casminkey 15 Posted July 30, 2017 Share Posted July 30, 2017 I found others asking a similar question but not sure if they relate to my needs so asking for a little advice... The short question - what's different between the $200 NVidia Shield and the countless $35 Android boxes on Amazon or a Google Nexus player (which I already have)? I have 2 TV's - a 36" in my living room and a 60" plasma with 7-speaker surround sound. Both have a HTPC to run Emby Theater. Everything works great and love the quality. I use Emby for everything - my media collection, live TV, DVR, ETC. I also have a ASUS Nexus TV that I primarily use for HBO Go, since I can't play that through my HomerunHD with Emby. Anyway, I'm looking to cancel cable and sign up for YouTube TV, thus making a need for an Android device. The Nexus TV works fine on a 36" TV except Live TV is hit or miss, i think because it's playing over Wifi. Should I try a simple USB network adapter? But what would I lose with a cheap android device or gain from a more expensive NVidia Shield? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdiesel 1114 Posted July 30, 2017 Share Posted July 30, 2017 (edited) A few things, those cheap Android boxes will run regular Android and not the Android TV OS that that the Shield TV, Nexus Player, MI box, Fire TV run. The cheap boxes won't have the Widevine DRM required to use apps like Netflix, Amazon, HBO, ect and will be limited to 480p resolutions with 2 channel audio. You won't get any software updates and may be stuck with buggy firmware. Ignore spec or number when looking at and Android TV box as it is pretty much meaningless and only used to market boxes to unsuspecting customers. Support is they only thing that matters when it comes to Android boxes. IMO the extra few $$$ on a FireTV or Mi Box is well worth it if a Shield TV is over your budget. Edited July 30, 2017 by Jdiesel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casminkey 15 Posted July 30, 2017 Author Share Posted July 30, 2017 (edited) I don't mind the $200 for the Shield, but if I get the same results with a Nexus player and a USB network adapter then I'd rather pay $50. ;-) Thanks for the info on those cheap Android boxes! That is not what I want so they're out. So you mentioned the Mi Box. Does that run Android TV like the Nexus Player? And a worthy replacement/upgrade since the Nexus player is discontinued? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk Edited July 30, 2017 by casminkey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdiesel 1114 Posted July 30, 2017 Share Posted July 30, 2017 Yes the Xiaomi Mi box is probably the closest device to the Nexus Player and was touted as a replacement when it was released. It runs the true Android TV OS. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mi-Box-Android-TV/54827138 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casminkey 15 Posted July 30, 2017 Author Share Posted July 30, 2017 Thanks for the info! Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebr 14937 Posted July 30, 2017 Share Posted July 30, 2017 Not sure if you care but one of the things the Shield gives you that none of the others do is support for HD audio. Possibly refresh-rate switching as well. The Shield is definitely the best device out there but a Mi or Fire can suffice depending on your requirements. Stay away from the cheap "Android" boxes. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arrbee99 1561 Posted July 30, 2017 Share Posted July 30, 2017 As far as I know Mi Box also doesn't have ethernet, FireTV box (not stick) does. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdiesel 1114 Posted July 30, 2017 Share Posted July 30, 2017 As far as I know Mi Box also doesn't have ethernet, FireTV box (not stick) does. Obviously an additional cost but for $10 you can add a usb ethernet adapter. https://m.aliexpress.com/s/item/32714212552.html?trace=wwwdetail2mobilesitedetail&productId=32714212552&productSubject=Xiaomi-USB-3-0-gigabit-ethernet-adapter-USB-to-rj45-lan-network-card-for-Windows-10&spm=2114.search0104.3.2.NorKc2&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_1_10152_10065_10151_10068_10130_10084_10083_10080_10139_10307_10082_10081_10110_10178_10137_10111_10060_10112_10113_10155_10114_10154_10056_10055_10054_10310_10312_10059_100031_10099_10078_10079_10103_10073_10102_10052_10053_10142_10107_10050_10051,searchweb201603_13,ppcSwitch_5&btsid=45f0194d-ea07-43cb-9a51-a25a105eff49&algo_expid=ce5c89d4-7072-4b4e-b052-0368affdb1d5-0&algo_pvid=ce5c89d4-7072-4b4e-b052-0368affdb1d5#autostay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdiesel 1114 Posted July 30, 2017 Share Posted July 30, 2017 I don't believe the Mi Box does dynamic refresh rate switching unless a recent update changed that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkss12 296 Posted July 30, 2017 Share Posted July 30, 2017 The $38US, Mecool M8S Pro Plus Android box has Widevine level 1 and HDCP (high definition copy protection), so it will run Netflix in 1080p with DD+ (Dolby Digital Plus). Magendanz from Freaktab has ported the Android TV OS to this box. I have not received mine yet (long story), so I can not test how Emby runs on it. I have a Nexus Player (using a USB Ethernet adapter) and an Xiaomi Mibox, again using a USB Ethernet adapter), but the live TV streams do not play as well as using Emby on a Windows 10 computer. I have two HDHomeRun OTA dual networked tuners that I use for my TV streams. All my devices are hardwired with Ethernet cables. I really want to compare the live TV streams using the different players with this Mecool M8S Pro Plus when I receive it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdiesel 1114 Posted July 30, 2017 Share Posted July 30, 2017 (edited) The $38US, Mecool M8S Pro Plus Android box has Widevine level 1 and HDCP (high definition copy protection), so it will run Netflix in 1080p with DD+ (Dolby Digital Plus). Magendanz from Freaktab has ported the Android TV OS to this box. I have not received mine yet (long story), so I can not test how Emby runs on it. I have a Nexus Player (using a USB Ethernet adapter) and an Xiaomi Mibox, again using a USB Ethernet adapter), but the live TV streams do not play as well as using Emby on a Windows 10 computer. I have two HDHomeRun OTA dual networked tuners that I use for my TV streams. All my devices are hardwired with Ethernet cables. I really want to compare the live TV streams using the different players with this Mecool M8S Pro Plus when I receive it. Just a heads up for those who may wish to buy one of these cheap Chinese Android boxes under the promise of working HD Netflix. Most will be limited to 720p using a custom sideloading version of Netflix. The ones that do manage to get 1080p Netflix going are likely doing so with stolen/authorized keys that could stop working at any point. As I understand the Widevine support in this device is linked to the rom itself and not the hardware like officially supported devices suggesting that they are just spoofing the keys. If you are okay with running custom ROMs and sideloading custom apks then by all means try out some cheap boxes for fun. They can be fun if you are into tinkering. I would strongly advise against it for those wanting something that works and will continue to work for the foreseeable future. Netflix is already cracking down in rooted devices by disabling it from the app store, I would suspect they will do something soon to crack down on authorized devices too. Edited July 30, 2017 by Jdiesel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casminkey 15 Posted July 30, 2017 Author Share Posted July 30, 2017 Good stuff. I am all for tinkering and am thinking of buying one of those just to play with. But when it comes to the TV and my wife or kids go to watch something, it better work or I'll be hearing about it. :-) So for me, seems like the Mi Box or Shield seen the way to go. Why would live TV still have issues with a hardware connection? I assumed it was WiFi but if the problem still happened over Ethernet, is it the hardware not able to keep up with the feed from the HomerunHD? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdiesel 1114 Posted July 30, 2017 Share Posted July 30, 2017 (edited) Good stuff. I am all for tinkering and am thinking of buying one of those just to play with. But when it comes to the TV and my wife or kids go to watch something, it better work or I'll be hearing about it. :-) So for me, seems like the Mi Box or Shield seen the way to go. Why would live TV still have issues with a hardware connection? I assumed it was WiFi but if the problem still happened over Ethernet, is it the hardware not able to keep up with the feed from the HomerunHD? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk Many live TV channels are interlaced and require deinterlacing to be done. Implementation of deinterlacing has been pretty poor on Android TV, including the powerful Shield TV, as the intended use of these Android TV devices is streaming online content, which does not require deinterlacing, rather than broadcast TV that often does. For interlaced content Emby Theater or Kodi offer the best results. Don't let that deter you though, Emby server can do server side deinterlacing for clients that do not support it. Question, have you considered a Roku device? I have both a Shield TV and a Roku Premiere+ and prefer the Roku over the Shield TV in many ways. Edited July 30, 2017 by Jdiesel 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkss12 296 Posted July 30, 2017 Share Posted July 30, 2017 Just a heads up for those who may wish to buy one of these cheap Chinese Android boxes under the promise of working HD Netflix. Most will be limited to 720p using a custom sideloading version of Netflix. The ones that do manage to get 1080p Netflix going are likely doing so with stolen/authorized keys that could stop working at any point. As I understand the Widevine support in this device is linked to the rom itself and not the hardware like officially supported devices suggesting that they are just spoofing the keys. If you are okay with running custom ROMs and sideloading custom apks then by all means try out some cheap boxes for fun. They can be fun if you are into tinkering. I would strongly advise against it for those wanting something that works and will continue to work for the foreseeable future. Netflix is already cracking down in rooted devices by disabling it from the app store, I would suspect they will do something soon to crack down on authorized devices too. Since I don't have my box yet, I can't confirm, but someone on the Kodi forum has confirmed that the HDCP 1.x, maybe hardware coded. In the last 4 or more years, I have/had more than two dozen of these inexpensive "Chinese" boxes, and yes, by todays standards they are mostly junk. However, they have all played my media locally stored, perfectly, using Kodi, including live TV streams. But this is the first of these "cheap Chinese" boxes that is capable of playing Netflix in 1080P with DD+. You can spoof all these boxes, you want, with official Android approved devices, but it still won't get you more that 480p resolution with Netflix. In other words, you can change the build.prop to show a Nexus Player, on any of these devices, but it will not help to get Netflix to display anything other than 480p. Brings the question about the HDCP certification, I have no idea if the manufacture of this particular box has the required certs, but from the advertisement, they do. But, yes, you can't believe anything these Chinese devices advertise. But if i am not mistake the Xiaomi Mibox, the Nvida shield and ALL of the Apple products are manufactured in China. Wesk05 on the Kodi forum (he has this device), made this comment about the HDCP. "It does enforce HDCP 1.x, in fact it is active even if it is disabled in developer options." I am not recommending this box, or any box, just pointing out that there are other inexpensive options available. Disclaimer, I have no affiliation to any of the manufactures or sellers of any of these boxes. I just like to tinker and push the envelope on what these inexpensive devices are capable of. If the device JUST WORKS, I won't use it, because it is tooo boring. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAlGaInTl 279 Posted July 31, 2017 Share Posted July 31, 2017 I have both the Shield and the Nexus Player. The Shield is clearly faster/better. I have the first gen which I actually prefer over the new entry level one. One thing that stands out to me on the Shield... In addition to all of it's bells and whistles, it's one of the only AndroidTV devices that supports Amazon Prime video. That's very nice if you are also a Prime member. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdiesel 1114 Posted July 31, 2017 Share Posted July 31, 2017 I have both the Shield and the Nexus Player. The Shield is clearly faster/better. I have the first gen which I actually prefer over the new entry level one. One thing that stands out to me on the Shield... In addition to all of it's bells and whistles, it's one of the only AndroidTV devices that supports Amazon Prime video. That's very nice if you are also a Prime member. The Sony Android TV's also support Amazon Prime but I would be reluctant to recommend one based on my experience. There was also a apk floating around that allowed your to side load Amazon Prime on any Android device as I recall loading it on my Shield TV before it was officially supported. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAlGaInTl 279 Posted July 31, 2017 Share Posted July 31, 2017 The Sony Android TV's also support Amazon Prime but I would be reluctant to recommend one based on my experience. There was also a apk floating around that allowed your to side load Amazon Prime on any Android device as I recall loading it on my Shield TV before it was officially supported. Yeah, that's why I said "one of the only" when referring to the Shield. I never recommend that someone buy a TV for its "smart" features. I played around with the side loading, but Amazon quickly blocked that. It was more hassle than it was worth. I had some luck with casting the content to my shield, but the quality left a lot to be desired. I was extremely happy when the official app just showed up one day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vaise 307 Posted August 1, 2017 Share Posted August 1, 2017 I bought one of the cheap $25 android TV boxes for the garage, I have 6 roku's for normal rooms. I assumed incorrectly that I would use kodi, tried to get the same look and feel of the roku's, gave up and put the emby for android TV on there instead. The garage is now a Teenage retreat (half of it anyway) and the kids have not reported anything not working in there. We dont have the cheap roku prices you get in the states here in Aus, and I have bought my roku's there when travelling over time. For $25 though - such it and see - i was very impressed. The kids slaughter the media and watch shedloads. The FF/RWD seems better that the roku's too in my limited testing. Also it can 'sleep' while the roku's are on 24/7. Nothing more to comment as i am away for 2 weeks but the kids report no issues at all since i did it last week. They have netflix on there - but the aus content is useless so it is not a primary viewing platform for them so I cant comment on that - but it did work fine from what I can see in my limited testing. Have not got my harmony remotes on there yet - but I assume that will also work fine. At that price, I am considering buying another as a spare in case a Roku breaks. There is a bonus that they have all the android apps out there to also put on if need be too - doubt I will do any of that though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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