Clueless about buying something Smart. Captain please help.

by epicincognito

Hi there,

I am thinking of getting a smart stick or box for my dumb tv for my rented apartment. So here I will tell you in detail my conundrum and why I think only Reddit can help me:

I am an expat so I keep moving and wish to use the device everywhere.
I have Amazon Prime Subscription and wish to use Netflix too.
I want to sideload apps and run Plex too.
I want a way to watch stuff from My Passport HDD.
Prefer a way to have more storage than 8GB.
Do not want too many features but want stability and speed.
Casting is not much of a preference but seamless 1080 is. No 4K TV.
Shield = No, budget limitations and size.
Want something that can stand the test of time, atleast an year or two.
Prefer something like Android TV interface or Fire UI which is close to stock.
50Mbps connection at home.
Do not prefer many updates but stability.

This is it. Should I wait? Is there any chance of a better device coming soon?

Suggestions would be helpful.

Thanks. P.S I want the international version.

indianacpl

I hate to say it, even though you say no. But the Shield is the one that’s going to give you pretty much everything you are asking for.

JimboLodisC

Shield TV literally ticks every box. Just buy it.

ycnz

"Here is a list of my requirements. Also, I don't want the only device that meets my requirements."

Uhh... Okay then.

Ausernameneeded

With the exception of Prime, Mi Box is your best option, imo. Some people state they have problems, but I haven't ran into them. Some annoyances for me, but mostly because of the OS, which is Google.

Hopefully Amazon will put Prime on all AndroidTVs, but right now it appears to be a paid exclusivity.

Check out Amazon Fire Box too, that might also be a good fit.

Roku, I personally hated. I never used AppleTV, and never needed a Shield (Don't play Android games or stream PC games).

BiggussDikkuss

Speed = NVIDIA Shield (you get what you pay for)

Instability = Xiaomi Mi Box running Oreo Firmware.

Stability = Amazon Fire TV, because their FireOS Firmware has been out in the wild longer and because Amazon gets better Apps support vs Android TV (excluding YouTube). This is all due to media player market share.

Only the Shield and Amazon Hardware will give you reliable Prime Video due to the App being officially supported on those platforms.

WeDriftEternal

Roku Ultra is the only box I can see that can meet nearly all of your needs. Can't sideload like an android TV (but its a roku so im not sure you'd need to), but everything else, yes. US$100.

The nasty ones in your list are sideload, storage and USB-HDD connectivity, that only (some) boxes will do this, and sticks won't do storage or usb.

You're kinda asking for a one-device solution to everything, and there really isn't a "good" solution out there for that yet as the each box/stick has its own benefits and drawbacks.