Android box to rival shield

How Soon Is Now

I was strongly considering buying the nvidia shield but just can't justify paying the price when already have few gaming consoles and a pc.

I'm looking for something with similar specs and capabilities without gaming options and obviously lower price.

What are the options?

dubrov

Look up "Mi box" as it also runs Android TV.
It is basically the Shield without a high end graphics card.

sbsquarepants

Make sure you get the international version - I half arsed ordering one and ended up with a Chinese paperweight!

I've since replaced it with the proper one and have found it brilliant (all I use it for is streaming telly though, so I'm not sure of it's capabilities beyond that)

How Soon Is Now

dubrov wrote: »

Look up "Mi box" as it also runs Android TV.
It is basically the Shield without a high end graphics card.

Brother and me da bought ones for round hundred euro year or two ago. I always found them very basic and laggy. Kodi constantly crashing etc.

Have they gotten better?

bloodless_coup

For official Android TV (and not crappy "android tv boxes"), an international Mi Box is currently the only alternative to the shield.

I think Google are coming out with a new box soon. They released developer versions recently. Also I saw another company are releasing an Android TV box but can't find anything in a Google search with all the noise you get.

The Mi Box is getting the Oero update which apparently will run better on less powerful devices like the Mi Box or TVs with weak processors.

UsedToWait

sbsquarepants wrote: »

Make sure you get the international version - I half arsed ordering one and ended up with a Chinese paperweight!

I've since replaced it with the proper one and have found it brilliant (all I use it for is streaming telly though, so I'm not sure of it's capabilities beyond that)

Was there not a version of the international ROM you could have flashed, or is the bootloader locked / different hardware or something?

listermint

How Soon Is Now wrote: »

Brother and me da bought ones for round hundred euro year or two ago. I always found them very basic and laggy. Kodi constantly crashing etc.

Have they gotten better?

You didnt buy an Android TV Box, you bought a crap piece of hardware that had and android rom installed.

The Mi has proper Android TV installed with updates. Its a properly supported Unit

(I have the Nvidea but i have recommended the Mi to family and they love it)]

Your perception would easily be tarnished by the pretender boxes out there.

How Soon Is Now

listermint wrote: »

You didnt buy an Android TV Box, you bought a crap piece of hardware that had and android rom installed.

The Mi has proper Android TV installed with updates. Its a properly supported Unit

(I have the Nvidea but i have recommended the Mi to family and they love it)]

Your perception would easily be tarnished by the pretender boxes out there.

Ya actually now I look into it was the mx boxs they had! I have a look at the mi boxs now! Any in particular recommended?

sbsquarepants

UsedToWait wrote: »

Was there not a version of the international ROM you could have flashed, or is the bootloader locked / different hardware or something?

As far as I know the hardware is different, it's built purely for the Chinese market. There was a way (not particularly handy either if I recall correctly) of changing the language to English, but you've still only got a heavily redacted shadow of the international one.

Any advice I sought always tended towards "bin it and buy the proper version, you muppet!" And so I did:D

listermint

How Soon Is Now wrote: »

Ya actually now I look into it was the mx boxs they had! I have a look at the mi boxs now! Any in particular recommended?

There is only 1 Xiaomi Mi Box. just make sure its 'international version' as that has the correct English language Android on it.

can be bought on Aliexpress or amazon, cheaper on ali, there is a bargain alerts thread on them also.

corks finest

listermint wrote: »

There is only 1 Xiaomi Mi Box. just make sure its 'international version' as that has the correct English language Android on it.

can be bought on Aliexpress or amazon, cheaper on ali, there is a bargain alerts thread on them also.

Lads save yereselves the heartache,,,,I did,was buying a bloody new android box every 18 months,get,repeat get a shield,know expensive etc etc,but no compromise

How Soon Is Now

corks finest wrote: »

Lads save yereselves the heartache,,,,I did,was buying a bloody new android box every 18 months,get,repeat get a shield,know expensive etc etc,but no compromise

Id love one but 200 euro on something I'm not gonna use one of the main features of is kind of a waste.

If I didn't already have a htpc ya grand shield all the way.

xtal191

Mi Box is perfectly fine if you're not interested in gaming or streaming 4K content.

How Soon Is Now

xtal191 wrote: »

Mi Box is perfectly fine if you're not interested in gaming or streaming 4K content.

So it doesn't stream 4k? Hdr?

bloodless_coup

How Soon Is Now wrote: »

So it doesn't stream 4k? Hdr?

It does and is perfectly capable of it.

How Soon Is Now

doylefe wrote: »

It does and is perfectly capable of it.

Ah ok I must of read what was said wrong ha. So 4k and hdr on Netflix for example will work perfectly?

How Soon Is Now

Just seen h96pro+ mentioned how does that match up?

bloodless_coup

How Soon Is Now wrote: »

Just seen h96pro+ mentioned how does that match up?

Waste of time if you are looking for 4k on Netflix.

Netflix 4k is only on official Android TV.

Alternatively you could get the Amazon Fire TV which will also have 4K Netflix, 4OD etc.

How Soon Is Now

So most the comments and reviews I've seen online mention mi doesn't have great 4k performance compared to the shield.

I also noticed another thread on nvidia forum stating the shield Is a bit of a mess for netflix in general not just the fact people where getting issues with 4k and hdr.

Dunno what to do ha.

RossieMan

You can't expect the same performance for half the price.

But the shield if you want shield performance.

It's that simple.

How Soon Is Now

RossieMan wrote: »

You can't expect the same performance for half the price.

But the shield if you want shield performance.

It's that simple.

How does the shield operate with 4k and hdr? I've seen people online commenting updates screwed it up. Buffering performance etc.

BandMember

RossieMan wrote: »

You can't expect the same performance for half the price.

But the shield if you want shield performance.

It's that simple.

Exactly! I mean their opening post was basically "I want a box that works/performs exactly like the best box on the market..........but I don't want to pay for it".

There's a reason why the best box on the market is the dearest box. You get what you pay for.

As RossieMan rightly said, it's that simple.

How Soon Is Now

BandMember wrote: »

Exactly! I mean their opening post was basically "I want a box that works/performs exactly like the best box on the market..........but I don't want to pay for it".

There's a reason why the best box on the market is the dearest box. You get what you pay for.

As RossieMan rightly said, it's that simple.

I said similar specs and capabilities. I know it's cheaper for a reason. The way a lot these boxs are talked about is misleading though until u look into the finer details and you see there not as perfect as they sound.

I bascially just want what's best value I don't wanna spend 200 euro on something that's gonna give me a issues with netflix that I don't have currently. At same time I wouldn't pay half the price for something that's not gonna be able to do what it claims to.

I'd rather pay extra for quality that's how I normally go but I'm getting conflicting reports on the shield.

BandMember

How Soon Is Now wrote: »

I said similar specs and capabilities. I know it's cheaper for a reason. The way a lot these boxs are talked about is misleading though until u look into the finer details and you see there not as perfect as they sound.

I bascially just want what's best value I don't wanna spend 200 euro on something that's gonna give me a issues with netflix that I don't have currently. At same time I wouldn't pay half the price for something that's not gonna be able to do what it claims to.

I'd rather pay extra for quality that's how I normally go but I'm getting conflicting reports on the shield.

My money is on whoever is having problems with the Shield either (a) is not setting it up and operating it correctly (b) doesn't know how to do so or (c) has got the faulty box from a huge batch. A huge amount of people don't know what they are actually buying or how to set it up, maintain and use correctly. Of course, the box gets the blame for not working properly and the whole thing is a huge scam - it's never the users fault.

As posters on this (and many other threads have pointed out): €200 for one box that you will last you years or €50 for a box that will last you less than one....if you don't throw it out the window first with all the problems you have...

How Soon Is Now

BandMember wrote: »

My money is on whoever is having problems with the Shield either (a) is not setting it up and operating it correctly (b) doesn't know how to do so or (c) has got the faulty box from a huge batch.

As posters on this (and many other threads have pointed out): €200 for one box that you will last you years or €50 for a box that will last you less than one....if you don't throw it out the window first with all the problems you have...

Haha ya I've seen what some boxs are like!

So there are no official issues with any of the major streaming apps running 4k and hdr on the shield?

RossieMan

You've already been recommended the box Android TV box other than the shield. It's the mi box.

Reviews are a pile of bollocks these days. All paid for or sponsored crap. Don't read them, waste of time.


The mi box is incredible for its price, but it's not shield.

It does everything I want from it and more. Much faster than any Android TV I've used.

How Soon Is Now

RossieMan wrote: »

You've already been recommended the box Android TV box other than the shield. It's the mi box.

Reviews are a pile of bollocks these days. All paid for or sponsored crap. Don't read them, waste of time.


The mi box is incredible for its price, but it's not shield.

It does everything I want from it and more. Much faster than any Android TV I've used.

I'm just going by what users have said on reddit and nvidia forums. I check reviews as well.

I'm asking around cause I see different people saying different things.

bloodless_coup

The Shield is not perfect either.

Video quality on the Shield and the Mi Box is the exact same for something like Netflix and YouTube. No difference at all. You can get into slightly better video quality with certain builds of Kodi on the Shield but nothing amazing.

The Shield is smoother in terms of UI transitions.

The Shield has an Amazon Prime app which the Mi Box does not.

The concept that the Shield will last years and the Mi Box will last one is nonsense.

Mi Box for the price is very good.
The Shield is more than double the price and is very good.

If you cannot afford a Shield, get a Mi Box.

bloodless_coup

How Soon Is Now wrote: »

So there are no official issues with any of the major streaming apps running 4k and hdr on the shield?

I've not see any anyway.

How Soon Is Now

Thanks Doylefe
The more I hear the more I think maybe should just stick with my pc and smart TV for now.

dubrov

I wouldn't spend 200 on a shield. The hardware is 3 year old tech at this stage and it really should be much cheaper to buy.

In fairness to Nvidia the box is well supported and runs well. However there is no money left in it for them unless they release a new box. That doesn't seem likely anytime soon so I suspect support will dry up in about 12 months

Euphoriasean

Find the Mi Box works great for Kodi and Netflix. Only issue is that there is official RTE app for Android TV. I have sideloaded it along with other streaming apps but you can't navigate the app with Android TV. Maybe other people have found a way round this.

Have Google given up on Android TV? The play store is pretty limited.

xtal191

Also the Mi Box should be getting an Oreo update soon

The high horse brigade

I have a Shield, I just went out and bought the best box available. I advised my brother and my mother (different houses) buy the mi box with an Ethernet adapter since they wouldn't be playing games. They bought 2 mi boxes. They both had issues and have both since replaced the mi's with Shields. They have no issues with the Shields. Just my 2c.

The high horse brigade

Euphoriasean wrote: »

Have Google given up on Android TV? The play store is pretty limited.

No, the opposite, they announced at Google IO they are giving it more focus but will no longer support their own aging device the Nexus TV. There are new third party devices coming like soundbar that are embedded with Android TV and Google Assistant.

corks finest

The high horse brigade wrote: »

I have a Shield, I just went out and bought the best box available. I advised my brother and my mother (different houses) buy the mi box with an Ethernet adapter since they wouldn't be playing games. They bought 2 mi boxes. They both had issues and have both since replaced the mi's with Shields. They have no issues with the Shields. Just my 2c.

Sensible move

Suckit

There are more Android TV devices other than the Mi Box.

https://www.geekbuying.com/item/Nexbox-A95X-Pro-2GB-16GB-S905W-TV-BOX-396064.html
https://androidtvbox.eu/geniatech-atv495max-android-tv-box-android-tv-official-certification/
https://www.geekbuying.com/item/MECOOL-M8S-PRO-W-S905W-2GB-16GB-TV-Box-with-Voice-Control-391693.html

https://sites.google.com/view/droid-tv/oem?authuser=0

Also worth looking at the Formuler Z boxes if TV is your priority, they can all be bought for under €100 + €10 shipping.
They are like a polished version of the Avov boxes that are still around. Their MyTVOnline is far better than TVOnline though.
Android Play Store is also available on them, unlike on the Avov boxes. They also have their own market with apps that are better for the box.

askU

Where is best to buy the shield??

corks finest

askU wrote: »

Where is best to buy the shield??

I got mine locally,paid over the odds,but for me it was worth it,guy I use is local, honest,and any problems etc,it's his baby,have been using him for years as have friends/family,pm if u want his details

Suckit

Amazon UK is the best place, they always have sales and any issues you can return it.
There are two Nvidia Shield threads, one here and one in Bargain Alerts.

RossieMan

What issues did they have with the mi boxes out of interest? It's not really useful 2 cents if it's user error.

Not had 1 issue with mine.

How Soon Is Now

RossieMan wrote: »

What issues did they have with the mi boxes out of interest? It's not really useful 2 cents if it's user error.

Not had 1 issue with mine.

Wasn't the mi boxs they had was the android boxs mx. Got them mixed up lol.

ED E

How Soon Is Now wrote: »

Wasn't the mi boxs they had was the android boxs mx. Got them mixed up lol.

That question was for High Horse not yourself.

The high horse brigade

RossieMan wrote: »

What issues did they have with the mi boxes out of interest? It's not really useful 2 cents if it's user error.

Not had 1 issue with mine.

Not user error, I was troubleshooting. Both Mi boxes had glitching and stuttering, not just on IPTV, but also Netflix and YouTube, with WiFi and the usb Ethernet adapter and 70mbit VDSL. WiFi actually worked better than Ethernet. I suspect there's some sort of usb sleep/timeout issue as they'd both work when powered on but go glitching after a time. I never could get to the bottom of it. The Shield works flawlessly.

Anyway, I'd never buy a box without Ethernet. Was stupid to omit it. Everything that doesn't move gets cabled in my house