag but hot sometimes when i boot it up the display is blur, i have to unplug and plug in the hdmi cable.

Maybe i need to do a reset.

You may consider to add a small fan to cool the box for long term reliability. I use a fan myself for my 4 no-brand Android TV boxes.

As for blur display, could it be the HDMI cable?

 

[Sambuca78]

You may consider to add a small fan to cool the box for long term reliability. I use a fan myself for my 4 no-brand Android TV boxes.

As for blur display, could it be the HDMI cable?

It is not hot just warm.

It cannot be the cable as i do not have the issue with my Minix G4.

 

[xiaofan]

what's the advantage/disadvantage of Official Android TV OS ?
Can still use apps like Kodi etc?

Yes you can install apps from the Android TV version of Play Store and you can also side load apps. Kodi is included in the official store, no need to side load.
https://shield.nvidia.com/apps/kodi

Advantage: Netflix HD and Google Chromecast function. Normal Android based TV box can only have 480p from Netflix.

Disadvantage: very few choices now, you basically only have two choices for box type: Mi Box Global version or Nvidia Shield TV box.
https://www.android.com/tv/

The following is a more complete list with some entries which may not be really certified by Google (Mecool KM8) and some discontinued box (Razer Forge TV and Asus/Google Nexus Player)
https://sites.google.com/view/droid-tv/streaming-gaming

I think Mi Box is not so good for Kodi because of Low storage capacity: 8GB only.

 

[xiaofan]

It is not hot just warm.

It cannot be the cable as i do not have the issue with my Minix G4.

I see. My Brother-in-law does not seem to have this issue so far with his Tanix TX3 Max.

I myself have a bit of problem with HDMI connector on my lousy S$30 RK3229 based box. Then I have a bit of heat related problems with my S$40 X96 Mini Box if not running with a fan.

My brother in law did some research between Tanix TX3 Mini, X96 Mini and Tanix TX3 Max and in the end chose the biggest box Tanix TX3 Max due to heat concerns. So far he likes it. He bought an air mouse too.

Review on Tanix TX3 Max:
https://youtu.be/Lzk2EfY4C-0

Looks pretty positive review to me: 4K Kodi video play, 4K YouTube if using YouTube Android TV version. YouTube 1080p with default YouTube app, root access switch is also a plus.

Not good for Netflix though (480p only), just like other Android TV box using mobile phone version of Android.

 

[xiaofan]

It cannot be the cable as i do not have the issue with my Minix G4.

Not so sure if it has anything to do with the HDMI Auto Resolution and Frame Rate feature of this box. You can try to see if you play with the settings.

You can also ask in their forum or Facebook page.

 

[Sambuca78]

I just received my air mouse. Maybe i am stupid but how to activate the gyroscope and accelerator? Hahaha

 

[c1steady]

Do not buy any boxes based on RK3229. I have one myself and it is way better to get an Amlogic S905W based box at almost the same price or only S$10 higher.

Can amlogic S905w output 4k resolution?

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[c1steady]

Do not buy any boxes based on RK3229. I have one myself and it is way better to get an Amlogic S905W based box at almost the same price or only S$10 higher.

Ya. The RK3229 box is very misleading. Claim can play 4k. In the end only output 720p max. The YouTube resolution is really bad. Have to pay shipping fee if send back to Shenzhen

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[xiaofan]

Can amlogic S905w output 4k resolution?

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Yes if you choose the right box. 4K 30fps only for S905W. 4K 60fps for S905X and better CPU.

My generic X96 Mini can only output 720p /1080p depending on the FW Version. It is not limited by S905W but because of the heat problem so the developer limits the output resolution. I do not have 4K TV and I am happy with 720p/1080p.

It is better to buy official Android TV Box if you are really into 4K. They can do YouTube 4K and Netflix 4K and more.
https://www.android.com/tv/
1) Mi Box Global Version, not so recommend due to no Ethernet port and no USB 3.0, 8GB storage only. So you may encounter WiFi related issue for 4K Streaming.

2) Nvidia Shield TV. Best AnyTV box money can buy.

Or you may consider the Amazon Fire TV 4K Stick 3rd gen devices as well listed in the following chart.

Ref: Android TV Box Chart:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1EBG4tRTmgaf-zXUKg1YcoTxoERwROcYD-DU2sHjuC6o/htmlview

 

[xiaofan]

Ya. The RK3229 box is very misleading. Claim can play 4k. In the end only output 720p max. The YouTube resolution is really bad. Have to pay shipping fee if send back to Shenzhen

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How much do you pay for the box and the shipping back fee?

I do not even bother to return my S$30 RK3239 box. I wanted to buy a Allwinner H3 box (not good either for Streaming , maybe worse than RK3229, but good to run Linux), unfortunately the seller shipped the wrong version to me. I just kept it since it still works.

 

[cryn79]

I got my tx3 max from shopee around 38 after discount.

https://shopee.sg/fineshow.sg/1462248988?version=06e844fbd60d159bc662a2d13127b411

It is quite good no lag but hor sometimes when i boot it up the display is blur, i have to unplug and plug in the hdmi cable.

Maybe i need to do a reset.

Hi Bro,

Can share what discount code you apply to get the $38? Thnks!

 

[yxannes]

Any comments on the UNLOCK TECH Ubox selling on qoo10?

 

[xiaofan]

Any comments on the UNLOCK TECH Ubox selling on qoo10?

Very popular box. The attraction is their live TV app. The latest model UBox Pro has a pretty decent CPU Allwinner H6 but unfortunately only has 1GB RAM. So in terms of HW it is no better than S$50 boxes like Tanix TX3 Max. You pay for the live TV apps and the company seems to survive quite long.

Don’t buy now that high court orders ISP like M1/StarHub/SingTel to block them. Even though there is a simple workaround of DNS change to the ISP Block, do not risk for the future further block (eg: Block of IP address instead of simple domain name block).

https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/...sion-thread-ii-[consolidated]-5538179-80.html

 

[ktyandkyc]

For Nvidia shield, if it's just loading Kodi, i worried that I will be underutilizing the box. Beside really gaming, may I know what other stuff that ppl typically do to maximise the cost paid for the shield?