European looking for an Android TV box

by _saks_

Hi everyone,

I live in Portugal and I've been reading for maybe 2 weeks about boxes. I was going to buy the Mibox when I found out how outdated it is at the moment. So I wanted some advice but I also have several questions.

First of all, I want a box that besides allowing me to sideload apps (the latest Chromecast apparently doesn't allow so), also allows me to browse the internet with no ads so I can stream shows on a website. This website has ads and so far on my computer I can only block them with a- Chrome with Ublock or b- (best option) with Brave. I wish I could use Brave on android tv...

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Second detail. Unfortunately I can't afford the Shield so after some reading I'm inclined to buy Youin. So I wonder if I can sideload a good browser that blocks ads and allows me to stream from a site.

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Also I want to know if I'll have to buy a new remote with an airmouse to do this browsing (does it depend on the browser? I'm not buying Puffin...) and if so what would you recommend me.

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Sorry for so many questions but there's a lot of info on the internet but not a lot of it seems to be precise.

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Thanks!

johnvonbieten

The latest Chromecast does allow sideloading.

Electriccheeze

The latest Chromecast absolutely does allow you to sideload, I have sideloaded several APKs myself. The challenge is getting the APKs onto the device.

You can use one of the file manager utilities like File Commander to access a cloud storage account and pick the APK up that way. Google Drive doesn't work any more (at least for me) but they support others like dropbox and onedrive as well.

513

OP, if you don’t want Dolby Vision or Atmos, and want Ethernet and USB, then the Youin is a good option.

_marcoos

If Chromecast and the Shield are out of the question for you, consider the Nokia Streaming Box 8000 or Strong Leap S1 (also sold as "MeCool KM2").

FWIW, the Chromecast supports sideloading.

aspacelessastronaut

I would grab one from MeCool. They have a lot of good options with great performance. They use an official AndroidTV ROM supported by Google, as well. Realme released a Google TV stick recently that is also a good choice.

trlef19

I don't think that the latest Chromecast doesn't allow sideloading. You can also check mi box 3 or maybe firestick 4k