Whats the next best thing to firestick?

by Slapdash88

Doom is coming for the Amazon firestick. I think it's a matter of time until they won't allow and kick off all the 3rd party unapproved apps. installed on their hardware. Like KODI etc. What is the next best alternative? I have read some posts that say just go buy an android box but they are not all the same.. I have read some really poor reviews. One guy tried 4 boxes until he found one he liked and worked properly. Nvidia shield looks like a winner but they are geared towards gamers. Maybe? I would prefer a set top box only. Suggestions?

Rustyjay13

Nvidia shield is the best box I own and I've owned a few. You won't regret spending the extra cash on it if your serious about streaming.

rudolfsmate

Go for the shield but stop talking shit about Kodi being banned/blocked. Kodi isn’t illegal and it’s uninformed people spreading crap.

I know I’ll get downvoted to hell but cmon ffs. In the early days the “it’s getting banned” posts were everywhere. With every OS update it was people saying this is it but it never ever happened.

Get another device because you want a different/better device but not because you think “doom” is coming!

daamstaar

Just get the shield, pure and simple.

paintmekev

There are only 3 certified Android TV boxes. Shield, Mibox, Jetstream. The Shield does everything and can handle anything you throw at it.

indianacpl

Nvidia Shield, buy once and be done.

JimboLodisC

Android TV isn't the next best thing, it's the best thing. Amazon's locked down Fire OS devices aren't better than Android TV, Roku, or Apple TV. Firesticks are sluggish trash. The "next best thing" would be some Chinese junkbox.

PalebloodSky

Fire TV Stick is terrible. The best streaming device on the market bar none is the NVIDIA Shield TV. If you want something cheaper and a bit slower and not as well supported go with the Mi Box S is still works fine. Btw Kodi runs great on both of those options and is on the app store.

pappcam

r/shitpost

elister

If you just need a 1080p Kodi box, then the Mibox should work fine.

Having owned original FireTV, Raspberry Pi2, Nexus Player, MiBox and nVidia Shield, naturally the shield is the fastest option, but only because I have a HDHomerun Prime and need a fast decoder for that.

SIRsleeper

Shield for sure! I have two other boxes just for streaming and the shield blows them away in consistent performance. Also a bonus having the TV OS as it's way easier to navigate with a tv remote.

They're not just for gamers, I had that stigma too before buying mine and don't regret it at all! I find the gaming aspect a welcome bonus. It's excellent as a retro gaming console

RustyPainter

I have 2 MiBoxes and a Shield. Yes, the Shield is a better box. But, the MiBoxes do everything I really need. If I did it over again, I would buy another Mibox instead of the Shield.

BiggussDikkuss

BS rumours all this "impending Doom" business about Kodi.

It works fine on the Fire TV Stick 4K - which if you can stand the Amazon main screen interface has improvements vs various Android TV devices on the market like:

  • Properly implemented Dolby Audio support (this is frankly hopeless on ALL Android TV media players)
  • DolbyVison & HLG
  • 4K HDR YouTube
  • Dolby Atmos audio when using Prime & Netflix.
  • auto Frame Rate Matching when using Plex, Kodi & Prime Video
  • better availability of Android Apps, especially outside the North America

Ultimately it depends on what you want to use any media player for.

But cheap Android TV media players get no where near matching the features the latest Fire TV Stick 4K has. Nor do they have the raw Chipset CPU/GPU power.

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You really need to buy a Shield for proper Android TV support.