Client Hardware - Cable Box Replacement (updated 11-04-2018)

[CBers 6771]

OK, enough said.

[Jdiesel 1114]

Well, let me be clear. The shield is a good device. Is it better than the MiBox? Yes. Is it much better than the MiBox? No. The shield does the job for which I've employed it... connected to my bedroom TV. It is impossible for it to replace my HTPC. Too many reasons to post, here.

 

This thread is about Android boxes being used for live TV. For that purpose, the difference is negligible.

Out of curiosity I'd be interested in what the HTPC does that the Shield TV is unable to replicate?

 

I've seen some of the issues you have with your HTPC in the mpv test thread with HDR. How you feel about the Shield TV passing through the HDR metadata to the display unlike mpv?

[Guest asrequested]

Out of curiosity I'd be interested in what the HTPC does that the Shield TV is unable to replicate?

 

I've seen some of the issues you have with your HTPC in the mpv test thread with HDR. How you feel about the Shield TV passing through the HDR metadata to the display unlike mpv?

Shield and MiBox handle HDR equally well. As for my using mpv for HDR, I prefer using software on an HTPC. It allows me to make any changes that I desire/need. For example, CUDA decoding can't play some of my 4k HDR movies. On my HTPC with mpv, I can and have chosen to use nvdec, which plays everything. So using the shield, I can't play those movies. For the rest of the adjustments I make, they belong in a different thread. Maybe there should be a thread to discuss HTPC vs Android box.

[Guest asrequested]

 

And as a PS, I'd never go back to a HTPC. Too much can go wrong with them and always need constant tinkering.

And I love tinkering

[tdiguy 96]

Just to put my own 2cents in on this also. The devices i have and have tried are:

Roku express:

Fire tv stick:

Fire tv 2nd gen:

Mi Box 3:

 

The roku express is a cheap alternative if you plan to have everything in a supported format and can direct play or if you dont mind transcoding a lot. Otherwise its pretty low end and it doesnt support many formats. These i really do think are a good choice if you dont mind learning how to use a roku well and if you are going to mostly use the roku for playing recorded content that is in a compatible format the price is hard to ignor being so low. 

 

The fire tv stick is ok, but honestly feels underpowered changing menus and such is a little laggy and just not a great experience. Honestly i just dont feel these are worth the money, the experience isnt great and for a little more money a mi box is a lot better. 

 

The fire tv 2nd gen is really nice and a close second to the mi box 3 the only complaint i have is that its a butchered version of android and the google / amazon war is annoying leaving the fire devices with less officially supported apps like youtube and such. Some other small things like the screen not being utilized fully i think are a product of this "custom" os. Honestly after using this device for a while now i just dont think they are worth the money any more. It was nice that it had built in ethernet, usb and micro sd card slot but the software shortcomings suck and a mi box is right about in this price range. There are usb hubs out there with network adapters for about 10-20$ that make a mi box comparable in expandability. 

 

The mi box 3 now with oreo works very well the interface is responsive and its full android tv OS. The device seems to just fit the picture to the tv screen even for interlaced content. It can direct play live tv and it can commonly be found for between 60 and 70$ there are cheaper versions also but from what i understand they ship with chinese as the default language. With this last update to oreo the mi box has improved greatly and it seems like exactly what i want out of a player. The only issue i have is that if its left on for more than a couple days performance degrades significantly. I resolved this with smart plugs and energy saver smart strips, i have heard it might also be resolved with hdmi cec but my tv does not support this.

 

The shield yes is a very nice device and very overpowered as a media playing device, if you have other uses for it then it is probably worth the money. Honestly though i think its spot in a emby house is as a server device with its hardware it should be a very capable server for a home network.

 

PS: I like the mi box 3 so much i am buying a 3rd one to replace my fire tv 2nd gen. After i get this one my emby media system will consist of the ubuntu home media server and 3 mi box 3 devices as clients. These are so easy to use my 7yo typically has no problem using the one in her room to watch tv.

Edited July 13, 2018 by tdiguy

[mastrmind11 717]

Yeah the mibox is really nice for the price.  I have 2 shields on my main screens (theater and living room), and 5 miboxes on everything else.  I cannot stand Roku.