Hi.
If you were to purchase a new Android TV box that has good 4K HDR and Dolby Audio support, what would you go for?
I’ve done some investigation via Google and Amazon and there are so many boxes out there I’m a bit confused on what to go for. When I purchased my current box (T95 Max, ARM v8, Mali-T720) I didn’t have a 4K TV or an AV receiver so I just bought the first box I found on Amazon.
I plan to use it for Kodi and if possible, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video.
Thanks.
Chromecast with Google TV
invidia shield all the way if you have the pocket change for it. but it might be a bit overkill to just watch movies on.
firestick or xiaomi mi box s if you are on a budget (some say they experience flickering with the xiaomi mi box s and "low frame rates" i use mine since years and never experienced any issues)
PS: if you like Kodi, check out "cinema hd" its just so much easier to handle and the loading times are at least 10x as fast as on kodi (not movie loading but app reaction and loading times) kodi always bothered me for that exact reason. takes ages to get through the menu and load up movie links.
this might be common knowledge by now: but what ever you use,kodi or cinema hd (or other movie apps) you might also want to look into getting a "real debrid" subscription. costs like 18 dollars for 6 months and you just get better quality links that load faster
You realistically have two options:
The Shield is the premium option that supports (almost) everything and plays everything smoothly. I use it for Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos and HDR10 content on Plex without issues. You can even host your own Plex Media Server on device if you are into that. The only issue is a little bit of red push with Dolby Vision content, but I don't really care about it.
I recently bought the Fire Stick 4K Max and was really surprised by its performance. It's a bit whacky when you have a non-HDR tv, because it tonemaps everything, although incorrectly. Maybe it's better with an HDR enabled tv, but I haven't tested that.
Avoid the Shield Tube (non pro) model. It is horrendous. Chromecast with Google TV is also a nice option if you're into that.
2019 shield pro supports, hdr, dolby vision and atmos
Nvidia Shield Pro is the premier Kodi device period. Like not even in the Android TV space, just period.
Love my Shield Pros
Fire Stick 4K Max
Stop calling them "boxes" if you're looking for legit Android TV and not some shitty Chinese AOSP monstrosity.
Fire stick 4K or Fire Cube is all you really need for just streaming tv/movies
I would buy Android TV with these parameters.
Been using Kodi for almost 13 years. Removed all streaming apps on Android tv a few months ago, that releases a few hundred megabytes of ram. Currently I have the following content (indexed on a shared MySQL db):
Most add-ons will allow you to access every video/audio that is available for your device (it depends on licences, codecs, hardware support).
A few problems you will find:
Kodi addons are slow on arm devices, you won't get a big difference on performance on any ATV device. Usually thirty party Kodi addon devs don't optimize for this platform (programmed a few add-ons and it is a pain).
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 http://att.com/tv/device-features )
- Tivo Stream 4K (More info at http://tivo.com/products/stream-4k )
- T-Mobile TVision HUB (More info at http://t-mobile.com/tvision/services/hub )
- Verizon Stream TV (AV1 hardware decoding. More info at http://verizon.com/products/verizon-stream-tv-gen-2 )
CERTIFIED ANDROIDTV/GOOGLETV BOXES WITH NETFLIX AND PRIME VIDEO FOR THE US, EUROPE AND THE REST OF THE WORLD:
- Chromecast with Google TV (more info at http://tv.google )
- Dynalink TV dongle (More info at http://dynalink.life )
- Homatics Box Q (More info at http://homatics.eu/products/homatics-box-q )
- Homatics Dongle Q (More info at http://homatics.eu/products/homatics-dongle-q )
-Mecool KD3 Google TV stick (More info at http://mecoolonline.com where you can get a 10% off with the code "mecoolbox" at checkout)
- Mecool KM2 (More info at http://mecoolonline.com where you can get a 10% off with the code "mecoolbox" at checkout)
- Nvidia Shield TV (The most expensive but powerful, recommended for gaming. More info at http://shield.nvidia.com )
- Walmart Onn (More info at http://walmart.com )
CERTIFIED ANDROID TV BOXES WITH NETFLIX AND PRIME VIDEO CERTIFICATIONS THAT USE THE NOW OLD AMLOGIC S905X SoC:
- Xiaomi Mi Box S (More info at http://mi.com/global/mi-box-s )
- Ematic Jetstream (More info at http://androidtv-guide.com/streaming-gaming/ematic-jetstream-tv-box )
CERTIFIED ANDROIDTV/GOOGLETV BOXES WITH ONLY PRIME VIDEO FOR THE US, EUROPE AND THE REST OF THE WORLD:
- Formuler GTV (Gigabit ethernet. Exclusive MYTVOnline2 app for IPTV. More info at http://formuler.tv/gtv )
WARNING!, ALTHOUGH MECOOL IS THE BEST OEM WHEN IT COMES TO RELEASING NEW DEVICES EVERY YEAR, THEY ARE THE WORST WHEN IT COMES TO RELEASING FIRMWARE UPDATES TO FIX BUGS AND ISSUES, IF YOU DON'T MIND ABOUT THAT, YOU CAN GET ANY OF THE FOLLOWING MODELS:
- Mecool KM6 Classic Edition (AV1 hardware decoding. More info at http://mecoolonline.com where you can get a 10% off with the code "mecoolbox" at checkout)
- Mecool KM6 Deluxe Edition (AV1 hardware decoding. Gigabit ethernet. WiFi 6. 4GB of RAM. More info at http://mecoolonline.com where you can get a 10% off with the code "mecoolbox" at checkout)
- Mecool KM7 (AV1 hardware decoding. 2GB/16GB and 4GB/64GB versions. More info at http://mecoolonline.com where you can get a 10% off with the code "mecoolbox" at checkout)
- Mecool KT1 (AV1 hardware decoding. DVB-T2/S2/C tuner built-in. More info at http://mecoolonline.com where you can get a 10% 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 http://mecoolonline.com where you can get a 10% off with the code "mecoolbox" at checkout)
- Mecool KD2 TV Stick (AV1 hardware decoding. More info at http://mecoolonline.com where you can get a 10% off with the code "mecoolbox" at checkout)
For more info about all certified Android TV devices, head over to www.androidtv-guide.com website.
I used to have a Shield TV but it stopped working right after the warranty expired (like 13th month or so). Now I have a KM7 by MeCool, much cheaper and it does everything I need (what you mentioned in your post). However, reviews said the KM7 is not as good as other offerings from the same manufacturer.
The Formuler GTV is an excellent box, with Google TV.
Too bad Google TV (the movie platform) doesn't support Dolby Atmos lol
Thank you all for your comments.
I have looked at the Nvidia Shield Pro but it seems overkill if I only use it as a media player. However, the kids have just started getting into video games so If anybody is using it to play games (not via streaming from a PC) then I would be interested to know what it’s like.
I’ll also check out your other recommendations.
I have 2 t95q android boxes for 3 years which stream flawlessly HDR, DOLBY VISION
Chromecast ultra 4k hdr, no better vendor than google
Edit: I have the dumb
Nvidia shield tv pro