Alternative (cheaper) devices?

by space_fly

Most of the recommendations I found on this sub is for the Nvidia Shield TV. Unfortunately, in the only store where I found it in my country, it costs the equivalent of $450 , which is way too expensive (that's how much the TV cost). I can order it through amazon.de for around 200 euro, but it's still over my budget.

I wasn't impressed by the Xiaomi Mi Box.. it has only 1 USB port, and no Ethernet connection. It supports 4k, but might struggle in some cases.

Is there any good alternative to these 2?

DeltaEchoXray

Not if you want Android TV. The only alternatives would be Amazon's devices or Apple TV.

Edit Thanks for the downvotes...the OP asked for good alternatives.

wyyldstallyns

Channel master is coming out with a new Android TV box with a built in OTA tuner. check it out

Edit - not sure if your country is the same ATSC tuning that the US uses.

elister

Get the Mi Box and hope you dont get hit with bugs that many find annoying. A USB Hub/Ethernet adapter works fine, usually they cost $15. I think Walmart was selling mibox for $53 recently.

Buh_Snarf

Sadly there is not. There's got to be a market for devices that cost more than the average cheap android (not TV) box of around £30-50 but less than a Nvidia. I got my Nexus player for around £45 a year or two back but that's so long in the tooth now.

I'm sure I'm not alone in not being able to budget in a £200+ device for watching TV but I could easily stomach a £75 one. Ideally all it'd need is a bit more ram and an ethernet port as other than this the Nexus player is fine. Once it's up and running it's all good but multi tasking sucks and my WiFi is rubbish but it's sat right next to an ethernet socket.

koshergoy

Before you do anything, verify your tv supports HDCP 2.2 which is a requirement for getting DRM protected streams to play at max resolution thru AndroidTV devices.

androidal

Try looking at the Minix boxes, I have one and it is really good compared to the ms boxes that were £20-£30 they are around £100 but handle pretty much everything I throw at them for streaming and video playback.

BiggussDikkuss

1080p Netflix only, no Amazon Video, no real Chromecasting, 100M Ethernet only, but faster vs a Mi Box and also running Android TV (7.1.2) out of the box = MECOOL M8S Pro L with a Bluetooth Voice remote:

https://www.reddit.com/r/AndroidTV/comments/8674sx/lontv_reviewsdemos_2_cheap_but_official_android/

And yes these MECOOL devices receive more bug Fixing Firmware updates vs a Mi Box. You would be surprised at the actual number of updates that have been released by the manufacturer Videostrong.

Do NOT buy the Pro W - slow as a slug.

raptor75mlt

if you cannot afford a Shield, get a Chromecast 2/Ultra then. You need a mobile to control it, but some people prefer it that way

JimboLodisC

If you want an Android box, then this is not the right subreddit. We discuss devices that run the official Android TV operating system. It's a platform forked from Android and optimized for the living room, so you use a remote control or gamepad for input and not a touchscreen. (which would make sense for an HDTV, right?)

Right now there's really only 2 devices that are readily available that run the Android TV platform: the $79 Mi Box and the $180+ Shield TV.

There are USB dongles that include an ethernet port. And you can use a hub for more ports. It's not an elegant solution but it's a simple workaround.

The Shield TV has been worth every penny for me, and I don't even run 4K or do gamestreaming.

Travcaat

I just got a mqx pro 4k box off wish for $20. Runs 7.1.2 Android and has 1gb ram. Avg ram use 444mb. Runs everything great except Netflix. Can't seem to get it to scroll down. But it runs Kodi great. Watched jumanji and Thor Ragnarok just great in 1080p. Would recommend for a budget device. Came in 4 days with fast shipping

scooter602

Have you seen this?- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078C6Q5PX/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 My review is the first one. I still have the box and are very happy with it. It does NOT have Bluetooth, not sure if that is a deal-breaker for you.

richkymsierra

Amlogic Q box s905. I have 2 and love them!!! Less than 100.00 usd