looking for a new box - suggestions?

[stannoplan]

Hiya,

new here, so excuse me if this doesn't go well

I have bought an MK808b+ and love it, however it can run out of puff on occasion but great for a portable stick for the back of a tv. I also must thank Finless and ksaq for the roms which are great.

I am after a more powerful box that I can use for my main tv. I mainly use the streaming aspects of Kodi through the various filelocker plugins but some of the things i would like a box to do:
- custom rom
- 2Gb/8Gb min
- hopefully dual boot openelec with HDMI-CEC if possible
- able to stream and decode t**rents like pu*sar
- live tv
- ethernet plug
- easy on off remotely or button
- reasonably priced.

what i dont care about:
- 4k
- HD audio
- HD streaming is not that important but nice.

thankyou in advance

[mcque]

I would recommend a box from Minix the support and the Community behind the products are great. I have tried many a boxes and nothing tops this one thus far, there might be better out there, but IMO the Minix NEO X8-H Plus does the job very nicely, the price is right and it does everything you request including HD Audio HD Streaming and 4k, unfortunately no dual boot. Check it out, hope it helps your decision.

[stannoplan]

Thanks mcque

i'm from Australia so the price is over $200, I see a box like the mx3-g has effectively the same specs: S812 A9, Mali 450 and its half the price. only issue is wifi range but that's not an issue for me.

[Ricey155]

Don't get the M8S :-)

I fancy the dual boot option I like t??rnt Stream app and other bits of android but I prefer KODI in windows it just seems to work better 1000mbs ethernet is a must on the next box currently running 100mbs and getting 50max most of the time soon to upgrade to faster so no point sitting with a 100mb box and a service with 150+ :-(

tech just moves on so fast what is the next box at the top level ?

[budgetgeek]

Wetek Play possibly? What exactly do you mean by "live tv?" Mobdro app? Or ATSC/Satellite tuner?

It only has 1/4GB though.

Pulsar on Wetek: https://vimeo.com/113925615

[RISCy Dude]

Thanks mcque

i'm from Australia so the price is over $200, I see a box like the mx3-g has effectively the same specs: S812 A9, Mali 450 and its half the price. only issue is wifi range but that's not an issue for me.

The X8-H Plus is $119.90(limited time) at Geekbuying (sans the airmouse). Does Australia have heavy customs duties? Why $200+?

[ultimatexbmc]

M8S - great box for the money - make sure you get a rooted version

[Lurker]

Gearbest are offering a discount on the 2GB MXIII-G currently. Just check their blog for more details. There also appears to be a 7% promoproGB discount which you might be able to use on other products. This would probably be my choice.

http://gearbestcoupons.blogspot.co.za/

http://gearbestcoupons.blogspot.co.z...m-lan-2gb.html

@ultimatexbmc: There seem to be a number of really cheap M8S machines (S812 2GB/8GB for ~$45) currently on Aliexpress. It would be great to get more feedback about these devices.
http://www.aliexpress.com/af/M8S.htm...ewCP=y&catId=0

If anybody wants to try their luck with a cheap $48 RK3368 based machine ...
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/2015-...464031238.html

The new Amlogic S905 machines will start shipping soon. Prices seem to be ~$50!
http://www.geekbuying.com/item/MXQ-P...ck-356045.html
http://www.cnx-software.com/2015/10/...t-hevc-videos/

[stannoplan]

thanks for all the replies, much appreciated.

i will have a crack at the MxIII-G 2G, seems powerful, support is building and seems to be a good box at the right price point $90AU delivered. Was seriously considering the Wetek Core which looks pretty sweet specs but ugly as well

The Minix NEO X8-H Plus is still listed for me at over AU$200, not good. In the end it came down to the similarly specced M8S or MXIII-G, power button prolly swung it for me. will let you know how i get on.

[Lurker]

@stannoplan: I would also recommend you consider adding an airmouse/keyboard to your order if you don't already have something similar. This will greatly improve the user experience. Take a look at some of the suggestions below. Send me a private message if you want more details.

http://freaktab.com/forum/tv-player-support/amlogic-based-tv-players/530642-m8-armlogic-remote-not-working-with-netflix?p=530787#post530787

[stannoplan]

Lurker, thanks for that. I have an airmouse but its not the best, will see how the stock one goes, if not i will take your advice.

I may just end up at Openelec like my mk808b+ and then use CEC. but i am now interested in some games from your linked post all i need now is some developer to pick up the MXIII-G for a dedicated Openelec build, unfortunately Kerber (amlinux.ru) seems to be the only one at present and he doesn't have a box to test with and is doing builds for a wide range of amlogic boxes. Am sure with the price drop these will become popular and more development will happen.

cheers

EDIT: does anyone recommend which flavour of xbmc i should be using? the stock one or spmc or an openelec variant? or there is an amlogic one as well.from stane1983

[stannoplan]

just a post to close this off;

I ended up buying an MXIII-G from Gearbest @ about AU$90 delivered (slow shipping ;(() am very happy as its snappier than my MK808b+, spent a few days with the std lollipop, then the beta firmware, spmc and finally the openelec build here http://freaktab.com/forum/tv-player-...g-amlogic-s812 thanks wilro_6276 . happy as a proverbial pig..

[Lurker]

Good to hear that you are happy with your purchase! My MXIII hasn't skipped a beat after more than a year of heavy use.

[Vklnuppi]

Hi ! I`m also newbie and with the same problem as original poster. So propably it`s o.k to borrow this topic (?)

I`m looking for good and reliable tv-box, mostly to stream videos from HTPC over the lan and for Spotify use. Some tv-channels here offer their own (android) apps to stream their programs via internet but they aren`t so important for me and working with these boxes is mystery (with phones they work mostly fine). I don`t have any experience with the android based players, but seems like android is better option for mini htpc OS than the Windows (?)

What i would like to have:

-2Gb RAM and at least 8Gb rom. More is better, but i will extend storage with sd-card anyway.
-4K/60Hz support (HDMI 2.0) would be awesome althought i don`t need it yet. I have read every test,review and topic but haven`t figured out can this tiny machines really play 4K/60hz material smoothly (?)
-Gigabit ethernet is must to have

I can install custom ROM or go with the original, it doesn`t matter for me. Also i don`t play anything with box (i have Xbox for that).

These two i have been looking for:

Beelink GTQ
Beelink i68

But is there better player ? Or which one of those i should buy ? Price really doesn`t matter, but it seems like you wont anything better with more expensive player (except more RAM&ROM).

[Lurker]

The GTQ is the luxury version of the MXIII-G - the circuit board looks very similar if not identical. Here are a few threads with suggestions for compatible firmware. You may also be able to use the MXIII-G firmware. Personally I would choose either the cheaper MXIII-G or the more professionally finished GTQ.

http://freaktab.com/forum/tv-player-support/amlogic-based-tv-players/beelink-aml-devices-s82-m8-round-mxiii-etc/531117-gtq-tv-box-1000mbps-ethernet-lan-firmware-upgrade-20th-october-2015

http://freaktab.com/forum/tv-player-support/amlogic-based-tv-players/beelink-aml-devices-s82-m8-round-mxiii-etc/519492-new-beelink-gtq-s812-metal-case-external-antenna

This MXIII-G review should give you a good indication of the performance of the GTQ. The external antenna should improve the wireless performance.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/android-tv/android-sticks/mxiii-g-review-t3160863

I am under the impression that the S905 will be better suited for 4K/60Hz video but this is a low end processor and will be slower than the S812 for gaming etc.

Pics of circuit boards (scroll down)

http://www.gearbest.com/tv-box-mini-pc/pp_229558.html

http://www.gearbest.com/tv-box-mini-pc/pp_202596.html

You might be able to use the promoproGB discount if you purchase from Gearbest

http://gearbestcoupons.blogspot.co.za/