Android TV Box

[xiaofan]

I only need 1080.
I bought 4Gb s905x3 boxes recently, working ok, no netflix HD though.

Even for 1080p, you may consider 2GB RAM.

I am sure Mi TV Stick 1GB can run the built-in apps relatively smoothly at 1080p, including Netflix. The issue will rise when you install more apps.

I also do not care about Netflix at all and I do not care about 4K as I do not have any 4k display. Still I make sure the boxes I buy will have at least 2GB RAM.

 

[TimsTom]

Yes you can. For Android Game, best is Nvidia Shield TV 2019 Pro edition.

For lower cost option, you can also try Amlogic S922X based box like Beelink GT-King (about S$140) or GT-King Pro (about S$200). The pro version has better audio.

For KTV, any decent box should do, but you may need the proper Soundbar or AV receiver/speaker setup.

Hmm. Do u have the karaoke set up? If get speakers is connect to TV or box? Because Box already HDMI out to TV right.. ?

I got a H96 Max 3x, 4GB RAM, but play alsphat 8, still laggy..
Emulator games, anyone tried.

 

[xiaofan]

Hmm. Do u have the karaoke set up? If get speakers is connect to TV or box? Because Box already HDMI out to TV right.. ?

I got a H96 Max 3x, 4GB RAM, but play alsphat 8, still laggy..
Emulator games, anyone tried.

The problem is the Karaoke app. At least the one I tried (全民k歌) does not have a good support for microphone. So you may have to rely proper sound system. In the end, I tend to think Android TV Box plus a TV will not be good for Karaoke. I gave up and just use my mobile phone. I believe you need a proper Karaoke mixer.

As for emulator, S905X3 will not be good enough unless you are only interested in the lower end. S922X will be better. But Asphalt 8 should not be laggy for S905X3, probably the problem with the H96.

Ref: S922X emulator testing with GT-King.
https://youtu.be/o6E-CVAdXR0

BTW the review of H96 Max X3 seems to be very bad.
https://youtu.be/451QR-WW4sQ

 

[xiaofan]

Discussion on Karaoke here.
https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/home-theatre-audiophiles-13/home-karaoke-5570353.html

And here from the Malaysia forum.
https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/4717235

Without a proper mixer, I do not think you will enjoy it.

 

[magixz]

Will this be better?
https://a.aliexpress.com/_dS0ohyJ

Sent from Xiaomi REDMI NOTE 9S using GAGT

 

[xiaofan]

Will this be better?
https://a.aliexpress.com/_dS0ohyJ

Sent from Xiaomi REDMI NOTE 9S using GAGT

Better compared to what?

It is a generic S905X3 box, HW spec is okay, no guarantee of build quality, and FW is always the concern for generic no brand boxes.

Since you are an experienced user, most likely it will be okay for you, as long as you understand the limitations.

1) no Netflix HD
2) no Chromecast function
3) no support of apps which require Android TV OS, eg, TVBAnywhere+
4) may not work with SingTel Cast and SingTel TV Go
5) build quality may vary
6) may not have FW updates

 

[xiaofan]

To share, I have bought many generic boxes from Taobao back in 2018/2019 and also Mi Box S. Mi Box S is now the preferred box I use -- take note I do not use Netflix and I do not have 4k display.

1. X96 Mini S905W 2GB/16GB

2. R69 RK3229 2GB/16GB

3. H96 Pro+, S912 3GB/32GB

4. H96 Max+, RK3228 4GB/64GB

5. OEM Tanix TX6 4GB/32GB, worst box due to thermal issues, dead now because of dead power supply circuit inside the box

6. OEM Tanix TX5 Max S905X2, 4GB/32GB

7. A junk China Mobile S905L 1GB/4GB box to play with, no Google Play

Among them the OEM Tanix TX5 Max is the best.

Unfortunately the official Tanix TX5 Max has been discontinued. And the follow-up version TX3 S905X3 is also out of stock in Gearbest.

 

[xiaofan]

4 boxes bought in 2018

1st box -- X96 Mini S905W 2GB/16GB version. Low end, no Bluetooth, still pretty okay as a 1080p box, a bit of thermal problem, slow wifi, Android 7.1, good support for Armbian Linux as an alternative OS

H96 Pro Plus, S912 CPU, 3GB/32GB, a pretty good box, fast dual band wifi and gigabit Ethernet, no USB 3.0. Android 7.1. My best purchase in 2018. It also runs Armbian Linux as an alternative OS.

H96 Max Plus RK3328 4GB/64GB, okay box with USB 3.0, Android 7.1, wifi speed so so, 100M Ethernet

R69 RK3229 2GB/16GB box, lousy low end box, wrong delivery actually, I wanted to buy the H3 variation for playing with ARM Linux but they delivered the wrong version. Still usable with Android 7.1. Very cheap too.

3 boxes bought in 2019.

OEM Tanix TX5 Max, best generic box among the boxes I bought. S905X2, 4GB/32GB, good thermal, good wifi speed (>200Mbps on 5GHz band), Android 8.1, very smooth. Gigabit Ethernet and USB 3.0. Lack of FW updates but the initial version is surprisingly stable.

OEM Tanix TX6 H6 4GB/32GB, pretty good boxes ruined by thermal issues. Thermal is the main problem. Good Wifi speed (>100Mbps). 100Mbps Ethernet and USB 3.0. Now dead because of dead power supply circuits in the box.

Junk modded China Mobile OTT box, 1GB/4GB S905L CPU. No Google service. Only for testing purposes. Android 4.4. Fast WiFi AC. Surprisingly still usable for China apps.

 

[xiaofan]

https://m.gearbest.com/top-brands/brand/Tanix.html

Among lower end generic vendors, Tanix used to be a good one which comes out low cost yet okay boxes (quality not as good as Beelink but still acceptable), but the new boxes seem to focus on very low end ones, hard to recommend now.

The only box among the current lineup to recommend is TX3 S905X3 box but it is out of stock.

In particular, avoid any Tanix boxes based on H6 /H616 CPU, even for the official ones with Tanix logo.

 

[pappu]

Hi, new to android box. Need some help on which one to buy.

I have Sony 4K TV. Though it has Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube built-in, but sometimes buggy and does not launch until I powerOff/On the TV. That's why considering a streaming box.

Not considering Amazon devices (Singapore Prime Video does not work), Roku (same), AppleTV (not in favour of Apple). Android box is I am inclined to.

While comparing Mi Box 5 and Nvidia Shield, the price difference is huge, and Mi Box 5 is the obvious choice. Will I be missing something choosing Mi Box S over Nvidia shield?

Looking for all your expert comments.

 

[xiaofan]

Hi, new to android box. Need some help on which one to buy.

I have Sony 4K TV. Though it has Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube built-in, but sometimes buggy and does not launch until I powerOff/On the TV. That's why considering a streaming box.

While comparing Mi Box 5 and Nvidia Shield, the price difference is huge, and Mi Box 5 is the obvious choice. Will I be missing something choosing Mi Box S over Nvidia shield?

Looking for all your expert comments.

I think you mean Mi Box S. It is pretty good as a streaming box.

Since you already have Sony TV with Android TV OS, technically you do not need a Mi Box S, just try to optimize the Sony may be enough. But it is not a bad idea to buy a Mi Box S to complement Sony TV as well, especially when you want to side load 3rd party apps.

A few recommendations:
1) Uninstall all 3rd party apps from the Sony and only keep the native apps like Netflix and YouTube on the Sony. It should run faster after that.

2) Run Mi Box S at 1080p for best performance. Or at most 4k 30fps. It may be slow if you set the interface as 4k 60fps.

3) Hopefully your wireless router is close enough to the TV. If not, buy Ugreen USB Hub with Ethernet to complement Mi Box S and use Ethernet.

Nvidia Shield TV has higher performance than Mi Box S, and it is of course better, especially for gaming and high bit rate local media playing. For gaming, the 2019 Nvidia Shield TV Pro edition is the best among Android TV boxes.

 

[pappu]

Thanks for quick reply.
Yes, I was referring to Mi Box S.

My Sony TV (KD-65X7000F) is not Android TV. Looks it is has its own custom OS. I cannot install/uninstall any app. It has been updated to latest firmware (released sometime in Apr this year).
Also, it is connected via Ethernet cable, so wifi slowness is not an issue.

I am not looking for a gaming console.

In that case maybe Mi Box S would be just nice? or any other box (apart from Nvidia) should I consider?

 

[xiaofan]

Thanks for quick reply.
Yes, I was referring to Mi Box S.

My Sony TV (KD-65X7000F) is not Android TV. Looks it is has its own custom OS. I cannot install/uninstall any app. It has been updated to latest firmware (released sometime in Apr this year).
Also, it is connected via Ethernet cable, so wifi slowness is not an issue.

I am not looking for a gaming console.

In that case maybe Mi Box S would be just nice? or any other box (apart from Nvidia) should I consider?

Just go for Mi Box S.

 

[vaxvms]

Thanks for quick reply.
Yes, I was referring to Mi Box S.

My Sony TV (KD-65X7000F) is not Android TV. Looks it is has its own custom OS. I cannot install/uninstall any app. It has been updated to latest firmware (released sometime in Apr this year).
Also, it is connected via Ethernet cable, so wifi slowness is not an issue.

I am not looking for a gaming console.

In that case maybe Mi Box S would be just nice? or any other box (apart from Nvidia) should I consider?

sometime ppl buy gaming laptop not for gaming as well
is bcos of good spec eg to process apps faster

Mi Box S for a start is good since many support online too

TV dun install anything lah...TV main purpose for o/p imo
ram/diskspace sibei small nia

 

[vaxvms]

A few recommendations:
1) Uninstall all 3rd party apps from the Sony and only keep the native apps like Netflix and YouTube on the Sony. It should run faster after that.

bro nowadays many bloatware installing to many TV n "delete" button is greyed out. .......damn
can find ways to removed it but after a while it still re-install by itself
disable all auto update + "disagreed" to all service+ agreement policy as well

 

[eauyong]

Just go for Mi Box S.

I think hardware have reached the optimum standard for Android TV box performance. It is the software that will move the performance and Xiaomi is doing a great job at it so I am also using the mibox S more than any other.

I still have quite a sizeable number of boxes and SBCs as follows:-

1. Banana pi A20 with Libreelec.
2. MXQ S805 with Libreelec.
3. A95X S905X with ATV 7.1 / Coreelec 9.2 dual boot.
4. Tanix TX3 S905W ATV 8
5. Mecool KM3 S905X2 with ATV 9
6. A95X F3 Air S905X3 with ATV 9
7. Mibox S S905X with ATV 9
8. Remix Mini
9. QDSP 2050 i5 SBC with Win 10 and Kodi
10. Mecool S905D ATV 7.1 with DVB-T2

--

 

[xiaofan]

I think hardware have reached the optimum standard for Android TV box performance. It is the software that will move the performance and Xiaomi is doing a great job at it so I am also using the mibox S more than any other.

I still have quite a sizeable number of boxes and SBCs as follows:-

1. Banana pi A20 with Libreelec.
2. MXQ S805 with Libreelec.
3. A95X S905X with ATV 7.1 / Coreelec 9.2 dual boot.
4. Tanix TX3 S905W ATV 8
5. Mecool KM3 S905X2 with ATV 9
6. A95X F3 Air S905X3 with ATV 9
7. Mibox S S905X with ATV 9
8. Remix Mini
9. QDSP 2050 i5 SBC with Win 10 and Kodi
10. Mecool S905D ATV 7.1 with DVB-T2

--

Wow, you also have many TV boxes.

I have quite a few maker boards (4x Raspberry Pi boards, various H3, H5, H6 and RK3328 boards, mostly from Orange Pi) but they are mostly for ARM Linux use (Rasbian or Armbian) and not really for Android. But now most of them are lying there collecting dust...

 

[gregory_choo]

bro nowadays many bloatware installing to many TV n "delete" button is greyed out. .......damn
can find ways to removed it but after a while it still re-install by itself
disable all auto update + "disagreed" to all service+ agreement policy as well

normally smart tv has very low slow cpu, and what the smart tv developers do best is to train your patience.

after using smart tv for a while, you will find the you will take things easily and willing to wait slowly for things to happen.

 

[eauyong]

Wow, you also have many TV boxes.

I have quite a few maker boards (4x Raspberry Pi boards, various H3, H5, H6 and RK3328 boards, mostly from Orange Pi) but they are mostly for ARM Linux use (Rasbian or Armbian) and not really for Android. But now most of them are lying there collecting dust...

You are in luck! And, if you have the time to set it up for Kodi 18.

Libreelec supports Raspberry Pi.
Libreelec also supports Arm processors as follows:

H3 based boards:
- OrangePi 2
- OrangePi PC
- OrangePi PC Plus
- OrangePi Plus/Plus 2 (same image for both boards)
- OrangePi Plus 2E

H5 based boards:
- OrangePi PC 2

H6 based boards:
- OrangePi 3
- OrangePi Lite 2
- OrangePi One Plus
- Pine H64

 

[pappu]

Just go for Mi Box S.

Ordered yesterday and got my MiBox S today.

One thing to clarify: If I go to Settings - Device Preferences - About, the model says "MIBOX4"
On the packaging it is "Mi Box 5" and sticker it is "MDZ-22-AB"
Model no. under the box is "MDZ-22-AB".

Is it normal?