The shield is worth getting, if only for the wired connection.

I have a MiBox. It's good. It's not great. It does the job, and I'm generally happy with it.

But I wish I just saved up and bought a Shield instead.

There are a handful of little things that bug me. Probably the largest one is the lack of updates. I know the beta channel has been getting a few here and there, but I'm on the regular channel and it's been a while.

There's also a lack of communication regarding the device. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong places, but it's as if Xiaomi made the device, put it out, and said "Good luck." I've always preferred some transparency with my companies.

There also seems to be some compatibility issues here and there. Nothing major, but I've run into a few apps that I cannot download through official channels, and I really don't have the time or patience to side load.

Ultimately, I'd like to move this into the bedroom and buy a Shield for my living room. I think I'd be happier with that setup.

So, I guess I'm not saying "Don't buy a MiBox." Just make sure you understand what you're buying and what the alternatives are. And if saving $120 is worth dealing with the shortcomings, then by all means pick one up. For me? I wish I had waited it out.

Perhaps theres some other good boxes way cheaper.

I think the short answer is, there aren't hahahaha unless ofc you want to dwell into Android Boxes (which are different from the AndroidTV Boxes)

you can try a Nexus player but I'm not sure if it'll be cheaper. and seeing as it's already discontinued, might be hard to find.

but it seems it has better support than the Mi Box, which is still on Marshmallow (or Nougat Beta).

Just realized that Xiaomi mibox doesn't have a ethernet port which i need very hard because the wi-fi sinal on my living room is low.

you can easily buy a USB hub with an ethernet port. Mi Box users have had great success using the UGREEN USB Hub. Unfortunately, ethernet speeds won't be gigabit as it will only be limited to USB 2.0 speed (iirc 480Mbps).

I would recommend the Mi Box if you’re looking at something cheap that’ll more than get the job done. Yeah it doesn’t have an Ethernet port, but you can easily buy a USB->Ethernet accessory on Amazon for a few bucks to solve that problem.

I would even consider the new FireTV, although obviously this is an Android TV subreddit. I just am rather interested in the new FireTV and feel if you’re looking for something that’s cheap and can run Netflix, Hulu, and Kodi well, Mi Box and the new FireTV are your best bets.

If you have more to spend, get the Shield. There is nothing in between a Shield and a Mi Box that is worth it for Android TV. A Shield also blows everything else out of the water, hands down.

Personally I've found the MiBox to be a badly supported waste of time and money but it does depend on your use case. I should note that if you want to use Amazon video then it's hit and miss in marshmallow and utterly pointless in the Nougat Beta. The beta is also having issues with hdcp where if one of the devices in the chain is on 2.2 you'll get no signal.

Basically for 1080p and Marshmallow it's ok move on up and you not a world of faffing

A good reasonably priced is the Mi Box. I have it hardwired through a USB ethernet adapter with zero problems. The times I do get lag it is because if Kodi source (switch to a different server/source and it is fine) or on Vue, but that is Sony's overloaded servers during popular shows/games.

No lag on any apps or videos through YouTube, Netflix, Live Channels, Vudu, etc.

You can buy a usb 3.0 dongle and give the Mi Box an ethernet port easy. Both of mine I bought dongles for because ethernet is just better than wifi.

If you're looking for 4k mainly, get the shield. The Mi Box can do 4k but it struggles. For 1080p it's perfect though. The shield is the powerhouse in the field and can do 4k with ease. I have 1080p still so that's why Mi Box's are best for me. Saved a little money. I have no issues with the Mi Box and 1080p.

No 4K? Then get the original Nexus Player. I have two in my house, both running Android 8.0 and are rock solid stable. My MiBox is still running 6.0 (I have doubt it will ever get an upgrade to 7.0) and has more than a few bugs that prevent me from recommending it. The biggest, most annoying is how the frames kinda skip, providing a "Max Headroom" like audio effect that occurs randomly, no matter what app I use (I use Kodi most of the time).

The Nexus Player in my living room has an OTG Ethernet adapter, works fine, $8 is cheap, but yeah it should have been built in.

Beware with ethernet adapters. I have the ugreen usb 2.0 and has the issue of not connecting after mibox goes to sleep. I have to unplug and plug it again

Just being honest I'd buy a Chromecast or wait to see if they'll support Android TV in the future. Not worth investing in at this moment.