The Droid TV thread

Have the Nexus player, firestick and couple of other cheap droid boxes.

Just got a Chromecast Ultra and everything just works, all the boxes had something or the other that would irritate me. I'm sure the Chromecast 2 is just fine also at an even cheaper price.

It's just that there is always something, for example the Firestick doesn't have an official youtube app, can't play google movies. Nexus player has weird mic problems can't play amazon video, weird cast issues that come and go with updates. Uhggg every box I tried had something that irratated me. Only the chromecast plays everything everytime and if not someone has already come up with a convinient work around, or i just mirror the screen.

I donno maybe it's just me.
 
Vegeta said:
Have the Nexus player, firestick and couple of other cheap droid boxes.

Just got a Chromecast Ultra and everything just works, all the boxes had something or the other that would irritate me. I'm sure the Chromecast 2 is just fine also at an even cheaper price.

It's just that there is always something, for example the Firestick doesn't have an official youtube app, can't play google movies. Nexus player has weird mic problems can't play amazon video, weird cast issues that come and go with updates. Uhggg every box I tried had something that irratated me. Only the chromecast plays everything everytime and if not someone has already come up with a convinient work around, or i just mirror the screen.

I donno maybe it's just me.
Click to expand...
mi box, with chromecast built in, FTW
 
Speedster said:
mi box, with chromecast built in, FTW
Click to expand...
Nexus player also has chromecast built in but because it's always on the newest most cutting edge AndroidTV release it introduces bugs every now and again until the next update. For a while cast wasn't working at all, working now, bugs every now and again

MiBox runs the same rom so i can only imagine it has the same bugs now and them
 
Vegeta said:
Nexus player also has chromecast built in but because it's always on the newest most cutting edge AndroidTV release it introduces bugs every now and again until the next update. For a while cast wasn't working at all, working now, bugs every now and again

MiBox runs the same rom so i can only imagine it has the same bugs now and them
Click to expand...
Can I have the Nexus Player
 
Ok the Shield is awesome but not perfect. It just works, straight out the box, no fiddling required and it'll do 99% of the things you need.

However I still HATE Android TV and especially how much it's locked down on the Shield, biggest gripe is you can't change the stock launcher(which is crap) or home wallpaper, a little thing but bugs me. It is very easy to use though, the old Droid box took a while to explain to the Mrs, with this she was watching her shows before I had even got down the stairs. The remote is also incredibly basic, it works really well though, unfortunately my Rii mini doesn't really work, well it does but "back" is treated as a right click so you have to turn the remote over to go back a menu which is annoying. It does everything I need it to so maybe I'm suffering from a bit of culture shock coming from "real" Android, I do like my things set up just right for me...

The lack of an air mouse and browser worried me but it was mainly used to stream SuperSport, with the Shield DSTV Now works perfectly so that's not an issue. I'll be getting a mini keyboard and mouse to use with this when needed, more on that later.

Audio passthrough took an hour of fiddling but that's cos I forgot to turn my amp on and changed all the settings trying to get sound before realising, if you just leave everything it works fine.

Now I bought this box for the media side of things, gaming I thought was a nice touch but not that important. Well GameStream is ****ing awesome, it's basically a VPN into your PC, load up any game(or any program actually) and play on your TV, that simple. I didn't get the controller with mine, you definitely should, not a huge deal for me though as most of the games I play need a keyboard and mouse, hence I'm buying one. The controller may come in future for the Mrs to play. Seriously tempted to get Geforce Now, just need to do some research on the latencies, it may not be possible from SA.

The 4k upscaling on the Shield is dreadful, set it to 1080p rather and let your TV do the upscaling and it's MUCH better.

Is it worth it, I dunno, it is expensive but after 3 years of Droid boxes each with their own unique niggles it's nice to have something that just works. I've finally got auto frame rate switching and full audio passthrough, that alone is worth the asking price for me! If you're only using TV sound, a soundbar or FHD TV then definitely save your money and look elsewhere.
 
ScottulusMaximus said:
Ok the Shield is awesome but not perfect. It just works, straight out the box, no fiddling required and it'll do 99% of the things you need.

However I still HATE Android TV and especially how much it's locked down on the Shield, biggest gripe is you can't change the stock launcher(which is crap) or home wallpaper, a little thing but bugs me. It is very easy to use though, the old Droid box took a while to explain to the Mrs, with this she was watching her shows before I had even got down the stairs. The remote is also incredibly basic, it works really well though, unfortunately my Rii mini doesn't really work, well it does but "back" is treated as a right click so you have to turn the remote over to go back a menu which is annoying. It does everything I need it to so maybe I'm suffering from a bit of culture shock coming from "real" Android, I do like my things set up just right for me...

The lack of an air mouse and browser worried me but it was mainly used to stream SuperSport, with the Shield DSTV Now works perfectly so that's not an issue. I'll be getting a mini keyboard and mouse to use with this when needed, more on that later.

Audio passthrough took an hour of fiddling but that's cos I forgot to turn my amp on and changed all the settings trying to get sound before realising, if you just leave everything it works fine.

Now I bought this box for the media side of things, gaming I thought was a nice touch but not that important. Well GameStream is ****ing awesome, it's basically a VPN into your PC, load up any game(or any program actually) and play on your TV, that simple. I didn't get the controller with mine, you definitely should, not a huge deal for me though as most of the games I play need a keyboard and mouse, hence I'm buying one. The controller may come in future for the Mrs to play. Seriously tempted to get Geforce Now, just need to do some research on the latencies, it may not be possible from SA.

The 4k upscaling on the Shield is dreadful, set it to 1080p rather and let your TV do the upscaling and it's MUCH better.

Is it worth it, I dunno, it is expensive but after 3 years of Droid boxes each with their own unique niggles it's nice to have something that just works. I've finally got auto frame rate switching and full audio passthrough, that alone is worth the asking price for me! If you're only using TV sound, a soundbar or FHD TV then definitely save your money and look elsewhere.
Click to expand...
I was considering the Shield, but plenty things in this comment just turned me off.
 
Icemanbrfc said:
I was considering the Shield, but plenty things in this comment just turned me off.
Click to expand...

As far as I can tell there are 3 reasons you need a Shield:

1. You want the "best" and fanciest gadget.
2. You care a great deal about your home theatre setup, especially the sound.
3. You want to play games.

If you're not on that list the MiBox at half the price is a no-brainer.
 
ScottulusMaximus said:
As far as I can tell there are 3 reasons you need a Shield:

1. You want the "best" and fanciest gadget.
2. You care a great deal about your home theatre setup, especially the sound.
3. You want to play games.

If you're not on that list the MiBox at half the price is a no-brainer.
Click to expand...
I'm happy with my HPH NT-V6 still. Think it's probably around 2 or more years that I bought it from Roux on here. Great little device, and I can't complain with 32GB storage and 4GB ram.

I think I might need to get another box, because as of late the HPH has been acting a bit funny.
 
Where can I purchase a mi box locally in Jhb or Pretoria?

Dont want to wait for it to be shipped from overseas.
 
You can order from zeekonline.co.za . But it is a lot more expensive than ordering from a place like gearbest
 
Regarding the X96 mini (Amlogic S905W chipset ) Android box :

I see ads on Gumtree that claim that this box supports Showmax and more importantly Dstv Now.

Is this true or even possible, any thoughts on it ?
 
Probably if you obtain the apk's for the apps. Why bother though?
Just get something that works without constant fiddling.
 
The X96 Mini is a cheap option if it really supports Dstv Now - being sold for R499. I do have two Chromecasts that work perfectly - different experience to an Android box though with no display on screen , except for mirroring before natively casting whatever .
 
Just got a MI BOX and although DSTV and YOUTUBE and TERRARIUM working like a charm, KODI on this box SUCKS!!!

The first problem I encountered was the WATCHDOG plugin. (It watches your sources for changes and updates KODI once changes are found.) It constantly hangs updating over my oh-so-large SAMBA environment...
The second is the quality/implementation of 5KHz is poor-poor-poor! I have multiple devices and none was implemented so badly. Switched to 2.4 and everything works.

The before-last thing is Google's grubby paws over this entire device. Their products are expensive, pasted over the main screen and if you do not know your way, no-way to get rid of.
NOTE: Go to the APP in your SETTINGS and DISABLE to remove from main screen...

The last thing is the inability of replacing/removing the LAUNCHER. In previous releases this, I read, was possible, but now, you are stuck with the crappy implementation of Android-TV that is totally a waist of property-space on your Home-screen. No way of checking your WEATHER (Widget) and no-way adding anything funky, just the bland "suggested" media on the main screen...

Other than that, it does work nicely with my streaming media, when it works...

PS - NON of the WiFi Remotes I bought over the last 5 years works! :(
 
Last edited:
aubreyk said:
Just got a MI BOX and although DSTV and YOUTUBE and TERRARIUM working like a charm, KODI on this box SUCKS!!!

The first problem I encountered was the WATCHDOG plugin. (It watches your sources for changes and updates KODI once changes are found.) It constantly hangs updating over my oh-so-large SAMBA environment...
The second is the quality/implementation of 5KHz is poor-poor-poor! I have multiple devices and none was implemented so badly. Switched to 2.4 and everything works.

The before-last thing is Google's grubby paws over this entire device. Their products are expensive, pasted over the main screen and if you do not know your way, no-way to get rid of.
NOTE: Go to the APP in your SETTINGS and DISABLE to remove from main screen...

The last thing is the inability of replacing/removing the LAUNCHER. In previous releases this, I read, was possible, but now, you are stuck with the crappy implementation of Android-TV that is totally a waist of property-space on your Home-screen. No way of checking your WEATHER (Widget) and no-way adding anything funky, just the bland "suggested" media on the main screen...

Other than that, it does work nicely with my streaming media, when it works...

PS - NON of the WiFi Remotes I bought over the last 5 years works! :(
Click to expand...

I ended up adding an "Orico 3-port USB 3.0 Hub With Gigabit Ethernet Adapter", running at 100BT, and it seems the box is more stable. I got this one from Take-a-Lot for R295...

NOTE 1: This device is about 1/2 the size of the MI BOX!
NOTE 2: I will test WiFi remotes using the hub later...
 
aubreyk said:
Just got a MI BOX and although DSTV and YOUTUBE and TERRARIUM working like a charm, KODI on this box SUCKS!!!

The first problem I encountered was the WATCHDOG plugin. (It watches your sources for changes and updates KODI once changes are found.) It constantly hangs updating over my oh-so-large SAMBA environment...
The second is the quality/implementation of 5KHz is poor-poor-poor! I have multiple devices and none was implemented so badly. Switched to 2.4 and everything works.

The before-last thing is Google's grubby paws over this entire device. Their products are expensive, pasted over the main screen and if you do not know your way, no-way to get rid of.
NOTE: Go to the APP in your SETTINGS and DISABLE to remove from main screen...

The last thing is the inability of replacing/removing the LAUNCHER. In previous releases this, I read, was possible, but now, you are stuck with the crappy implementation of Android-TV that is totally a waist of property-space on your Home-screen. No way of checking your WEATHER (Widget) and no-way adding anything funky, just the bland "suggested" media on the main screen...

Other than that, it does work nicely with my streaming media, when it works...

PS - NON of the WiFi Remotes I bought over the last 5 years works! :(
Click to expand...
Who needs Kodi. Load of bs if you ask me. More than enough Android apps to satisfy my appetite. With Terrarium being the top dog. Kodi us just not user friendly and all the add ons is just to much pt to navigate through.
 
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