Android TV WiFi Vs Laptop.

[WorriedNoodle]

I have both a laptop (5 yr old Win10) and a Minix Android TV box (4 yr old Android 4.4 but was rated highly at the time of purchase new!) in a room with WiFi only, Ethernet not possible.

 

I get much better live TV streaming without buffer on the laptop, presumably, because the laptop costs a lot more so the WiFi antenna is better. Is this a correct assumption?

 

Q. What is a good Android TV box to buy that offers reliable WiFi connection speeds?

 

The source router is a home 50mbps VDSL.

[JHolmesJr]

Minix is not Android TV….it is full android.

 

The best android tv box imo is Nvidia Shield….a little pricey but all you ever need….should last for years and years.

[JaiMaai]

Ethernet is not possible?

Have you ruled out using powerline adaptors?

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[WorriedNoodle]

On 7/8/2017 at 3:39 PM, JHolmesJr said:

Minix is not Android TV….it is full android.

 

The best android tv box imo is Nvidia Shield

Thanks for the TV box tip. 

 

You mean Minix is not a TV box and Nvidia Shield is? I have owned the Minix for 4 years, it is shaped like a box and connects to TV so I thought it was a an Android TV box like my op? Maybe just terminology?

[JHolmesJr]

Both are boxes that attach to tv…..so tv box is correct.

 

The Android OS is where they differ greatly…..Minix runs a full android OS while Nvidia Shield runs on a modified android platform called Android TV, where the apps are optimised for a television interface. Android TV does not allow full access to all android apks…but that can be overcome by downloading an apk called side load launcher that will render and display any android apk correctly.

[WorriedNoodle]

14 hours ago, JHolmesJr said:

where the apps are optimised for a television interface. Android TV does not allow full access to all android apks…but that can be overcome by downloading an apk called side load launcher

 Thanks. You taught me something new today appreciated! I wasn't aware of the Android TV o/s and have been using full Android with TV style launchers on my devices .

 

Q. Other than the optimized TV UI of Android TV which I suppose is very appealing in a subjective way, what is the advantage over a full Android o/s on a device? Doesn't full Android offer everything than Android TV does and more without need for side loading? Side loading sounds like a hindrance and I don't know if the apps I now use would need that or not on an Android Tv o/s?

 

[sandyf]

I also get much better streaming from my laptop and that is 6/7 years old with Win7.

I have also streamed from the same source via 2 phones to the TV and one phone was far better than the other. The older phone is an HTC with 1Gb ram and Android 4.4 and the newer is a TP-Link with 2Gb ram and Android 5.1 so I came to the conclusion it was the increased ram that reduced the buffering. The laptop with 8Gb ram eliminated buffering altogether unless I start having problems with internet speed, quite common as we are the last building on the telephone line.

 

Something I noticed some time ago that rebooting the router can stop buffering so now I always reboot the router before streaming TV.

[janclaes47]

5 minutes ago, sandyf said:

I also get much better streaming from my laptop and that is 6/7 years old with Win7.

I have also streamed from the same source via 2 phones to the TV and one phone was far better than the other. The older phone is an HTC with 1Gb ram and Android 4.4 and the newer is a TP-Link with 2Gb ram and Android 5.1 so I came to the conclusion it was the increased ram that reduced the buffering. The laptop with 8Gb ram eliminated buffering altogether unless I start having problems with internet speed, quite common as we are the last building on the telephone line.

 

Something I noticed some time ago that rebooting the router can stop buffering so now I always reboot the router before streaming TV.

 

All spot on advice.

 

RAM is your working memory, so it is important that you have as much free working memory available as possible. For using Kodi, or other streaming media player, 2Gb RAM is a must.

 

Rebooting the router from time to time is also important, for the same reason as it is important to reboot your pc from time to time.

[JHolmesJr]

1 hour ago, WorriedNoodle said:

 Thanks. You taught me something new today appreciated! I wasn't aware of the Android TV o/s and have been using full Android with TV style launchers on my devices .

 

Q. Other than the optimized TV UI of Android TV which I suppose is very appealing in a subjective way, what is the advantage over a full Android o/s on a device? Doesn't full Android offer everything than Android TV does and more without need for side loading? Side loading sounds like a hindrance and I don't know if the apps I now use would need that or not on an Android Tv o/s?

 

i cant really see a big difference….but i can tell you that the nvidia shield runs way faster and smoother than your normal android box

[janclaes47]

5 minutes ago, JHolmesJr said:

i cant really see a big difference….but i can tell you that the nvidia shield runs way faster and smoother than your normal android box

 

The nvidia shield runs faster because it has 3Gb Ram, where the average Android box has only 2Gb, and some even only 1Gb. It would also be only expected that a $200 Nvidia runs smoother than the $50 Android box

 

Android Tv has it's advantages over Andoid OS, but also it's disadvantages like Worriednoodle already pointed out, and there are more

[SooKee]

One thing to be mindful of if you do, or think you will, subscribe to services like Netflix or Amazon Prime Video, you will not be able to receive in HD on generic Android boxes. Both of those services require the device to be certified / approved for them to receive HD, otherwise you will be limited to 480, though there is hacked Netflix APK from which you can get up to 720.

 

Netflix is also limiting it's app availability to fully Android certified devices (and AFAIK no generic Android STB is) such that the app no longer shows as available for install via the app store. This means that folks are having to rely on older APKs that are still working to get Netflix and some of these older APKs lack the ease of use functionality. This is one of the reasons I'm thinking of replacing my otherwise acceptable Minix U9 with another Shield.

 

One thing I dislike about some of the Android TV app versions is that for some reason some lack any way to access favorites or add to playlists or even sign in. I guess because some designers haven't cottoned on to the fact that Android TV can be run on devices other that TV, devices that have remotes that are capable of input beyond single function related key presses. Other than that I find I MUCH prefer the TV interface over the designed for phones interface of full Android. For those apps where you prefer the mobile device version you can side load onto the Shield, something that is no more painful than side loading to a generic box.

 

One thing I have noticed is that there seems to be a growing trend to develop smart install APKs these days (HooQ, iFlix) where the app configures itself depending upon the device it gets installed on. A mobile install will configure for mobile / tablet, a device running Android TV will get the TV configuration. Easier for the developers to maintain I guess. Downside is. There's no longer two specific version APKs. So this in time might prevent you loading mobile versions of apps to Android TV devices or, something I have done more of, ATV APKs onto a generic box.

 

 

 

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[WorriedNoodle]

I ended up swapping out the Minix for a new Beelink GT1 Ultimate with higher specs, fairly cheap, internal antenna and quarter size of the Minix. Now on same wifi all my SD channels now play well in HD and no buffer.