Inexpensive but reliable boxes for Christmas?

[markedman]

I was going to give a few of the original Amazon Fire TV sticks, but besides being scarce, the update issues are making me nervous. Besides, I'm not giving them out to my relatives so they end up supporting Amazon apps. Even with Kodi, it irritates.
But staying at that price point, what may be good choices(must have remotes) for reliability and Kodi performance?

[Lurker]

How about the 1GB MXIII-G for $47? The 2GB version is more popular but also costs $13 more. I have the 1GB MXIII (previous generation) and it has been performing very well for more than a year. It is very easy to find firmware in case you want to switch between KitKat, Lollipop and Openelec. It comes with an IR remote but there is the option to add an airmouse/keyboard for an additional $10 at any time.

http://www.gearbest.com/tv-box-mini-pc/pp_230348.html

The CPU is powerful enough to run some very enjoyable games even if the target audience is not really into gaming. I also have an AF106 airmouse ($9) and have set up the accelerometer/gyroscope so that I can play a variety of balancing and other 3D type games by moving the mouse through the air. You can download two such games from the links below and try them yourself using a phone/tablet. On the TV box the airmouse replaces the body of the phone/tablet but performs in a similar manner by rotating it up and down, left and right etc. Other supported games includes Riptide GP2, Beach Buggy Blitz, Air Attack HD, TurboFly HD etc.

http://www.gearbest.com/mice-keyboards/pp_152937.html

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...ngSeed03&hl=en
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...th2.lite&hl=en

I am currently using Mobdro for live TV streaming, MovieHD, ShowBox and XBMC amongst others. If you purchase some cheap red/cyan 3D glasses (10 for $1-50 on Aliexpress) you can also find a lot of really impressive 3D anaglyph videos on YouTube including some of the LG Cinema 3D demo videos which look nearly as good on a standard HDTV as they do on a real 3D TV using this simple hardware.

[clarkss12]

How about the 1GB MXIII-G for $47? The 2GB version is more popular but also costs $13 more. I have the 1GB MXIII (previous generation) and it has been performing very well for more than a year. It is very easy to find firmware in case you want to switch between KitKat, Lollipop and Openelec. It comes with an IR remote but there is the option to add an airmouse/keyboard for an additional $10 at any time.

http://www.gearbest.com/tv-box-mini-pc/pp_230348.html

The CPU is powerful enough to run some very enjoyable games even if the target audience is not really into gaming. I also have an AF106 airmouse ($9) and have set up the accelerometer/gyroscope so that I can play a variety of balancing and other 3D type games by moving the mouse through the air. You can download two such games from the links below and try them yourself using a phone/tablet. On the TV box the airmouse replaces the body of the phone/tablet but performs in a similar manner by rotating it up and down, left and right etc. Other supported games includes Riptide GP2, Beach Buggy Blitz, Air Attack HD, TurboFly HD etc.

http://www.gearbest.com/mice-keyboards/pp_152937.html

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...ngSeed03&hl=en
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...th2.lite&hl=en

I am currently using Mobdro for live TV streaming, MovieHD, ShowBox and XBMC amongst others. If you purchase some cheap red/cyan 3D glasses (10 for $1-50 on Aliexpress) you can also find a lot of really impressive 3D anaglyph videos on YouTube including some of the LG Cinema 3D demo videos which look nearly as good on a standard HDTV as they do on a real 3D TV using this simple hardware.

That is a lot of valuable information.

Thank you.

[budgetgeek]

I would advise against setting them up with some legally dubious software like showbox and moviehd. Kodi is legal and full of legal content, but thwre are some illegal add-ons, be mindful of this.

[RISCy Dude]

I would advise against setting them up with some legally dubious software like showbox and moviehd. Kodi is legal and full of legal content, but thwre are some illegal add-ons, be mindful of this.

Good advice. In some countries, this must be considered. And while it may not get you locked up(hopefully), it could threaten every asset you own.

[markedman]

Thanks. I ordered 4 of the MXIII-G. It looks like it's much better integrated then most Android boxes although the 2GB would be nice for less of a price jump.
I also ordered a few of the M8S that I currently have from ****. Those are actually N200, BUT they work far better than other M8S units of a few months ago. Those are rooted when shipped. Will be good to compare the MXIII-G with those.

What I'm also trying to figure out is a way to move apps onto the SD card? Every program I've tried has been a waste of time so far; or I'm just too stupid to figure out how top do it...Apps2SD ....Link2SD....SDfix... None of these let me do it. Always say my device see's the SD as part of emulated, or something like that.
With only 8gb storage, being able to move apps over seems like a must have.

[Lurker]

Looking forward to getting some feedback comparing the very cheap M8S and the MXIII-G machines. Hopefully somebody else can offer some advice on moving apps to an SD card.

The firmware can really make or break a box. A well performing WiFi or ethernet connection can greatly affect the overall performance. One advantage of the Beelink/AZW/Netxeon machines is that you can easily download and install firmware from the websites of three of the largest manufacturers - Beelink, Tronsmart and Tronfy as well as different versions from a number of FreakTab developers. This does not seem to be the case with most of the cheap ****/Aliexpress/Amazon boxes. If you look at the MXIII-G link above, there are some pictures of the protective components (power circle and HDMI ESD circuitry) that are included on the board. Hopefully they are never needed but they could save the HDMI port on an expensive TV from very a very costly replacement at some point. You should also look at the speed of the eMMC on both boards, the quality of the power adapters, remotes, connectors and heatsink sizes etc. to see whether there are any noticeable differences. These reviews of the MXIII-G / Tronsmart MXIII Plus have a few benchmarks that you could use to compare performance etc.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/andr...eview-t3160863
http://freaktab.com/forum/tv-player-...x-amlogic-s812