I'm trying to decide which way to go. I have an Android TV Box Armlogic S812 MXIII-G. It is ok, but it locks up a lot and I have to power it off and on. Also, Amazon Video, WatchESPN and other apps aren't remote control friendly. I also use Kodi. I have buffering issues too. I've been thinking about trying the Amazon Fire TV and sideloading Kodi. Although, I haven't tried one, I would think that the Amazon Video and other apps would work better with the Remote Control. Also, they have a voice search feature. I have a remote control that when you push the microphone button it is suppose to bring up the voice search. However, my microphone app crashes. Does anyone know if Kodi runs better on the Amazon Fire TV? Also, what your thoughts about Amazon's fire tv?
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Is that a genuine MXIII-G or a cheap Aliexpress/Amazon/**** copy? Are you running Kitkat or Lollipop - KK is apparently more stable. If you are running LP just check that the Kernel Version is the same as that shown at 6:25 in this video (Oman@ubuntu) etc. or, if running KitKat, the same information appears under the Settings > Other menu as shown in the second link.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/andr...eview-t3160863
If you aren't already using an airmouse like the AF106, have you tried to control the MXIII-G using a standard wireless desktop mouse or keyboard? The standard IR remote on most of these android TV boxes can cause many problems. Just try that first to make sure that your problems are not IR related. I have the older S802 based model and it rarely locks up but I haven't tried streaming from Amazon Video or WatchESPN. I use Hulu, Mobdro, MovieHD, Showbox quite regularly and I rarely experience any type of problems but there are many other factors that could be causing your lockups.
The main improvement between the AFTV and the MXIII-G is the 4K/1080p support in many of the apps like Netflix. The Chinese android TV boxes do not have proper DRM support so are normally restricted to 480p. The MediaTek MT8173 processor (2XA72/2XA53) in the AFTV is a lot faster than the S812 (4XA9) in most of the benchmarks such as Antutu although I have read some reports that the performance is not as good as expected. I would first try to see if you can resolve the problems that you are having with the MXIII-G. If it is a proper MXIII-G there are many different firmware versions (both KK and LP) that might be worth testing before replacing the unit. -
How do you know if you have a genuine MXIII-G? I did buy it on Amazon, here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/YCCTEAM-MXIII-...ywords=yccteam
I had problems with Kodi buffering and then after awhile the Settings would stop working. I couldn't get into it. I factory defaulted several time and it kept happening. I post on this forum and someone pointed me to a beelink rom to try. I've put that one on, here is the link: http://probox2.com/?wpdmdl=1008
I like this rom as far as the interface, besides the settings not working, I still have other issues, with Kodi buffering. When I say buffering, I'm talking about when watch live television using my WMC and HDhomerun. I tried some of the fixes online, but it didn't help.
Is there a place that you can go and see the UI on the roms? I see roms, but I have no idea how they will look and navigate. How do you completely wipe everything and start over. I did the tooth pick reset today and ran the rom above hoping it would wipe everything and start over, but it just rewrote on top of everything. All my apps and settings were still there.Comment
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You need to check on the kernel versions as explained above to see if the device is original or not. It does appear to be from the Amazon advert (protective circle design etc.). You should be able to get an idea about the UI on the Lollipop Rom by watching the YT video that I posted above. Usually there is an option when you install the firmware to first wipe the old data etc.
Here are two of the most popular firmwares for the Tronsmart MXIII Plus which should also work on the MXIII-G. You will presumably want the SD card versions.
Tronsmart 106L1 Lollipop firmware
Tronsmart 316k4 Kitkat firmware
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The Kernel is 3.10.33 like in the video. Android is 5.1.1. When I flashed this I just put in the SD Card and did the toothpick method. I was never prompted to wipe everything? Did I miss a step or is there a way to do that?Comment
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Something isn't right about the kitkat link. The file is only 2.4mb. The lollipop version crashes with the Android robot. However, when it crased it was the first time I saw a menu to wipe data or factory reset. but it was nonreponsive.
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I think you live in the States so go for Both if you can and save your pennies,
Use the Amazon Fire TV for streaming, you may get better experience with 4k/uhd streaming apps in the USA.
Grab yourself a another unit for apps and mucking around Kodi etc,
Have a look at the Vega S905 series or any other S905 that meets you budget, stick with 2/8gb for better experience.
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@jviola60: I see that the Tronsmart SD card file appears to be incorrect. You can try the first link for the 316k4 firmware. Click on Download This File and type in the necessary characters. You may need to either wait a long time for the firmware to install or attempt to reinstall it a second time if the machine stops responding. I think that the MXIII firmwares such as 115k4 and 116k4 should also work on this machine.
316k4 Kitkat firmware
116k4 Kitkat firmware (Try the first of the here and here links)
Tronsmart 115k4 Kitkat firmware
Remix 115k4 firmware
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I appreciate the information. I put on the firmware that you link above (Tronsmart 106L1 Lollipop firmware
http://www.tronsmart.com/?p=4778) and my box has been up for more than 24 hours without locking up!!! I still would have loved to completely wiped everything before install that rom. I still haven't figured out how to do that. Anyway, so far the only problem I have it with Kodi buffering when I first change channels. It buffers, but if I pause it for about 5 seconds, then the buffering stops. I made all changes that were suggested in Kodi. I tried the universal init.d, but it says I don't have init.d support.Comment
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@jviola60: This is the Tronsmart 106L1 firmware thread - maybe somebody else with the same Kodi setup can help with the buffering issue.
http://freaktab.com/forum/tv-player-...e-106l1_151029
You might also find some useful information in the MXIII-G thread over at the XDA-Developers forum.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/andr...eview-t3160863
I would also download a copy of the 316k4 firmware to keep as backup in case the link stops working in a few months. In general most customers appear to be very happy with the MXIII-G. Some of the units were shipped with earlier versions of Lollipop that were quite unstable so this might be why you were having trouble. From what I've read, 106L1 (Lollipop) and 316k4 (Kitkat) are the two most popular firmwares for this box.Comment
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Thank you Lurker! You have been a great help!Comment
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