I have been looking at getting Kodi for a while but don't know a great deal about it. This box comes with Kodi pre-installed, can any Kodi wizards on here tell me if it's a decent set up?
Ultra HD Android Media Player - $79.99 @ ALDI 15/10
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Was waiting for someone to post this.
It's easy to be the best media centre on the planet with 0 competition.
If you have a "Smart" TV already, is there any need or advantage to having one of these Android TV Boxes?
Smart TV are not smart at all. They are generally closed source piece of garbage, with terrible UI and lacking format support.
It's a Sony with access to the Google Play App store…Kodi seems easy enough to set up directly on the TV
Then install Kodi and see whether is is OK or not. None of us here can tell you how well your TV works (the idea is that you tell us, not the other way around).
If it works well enough for you, then use it. If it doesn't work well enough, then don't use it. Simple.
BTW - the consideration is how POWERFUL the CPU is, as well as how much RAM is installed and what Anroid verson you are stuck with. If your TV has a dual-core 1.2GHz processor and 512MB or even 1GB of RAM, it's gunna be slow and clunky when running intensive stuff. If the TV is a 2015 or earlier, it's already well out of date on the Android side, and was probably out of date even when brand new.
Android is a pretty inefficient operating system and needs pretty grunty CPUs and lots of RAM to run relatively simple applications. Also, unlike Apple iOS, there is no checks and balances on the Apps themselves, so the OS tends to get choked by poor App coding and hundreds of behind the scenes Services that chew up all the CPU power and Memory. Many TVs have old Android 4.0 or 4.2 and low powered CPUs that seem OK at the menus but really chug along when doing anything decent.
So the advantage of SOME of these Android TV boxes is to get something with a modern Operating System, decent CPU and at least 2GB of RAM. In about a year you will need to chuck the old Android TV box away and get a new one with better specs. You cannot update your TV's internal Android system, so the choice is to chuck the TV away, or just get one of the (good) Android TV Boxes.
@llama: most modern smart TVs are running the Tsizen (spelling?) OS, not Android - so you cannot install android apps like Kodi.
Kodi works beautifully on my Sony Android TV (W800C). I wouldn't bother with an external box.
Sorry for the grumpy people not answering your question.
@theguyrules:
Thank you, I have the Sony KD55X7000D. No idea what the RAM is, but just installed Kodi and it is running fine.most modern smart TVs are running the Tsizen (spelling?) OS, not Android
ONE BRAND of modern smart TVs are running the Tsizen (spelling?) OS, not Android
(I fixed that for you)
Tizen is theoretically "open source" but seems to remain as a Samsung-only operating system. Many of the other big players seem to be going with various proprietary OS to bypass the whole mess that is Android.
There's a good list on this Wikipedia page:
Anyway, that is way off topic. The Aldi box in this deal is Android.
Ignore PainToad. PainInTheAss would be a more appropriate title.
To give you a helpful response, Android Boxes are still advantageous over in-built smarts. I believe the built in Android on Sony's are one of the best Smart interfaces. Other's, despite being 'smart', often have very clunky OS', so an external box is definitely an advantage.
I havn't used Sony's Android OS, so I can't really comment on your experience, although pretty much every other 'Smart' interface I've used, I would definitely say that an Android TV Box is worth the purchase.
Also, Android isn't the only option. This is what I have https://www.aliexpress.com/item/New-arrival-Beelink-Pocket-Z…
Runs Windows 10 for the TV. I use it for Kodi as well as retro console emulation.
Find any HD content laggy with Windows? With some boxes you need to increase the memory allocated to graphics in the BIOS.
Sony TV's are normal decent because they're are running the official version of Android for TV, "Android TV", the same that powers the Nexus TV.
Additionally the Sony Bravias and some Sharp+Phillips TVs natively run the official Android TV kit, rather than the generic AOSP (?). AndroidTV seemingly being a combination of chromecast and regular android (comes with a play store).
There are advantages, but if your Smart TV is doing what you need then you can stick with it. If support becomes an issue in the future or you want to be able to run newer apps, you can add a box at any time.
As a Plex user I've noticed the official Facebook page has a number of users of smart TVs where Plex isn't receiving updates. Standalone boxes mitigate that as you can control the software distribution, as long as the OS itself is supported. I'm sure that applies for other apps too, but may not immediately impact new TVs.
xiaomi mi box launched last week, have one on its way from the states. Will cost me roughly $120aud delivered :)
I'm thinking of getting one, which website did you buy it from?
Only place you can get them from at the moment. Walmart.com You have to ship it to a freightforwarder and then from there to yourself
@garvani I'm keen to do the same. Mind letting me know which freight forwarder you used?
@fatal_2: https://www.shipito.com/en/ i have used them 6-7 times over the last few years, no issues at all. They offer you about 6 different shipping options which range in prices and shipping times, i usually are cheap and will go airmail and that takes roughly a week.
@garvani: I wonder whether the power supply cable is something standard that we can replace with an AU version or, if not, whether it supports 240v with an adapter
@fatal_2: it does support 240v with an adapter, ive already checked that out..
Direct from their specs "100~240V 50/60Hz input, 5.2V, 2.1A output" If you can find the right AUS adapter with correct v/a you could do away with there one.I can vouch for shipito.com. Used them many times for several years and never a hitch (unlike hopshopgo).
Although not as much in the past year or so with the exchange rate being what it is.
Also do you think it's worth spending the extra money over the Aldi one?
100% yes. this is the best value media player available. There are only 2 media players that have android tv interface, this one and then the Nvidia shield which is over $300. All other media players actually use a tablet interface and then put a skin over it, they are built for touchscreens which your tv doesnt have.
This box is built for the tv, comes with a proper bluetooth remote with unified voice search etc. There a lot of other benefits tooand of course the official nexus player
@Kambo_Rambo: well yes the nexus player as well but you cant buy that any more as its been discontinued. http://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2016/5/24/11762276/go…
Do you plan to install kodi or plex on the mibox?
@fryandlaurie: yes forsure.. netflix and kodi are my main two uses. dont need plex as you can add shared drives into kodi from your pc etc, no need for plex as no transcoding will be needed. Kodi comes preinstalled as well, ill have a go with that and the smpc fork
@fryandlaurie: I'm not the guy you asked, but it would run Kodi and Plex amazingly well by the specs and from all reports. They can both be installed directly from the Google Play store too, you don't have to sideload Kodi any more.
Please keep us posted on how you find it. Can't seem to find any decent reviews. Very curious to see how it handles :)
Decent review here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wxTy_QW52U
And a follow up 3 hours ago https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVSD3plzvP4
Would this be any good for playing mkv and other various movie files?
Yes, that is what they are designed for.
But this Aldi one is expensive and low specs compared to others available online.
Do specs matter if I just want to play movies?
Depending on the movie your tyring to play yes.. Got a 1080p/4k bluray ripped into a high bitrate hevc file then some players are going to struggle. If you have your run of the mill aqquired 720p x264 then no, just about anything can play those
Do you think it would struggle with a 1080p mkv?
depends, sometimes some MKVs will not play on some devices as they only support specific CODECs. an MKV is just a like an envelope - it collates the video, subtitles and audio packages into one file. But sometimes the CODECs used to compress / encode the video or audio may not be supported by the media player. ie: 10 bit h264 encoded anime files are not supported by ANY media player at the moment that I'm aware of, because no chipset supports 10 bit h264 decoding.
If price is important to you, buy off ebay - you'll save about $20-30 from the Aldi price. Or buy in Aldi and if it works then be happy with it.
@thisispants: how long is a piece of string? without knowing the codec used in the 1080p mkv, there is no certainty a media player will be able to handle it.
@gizmomelb: yeah, with their return policy I don't have much to lose other than my time, which I have in spades!
Ther specs matter if you are doing stuff like Kodi or Plex where there is heaps of background work going on for transcoding or creating indexes or generating pretty pictures and movie reviews and other bullshit. Also there is a web browser often running to stream the content, if yiou are not just playing local files.
If you just want to play video files either from USB or even from your home netywork, then you can do that with a device significantly less powerful than this. You don't need Android, you don't need Kodi, you don't need any of that stuff if you just want to play movies that you have downloaded already.
If you want to watch Netflix too, be aware that currently Netflix considers the following Streaming Media Players as the only ones certified to play Netflix HD video (everything else is SD / 480P):
- Google Chromecast
- Apple TV
- Roku
- Amazon Fire TV
- Google Nexus Player
- NVIDIA Shield
- Wetek Core, Hub, and Play2 (audio is limited to stereo)
- Xiaomi Mi Box
and only a couple of them are 4k certified, although we are a wee way off seeing that in Aus
Tried Netflix on my ps4 last night looked hd to me.
it is.. thats a gaming console, comes in a different list to the one Kirt posted
Despite the discussion I still might get one of these due to the 60 day return policy. I only want to watch movies so this seems pretty good.
Get a hdmi cable to connect your laptop to the tv for a couple of dollars then.
That's a terrible option.
No it's not. I use it all the time and it works great.
@28Degrees: why don't you transfer the movie into a usb and attach to the TV for a less messy cabling and hooking up?
@angelkulit025: I have a Panasonic plasma that doesn't play media files & my laptop lives on the coffee table anyway so when I want to watch a movie all I have to do is get the 3 metre hdmi cable out of the drawer.
Regardless even if my tv did play media files I would still play it through the laptop because it processes the picture better (doesn't stretch it out of shape like on my mates Samsung) and I run the hdmi cable through my amp to get better sound.
suck it and see is a good policy.
Just positive voted for sympathy.
Just positive voted for sympathy.
What happens if I scan that code?
Try it¿
0p will run around and hurt you.
This thread is not good for me-I'm already excited about another tech item I didn't know about and am starting to want.
Go for it,I say…Personally I just love tech….Just grab a Raspberry Pi and load Kodi, it works well.
pretty sure it isnt as fast as a dedicated android box. I have a mxq and i already find it laggy when going through the menu. Compared to my i7 laptop setup anyway :p
Zero lag with my Rpi2; perhaps this is because the build is optimised.
I used to use a RasPi, but being the original was a bit laggy. Got an Android box and was much easier to integrate.
Android box already includes a remote, though have ended up using BT via Harmony to control it now.You can pick up a decent one for ~$40, so not really any price advantage using a Pi, and probably easier to set up for the not so technically minded.
Yeh, I agree the original RPi barely ran Kodi and was laggy most the time. A massive performance jump with Rpi2.
I use Yatse app as a remote.
So I suspect a Rpi3 would fly running Kodi….. Options and plugins being used permitting of course.
@jollster101: Yeh, it wasn't a significant jump over the Rpi2 which is why I haven't upgraded. But if I was buying new sure you'd go the Rpi3.
@CLoSeR: And it runs 1080P with no issues? I have no 4K or the desire to get it so no need for that. What about some of the flashier themes? Is the Pi2 still stuck with some of the more basic options?
There's some significant benefits of using a Raspberry Pi or similar. Most notable is NETWORK FILE ACCESS!
Android TV boxes don't have native support for samba/SMB (windows network file sharing) - this is overcome by installing a samba app, but that means that to copy files to your android box you need to power it up, turn on your display, navigate to the samba app and start the samba app. Also note that the samba app I'm using is unable to report free disk space etc, so it's a lot harder to manage!
This is clumsy and annoying.
With a Raspberry Pi (OpenELEC or LibreELEC) you can just power on the device and access the file system like any other networked computer (no display needed, no navigating, etc).
I used to use a Raspberry Pi and recently upgraded to a faster Android box (rbox - not great, but works). So far I have no benefit from the Android box. The only difference so far is the loss of simple networking, extra clicks to start Kodi and a few extra unexpected 'reboots'.
Personally I think the Pi is superior for this task.
Note, this does become less important if all your media is living an a NAS or similar as you won't have the need to copy files to the Android box. I use my media server as my media NAS so that's an issue for myself.
I'm serving media via smb shares on my Synology NAS to the Rpi2, flawless operation.
Hadn't thought of that side of it as I have centrally stored media and a mysql database for all my clients.
Kodi/SPMC will connect to nfs and smb shares, using it on Nexus Player.
this is overcome by installing a samba app, but that means that to copy files to your android box you need to power it up, turn on your display, navigate to the samba app and start the samba app. Also note that the samba app I'm using is unable to report free disk space etc, so it's a lot harder to manage!
This is clumsy and annoying.
It's clumsy and annoying because you are doing it wrong. The WHOLE idea of using Network shares is so that you DO NOT have to copy files to the remote device.
Note, this does become less important if all your media is living an a NAS or similar as you won't have the need to copy files to the Android box.
It doesn't become "less important" - it continues to be ZERO important.
Why would anybody want to copy files TO the Android box, when it is accessing the files it needs off a Network Share????
I use my media server as my media NAS so that's an issue for myself.
Then you are doing it wrong. A server and a NAS are the same thing. They SERVE files. The media player plays the files.
You seem to have some strange arrangements that you somehow think requires a Pi, where everyone else who requires a Media Player just needs a Media Player.
And these "Raspberry Pi's" that you are promoting - I assume that they are plug and play, so you just open the box plug it in and away you go?
I'm doing it wrong? What nonsense.
I'm doing it different to how YOU do it.
I have no need for a NAS, I only read the media on the media box so I have NO need at all for a NAS.
The situation I described is a valid configuration and one that has worked very well for me for years. Plug a external HDD into a Ras Pi and viola "a complete solution" - for what I need.
This solution is does NOT map well to an Android box solution - that's a valid point.
Your "you're doing it wrong" is an arrogant "my way is right" attitude that has little to no foresight.
According to you, I need to purchase and run a separate NAS to do what works perfectly well using a Ras Pi (or similar) - please don't be so juvenile and understand that there is more than one solution and not everyone is in the same situation as you.
And no, they're not plug and play, you have to put some firmware on an SD card - but that's a VERY simple process. BTW, I was more indicating that and Android box solution has limitations and I used the Raspberry Pi as an example. My intention was NOT to promote the Pi, but to point out that (to me significant) limitation with the Android box solution.
Oh don't worry, I just looked at some of your other posts. It's clear you're anti Raspberry Pi (ever owned one?) and are just in troll mode.
I have no need for a NAS, I only read the media on the media box so I have NO need at all for a NAS.
You were the one whole brought it up, and that you were running the Pi as a NAS. Now you are saying that you don't need a NAS?
Plug a external HDD into a Ras Pi and viola "a complete solution" - for what I need.
You forget the power supply, enclosure, SD Card, Cables, remote control and technical knowledge that are also required to make it "complete". You're forgetting to tell people that a Raspberry Pi is just a circuit board,intended for experimenters.
According to you, I need to purchase and run a separate NAS to do what works perfectly well using a Ras Pi (or similar)
You were the one who brought up network shares and NAS, not me. For the simple and limited stuff that you do in yor setup, personally I would just use a standard Media Player, perhaps a second hand WDTV or Popcorn Hour or similar. In fact, I'd probably just use a USB memory stick.
please don't be so juvenile and understand that there is more than one solution and not everyone is in the same situation as you.
Indeed.
My intention was NOT to promote the Pi, but to point out that (to me significant) limitation with the Android box solution.
The "significant limitation" that you are going on about is only something that a tiny proportion of people would ever experience. Most people who buy media players purchase them to play (stream) content that already exists, and specifically so that they don't need to copy media files across to a separate and directly connected Hard Drive (which is a DAS, not a NAS) that is connected to the TV before they play it.
It's clear you're anti Raspberry Pi (ever owned one?)
I think that the Pi is a fantastic little low powered experimenter's toy. Yes, it is certainly possible to use one as a Media Player. But since it's just a bare circuit board, there is a lot of additional things required to get it up and running in such a task… for example an enclosure, a power supply, some cables, a memory card, a remote control, an operating system and a significant amount of research and technical knowledge to purchase what's needed and to set it all up.
So, whilst it is certainly possible for hobbiests to use a Pi to play movies, there are plenty of cheaper, more powerful, more capable, simpler to use, off the shelf, pre-configured, "all-in-one-box" solutions that provide the same functionality. The devices are called "Media Players", and an example of such a device is this overpriced Aldi one in this deal.
and are just in troll mode
I'm not a troll, but simply a person who doesn't see any advantage in buying and converting a shovel so I can swat flies. Playing media files is a simple task that doesn't need a complex DIY solution.
You were the one whole brought it up, and that you were running the Pi as a NAS. Now you are saying that you don't need a NAS?
You're being pedantic here - I used the term NAS there since it's the source of my media as well as the player. But either way, this does not detract from my original point.
You forget the power supply, enclosure, SD Card, Cables, remote control and technical knowledge that are also required to make it "complete". You're forgetting to tell people that a Raspberry Pi is just a circuit board,intended for experimenters.
You're making this out to be a MUCH larger hurdle than it really is.
Power supply: Any modern 5V USB charger (any phone charger) will do the job - just plug it in the micro USB port and you're going.
Enclosure: Not needed - mine sits behind my tv cabinet without a case and has done for about 5 years - never been an issue. A case is mostly for vanity. If you're REALLY needing a case, they're $5 on ebay.
Cables: What cables? You need a HDMI cable to plug it in. Most Android boxes will not come with a HDMI cable. I'm sure we all have plenty.
SD Card: I use a very old 2GB SD card from some old phone or camera - not overly important since only the OS is sitting on it.
Remote control: Use your phone or any old phone or any tablet, or any web browser on your network - no need to purchase or setup a remote control.
Technical knowledge: Really? If you call this http://wiki.openelec.tv/index.php/HOW-TO:Installing_OpenELEC… technical then neither an Android box or a NAS is suitable for you either.
You were the one who brought up network shares and NAS, not me. For the simple and limited stuff that you do in yor setup, personally I would just use a standard Media Player, perhaps a second hand WDTV or Popcorn Hour or similar. In fact, I'd probably just use a USB memory stick.
Nonsense, YOU were telling me I was doing it wrong (you know that solution I've been using for years that works perfectly).. I have a Popcorn Hour, and a WDTV - both are garbage in comparison, in EVERY respect. Use a USB memory stick? You're now assuming my TV can take a USB stick and has a built in media player.. Anyway - WHY would I want to use ANY of these. I HAVE a perfectly working setup - you seem to think I'm having troubles - I'm not.
I think that the Pi is a fantastic little low powered experimenter's toy. Yes, it is certainly possible to use one as a Media Player. But since it's just a bare circuit board, there is a lot of additional things required to get it up and running in such a task… for example an enclosure, a power supply, some cables, a memory card, a remote control, an operating system and a significant amount of research and technical knowledge to purchase what's needed and to set it all up.
It's a fully fledged computer that is ideal for experimenters. The two concepts are not mutually exclusive. You're significantly exaggerating what's required and needed to use this. It'll take about 5 - 10 minutes of most people's time to set up.
I'm not a troll, but simply a person who doesn't see any advantage in buying and converting a shovel so I can swat flies. Playing media files is a simple task that doesn't need a complex DIY solution.
Again, a massive exaggeration. It really only requires you to put OpenELEC (or variant) on an SD card, plug in a phone charger (or similar), plug in your hdmi cable and you're going.
For someone who says they're not anti Raspberry Pi you're portraying hefty barriers that don't exist. Remember I purchased my Raspberry in about February-March 2012, this still works perfectly well, can be upgraded to the latest OpenELEC without issue and runs on about 200-500mAh. That's a pretty good solution in my book that set me back about $45 back in 2012.
But as I say, each to their own (even if I'm doing it wrong).
@iDroid: While a Raspberry Pi works, and I used to use one myself for XBMC, the days of them being the best/cheapest media box are long gone. The Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, Nexus Player, and now Mi Box are all much simpler, cheaper, and better than a Raspberry Pi if you just want to run Kodi.
@MrFunSocks: Sure, but the whole point of this conversation was that I was pointing out that if you want simple network access to your media player to copy file to/from it then an Android solution is far from ideal.
If you don't have that criteria then it's a non issue and my point does not apply to you.
llama then (arrogantly) turned it in to a discussion on how I'm "doing it wrong" which is nonsense for the requirements that I am satisfying - we have different needs/requirements of our media players.
llama then continued to portray a Raspberry Pi (or similar) solution as too technical, requiring all sorts of "too difficult" propaganda which was not relevant and is misleading.
Note, I stated many times that I'm not only talking about Raspberry Pi. Any solution that allows you to install OpenELEC/LibreELEC will be equally valid to overcome the network file access issue of an Android solution.
It's a shame it turned from a pragmatic conversation about a limitation of Android in to a war over how suitable a Raspberry Pi is for a media player (that's not really that relevant to the limitation existing in an android solution). And llama's arrogant "you're doing it wrong" attitude just added fuel to the fire for what should have been a simple "Android has this limitation" and "devices that run OpenELEC etc do not" and regardless of how technical/wrong/etc using an OpenELEC solution is that will never fix the problem one would have if they wanted simple network access to their files on the media player its self.
Some (like my self) do not want to run an additional pieces of hardware (NAS) just to be a fancy storage device for our media player - it would be totally redundant for myself and is just 1 more thing to maintain, keep powered, etc
Hence I choose a non Android solution for this. Note I am an Android developer and am very fond of Android, but for my needs, the lack of simple network file access is a show stopper.
There may be others here who have similar requirements and my post was intended to point that out. I explicitly stated in the original post that my point was totally moot if you're not worried about that limitation. But if you are, then an Android solution is not suitable.
You shoulda gota s905 based box, you coulda put LibreELEC on it.
The Mi Box/FireTV/etc are much easier and also probably end up being cheaper than a Raspberry Pi once you take a remote/SD Card/case/etc into account, and they can run Netflix etc too.
REally depends what you want, Kodi has is arguably the best media centre software available regardless of whether you use an Intel NUC, AppleTV or other Android hardware. The Kodi interface is fantastic.
Kodi is amazing, I've been using it since the original Xbox, and it's easily installed on the Mi Box/Fire TV/etc.
Plex is also much simpler, especially for multiple clients and devices, and Netflix is a must for a lot of people these days. and Netflix through Kodi isn't nice or easy to do.
Can chromecast do similar?
no
Another question this can do chromecast?
Do any of these (apart from Amazon Fire Stick/TV and Roku) run Amazon Prime/Video apps or has Amazon closed it off to only run on their devices?
Attempted to load Amazon App onto Xbox by changing region/VPN to US and accessed US app store and saw the app, but it fails to download.
Only has Android 4.4
This is probably the most valid point considering OP wants a Kodi player..
Unlikely to see any Android update for it, and that means you're stuck on Kodi v16.
Kodi v17 needs minimum Android 5.0.You're better off taking a punt on something with Android 6.0 and double the RAM from China for half the price.
Having tried very expensive 'official' kodi boxes, a mini pc or NUC cleans them all up.
Had nothing but stutter rap audio with the kodi only boxes, so get spend a few coins, get an intel nuc and then put libreelec on and away you go!
My Pi2 setup with OpenElec is also good. Mine fairly customised so it suits me just fine.
Heck I am still using a ancient ION based mini pc running OpenElec and it's still going strong compared to some of the Android based centres I tried.
It's not going to give me 4k but it happily runs 1080p & 10bit files.
I definitely would consider a NUC for longevity if you don't mind a bit of fiddling to get things just right.Same here, though running windows still. Was bit laggy with Aeon Nox when fanart backgrounds were enabled, was going to try openelec but then dropped v17 beta on there and changed skin to Mimic which I like better anyway. Much smoother now, but haven't bothered to find out whether that's v17 or the new skin, or both.
Openelec support for the ion seems to limited to legacy versions now though.
That said never had any issues with my android Kodi box in another room, except is stuck on android 4.4. $40 on a new Android 6.0 box, so it can run Kodi 17 and use the same version mysql db.
I agree, this post should be in forums. Reckon you got the hate because of the way you came across in some other replies.