Good Android Box - Kodi

[quizzer25]

Can you all recommend a good android box for streaming KODI addons? Budget less than $100.

What are the key factors to consider for Kodi?
RAM - Is 3 GB better than 2 GB for playing HD Live sports (without buffering)?
SOC - Amlogic 912 better than 905X?

Replacing a Nexus player (1 gb ram/8gb storage) which buffers a lot for HD live sports.

Any other pointers are appreciated too.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Raspberry PI runs fine and should be under $100 with the board + power adapter + case. I have run into certain formats that stutter though but it's so seldom I never really troubleshooted much.

Any type of streaming is going to be very hit or miss though. I personally don't bother, I just pre-download then have a NFS share on it from my server.

 

[Red Storm]

Xiaomi Mi Box seems to work fine, and it's around $70 at Walmart.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Xiaomi Mi Box seems to work fine, and it's around $70 at Walmart.

This.

More RAM helps (especially if you tweak the settings) but be careful that many boxes DON'T have real Android TV OS and therefore would a massive step down in experience.

As far as I know there are three Android TV boxes: The Mi Box, the Nexus Player and the Nvidia Shield (both versions). Given your budget and your experience with the Nexus player the Mi Box seems like the best upgrade.

 

[Zaap]

I'm curious, what's the difference with an actual Android TV OS box?

I just ordered an Amazon Fire TV box. (I assume that's Android TV OS?) From what I've been able to gather, it runs Kodi just fine- which is literally the ONLY reason I want it. Already have a Roku 4 which my family is super happy with, but I want a dedicated Kodi box.

What I liked about the FireTV vs other options is #1- ethernet port. I'm just not a fan of these things over wifi vs. direct wired. Also 4k support since it'll be on main living room 4k TV. For these reasons I also opted for the TV vs the Firestick. Also, the price difference is so little, unless I'm missing something major, the FireTV seemed perfect as a Kodi box.

 

[poofyhairguy]

I'm curious, what's the difference with an actual Android TV OS box?

I just ordered an Amazon Fire TV box. (I assume that's Android TV OS?) From what I've been able to gather, it runs Kodi just fine- which is literally the ONLY reason I want it. Already have a Roku 4 which my family is super happy with, but I want a dedicated Kodi box.

What I liked about the FireTV vs other options is #1- ethernet port. I'm just not a fan of these things over wifi vs. direct wired. Also 4k support since it'll be on main living room 4k TV. For these reasons I also opted for the TV vs the Firestick. Also, the price difference is so little, unless I'm missing something major, the FireTV seemed perfect as a Kodi box.

There is an version of Android Google makes for TVs called Android TV. Is it is a completely different OS than regular Android, as instead of being touch-focused it is remote focused and so are the apps.

The FireTV uses a forked version of Android that Amazon has created that is also TV focused much like Android TV OS is. In many ways it is very similar to a Android TV box, it just has a different interface (Amazon's) and it hooks into a different app store (Amazon's). I think the Fire TVs make fine Kodi boxes. Not the best in the space (the Nvidia Shield is by far the best ARM-based Kodi box) but more than good enough for most people.

What ISN'T worth buying is any other Android box that isn't a FireTV or a Android TV box. Amazon is filled with "Android Kodi" boxes that are just touch-based Android hacked to KINDA work on a TV. The touch apps like the regular Netflix Android app are hacked to KINDA work with a remote, and often on those boxes you can still see the Android menu bar or notification shade like its a phone. These boxes aren't worth the money unless its for a specific use and you know what you are doing (for example I have one configured to be Kodi device on vacation JUST for playing content I bring with me- no streaming no netflix).

 

[preslove]

for playing HD Live sports (without buffering)?

lolno

 

[Zaap]

There is an version of Android Google makes for TVs called Android TV. Is it is a completely different OS than regular Android, as instead of being touch-focused it is remote focused and so are the apps.

*snip*

Good stuff to know! Thanks.

 

[stormkroe]

Older pentium or i3 laptop works pretty spiffy in that price range. Kodi is very light weight, not sure about 4k output from the lappy though.

 

[sweenish]

Raspberry PI runs fine and should be under $100 with the board + power adapter + case. I have run into certain formats that stutter though but it's so seldom I never really troubleshooted much.

The Pi is cheap, OSMC is quite nice as a media streaming OS, but you might end up a touch over $100 since you'll also need a remote. I don't know if you'll need to buy a microSD card as well. A kit and remote can be had for about $90.

But I get it if you don't want to be bothered setting that up.

The Mi Box will work, though. It won't be the best experience. Coming from a Nexus Player, it may be an improvement or just more of the same.
http://www.androidpolice.com/2016/1...eal-around-for-android-tv-for-what-its-worth/

If you want a cushy experience, you'll have to spend a bit more for something like a Shield TV.

 

[Raduque]

I have a Mi Box and a Shield 2016.

The UI experience is similar and performance for streaming is identical.

Where they differ is the gaming and accessory experience.

The Shield was designed for gaming and you can tell (it ships with the controller instead of the remote by default). The remote is of much higher quality being unibody aluminum, than the Mi Box's (cheap plastic), though neither are backlit, which is a damn shame. I can understand the Mi Box at $70, but for $200 (or $50 standalone) one would expect a backlit remote. Shield can pull battery details from the remote, as well as using it as a remote mic to search, and can update the firmware of the remote and controller OTA.

The Mi Box is amazing at it's price point though, and if you don't mind the reduced built quality and don't need to play games, I recommend it 100% over the Shield.

 

[sweenish]

The review I linked to doesn't really disagree.

So maybe my argument wasn't framed very well. I don't see the point of an Android TV box in that case. A Chromecast can be used with a Kodi app on your phone for less. A Raspberry Pi for ~same cost can run OSMC, which [subjectively] looks a lot nicer and allows for more customization.

 

[Raduque]

Android TV requires less of a time and money investment than an RPi, and does more standalone than a Chromecast does.

IMO, Chromecasts are a product looking for a solution - they should be phased out entirely in favor of Android TV.

I don't use Kodi, though - while it's a local client similar to the old WIndows Media Center, I had a massive headache getting it to see my networked shares and the UI was confusing. I use PLEX instead. It works on literally everything (Android TV, Roku, Xbox One, Ps4, PCs) and it runs a backend on my server that handles the metadata and database, freeing up the streaming client to be super light weight and low-end. Even my crappy Ellipses 8 tablet (with an ultra low-end dualcore SoC and 1gb ram) can stream 1080p perfectly from my PLEX server, because my 16-thread Xeon is handling the heavy lifting.

 

[sweenish]

I disagree with your sentiments on Chromecast. Most importantly, it hits a price point, and using your phone as the controller is a lot faster than a remote. Voice controls still aren't quite there to be the ubiquitous replacement, and even when the voice works, the AI can be colossally stupid.

If you want to tout Android TV features over Chromecast, this is precisely where the Mi Box falls short. You would get the Mi Box over the Chromecast if you really want another remote and the TV interface. Both of which are "meh" for me. If I were to switch from a Chromecast to AndroidTV, I would go whole hog on the Shield TV since it actually allows all those extra features to shine.

If all I really cared about was a media center, I'd go the Pi route. Like I said, OSMC is [subjectively] better looking, and if one is using Plex, it really doesn't matter what kind of hardware the endpoint has.

I also use Plex. I don't know why you bothered going into such a long description of it. OP still wants to use Kodi, and wanting to use Kodi alone is enough of a justification for me to suggest a Pi.

 

[poofyhairguy]

One last option OP would be to get a Chromebox off ebay, they often go for under $100. That would be a better Kodi box than anything at that price point (especially for streaming content in Kodi) but you won't get the other apps Android TV gets like Hulu and Netflix.

I still use two Chromeboxes running Openelec in my house setup.

 

[Rifter]

Ill throw my hat into the chromecast pile as well. I have them on all my TV's, they are great. I love using your phone to control it so you dont need to worry about having even more remotes floating around the house taking up space and needing batteries.

 

[billbillw]

I'm a big fan of the Chromebox units running OpenElec/LibreElec. Lightning fast, no issues playing 1080p bluray rips with full TrueHD/DTSHD audio (unlike may of the lower priced units). If you set them up to dual boot with Chrome OS, you can get Netflix and other streaming sites.