Android TV Box

[xiaofan]

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?

You can ask in the NVidia Shield TV thread here.
https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/home-theatre-audiophiles-13/nvidia-shield-tv-5066924.html

 

[xiaofan]

Cross post from the Unblock Tech Ubox discussion thread here as well since UBox and Evpad are popular. It used to be justifiable to pay the higher cost for the live TV app but now it is quite risky to do this.

Paid unofficial IPTV subscription is also risky to me (eg: myiptv) but YMMV.

http://www.ievpad.com/index.php/Index/Product/evpad3

New model EVpad 3. Hardware wise looks like the CPU changes to the same Allwinner H6 as UBox Pro. But at least it has 2GB RAM and 16GB storage (EVpad Plus: Amlogic S905X CPU, 2GB/16GB) compared to 1GB/16GB of UBox Pro.

Still do not buy it — you are still paying for the apps since the HW is similar to but a bit worse than a Beelink GS1 Box (H6 CPU, 2GB/16GB, Gigabit Ethernet) selling at between S$75-S$100 in Shopee (not so popular so not many shops, Taobao price is RMB375 or S$75). Beelink GT1 (S912, 3GB/32GB, Gigabit Ethernet ) is more popular and sells at about S$90-110 in Lazada/Shopee (Taobao RMB425-465 or S$85-91).

If if it gets more popular the app may get blocked just like UBox since EVpad is listed in the Australia ban.

 

[Sambuca78]

Hi Bro,

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

Bro bro, my code expired liao, you can try these codes below.

the codes are all here.
Coupon code for new customers:
CHEAP7NEW - $7 off ($15 Min Spend)
SAFRANEW7 - $7 off ($15 Min Spend)
GOODYFEED - $7 off ($15 Min Spend)
OCBC7NEW - $7 off ($15 Min Spend, OCBC Cards)
HSBC7NEW - $7 off ($15 Min Spend, HSBC Cards)
DBSNEW7 - $7 off ($15 Min Spend, DBS Cards)
UOBNEW7 - $7 off ($15 Min Spend, UOB Cards)
CITINEW7 - $7 off ($15 Min Spend, Citibank Cards)
MBNEW7 - $7 off ($15 Min Spend, Maybank Cards)
PASSION7NEW - $7 off ($15 Min Spend)
BIGSALE1111 $11 off (min. spend $20)
DASH11NEW $11 OFF (min. spend of $20)
HWZ1111 $11 OFF (min. spend of $20)
SAFRA11NEW $7 OFF (min. spend of $15)

Coupon code for existing customers:
HSBC10OFF - 10% off (capped at $5, HSBC Cards)
DBSTEN5 - 10% off (capped at $5, DBS Cards)
UOBTEN5 - 10% off (capped at $5, UOB Cards)
CITITEN5 - 10% off (capped at $5, Citibank Cards)
OCBC3OFF - $3 off ($30 Min Spend, OCBC Cards)
MBTEN5 - 10% off (capped at $5, Maybank Cards)
NTUCEX4 - 10% off (capped at $4)
PASSION10EX - 10% off (capped at $4)
LOVEDBS15 - 15% off (min. spend $80)
ECBIGSALE1111 - $3 off (min. spend $20)
DASH11EX - 12% off (capped at $4)
SAFRA11EX - 12% off (capped at $4)

 

[cryn79]

Bro bro, my code expired liao, you can try these codes below.

Hi Sambuca 78 bro
Thnks!

 

[xiaofan]

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...

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

Official news:

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/new...viders-block-access-tv-box-10962528?cid=fbcna

SINGAPORE: The High Court has ordered Internet service providers to block access to TV box applications that allow users to stream and download content like movies, TV shows and live sports channels.

This follows the hearing of a motion filed in October by Singnet, Fox Networks Group Singapore, NGC Network Asia, Fox International Channels (US) and The Football Association Premier League.
Such apps "flagrantly infringe copyright by acting as gateways to websites streaming pirated content", ...

"These apps are preloaded on TV boxes which are overtly sold in retail outlets such as Sim Lim Square, IT exhibitions and on popular e-markets," CAP added.

The motion was heard in the High Court on Nov 2, and Judicial Commissioner Dedar Singh Gill subsequently granted the proposed orders against eight authentication server domains.
...

One app subjected to the blocking order is UBTV, a pre-loaded application owned by China-based company Unblock Tech, said CAP general manager Neil Gane.
...

 

[cyberazi]

HI i was looking on this online,

Model: H96 MAX+
OS: Android 8.1
CPU: RK3328 Quad-Core 64bit Cortex-A53
GPU: Penta-Core Mali-450 Up to 750Mhz+
RAM: 4GB DDR3
ROM: 32/64GB EMMC
High Definition video output: 4K (4096x2160 pixel )

i dunno if its available here.. most i see is 3gb ram 32gb rom
Anybody tried this ?

 

[dgenex]

I'm looking for an Android TV Box with an Ethernet Port to mainly stream from US Sports Channels (Will not be streaming Netflix). Does anyone have any recommendations for a budget of <$140?

Saw a few different Android boxes like

MiniX Neo U1 ($130)

MXQ 4K TV Box ($49)
https://www.lazada.sg/products/mxq-...-miracast-i214786190-s325466205.html?search=1

Tanix TX3 Mini ($45)
https://www.lazada.sg/products/tani...rt-4kuk-plug-intl-i137189984-s162579164.html?

Anyone has any recommendations? Would also like to know what are the main things to look out for when choosing an Android TV Box. Thanks!

 

[xiaofan]

I'm looking for an Android TV Box with an Ethernet Port to mainly stream from US Sports Channels (Will not be streaming Netflix). Does anyone have any recommendations for a budget of <$140?

...
MiniX Neo U1 ($130)
MXQ 4K TV Box ($49)
Tanix TX3 Mini ($45)
...
Would also like to know what are the main things to look out for when choosing an Android TV Box. Thanks!

1: Minix is a good brand but this model is too old running Android 5 which is too old. Android 6 should be the minimum Android version to go

2. This is a generic box and the major weakness is the 1GB/8GB spec, 1GB memory can be the limiting factor and 2GB box can be have at same or lower cost

3. This is a popular box and should be good enough for use. Tanix TX3 Max is probably slightly better and you can have it at similar price.

Android TV Box selection will depend on your usage patterns and expectations.

1) Brand
Nvidia, >
Xiaomi, Minix, Zidoo >
Beelink >
Tanix>MeCool etc >
Generic no brand

2) Android version: Official Android TV or Mobile version of Android, Version

Official Android TV >
Normal Android 6/7/8>
Android 5 > (do not buy)
Android 4.4 (do not buy)

Note: Android 8/8.1 may not be better than 7.1 for now

3) CPU
All of the following are okay but RK3399 Box is pricey and not needed in general. Lowest S905W is good enough for most us

RK3399/RK3328
Amlogic S912/S905X2/S905X/S905W
Allwinner H6

4) Memory
2GB minimum recommend unless you budget <S$30

5) Storage
8GB minimum, 16GB and above are good enough

6) Ethernet and WiFi
Gigabit Ethernet is better than 100M but not that important

Dual band wifi is better than 2.4GHz but in general try to use Ethernet connection

7) USB
USB 3.0 is better than USB 2.0 but not so important for majority of the use cases

8) Bluetooth
Nice to have if you want Bluetooth controller

8) SD/uSD card support
Nice to have

 

[xiaofan]

Minix Neo U9-H is newer running Android 6 but it is out of your Budget

You may want to consider Mi Box as well.

Mi Box S at S$82 (please confirm with seller)
https://s.lazada.sg/s.YStC

Mi Box at S$70 (please confirm with seller)
https://s.lazada.sg/s.Y4Ql

Tanix TX3 Max is slightly better than Tanix TX3 Mini. S$50
https://s.lazada.sg/s.Y66R

Price is from Lazada and only for your reference.

 

[dgenex]

1: Minix is a good brand but this model is too old running Android 5 which is too old. Android 6 should be the minimum Android version to go

2. This is a generic box and the major weakness is the 1GB/8GB spec, 1GB memory can be the limiting factor and 2GB box can be have at same or lower cost

3. This is a popular box and should be good enough for use. Tanix TX3 Max is probably slightly better and you can have it at similar price.

Android TV Box selection will depend on your usage patterns and expectations.

1) Brand
Nvidia, >
Xiaomi, Minix, Zidoo >
Beelink >
Meecool, Tanix, etc >
Generic no brand

2) Android version: Official Android TV or Mobile version of Android, Version

Official Android TV >
Normal Android 6/7/8>
Android 5 > (do not buy)
Android 4.4 (do not buy)

Note: Android 8/8.1 may not be better than 7.1 for now

3) CPU
All of the following are okay but RK3399 Box is pricey and not needed in general. Lowest S905W is good enough for most us

RK3399/RK3328
Amlogic S912/S905X2/S905X/S905W
Allwinner H6

4) Memory
2GB minimum recommend unless you budget <S$30

5) Storage
8GB minimum, 16GB and above are good enough

6) Ethernet and WiFi
Gigabit Ethernet is better than 100M but not that important

Dual band wifi is better than 2.4GHz but in general try to use Ethernet connection

7) USB
USB 3.0 is better than USB 2.0 but not so important for majority of the use cases

8) Bluetooth
Nice to have if you want Bluetooth controller

8) SD/uSD card support
Nice to have

Hey thanks alot for the detailed reply! Does most of the box come with Google Play Store installed?

 

[cyberazi]

1: Minix is a good brand but this model is too old running Android 5 which is too old. Android 6 should be the minimum Android version to go

2. This is a generic box and the major weakness is the 1GB/8GB spec, 1GB memory can be the limiting factor and 2GB box can be have at same or lower cost

3. This is a popular box and should be good enough for use. Tanix TX3 Max is probably slightly better and you can have it at similar price.

Android TV Box selection will depend on your usage patterns and expectations.

1) Brand
Nvidia, >
Xiaomi, Minix, Zidoo >
Beelink >
Meecool, Tanix, etc >
Generic no brand

2) Android version: Official Android TV or Mobile version of Android, Version

Official Android TV >
Normal Android 6/7/8>
Android 5 > (do not buy)
Android 4.4 (do not buy)

Note: Android 8/8.1 may not be better than 7.1 for now

3) CPU
All of the following are okay but RK3399 Box is pricey and not needed in general. Lowest S905W is good enough for most us

RK3399/RK3328
Amlogic S912/S905X2/S905X/S905W
Allwinner H6

4) Memory
2GB minimum recommend unless you budget <S$30

5) Storage
8GB minimum, 16GB and above are good enough

6) Ethernet and WiFi
Gigabit Ethernet is better than 100M but not that important

Dual band wifi is better than 2.4GHz but in general try to use Ethernet connection

7) USB
USB 3.0 is better than USB 2.0 but not so important for majority of the use cases

8) Bluetooth
Nice to have if you want Bluetooth controller

8) SD/uSD card support
Nice to have

so have anyone tried the
Model: H96 MAX+
OS: Android 8.1
CPU: RK3328 Quad-Core 64bit Cortex-A53
GPU: Penta-Core Mali-450 Up to 750Mhz+
RAM: 4GB DDR3
ROM: 32/64GB EMMC
High Definition video output: 4K (4096x2160 pixel )

 

[xiaofan]

so have anyone tried the
Model: H96 MAX+
OS: Android 8.1
CPU: RK3328 Quad-Core 64bit Cortex-A53
GPU: Penta-Core Mali-450 Up to 750Mhz+
RAM: 4GB DDR3
ROM: 32/64GB EMMC
High Definition video output: 4K (4096x2160 pixel )

I have the older version with Android 7.1 and I have no issues with it.

But it is a generic brand so YMMV, not recommended for inexperienced buyer.

In term of CPU features, it is more powerful than S905W, on par with S905X, less powerful than S912 and H6.

At its price range, Amlogic S912 boxes with 3GB/32GB may be better. Or Mi Box and Mi Box S.

 

[xiaofan]

Hey thanks alot for the detailed reply! Does most of the box come with Google Play Store installed?

Yes all boxes should come with Google Play Store unless you buy those meant for Chinese market like Mi 3/3c/3 enhanced/4/4c (as well as Mi TV). Do not buy these Mi China versions even if they have hacked version of Google Play Store installed.

Edit to add:

Mi Box 4 is not Mi Box S.
Mi Box 3 is not Mi Box.

Only Mi Box and Mi Box S (Global Version ) are using official Android TV OS certified by Google and has official Android TV version of Play Store.

Mi Box 3, 3c, 3 Enhanced, 4, 4c are for mainland China market and they do not have Play Store and no certified DRM to run Netflix HD even if you manage to install mobile phone version of Google Play service/Play Store. They also have quite some advertising which you need to root the box to get rid of. Do not buy them for use here. Actually by Chinese law, they may be required to update FW to get rid the unauthorised apps (but probably not really enforced strictly).

Same goes to Mi TV. Worse is that there is no way to root as of now and no easy way to install Google Play service on Mi TV.

 

[dgenex]

Yes all boxes should come with Google Play Store unless you buy those meant for Chinese market like Mi 3/3c/3 enhanced/4/4c (as well as Mi TV). Do not buy these Mi China versions even if they have hacked version of Google Play Store installed.

Edit to add:

Mi Box 4 is not Mi Box S.
Mi Box 3 is not Mi Box.

Only Mi Box and Mi Box S (Global Version ) are using official Android TV OS certified by Google and has official Android TV version of Play Store.

Mi Box 3, 3c, 3 Enhanced, 4, 4c are for mainland China market and they do not have Play Store and no certified DRM to run Netflix HD even if you manage to install mobile phone version of Google Play service/Play Store. They also have quite some advertising which you need to root the box to get rid of. Do not buy them for use here. Actually by Chinese law, they may be required to update FW to get rid the unauthorised apps (but probably not really enforced strictly).

Same goes to Mi TV. Worse is that there is no way to root as of now and no easy way to install Google Play service on Mi TV.

Thanks alot! Will take a look and decide which box to buy.

Also, for watching US Sports channel, is using a VPN required?

 

[xiaofan]

Thanks alot! Will take a look and decide which box to buy.

Also, for watching US Sports channel, is using a VPN required?

You can check the recommendation in Facebook group “New TV Box SG” for recommendation of apps before going the VPN route.

 

[cyberazi]

Yes all boxes should come with Google Play Store unless you buy those meant for Chinese market like Mi 3/3c/3 enhanced/4/4c (as well as Mi TV). Do not buy these Mi China versions even if they have hacked version of Google Play Store installed.

Edit to add:

Mi Box 4 is not Mi Box S.
Mi Box 3 is not Mi Box.

Only Mi Box and Mi Box S (Global Version ) are using official Android TV OS certified by Google and has official Android TV version of Play Store.

Mi Box 3, 3c, 3 Enhanced, 4, 4c are for mainland China market and they do not have Play Store and no certified DRM to run Netflix HD even if you manage to install mobile phone version of Google Play service/Play Store. They also have quite some advertising which you need to root the box to get rid of. Do not buy them for use here. Actually by Chinese law, they may be required to update FW to get rid the unauthorised apps (but probably not really enforced strictly).

Same goes to Mi TV. Worse is that there is no way to root as of now and no easy way to install Google Play service on Mi TV.

The mi box and mi box s are 2gb ram its laggy as ****..

 

[xiaofan]

The mi box and mi box s are 2gb ram its laggy as ****..

That depends on what you are running, S905X CPU and 2GB RAM is good enough for Streaming, even 4K streaming. 8GB storage is a bit small but manageable if you do not install many apps and you do not need many apps for Android TV box anyway.

If you are mainly using Kodi, do not buy Mi Box. Better buy S912 3GB/32GB version or even RK3399 Box. Or Nvidia Shield TV.

 

[dgenex]

That depends on what you are running, S905X CPU and 2GB RAM is good enough for Streaming, even 4K streaming. 8GB storage is a bit small but manageable if you do not install many apps and you do not need many apps for Android TV box anyway.

If you are mainly using Kodi, do not buy Mi Box. Better buy S912 3GB/32GB version or even RK3399 Box. Or Nvidia Shield TV.

I saw Mecool was one of the brands you listed, would the Mecool M8S Pro L be a good box to start with?

https://www.lazada.sg/products/meco...o42.searchlist.list.2.69bd7be5HAJCYT&search=1

 

[gregory_choo]

The mi box and mi box s are 2gb ram its laggy as ****..

this is a good example of talking sh!t.

 

[xiaofan]

I saw Mecool was one of the brands you listed, would the Mecool M8S Pro L be a good box to start with?

https://www.lazada.sg/products/meco...o42.searchlist.list.2.69bd7be5HAJCYT&search=1

Should be a good start, build quality will be so so and it runs an unofficial Android TV OS, no Chromecast, YouTube 4K yes, Netflix HD is not true as claimed since I believe Netflix blocked unofficial Android TV already. If you need Netflix go to Mi Box, Mi Box S or Nvidia Shield TV.

Still it should be a pretty good box to start and it is one of the more popular S912 based boxes.