Recommend an Android Box that runs XBMC - [No copyrighted material]

Allyall · 20-05-2014 9:08pm

aaronm13 wrote: »

I must be unfortunate with the MX2 because I've nothing but trouble with it, biggest piece of crap I've ever bought. Tried all firmwares and different versions of xbmc and none work well at all. On the lookout now for a new box but not sure which to go for.

Sounds very unlucky, because I've never *touch wood* had a problem with any of them. Most flawless box I've used.

This is the ROM I use for Media/XBMC and I have no problems at all with it.
http://d-h.st/g1J

tomdempsey200 · 20-05-2014 9:15pm

jaysus

i'm on 3mb dsl with a 34€ tv stick

playback and streaming are almost flawless

no fancy roms or custom xbmcs

aaronm13 · 20-05-2014 9:25pm

Allyall wrote: »

Sounds very unlucky, because I've never *touch wood* had a problem with any of them. Most flawless box I've used.

This is the ROM I use for Media/XBMC and I have no problems at all with it.
http://d-h.st/g1J

Thanks for the ROM link Allyall. I ll give it a go over the weekend. I gather its not the official matricom ROM. Which site did you get it from as I didn't realize there was a custom community working on this box.

Allyall · 20-05-2014 9:53pm

aaronm13 wrote: »

Thanks for the ROM link Allyall. I ll give it a go over the weekend. I gather its not the official matricom ROM. Which site did you get it from as I didn't realize there was a custom community working on this box.

There are a fair few custom ROMS for that box.

That one is an AceMax Rom.

aaronm13 · 20-05-2014 10:26pm

Allyall wrote: »

There are a fair few custom ROMS for that box.

That one is an AceMax Rom.

Cheers.

branners69 · 22-05-2014 11:02am

Spipov wrote: »

we're now in May 2014. what would be the best box to buy, which would have good community support?i believe i could stretch to 150 if it includes an air mouse

thanks for the suggestions

Minix Neo x7 would also get my vote! Works brilliantly with Beyond XBMC.

Big Nelly · 24-05-2014 7:07pm

I bought the following a few months back, any ideas on how to search for new ROM's? want to upgrade Android as well....just looking for idea's?

http://www.geekbuying.com/item/T-R42-Quad-Core-Google-Android-4-2-2-RK3188-28nm-Cortex-A9-1-6-GHz-Mini-TV-BOX-HDMI-HDD-Player-2G-8G-BT-RJ45-External-Wifi-Antenna-with-IR-Remote-Controller-Black-317424.html

branners69 · 26-05-2014 10:43am

Big Nelly wrote: »

I bought the following a few months back, any ideas on how to search for new ROM's? want to upgrade Android as well....just looking for idea's?

Have you checked www.freaktab.com

ooter · 31-05-2014 7:35pm

Where would be the best place to buy the minix?

Zeppi · 31-05-2014 7:38pm

Adverts.ie

bazzz · 31-05-2014 7:57pm

ooter wrote: »

Where would be the best place to buy the minix?

Which model would you be looking for?? If it's the Neo X7 or X8 H I'd recommend SmarttvBox.ie....
A-because I know the seller
B-because all the stock is based in Ireland (so no customs duties or VAT,to be paid)
C-The Seller has just become a official Reseller for Minix.

Hope I won't be shot for trying to help him out;)

Big Nelly · 31-05-2014 9:38pm

bazzz wrote: »

Which model would you be looking for?? If it's the Neo X7 or X8 H I'd recommend SmarttvBox.ie....
A-because I know the seller
B-because all the stock is based in Ireland (so no customs duties or VAT,to be paid)
C-The Seller has just become a official Reseller for Minix.

Hope I won't be shot for trying to help him out;)

-

D - He is way overpriced

bazzz · 31-05-2014 10:19pm

Big Nelly wrote: »

-

D - He is way overpriced

Cheaper than most on Adverts,for Minix boxes.

Dozen Wicked Words · 31-05-2014 10:32pm

bazzz wrote: »

Cheaper than most on Adverts,for Minix boxes.

He's not shy with his prices though. There is the convenience factor with him ok, but the price difference is such I'd rather wait and buy from China direct or eBay.

He offers an alternative anyway and if people are happy to pay his prices good luck to him.

bazzz · 31-05-2014 10:54pm

Dozen Wicked Words wrote: »

He's not shy with his prices though. There is the convenience factor with him ok, but the price difference is such I'd rather wait and buy from China direct or eBay.

He offers an alternative anyway and if people are happy to pay his prices good luck to him.

Yeah he's not long in the market.So it's early days for the business,this is why he can't compete with many of the overseas sellers....Yet!!

timetogo · 31-05-2014 11:38pm

ooter wrote: »

Where would be the best place to buy the minix?

Got mine from Amazon.

ooter · 01-06-2014 12:49pm

thanks lads

Blade · 01-06-2014 6:50pm

bazzz wrote: »

Which model would you be looking for?? If it's the Neo X7 or X8 H I'd recommend SmarttvBox.ie....
A-because I know the seller
B-because all the stock is based in Ireland (so no customs duties or VAT,to be paid)
C-The Seller has just become a official Reseller for Minix.

TBF I don't think his price of 155 Euro for the Neo X8H is that bad for Ireland. Looking at the Geekbuying price, if you were to pay the VAT and 6 Euro An Post fee I calculate it at around 148 Euro. Unless I'm missing something here, not sure if he charges delivery for example, couldn't see anything on the site about it? Unless of course you want to chance your arm and hope to get away with the VAT in which case you'd get it for 115 and save yourself 40 Euro, but I don't think it's fair to compare prices based on that.

If it is a case of 155 v 148 Euro, I'd much rather buy it here and give the money to an Irish company along with all the other obvious advantages that go with it. Certainly if I was recommending the device to a friend I'd send them to this guy knowing that if there's any hassle he'll look after it and they won't come annoying me for help every time there's something wrong with one of their XBMC plug-ins!

bodonnell · 01-06-2014 9:55pm

Couple of listings on ebay (UK) for £105 (approx. €130) if you use parcel motel just add €3.50 shipping

BenEadir · 03-06-2014 2:34pm

Spipov wrote: »

we're now in May 2014. what would be the best box to buy, which would have good community support?i believe i could stretch to 150 if it includes an air mouse

thanks for the suggestions

I have a Neo X7 running the official FW10 and it runs everything very well, particularly over WiFi.

I have another TV with an old WD Live box attached which I'd like to upgrade. I'm always very wary of getting V1 of any product but I'm tempted to go with Minix's new X8 which should (assuming it works as advertised) give me a good few years of future proofing, see http://www.amazon.co.uk/Quad-core-Octa-core-licences-accelerated-Reseller/dp/B00KIH75VC/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1401804675&sr=8-9&keywords=minix

What do people think? I know it's twice the price of other Android boxs which do a fine job of streaming but it does seem to be very powerful and capable of handling anything which will develop over the coming years. My logic is that 1 X €145 box lasting 5 years is better than 2 x €80 boxes lasting 2-3 years each.

Ben

03-06-2014 4:35pm

Has anyone got any insight into the box below?

http://droidbox.co.uk/products/droidbox-imx6

My brother got one and hasnt had much joy with it so gave it to me to have a mess with.

Ive reflashed the stock firmware from the site forum but the box seems fairly laggy,theres also issues seem to be with xbmc in that nothing seems to play, its giving incorrect password and script errors.

What im wondering is there any custom roms that I can load up on this that might be a bit snappier or repos/setup for xbmc for sports and the likes

BenEadir · 05-06-2014 12:48pm

BenThere wrote: »

I have a Neo X7 running the official FW10 and it runs everything very well, particularly over WiFi.

I have another TV with an old WD Live box attached which I'd like to upgrade. I'm always very wary of getting V1 of any product but I'm tempted to go with Minix's new X8 which should (assuming it works as advertised) give me a good few years of future proofing, see http://www.amazon.co.uk/Quad-core-Octa-core-licences-accelerated-Reseller/dp/B00KIH75VC/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1401804675&sr=8-9&keywords=minix

What do people think? I know it's twice the price of other Android boxs which do a fine job of streaming but it does seem to be very powerful and capable of handling anything which will develop over the coming years. My logic is that 1 X €145 box lasting 5 years is better than 2 x €80 boxes lasting 2-3 years each.

Ben

Bump ^^^^

Any thoughts on the Minix X8 or is it simply too early to tell?

Ben

Blade · 05-06-2014 4:00pm

BenThere wrote: »

What do people think? I know it's twice the price of other Android boxs which do a fine job of streaming but it does seem to be very powerful and capable of handling anything which will develop over the coming years. My logic is that 1 X €145 box lasting 5 years is better than 2 x €80 boxes lasting 2-3 years each.

I'm kinda thinking the same thing myself, but I'd like to hear what people think. It is expensive bang for buck wise. My dual core stick struggles with HD streaming but I believe so do some of the quad cores. So you'd really want something powerful these days. Considering I paid 40 euro for mine over a year ago, I would have expected something around the 70-80 Euro mark today to be more than capable.

BenEadir · 07-06-2014 8:19am

Blade wrote: »

I'm kinda thinking the same thing myself, but I'd like to hear what people think. It is expensive bang for buck wise. My dual core stick struggles with HD streaming but I believe so do some of the quad cores. So you'd really want something powerful these days. Considering I paid 40 euro for mine over a year ago, I would have expected something around the 70-80 Euro mark today to be more than capable.

There's a thread dedicated to the X8 and X8-H over on XDA - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2764694

FYI I took the plunge and just ordered an X8-H for $150 including an Air Mouse and some free gift they are giving to the first 500 buyers. http://promotion.geekbuying.com/promotion/minix_x8_and_x8-h_presale_campaign

I'll revert with my thoughts etc on it in due course. It'll probably take 3 weeks to get here!!!

MrSing · 07-06-2014 9:25am

Is the MINIX NEO X8-H one of the better droidboxes on the market?

Can you buy this in Ireland?

Blade · 07-06-2014 9:54am

MrSing wrote: »

Is the MINIX NEO X8-H one of the better droidboxes on the market?

Can you buy this in Ireland?

I suppose it would be one of the better ones on the market. You could pre-order it here for 155 Euro, they also supply the Minix NEO M1 Air Mouse for that price. Or go the China route like BenThere did, but you might well get hit for the VAT.

tomdempsey200 · 07-06-2014 1:32pm

http://www.futeko.com/browse.php?cat=mp

€130
top service UK shipping

bazzz · 07-06-2014 5:20pm

tomdempsey200 wrote: »

http://www.futeko.com/browse.php?cat=mp

€130
top service UK shipping

Yep that's a good price there from UK Works out at €140 direct ship to Ireland(not using Parcel Motel)

Blade wrote: »

I suppose it would be one of the better ones on the market. You could pre-order it here for 155 Euro, they also supply the Minix NEO M1 Air Mouse for that price. Or go the China route like BenThere did, but you might well get hit for the VAT.

It's hard for smarttvbox.ie to compete with the more established online stores at the moment.Like I've said before on the thread they are only a new Irish company.So it may take a bit for the prices to come down,but they are not too over the top in reality.But
I will help promote them as they are relatives;)

BenEadir · 07-06-2014 5:33pm

bazzz wrote: »

It's hard for smarttvbox.ie to compete with the more established online stores at the moment.Like I've said before on the thread they are only a new Irish company.So it may take a bit for the prices to come down,but they are not too over the top in reality.But
I will help promote them as they are relatives;)

If you don't mind Bazz I'd suggest that the best chance your relative has of being successful is to become very active on these type of threads. If there was a poster here called "smartbox.ie" and he was demonstrating knowledge and helpfullness (particularly to newbies) people would be more than willing to pay a little extra to buy from him. I do it all the time for other stuff. I'll bet if Allyall was welling boxes lots of people here would buy from him.

Just a suggestion.

Ben

bazzz · 07-06-2014 5:39pm

BenThere wrote: »

If you don't mind Bazz I'd suggest that the best chance your relative has of being successful is to become very active on these type of threads. If there was a poster here called "smartbox.ie" and he was demonstrating knowledge and helpfullness (particularly to newbies) people would be more than willing to pay a little extra to buy from him. I do it all the time for other stuff. I'll bet if Allyall was welling boxes lots of people here would buy from him.

Just a suggestion.

Ben

I know,I know.....he's great on the phone.But I've been trying to get him on here to get things moving and demonstrate his dedication to the cause.Hopefully soon,he's also on adverts.

wildrover444 · 07-06-2014 7:08pm

http://www.futeko.com/products/B031.php

I wonder is refurbished Minix neo 7 worth it at this price 65 pounds and still a year warranty

Blade · 07-06-2014 9:51pm

BenThere wrote: »

If there was a poster here called "smartbox.ie" and he was demonstrating knowledge and helpfullness (particularly to newbies) people would be more than willing to pay a little extra to buy from him.

He would need to apply for an official rep's account from the Admins first.

bazzz · 07-06-2014 11:04pm

Blade wrote: »

He would need to apply for an official rep's account from the Admins first.

Yep I said that he would have to have "an upgraded account" when I was speaking to him tonight.Hopefully he will *excuse the pun* get on board.

Allyall · 08-06-2014 12:07pm

BenThere wrote: »

I'll bet if Allyall was welling boxes lots of people here would buy from him.

Just a suggestion.

Ben

Thanks BenThere

.

Unfortunately I can't/couldn't.. "Allyall's Boxes" (Would be great)

.
I'm packing in my job and having a rancid time leaving. Then I'm Outta here!
I'd happily go 50-50 with anyone if they wanted to

(JK).

tomdempsey200 · 08-06-2014 12:15pm

Allyall wrote: »

For < €36 delivered.

do you have a link for that allyall

Allyall · 08-06-2014 12:16pm

tomdempsey200 wrote: »

do you have a link for that allyall

Scroll down a bit
Also on TaoBao and other sites.

tomdempsey200 · 08-06-2014 2:05pm

mx2 is that the best budget box?

what does "20 pieces / lot" mean?

Allyall · 08-06-2014 2:19pm

tomdempsey200 wrote: »

mx2 is that the best budget box?

what does "20 pieces / lot" mean?

If they sell for €30 - 20 pieces / lot = You can only buy 20 pieces from that particular link @ €30 per box - Lot Price = €600. Usually if you go to that link owners store, they sell them individually for ~ €5 more than the lot price per box.

Hard to say what is the "Best" box even at a low price, so many have the same guts etc.. But with a good ROM, and for that price, it gets my vote.

michael999999 · 08-06-2014 2:25pm

tomdempsey200 wrote: »

mx2 is that the best budget box?

what does "20 pieces / lot" mean?

Get an air mouse with it, there a brilliant piece of gear!

I got my MX box and airmouse for about 70 delivered Inc customs and an post charges.

johnnykilo · 09-06-2014 1:13am

I've been doing a good bit of research on these boxes, I think I'm finally going to take the plunge and buy one this week in time for the World Cup.

I know everyone has their own opinion but is the general consensus that the Minix Neo's are the best box? Is the X5 is better for TV, while the X7 is better for gaming (I'll only be using this as a TV box). Are there newer versions of the X5, there seems to be a good bit of a difference in price on Adverts.ie, ranging from €90 - €140, I think it may be due to some of the dearer ones including an air mouse but I just want to confirm that there aren't multiple Neo X5 versions. Thanks in advance!

kriters8 · 09-06-2014 8:53am

Nowadays, the MINIX has released the latest x8-h,I think it is the best device for tv.

Moyglish · 09-06-2014 11:47am

Hi guys,

I'm a total n00b when it comes to Android smart TV boxes, so please excuse the questions and my ignorance!

I think I'm ready to take the plunge and get a box!

From what I've been reading I think I've narrowed it down to two boxes.

Either the MX2 or the Minix X8-H

From what I gather the Minix is a quad core and the MX2 is a dual core? I would have thought that the quad-core would automatically be better, however I've been reading some stuff that a dual core is best for streaming movies etc.. whereas the quad core is more suited to gaming?

I just want a fairly straight forward box that would be able to play most files, AVI, DIVX, MK4 etc.. along with streaming good quality HD content.

There's a few Irish sellers selling these boxes for around €150, however I could probably get the box from the UK or China for a bit cheaper, would it be worth paying a bit extra to get the box from an Irish seller whereby XBMC is pre-installed etc?

I'm not a total technophobe but I wouldn't relish the thought at having to root or mod the device and spend hours looking up online how to do so, plus with the added fear of bricking the device itself..

What would be the best option whereby I can get something that's essentially ready to go out of the box, plug and play so to speak?

I'd like to get one for my parents and a few for friends and family - does it take much effort to get the RTE player and the likes of TV3 and TG4 etc.. up on these?

I've been looking at these also - http://dreamboxxbmcireland.com/products/ - can anyone recommend or give feedback?

Sorry again for all the questions, new to all of this and I just want to make sure I make the right purchase and get something stable that doesn't crash and updates automatically so the less fiddling I have to do with it, the better!

I've read all the posts on this thread thus far - very helpful! Still trying to decide between the MX2 and the Minix X8-H or if anyone has any other suggestions, I'm all ears!

Thanks everyone.

Cantona's Collars · 09-06-2014 1:16pm

Moyglish wrote: »

Hi guys,

I'm a total n00b when it comes to Android smart TV boxes, so please excuse the questions and my ignorance!

I think I'm ready to take the plunge and get a box!

From what I've been reading I think I've narrowed it down to two boxes.

Either the MX2 or the Minix X8-H

From what I gather the Minix is a quad core and the MX2 is a dual core? I would have thought that the quad-core would automatically be better, however I've been reading some stuff that a dual core is best for streaming movies etc.. whereas the quad core is more suited to gaming?

I just want a fairly straight forward box that would be able to play most files, AVI, DIVX, MK4 etc.. along with streaming good quality HD content.

There's a few Irish sellers selling these boxes for around €150, however I could probably get the box from the UK or China for a bit cheaper, would it be worth paying a bit extra to get the box from an Irish seller whereby XBMC is pre-installed etc?

I'm not a total technophobe but I wouldn't relish the thought at having to root or mod the device and spend hours looking up online how to do so, plus with the added fear of bricking the device itself..

What would be the best option whereby I can get something that's essentially ready to go out of the box, plug and play so to speak?

I'd like to get one for my parents and a few for friends and family - does it take much effort to get the RTE player and the likes of TV3 and TG4 etc.. up on these?

I've been looking at these also - http://dreamboxxbmcireland.com/products/ - can anyone recommend or give feedback?

Sorry again for all the questions, new to all of this and I just want to make sure I make the right purchase and get something stable that doesn't crash and updates automatically so the less fiddling I have to do with it, the better!

I've read all the posts on this thread thus far - very helpful! Still trying to decide between the MX2 and the Minix X8-H or if anyone has any other suggestions, I'm all ears!

Thanks everyone.

I have one of those MX2 boxes,they are childs play to root & mine cost less than half what's being charged in that link you posted.They are great to mess around with & installing what you want.Youtube is great for how-to videos plus I owe a massive thanks to Allyall from this thread who gave me loads of advice & links.

griffdaddy · 09-06-2014 1:20pm

If you're getting into €150 territory you should probably start looking at dedicated windows nettop pcs. They'll do a lot more things a lot more reliably and save you a lot of faffing about with roms and custom xbmc builds.

BenEadir · 09-06-2014 2:33pm

griffdaddy wrote: »

If you're getting into €150 territory you should probably start looking at dedicated windows nettop pcs.

I'd actually be interested in something like that as a project. Something like the Acer Revo RL80-UR22 which is circa €300 from http://www.amazon.co.uk/Acer-Nettop-1-5GHz-Integrated-Graphics/dp/B00HNQWTR6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1402324290&sr=8-1&keywords=Acer+Revo+RL80-UR22

Apart from running MS Office type apps etc what can a HTPC like this do in relation to streaming online and local content that a good Android box can't?

Ben

griffdaddy · 09-06-2014 2:53pm

BenThere wrote: »

I'd actually be interested in something like that as a project. Something like the Acer Revo RL80-UR22 which is circa €300 from http://www.amazon.co.uk/Acer-Nettop-1-5GHz-Integrated-Graphics/dp/B00HNQWTR6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1402324290&sr=8-1&keywords=Acer+Revo+RL80-UR22

Apart from running MS Office type apps etc what can a HTPC like this do in relation to streaming online and local content that a good Android box can't?

Ben

One of those came up on eBuyer for about €150 delivered just before Christmas. It had all components preinstalled except with no OS. I tried everything under the sun to get them to deliver, including Parcel Motel etc. They just wouldn't deliver to Ireland or Northern Ireland for me.

Basically it'll do everything the Android box can but just much better. You could plug in proper portable hard drives etc. at the back without needing externally powered usb hubs and so on. Everything would be much faster as well and there'd be no driver issues with webcams or anything.

timetogo · 09-06-2014 2:57pm

griffdaddy wrote: »

If you're getting into €150 territory you should probably start looking at dedicated windows nettop pcs. They'll do a lot more things a lot more reliably and save you a lot of faffing about with roms and custom xbmc builds.

I used to have a nettop PC. On PC I had was Atom based (cost about €220 without Windows, maybe they're cheaper now) and didn't play video as well as the Minix X7 I have now. The Minix cost me €120.

Earlier this year I replaced the Atom with a proper PC but the cost of that (if I was paying for it) would have been about €350. It did do more but 99% of what I used it (watching video) for the Minix does now.

You may need an external HDD on an Android box if you're not streaming everything from the internet, so that does bump the cost up a bit.

You can faff around with ROMs and special XBMC builds or you can use the build that comes out of the box. The entire messing about that I've done with the Minix is to set it up for my WiFi connection. There's a little bit of config on XBMC to make it talk to your phone but that config is identical on a Windows / Linux PC.

Then there's the cost of running it. I typed the power consumption into ElectricIrelands website.
If the device is running 24X7 (mine is) then it's €7.62 per year in electricity.
If your HTPC is running 24X7 and uses 30W then it's €45.72 per year.

But then again I suppose a PC should last 3 or 4 years easily enough. I don't know how long the Minix will last for. I suppose if video formats never change then it should last for years.

timetogo · 09-06-2014 3:05pm

griffdaddy wrote: »

Basically it'll do everything the Android box can but just much better. You could plug in proper portable hard drives etc. at the back without needing externally powered usb hubs and so on. Everything would be much faster as well and there'd be no driver issues with webcams or anything.

You can plug proper hard drives into the android boxes. The one I have also works with Logitech cameras.
Regarding its speed, my box boots faster than my Windows PC. As for playing video it plays that at exactly the same speed as the PC.

Have you seen them in action? I've no problem using a PC where it's needed. My android box has replaced my PC under the TV and I haven't missed the PC at all. (I do have a normal PC for work though, it'd be a totally different situation if that was my only PC).

Moyglish · 09-06-2014 4:38pm

zerks wrote: »

I have one of those MX2 boxes,they are childs play to root & mine cost less than half what's being charged in that link you posted.They are great to mess around with & installing what you want.Youtube is great for how-to videos plus I owe a massive thanks to Allyall from this thread who gave me loads of advice & links.

Thanks for that Zerks!

So they do require rooting then? They don't come with XMBC pre-installed do they? I'll definitely check out some YouTube vids anhow.

griffdaddy wrote: »

If you're getting into €150 territory you should probably start looking at dedicated windows nettop pcs. They'll do a lot more things a lot more reliably and save you a lot of faffing about with roms and custom xbmc builds.

Griffdaddy, I'm not exactly looking to spend €150, just those two boxes I mentioned cost that from Irish sellers I was looking at. If I can spend less, then all the better!

I'm sure a dedicated PC would be a better job, but to be honest, I just want something handy I can plug into the TV and off you go, thanks for the advice though, appreciate it

Moyglish · 09-06-2014 4:41pm

Right guys, if you had to choose between the MX2 or the Minix X8-H or a M8 MX (someone recommended this and said they're better than the MX2?) which would you go for and why?

Would I be better getting them from an Irish seller that has them pre-loaded so there's no messing about?

Or if I was to go get one from eBay/China do they require much work to get them up and running, like does XMBC come pre-installed on them?

I wouldn't mind saving a few pound but if it's going to create hours of hassle downloading files and spending nights trawling through forums then maybe I'd be better off just spending it bit more and having it done for me.

Recommend an Android Box that runs XBMC - [No copyrighted material]

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