Android TV Box

xiaofan

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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 :)

I am not a lawyer so take my opinion with a pint of salt.

In Singapore context cheaper ones are usually not bundled with those illegal apps. More expensive ones from SLS/etc are usually preloaded box bundled with illegal apps. But expensive box like Nvidia Shield TV is legal since it is not bundled with illegal apps. So cheap or expensive does not really matter. It is the preloaded apps that is the key differentiator.

Boxes like Mi Box S should be legal. Boxes like Ubox is illegal or will be illegal.

As for new Cloud TV, it has the free section. The legality of the app is dubious as it also offers paid subscription which I believe is gray or illegal.

But it is said the law will chase those box seller and not really consumers using streaming (downloading is illegal). So you should not need to worry too much.
 

BiggieZee

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Between beelink gt king, gt1 mini n mini 2, which one is the best? I read all reviews n didn't know which is the best. N also which online retailers have warranty? Lazada n shopee didn't have for gt king boxes
 

xiaofan

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Between beelink gt king, gt1 mini n mini 2, which one is the best? I read all reviews n didn't know which is the best. N also which online retailers have warranty? Lazada n shopee didn't have for gt king boxes

No much difference between Mini 1 and Mini 2, except that Beelink GT1 Mini 2 uses latest Amlogic Spo5X3 CPU which has a little bit of better performance. However due to immature firmware it may perform less optimal than the Mini 1 using more mature S905X2 CPU.

As for warranty you have to check with the shop for more details. The build quality of Beelink is said to be pretty good.

Lazada has many listings for the Beelink GT-King S922X box. So does Shopee. That is a higher end box which is overkill unless you want to play games.
 
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BiggieZee

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No much difference except that Beelink GT1 Mini 2 uses latest Amlogic Spo5X3 CPU which has a little bit of better performance. However due to immature firmware it may perform less optimal than the Mini 1 using more mature S905X2 CPU.

As for warranty you have to check with the shop for more details. The build quality of Beelink is said to be pretty good.

Lazada has many listings for the Beelink GT-King S922X box. So does Shopee.

Sellers from both online retailers doesn't have warranties. Looking at other retailers such as geek buying etc for now
 

xiaofan

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Sellers from both online retailers doesn't have warranties. Looking at other retailers such as geek buying etc for now

If you think those online shops (Gearbest, Banggood, GeekBuying ) got better warranty, then you can look at official Tanix TX3 or TX5 Pro from Gearbest, not as famous as Beelink but much cheaper. Quality should still be pretty good.

Tanix TX3 4GB/32GB at S$59.71, S905X3
Tanix TX5 Pro 4GB/32GB at S$67.86, S905X2
Price from Gearbest App.

Local shops usually carry OEM version of Tanix boxes without Tanix logo and I will not recommend them since there are reports of bad quality. I myself have two OEM boxes TX5 Max (very good) and TX6 (not good because of thermal issues, using it with a USB fan and it becomes a good box). YMMV.

Local online shops seem to offer low end original Tanix TX3 Mini and TX3 Max boxes with Tanix logo, but the cost is similar to higher configuration boxes like TX3 S905X3. They are good low end boxes (need to buy the 2GB/16GB version) for 1080p streaming and I recommended them last year as the good quality sub-S$50 boxes. But you may want to buy better configuration boxes now at similar price.

Gearbest original Tanix box price with 2GB/16GB.
TX3 Mini at US$30.3, S905W, no Bluetooth
TX3 Max at US$35 with Bluetooth, S905W
TX3 @ S$34, no Bluetooth, S905X3, with USB 3.0

Also TX9S 2GB/8GB S912 is at US$25, no Bluetooth but with Gigabit Ethernet

TX8 RK3318 box 4GB/32GB is at US$35 with dual band WiFi, Bluetooth and USB 3.0.
 
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Junglizt1210

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I am not a lawyer so take my opinion with a pint of salt.

In Singapore context cheaper ones are usually not bundled with those illegal apps. More expensive ones from SLS/etc are usually preloaded box bundled with illegal apps. But expensive box like Nvidia Shield TV is legal since it is not bundled with illegal apps. So cheap or expensive does not really matter. It is the preloaded apps that is the key differentiator.

Boxes like Mi Box S should be legal. Boxes like Ubox is illegal or will be illegal.

As for new Cloud TV, it has the free section. The legality of the app is dubious as it also offers paid subscription which I believe is gray or illegal.

But it is said the law will chase those box seller and not really consumers using streaming (downloading is illegal). So you should not need to worry too much.

Thanks for your reply and thoughts. Mine is branded MX Q Pro on the outside but has the IGBOX-1 logo when I boot it up. There is an Appstore full of apps you can download (I presume most of these are grey / illegal).

If an app is available through legal channels for my phone (e.g. It looks like Thai PBS have their own app and I need to figure out how I can get the tonton app), can I assume it should most likely be okay to run on the box?

Thanks for your help :)
 

xiaofan

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Thanks for your reply and thoughts. Mine is branded MX Q Pro on the outside but has the IGBOX-1 logo when I boot it up. There is an Appstore full of apps you can download (I presume most of these are grey / illegal).

If an app is available through legal channels for my phone (e.g. It looks like Thai PBS have their own app and I need to figure out how I can get the tonton app), can I assume it should most likely be okay to run on the box?

Thanks for your help :)

Do not worry about using New Cloud TV app.

But if you are really worried, then you can use the official apps. Since the box runs phone version of Android, the phone app will usually work. There are some exceptions because some apps check for root, then these apps may not work (eg: SingTel Cast and SingTel TV Go) because of root.
 

xiaofan

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https://s.lazada.sg/s.71ea
11.11 flash sell for Mi Box S at S$70. Ending in two hours.

It also has S$3 voucher. I just placed order myself even though I do not really need another box, in fact this is my first Lazada order (usually using Taobao) and I got another S$6 voucher as new user. So only need to pay S$61.

First time buying stuff from Lazada and the delivery is pretty fast. Received the package in my mail box today. Setup is pretty easy, WiFi is pretty fast. I am not so used to the bluetooth remote yet so I still use my keyboard and mouse more often (but mouse right button does not work as back key as other boxes). I use my powered USB 2.0 hub (many ports) with the box but I will try the Ugreen Hub with Ethernet later as well. A cheap air mouse works as well. Android TV Remote app on my Android phone works as well.

Pretty easy to side load 3rd party apps. I am using it with an 1080p monitor and the UI is still pretty smooth.

SingTel TV Go and SingTel Cast work fine (all my other boxes do not work).

I have disabled the Netflix channel (not using Netflix) and other channels, the home screen is now pretty clean. :)

BTW it comes with 2pin power plug but the seller gives a free 3pin adapter and a free remote soft case.
 
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xiaofan

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More apps:

built-in Chromecast function is very useful.

SingTel TV Go, SingTel Cast works either from the box or casting from phone.

YouTube: you can link phone app to TV through Mi Box S.

Starhub Go: extract the app from phone previously, can install but immediately exit. Cast from phone works fine (recommended method)

Toggle: extract the app from phone, can install and it actually works despite a warning. But seems to have problems exiting the app. Casting from phone works fine (recommended method).

TVB Anywhere+, available in the store, not able to test as it is only for paid user.

WeTV international version from Tencent: can be installed on the box, available from the Play Store on Mi Box S. Casting from phone works too.

iQiyi international version, no casting option.

MGTV (Mango TV international version), casting works.

Youku TV, casting using DLNA cast works (install airscreen on Mi Box S). Same for quite some other China apps like Tencent Video.

For Chinese Entertainment, I have posted a thread here. Most of the apps should work under Mi Box S as well. And Mi Box S will have more apps than iOS.

https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/...phone-chinese-entertainment-apps-5929935.html
 
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xiaofan

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General impression: pretty good build quality, fast 5GHz Wifi (about 140Mbps, about 5m away from router), not as good as TX5 Max, but still very good.

Thermal management is good. No need fan to cool it down.

System is still very smooth. 1080p system UI is good enough.

4k output not tested as I do not have 4k TV or screen. 4k YouTube decoding is no problem.

Netflix not tested as I do not use Netflix.

1080p test files local media playing through USB drive no problem. Not testing 4k.

Remote may take a bit of time to get used to. I am a die hard keyboard/mouse user so I still use mouse/keyboard. In those case, an external USB hub is required. If you also need Ethernet, you can buy Ugreen USB Hub with Ethernet.

2GB RAM/8GB Flash should be good enough. Do not install too many apps on TV boxes.
 
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xiaofan

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More things to be added.

The LiveTV button is not very useful but you can install Haystack TV from the app store.

FX Explorer can be used now that ES File Explorer is gone.

AirScreen can be installed for DLNA cast and Airplay.

Many TV version VPN apps are available in the market.

I only tried Transocks VPN with China TV version of Tencent Video(云视听极光), Youku (酷喵影视), iQiyi (银河奇异果) and Mango TV(芒果TV), downloaded from Dangbei market. All are working but the ads are quite long so I think it is better to pay for the VIP if you like the contents.

For Youku VIP, actually you do not need VPN for most of the contents.

Other than Netflix, there are many streaming apps available. Tubi TV is one free alternative.

For live TV, many news app are available. Haystack seems to be okay. SPB TV is another app available from the Play store.

If you have VPN, you can try streaming apps (may need to side load) from other countries.
 
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xiaofan

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Any difference between an Android tv and a tv box with Android tv?

Read Post #1398 in page 94 for more info.

Chromecast is a big diffentiator. This is only available from certified Google Android TV OS device.

Certified Netflix 4k capability is another major difference between Mi Box S/Nvidia Shield TV and other normal Android TV boxes. But some Google certified Android TV boxes may not be certified by Netflix, for example Mecool KM3 and KM9 Pro.

YouTube 4k is built in. But many normal Android TV boxes can also do that with the TV version. Of YouTube.

Google Assistant is built in. Some normal Android TV boxes can do that too.

The apps are limited in Android TV OS Play Store. But it is pretty easy to side load other apps. Certain apps like Toggle and Starhub Go are not compatible, but you can cast from phone.

All in all, official Android TV OS devices like Mi Box S and Nvidia Shield TV are highly recommended.
 
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bodohboy

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General impression: pretty good build quality, fast 5GHz Wifi (about 140Mbps, about 5m away from router), not as good as TX5 Max, but still very good.

Thermal management is good. No need fan to cool it down.

System is still very smooth. 1080p system UI is good enough.

4k output not tested as I do not have 4k TV or screen. 4k YouTube decoding is no problem.

Netflix not tested as I do not use Netflix.

1080p test files local media playing through USB drive no problem. Not testing 4k.

Remote may take a bit of time to get used to. I am a die hard keyboard/mouse user so I still use mouse/keyboard. In those case, an external USB hub is required. If you also need Ethernet, you can buy Ugreen USB Hub with Ethernet.

2GB RAM/8GB Flash should be good enough. Do not install too many apps on TV boxes.

What app do you use to test internet speed?
 

xiaofan

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What app do you use to test internet speed?

You can use Analiti from Google Play Store on Mi Box S.

I get about 140Mbps to 160Mbps from 5GHz band, which is very decent. For my other boxes, only OEM Tanix TX5 Max S905X2 box is better but it has external antenna. The other two boxes which come close are a cheap China Mobile IPTV box based on Amlogic S905L CPU and an H96 Pro Plus S912 box. They all have dual band AC WiFi. My router is a 2014 Linksys WRT1900AC router.

The app is also available for Android phone. I get up to 260Mbps at the same spot with my Huawei P20 (2x2 AC client). The spot is in our common room which is about 5m away from the router in the living room.
 
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xiaofan

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Notable streaming apps available from the built-in Google Play store on Mi Box S.

Netflix, YouTube, Google Play Movie and Video, Singtel TV Go, SingTel Cast, Viu, Hooq, Fox+, Rakuten Viki, Twitch, YuppTV, Plex, Kodi, etc

Google Play Music, Spotify, Tidal, KKbox, etc

++++++++++
China version of TV apps can be downloaded from Dangbei Market or Shafa Market.

++++++++++
Notable apps missing from the store and workaround.

Starhub Go, casting from phone

HBO Go, casting from phone

Toggle, casting from phone

Amazon Prime Video, wait for the app to be available

Disney+, wait for the services to be available

++++++++++
More info for video streaming options in Singapore

https://blog.moneysmart.sg/entertainment/video-streaming-netflix-subscription-fees/
 
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rsandgy

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Android Box that has channel HD88

Hi, I'm looking for an Android TV box that allows meet to watch horse racing channel HD88. Any recommendation please?

Thanks!
 
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