ShoutingMan 95 Posted January 13, 2018 Share Posted January 13, 2018 Anyone use hardware like the Minix boxes for Emby? As great as the new AppleTV is, it’s not sufficient for me. The Shield is looking good to me, with good feedback here. But on the Kodi forums, they’re recommending boxes like the Minix as fully capable, but much cheaper ($120 vs $180). I don’t have any experience with Android or any of these cheaper streaming boxes. Any thoughts? Are the savings worthwhile? https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=250284 MINIX NEO U1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdiesel 1114 Posted January 13, 2018 Share Posted January 13, 2018 Minix is generally considered one of the better brands of Android devices. I don't have much experience with Emby on anything other than official Android TV devices. Is the FireTV an option for you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanipek 224 Posted January 13, 2018 Share Posted January 13, 2018 I love the Shield. I will never buy anything else in the future. That being said I have 2 Minix Neo z64 running W10 Pro using Emby Theater and they work pretty darn well. Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdiesel 1114 Posted January 13, 2018 Share Posted January 13, 2018 (edited) I don't know enough about that model specifically but some models and Android boxes use custom versions of Kodi that don't use Kodi's internal player. As a result to get all the advertised features you may need to just the pre-installed version of Kodi. Your results may vary with Emby which relies more on Android's system player for playback. Many of the cheaper Android boxes ship with buggy firmware with little chance of ever being updated. The OS on those boxes is best replaced with LibreELEC instead of the default Android OS. I would strongly recommend getting a Shield TV over any other box. If cost is an issue look into a Xiaomi Mi box. Third choice would be a FireTV. Edited January 13, 2018 by Jdiesel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShoutingMan 95 Posted January 13, 2018 Author Share Posted January 13, 2018 Cost isn’t a big deal: $180 vs $150 doesn’t break the bank. But I’m reading there’s a refresh rate switching bug in ShieldTV that screws up audio and/or video when you have auto rate switching with audio passthrough (bitstreaming). That’s an issue with Windows and Intel drivers that I’m thinking of solving with a streaming box. So Shield is falling out as a good option for me. It’s discussed here (and also in the ShieldTV thread on the Kodi forum) https://forums.geforce.com/default/topic/901911/ FireTV doesn’t support HD audio passthrough, which I need. https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=316995 But MINIX uses touchscreen Android, not AndroidTV. I don’t know how that would affect Emby, if at all. I was hoping to to find the right box to buy solely on internet research. I might have to buy several, test, and keep just the one I like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebr 14935 Posted January 13, 2018 Share Posted January 13, 2018 Get the Shield. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tur0k 143 Posted January 13, 2018 Share Posted January 13, 2018 Have you looked at the VIVO line from Asus? They are Intel based mini PC barebone units (means you buy RAM and an SSD). You can load windows or Linux on them then load Emby Theatre for Linux and Kodi on. Because they are Intel CPUs you get Intel on chip video. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennice 19 Posted January 14, 2018 Share Posted January 14, 2018 What about this fellow: http://minix.com.hk/en/products/neo-z83-4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennice 19 Posted January 14, 2018 Share Posted January 14, 2018 Is the shield running a normal android, or an androidTV implementation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShoutingMan 95 Posted January 15, 2018 Author Share Posted January 15, 2018 Get the Shield. Reports are it can't do refresh rate switching with bitstreaming audio. In any case, I've got an price watch set with CamelCamelCamel.com and may buy it to try out when it drops back down to $150. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShoutingMan 95 Posted January 15, 2018 Author Share Posted January 15, 2018 (edited) Is the shield running a normal android, or an androidTV implementation? What I've read, Shield use AndroidTV. A weakness of the MINIX boxes is that it's standard touchscreen tablet Android, so many apps need an "air mouse" to interact with the "touchscreen" -- they don't have a "10 foot" cursor driven interface. Though Kodi does (I've read) and works fine on these devices. Presumably, Emby would work fine too. Edited January 15, 2018 by ShoutingMan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkss12 296 Posted January 15, 2018 Share Posted January 15, 2018 Mecool M8S PRO L 4K TV Box Amlogic S912 Bluetooth 4.1 + HS - 3GB RAM + 16GB ROM US PLUG for less than $60 USD with free shipping. Comes with Android TV OS, and Widevine level 1 and HDCP 1.x. Out of my dozens of devices, it is my favorite. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBers 6771 Posted January 15, 2018 Share Posted January 15, 2018 Get the Shield. Get the Shield. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennice 19 Posted January 15, 2018 Share Posted January 15, 2018 Get the Shield. Get the Shield. Or... maybe I should start considering the shield. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebr 14935 Posted January 15, 2018 Share Posted January 15, 2018 Reports are it can't do refresh rate switching with bitstreaming audio. Not sure I've tested this in a bit but I don't think that is a problem... anyone else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deathsquirrel 741 Posted January 15, 2018 Share Posted January 15, 2018 Not sure I've tested this in a bit but I don't think that is a problem... anyone else? Nope, no issue here with that combo set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShoutingMan 95 Posted January 17, 2018 Author Share Posted January 17, 2018 Maybe it's just a Kodi thing. It's reported both in Kodi forums and on Nvidia's Forums. Thanks for the info. Very helpful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdiesel 1114 Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 (edited) Maybe it's just a Kodi thing. It's reported both in Kodi forums and on Nvidia's Forums. Thanks for the info. Very helpful! I think you may be confusing resolution/refreshrate switching with colorspace switching. The shield TV will switch resolutions automatically if the app supports it (1080p60 to 1080p24 or 2160p60 to 1080p60 for example) but it will not switch colorspaces automatically (bt2020 to bt709). The api is included in Oreo so fingers crossed that the next update adds support. The existing Android api only allows to select "modes", which only reference resolution + refreshrate https://developer.android.com/reference/android/view/Display.Mode.html Edited January 17, 2018 by Jdiesel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShoutingMan 95 Posted January 19, 2018 Author Share Posted January 19, 2018 (edited) Could be. There were also video rate switching problems reported. Those might be fixed as of late last year. https://forums.geforce.com/default/topic/901911/shield-tv/auto-refresh-rate-switching-not-working/post/5248796/#5248796 Edited January 19, 2018 by ShoutingMan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daldana 47 Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 On the less expensive end, I use a Mibox (model MDZ-16-AB) and have had great success with it. I've used it at home with a really good wireless signal, at work with a fair signal, and I've taken it traveling across country in different hotels and it has worked great. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennice 19 Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 Does anyone have an idea for a low cost box (reasonably) which can give me analogue audio out with more than 2channels (stereo)? My current (old) HTPC uses multi channel surround out connected to power amps. But it's getting old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdiesel 1114 Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 Does anyone have an idea for a low cost box (reasonably) which can give me analogue audio out with more than 2channels (stereo)? My current (old) HTPC uses multi channel surround out connected to power amps. But it's getting old. I'm not aware of any device other that a computer that has multi-channel analogue outputs. You could always use something like this with an android or other device if you want to avoid using a full pre-amp with your power amps. https://www.minidsp.com/products/ht-series/nanoavr-hda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShoutingMan 95 Posted January 28, 2018 Author Share Posted January 28, 2018 Does anyone have an idea for a low cost box (reasonably) which can give me analogue audio out with more than 2channels (stereo)? My current (old) HTPC uses multi channel surround out connected to power amps. But it's getting old. Build a new PC with HDMI and then add in a modest receiver with pre-outs that you can connect your amps. That will be easier and more future proof than chasing after a streaming box with analog outputs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snorkel 15 Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 I have one of those 69 dollar MI Box android TV devices from Walmart and it runs Emby really well. That being said the company that makes the MI Box has not put out a update yet and the Android TV os is still on MM (android 6) you also need to do a factory reset when you get it as mine had a bunch of crap already installed and it was causing issues. After the factory reset it was fine. It also does not have a Amazon Prime App (has everything else though) but you can find APKs to side load it if you really need it. I also have a Shield and it's A LOT faster :-) I kind of wish there was a high performance streaming only box (no gaming stuff) that had 3 to 4gb of ram and 64gb of internal storage and a Octo core CPU running at least 2gzh and a real GB ethernet port (not some internal USB thing that limits it's bandwidth) and of course a good GPU. The Shield is probably the best one available and has power to spare. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdiesel 1114 Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 I kind of wish there was a high performance streaming only box (no gaming stuff) that had 3 to 4gb of ram and 64gb of internal storage and a Octo core CPU running at least 2gzh and a real GB ethernet port (not some internal USB thing that limits it's bandwidth) and of course a good GPU. Almost all those things have no impact on media playback performance. RAM, CPU, and GPU are all pretty insignificant when playing video. What is important: Firmware, firmware support and updates are the #1 most important thing. Almost all Mi Box issues are a result of this. No point using the latest and greatest SOC if the firmware on the box doesn't support the features of the chip, I'm looking at you AMLogic Adhering to Androids APIs, any boxes using hacks to get features are doomed to fail. This is why most Chinese boxes ship with custom version of Kodi or their own video player. GBit Ethernet is good for local network content but a non-issue for internet streaming which most devices are used for. Would be nice to this this be more common in the next generation of SOCs Stock Android TV Good quality eMMC storage, quick read access makes everything feel snappy. Almost every app is loading content from the local cache And for it to be successful to a mass audience it needs to come in at $100 or less, IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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