Why Would I Buy an Android TV Box?

jollster101 on 23/11/2016 - 15:08

Hi all

Its a pretty simple question, why would I buy an Android TV Box? What would be the benefit over something like a raspberry pi?

Bit about my current situation, N54L running Xpenology with Plex Media Server on it. Samsung Smart TV in the lounge that has the native Plex client and plays everything I have on my NAS without the need to transcode.

Upstairs in the bedroom I have a Sony Bravia 42" TV running the Plex client via the Opera store which works ok.

Study is a small Teac LCD TV for the kids that is running Rasplex but has no Smart TV capabilities.

Everything runs ok but I always have the need to tinker. I have been toying with the idea of changing to Kodi because it allows for a greater range of plugins / addons (Netflix being one) on the kids TV. That would mean needing to buy either more pi's or an Android TV to provide the functionality for the Bravia and Samsung.

I also like the idea of profiles being easier to implement on Kodi without the need to be forced to pay for a Plex plass.

There are a huge number of people on the forums that have ATV's so I am sure there would be a range of uses.

Cheers

Electrical & Electronics

Comments

  • Danthemanz on 23/11/2016 - 15:14

    You can make it so similar things to a PI, you can have Kodi on any of these.
    You can get more powerful hardware with an android based box. Android TV is different to normal Android though, worth investigating which suits you best.

  • Gronk on 23/11/2016 - 15:23

    Netflix doesn't work on Kodi, not easily anyway.

    There's a Netflix plugin which is easy enough to find, but it requires Google Chrome to run and there's currently no official release of Chrome for Raspberry Pi. It does not work with Chromium straight out of the box, the guides I read did mention some sort of a hack where you copy some of the Chrome system files across for Chromium to use but that also came with the extra added risk that Netflix may drop the ban-hammer and de-activate your account, because technically you're circumventing the DRM they use to protect their content.

    I'd be completely stoked to be proven wrong on this one, do you have any links you could post regarding Netflix on a Pi? I have a Kodi box already setup and the main reason I didn't put it into action was because of the lack of Netflix.

    • jollster101 on 23/11/2016 - 15:43

      I don't have Netflix on a pi which was one of the considerations for changing to something to something like Kodi. The pi that runs for the kids just connects to the Plex Server and streams whatever is on there. I saw there was a plugin for Netflix for Kodi but didn't research to see how easy it was to get up and running (or whether it was possible at all).

      Its not just Netflix that makes me lean to something other than Plex.

      • Gronk on 23/11/2016 - 16:30
        +1

        Perhaps I can fill in a couple of gaps in relation to the Netflix plugin for Kodi -

        What it effectively does is it starts Chrome in Kiosk mode and navigates to the Netflix URL, so it's not an 'app' as such, once you're there the site operates the same as it would if you'd navigated there from a PC. The issue is, there's still no official Chrome build for Raspian because Google haven't released the binaries for Linux/ARM, the closest option is Chromium but from memory it doesn't have Kiosk mode nor does it have the required components to decode the DRM for playback.

        It'd work fine running on Ubuntu on an x86 / x64 processor, but not on ARM, at least not yet.

  • joshykins on 23/11/2016 - 15:38

    They're cheap ($150) and can anything and everything you need all in one. much faster than smart TV tech, and usually come with cursor remotes, often with keyboards on the back. Just for youtube browsing alone makes it worthwhile IMO.

    I use for netflix, spotify, youtube, abc, sbs, USB, SD etc.

    i use Minix neo u1

    TLDR: Much faster than smart TV, all I need in one.

    • jollster101 on 23/11/2016 - 15:46
      +1

      They are relatively cheap but for $150 considerably more than a pi running whatever media player of choice.

      One thing that could entice me, especially for the kids is if they could be used as some sort of games play as well.

      I presume you could play games that are purchased from the Play store? Could you hook controllers up to it (Bluetooth probably being the main one for ease of kids play).

      • Solrak on 23/11/2016 - 18:09

        Sounds like a NVIDIA shield would suit most of your requirements except price?

        I myself run a bunch of Intel nucs at home along with a minix box with Kodi loaded as my smart TVs are quite frankly shite at running apps quickly/reliably. I also run a pms for when i'm overseas so I can watch my shows over wifi via my Roku in the hotel room.

      • AlienC on 23/11/2016 - 18:21

        Get a nvidia shield TV

        The convenience and just overall nice build quality knowing it was made and is supported by a well known highly reputable company is enough to justify the slightly higher purchase.

        Plus it comes with a load of extra features some other android TV boxes cannot do like exclusive nvidia shop and nvidia game streaming support and consoles etc

        Also 4k ready so you know it is future proof until 8k comes around the corner oh god haha lol

        Only thing I am not not 100% sure of yet is its HDR compatibility

        Newer TVs seems to be competing in this new field of HDR compatibility so if that is important to you maybe do more research especially for Netflix YouTube and others etc

        Otherwise check their nvidia store and buy one now!

      • joshykins on 24/11/2016 - 10:58
        +1

        yep games on play store.
        can get emulators too

        need to buy specific compatible controllers though, and they arent particularly cheap. probably similar price to a standard console's

    • bargaino on 27/11/2016 - 17:19

      They're cheap ($150)

      Thats not cheap. This is cheap: http://www.gearbest.com/tv-box-mini-pc/pp_193367.html
      at $36 delivered including remote control. A pi is much more, with case, power, SD card …

      Pi has great support if you want to hack, but the Android boxes are easier to use as-is.

      Either one is good for Kodi.
      Android version of Netflix and other streaming services is not great. Use chromecast, Roku, apple-tv, Sony blu-ray etc.

  • Herbert on 28/11/2016 - 14:29

    My 2c is to install Kodi and Stream Torrent Videos on your Android Phone and miracast it to your TV is the best solution.

    Pros:

    1. Touch screen and gesture controls and on your phone is far superior than remote.
    2. Plugging in a headphone to not disturb sleeping family members.
    3. Cyberlockers are throwing every trick in the book to block Kodi users. Lots of them go under without enough revenue. What goes around comes around!.As a result, you tend to see less and less 1080P sources in Kodi.
      4.When no 1080P sources available in Kodi, you can use Stream Torrent Videos to miracast to TV.

    Cons:

    1. You have to keep your phone plugged in or battery drains quickly.
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