Which boxTV is the best with those features?

by Rurikido

I'm currently looking for a new box TV cause I gave my Chromecast away.

I have a few things that I want the box TV to be able to do, which is:

Needs:

-Ethernet cable support (internet on my apartment is 300 mb); -Switch pro controller support; -Able to play xcloud/geforce now (even if I need to do some side loading on browser app); -Easy casting from Oculus Quest 2 to TV; -Compatibility with Alexa;

Plus:

-4k, the tv is old and 1080p; -reasonably cheap, since I can just buy a new smart tv; -Easily able to connect a soundbar or some audio devices;

I'm new in this world and there is so much to look for, any tips or suggestions are gladly welcome!

Edit: formatting on phone sucks

mishaxz

You know I have a mi box s, which is a decent device but it doesn't have IR so I prefer to use Android built into the TV because then I can use my harmony remote.. until it breaks I guess because they aren't making them anymore.

I know that doesn't help, just my thoughts on why smart tvs can be better to some people

pawdog

Fire Cube may come the closest. No idea about Occulous Quest though and if the Switch Pro controller is bluetooth it could work. Etherent is only 100Mbps. Sounds like you really want an Android TV based device but they of course don't support Alexa.

latinriky78

Any of the below list, just ignore the dongles (though you can use some USB with ethernet hubs), I can't speak about the Switch Pro controller support. Alexa is not available in TV boxes but in a very few select televisions with Android TV. You can use the ones with 4K support on 1080p TVs without problem.

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

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

- Directv Stream (More info at http://www.directv.com/stream/technology )

- Tivo Stream 4K (Dolby Vision & Atmos certified. 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/home/accessories/verizon-stream-tv/ )

CERTIFIED ANDROIDTV/GOOGLETV BOXES WITH NETFLIX AND PRIME VIDEO FOR EUROPE ONLY:

- EKO KATV10 More info at http://www.eko-entertainment.com.au/katv10 )

- Homatics Box Q (More info at http://homatics.eu )

- Homatics Dongle Q (More info at http://homatics.eu )

- Nokia Streaming Box 8000 (More info at http://nokia.com/shop/streaming-devices/nokia-streaming-box-8000 ).

- Strong Leap-S1 (More info at http://strong.tv/en/products/ip-tv-receivers/leap-s1 )

- Youin (More info at http://weareyouin.com/en-es/p/you-box )

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

- Chromecast with Google TV (Dolby Vision & Atmos certified. more info at http://tv.google )

- Realme stick with Google TV (AV1 hardware decoding. More info at http://buy.realme.com/in/goods/426 )

- Mecool KD3 stick with Google TV (AV1 hardware decoding. More info at http://mecoolonline.com where you can get a 10% off with the code "mecoolbox" at checkout)

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

- Homatics Box R HD and 4K boxes and dongles (AV1 hardware decoding. 8GB of internal storage. More info at https://www.homatics.com?sca_ref=2766355.i6SwIDJJna )

- Homatic Box R 4K Plus (AV1 hardware decoding. Dolby Vision & Atmos certified. Gigabit ethernet. WiFi 6. 4GB of RAM. 32GB internal storage. More info at https://www.homatics.com?sca_ref=2766355.i6SwIDJJna )

- Mecool KD5 stick (AV1 hardware decoding. 1080p max resolution. More info at http://mecoolonline.com where you can get a 10% off with the code "mecoolbox" at checkout)

- Mecool KM2 Plus (AV1 hardware decoding. S905X4-B SoC for Dolby Digital Plus to Dolby Digital conversion. More info at http://mecoolonline.com where you can get a 10% off with the code "mecoolbox" at checkout)

- Nvidia Shield (The most expensive. Dolby Vision & Atmos certified. Gigabit ethernet. AI upscaling. Suitable for gaming. More info at http://nvidiashield.com )

- SkyStream Max (It's expensive. AV1 hardware decoding. 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. More info at http://skystreamx.com )

- Xiaomi Stick 4K (AV1 hardware decoding. Dolby Vision & Atmos certified. More info at http://www.mi.com/global/product/xiaomi-tv-stick-4k/ )

- Walmart Onn (More info at http://walmart.com )

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 AT http://mecoolonline.com WHERE YOU CAN GET A 10% DISCOUNT WITH THE CODE "MECOOLBOX" AT CHECKOUT:

- Mecool KM6 Classic Edition (AV1 hardware decoding)

- Mecool KM6 Deluxe Edition (AV1 hardware decoding. Gigabit ethernet. WiFi 6. 4GB of RAM)

- Mecool KM7 (AV1 hardware decoding. 2GB/16GB and 4GB/64GB versions)

- Mecool KT1 (AV1 hardware decoding. DVB-T2/S2/C tuner built-in)

- Mecool Now (AV1 hardware decoding. Built-in camera and microphone for videoconferencing)

- Mecool KD2 stick (AV1 hardware decoding)

- Mecool HomePlus KA1 (AV1 hardware decoding. Built-in speaker. DVB-T2/C tuner built-in variant)

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

Spotswould

From a PC game streaming point of view, the Shield is excellent. I can't speak for the others.

I recently bought an Nvidia Shield. I have an OK gaming PC that I never use, as it's not hooked up to my 4K TVs, and I wanted to bring PC gaming to those screens without needing to physically move my PC and connect them to the TVs via HDMI every time I wanted to play. I wanted an easy pick up and play solution and the Shield provides this.

My gaming PC has a GTX180Ti GPU in it, so it can use Nvidia' Gamestream technology. In my set up everything is wired to the LAN. The Shield and the PC both connected over a Gigabit (1000 mbs) network.

The NVidia Shield's streaming App is fine for Steam games. You need to install the GeForce Experience Windows app on your PC. It detects Steam games on the PC and they appear in the Shield Nvidia App fine. Games for Microsoft are detected but they do not appear in the Shield Nvidia App, so you have no way to stream them. But there is a work around (Google it). You can also sideload the Play Store Microsoft GamePass App, but I haven't needed to do that.

This is because I use an App called Moonlight on the Shield instead of the Nvidia one, to stream all my games. It can even access my PC desktop so that I have a usable PC at my disposal (I have a wireless keyboard and mouse hooked up to the Shield). The Moonlight Streamer App from the Google Play Store is better and more configurable than the Nvidia App on the Shield, which is very much geared towards their new GeforceNow streaming service. Fair enough.

Moonlight uses the same Nvidia Gamestream technology that the Nvidia App uses but it works flawlessly with little to no configuration. Because I have Moonlight on my Android phone as well, I can stream to that from the PC. I was sitting in bed last night playing Gears 5 on my phone with an XBox Series X controller last night, over 5G wireless and it worked fine. It also works on my Phillips 4K TV as that is running Android TV too. But back to the Shield....

I have added a custom launcher to the Shield to get rid of the dreadful Google TV Launcher that comes out if the box. Sideloader Launcher 3 from the Google Play store. You can do this by following this guide. https://www.reddit.com/r/AndroidTV/comments/o96tun/how_to_install_a_3rdparty_launcher_as_default_on/

In terms of the Switch. Not sure. But my Xbox Series X and PS5 & PS4 gamepads all connect to the Shield fine with no noticeable lag.

I have a Quest 2 and it casts perfectly to the Android TV I have. I haven't tried the Shield with the Quest yet, but I am pretty confident that it'll work fine. If my old TV works fine then I can't imagine that the Shield will put up a fight.

Anyway, I am personally very happy with my set up. The Shield is small and powerful and for my PC to lounge TV streaming needs it is perfect, albeit expensive, when bought new. Just use the Moonlight app for PC game streaming. You won't look back.

Hope this helps.

Original_Musician982

Avoid formuler z11 pro max

Extension_Garden_889

I recommend to Use a later generation nuc or mini pc with windows 11. Very powerful and fast . you can get Netflix us via web browser at max resolution. You can run any android app via the android subsystem. The sky is the limit to your antutu or geek bench scores. I’m using a 9th gen nuc. It can Handle all 4k 60fps videos with ease and no drop frames. You can avoid YouTube ads by running Vance YouTube. You can run Add ons to block YouTube ads and pop up for chrome browser or Firefox. You can customize everything. The pc will also play all codecs and push all audio formats directly to the receiver. I had so much trouble with android vlc and mx player just to decode ac3 to get a true 5.1 sound. Now Dolby Atmos and true hd audio all plays well. Even with the apk my receiver can decode better now with the subsystem. No more trying to set things up with kodi. No more lags between apps or videos streams through your android apps( android tv boxes tend to over heat after a while and then it makes things lags or just restarts a lot too). It just works faster and smoother since you are mainly using 50% processing power. It only consuming 10-45w of power even on heavy loads and like you running rtx graphics and stuff.
Cons —It’s not that air mouse friendly but you can use a key bind app on your air mouse to “f11” so that you can make your android apps full screen. This is the best setup and it’s pretty much like running a full android os tv box. Vs running android tv where you have to click through your apps individually vs just air mouse right to the apps you want. Or just use the full size wireless keyboard and mouse -You will loose the automatic upscale from nvidia shield which is the best. Also, the pc would also not trigger the auto upscale on your tv. So if you have a 75” and above tv you will notice a difference in clarity from 720p-1080p. And 4k. I can’t tell any difference if it’s 3k videos to 4k vids though

Another option is just run Samsung dex. You can find a cheap broken screen Samsung smart phone with dex and run it as your android tv. Much faster then the shield. But you are limited to 1080p.

Rurikido

Little update: found an used Shield Pro 2019 p2897 really cheap, thinking about getting it since it seems like a good choice.

In my country a new one is about 400$ and this one will be a little over 100$.

Any tips? Is it something that I can buy second hand?

Update: added model of the shield pro

forcedmarcel

Nvidia shield tv pro

Rurikido

Update: got the shield pro 2019 used, the guy did a good discount and free shipping, just need to know if the it's in good state, any tests that I may do are gladly welcome