Android TV Box

xiaofan

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can please help to recommend a good android box so that my husband and i can watch all the channels in the world? if i buy from online then im afraid difficult to get the help and support if anything goes wrong. if i buy from a local shop here would be better rite? please help.

No such thing as all the channels in the world. Some preloaded boxes claim that but it is a false promise.

As for buying from local shop, yes you can buy Mi Box S from local Mi Shop at S$99 ( sometimes goes down to S$89). It comes with one year local warranty. But it does not come with any live TV channels and you have to install apps by yourself.

The other possible alternative is Starhub Go Streaming box if you are okay with the Starhub Go packs.
https://www.starhub.com/personal/for-your-home/entertainment/starhub-go-streaming-box.html
 
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ysyj48

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r we allowed to discuss kodi add-ons here? just want to inform all that some add ons and repos hv been shutdown. yes, add-ons have disappeared/stopped working suddenly in the past, but i think this time it sounds quite serious and not like the past cases: https://www.wirelesshack.org/top-kodi-repositories-shut-down-june-2019.html

anyone has good add-ons to recommend for US dramas and variety shows? or APKs also can. must start looking for substitutes for kodi add-ons
 

kaixin18

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No such thing as all the channels in the world. Some preloaded boxes claim that but it is a false promise.

As for buying from local shop, yes you can buy Mi Box S from local Mi Shop at S$99 ( sometimes goes down to S$89). It comes with one year local warranty. But it does not come with any live TV channels and you have to install apps by yourself.

The other possible alternative is Starhub Go Streaming box if you are okay with the Starhub Go packs.
https://www.starhub.com/personal/for-your-home/entertainment/starhub-go-streaming-box.html

r we allowed to discuss kodi add-ons here? just want to inform all that some add ons and repos hv been shutdown. yes, add-ons have disappeared/stopped working suddenly in the past, but i think this time it sounds quite serious and not like the past cases: https://www.wirelesshack.org/top-kodi-repositories-shut-down-june-2019.html

anyone has good add-ons to recommend for US dramas and variety shows? or APKs also can. must start looking for substitutes for kodi add-ons

what about those android boxes being sold on carousel and in sim lim square. the advertisement say its one time payment and have all the channels inside. just need to connect to house wifi. are they for real or bluff one?
 

gregory_choo

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r we allowed to discuss kodi add-ons here? just want to inform all that some add ons and repos hv been shutdown. yes, add-ons have disappeared/stopped working suddenly in the past, but i think this time it sounds quite serious and not like the past cases: https://www.wirelesshack.org/top-kodi-repositories-shut-down-june-2019.html

anyone has good add-ons to recommend for US dramas and variety shows? or APKs also can. must start looking for substitutes for kodi add-ons

better remove those repo, else someone might take over and inject virus to your tv box or PC.

it is very easy to get good apps, just need to install apktime .

alternatively, read up from other forums or facebook group, such as tv box sg.
 

xiaofan

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what about those android boxes being sold on carousel and in sim lim square. the advertisement say its one time payment and have all the channels inside. just need to connect to house wifi. are they for real or bluff one?

False claim. In general do not buy boxes with such claims.

Example references for Redbean boxes sold in Sim Lim Square.
https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/.../beware-redbean-android-tv-box-5294147-5.html

https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/...tay-away-red-bean-i-flame-tv-box-5684462.html
 
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gregory_choo

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kaixin18

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False claim. In general do not buy boxes with such claims.

Example references for Redbean boxes sold in Sim Lim Square.
https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/.../beware-redbean-android-tv-box-5294147-5.html

https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/...tay-away-red-bean-i-flame-tv-box-5684462.html

Eighty per cent of all e-commerce scams reported took place on Carousell, with common transactions involving electronic items
Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/new...police-crime-rate-increase-june-2018-10642916

i read so much thanks to both of you. OMG this is so scary. ok which box should i buy then? how much is it and where to buy? please tell me. thanks
 

windwaver

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is the word "tanix" printed on the box?

I thought xiaofan mentioned that his box is not the same as yours, although both are called tx5max?

I think like what Xiaofan said, it's an OEM from different sources and quality can differ. However, it's pretty bad how fast the box broke down in less than 3 months :(.

I'm going to stick to low end ones since I don't game and see how the durability is before investing in a higher end model.

I think HW revision is different but both are OEM version without Tanix logo. And the two boxes may come from different OEM.

I think in the end it is still better to buy boxes from more proven vendor like Mi Box S.

From what I read that there seems to be different OEM for Tanix and the quality may not be good as the official Tanix version.

And Tanix itself is not as good as Beelink. And Beelink is not as good as higher end models like Zidoo and Minix. And none of these brands are as established as Xiaomi.

Wanted to buy the Mi Box S but realized there's no LAN port.

Your Tx5 also dun have power led light on?

Yes but I can still power on and flash with via USB A but always get stuck at 3% Uboot.
 

gregory_choo

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I think like what Xiaofan said, it's an OEM from different sources and quality can differ. However, it's pretty bad how fast the box broke down in less than 3 months :(.

I'm going to stick to low end ones since I don't game and see how the durability is before investing in a higher end model.

Wanted to buy the Mi Box S but realized there's no LAN port.

if the products have no brand and can be produced by many different companies, there is no incentive for the manufacturers to maintain standard.

so if you need some assurances, the minimum is to go for budget brand such as tanix, go for better brand if you want higher quality.

In terms of specs on paper, tx5 max is not "low end", but the components used and workmanship should be of lower quality.

If you have $80 to spend and want to choose between no brand TX5 max and mibox S, I will recommend mibox s, although mi box s has lower spec.

Most of us use tv box for streaming video, we don't need latest hardware to do that, I have a few older boxes bought 5 years ago, and they are still doing well. Mibox s is much better than these boxes.

No LAN port is not an issue, you don't need high bandwidth for video streaming, 10Mbps is good enough for most cases, 30Mbps should be good for 4k video.
 

xiaofan

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I'm going to stick to low end ones since I don't game and see how the durability is before investing in a higher end model.

I have low end no brand boxes like my first TV box which is X96 Mini S905W 2GB/16GB version. It is actually fine for streaming application up to 1080p. 2.4GHz Wifi is weak but the 100Mbps Ethernet is okay. I use a USB fan with the box to cool it down. So far it is okay. But I do not use my boxes very often since I have 7 boxes -- usually I only use them a bit during the weekend. I still mainly use my mobile phone for entertainment.

The problem with low end no brand boxes is that the quality may vary quite a bit. Thermal and WiFi performance are common issues as well.
 

gregory_choo

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That can be easily sorted out with a cheap UGreen USB 2.0 hub with 100M Ethernet port.

this is one way to solve the problem if your wifi is not good enough.

but it can only solve the problem for the mibox, how about handphone and other devices?

my approach is to solve the weak wifi problem by putting up another router/ap.
 

windwaver

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I have low end no brand boxes like my first TV box which is X96 Mini S905W 2GB/16GB version. It is actually fine for streaming application up to 1080p. 2.4GHz Wifi is weak but the 100Mbps Ethernet is okay. I use a USB fan with the box to cool it down. So far it is okay. But I do not use my boxes very often since I have 7 boxes -- usually I only use them a bit during the weekend. I still mainly use my mobile phone for entertainment.

The problem with low end no brand boxes is that the quality may vary quite a bit. Thermal and WiFi performance are common issues as well.

I've read that the S905W is not very hot to start with, do you still need a fan?

I'm not sure if my TX5 Max is dead but I can still flash via a PC but always get stuck at 3%. My wife uses the box extensively, it's like her life when she's not at work :s13:. How do you determine if a box is really dead?
 

gregory_choo

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I've read that the S905W is not very hot to start with, do you still need a fan?

I'm not sure if my TX5 Max is dead but I can still flash via a PC but always get stuck at 3%. My wife uses the box extensively, it's like her life when she's not at work :s13:. How do you determine if a box is really dead?

to save your wife, get a mibox s
 

xiaofan

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I've read that the S905W is not very hot to start with, do you still need a fan?

I'm not sure if my TX5 Max is dead but I can still flash via a PC but always get stuck at 3%. My wife uses the box extensively, it's like her life when she's not at work :s13:. How do you determine if a box is really dead?

X96 Mini is rather small and S905W/S905X are still hot compared to S905X2. And cheaper no brand boxes in general do not have good thermal design, it is a common problem for no brand boxes.

As for dead boxes, as long as you are not able to recover from the usual ways, then it is dead.
 

Tony_Chua

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what app to watch korea drama that have chinese audio and also more user-friendly for old aged people? i only can use firefox to open viu but it's more complicated for my mother to understand and know how to do. i use mi box s andriod 8.1
 
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gregory_choo

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what app to watch korea drama that have chinese audio and also more user-friendly for old aged people? i only can use firefox to open viu but it's more complicated for my mother to understand and know how to do. i use mi box s andriod 8.1

you can run viu from handphone and chromecast the video to mibox. it is a lot more easier than using browser on TV box.
 

kw442

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I have Viu for Tablet on both my X96 Mini & Mibox S. Need a mouse or mouse toggle app to navigate.
 
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