I'm in the market for an Android TV box since my 2018's Unblock Tech TV box just died. Planning to install/sideload Kodi on the box (I've got a RealDebrid sub, pretty happy with it).
Any recommendations? Pretty inclined to Xiaomi Mi Box S at the moment https://www.dicksmith.co.nz/dn/buy/heybattery-xiaomi-mi-box-…. Anyone has used this before - pros/cons? Thanks.
I've got Matt Huisman's IPTV addon installed on Kodi before and it worked fine to view free-to-air TV (albeit missing subtitles, which is a bit of a pain when trying to watch something while the kids being noisy), so that's covered. Thanks for the review - think I'm definitely going for Mi Box for now, while waiting for deals for the NVidia.
Is that addon with Kodi able to be installed on a Google Chromecast with Google TV? Looking at options to replace Vodafone TV and would still like live Freeview TV.
I have Kodi & Matt Huisman's IPTV addon installed on My Chromecast with Google TV which provides all channels live Freeview & extras. Is snappier than Android TV with Kodi built into My Smart TV.
NVIDIA Shield TV Pro 4K HDR Android TV would be the best Android box you can buy, maybe expensive but it will last for sure. Wait for the deal to popup, have been posted few times.
Or
We have two Nvidia shields and one mi box. Both do the same thing but the Nvidia is significantly quicker
I would second the nomination of the Google Chromecast with Google TV - 4K. I set 1 up recently with Kodi & it is excellent & responsive. Supports Dolby Vision, VP9 and HLG decode, HDR10 and HDR10+ wide color space, Atmos, Dolby Digital +, Dolby Audio etc. Don't think of it like a Chromecast that uses another device to cast to it, think of it as a stand alone unit with remote. I use it solely with the remote & find Google TV very similar to Android TV. Has the same RAM & storage as the Xiaomi device You are considering. Being a Google device should receive new updates first & have good support. The latest update looks to be based on Android 10 (Xiaomi Mi Box S is Android 8.1) & incorporates May 2022 security patch.
I would really go with Google unless OP is looking for usb or lan port. I have Google chromecast with remote in guest room and it's awesome and responsive. Almost all of my plex library play on it without a hitch.
I have the shield tube and CCWGTV, both good but no storage on the CC without a hub.
Shield is best if you dont mind spending that, but +1 for Google Chromecast with Google TV, works really well with kodi despite the limited specs. The MeCool ones are decent for the price too, they have the proper Google TV OS.
Looking for a good replacement for Vodafone TV. How user friendly for the non techy people are the Mibox or Google Chromecast with Google TV? I should be able setup whatever, but for my wife it would need to be something you just turn on and it works.
I cannot speak about the miBox but I consider the Chromecast with Google TV to be well designed to be very user friendly. It also uses a simplified remote which should reduce confusion (includes a button for Google Assistant so a spoken search or request can be performed to save typing). The front end of Google TV makes it super easy to start an app, view recommendations + what's new or resume a movie or episode You haven't completed watching. I am very happy with mine & recommend highly.
Thanks for the tip. Will have a look at it.
Thanks for the tip.
Switched from Mi Box S to Google TV. Much better.
Been through a few TV boxes in the last few years. Mi box is definitely the best that I have. Still using it after 3 years and still getting firmware updates.
No Freeview though, if you need live TV over IP. Can use apps like TVNZ+