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2019 Budget android TV box from China
Hello
I am looking to buy android box for my dumb tv
Here are the three i have filtered according to my personal wisdom
1.
PKR 3,907.73 38%OFF | TX6 Android 9.0 Android TV box 4GB 64GB Allwinner H6 Quad Core Wifi HDR 4K Tanix 4GB 32GB media player TX6mini 2G 16G
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/bEzgdSFO
2.
PKR 4,405.69 31%OFF | S96 MAX Android 9.0 TV BOX 4GB RAM 32GB Smart Media Player RK3318 Quad Core 4k HDR Set Top Box USB 3.0 BT 5G WIFI PK X96
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/6UR6m8C
3.
PKR 5,631.20 49%OFF | Android 9.0 Smart TV Box A95X F2 4GB 64GB Amlogic S905X2 Support Dual Wifi 1080p 4K 60fps Google Player Netflix Youtube Media
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/cWV3sKWM
The issue is that native 4k playback is smooth but issues occurs when using Netflix
Video reviews suggest that Netflix SD is only available on these which really makes them no-no
Anybody have bought these Chinese boxes?
Netflix HD or UHD working on any another?
Thanx in advance
Edit 1 : max budget 60 USD
Comments
Does any of those boxes run on a Rockchip CPU ? Heating issues are very common with them, some stories claim they melted.
Get a shield. It is far more superior than any other box out there.
Yea one of them has...but YouTube reviewers claim they dont heat
It takes a lot of heat to melt a rock.
And also expensive
The after sales service is zero on all of them right ? So, why not consider Xiaomi's Mi Box S?
The mi box s can play 4k Netflix, is Google certified, and has a 4k chromecast function built in.
(No personal experience with this box)
You get what you pay for, sir :-)
Only consider certified devices - FireTV Stick 4K, Mi Box S, Shield TV
I have an Nvidia shield and beats all the others I've had
IMO this boxes are fun to experiment with, but as actual practical device...
Most (if not all) of them overheat under load without some modifications.
Some of them have really bad os/software preinstalled, non-working google market is common, chinese by default is common etc.
Some have weird HW configurations, like DDR3 instead of LPDDR3 (which is not really that important in case of using preinstalled OS, but causes all sorts of issues when attempting to install something different).
Also fun fact - they often have more ram soldered than SOC can use, first link in the OP is good example.
I ordered a bunch of different ones because they are incredibly cheap for HW they contain, for experiments unrelated with actually using preinstalled android. And from what i've seen IMO for any practical task (watching netflix?) it is better to buy something that is known to work, like already mentioned mii box s.
I wouldn't recommend any of these obscure boxes because netflix might not even run on them.
Well i guess I am not going to purchase mi box s ...as it provides little value for money
Other boxes really gives it a beating
Currently looking at boxes with
SoC S905X2
Ram 4Gb
Storage 64/128GB
nVida Shield would be perfect 2019 power user's player if not one fundamental flaw - it does not support HDR -> SDR color conversion
it means, that if you have old SDR (no support for HDR) TV/projector, than playing HDR content (i.e. mkv files in Kodi) on Shield will get you washed out colors (everything to bright, lack of contrast)
unfortunately, most of new 4K content these days is HDR... so better option is Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K which was on sale for $27
I Have Xiaomi tv box 🤙🤙 been good and all working fine.
Every time I buy a Chinese brand Android TV box something goes wrong. The worst two were the box that immediately melted and the one with the remote that smelt of burning every time you put the batteries in.
The issue with these android TV boxes is that they're running essentially "mobile" Android with no certification, they are bundled with a skin/launcher on-top of them to make them easy to use on TV with the included remote. It's something like having a different launcher on your mobile. These do not usually include Widewine L1 (DRM) support which a lot of media streaming apps require for HD playback.
Very few generally available TV boxes run actual Android TV, such as the Mi Box, Mi Box S and a few other, these are certified boxes with Widewine L1 (DRM) support which is what's needed for Netflix/PrimeVideo HD playback.
Can try this app to list the available DRM, https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.androidfung.drminfo -- If it says Widevine Security Level 1, the device should be able to play Netflix in HD -- but then again, sometimes Netflix has to "whitelist" the device as well etc
How you judge "value for money" though?
Pure GB/GHZ/cores, or actual tasks that device can perform?
Because those GB/GHZ/cores have absolutely nothing to do with being able to use it as "TV box", all video decoding is HW-assisted anyway. Well, there are games if you want that, extra performance might help here, if you will be able to install games at all with preinstalled android that is.
Yes, this boxes have incredible value in terms of HW/price, they are fun to play with if you want to install linux, to fiddle with HW/SW in some way (like playing around with uboot on unsupported memory configurations this boxes tend to have), etc. Basically as cheap alternative to SBC-s without any manufacturer support. But as actual practical device... TBH i would not buy one. Something officially supported/certified, even with much less GB/GHZ/cores seems much more practical because it is guaranteed to work (not specifically mii box s, there are multiple such devices).
You sure can try to choose something based on reviews (keep in mind - there are a lot of stupid reviews, like i've seen fake videocards, 1080 for $100 and such, with 95+% positive reviews because "plugged in and it works"), but then if you fail and it will not be able to do what you want/need you will ultimately waste more money.
how about this? short test with netflix, it might be true about no HD:
I have 3 Rokus and I'm very happy with them.
The google certified Mi Box (not the local chinese one) is your best bet
shield is best with high pirce
None of this will get you Netflix HD OR UHD. In fact with the latest Netflix app update you probably can't play anything. These Chinese TV boxes even struggle playing x265 10bit. If you have 4k x265 bluray,you can forget playing it unless you modify the TV box fan.
Nvidia shield is the best. I own two shield and I'm so glad I gave away all my Chinese TV boxes
The only way to make the most out of the Chinese boxes is if you flash openelec/libreelec on them.
No Netflix or any other apk will work, but whatever you spin through Kodi will have a lot more horsepower to work with, compared to when running a non-optimized
crippled Android version on them.
So pick your poison - (fairly) expensive Shield or cheap non-flix compatible Chinese box.
Could you tell me the exact models to avoid un future if I decide to purchase Chinese boxes?
Could you tell me the exact models you bought and which of them was better all around so in future if I decide to purchase Chinese boxes i might go that way
I guess i would go the non flix experience...
I will buy shield when it is easily available in Pakistan
Currently i am struggling just to find a retailer that sells Nvidia let alone the price issues
I guess time to ask YouTubers how is the 10 bit and HDR Support event though my TV doesn't supports both
You could try using your phone as a TV box with one of those screen mirroring devices.
Need some thing to stay 24/7 with TV
Besides my phone is mi note 4x which doesn't has widevine L1 for Netflix so I guess i am screwed both ways...
I don't know where you are but most old phones with android l1 widevine is sold very cheap second hand. You can get Sony Xperia z3 compact for mere $30. It's got l1 so you get netflix 1080p at least, and you can throw it wireless to your TV