Xiaomi Mi Box / Mi Box S [Android TV OS]

[Jasop]

I said Android TV but I'm pretty sure it's Android in general that can't write to external storage without root. Some file explorers have an enable write permission but I can't really say for sure if it's going to work or not.

Then there is also the thing of will the phone power both devices at the same time without a powered hub or even be able to see them both at the same time.

thanks a lot for feedback, it's a bit annoying as this is something an ancient xbox360 has been able to do for years without any issues as long as drives were formatted as FAT32.

 

[Soul Assassin]

thanks a lot for feedback, it's a bit annoying as this is something an ancient xbox360 has been able to do for years without any issues as long as drives were formatted as FAT32.

The thing is it might work and I could be wrong but I can't tell you for sure that yes it will work and then you spend money and it ends up not working.

 

[Jasop]

The thing is it might work and I could be wrong but I can't tell you for sure that yes it will work and then you spend money and it ends up not working.

Yeah good point, after watching some youtube videos you are most probably right.

I might try it out anyway, can always return to takealot if it doesn't work.

 

[BigAl-sa]

Yes this is exactly what I meant. I need to easily take movies to friends / family house on a memory stick and copy directly to their mibox.

My cheapo generic USB hub worked fine, I guess that's thanks to the Android OS.

Tried copying a movie using Kodi, got the error below:
"Copy Failed - Failed to copy at least one file, check the log for more information" unfortunately no info in the log, even after enabling all logging options in settings

Then tried copying the movie using File Commander, got error below:
"Read only access - Application has read-only access to tghis folder on /storage/6E00-D536"

Both Kodi and FIle Commander have permissions to access internal storage. How do you grant write permission to external drives?

If I find the answer somewhere else online I'll post an update here.

Android TV limitation, bôgerôl to do with your hub. Get a biggish usb drive and set it to be part of the system (the mi box will ask you to do that). You can then write to "system" memory as far as that usb drive space will allow. Copy that away via bluetooth.

If you want to reuse that particular "system" usb drive elsewhere, you cannot access the data, and have to repartition it, so anything that was on the drive is lost.

 

[Hamish McPanji]

That's unfortunate - so guess i'll need a computer to move files from the memory stick to the external hard drive connected to the mibox.

Create the folder structure on the Usb drive,

So for example Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/downloads

Or

Android/data/com.estrongs.android.pop

Then you will be able to download into that folder

 

[StoneCold]

Today, out of the blue, my WiFi connectivity on my MiBox starts acting up for some weird reason. Thought initially it was a problem on my ISP's end but wasn't the case as changing ISP accounts and DNS settings didn't help much. For the record, my router is another room and not close to my MiBox.

Whipped out my ethernet to USB connector and fired it up along with my ethernet over powerline plugs and works a treat. Another small annoyance I have since the 600mb+ update is that, when switching on my MiBox and TV, I would be presented with a solid colour on screen. I can hear in the background that I can move around the different apps with the remote.

To "solve" it, I would need to open an app and then start playing a stream. Its either that or a hard reboot. Thought it was my HDMI cable, replaced it with another, appeared the problem was gone, but had it again tonight. So bloody annoying. Could just as well be my TV, but alas, not going to be buying a new TV till year end to verify that suspicion of mine, lol.

Guess I could hook it up to my PC monitor and see if I get the same. The WiFi issue though is just mind boggling. I'll try it again tomorrow via WiFi, its just really odd that after 6 months of use I got a WiFi issue all of a sudden

PS: Haven't tried a factory reset yet, which I suppose could also solve my issues.

 

[Speedster]

Today, out of the blue, my WiFi connectivity on my MiBox starts acting up for some weird reason. Thought initially it was a problem on my ISP's end but wasn't the case as changing ISP accounts and DNS settings didn't help much. For the record, my router is another room and not close to my MiBox.

Whipped out my ethernet to USB connector and fired it up along with my ethernet over powerline plugs and works a treat. Another small annoyance I have since the 600mb+ update is that, when switching on my MiBox and TV, I would be presented with a solid colour on screen. I can hear in the background that I can move around the different apps with the remote.

To "solve" it, I would need to open an app and then start playing a stream. Its either that or a hard reboot. Thought it was my HDMI cable, replaced it with another, appeared the problem was gone, but had it again tonight. So bloody annoying. Could just as well be my TV, but alas, not going to be buying a new TV till year end to verify that suspicion of mine, lol.

Guess I could hook it up to my PC monitor and see if I get the same. The WiFi issue though is just mind boggling. I'll try it again tomorrow via WiFi, its just really odd that after 6 months of use I got a WiFi issue all of a sudden

PS: Haven't tried a factory reset yet, which I suppose could also solve my issues.

For the screen issue, have you disabled the Showtime app?

 

[StoneCold]

For the screen issue, have you disabled the Showtime app?

Yes, I have. I had the black screen and white line issue previously and disabling the showtime app fixed it. I disabled my screen saver for now to see if it contributes to the screen issue.

 

[hj2k_x]

That is good news.

I still can't get Prime Video to work on the 4s. It works fine on the 3. On the 4s I can watch one episode and then the sound disappears. Then I have to completely log out and re-register the device for it to work again. Any ideas?

Anyone know a fix for this?

 

[SeRpEnT]

thanks a lot for feedback, it's a bit annoying as this is something an ancient xbox360 has been able to do for years without any issues as long as drives were formatted as FAT32.

Why don't you try another way.. Use ES File Explorer or Xplor file management apps on your Android TV device to access the file structure of a USB plugged into your wifi router (home network or some other name that will come up in the File manager when you search for local router content.) Then you should be able to copy to and from both devices at the speed of your wifi connection. Worth a try. I did something similar ages ago with my android phone. Could work here.

Edit: https://www.groovypost.com/howto/share-usb-drive-wi-fi-router/

 

[Nikkel]

For those looking...posted an hour ago

https://www.gumtree.co.za/a-other-t...-box-s-just-arrived/1004817569490910023386909

 

[Jasop]

Why don't you try another way.. Use ES File Explorer or Xplor file management apps on your Android TV device to access the file structure of a USB plugged into your wifi router (home network or some other name that will come up in the File manager when you search for local router content.) Then you should be able to copy to and from both devices at the speed of your wifi connection. Worth a try. I did something similar ages ago with my android phone. Could work here.

Edit: https://www.groovypost.com/howto/share-usb-drive-wi-fi-router/

Thanks, I tried both those apps already but it doesn't work unless the mibox is rooted.

 

[Nikkel]

Thanks, I tried both those apps already but it doesn't work unless the mibox is rooted.

Haven't done what's been asked myself but how about giving FX File Explorer a try... I merely tried it to access pc media server and nothing really more than that and it works great for my needs at the moment.

Not sure if the file sharing icon as in pic could serve your purpose...?

 

[KleinBoontjie]

Thanks, I tried both those apps already but it doesn't work unless the mibox is rooted.

I believe one can add FTP as an source on Kodi and FTP the files over.

 

[Jasop]

Thanks for above recommendations, will try it out but I'm not optimistic.

Requirement is to copy file from USB memory stick to external hard drive both connected through USB hub to mibox (not over network) without needing a PC or rooting the mibox.

 

[SamWill]

Thanks, I tried both those apps already but it doesn't work unless the mibox is rooted.

Just saw this. Not sure if it will help you

https://www.androidpolice.com/2019/...tv-for-remote-viewing-file-transfer-and-more/

 

[Jasop]

Just saw this. Not sure if it will help you

https://www.androidpolice.com/2019/...tv-for-remote-viewing-file-transfer-and-more/

Thanks, I read that article, I'm not exactly sure what is meant by "mounted" external storage. I need to be able to remove the external USB drives at any time.

The example in their screenshot is using the TeamViewer app on a Windows computer to remotely delete a file from the Android TV storage, so slightly different from what I'm trying to do.

 

[Budza]

How often does the Box S get updated?

I'm looking at getting one for 4k media playback: Netflix and Plex.

Does Plex Direct Play work with 2160p x265 files?

Initial reviews mention the Box S struggling with 4k, with the interface lagging too.

Is this still the case or have updates resolved that?

 

[SamWill]

Thanks, I read that article, I'm not exactly sure what is meant by "mounted" external storage. I need to be able to remove the external USB drives at any time.

The example in their screenshot is using the TeamViewer app on a Windows computer to remotely delete a file from the Android TV storage, so slightly different from what I'm trying to do.

Ah, ok

 

[Soul Assassin]

How often does the Box S get updated?

I'm looking at getting one for 4k media playback: Netflix and Plex.

Does Plex Direct Play work with 2160p x265 files?

Initial reviews mention the Box S struggling with 4k, with the interface lagging too.

Is this still the case or have updates resolved that?

You're probably going to want to try and find the non S version if you're going to watch 2160P on Plex because the S version can't direct play HD audio but the normal one can.

You just set the GUI to 1080P, if you set it to 4K it's not as smooth but that doesn't affect the playback.

If you're thinking about that Android Central "review" you can ignore it, I'm pretty sure that person is a moron.