XBMC: Midnight Vs Minix Vs Ouya Vs Fire TV VS AN Other

randombar

Hi Guys,

Have two raspberry pi's set up for other TVs but looking for something with a bit more power to handle EPG etc. etc.

So on my list are:

G-Box Midnight MX2

- SoC – Amlogic AML8726-MX Dual Core Cortex A9 CPU + dual core Mali-400 GPU
- System Memory – 1GB DDR3 RAM
- Storage – 8GB Flash + SD card slot (Up to 32GB)
- Video Output – HDMI v1.4, composite (CVBS) and component (YUV)
- Audio Output – HDMI, AV, and SPDIF
- Connectivity – 802.11b/g/n internal Wifi + 10/100 Ethernet Port
- USB – 4x USB 2.0 Ports (1 might be OTG)
- IR sensor
- Power Supply – 5V/2A


MINIX NEO X8-H

- Model: X8/X8-H
- CPU (Processor): Amlogic S802 Quad core Cortex A9r4 2GHz
- GPU (Graphics Processor): Octa-core Mali-450MP 600MHz
- Android OS (Operating System): Android version: 4.4 Kitkat
- RAM (Memory): 2 GB DDR3
- ROM (Flash memory / storage): 8 GB eMMC (X8) /16 GB eMMC (X8-H)
- Expandable Memory / Storage SD / TF card: Up to 32GB
- RJ45 Ethernet Connection: Yes
- WiFi: 802.11 b / g / n
- Bluetooth: Yes
- DLNA (Airplay): Yes
- Ports: 3 x USB, 1 x HDMI, 1 x RJ-45, 1 x AV, 1 x optical out, 1 x DC, i x Mic, 1 x headphone jack
- HDMI Interface: 1.4B upto 4K UHD
- Charger: 5V 3000 Mah
- Includes Remote Control: Yes
- Accessories: Power adapter, remote control, HDMI Cable, User Manual

Ouya

- Tegra 3 — Quad-core processor
- 1 GB LPDDR2 RAM
- 8 GB on-board flash
- HDMI connection to the TV at 1080p HD
- WiFi 802.11bgn
- Bluetooth LE 4.0

Fire TV

- Screen resolution (px) 1920 x 1080 (1080p) 1280 x 720 (720p)
- Density (dp) 320 (1080p) 213 (720p)
- Density Identifier xhdpi (1080p) tvdpi (720p)
- Storage 8GB
- RAM 2GB
- System on Chip (SoC) Platform Qualcomm Snapdragon ARMv7 CPU Qualcomm Quad Core Krait 300, up to 1.7 GHz, 2MB L2 Cache (APQ8064) GPU Qualcomm Adreno 320, 400 MHz
- Networking: WiFi 802.11 b/g/n; 2x2 MIMO (2.4 GHz & 5.0 Ghz dual band)
- Networking: Ethernet 10/100 Base-T
- Bluetooth Bluetooth 4.0
- Device OS Amazon FireOS; Based on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean), API Level 17

Just wondering what peoples experiences are etc.

Can't find a decent comparison online anywhere.

Thanks,
Gary

Remouad

I picked up one of these for my folks.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00CAT7XZY/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It's basically the same as the G-Box Midnight MX2 that you referenced above except it's Linux not android and is specifically for xbmc.

Quite impressed with the performance. Haven't tried live tv on it yet so can't comment on the EPG stuff.
Had no problem connecting to my server over the network, played 1080p content no problem.
Library browsing is good although it was slow to show artwork when I was doing a library update in parallel.
I'm using transparency which is quite resource intensive but it seems to handle it fine.

Allyall

MX2 is great and can be bought delivered (Fast delivery) for ~ €50.
EPG is good on it, smooth and without any problems.
With a decent Rom on the MX2, I can't fault it.
You can put one of many Roms on it, or as mentioned above Linux.

As for the newer Amlogic S802's, The Beelink or the Tronsmart are both great. Less expensive than the minix alternative, and if you are inclined to go for a 'brand' name, then both the Beelink and Tronsmart (For example) are well known and as established as the minix.

There is another I haven't tried, and I want to, Maybe I'll order in the next day or two, it is the same as the MX2, but with a DVB-T/2 receiver built in, and has optical out.

randombar

Thanks for that. Whereabouts can you get the MX2 for 50?

Prices I'm seeing.

MINIX: $150
http://www.geekbuying.com/item/MINIX-NEO-X8-H-Amlogic-S802-H-Quad-Core-2-0Ghz-Android-TV-BOX-2G-16G-Dual-Band-WIFI-2-4G-5-8G-Bluetooth-4-0-XBMC-Dolby-DTS-328163.html

Tronsmart: $120
http://www.geekbuying.com/item/Tronsmart-Vega-S89-Amlogic-S802-2-0GHz-Quad-Core-Android-TV-BOX-2G-16G-Dual-Band-WIFI-2-4G-5G-Bluetooth4-0-XBMC---Black-324676.html

Beelink: $105
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Beelink-M8-android-4-4-amlogic-s802-quad-core-2-0ghz-4k-2K-2GB-16GB-1080P/1832823097.html

An Cigire

Allyall wrote: »

MX2 is great and can be bought delivered (Fast delivery) for ~ €50.
EPG is good on it, smooth and without any problems.
With a decent Rom on the MX2, I can't fault it.
You can put one of many Roms on it, or as mentioned above Linux.

As for the newer Amlogic S802's, The Beelink or the Tronsmart are both great. Less expensive than the minix alternative, and if you are inclined to go for a 'brand' name, then both the Beelink and Tronsmart (For example) are well known and as established as the minix.

There is another I haven't tried, and I want to, Maybe I'll order in the next day or two, it is the same as the MX2, but with a DVB-T/2 receiver built in, and has optical out.

http://youtu.be/f5Q6uhlgpb0

That box looks the business being able to receive freeview so all you would need is a dish?

Allyall

An Cigire wrote: »

YOUTUBE



That box looks the business being able to receive freeview so all you would need is a dish?

A DVB-T/2 Antenna.
I didn't go for it, as there was a previous model, very similar (Different box) that was discontinued, so I wanted to find out why before I bought that.
I had found that above box for €34.. AND NOW CAN'T FIND THE LINK :eek::)

I found out that the other one was discontinued because they decided to follow another direction, I read a lot more into it, and nearly took me full circle.
There are some good alternatives already out there, for a fair bit more cash, but that one seems to be great. It just doesn't seem to be getting a lot of attention.
I will be buying the above one now (No more sidetracking ).

J1nx also had an idea for the previous box and went a different direction, but that is not the company/seller I was looking at.

Although the Germans/Belgians and Dutch seem to be very active on the freeview boxes with Linux or Android, the one I am looking at is Chinese.

EDIT - Maybe it's originally German.. I don't have the links on this PC and fecked if I'm going trawling for it..