Choosing a decent box

by Melllows

I never had a smart tv box, and I thought it's about time to get one.

Until to this day, I manily used my PS3 to stream movies via UMS to my TV, and my laptop connected with HDMI cable to the TV to view netflix and youtube.

I'm looking for a box that will:

  1. Be able to stream movies through media server on my PC
  2. Run netflix and youtube
  3. Be able to use wired ethernet cable.
  4. High quality performance (no lagging issues, strong enough to run 4k movies etc).

I researched through the entire web for a box to suit my needs and ended up very confused because it looks like every box has poor hardware, buggy OS, crashing apps, etc..

My thoughts so far:

  1. NVIDIA Shield (2019) - Looks like having the best performance, but I noticed it has only 2GB ram and 8GB storage (only 4.5 usable), isn't it too low for its cost? [Cost 200$]
  2. Xiaomi Mi Box S - Sounds pretty ok but very buggy, performance is not like nvidia shield, however does its work. also have 2gb ram and 8gb storage. wired adapter can be used [Cost 90$]
  3. Google chromecast with Google TV - Sounds like the xiaomi, but less buggy. wired adapter can be used like the xiaomi [100$]
  4. Roku Ultra - Sounds better than xiaomi and google chromecast even though it has the same specs, but currently is unavailable in my country.
  5. Transpeed x88 (Chinese) - Amazon sells it and it's also being sold by Aliexpress. It has many models with different specs. e.g. 4gb ram and 32gb storage. It sounds pretty cool but I watched a YT review on this one, and its temps go like 100 while watching videos, quite risky.

IMO the best candidate is the NVIDIA Shield. the Pro version costs 70$ more, but not sure if the upgrade worths the extra cost?

If you have a suggestion for one of these models, or a better model to suggest, please do. Thanks!

gabstance

Nvidia Shield Pro is 100% worth the extra money compared to the tube model. I wouldn't mess with ethernet adapters either, because they usually cap out at 100 Mbps and overall performance can be hit or miss compared to a device with a native ethernet port. Keep in mind too that you cant rely on social media posts. People will report problems, but almost nobody posts just to let everyone know they have no problems. Most Shield owners have had a great experience, problem free, including yours truly.

Elf-Lord

Get a Shield TV Pro, or get the Google Chromecast with Google TV, and buy a ethernet adapter, my Mi-Box 3, is still keeping the Wife happy, but I feel the SOC, is getting a bit long in the tooth.

latinriky78

CERTIFIED ANDROIDTV/GOOGLETV BOXES WITH NETFLIX AND PRIME VIDEO FOR THE UNITED STATES ONLY:

- AirTV Mini (More info at airtv.net/products )

- AT&T TV (More info at att.com/tv/device-features )

- Tivo Stream 4K (More info at www.tivo.com/products/stream-4k )

- T-Mobile TVision HUB (More info at t-mobile.com/tvision/services/hub )

- Verizon Stream TV (AV1 hardware decoding. More info at verizon.com/products/verizon-stream-tv-gen-2 )

CERTIFIED ANDROIDTV/GOOGLETV BOXES WITH NETFLIX AND PRIME VIDEO FOR THE UNITED STATES, EUROPE AND THE REST OF THE WORLD:

- Chromecast with Google TV (more info at tv.google )

- Dynalink TV dongle (More info at dynalink.life )

- JBL Link Bar (More info at jbl.com/refurbished-home-speakers/JBL+LINK+BAR-.html )

- Mecool KM2 (Available for pre-order at mecoolonline.com where you can get a 15% off with the code "mecoolbox" at checkout)

- Nokia Streaming Box 8000 (Only for Europe. More info at nokia.com/shop/streaming-devices/nokia-streaming-box-8000

- Nvidia Shield TV (More info at shield.nvidia.com )

- Xiaomi Mi TV Stick (1GB of RAM and up to 1080p only. More info at mi.com/global/mi-tv-stick )

CERTIFIED ANDROIDTV/GOOGLETV BOXES WITH ONLY PRIME VIDEO FOR THE UNITED STATES, EUROPE AND THE REST OF THE WORLD:

- Formuler GTV (Gigabit ethernet. More info at formuler.tv/gtv )

- Mecool KM6 Classic Edition (AV1 hardware decoding. More info at mecoolonline.com where you can get a 15% off with the code "mecoolbox" at checkout)

- Mecool KM6 Deluxe Edition (AV1 hardware decoding. Gigabit ethernet. WiFi 6. 4GB of RAM. More info at mecoolonline.com where you can get a 15% off with the code "mecoolbox" at checkout)

- Mecool KD1 TV Stick (More info at mecoolonline.com where you can get a 15% off with the code "mecoolbox" at checkout)

- Mecool Now (An Android TV device with a built-in camera and microphone, suitable for videoconferencing. More info at mecoolonline.com where you can get a 15% off with the code "mecoolbox" at checkout)

For more info about all certified Android TV devices, head over to www.androidtv-guide.com website.

TheOracle722

I bought a Mecool KM69 (I think) and it's superb. I hear the new ones are Netflix certified now but mine isn't. However I have all the apps installed that run all the series and movies I want.

My friend has an Nvidia and it's truly awesome. But..... there are some software quirks on it that don't make it quite as flexible as my Mecool. Price was a factor in my decision though, $65 vs $200. The Mecool is 4gb 32gb but don't focus on the storage because you can always slot in an sd card or usb stick. If you've got the cash buy the Nvidia otherwise buy the Mecool. Either way buy Google certified.