Android TV Smart Box

[longball53098]

Windows store for Netflix or just use a browser and go to Netflix, Use Kodi for Windows is one way to stream other media either using addons or playing from a storage drive. I have been using a Mini PC with Windows for more than 5 years. Many ways to watch movies and other media. Much simpler than the Android box apps IMHO. IPTV subscription for live tv watching. 15 bucks a month gets me all the channels I can use and more

 

Choose your poison Android or Windows box whatever floats your boat.

[bkk6060]

11 minutes ago, longball53098 said:

15 bucks a month gets me all the channels I can use and more

What exactly are you paying for that a fully downloaded Android box provides for free?

[longball53098]

All the US channels out there, all the sports you could ask for (not during Covid) Canada and UK TV US local channels,,,,,,,,in my experience with Android apps and Kodi addons all the free stuff never works very well,,,,,,,,If you are sold on Android I am happy for you,,,,,,,,,,,I like my Windows method and it has served me well for well over 5 years now. Between my torrent loading and Kodi and the IPTV I use I have plenty of choices along with Netflix,,,,,,,,,if you are happy with Android good deal for you

[Mama Noodle]

3 hours ago, BigStar said:

Overkill & needless expense. Lil' Android media box is all that's needed.

 

Well yes and no. Yes if you have a TV thats not UHD/4k and don't have any kind of sound system/soundbar and you dont mind having lower quality audio and video. No if you have stuff thats UHD/4k compatible and a good quality soundbar/sound system. 

 

And if you plan on only watching Kodi/Free stuff then it doesn't matter, Lil Android box is ok as those available streams are pretty low quality anyway. 

 

3 hours ago, i84teen said:

Minix is just a PC, same as any computer, OP wants an Android streaming box How do you load apps like Netflix and stream with a Minix?

 

You can get a Minix with android, thats what I had originally, then download via google store. Im assuming PC version you watch with your browser same as a laptop/PC

[Greenside]

9 hours ago, longball53098 said:

Here is one available on Lazada.

 MINIX NEO N42C-4 WINDOWS 10 PRO MINI PC

 

Here is another one available on Lazada. I just bought this one last week. Working good too.

 

Minix Neo Z83-4 Plus Mini PC Windows 10 Pro DDR3L 4GB RAM 64GB ROM

Firstly, the build quality and specs of Minix gear are very good - I've had a Neo X8-H Plus for about 6 years and despite being Android 4.4 it still works OK with Netflix although it has a problem with playing videos from a network Plex server for reasons that may be down to Plex.  The Minix mini PC with Win 10 Pro is likely very good, but beware of any old or secondhand Z83-4 models with Win 10 Home because the internal storage (32Gb) is not sufficient to allow Windows to update.  I struggled to get 1908 to work but have given up on recent ones.  I agree with the thumbs up on the A2 Air Mouse - pricey on its own but by far the best controller around.

Edited May 17, 2020 by Greenside

[bkk6060]

1 hour ago, Mama Noodle said:

Lil Android box is ok as those available streams are pretty low quality anyway. 

You must have an old TV or poor/slow internet?

I live in a modern building with a Smart TV everything from my Android box is in HD and high quality.

Edited May 17, 2020 by bkk6060

[Mama Noodle]

1 minute ago, bkk6060 said:

You must have an old TV or poor/slow internet?

I live in a modern building with a Smart TV everything from my Android box is in HD and high quality.

I have a 1,000 Mbps internet connection, 75" 4k Smart TV, and a Harman Kardon soundbar with subwoofer and 5.1 Audio, so when I for example watch a Kodi type stream VS a native Netflix 4K stream, the difference is shocking both in sound quality and picture quality. 

[bkk6060]

10 minutes ago, Mama Noodle said:

I have a 1,000 Mbps internet connection, 75" 4k Smart TV, and a Harman Kardon soundbar with subwoofer and 5.1 Audio, so when I for example watch a Kodi type stream VS a native Netflix 4K stream, the difference is shocking both in sound quality and picture quality. 

ok.

Just watched Netflix movie Extraction for the second time off simple Kodi search.

Could not be clearer or sharper full HD. Great action blood and guts.

If you enjoy your system then good.

[n00dle]

9 minutes ago, Mama Noodle said:

I have a 1,000 Mbps internet connection, 75" 4k Smart TV, and a Harman Kardon soundbar with subwoofer and 5.1 Audio, so when I for example watch a Kodi type stream VS a native Netflix 4K stream, the difference is shocking both in sound quality and picture quality. 

Odd I have a similar tv setup with mibox 3 and nad t748 with full 5.1 speakers and I find a good quality file  is pretty much identical.

 

Once you can judge file and encoding types, you know what to pick.

 

If you are playing a <deleted> rip, its going to look <deleted>.

[Mama Noodle]

5 minutes ago, n00dle said:

Odd I have a similar tv setup with mibox 3 and nad t748 with full 5.1 speakers and I find a good quality file  is pretty much identical.

 

Once you can judge file and encoding types, you know what to pick.

 

If you are playing a <deleted> rip, its going to look <deleted>.

 

I realize all this, and trust me I used it all for a few years but dumped it all for a Shield box, VPN and paid subscriptions to most of the major streaming sites. Kodi always seemed to me that people would grab a torrent file and stream it and by doing so you lose alot of the audio/video quality over watching it direct. 

[n00dle]

35 minutes ago, Mama Noodle said:

 

I realize all this, and trust me I used it all for a few years but dumped it all for a Shield box, VPN and paid subscriptions to most of the major streaming sites. Kodi always seemed to me that people would grab a torrent file and stream it and by doing so you lose alot of the audio/video quality over watching it direct. 

Yeah, I dont use kodi, unless its as a player and im having issues with the cinema apk native player, gernrally when I cant switch off subtiles for whatever reason ,

 

I use cinema.apk with real-debrid or netflix for content.

 

I find kodi 5.1 sound usually works well in passthrough mode, the nad does all the heavy lifting.

[Oztruckie]

On 5/17/2020 at 12:55 PM, i84teen said:

Minix is just a PC, same as any computer, OP wants an Android streaming box How do you load apps like Netflix and stream with a Minix?

Wrong,Minix make lots of different android boxes.

[longball53098]

21 hours ago, Oztruckie said:

Wrong,Minix make lots of different android boxes.

Yes,,,,,,,,,,that is what I have been saying,,,,,,,,,,Minix has boxes that are loaded both Android or Windows and in a variety of prices. My feeling is Minix is among the better boxes out there

[stouricks]

On 5/15/2020 at 11:45 AM, AJBangkok said:

Go for a windows box. Intel NUC or anything running Windows 10

Totally agree with you. 

[stouricks]

On 5/17/2020 at 6:13 PM, bkk6060 said:

You must have an old TV or poor/slow internet?

I live in a modern building with a Smart TV everything from my Android box is in HD and high quality.

Why do you need an Android box if you have a Smart TV please?

[tonray]

On 5/15/2020 at 7:00 PM, RichCor said:

No love for the Google Chromecast HDMI dongles?

The Xiaomi Box has Chromecast built in...best of both worlds...love mine

[Mama Noodle]

1 hour ago, stouricks said:

Why do you need an Android box if you have a Smart TV please?

 

Because smart Tv's dont have provisions for a VPN and therefore can not watch geolocation restricted content. 

[herfiehandbag]

On 5/15/2020 at 12:43 PM, totally thaied up said:

I used Android boxes for years and ended up in the end building my own PC to cover everything I can do. A Android box cannot do what a PC can do. Sure you got Apps but nothing beats a full Operating system. You could us Linux (Ubuntu or elementaryos) for the Operating system.

You know, considering that the OP is asking for simple advice on an Android TV plug in box - I somehow doubt that he is up for building his own PC, with or without "Linux", "Ubuntu" or "elementaryos"!

????????????

[Will27]

36 minutes ago, Mama Noodle said:

 

Because smart Tv's dont have provisions for a VPN and therefore can not watch geolocation restricted content. 

I can download a VPN on my smart TV and can watch anything.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

On 5/15/2020 at 7:00 PM, RichCor said:

No love for the Google Chromecast HDMI dongles?

 

I prefer to do my TV scrolling and controlling with the device remote control clickers associated with my Fire TVs or Android TV devices.

 

I prefer to keep and reserve my phone and tablet activity for phone and tablet stuff... and not be trying to search and launch TV viewing content for the big screen using the small size devices and their small screens.

 

[RichCor]

1 minute ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

I prefer to do my TV scrolling and controlling with the device remote control clickers associated with my Fire TVs or Android TV devices.

 

I prefer to keep and reserve my phone and tablet activity for phone and tablet stuff... and not be trying to search and launch TV viewing content for the big screen using the small size devices and their small screens.

While I usually quite enjoy the quick response that a settopbox remote gives in changing channels or adjusting volume, I've become quite fond of the smartphone apps that interact with smartTVs for selecting elements on the screen, entering search text, or doing a quick find and cast from.

 

But for some very odd reason I now prefer to watch content directly from my laptop and don't bother with the smartTV unless I'm helping someone else figure out the options of navigating its poorly designed human interfaces and software. I think this means I'm getting 'old'.

 

I only mentioned the chromecast dongles as a possible option as they're sometimes cheaper and easier to get up and get running, especially so if one's main interests are watching Netflix and Youtube.

 

Still prefer my laptop.

 

 

[stouricks]

3 hours ago, Mama Noodle said:

 

Because smart Tv's dont have provisions for a VPN and therefore can not watch geolocation restricted content. 

I suppose you could get a router where the VPN goes first, then it would work, but I take your point.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

19 minutes ago, RichCor said:

While I usually quite enjoy the quick response that a settopbox remote gives in changing channels or adjusting volume, I've become quite fond of the smartphone apps that interact with smartTVs for selecting elements on the screen, entering search text, or doing a quick find and cast from.

 

But for some very odd reason I now prefer to watch content directly from my laptop and don't bother with the smartTV unless I'm helping someone else figure out the options of navigating its poorly designed human interfaces and software. I think this means I'm getting 'old'.

 

I only mentioned the chromecast dongles as a possible option as they're sometimes cheaper and easier to get up and get running, especially so if one's main interests are watching Netflix and Youtube.

 

Still prefer my laptop.

 

 

 

Ya, different strokes for different folks... both work....

 

From a cost perspective, the Fire TV 4Ks are cheap -- as cheap or cheaper than the Chromecasts, especially when Amazon often has the 4K sticks on sale for $25 or so.  That's the price I paid for mine at two different times direct from Amazon...

 

I tend to be up later at night than my wife...who sleeps earlier for her work. So at night in the bedroom, I won't use the big TV or even my 15 in. laptop. But I will use a 10 inch Fire tablet to watch video on that, with the screen about a foot away from my face on a tablet stand....  So the screen light doesn't disturb the wife!

[Mama Noodle]

4 hours ago, Will27 said:

I can download a VPN on my smart TV and can watch anything.

 

What model smart TV do you have? I would be very interested to know.

[totally thaied up]

11 minutes ago, Mama Noodle said:

What model smart TV do you have? I would be very interested to know.

I have a TCL LCD that runs Android 9 on it.  It lets me run Netflix and VPN's and the such but trying to sideload App's on it is pretty useless. The restrictions on the system make it hopeless.

 

I have a TX6 and Shield that I use and that is okay but in reality, all my work is done from a high end PC running Windows 10.

 

I was disappointed in the TCL's Android set up but for most watching Netflix or playing Spotify and Joox, it works great. I have never used the VPN. I prefer to download the movies that I watch in 4K on my PC then use my Android box's I have found. For watching general TV back in my home country or around the world I use the Android box and that is its main purpose. 

[Will27]

2 hours ago, Mama Noodle said:

 

What model smart TV do you have? I would be very interested to know.

Sony 75x8500e.

[Susco]

2 hours ago, totally thaied up said:

I have a TCL LCD that runs Android 9 on it.  It lets me run Netflix and VPN's and the such but trying to sideload App's on it is pretty useless. The restrictions on the system make it hopeless.

There is Android OS and Android TV OS, with the latter being the one installed on TCL, and it has many restrictions what you can install or is available from Playstore.

 

You can though install most those apk's anyway if you use sideload launcher or TV app repo

[Jingthing]

I think I've decided on the Magicsee N5 max x3. As I'm not yet certain on exactly how I will use it I figure that will be flexible enough for me. 

 

I currently have a ridiculously old media player that basically barely functions anymore. For example it can't play many formats of video files and even YouTube isn't supported on it anymore. 

 

So the Magicsee or most any current box should be a big improvement. 

 

I do have a question though. 

 

Is it true these boxes are limited to a maximum of 2 tb on the USB external hard drive? 

 

I had hoped to buy a 4 tb USB external but I don't think that would be supported. 

 

Can someone confirm that the Magicsee can support a USB external 2 tb anyway? 

 

1 tb isn't enough. 

Edited May 21, 2020 by Jingthing

[Jai Dee]

16 hours ago, Jingthing said:

I think I've decided on the Magicsee N5 max x3

 

From the specs on this box from a Shopee vendor, the box has 4GB RAM and 64 GB ROM with 3 USB ports (1*USB 2.0 + 2*USB 3.0) and is running Android 9.0.

Technically it should support an external 2, 3, or 4 TB drive.

 

My Android box has 3GB RAM and 32GB ROM and is running Android 7.1 and I am using a WD 4GB USB 3.0 drive connected to a USB 2.0 port on the box with no issues.

Some of my 4K TrueHD 7.1 Atmos video files on that drive are 40-45 GB and I have no issues at all.

[Jingthing]

Thanks for that. 

But I wish I knew for sure as I don't have the 4 tb drive yet. I wouldn't buy it if it won't work. 

But I had thought that maybe 2 tb was a generic limit for all of these boxes so now I know it's not.