Is the Mi Box that bad?

by unrly

For a while, I was really looking forward to purchasing a Mi Box. The Chromecast + App capabilities are what would set it apart from our 4k LG webOS (which I love) tv + Fire Stick combo right now. But just a CC isn't enough, and Fire Stick/webOS lacks any kind of casting. But reading this subreddit, there seem to be lots of complaints about the Mi Box - however, there is no alternative for a cheaper box.

  1. Is it ok for 1080p viewing? There isn't enough 4k content for me to care right now.
  2. There seem to be complaints about app availability - can apps be sideloaded/pushed from the Play Store?
  3. How has the Nougat helped with the connectivity/sync/general speed of the box? If at all?

Just looking for a summary on these issues, haven't seen any posts but I just want to make sure before I go out and purchase. We're fine with what we have now, but we'd like to move to DirecTV Now next year and we'll have to purchase several more boxes to fill up our home. There doesn't seem to be many options out there which is disappointing!

TnCyberVol

I have 2 Mi boxes and 0 complaints.

  • 1080P works great!
  • I'm waiting on a couple apps, DTVN and/or YTTV. Casting in the meantime.
  • My home network @ 5G and the Mi boxes are working just fine.
gungaegorgian

Casting works perfectly for me on my MiBox while some users have problems. I have 2 of them by the way

nDQ9UeOr

It works ok. However, Nougat has been in beta for seven months. I don't think it's likely to ever go GA at this point. If they were serious about it, it would be done by now.

hlpmebldapc

The casting is pretty annoying. It depends on the app, though. CBS will often close the video in the middle and go back to the home screen.

YouTube will never play the first video I cast, I have to toggle to a second video then back to the first to get it to play.

I came from a chromecast so I was liking the idea of being able to cast and have the UI. After having one for some time now, I rarely cast anything. The UI path is much more reliable.

The apps i use work pretty well actually. I am primarily using sling TV, Netflix, and YouTube.

U can sideload apps, but don't expect to grab a phone apk and have it just work. I was able to get a really half assed Amazon prime video working with an app I found. But, it's just a crappy phone UI blown up. U can start a video, but there is no seeking.

Overall, for 70 bucks, it's not too bad. The occasional bug requires me to reboot it. Whatever.

Just don't expect to cast a lot, make sure you have a legit Android TV app available for everything you plan to run on it.

Bodycount9

I own two Mi Box's and I can't complain. For 1080p content it's great and worth the money. 4k content I don't know since I don't have a 4k TV.

Apps, yeah you will be missing some major apps. Youtube TV. Amazon Prime, HBO GO. Hopefully the nougat patch will fix all that. Patch was supposed to be out first quarter of this year but it's been pushed back. At least they are working on it as there are several versions of Beta's out there.

If you don't care about 4k TV, go out and buy one and try it out. You can always take it back if you don't like it. For 1080p content it really is worth the $70.

Now if you're serious about 4k content, the shield is pretty much your only choice as it's superior to pushing 60 fps HDR with digital audio.

joe603

  1. I have a few Shields and a Mi Box and can say it has worked very well for me with 1080p content no issues at all

  2. Apps can be easily side loaded and custom banners can be used so the app shows up on the home screen using TV app repo

  3. can't help with that question

raptor75mlt

  1. yes

  2. yes

  3. I'll let someone else answer this. but I read that using an ethernet adaptor helps with connectivity issues

battierpeeler

i bought mibox the day it came out and have been generally pleased but right this second, i think i would be better off with both a fire stick and chromecast from cyber monday for 45 total. i pretty much only use the mibox as a kodi box which fire stick can do and casting to mibox doesn't have the same benefit as casting to a chromecast when you cast fullscreen videos from tabs on desktop.

BadBreath911

I have 2 Mi Boxes, and 1 nVidia Shield TV (2017).

The Mi Boxes always have random disconnects... even though one of them is literally sitting on top of my router. Compared to the nVidia Shield, they are slower and the interface isn't as smooth.

DopePedaller

I didn't have nearly as much luck as other users here. I've had micro-stuttering since day one in every app (Netflix, YouTube, Kodi, etc) I've tried. I've done all the updates and the problem has lessened, but is still very much there and drove me nuts. I've really tried to fix the issue with full resets, but nothing eliminated the problem. I finally gave up on it and got a Shield.

rhpot1991

I think most of the feelings are that the Sheild TV is much better, but at a higher price. I only have Shields myself, but some of your questions like app availability are Android TV problems and not really device problems. Some apps are Shield only as well.

kri_kri

Its fine if you never use or have heard about the nvidia shield. I got one and took it back, got another sheild. More expensive but fuck it my life is better now.

BiggussDikkuss

Budget non-HDR, non demanding Android TV 1080p Kodi and up to 4K Netflix Player = Mi Box.

No dynamic refresh rate TV switching on Mi Box with Kodi / Plex so expect 3:2 pulldown video playback judder with those two Apps when playing back ALL 24p TV Series / Movies.

Motion Smoothing / Interpolation Settings on modern TV's can may be able to remove 99% of 3:2 pulldown video playback judder for 24p Netflix video playback. Certainly does that on my Mi Box / 4K TV combo. Not so for Kodi Plex / however.

.

Demanding 4K HDR Apps + speed plus Amazon Video & more = NVIDIA Shield. Does Plex / Kodi refresh switching.

Do not use it for mixed 1080p SDR / 4K HDR10, hands off usage because it has auto colorspace switching issues. You have to fiddle with Android / Kodi settings for optimal or correct SDR / HDR10 picture outputs.

.

Demanding mixed mode 1080p SDR / 4K HDR10 Kodi = Gigabit AMLogic S912 box running LibreELEC Kodi Krypton.

Also does Krypton HDR10 > SDR for non-HDR 4K TV's. LE Kodi Auto everything just works, refresh, resolution and colorspace switching.

.

Box with the best SDR / HDR10 / DV potential once tvOS FW11.2 drops and is stable = Apple TV 4K - which will have auto everything very likely working as well.

Apple these days seems to be providing better Firmware support vs say NVIDIA, plus they do not have to rely on a third party like Google for Android TV OS updates and slow OS bug fixes. They control the lot, which has Big advantages long term for end users.

elister

I own two Nexus Players (running Android 8.0) and one MiBox.

Only the Mibox (running Android 6.0) has a playback stutter, which is random and occurs no matter what app you use. Its annoying and the main reason why I have it connected to my bedroom TV and not the living room TV. Also the NBC News App struggles to work and often crashes, where it works just fine on the Nexus Players.

I cannot recommend this player to friends or family and tell them to simply wait until Walmart gets re-stocked with Nexus Players, which go for $50-60.

As for the questions.

  1. No problems with 1080p playback, minus the stuttering issue.

  2. No problems with apps. Whats available for the Nexus, is available for the MiBox.

  3. Nougat isnt an official update, its beta and you have to manually update it. But I have had no connectivity issues with it over Wifi, which is a Dual Band connection to a Asus N66U router.

mermaidlolz

I'm very happy with the mibox. Had some issues recently but since hardwiring it to Ethernet and changing settings to 720p, everything is working great! Buffering issues no more. Ours is running in some fashion just about every moment we're home.

flipside1o1

im confused , you have a webos tv and firestick so outside casting this seems to cover ball needs , so why wouldnt a CC fill the void ?

1 its fine for 1080 2 meh the apps that are available woirk but are real sluggish 3 its helped but i still regret my purchase

needslipo

I don't know why people denigrate the mi box. I've setup 7 mi boxes for friends and family. For 1080p it has plenty of power and no one has complained of any connectivity or stability issues.

Apps are usually plex, kodi, hdhomerun, netflix, youtube, ip camera viewer, and terrarium (side loaded).

The usb port is usually occupied by a logitech K400.

WiFi connectivity is plenty if you have at least a 802.11n router. If you have connection problems, I would finger the router as the likely culprit.

Everyone i know with a 4K TV has either a Chromecast Ultra or a Shield.

user_none

I have one Mi Box and one 2015 Shield 16GB. I don't stream, nor game on those (X-Box) and my only content is 1080 and below. For that, the Mi Box works fantastic.

jaymef

I have two and not much in the way of complaints almost exclusively Netflix and kodi use

Tglover

I've got one and it works fine. 1080p using 5.8ghz wireless. Stock official stable firmware.

ManoCoolFx

I got my mi box 3 today .. my review is "its just for few apps" .. kinda locked device ..

you can't find amazon prime app you can't even install from outside .. if you force to do it wont work

many apps like 3rd party themes .. nova launcher etc all wont work .. (which means you can't even change your wallpaper .. you can't even customize the interface).. i must call it bloatware stuff

Mi box is all about youtube, google music , google movie , few games Netflex .. etc thats it ..

pure_agave

I would only complain on external storage. I have 2 ntfs disks and write access to them is non existent.

agloeRegrets

I have a MiBox and a 2017 Fire TV 4k (The 4k 'stick') The Mibox is fine, It's an okay device. Honestly, for most users, I don't think he Shield is worth $100 more. Additionally the Mibox has a lot of great features and abilities for technically minded users. I have had issues with my MiBox locking up and needing a reboot.

That said, at everything except casting and USB related things the new, similarly priced Fire TV shockingly better. the MiBox absolutely does not support Prime video either. I was downright surprised to see JUST how much faster the Fire TV felt. I would say it reminds me of the Shield's performance.

All that said, you should know that Direct TV is offering the Apple TV 4k for free with four months of service. This is a $180 box that is multiple times faster than the Shield via a massive overkill CPU.

Oh and btw, a standard Chromecast supports HDMI input auto switch, you could pair a currently discounted Chromecast with any box. Specifically the FireTV I mentioned.