Streaming box /media player

[nelis]

Hi there

We have a home theater system with a denon-x550bt Receiver connected to a oldish samsung tv. Now we want to add a media player that can play H.265 media files and do DTS-hd Master and so on. Can anyone suggest me a media player/streaming box that can do this and maybe more?

 

[killerbyte]

The Ematic AGT419 supports H.265 and DTS-HD.

There is currently a special on at Takealot (Ematic AGT419 4K (UltraHD) Quad Core Android TV Box (Google and Netflix Certified) | Buy Online in South Africa | takealot.com) Trust me when I say that is an exceptionally good price!!!

 

[Crumbl0x]

The Ematic AGT419 supports H.265 and DTS-HD.

There is currently a special on at Takealot (Ematic AGT419 4K (UltraHD) Quad Core Android TV Box (Google and Netflix Certified) | Buy Online in South Africa | takealot.com) Trust me when I say that is an exceptionally good price!!!

I have to say it is a great price, but I'm not sure if I can recommend S905X top boxes anymore. Maybe the AGT419 I bought was a bit defective in the end, but with some of the issues mirroring what others experience in the official thread of that box on MyBB, it looks like most are universal. They include:

- App performance is jarringly bad sometimes, initially it runs fantastic but eventually crawls with most apps, and it sometimes really struggles with sideloaded traditional apps
- You cannot use proxy / VPN services while connected via Ethernet
- The box may refuse to show video sometimes when waking from sleep
- Hiccups in playback from compositor stutter is common, especially the longer the box has been in use
- The remote may sometimes double press or ignore presses
- Forcing audio profiles is borderline impossible but that's a personal issue with Android and not with the box

I personally don't recommend it anymore, but for its league, at that price, it's still probably the best you can get, and if those common problems don't appear on your unit then that's a solid plus. It's just a real pity we don't have real solid local stock of Nvidia Shields and the refreshed Apple TVs are probably months to a year away.

 

[nelis]

I have to say it is a great price, but I'm not sure if I can recommend S905X top boxes anymore. Maybe the AGT419 I bought was a bit defective in the end, but with some of the issues mirroring what others experience in the official thread of that box on MyBB, it looks like most are universal. They include:

- App performance is jarringly bad sometimes, initially it runs fantastic but eventually crawls with most apps, and it sometimes really struggles with sideloaded traditional apps
- You cannot use proxy / VPN services while connected via Ethernet
- The box may refuse to show video sometimes when waking from sleep
- Hiccups in playback from compositor stutter is common, especially the longer the box has been in use
- The remote may sometimes double press or ignore presses
- Forcing audio profiles is borderline impossible but that's a personal issue with Android and not with the box

I personally don't recommend it anymore, but for its league, at that price, it's still probably the best you can get, and if those common problems don't appear on your unit then that's a solid plus. It's just a real pity we don't have real solid local stock of Nvidia Shields and the refreshed Apple TVs are probably months to a year away.

What else do you suggest

 

[lexor]

If money is no issue you should get the Nvidia Shield Pro from Amazon - R 3499 ( using ZA15 at checkout for $20 discount)- https://www.amazon.com/NVIDIA-Shield-Android-Streaming-Performance/dp/B07YP9FBMM
Might be a bit of an overkill if you have a old TV.
Currently selling at a great price. I imported mine last year from Nvidia and ended up paying about R5000.
Locally they are selling at about R6500.

Alternatively : either the Ematic for R1099 ( as stated above) or the Xiaomi Mi Box for R1099 at Takealot - https://www.takealot.com/xiaomi-mi-...google-certified-dstv-now-netfli/PLID53397084

The Mi Box does not have a Ethernet port though .

I have all the above and obviously like the Shield more.
Personally I'll get the Shield - it's just in a league of its own.

Just make sure that the box you buy is Google certified - the Shield, Ematic & Mi Box is.
The cheaper boxes is not and some do have Netflix,DSTV,Showmax installed BUT once you update they no longer work.

 

[Crumbl0x]

What else do you suggest

Apart from a Linux / Windows based HTPC depending on your needs, what @lexor posted is brilliant and is best to try and acquire a Shield overseas or second hand from places like Carbonite. I also have a sneaking suspicion on why the Mi Box dropped the ethernet port hehe

 

[nelis]

If money is no issue you should get the Nvidia Shield Pro from Amazon - R 3499 ( using ZA15 at checkout for $20 discount)- https://www.amazon.com/NVIDIA-Shield-Android-Streaming-Performance/dp/B07YP9FBMM
Might be a bit of an overkill if you have a old TV.
Currently selling at a great price. I imported mine last year from Nvidia and ended up paying about R5000.
Locally they are selling at about R6500.

Alternatively : either the Ematic for R1099 ( as stated above) or the Xiaomi Mi Box for R1099 at Takealot - https://www.takealot.com/xiaomi-mi-...google-certified-dstv-now-netfli/PLID53397084

The Mi Box does not have a Ethernet port though .

I have all the above and obviously like the Shield more.
Personally I'll get the Shield - it's just in a league of its own.

Just make sure that the box you buy is Google certified - the Shield, Ematic & Mi Box is.
The cheaper boxes is not and some do have Netflix,DSTV,Showmax installed BUT once you update they no longer work.

Thanks for the info but I think the mi box doesn't do dts-hd ma

 

[Neoprod]

I have to say it is a great price, but I'm not sure if I can recommend S905X top boxes anymore. Maybe the AGT419 I bought was a bit defective in the end, but with some of the issues mirroring what others experience in the official thread of that box on MyBB, it looks like most are universal. They include:

- App performance is jarringly bad sometimes, initially it runs fantastic but eventually crawls with most apps, and it sometimes really struggles with sideloaded traditional apps
- You cannot use proxy / VPN services while connected via Ethernet
- The box may refuse to show video sometimes when waking from sleep
- Hiccups in playback from compositor stutter is common, especially the longer the box has been in use
- The remote may sometimes double press or ignore presses
- Forcing audio profiles is borderline impossible but that's a personal issue with Android and not with the box

I personally don't recommend it anymore, but for its league, at that price, it's still probably the best you can get, and if those common problems don't appear on your unit then that's a solid plus. It's just a real pity we don't have real solid local stock of Nvidia Shields and the refreshed Apple TVs are probably months to a year away.

I've had a Shield for awhile so am out of the loop regarding Android TV boxes. What about this Ntech H96 MAX X3 8K Smart 4GB/32GB TV Box with i8 Keyboard

Specification-wise, it looks superior to the AGT419 for the same price -
4Gb RAM
32Gb ROM
S905X3

Kind of interested to see how they hit the same price point, tbh. Unless the S905X units are meant to be much cheaper now.

 

[Mortymoose]

I have two ematic boxes and organised three more for mates who are all happy with it..

 

[cpu.]

I've had a Shield for awhile so am out of the loop regarding Android TV boxes. What about this Ntech H96 MAX X3 8K Smart 4GB/32GB TV Box with i8 Keyboard

Specification-wise, it looks superior to the AGT419 for the same price -
4Gb RAM
32Gb ROM
S905X3

Kind of interested to see how they hit the same price point, tbh. Unless the S905X units are meant to be much cheaper now.

"Please Note: DSTVNOW, Netflix and any other preinstalled Apps should not be updated"

Not Google Certified.

 

[nelis]

I've had a Shield for awhile so am out of the loop regarding Android TV boxes. What about this Ntech H96 MAX X3 8K Smart 4GB/32GB TV Box with i8 Keyboard

Specification-wise, it looks superior to the AGT419 for the same price -
4Gb RAM
32Gb ROM
S905X3

Kind of interested to see how they hit the same price point, tbh. Unless the S905X units are meant to be much cheaper now.

I don't like the fact that it's not google certified. I'm leaning towards the ematic tv box as it seems like a great option. Better than the mi box just a pitty that it only has 100mb lan as I feel that's a bit limited for 4k hdr content being streamed over local lan.

 

[sand_man]

I had a number of mede8ers back in the day and a couple of minix boxes both android and windows based. What works best for me is undoubtedly a windows based htpc.

I've picked up a number of lenova and dell ultra small pcs over on carbs and they serve the purpose and then some.

Something like this

[Reseller] - Lenovo ThinkCentre M710q - tiny - Core i3 6100T 3.2 GHz - 8 GB - 128 GB SSD- WIFI- Windows 10 Pro | Combo (multi-item) sales & full systems

Item: Lenovo ThinkCentre M710q - tiny - Core i3 6100T 3.2 GHz - 8 GB - 128 GB SSD- WIFI- Windows 10 Pro Age: +-2 years old Price: R3299 (Free Shipping included) Warranty: None (1 week personal checking warranty) Packaging: None (But I will package it nicely) Condition: 100% working condition...

carbonite.co.za

There stacks available on carbs. Maybe not a suitable solution for everyone but the versatility, processing power and upgradability make it a no brainer IMHO.

Also look out for Intel nuc. There reasonably priced ones available from time to time. Absolutely beautiful little machines.

 

[Neoprod]

"Please Note: DSTVNOW, Netflix and any other preinstalled Apps should not be updated"

Not Google Certified.

Aah, didn't see that. The Mecool KM1 uses the same SOC and is Google-certified so that's a better option. These things are so cheap compared to the Shield, I almost want one to play with.

 

[DrJohnZoidberg]

Shield Pro is really the only option if you're serious about home theatre. You'll just end up wasting money and time on cheaper Android boxes.

 

[nelis]

Shield Pro is really the only option if you're serious about home theatre. You'll just end up wasting money and time on cheaper Android boxes.

Looks like that. one thing is I just remember that I have an old pc here. I know what people going to think why didn't I use that in the first place and the easy answer is power consumption. It's a 3770k with onboard graphics and 16gb ram. The other issue is I don't have a psu for it but now that I think about it rather than to spend R1K on android box that's mediocre and not giving me what I want just pop in a psu for like R500-1K like this one

Super Flower SF-450P14HE Bronze King 450W 80 Plus Bronze Certified Non-Modular Black Desktop Power Supply - Wootware

or If I want to make life easier for myself this one

Super Flower SF-500P14MS Silver ECO 500W 80 Plus Silver Certified Fully Modular Black Desktop Power Supply - Wootware

I know for a fact will be able to do DTS HD MA but not sure if it will handle 4k seeing as it's older integrated gpu. Spending then money on cheap gpu that can do 4k I might as well buy nvidia shield TV box

 

[DrJohnZoidberg]

Looks like that. one thing is I just remember that I have an old pc here. I know what people going to think why didn't I use that in the first place and the easy answer is power consumption. It's a 3770k with onboard graphics and 16gb ram. The other issue is I don't have a psu for it but now that I think about it rather than to spend R1K on android box that's mediocre and not giving me what I want just pop in a psu for like R500-1K like this one

Super Flower SF-450P14HE Bronze King 450W 80 Plus Bronze Certified Non-Modular Black Desktop Power Supply - Wootware

or If I want to make life easier for myself this one

Super Flower SF-500P14MS Silver ECO 500W 80 Plus Silver Certified Fully Modular Black Desktop Power Supply - Wootware

I know for a fact will be able to do DTS HD MA but not sure if it will handle 4k seeing as it's older integrated gpu. Spending then money on cheap gpu that can do 4k I might as well buy nvidia shield TV box

A PC is a nuisance if you want to use any streaming apps like Netflix, etc.

 

[nelis]

A PC is a nuisance if you want to use any streaming apps like Netflix, etc.

So looks like the nvidia shield is the really only option here

 

[Mike Hoxbig]

I have to say it is a great price, but I'm not sure if I can recommend S905X top boxes anymore. Maybe the AGT419 I bought was a bit defective in the end, but with some of the issues mirroring what others experience in the official thread of that box on MyBB, it looks like most are universal. They include:

- App performance is jarringly bad sometimes, initially it runs fantastic but eventually crawls with most apps, and it sometimes really struggles with sideloaded traditional apps
- You cannot use proxy / VPN services while connected via Ethernet
- The box may refuse to show video sometimes when waking from sleep
- Hiccups in playback from compositor stutter is common, especially the longer the box has been in use
- The remote may sometimes double press or ignore presses
- Forcing audio profiles is borderline impossible but that's a personal issue with Android and not with the box

I personally don't recommend it anymore, but for its league, at that price, it's still probably the best you can get, and if those common problems don't appear on your unit then that's a solid plus. It's just a real pity we don't have real solid local stock of Nvidia Shields and the refreshed Apple TVs are probably months to a year away.

It's the same with any OS. Apps become slower over time. You need to do some maintenance once in a while by clearing the app cache etc.

I've had an ematic box for over a year now and haven't had any major issues. Still runs as smooth as when I got it. I would recommend it over a Mi Box for the simple fact that it has a LAN port.

For the price there's nothing better out there. The next step up would be a Shield but that's beyond most people's budgets...

 

[mercurial]

Still running my Minix Neo U1. Plays everything I throw at it.

 

[Koosvanwyk]

Hi there

We have a home theater system with a denon-x550bt Receiver connected to a oldish samsung tv. Now we want to add a media player that can play H.265 media files and do DTS-hd Master and so on. Can anyone suggest me a media player/streaming box that can do this and maybe more?

I have both a Nvidia Shield Pro and a Nvidia Shield TV ( the silinder shaped one). If it is purely to be used for streaming then the Shield TV is more than adaquate. It is small and light can be easily be tucked away behind a TV.

Apart from this, the only other advice I can give
1. is to get a streaming box with a LAN port
2. make sure the supplier provides frequent/ regular OS updates.