Android TV Box

donetus

Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2012
Messages
328
Reaction score
15
Mi Box S is surprisingly good... I bought it at around $80 from Qoo10 for my dad and the thing is simply amazing for its price... Highly recommend to everyone esp if you are using a TV that cannot connect to internet

any idea if you can upgrade the Android OS? I've had AC Ryan before and the only way to get the updated OS is to buy a new unit.
 

donetus

Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2012
Messages
328
Reaction score
15
can you recommend a good, bang-for-the-buck Android TV box? It doens't hve to be an expensive but decent enough to play 4K videos.
 

xiaofan

Arch-Supremacy Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2018
Messages
18,107
Reaction score
2,881
any idea if you can upgrade the Android OS? I've had AC Ryan before and the only way to get the updated OS is to buy a new unit.

AC Ryan is not a good vendor for Android TV boxes.

Mi Box S runs Android TV OS 8.1 and it is a good box to get for streaming application like Netflix. It runs official Android TV OS so you do get chances for OS upgrade.

The older Mi Box Global version got the upgrade from Android TV OS 6 to 8.0.

On the other hand, you will be fine with Android 7/8/9 when it comes to Android TV boxes, not like mobile phone where you may want the latest OS. In fact some people prefer to have Android OS 6 because of better compatibility.
 

xiaofan

Arch-Supremacy Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2018
Messages
18,107
Reaction score
2,881
can you recommend a good, bang-for-the-buck Android TV box? It doens't hve to be an expensive but decent enough to play 4K videos.

What kind of 4k video? If it is for streaming application like Netflix 4k or YouTube 4k, then Mi Box S is one of the best value.

If you want to play 4k video from local media or NAS, depending on the format, Mi Box S may or may not be a good choice.

Read my posts in Page 94 for more info about the choices of Android TV boxes.
 
Last edited:

mankind66

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 27, 2013
Messages
1,181
Reaction score
0
I have a Android tv (not tv box)
I have downloaded 2 YouTube apps, one for Android tv version and non Androidtv version.
For the YouTube app (non Android tv version) it can detect and states that i am watching a hdr video. It will also switch to hdr picture mode.
But for the YouTube app(Android tv version) it can't detect any hdr video at all and don't enter hdr picture mode

Anyone notice this problem? Is it a google design problem?
 
Last edited:

donetus

Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2012
Messages
328
Reaction score
15
Yes, I had to find this the hard way when my box went kapoot. Their support said that I had to bring it over to them and get it replaced with a new one. Plus the fact that I can't get any decent updates from it.
AC Ryan is not a good vendor for Android TV boxes.

one is for streaming 4K videos and second would be playing those 2160p 4K MKV video. I find AC Ryan's 4K Veolo was struggling when I tried to play a 2160p MKV video from a local storage.
What kind of 4k video? If it is for streaming application like Netflix 4k or YouTube 4k, then Mi Box S is one of the best value.

If you want to play 4k video from local media or NAS, depending on the format, Mi Box S may or may not be a good choice.
 

xiaofan

Arch-Supremacy Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2018
Messages
18,107
Reaction score
2,881
Yes, I had to find this the hard way when my box went kapoot. Their support said that I had to bring it over to them and get it replaced with a new one. Plus the fact that I can't get any decent updates from it.

one is for streaming 4K videos and second would be playing those 2160p 4K MKV video. I find AC Ryan's 4K Veolo was struggling when I tried to play a 2160p MKV video from a local storage.

If you need Netflix 4k, you have very few choices, Mi Box S and Amazon FireTV Stick 4k are the two best value. Both will be most likely okay to play 2160p 4K MKV video depending on the format. Both do not come with Ethernet port and only have one USB 2.0 port. But for Mi Box S you can buy external USB hub and Ethernet combo from Ugreen to overcome that. FireTV Stick 4k supports external MicroUSB Ethernet adapter as well. Mi Box S CPU is on the weaker side but it is running official Android TV OS with good optimization. And it supports Chromecast function which is very useful.

https://androidpctv.com/review-xiaomi-mi-box-s/
https://androidpctv.com/review-amazon-fire-tv-stick-4k/

If you do not need Netflix 4k (for example you have Samsung/LG smart TV with 4K Netflix support) the S905X2/S905X3 based boxes may be a good choice, like the Beelink GT1 Mini and GT1 Mini 2. The CPU is pretty powerful to decode different 4K video format, USB 3.0 and Gigabit Ethernet are also good for local/NAS media playing. Take note GT1 Mini 2 is very new so you may need to upgrade the FW to get it function properly and wait for more upgrade to get its full potential.

https://androidpctv.com/review-beelink-gt1-mini/

If you need good local media playing and Netflix 4K in one box, you may have to look at high end boxes like Nvidia Shield TV (new version coming). You may take a look at he new Amazon FireTV Cube 2nd generation as well.
 
Last edited:

xiaofan

Arch-Supremacy Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2018
Messages
18,107
Reaction score
2,881
I have a Android tv (not tv box)
I have downloaded 2 YouTube apps, one for Android tv version and non Androidtv version.
For the YouTube app (non Android tv version) it can detect and states that i am watching a hdr video. It will also switch to hdr picture mode.
But for the YouTube app(Android tv version) it can't detect any hdr video at all and don't enter hdr picture mode

Anyone notice this problem? Is it a google design problem?

Definitely not a Google problem but a problem with your Android TV vendor's inability to upgrade the FW properly on time. What is the brand and model?

For example, Sony only adds support in late Dec 2018 for some not-so-old models to support YouTube HDR. BTW you have to use Android TV version to support 4K YouTube.
https://www.sony.com/electronics/support/articles/00161421

*5 The TV supports YouTube™ HDR (HLG/HDR10) starting December 3, 2018. Make sure to update your YouTube app to version 2.04.05 or later.

*6 With the software update, YouTube HDR content is now detected automatically and displayed in HDR format.

Android Smart TV are not that super popular for a reason as the vendors are in general not very good at FW upgrade, maybe it is a common Google Android problem. Sony is already the best among them.

In US Android TV OS is behind Samsung Tizen, LG WebOS and Roku OS.
 

mankind66

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 27, 2013
Messages
1,181
Reaction score
0
Definitely not a Google problem but a problem with your Android TV vendor's inability to upgrade the FW properly on time. What is the brand and model?

For example, Sony only adds support in late Dec 2018 for some not-so-old models to support YouTube HDR. BTW you have to use Android TV version to support 4K YouTube.
https://www.sony.com/electronics/support/articles/00161421

*5 The TV supports YouTube™ HDR (HLG/HDR10) starting December 3, 2018. Make sure to update your YouTube app to version 2.04.05 or later.

*6 With the software update, YouTube HDR content is now detected automatically and displayed in HDR format.

Android Smart TV are not that super popular for a reason as the vendors are in general not very good at FW upgrade, maybe it is a common Google Android problem. Sony is already the best among them.

In US Android TV OS is behind Samsung Tizen, LG WebOS and Roku OS.


I believe it is a google problem. Also got people complain in other forum in the web.
They recommend smart YouTube and i tried and it's able to detect hdr signal.

For my tv box, i enable hdr for the box and everything is in hdr. Able to select different type of hdr picture style

Had just bought a new Android tv. Still not use to Android tv setup. The play store has very little useful apps compare to normal play store which has full features.
 
Last edited:

gregory_choo

Supremacy Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2007
Messages
8,768
Reaction score
1,045
I believe it is a google problem. Also got people complain in other forum in the web.
They recommend smart YouTube and i tried and it's able to detect hdr signal.

For my tv box, i enable hdr for the box and everything is in hdr. Able to select different type of hdr picture style

Had just bought a new Android tv. Still not use to Android tv setup. The play store has very little useful apps compare to normal play store which has full features.

it doesn't matter.

normal play store has nearly 3 million apps, but most of them are not for TV or TVbox .

most of the good video apps are nomally not in playstore. :)
 

xiaofan

Arch-Supremacy Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2018
Messages
18,107
Reaction score
2,881
Had just bought a new Android tv. Still not use to Android tv setup. The play store has very little useful apps compare to normal play store which has full features.

Depending on your usage pattern you may actually want to buy another Android TV box to complement the Android TV.

For example your Android TV may provide very good Netflix experiences and has Chromecast feature. You can use it for official apps from the Android TV version of the Google Play store.

Then you can get an S905X2/S905X3 based TV boxes for other apps, including apps from the mobile version of Google Play Store and side loading apps not available from Google.

You can of course side load apps to the smart TV running Android TV OS but then you may risk slowing down or even brick your expensive smart TV.
 

xiaofan

Arch-Supremacy Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2018
Messages
18,107
Reaction score
2,881
In terms of CPU performance, the following is a general trend.

Ref:
http://tvboxstop.com/tv-box-stop-2019-tv-box-ranking/

High end in 2019
Nvidia Tegra X1 > Amlogic S922X > Rockchip RK3399

Mid end in 2019
> Amlogic S905X3 > Amlogic S905X2 > Amlogic S912

Low end in 2019
> Allwinner H6
> Rockchip RK3328 = RK3318 = Amlogic S905X

Very low end in 2019
> Amlogic S905W > Rockchip RK3229

I used to recommend Tanix TX3 Max and TX3 Mini S905W 2GB/16GB box for the low end, they are still fine for 1080p streaming but the price may not be that attractive in Lazada/Shopee/Qoo10 or Gearbest.
https://www.gearbest.com/top-brands/brand/Tanix.html

Even the new lower end S905X3 box (2GB/16GB, 100M Ethernet, dual band WiFi, USB 3.0, USB 2.0) boxes become very cheap now.

Tanix TX3 S905X3 official version in Gearbest
https://m.gearbest.com/tv-box/pp_009387038204.html?wid=1433363

2GB/16GB US$34, 2.4G WiFi, no BT
4GB/32GB US$44, dual band WiFi and BT
4GB/64GB US$46, dual band WiFi and BT

It is actually cheaper than the S905X2 based Tanix TX5 Pro (4GB/32GB US$50).

And no point to buy TX3 Max S905W 2GB/16GB at US$40 and TX3 Mini S905W 2GB/16GB at US$26 in this case.

The previous S905X2 based TX5 Max has better feature like gigabit Ethernet and external antenna but the cost is higher. Tanix seems to drop it already.

Of course the above is to compare among generic Android TV boxes running the mobile version of Android OS.

In the sub-S$100 range, Mi Box S should still be considered as the best value box for most of the use cases. Amazon FireTV Stick 4K may be a very good value as well.

On the high end, Nvidia Shield TV (new version in 2019 or the older 2017 version) is still the King. It is above S$200 in general.

In the S$100 to S$200 range, Amazon FireTV Cube 2nd generation may be a good value as well if compared to those Amlogic S922X or Rockchip RK3399 based high end generic box.
 
Last edited:

xiaofan

Arch-Supremacy Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2018
Messages
18,107
Reaction score
2,881
S905X3 based box in Lazada, just a quick search

From the reviews it is better to wait for a while. But if you want to buy now, Beelink GT1 Mini 2 should be okay.

1) Beelink GT1 Mini 2, S$98 for the 4GB/64GB version

Initial review shows the FW has a few issues and the performance is actually worse than the S905X2 based GT1 Mini and GT1 Mini A. New FW should fix the issues gradually.

2) OEM version TX3, about S$50 for the 4GB/32GB version and S$55 for the 4GB/64GB version. It is better to buy official version from Gearbest

No review yet and not sure about the FW stability. So better to wait even for the official version from Gearbest

3) X96 Air, about S$55 for the 4GB/32GB version and S$60 for the 4GB/64GB version

Do not buy as the support will not be good
 
Last edited:

eauyong

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 29, 2000
Messages
1,919
Reaction score
90
Has anybody tried the Android TV x86 v1.1.8 ?

Thinking of using a 4-core i5 Intel processor with 8GB ram and a 120GB ssd, gigabit Ethernet and Intel HD VGA to set up and try Android TV OR just Windows-10 with Kodi and a boot up Launcher app.

Any comments.
 

xiaofan

Arch-Supremacy Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2018
Messages
18,107
Reaction score
2,881
Has anybody tried the Android TV x86 v1.1.8 ?

Thinking of using a 4-core i5 Intel processor with 8GB ram and a 120GB ssd, gigabit Ethernet and Intel HD VGA to set up and try Android TV OR just Windows-10 with Kodi and a boot up Launcher app.

Any comments.

I do not see the point of running Android x86 where the app compatibility is a problem. For your configuration the PC will run Windows fine and you can use Kodi and many other apps under Windows. Or you can use the browser for web based apps.

HTPC is a different world than Android TV boxes. People go to Android TV boxes because they are more convenient, consume less power, and usually quiet (no fan needed) and of smaller form factors.
 

eauyong

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 29, 2000
Messages
1,919
Reaction score
90
I do not see the point of running Android x86 where the app compatibility is a problem. For your configuration the PC will run Windows fine and you can use Kodi and many other apps under Windows. Or you can use the browser for web based apps.

HTPC is a different world than Android TV boxes. People go to Android TV boxes because they are more convenient, consume less power, and usually quiet (no fan needed) and of smaller form factors.

Yes, you are right but my android box S905X just don't give me that fluidity responses compared to Intel PCs. The Intel PC is a small form factor though at Dimensions 203 x 153.1 x 36.3 mm (WxHxD) <8" x 6" x 1.4"). Apps should not be a problem as the Playstore do have thousands of apps designed for TV format.

On the other hand if aet up with Windows 10 and Opera browsers, there is the VPN built-in which can choose Europe or US where it is possible to view Sports Live for example BWF French Open Live finals today at 1080P or soccer in Europe channels Live.
 

eauyong

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 29, 2000
Messages
1,919
Reaction score
90
Just in case of confusion, I am asking about Android TV x86 and NOT Android x86. This Android TV is the same as the AndroidTV in Sony, Xiaomi, Shield, TCL, Hisense etc.

This Android TV software is derived from Google and adapted to x86 platform with a partition of ext-4.
 

gregory_choo

Supremacy Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2007
Messages
8,768
Reaction score
1,045
Has anybody tried the Android TV x86 v1.1.8 ?

Thinking of using a 4-core i5 Intel processor with 8GB ram and a 120GB ssd, gigabit Ethernet and Intel HD VGA to set up and try Android TV OR just Windows-10 with Kodi and a boot up Launcher app.

Any comments.

yes, it is quite good. I have tested it on a 10-year-old pc with core2-duo/2GB RAM, it is running faster than tv box with S905X chipset

it should do very well with your configuration.

the problem with x86 android is not all apps in playstore can be run because some of them are compiled for arm only. If installed from playstore, playstore will inform you whether it is compatible.

for sideloaded apps, especially chinese apps, the problem is more severe.

good news is , most of the good apps I used are compatible, and there is a version of x86 kodi.
 

eauyong

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 29, 2000
Messages
1,919
Reaction score
90
yes, it is quite good. I have tested it on a 10-year-old pc with core2-duo/2GB RAM, it is running faster than tv box with S905X chipset

it should do very well with your configuration.

the problem with x86 android is not all apps in playstore can be run because some of them are compiled for arm only. If installed from playstore, playstore will inform you whether it is compatible.

for sideloaded apps, especially chinese apps, the problem is more severe.

good news is , most of the good apps I used are compatible, and there is a version of x86 kodi.

Much thanks for your input. Would it be too much to ask if you can try out Opera browser with the VPN function. Thanks. :)
 
Important Forum Advisory Note
This forum is moderated by volunteer moderators who will react only to members' feedback on posts. Moderators are not employees or representatives of HWZ. Forum members and moderators are responsible for their own posts.

Please refer to our Community Guidelines and Standards, Terms of Service and Member T&Cs for more information.
Top