Most of those posts are about 4k hdr or 5.1 audio and if you have a multi thousand dollar set up that you hook a $70 device to expecting those things you kinda get what you deserve.

I have a Shield and three Mi Boxes. The Shield is significantly better performance-wise, but at $70 it's a good box. The most glaring difference is the general speed of everything: apps starting, videos loading, etc but if you don't have a Shield to compare it to it probably won't be something you notice really.

The problem is you see a LOT of people whining on here about features that were "Promised" or expected. In the media player world that is frankly all bullshit Marketing and Advertising speak. Never buy anything on promises.

Buy a device to suit your needs for the right here and right now.

If all you need is a basic 1080p Video streaming device, with a light order of ATV Apps, Plex or Kodi then get a Mi Box.

If you want all the bells and whistles of 4K HDR streaming, Plex servers, a bit of gaming and better Android OS & Firmware support get a nVIDIA Shield.

Its that simple.

Agreed with all the above I have a miBox and a shield . The miBox is worth every penny, I've had very few issues and over all have been pleased with it.

Solid device for viewing/streaming. Have a nexus player in the bed room & mi box in the living room. Might swap them if I can't resolve the controller issue below. Support is lacking - still waiting on 7.0 update. As far as games, currently running into issues with getting USB controllers to connect. Tried 2 different usb controllers with no luck.

No, especially if you use it for Plex.

Get an old Nexus Player instead.

I have two, both on 1080p TVs, and haven't had any issues with either. Netflix/Kodi/YouTube/Plex/Spotify and casting all work fine. I can't speak to 4K or gaming etc.

Man the shield must be fast because everything loads pretty much instantly for me on my mibox. I have never used a shield before so I can't compare but I'm very happy with my two miboxes.

It's a good box. Well worth the $70 price tag.

If you don't like it, you have a 30 day window to return it (if you bought it from Walmart).

Because of some bad reviews, I was reluctant to get a Mi Box, but I decided to give it a try and I will have to say that at this price range there is nothing better in the market, the Fire TV is a beast but the Fire runs it's own OS, yes, based on Android, but is not an Android TV.

I have a Mi Box and love it, use it for IPTV through perfect player and Kodi for catchup and on demand stuff.

I am happy with mine. Bought from Walmart.com which has a 90 day return policy.

Had mine since November and set up my parents at Christmas, both still working great and would recommend it.

I've never used a Shield, and I came from the WDTV Live Plus box which is hilariously slow compared to the Mi Box.

The Nexus Player has had Android 7.* since Aug. 2016. My plan was to consider getting the Mi Box when they upgraded from Android 6.*. Still waiting. As of April, there is a 7 package you can manually load that is missing a few things. At this point, I am looking for good deals on the Shield.

I still recommend it. I have had zero problems.

Buy what is best by you. Don't overspend or underspend because there are others trying to justify their purchases. Those who just say "Shield sucks" or "mi box sucks" are just trying to justify what they have bought and hating what they wish they bought.

Instead compare the pros and cons for yourself , judge what you need and what you are comfortable spending and go by that.

I find Reddit is great for help, but recommendations tend to get the children's "mine is better because I have it and yours sucks" replies. Actually it got to the point where I almost thought they could be getting commission. It was that hard of a sell.

I've got two Shields and a MiBox. The MiBox isn't bad, but I think if you can afford it, the Shield is a better long term bet, especially if you want 4K support. 4K on the MiBox is very slow and has some stutter to it, and I do not see that at all with the Shield. My MiBox has been relegated to a 1080p only TV.

I'll also add that Nvidia is aggressively supporting the Shield, and Xiaomi seems to have forgotten the MiBox exists.

It's a good box. Only beaten by the Shield TV, IMO.

for sure. I've had mine for over a month now and I am more than satisfied.

but then again, I only use it to play media off my external HD. it isn't even connected to the internet ahahahaha

I guess it depends on what you want to use it for. I have 2 miboxes and have had no problems with either. I really only use them for Plex, Kodi and an IPTV service, up to 1080. For $70 I consider it good value.

As others have said, it depends. I have one, and love it.

But I got it for a few reasons: my Tv is 1080p, so I wouldn't be able to view 4k content anyway. My "home theater" setup is not fancy at all. I knew I could buy it, try it, and return it (Walmart) if I wasn't satisfied. It was also cheap.

Honestly, I haven't had any problems whatsoever, even bought one as a gift to a friend. We're all happy with it and with what it does.

I didn't like mine. The interface was laggy, PS Vue was laggy, and after 3 days I kept getting a Netflix error that wouldn't resolve itself. I tried clearing app data and a factory reset. Nothing fixed it, so I returned it. I would love to replace my Fire TV with Android TV, but this one was a bust for me.

All 1080p