Android TV box?

[3006]

Do I want a Android TV box ?
We have a old firestick and a old Roku
It looks like a Android box would be able to record TV shows and some movies? For watching without Wi-Fi and would also have Bluetooth.
We have Netflix and Dish and would like to drastically cut back the Dish programming or get rid of it.

[the86d]

There are some devices (not always Android?) that will record, and as pass-through, but I know nothing about them, but "gamers" will probably chime in.

I use a Droidbox(.co.uk), 3x T8-Mini I got for about $105 including shipping.
Their devices come with a remote, and quick response time, almost immediate for most things.

I mostly use it for Kodi movie streams, and between youtube, Netflix, Hulu, Kodi(, and China), I can't remember the last time I watched DirecTV.
Big Clive, AvE, and a few others drop enough content to keep me learning.

[nine mil thrill]

as a new entry user to the "wizardry" of getting free tv, movies and live sporting events......i suggest you get a fire tv, and not use the firestick. (the firestick will work......but a couple months in, you will get the fire tv. there were concerns as to if the new fire tv box was "locked down"......it is not. in fact....it is pretty zippy. once you have whatever you decide as your box, go to "supreme builds" on you tube. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJs...PUdeNIxvcFeH_w everything you need to know about loading your box is covered here and it is so simple and easy for the beginner. do not get involved with the DroidBox or the DroidBox T-8 mini until you get some experience. my shipped with outdated software and was not fun trying to update. btw....my DroidBoxes never updated once upon owning them. if you want great performance.....get the low end Nvidia Shield. (btw.....the best build on my boxes right now is the Titanium build) the people that are making the supreme builds videos on you tube.....are the people that make Titanium. they also have a great facebook page to join, and you can ask individual question that will almost get answered immediately. pm me if you need any other info or help.

[moond0ggie]

I have this one , great specs, one of the best,
It has a web browser-Chrome, & the OS is a lot like the Android on your phone.
Get a $12 Bluetooth keyboard & its like having a computer on your HDTV.
It has 2 USB ports so you can connect external HDD or NAS & a SD memory card slot & you can run other
LINUX -Ubuntu OS on it.

https://www.amazon.com/Android-Edal-MECOOL-Amlogic-Cortex-A53/dp/B0746HL666/ref=pd_sbs_504_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B0746HL666&pd_rd_r=YTQMM4YZZ5VNMV171RM2&pd_rd_w=dNSOc&pd_rd_wg=esBCo&psc=1&refRID=YTQMM4YZZ5VNMV171RM2

$78. ,64 bit 2Ghz, 3Gb of DDR4 RAM, 32Gb of ROM

ESHOWEE M8S PRO Android 7.1 TV Box Amlogic S912 DDR4 3GB 32GB BT4.1 2.4/5 Dual-Band WiFi 4K UHD ......$78.

Product description
OS:Android 7.1 OS (Latest Version)
CPU:Amlogic S912 64 bit Octa core ARM Cortex-A53 CPU up to 2 GHz
GPU:ARM Mali-T820MP3 GPU up to 750MHz (DVFS)
SDRAM: 3GB DDR4
FLASH: 32GB EMMC Flash
WiFi:Built in 2.4G/5G WiFi Support IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Blutooth:Bluetooth 4.1+HS
LAN Ethernet:100MRGMII
Video decorder:H.265 4K @60fps 10btis, VP9 Profile 2, H.264 4K @30fps, AVS+ 1080P @60fps
Video encorder:H.264 1080P @60fps
HDR:HDR 10,HLG HDR
Decoder format:HD MPEG1/2/4,H.265/HEVC , HD AVC/VC-1,RM/RMVB,Xvid/DivX3/4/5/6 ,RealVideo8/9/10
Media format:Avi/Rm/Rmvb/Ts/Vob/Mkv/Mov/ISO/wmv/asf/flv/dat/mpg/mpeg
Music format:MP3/WMA/AAC/WAV/OGG/DDP/TrueHD/HD/FLAC/APE
Photo format:HD JPEG/BMP/GIF/PNG/TIFF
Network Function:Miracast,,Airplay,Skype chatting,Picasa,Youtube,Flicker,Facebook,Online movies,etc.

[nine mil thrill]

the reason why i keep pointing newbies to the fire tv.....is because there are a ton of user friendly videos on you tube for the fire tv. once he gets confident on his loading skills.....then .........

[twidget1995]

We have a slightly older Roku and a very new Amazon FireTV. Like both.

However, you should keep in mind that recording movies to watch later, may be a DMCA violation.

No matter how the Kodi people spin it, the plugins that let you watch movies still in the theater or that you don't own are still piracy. Two of the plug-in makers have stopped supporting their plug-ins because of DMCA threats by the MPAA.

If you're going to run those plug-ins make sure you get a paid VPN service and run behind that.

[3006]

Netflix is now allowing you to download some of their TV shows and movies so that would be the plus I am seeing with the Android box over the fire and Roku most look like you can plug in a flash drive or hard drive soo the wife can watch tv while we're we are camping out in the dessert

[nine mil thrill]

as stated above.......when you are fooling around with Kodi......it is pretty much a given that you always use a vpn, good advice always. i use PIA, very simple to use. a lot of people get frustrated with a vpn, because it will cut into your internet speed a bit and as a result will cause buffering. i was at 20 mb and at times would have to shut off my vpn. now i am at 100 mb......and all is well.

[moond0ggie]

I'll check out that PIA vpn,
I've been watching KODI for 18 months, nary a problem...
Are you saying my IP provider-Charter-Spectrum may shut me down or I might get
get a protected content rap?

[nine mil thrill]

in the US, not really a big deal......it is an issue in the UK. that is what has been making all the news .

[the86d]

Looks like droidbox.co.uk is having a sale for up to 50% off, but the T8 Mini normally sells for about $85+shipping, and is priced right now at $126+shipping, but the T8 SE (32GB of RAM rather than 16gb in the Mini) is the same price, so they are bloated for Christmas, it seems. Black Friday code DBXBLACK brings them down to about $94.54+shipping right now, so they are almost regular price. You will get dinged for shipping, as I did on my first, but bought 2 on my next order which brought the price down a bit, however they "corrected this" shipping discount, I believe.

T8 SE Specs:
Processor: 2.0 GHz Quad Core Cortex A53 Amlogic S905X
Operating System: Android 7.1.2 Nougat & LibreELEC 8 (Kodi 17)
GPU: Mali-450 MP Penta Core
RAM: 2GB DDR3
Internal Memory: 32GB
Expandable Memory: SD Storage
Google Play Store: Yes
XBMC/Kodi 17 Krypton Yes
HDMI: 2.0
USB Ports: 3(1x OTG)
1000 Ethernet: Yes
Bluetooth: Yes
Flash Support: Yes
HD Video Playback: Yes, Supports 1080p HD Videos
4K Video Playback: Yes, Supports 4K Videos
Video Support: H.265/H.264/H.263/VC1/WMV/MOV/MKV/AVI/RM/RMVB/FLV/MPEG-1/MPEG-2/MPEG-4
Music Support: MP3/WMA/APE/FLAC/AAC/AC3/WAV
Photo Support: JPEG/BMP/GIF/PNG
Music Support: MP3/WMA/APE/FLAC/AAC/AC3/WAV
Gaming: Supports 3D gaming
I/O Ports: 3 USB 2.0 (1x OTG), SD card, 1000 Ethernet, HDMI, Optical Audio out, Power Port
WIFI: Wireless LAN 802.11b/g/n/ac - 2.4GHz and 5GHz (Dual Band)
Power: DC 5v/2A
Accessories: HDMI Cable, Power Adapter, Remote Control, User Manual
Color: Black
Dimensions: 165mm x 105mm x 21mm

I think the T8 Mini has a faster proc than 2.0ghz procs in the SE, but they modded the description to show it as slower to sell more of the T8 SE.

LibreELEC on these is pretty cool, just enough Android the run Kodi, but there appear to be some glitches w/that (at least on my T8 Mini), and the full Android variant on these works better w/Kodi.

Nice custom interface on these, and pretty-quick on response times.

One weird issue we have is that the something can't seem to keep up w/bluetooth and processing as quickly compared to a PC (even a miniPC/MPC is better with an Intel Pentium-D) and controllers (Bluetooth, or proprietary wireless dongles) seem to have some lag, and response times are hindered, but not as bad as the old ARM Android devices. My lady noticed it playing Dr. Mario the most where timing is "critical".
Might be the USB or Bluetooth controller bus limitation, or something... I am not up on all that though.

[Ninety]

RPi 3
Retropi
Kodi


Sent from my N9560 using Tapatalk

[Califpatriot]

Get a MiBox from Wally world. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mi-Box-An...3=2280&veh=sem

It has a lot of features that off-brand Android boxes don't--namely, the Android TV interface.

[moond0ggie]

Best deal, specs , on Android box $78.

https://www.amazon.com/Android-Edal-MECOOL-Amlogic-Cortex-A53/dp/B0746HL666/ref=pd_sbs_504_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B0746HL666&pd_rd_r=YTQMM4YZZ5VNMV171RM2&pd_rd_w=dNSOc&pd_rd_wg=esBCo&psc=1&refRID=YTQMM4YZZ5VNMV171RM2

8 core-2Ghz, 3Gb of DDR4, 32Gigs of internal Memory, flash slot mem, 2 USB ports..
DDR4 memory is 32% faster than DDR3

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showpost.php?p=20944089&postcount=4

[sholling]

B&H Photo has the 16GB remote only version of NVIDIA's awesome ShieldTV on sale for $143 ($30 instant savings in cart) with free shipping. B&H is a good company and the ShieldTV is without a doubt the best Android TV streaming media player. It works great with Kodi and if you add an external hard it works as a Plex server. Amazon and Newegg have it for slightly more.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1362644-REG/nvidia_945_12897_2500_100_shield_tv_darcy_remote.html

Amazon reviews:

https://www.amazon.com/NVIDIA-SHIELD-Streaming-Player-Remote/product-reviews/B075RXV2VR/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_show_all_top?ie=UTF8&reviewerType=all_reviews