Yet again: MiBox S or Nvidia Shield?

by AbGedreht

I own a Sony KD 49X8005C with Android TV, but the interface is quite laggy and the connectivity over WiFi a pain in the arse. The plex app often loses connection mid-play and most of the time it only establish either after a reboot or after like 2-3 minutes. Unfortunately, it's not possible for me to use an ethernet cable.

That said I am now considering upgrading to either a Mi Box S or Nvidia Shield TV for better and stable connectivity. I am not seeking for performance, because I just use apps like Plex, Netflix, Spotify, and IPTV.

Will the Mi Box S be enough? How's the WiFi at the Mi Box? Compared to the built-in Android system from my Sony it must be easily faster and more stable. Further, I am still stuck at Android 7.

skookumasfrig

Shield. The Mi Box is OK, but if you want an upgrade, get an upgrade. You won't regret it.

mrpickem1

MiBox will satisfy most and is available now at Wally for $39 Helluva price!

beachsunflower

I am someone who was previously a mi box owner changed to nvidia shield.

A lot of the problems for me was that I bought the mi box thinking "oh its just for tv/videos, I don't need anything more" to justify not shelling out for the nvidia shield.

I moved recently and decided it would be a good opportunity to upgrade regardless.

The nvdia shield is a world of difference. There is absolutely no comparison how much stronger, seamless, faster everything operates on a daily basis. With the mi box I would struggle turning it on some times after a while, waiting a while to come back from sleep. Even the remote control quality degraded over time. It was great for a couple months - did its job but didn't do it well.

The nvdia shield has changed my entire perspective on android entertainment in general. I no longer use it just for TV (iptv/YouTube/Netflix, etc.)but I also stream games from steam and from the free games library that nvidia provides. It's effectively replaced any console I was thinking about getting because I'm able to play most of my controller supported steam library on the TV with moonlight game streaming app. I could also just straight use my TV as a desktop as well streaming from the pc.

The nvidia shield is 100% worth every dollar and I would highly recommend it over the mi box.

xdozex

I have both, Shield in the living room and then a Mi Box in the bedroom. If you're just using it for some basic video streaming apps, the Mi Box is more than enough. Using both, the difference between the two is noticeable, but like you I just watch some TV/Movies upstairs, and never once felt like I should have got a second Shield.

IzxStoXSoiEVcXlpvWyt

The Mi Box is OK. Not without a few problems, given the chance I would get a Shield instead.

BlackSER

Just search Reddit for this question. Tons and tons of opnions on this same question is asked all the time. You have your shield fanboys and you have your MiBox fanboys.

hkrob

Pass through doesn't work properly on mibox

tomhusband

I have a KD-49XG9005 hard wired to a cheap Plusnet 2704N ADSL router and and it's so frustrating to continually not connect to Netflix, Plex and iPlayer. It takes a reboot or several attempts. Why would an MiBox S or, for that matter, Nvidia Shield with Android TV work any better than the Bravia with Android TV?

iptonic3d

Get a shield the only people who say its expensive are the ones who dont have one. Awsome device.

BiggussDikkuss

Rule one, if the house is a WiFi only setup get a good AC WiFi MIMO router that has multiple Antennas.

Do not use 2.4GHz only WiFi or you will be asking for lots of trouble.

Then get a media player with the best AC MIMO WiFi support you can find. And for that the newer AC WiFi MIMO equipped Fire TV Stick 4K is a real beauty.

High Bitrate 4K HDR Blu-ray Rips home network streaming really needs Gigabit Ethernet for ultimate reliability.

The Nvidia Shield has Gigabit Ethernet included.

Virtually all other Android media players and ALL Smart TV's do not and this is where the wheels fall off for home network streaming high bitrate 4K stuff.