I have had zero problems personally. I know there will push back on what I say, but the problems seem to be one of 3 things.

-The user's TV (older TVs appear to have problems, at least for about 2 users I know of. Something about the old HDMI... Probably older than 10 years). That's a tech issue with Mi Box not being well compatible with older tech.

-The users internet and wifi issues. In some cases it is the only variable, whether they like it or not.

-Comparing to the Shield. They have 2 different purposes. Mi box is made for streaming and can do light gaming. The Shield is made for heavy mobile gaming and can stream. It's like comparing PS4 or Xbox One with Shield. Console power destroys the Shield, but it's because they are for different things.

You game, so you know the console wars that plague systems since Nintendo and Sega days. There is some of that here with streaming devices. That's part of the reason for the push back. Just go with what is best for you. For me I play the AAA console games (not even crazy about indie games), so Mi Box was perfect for me.

Hope that helps in your decision.

The MiBox was a good idea in the beginning but I think they made some wrong decisions with the design. In fairness, the industry seems to be going WiFi-only at the same price point, but I don't like it very much, especially on a puck (a stick I can understand it more). Still, for 1080p streaming, it works fine. But they advertsie it as a 4k streamer, and the processor and WiFi limitations make 4k streaming iffy. So for 4k stuff I steer people towards the SHIELD or a Roku Premiere+.

May I ask what sort of game systems you have that don't fulfill your streaming requirements already? Just kind of curious what gaps the MiBox (and an AndroidTV in general) manage to fill.

Kodi runs great on it. So do lots of tv apps like cbsn, AL Jazeera, YouTube.

I run NES, SNES, Genesis and even n64 emulation on it regularly and it runs fine except from stuttering for some n64 games.

HBO go is unusable. Used to work, now I get an error message with everything I try.

Netflix 4k also doesn't work on it although it used to, and I've tinkered with so many settings.

It came out around the same time as the Chromecast ultra and i thought I wouldn't need one. Well the casting on it sucks and its also slower then my original 2013 Chromecast. I ended up buying a Chromecast ultra.

I still use it daily and I do like it and recommend it for Kodi and light emulation. It's not perfect but it's a good value. With that being said, I am awaiting a shield that's in transit and will be moving my mibox to my bedroom.

I'm curious what percentage of Mi Box users are unable to use Netflix period on the device at this moment.

There's an 11 page thread on Xiaomi's forums making me think it must be a good chunk.

A version of Netflix limited to 1080p is built into my TV so it doesn't bother me too much, but the Mi Box was sold as being able to do Netflix 4K and it's my understanding that even for people who have had Netflix working on the device in the past, Netflix in 4K has never worked. It just won't ramp up to 4K even if you are connected through ethernet and have 4K as part of your Netflix plan.

You can return it to walmart if you dont like it there are so many variables from your needs/wants to your specific av setup you may have problems no one has that said i love mine have zero problems its on twice as much as my shield its the hardest working box in my house.

Had a Mi Box on my bedroom TV and a Shield 2017 on my primary TV. I was fine with the functionality of the MiBox for PS Vue, Kodi and other apps.

Then HBO Now and Showtime Anytime both stopped working and I couldn't get either to work again. Since I have Vue as my main source of TV, I need those apps to fill in and work flawlessly to not hear it from the wife.

So back to Walmart it went and a 2nd Shield was acquired. When it worked, I thought it was pretty great, especially for the price, but I can't go back from the Shield now.

As someone who got a mibox near release and the only issues I have is with USB as internal storage, if es file Explorer or any other file browser tries to access it, it unmounts completely and u have to unplug it and 60fps on YouTube pauses every 5-10 seconds... Though 60fps is fine everywhere else.

Oh and I'm only using it on a 1080p TV, no 4k.

That said, I think the state is basically the same it's been since launch. It's seems a bit of a crap shoot if you'll run into certain issues. I've heard a lot of people having issues that others just can't recreate.

I have two Mi Box's and both have been great so far. Netflix, Vue, Plex all play great although Plex has an audio issue which they are trying to fix so it's not a Mi Box issue.

It was a well worth $140 I spent on them.

One is going to a newer 2013 Insignia TV 1080p and my other is going to an older 2009 Samsung 1080p. Both work great like I said.

The only issue I have on both of them is I have usb 2.0 ethernet dongles on them for smooth playback and I find I have to reboot both boxes every couple days because it just turns off and goes to wifi. I think I need external powered dongles. Hopefully someone out there might speak up and say they work better.

I have no major problem on my Mi Box. I use only for Plex, Disney MovieAnywhere, Play Movie and Youtube I do have a problem with remote and remote app not respond from time to time.

The only problem regarding the mibox that I have right now is the youtube app.

Whenever I leave my mibox on for more than 5 hours, it wouldn't let me watch any youtube videos. If I were to launch the youtube app, it would just give me a red blank screen with a youtube logo. If I were to cast a youtube video from my phone, it would just show me the spinning loading icon.

I've tried rebooting the device and cleaning the cache to no avail. The same goes for factory data reset. Netflix, hulu, redbull tv, twitch, mobdro, crunchyroll, and a bunch of other streaming apps work really well.

Anyone have a solution for this issue?

Mine stopped turning on with the remote within a month of owning it. Factory reset didn't fix the issue so it went back to Walmart.

I loved mine. But the Netflix issues and the issues with external storage sent it back to Walmart until Nougat is released for it.

Until then, my Nexus Player will keep poking along.

I basically wanted one box to replace my Chromecast and stream. I found the Chromecast functionality to be buggy. Also had some weird issues with apps. Ended up getting the ShieldTV.

Chromecast seems to work better. ShieldTV has received more regular support than the MiBox. Bonus of being able to play games out of the box (even if unused) and being able to use Amazon Prime video. Can't vouch for 4k video but so far my experience has improved. No more reboots to temporarily fix weird issues.

If you plan to use this box purely for streaming I would ask yourself if the price difference is worth a slightly better experience and prime video support (if games aren't an issue). Shield is definitely getting more support but if you can tolerate some issues then MiBox works fine for a lot of people. Although I think the other people in my household appreciate not having to fiddle with things anymore.

with the sling credit and the 2 months walmart added on top of it, it was easily worth it. i've had to restart it for random bugs maybe 4-5 times since i got it and i got it on day 2 of official release. only waiting for the update to nougat so i can do picture in picture. i also didn't have a chromecast so it was more of a need than had i owned one.

I have the dreaded Netflix error but I can just watch what I want on Kodi.

I now own 2 Miboxs and enjoy them very much. My shield stays downstairs on the main the and the Miboxs are upstairs in my office and bedroom.

I never experienced the Netflix issue personally, but a buddy of mine did which we fixed by exchanging for a new one at Walmart.

The HBO and storage bugs did surface on my original one but a factory reset fixed them for me and I haven't seen them since. These also haven't been any issue on my second Mibox.

It seems that people haven't been seeing the issues lately like the original adopters did late last year, so the hardware issues may be ironed out.

I would say get one and give it a shot. The best thing is Walmart has a 90 day return policy with or without a receipt, so you can give it a go and know you can return it if any issues surface.

I had issues when I first got it. Netflix wouldn't play. Now I love it. 4K streams fine. Everything works for me.

I almost never use it and am pretty disappointed overall. Roku is far better. I'll wind up dumping it on eBay when I get around to it.

Edit: ITT every comment saying any negative things about the MiBox got downvoted. Draw your own conclusions.