i68 vs MXIII G?

[Steve-o]

I'm tossing up between the MXIII G or Beelink i68? They both seem to have support on Freaktab.

The main difference is CPU/GPU

MXIII G: Amlogic S812 Quad Core processor with the Octa Core ARM Mali-450 graphics engine
Beelink i68: Rockchip RK3368 processor with the Octa Core 64 bit Cortex A53 graphics engine

Both have
Android 5.1
2G / 8G
Wifi 2.4Ghz /5.8 Ghz
1000 Mbits RJ45 ethernet
Bluetooth 4.0
4K x 2K H.265 Decoding
XBMC / Kodi

[Lurker]

I have been using the older MXIII M82 model every day for just over a year now and have been very happy with it. So far it has been very reliable. I stream wirelessly using various android apps such as Netflix, Hulu Plus, MovieHD, Showbox, Mobdro and Kodi etc.

I am using it together with a $9 AF106 airmouse which I have configured to access the accelerometer and gyroscope. This is a much cheaper option than to purchase a wireless game controller which typically sell for $30. I am able to play 3D games such as Riptide GP 2, Beach Buggy Racing and various 3D balancing games like Rolling Seed and Labyrinth 2 Lite amongst others. The airmouse takes the place of a cell phone or tablet and you control the game by twisting it left/right/up/down etc.

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

http://www.gearbest.com/mice-keyboards/pp_152934.html

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=lsTeamWork.lssu.RollingSeed03&hl=en

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=se.illusionlabs.labyrinth2.lite&hl=en

Send me a PM if you want any more details.

[Steve-o]

Great thanks for the real life example. My main concern is stability. I like modding and optimizing as much as the next guy however the missus needs to use this tv box. So no overheating issues, etc. I can understand that this price range will have its problems though.

The Beelink is consistently $10 to $20 more expensive. This really got me thinking because they're very similar on paper. So now I'm suspicious.

I've been reading that guys are saying Beelink support is not what it used to be? The MXIII-G rom on here is seems to be a hit.

[Lurker]

@Steve-o: They are both Beelink machines as far as I know. I only have Amlogic devices but am under the impression that they have fewer playback issues than the Rockchip devices. The case of my MXIII gets slightly warm after several hours of use but nothing more than that. My single core Roku HD seems to run slightly warmer than the MXIII. If you are going to purchase from Gearbest you can try to see if the promoproGB discount coupon is redeemable at checkout.

I regularly stream videos from Hulu Plus for several hours at a time and can't ever remember having the machine crash or exit prematurely. Occasionally the stream may stop to buffer but I just lower the resolution from the settings menu and it usually continues without another interruption unlike my Roku which struggles to adapt to the lower bitrate. I also use Mobdro to stream news from CNN etc. I do experience the occasional freeze but this is probably due to my slow and unstable internet connection.

If you want to get a better idea of what to expect regarding operating the device with the included IR remote control, here is a video (~7:00 onwards) which shows how to switch between mouse and cursor modes. The IR remote needs to have line of sight to the TV box at all times while an RF airmouse/keyboard can be used from anywhere within a 10m radius or so.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmKn2dwSFxQ

This video shows how an airmouse would perform.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWpPBzDw3rk

I recently purchased a few red/cyan 3D glasses from Aliexpress (10@$1-50) and have been very impressed with the results. There are a number of the LG Cinema 3D demo videos on YouTube and I must say that the difference in quality between 3D video on this low cost TV box versus a costly 3D active or passive TV set is a lot less than I had thought.

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Wholesale-10-pcs-lot-2015-Hot-Paper-3D-Glasses-3d-virtual-video-View-Anaglyph-Red-Cyan/32314523465.html

Here is one of many impressive demos from YouTube (need to watch on a PC using Chrome with r/c glasses).

http://www.interleave-vr.com/youtube-proper-player.php?v=9ScZRkRUYLM

[Steve-o]

Cheers mate, I really appreciate the insights you've provided. I've gone ahead with the MXIII-G 2GB/8GB. Can't wait!