Cheap Media Player

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919 posts

Ultimate Geek

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#1545866 3-May-2016 11:02

i think android box with kodi is probably the cheapest streamers around and one of easy setups compared to a raspberry .

i got kids they just want to play with the remote. etc

theres so many on trade its hard to choose the best one would the one still has got support

looking at them they just made cheap thrown kodi on it that's about it?

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/SearchResults.aspx?searchString=Kodi+2gb&type=Search&searchType=672&user_region=100&user_district=0&generalSearch_keypresses=3&generalSearch_suggested=0&generalSearch_suggestedCategory=

anyone know of good one.... buy within nz hopefully

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robjg63

4098 posts

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#1545876 3-May-2016 11:17

I bought a couple of cheap android boxes last year (beelink x2) - they arent all that great.

Usually quite old version of android (4.4)
They dont seem to port the OS to use the maximum processor capabilities
Kodi usually seems not to be able to run at full display res.

There is also now a problem in that the KODI community is not at all happy with KODI/Android as there are a huge number of cheapie android boxes sold with KODI pre-installed and a whole bunch of 3rd party add-ons - specifically to get at 'free' movies - ie illegal content.

As a result there is now no-one doing new Kodi porting work for android:

http://www.aftvnews.com/kodis-future-on-android-and-the-amazon-fire-tv-is-in-jeopardy/

The above is mentioning this in relation to the Amazon Fire TV - but the rest of the article is relevant to the cheapie android boxes.

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cokeman2

919 posts

Ultimate Geek

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#1545912 3-May-2016 11:37

Yeah I read that on kodi the other day ...it is sad kodi reputation gets in jeopardy for no reason

I just wanted them boxes so they could pass threw atmos 7.1
stream good quality videos.iam not worried about the apps as my TV got netflix app....

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cokeman2

919 posts

Ultimate Geek

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#1546341 3-May-2016 22:00

after looking around today i ve found sum good cheap boxes the mxq pro and the m8s pro

both say they do dts hd and true hd but with lack of support on kodi forum , its hard to buy them even if it cheap...

the best one i ve found which has been tested quite alot over the net is the Minix Neo U1 a whole thread of support on kodi and

you can buy sum on trade me even thou the price is right up there.

anyone got one here?

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driller2000

935 posts

Ultimate Geek

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#1546913 4-May-2016 23:08

driller2000:

Milutiche:

driller2000:

If you are prepared to wait ie. via china - the latest Amlogic S905 Android based streamers get ok reviews.

I have ordered one which will cost $87 NZD landed - incl 2G Ram, 16 G Rom, HDMI 2.0, GB Lan, 4.0 BT, Ac Wifi - so well specced for the price.

With Kodi onboard they can pretty much all file types and resolutions up to 4k - as opposed to the WD which may struggle on some.

And the play store means full access to all Apps - Media / Social / Gaming / News etc

The main risks with these is the lack of support and updates - esp for cheaper devices (but @ $88 its worth a risk in my book) and as its an import - if it breaks, returns will be expensive if its even worth it.

Yeah I don't mind waiting for a while, maybe when you get yours you can post up a little review of it.

Yep will do :)

Link: http://www.gearbest.com/tv-box-mini-pc/pp_321408.html

So it turned up yesterday all safe and sound.

Set it up how i like it incl installing apps, changing the launcher to nova etc.

Initial Thoughts:

Pros:

Build Quality is OK for Price / Boots quick / Silent / Quick GUI / Full play store / All apps i wanted could be installed - incl kodi, netflix, YouTube etc. / All work as expected / Connected over Wired / Netflix Spins Up Quickly - but like most android devices is not in HD / Youtube works fine - but limited / Kodi works very well - 1080p content (incl full rips) from unRAID server spin up quickly and quality is excellent - some of my 4k files play ok - but mostly not / Kodi has options for DTS - DD / Picture Quality is very good. / Sound Quality seemed OK through my pioneer reliever + wharfies

Cons:

You will almost certainly want a kb and mouse plugged in - as many apps benefit from this - as navigating some apps with the remote is painful - whereas a mouse makes it more like a desktop

Overall:

Pretty good value for money.

Install Kodi + KB and Mouse in case its needed - and it is a solid (but not perfect) good value streamer.

Note - I also have an Nvidia Shield TV which costs a load more, but the Shield just works so much better in terms of the Android TV apps being tailor made for a remote / 10 foot interface + gaming etc + voice search etc etc.

But if you want to spend less than $100 for a 1080p Kodi box (that can also be an android machine) - perhaps for use on a 2nd TV - this is certainly worth considering.

cokeman2

919 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

#1546937 5-May-2016 05:33

driller2000:

driller2000:

Milutiche:

driller2000:

If you are prepared to wait ie. via china - the latest Amlogic S905 Android based streamers get ok reviews.

I have ordered one which will cost $87 NZD landed - incl 2G Ram, 16 G Rom, HDMI 2.0, GB Lan, 4.0 BT, Ac Wifi - so well specced for the price.

With Kodi onboard they can pretty much all file types and resolutions up to 4k - as opposed to the WD which may struggle on some.

And the play store means full access to all Apps - Media / Social / Gaming / News etc

The main risks with these is the lack of support and updates - esp for cheaper devices (but @ $88 its worth a risk in my book) and as its an import - if it breaks, returns will be expensive if its even worth it.

Yeah I don't mind waiting for a while, maybe when you get yours you can post up a little review of it.

Yep will do :)

Link: http://www.gearbest.com/tv-box-mini-pc/pp_321408.html

So it turned up yesterday all safe and sound.

Set it up how i like it incl installing apps, changing the launcher to nova etc.

Initial Thoughts:

Pros:

Build Quality is OK for Price / Boots quick / Silent / Quick GUI / Full play store / All apps i wanted could be installed - incl kodi, netflix, YouTube etc. / All work as expected / Connected over Wired / Netflix Spins Up Quickly - but like most android devices is not in HD / Youtube works fine - but limited / Kodi works very well - 1080p content (incl full rips) from unRAID server spin up quickly and quality is excellent - some of my 4k files play ok - but mostly not / Kodi has options for DTS - DD / Picture Quality is very good. / Sound Quality seemed OK through my pioneer reliever + wharfies

Cons:

You will almost certainly want a kb and mouse plugged in - as many apps benefit from this - as navigating some apps with the remote is painful - whereas a mouse makes it more like a desktop

Overall:

Pretty good value for money.

Install Kodi + KB and Mouse in case its needed - and it is a solid (but not perfect) good value streamer.

Note - I also have an Nvidia Shield TV which costs a load more, but the Shield just works so much better in terms of the Android TV apps being tailor made for a remote / 10 foot interface + gaming etc + voice search etc etc.

But if you want to spend less than $100 for a 1080p Kodi box (that can also be an android machine) - perhaps for use on a 2nd TV - this is certainly worth considering.

thanks for the info i thought i was chatting to myself for a while there lol.

i brought the Minix Neo U1 in the end ,cause i wanted to be sure a box does 7.1 atmos etc pass threw a little costly . there's alot of support for this

box on the kodi forum as well all been tested with most of the audio and video formats ....while budget boxes said to do everything on paper.

they might not actually do it , and lack of support on the forums put me of them.

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driller2000

935 posts

Ultimate Geek

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#1546954 5-May-2016 07:47

cokeman2:

thanks for the info i thought i was chatting to myself for a while there lol.

i brought the Minix Neo U1 in the end ,cause i wanted to be sure a box does 7.1 atmos etc pass threw a little costly . there's alot of support for this

box on the kodi forum as well all been tested with most of the audio and video formats ....while budget boxes said to do everything on paper.

they might not actually do it , and lack of support on the forums put me of them.

The Minix U1 / Wetek Core and Shield TV pretty much get the best reviews - so a good choice I would think.

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Jax

92 posts

Master Geek

#1546966 5-May-2016 08:01

Milutiche:

Hey all, I'm looking for a cheap(under $100) Media player that I can plug my external HDD into and play movies off.
I want it to be 1080p and play various forms of downloaded content.

Basic is good

Bit over your budget, but very cool: http://cuboxtv.com/

littleheaven

2130 posts

Uber Geek

#1547014 5-May-2016 09:29

cokeman2:

i brought the Minix Neo U1 in the end ,cause i wanted to be sure a box does 7.1 atmos etc pass threw a little costly . there's alot of support for this

box on the kodi forum as well all been tested with most of the audio and video formats ....while budget boxes said to do everything on paper.

they might not actually do it , and lack of support on the forums put me of them.

I have a Minix Neo Z64 Windows box as a streamer for sites that need a browser and to run Plex and I'm very happy with it. I'm still astonished you can get a fully functional Windows computer for under $250. The Minix products seem to review very well, which is what attracted me to it.

Geek girl. Freelance copywriter and editor at Unmistakable.co.nz.

Milutiche

172 posts

Master Geek

#1556834 21-May-2016 15:29

Well it has finally arrived! took about a month with the free freight option but so far so good, I powered it up, plugged the dongle of my logitech K400r wireless keyboard in and it's up and running straight away.

The wifi reception is awesome, much better than my LG smartphone and my wifes Samsung.
I've currently got it connected to my AV Receiver via optical cable and tv via HDMI, I'm playing spotify as I type this (on my PC) & I'm about to put a couple of albums and movies onto a flash drive and see how it plays.

Very impressed, would highly recommend

driller2000

935 posts

Ultimate Geek

ID Verified

#1566230 6-Jun-2016 00:19

Sorry for the slight grave-dig - but figured an update after a month or so of use might be of interest to some re this streamer:

Link: http://www.gearbest.com/tv-box-mini-pc/pp_321408.html

Must say it continues to impress:

Installed Mame4Android - and a bunch of roms (6000 or so !!) and I now have a pretty handy old school gaming machine.
Also purchased a $40 Xiaomi Mi Gamepad - and this makes this box even better - well esp seeing Mame kinda needed it : )
Installed Modern Combat which plays fine - as does Asphalt 8.
So it is a decent little casual android gaming machine too :)
Kodi - Still a fully functioning 1080p Kodi box (or SPMC if that is your preference).
Full play store - so you can install whatever you want.
Youtube Music instaleld fine - so it is now a music video box as well.
Wifi is fine - will stream Youtube at 1080p.
Reiterate that a muse+kb is handy, if not essential.

Pretty bloody impressed - esp seeing as the box itself is now $65 NZD shipped.

Note: I understand there is an updated version coming i.e. S905-H (?) which will have DRM/Widevine cert - which should allow 1080p Netflix as well - TBC.

Would be pretty cool if it does and it does make my old HTPC look like an overpriced dinosaur. :)

Also FYI - Wetek have made some announcements re 5 new devices for 2016 which look interesting - and again their stuff is well regarded - but a bit dear:

http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=263373

No doubt other cheaper manufacturers will also use this same chip - likely at a much lower price-point based on recent history - so yeah things move fast...but at these price-points its not the end of the world if you feel the need to upgrade.

shakedown14

59 posts

Master Geek

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#1594335 18-Jul-2016 11:01

Hi guys,

I'm using Plex on my PS3 to watch movies/series that are on my PC over Wifi.

It's working but quite slow and use almost 100% of the CPU (AMD A6 5400K) so can't have someone watching Plex and the other using the computer. Also some files make Plex stops.

Is there a good/cheap (less than 100$) media player that will be decoding the files on the fly not through the computer?

I'm thinking like Chromecast or others but don't know much about it.

Thx.

littleheaven

2130 posts

Uber Geek

#1594378 18-Jul-2016 11:34

I'm not an expert, but I would imagine that anything super cheap isn't going to have the guts to decode on the fly. That's why Plex does it on the server side. However, Plex won't need to decode the file at all if it's in a format that your client side can play natively. So as long as you get something that handles a good range of codecs you should be fine. I'm using a little Minix Neo Z64 windows box, but if the Chromecast can play most file formats then that might be a good option too.

Geek girl. Freelance copywriter and editor at Unmistakable.co.nz.

afe66

3181 posts

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Lifetime subscriber

#1594422 18-Jul-2016 12:11

I ran Rasplex client on a _first_ generation raspberry pi streaming off plexi media server on synology into a Sony bravia 2009.

I wonder if you should rip your DVD into a compatible format so you don't need to transcode.

cokeman2

919 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

#1594505 18-Jul-2016 14:26

If you not worried about sound quality like atmos or DTS X etc any cheap player of trade me should work fine ...there are sum cheap android/kodi boxes there..
Chromestick should be OK plays most formats do read up on it first

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