Android TV Box

xiaofan

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Minix NEO U9-H Amlogic S912 was a popular high quality TV boxes which is still good to use today.

Minix has two new boxes now. Minix T5 is based on S905X2 (2GB/16GB, dual band wifi, gigabit Ethernet) and is already available in local online shops. No much review yet. It is Google certified tuning official Google Android TV OS 9.0, with YouTube 4K and Chromecast function. Unfortunately it is not certified by Netflix, similar to Mecool KM9 Pro and KM3. But the Minix brand should be more favorable than Mecool (cost is also higher at S$170 from official local distributor).

Minix NEO U22-XJ is a high end Amlogic S922XJ based device with 4GB/32GB, USB C and runs normal version of Android with good Minix launcher. Not available in the market yet.

More info:
https://theminixforum.com/index.php?threads/new-minix-products-presented-at-ifa-berlin-2019.1781/
 
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donetus

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just had this thought.

is there a way for one to know if he/she really did get the "international" version? I mean, yeah, the label may say that it is but the hardware may not be.

2-pin or 3-pin power adapter should not matter, just need an adapter if it is two pin.

The international version or Global version, in this context, means that it is not China version and runs official Google Android TV OS, has Google Chromecast function and Netflix 4k support.

China version of Mi Boxes (Mi Box 4, 4c, 3 Enhanced, etc) do not have Google Play Store installed and they are not certified by Netflix.

But if you really care about this point and value local warranty, you can buy from local Mi Shop. The price is usually S$99 but occasionally they have offer as low as S$89.
 

BiggieZee

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Anybody here know how to remove read only external hdd on mibox s? Format on pc done. Format as device storage done(stuck at format screen). Use flash drive done. Still shows read only on es file, xplore n file commander. If no solutions, maybe thinking of selling the mibox s.
 

gregory_choo

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Anybody here know how to remove read only external hdd on mibox s? Format on pc done. Format as device storage done(stuck at format screen). Use flash drive done. Still shows read only on es file, xplore n file commander. If no solutions, maybe thinking of selling the mibox s.

I know but I don't want to tell you because you don't want to read my posts.
 

gregory_choo

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just had this thought.

is there a way for one to know if he/she really did get the "international" version? I mean, yeah, the label may say that it is but the hardware may not be.

the best way is to look at the model no:

mdz-16-ab for mibox3 international version
mdz-22-ab for mibox s
 

BiggieZee

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I know but I don't want to tell you because you don't want to read my posts.

U say use es file explorer. Done dat. Make chrome downloads go to external hdd, shows exclamation mark. Make torrent downloads go to external hdd, shows read only status.
 

donetus

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Perhaps your HDD format is in NTFS. The player might not support it thus it's only in Read-Only.

U say use es file explorer. Done dat. Make chrome downloads go to external hdd, shows exclamation mark. Make torrent downloads go to external hdd, shows read only status.
 

xiaofan

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Mibox s support wat hdd format?

Mi Box S runs Android TV OS which is based on Android. Android uses Linux as the underline OS. Out of box Linux only supports NTFS as read-only although you can install drivers like ntfs-3g to add write support.

You can try exFAT in this case.

Same for Mac OS X (now macOS).

Ref:
https://nl.transcend-info.com/Support/FAQ-897

Android doesn't support NTFS file system. If the SD card or USB flash drive you insert is NTFS file system, it won't be supported by your Android device.
Android supports FAT32/Ext3/Ext4 file system. Most of the the latest smartphones and tablets support exFAT file system.
 
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BiggieZee

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Mi Box S runs Android TV OS which is based on Android. Android uses Linux as the underline OS. Out of box Linux only supports NTFS as read-only although you can install drivers like ntfs-3g to add write support.

You can try exFAT in this case.

Same for Mac OS X (now macOS).

Ref:
https://nl.transcend-info.com/Support/FAQ-897

Android doesn't support NTFS file system. If the SD card or USB flash drive you insert is NTFS file system, it won't be supported by your Android device.
Android supports FAT32/Ext3/Ext4 file system. Most of the the latest smartphones and tablets support exFAT file system.

Noted. Will try it out soon
 

donetus

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true! but it also boils down to the File Explorer that the phone has. The file explorer that comes with Huawei supports NTFS. I've tested this on a Mate 10 though .. :)

Ok .. back to our regular Android TV box topic .. :)

Android doesn't support NTFS file system. If the SD card or USB flash drive you insert is NTFS file system, it won't be supported by your Android device.
Android supports FAT32/Ext3/Ext4 file system. Most of the the latest smartphones and tablets support exFAT file system.
 

gregory_choo

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true! but it also boils down to the File Explorer that the phone has. The file explorer that comes with Huawei supports NTFS. I've tested this on a Mate 10 though .. :)

Ok .. back to our regular Android TV box topic .. :)

more than disk formatting.

certain versions of android , and some boxes such as mibox s disable the write permission for external flash drive or hdd.

and you need special way to write to it.
 

xiaofan

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No point trying Beta software for Mi Box S. Actually you should hold the update for a while before things settle down. TV boxes are not the same as phone in this aspect.

Take note Xiaomi created a mess when they upgraded the Mi Box Global version from Android 6 to Android 8.0. It takes them quite some time to make it stable.

I understand the beta firmware may have the features you want. But better hold a bit, especially if you see the change log which says ChromeCast function is broken.
 

BiggieZee

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No point trying Beta software for Mi Box S. Actually you should hold the update for a while before things settle down. TV boxes are not the same as phone in this aspect.

Take note Xiaomi created a mess when they upgraded the Mi Box Global version from Android 6 to Android 8.0. It takes them quite some time to make it stable.

I understand the beta firmware may have the features you want. But better hold a bit, especially if you see the change log which says ChromeCast function is broken.

ok noted. it will be an issue for those using chromecast often.
 

Junglizt1210

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Hello,

Many months ago, I bought a cheap TV box in Sim Lim for $49, not knowing any better at the time and not knowing what else was out there, including legal options. I bought this to watch foreign TV channels, in particular Thai PBS and Indonesian and Malaysian TV channels to help me learn languages. The idea seems to be a good one (for learning languages). I have no interest watching premium content or series etc. e.g. HBO, sports channels etc.

I notice that there are a lot of news online that say that these TV boxes you can buy in Sim Lim are illegal. Please note - I want to do things legally, but if there is no free way to do it illegally, then I am going to not do it.

Can someone tell me the difference between a cheap TV box (especially if I uninstall any TV streaming apps etc) and a "legal" one? Other than hardware specs differences. Is there anything else that makes the cheap one illegal?

All the channels I want to watch are all available online via the broadcasters own websites:

- Thai PBS - https://program.thaipbs.or.th/live
- SCTV - https://www.sctv.co.id/live-streaming
- TV3 & 8TV - https://www.tonton.com.my/liveChannel?titleId=tv3

Given that these channels are all freely available from the broadcasters themselves (SCTV was even available via my analog TV until recently), then is watching them via a TV app (e.g. new CloudTV app) deemed illegal?

Thank you :)
 
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