Android TV Box

[james_TW]

I've got an android TV box, but it runs android 6, has no memory and is laggy and slow - but I like the idea so I want to replace it.

However, I've looked on Amazon, and there are TV boxes for £24 running Android 9 which look ideal - however a few say that Netflix won't run on it if you try to install it from the Google apps store.

Has anyone tried one of these and is this right? I'm not bothered about using it for Kodi or anything like that - just the legitimate channels

Thanks

JTW

[greygoose]

Could you not cast Netflix from your phone onto the tv screen?

[james_TW]

greygoose said:

Could you not cast Netflix from your phone onto the tv screen?

No, the TV I have in my bedroom isn't a smart TV - The current box I have also has VLC and connects to a network share on my laptop which has some media on it which discounts a Chromecast type device

[C0ffin D0dger]

These are supposed to be pretty good but a bit more than £25: https://www.mi.com/uk/mi-box-s/

Nvidia Shield is the King though but quality comes at a price.

[rdjohn]

I have tried a few and some run way too hot. I currently have a Dreamlink T3 which is very good but won’t run Netflix because Google Play Store is not certified in Settings, so it is an insurmountable problem for Netflix.

I am collecting an Amazon Fire for £40 from Argos today.

[king arthur]

You need to distinguish between the cheap boxes that run the Android phone OS so you will be installing apps designed for phones and tablets, and the boxes that run the Android TV OS, which have a much more limited set of apps designed specially for that. The Netflix phone app won't play back in HD on these cheaper boxes but the Android TV version does of course.

[Corso Marche]

There are only a few Android TV boxes which are officially licenced by Google. And even fewer which have been licenced/approved by the likes of Netflix.
The Xiaomi MiBox and Nvidia Shield TV are effectively your choice in most parts of the world to have a licenced device with supported apps and a licenced app store.
You can of course use any other app stores and sideload on an official box too, just like you can on unofficial shady cheapo boxes. So they provide the best of both worlds. Fully legit with official support from Netflix, Google, et al but also capable of doing the exact same stuff as the cheapo boxes.

People tend not to buy unlicenced Android phones or iPhone knock-offs, so it's always puzzling as to why they pay a Netflix subscription and try to run a pirated Netflix app on an unsupported device.

[james_TW]

This is the one (or very much like it) that I've seen - I'll be honest, I wasn't aware of the difference between the various flavours of Android OS...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07PDLSP8F

[Lord Pikey]

I have the older Nvidia Sheild and it is fantastic. I have not tried the 2019 Versions yet but the Reviews are positive.

[Lazermilk]

What will be your main use for it?

I got a 4k firestick for about 25 euros if I remember right, you can sideload android apps onto it easily, including kodi and works well so far.

[Mr Pointy]

There's a shed load of information on Android boxes here:
https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=252916

Note that while the forum is focused on Kodi there's a lot of good information on Netflix & Amazon as well. Scroll down that page to the "1080p/4K Netflix and Amazon Video streaming" section.

[james_TW]

Lazermilk said:

What will be your main use for it?

I got a 4k firestick for about 25 euros if I remember right, you can sideload android apps onto it easily, including kodi and works well so far.

I have a dumb TV and the Android box helps it be smart with Amazon Prime, Netflix, BBC, etc - but I have a good library of film files on my laptop (SMB share) that I watch using VLC (which can read the file shares) and, to be honest, that's the main reason why I want an Android box

[Corso Marche]

james_TW said:

This is the one (or very much like it) that I've seen - I'll be honest, I wasn't aware of the difference between the various flavours of Android OS...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07PDLSP8F

As I said above - why? Unlicensed, unsupported by the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime, BBC, ITV, C4, and every other programming provider you can name, and some of the reviews are hinting at a degree of geekery being needed to get it working (true of all these 3rd party generic boxes).

Watching TV needs to be 'drop on the couch hit button on remote and watch program' exercise.
None of these boxes ever deliver this simplicity, because they are all hacked together workarounds using illegally ported versions of apps such as Netflix and iPlayer. Or worse again, straight tablet versions of the apps on your TV which are a faff to try and use.

I've seen lots of them through the years, being based across Asia, but I'd never contemplate one in my own home. We have two MiBox 3's, and an original Shield TV. The Shield is expensive, but the MiBox isn't, and will do everything most people require.

[james_TW]

Corso Marche said:

As I said above - why? Unlicensed, unsupported by the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime, BBC, ITV, C4, and every other programming provider you can name, and some of the reviews are hinting at a degree of geekery being needed to get it working (true of all these 3rd party generic boxes).

Watching TV needs to be 'drop on the couch hit button on remote and watch program' exercise.
None of these boxes ever deliver this simplicity, because they are all hacked together workarounds using illegally ported versions of apps such as Netflix and iPlayer. Or worse again, straight tablet versions of the apps on your TV which are a faff to try and use.

I've seen lots of them through the years, being based across Asia, but I'd never contemplate one in my own home. We have two MiBox 3's, and an original Shield TV. The Shield is expensive, but the MiBox isn't, and will do everything most people require.

Just to clarify - That was what I was looking at because it's similar to what I currently have, which is an Android 6 box upon which I've put Netflix et al (direct and legitimately from the Google store) which generally works, but has been laggy and jerky of late.

Being geeky, to a point, is fine for me because that's what I do - but my current box was pretty simple (for me) to set up - However, I don't want to buy something that, by default, is unsupported because that's something that I face in to every day and is something I want to avoid.

This is a device for my bedroom where I don't have a TV aerial and these apps are something I want to have in my bedroom and my TV, while HD and decent (was a secondhand purchase), is pretty dumb (with every conceivable input known to man, including a DVD player)

I don't want, or need, to spend the earth on something and I just want something that will do what I want without being overly expensive...

ETA - If a firestick does all that, then I'd be happy to get one. Just not right now as it's not on offer...

Another ETA: The Chromecast is £20 from Argos at the moment - Looks like it can do all the usual stuff as well as Amazon Prime and stream VLC too (anyone done that?) - That's looking like a leader at the moment

Edited by james_TW on Tuesday 10th December 13:50

[jimmyjimjim]

james_TW said:

I have a dumb TV and the Android box helps it be smart with Amazon Prime, Netflix, BBC, etc - but I have a good library of film files on my laptop (SMB share) that I watch using VLC (which can read the file shares) and, to be honest, that's the main reason why I want an Android box

Amazon Fire TV cube can use plex to play from a share on a computer.
It can also load VLC, but I've never tried it:
https://www.amazon.com/VLC-Mobile-Team-for-Fire/dp...
I went for the cube in preference to the stick as it supports 4k (ok, one of the sticks now does too).

[Corso Marche]

I've a Fire TV Stick too (11 months old), as Amazon Prime only licensed the app on the Shield TV and not the MiBox. Any of the versions available to sideload were jank. So we've a MiBox and a Fire TV stick on one TV so as it's not left without access to Prime.
It's about tailoring your expectations. The user interface on the Fire TV stick is nowhere near as polished as the official android app. It's clunky and scattered. I played around with it a bit after getting it, but then relegated it to its original purpose of just streaming videos from Prime. It was pointless asking it to do much else when the MiBox was just a button push away on the remote.
As with everything in life, it's a case of you get what you pay for.

[Mr Pointy]

Corso Marche said:

As with everything in life, it's a case of you get what you pay for.

I was waiting for the 2019 Shield but at £260 it's a non-starter for me. I'll wait a while longer & hope they drop to a more reasonable price.

[DoctorX]

jimmyjimjim said:

james_TW said:

I have a dumb TV and the Android box helps it be smart with Amazon Prime, Netflix, BBC, etc - but I have a good library of film files on my laptop (SMB share) that I watch using VLC (which can read the file shares) and, to be honest, that's the main reason why I want an Android box

Amazon Fire TV cube can use plex to play from a share on a computer.
It can also load VLC, but I've never tried it:
https://www.amazon.com/VLC-Mobile-Team-for-Fire/dp...
I went for the cube in preference to the stick as it supports 4k (ok, one of the sticks now does too).

My Firestick is very fussy about the file types with Plex, no sound on MKVs for example. An Xbox will do what the OP wants if he has one of those...

[Corso Marche]

Mr Pointy said:

I was waiting for the 2019 Shield but at £260 it's a non-starter for me. I'll wait a while longer & hope they drop to a more reasonable price.

Yeah, I bought the original Shield TV in 2015 as it got excellent reviews and the buzz was that it should be the default choice.
Simple fact is though I could buy 4-5 MiBox's for the price of one Shield. I probably wouldn't do it again based on my own experiences. Sure, it's a little more powerful and has extra features, but most people won't use them and most folk wouldn't notice the difference in performance either.

[Mr Pointy]

Corso Marche said:

Mr Pointy said:

I was waiting for the 2019 Shield but at £260 it's a non-starter for me. I'll wait a while longer & hope they drop to a more reasonable price.

Yeah, I bought the original Shield TV in 2015 as it got excellent reviews and the buzz was that it should be the default choice.
Simple fact is though I could buy 4-5 MiBox's for the price of one Shield. I probably wouldn't do it again based on my own experiences. Sure, it's a little more powerful and has extra features, but most people won't use them and most folk wouldn't notice the difference in performance either.

Thanks, I'll look at the MiBox.