Considering switching from a MAC MINI to AndroidTV. Help?

by codisgod73

For the last 10 years I've using a MAC MINI as my entertainment system and I am considering replacing it with AndroidTV or a generic Android box. I primarily use my MINI to download, share, and stream content (mostly torrent) from an external NAS through KODI (securely with NordVPN). I'm also starting to dabble with IPTV providers.

I understand an Android box will allow me to setup IPTV or use streaming apps like Netflix or Youtube etc - but how much flexibility do they provide? For example, can I easily map an external NAS to an Android box and access my stored content? Can I torrent (dl and seed) from an Android box? Can I use VPN?

How much power do I really need? NVIDIA seems to be the recommended solution but I need something a little cheaper. I was considering a Mi Box S but am concerned about the 2 GB RAM - for this reason I was also considering the Beelink GT King for the extra RAM but it's not official AndroidTV.

I'd appreciate any guidance to give me the confidence to move forward!

neonokor

I use a nas with plex on my Android box , it's awesome

tarv_us

You can access files on the same network. Popular media apps like KODI and PLEX will access the network directly. Plex requires a "media server" app to run for the Plex APP to access media. The ShiledTV will run Plex Media Server in the background, otherwise you'll need to run that on a computer elsewhere, like on your NAS.

There are plenty VPN providers that provide VPN apps on AndroidTV, so yes. NordVPN has a client.

I'm sure there are torrent apps, but I have no experience running torrents on AndroidTV. If you are able, run the torrents elsewhere, like on your NAS, and use a "remote control" app to control the torrents from AndroidTV if you must. Sounds like you may already be using KODI to control your torrent software, so this should work the same if the torrent software is running on another system.

My suggested setup; Have a dedicated system running NAS, Torrents, Plex Media Server. Then use AndroidTV to stream. RAM on the AndroidTV won't be a concern if you move the background running tasks elsewhere. Anyway, that's my suggestion, I guess it depends on your usage requirements.

sivartk

I was considering a Mi Box S but am concerned about the 2 GB RAM - for this reason I was also considering the Beelink GT King for the extra RAM but it's not official AndroidTV.

When I first had my Mi Box S (I also have an nVidia Shield) it seemed to become laggy after a few hours, I went into developer mode and set the maximum background applications to 2 and it has been great since then. As far as response time navigating apps, the menu UI, etc, I can tell very little difference between the Mi Box S and the Shield.

Dricus1978

If you want power then forget about Android TV. If you want power and Android then rather choose a powerful android box.

wkD-

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