Android TV Box

[OptiRed]

If you have TX3 Mini and like it, is your TX3 Mini original Tanix version (with Tanix logo) or OEM version (without Tanix logo)?

This TX9S is an OEM version. Quality of Tanix OEM version can vary a lot.

My TX3 Mini had the Tanix logo.

 

[xiaofan]

My TX3 Mini had the Tanix logo.

Then better do not buy the OEM version.

I will suggest you looking at branded boxes like Mi Box S (S$70+) or Minix NEO T5 (S$99 from Shopee).

 

[eyz]

roger. thanks!

Better to get lower version. Android 7 > 8 >9 in terms of app compatibility.

Avoid Android 10 for now.

This is not the same as Android phones.

 

[eyz]

just ordered the x96 max since xiaofan and eauyong recommended the s905x3 chip.

thanks!

is it ok to use phone remote to navigate?

btw, is kodi still widely used nowadays?

or the more popular and easier way to view media is through different apps installed?

 

[xiaofan]

just ordered the x96 max since xiaofan and eauyong recommended the s905x3 chip.

thanks!

is it ok to use phone remote to navigate?

btw, is kodi still widely used nowadays?

or the more popular and easier way to view media is through different apps installed?

Remote control app: eg, CetusPlay

It depends on people, some people like Kodi as an all in one app. Some do not. But Kodi is still widely used.

 

[eyz]

thanks again bro!

Remote control app: eg, CetusPlay

It depends on people, some people like Kodi as an all in one app. Some do not. But Kodi is still widely used.

 

[gregory_choo]

just ordered the x96 max since xiaofan and eauyong recommended the s905x3 chip.

thanks!

is it ok to use phone remote to navigate?

btw, is kodi still widely used nowadays?

or the more popular and easier way to view media is through different apps installed?

airmouse is the best.

handphone app is not for everyday use, because you have to look at the phone screen when pressing the key.

remote/airmouse don't have to.

 

[eyz]

thanks, I'll consider one.

but I'm getting the box for my tenant, so min cost.

hehe

airmouse is the best.

handphone app is not for everyday use, because you have to look at the phone screen when pressing the key.

remote/airmouse don't have to.

 

[Henry Ng]

Is the image and sound of such box good?

 

[xiaofan]

Is the image and sound of such box good?

What box? Better buy quality box like the Mi Box S, Minix NEO T5, or at least brands like Beelink, Mecool and Ugoos.

If you want best quality streaming box, then buy Nvidia Shield TV 2019 (non Pro version will do, if you are not into gaming).

The new Google Chromecast running Google TV will be popular (not yet available in Singapore). It is kind of Mi Box S killer.

 

[jtdcjtdc]

Do not buy from Carousell. Just buy new cheap S905X3 based boxes from Lazada, Shopee and Qoo10, for example, A95X F3 Air 2GB/16GB configuration, around S$45 or lower.

One thing to be careful is not to use a useful Gmail to login. Rather create a new Google account for the box if you are settling up the box. Tell the tenant to do so as well if they are settling up the box.

Another thing, browser is not the way to go in general.

hi xiaofan. if i am buying my own, say A95X F3 Air, should i NOT use ny google account?
wanted to get the 4GB/64GB since eauyong said "can dual boot Android 9.0 eMMc and Coreelec through TF card upto 32GB." ... sometimes I'm interested to tinker out other use aside from YouTube, Netflix, or local HDD movies plugged in.

 

[gregory_choo]

hi xiaofan. if i am buying my own, say A95X F3 Air, should i NOT use ny google account?
wanted to get the 4GB/64GB since eauyong said "can dual boot Android 9.0 eMMc and Coreelec through TF card upto 32GB." ... sometimes I'm interested to tinker out other use aside from YouTube, Netflix, or local HDD movies plugged in.

coreelec can be used on soooooo many boxes. A95X not officially supported, but grouped under generic s905x3 box.

if you are interested in coreelec, better to stick to the official list. A95x is just a generic name, so the box you bought may not be the same as eauyong. anyone can make boxes and call them a95x


https://coreelec.org/dtb/

 

[xiaofan]

hi xiaofan. if i am buying my own, say A95X F3 Air, should i NOT use ny google account?
wanted to get the 4GB/64GB since eauyong said "can dual boot Android 9.0 eMMc and Coreelec through TF card upto 32GB." ... sometimes I'm interested to tinker out other use aside from YouTube, Netflix, or local HDD movies plugged in.

Do not use your main Google account on Android TV boxes, especially this kind of no brand generic boxes.

Some people use two boxes strategy.

One proper box like Mi Box S is used for subscription services like Netflix and SingTel Cast and others, which will have your personal info. They use only apps from Play Store and no side load of apps in this box.

The other box (good box like Mi Box S, or cheap generic box) is used without any real personal info other than the secondary Gmail account. Then they use different kind of apps from this box.

In any case, be careful when using unknown apps.

 

[jtdcjtdc]

i see so if only for subscription use, just better stick to Mi Box S then. thing is with Mi Box S, it has only 2GB RAM and no LAN port.

 

[xiaofan]

i see so if only for subscription use, just better stick to Mi Box S then. thing is with Mi Box S, it has only 2GB RAM and no LAN port.

You can buy Ugreen USB Hub with Ethernet port to complement it.

2GB RAM is sufficient for streaming.

If you do not need Netflix, you can consider Minix NEO T5 which has Gigabit Ethernet and USB 3.0 port.

FYI, Nvidia Shield TV 2019 non Pro has 2GB RAM and 8GB Storage, same as Mi Box S. New Google Chromecast 2020 with Google TV is also the same.

But if you are into gaming, then 3GB RAM is better.

 

[smallbb]

Bros. So many boxes in the market.
Non branded ones and branded ones.
I currently have a really old non brand box (T95Z 3gb ram and 16gb rom I think)
And looking to upgrade. Been looking at this HK1 and others.
Any tips or recommendations bros? Much appreciated.

 

[xiaofan]

Bros. So many boxes in the market.
Non branded ones and branded ones.
I currently have a really old non brand box (T95Z 3gb ram and 16gb rom I think)
And looking to upgrade. Been looking at this HK1 and others.
Any tips or recommendations bros? Much appreciated.

Buy branded box in general. Mi Box S is a good choice. Or Minix NEO T5 if you do not need Netflix HD. Mecool KM3 and KM1 can be considered as well if you do not need Netflix HD.

Avoid unknown brand like HK1. Even if you want to buy no brand boxes for cost reasons, buy more popular ones with S905X3 CPU, like A95X F3 Air, X96 Max+, X96 Air, H96 Max X3, etc.

Freaktab can be a good resource for generic boxes.
https://forum.freaktab.com/forum/tv-player-support/amlogic-based-tv-players/s905x3

 

[xiaofan]

Long post.

Depending on your needs you may consider the following streaming hardware options, from easy to more difficult. Option 8/9/10 can be easy to use but since I do not recommend them so they are put in the bottom.

For streaming I think Mi Box S should be a very good choice especially for new users. Then Nvidia Shield TV is another good choice if you are willing to pay for the performance. If for some reasons you do not like these two, you may want to consider Option 7, especially S905X3 boxes.

https://youtu.be/uzjC64FKzWo

The above is a good summary why Mi Box S is often recommended as the streaming device to go.

A) It is a streaming device which makes your TV smart or smarter than it is now. This is true for TVs like those Samsung Frozen OS based smart TV, LG Webos based smart TV and even Xiaomi TV running Patchwall Android based OS.

B)It runs official Google Certified Android TV OS which is easy to use.

C) Very good streaming support due to running Certified Android TV OS, Netflix 4K and YouTube 4K are supported.

D) Good voice remote with Google Assistant

E) Chromecast 4k function built-in. This is one of the best feature of Mi Box S. You can use apps like Netflix, YouTube, Starhub Go, SingTel TV Go, Singtel Cast, HBO Go, Viu Premium, etc, on the phone (iOS or Android) and then cast to your TV with this function. Basically this covers most of the popular Streaming services here in Singapore. Take note you can still use your phone for other things after the shows started on the TV. You can run Netflix, YouTube, SingTel TV Go and Singapore Cast on Mi Box S itself as well.

In terms of cost, typical cost in Lazada/Qoo10/Shopee is around S$70-90, depending on offer and coupon. Take note Chromecast Ultra (4k support) itself cost more than S$100. Even the cheaper Chromecast (1080p) costs more than S$50.

The main disadvantages of Mi Box S are the following.
a) The author mentions relatively weak CPU and occasionally lag or skip frame if you set the interface resolution as 4k. Still it is actually very good for streaming and even casual gaming due to good software optimization.

b) Relatively limited interface, only one USB 2.0 port and no Ethernet interface. Still take note the Dual Band AC WiFi works well.

c) Relatively small 8GB storage but you can add a fast USB Flash Drive to expand the storage

Nvidia Shield TV (usually S$200++) have all the advantages of Mi Box S and none of the disadvantages of Mi Box S.

Now we list down the options below.

1) Starhub fibre TV or SingTel TV

2) Starhub Go Streaming Box, running operator version of Android TV OS, not yet support Netflix but support Chromecast.

3) Google Chromecast dongles, including the 4k option called Chromecast Ultra

4) Apple TV and Apple TV 4k which are good option for Apple users

5) Mi Box S or Nvidia Shield TV running official Android TV OS whch supports Netflix 4k and YouTube 4k. They have built-in Chromecast 4K function as well.

You can load other apps as well with some exceptions like Starhub Go and Toggle. But you can use Starhub Go on the mobile and cast to TV. For Toggle, it works with Chromecast dongles but some users report issues casting with Mi Box S built-in Chromecast function.

6) Amazon Fire TV stick 4k or Amazon Fire TV Cube 2nd generation, which supports Netflix 4k as well, again you can side load other apps.

7) Other barebone Android TV boxes, say those from Zidoo, Minix, Beelink and Tanix. Or those generic boxes. No Netflix HD/4k support, no ChromeCast function.

Brand is one important factor in choosing the box. Android OS version and CPU/Memory/Storage/WiFi/Ethernet/etc are important factor as well.

Avoid 1GB memory boxes in this category for new purchases.

Amlogic S905X2/S905X3 and the older 905X/905L are pretty good choice in the medium end and Amlogic S905W is good at low end. Choose 2GB/16GB version for the low end.

2GB/4GB memory and 16/32GB/64GB are common for the new S905X2/S905X3 boxes and they usually run Android 8.x or newer. They also have dual band wifi, USB 3.0 port and 100M or gigabit Ethernet. S905X2 boxes were the most popular platform in year 2019. S905X3 boxes are the most popular boxes in 2020.

S905Y2 is basically S905X2 minus Ethernet. It is more meant for TV sticks but boxes can use it too.

S912 boxes are okay but S905X2/S905X3 have similar raw performance and better connectivity.

S905X3 is now popular, it is not much upgrade from S905X2 other than the CPU, but the price is getting lower even than S905X2 so you can get them now.

RK3318/RK3328 boxes are not as good now that S905X2/S905X3 come out. Amlogic S922X and Rockchip RK3399 boxes have the highest raw performance after Nvidia Shield TV but may not be worth the money as a streaming box.

Avoid Allwinner H6/H616 boxes unless for the preloaded boxes in the next section because of thermal issues. Their performance is also not as good as S905X3.

8) Preloaded boxes like UnblockTech Ubox with relative comprehensive live TV app UBTV and they try to support it even though UBTV is ordered by high court to be blocked by local ISPs. Not recommended but I can see why people still go for it. EVpad is another popular brand in this category.

9) Other preloaded boxes sold at Sim Lim Square, other shopping centres or online market place or even Facebook, most if not all are problematic and do not expect good support. Avoid them.

10) Not HW boxes but just paid IPTV subscription. Not recommended in general but I can understand why people buy them.

Of course there are other alternatives like smart TV from Samsung (Tizen OS), LG (Web OS) and Sony/Sharp/Philips (Android TV OS), among which Android TV OS is the smartest with more apps. Xiaomi TV China version is only recommended if you are only interested in mainland China content. There are Global version of Xiaomi TV as well but they may or may not have Netflix certification. So please make sure you contact the vendor for the details.

Then there are things like Roku box which is popular in US but may not be good for use in Singapore.

To summarize for year 2020.

Basically you can consider the following for sub S$100 boxes.
1) If you need Netflix or Chromecast, or SingTel Cast, SingTel TV Go, or TVB Anywhere+, get Mi Box S. Or if you want to pay, get Nvidia Shield TV 2019 non Pro (for streaming) or Pro (if you need gaming).

2) Consider Mi Box S again if you are first time buyer.

3) If you only need Netflix but not Chromecast, and you want to get a powerful box, get Amazon FireTV Cube 2nd Gen (2019 model). Amazon FireTV Stick 4K is also a good buy if you get the offer price of US$29 to US$39.

4) If you do not need Netflix, you can consider official Android TV OS boxes like Minix NEO T5 and Mecool KM3 and KM1.

5) If you do not need either Netflix or Chromecast, and you are an experienced user who know what you are doing, get new S905X3 boxes like the Beelink GT1 Mini 2.

 

[yusoffb01]

hi xiaofan. if i am buying my own, say A95X F3 Air, should i NOT use ny google account?
wanted to get the 4GB/64GB since eauyong said "can dual boot Android 9.0 eMMc and Coreelec through TF card upto 32GB." ... sometimes I'm interested to tinker out other use aside from YouTube, Netflix, or local HDD movies plugged in.

you can buy armbian compatible box. i bought the cheapest 64gb/4gb ram below $50

https://forum.armbian.com/topic/12162-single-armbian-image-for-rk-aml-aw-aarch64-armv8/

 

[xiaofan]

you can buy armbian compatible box. i bought the cheapest 64gb/4gb ram below $50

https://forum.armbian.com/topic/12162-single-armbian-image-for-rk-aml-aw-aarch64-armv8/

This guy is really awesome. I have used his Armbian image previously with X96 Mini S905W 2GB/16GB box and H96 Pro+ S912 CPU 3GB/32GB box.

Ref: alternative use of Android TV boxes
https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/...age-android-tv-box-5938376.html#post117701712