This was posted 6 years 15 days ago, and might be an out-dated deal.

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Mecool M8S Pro L 3GB/16GB/Bluetooth Voice Remote Android TV Box for USD $64.99 (~AUD $84.90) with Free Shipping at GeekBuying

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Mecool M8S Pro L 3GB/16GB/Bluetooth Voice Remote Android TV Box for USD $64.99 (~AUD $84.90) with Free Shipping at GeekBuying Affiliate
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mduncan2 on 03/04/2018 - 22:10 geekbuying.com (566 clicks)
Last edited 04/04/2018 - 13:33 by 2 other users
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Geekbuying have dropped the price on this excellent Android TV box. Usd$64.90 ~$84.90 aud, free shipping.
Better than the Xiaomi TV box in my opinion, except this Mecool box doesn't have optical audio out (for older amps)(the xiaomi box does).
Comes with a Bluetooth remote (which has a microphone in it for voice search). The remote is almost identical to the xiaomi remote. 100mb lan, AC wireless,
3gb ram, 16gb local storage, S912 chip, and the Chinese power supply is perfect for Australia. Has access to the Android TV Store, Does true 4k YouTube and 1080p Netflix as it has Widevine level 1.
Faster chip than the Xiaomi unit.
For $4 more you should be able to get the 3Gb/32GB version with a coupon code (which I did a month ago)(I'll just need to go hunting for a code).
Great unit. Can dual boot into Libreelec for Kodi. Mecool are also actively releasing firmware updates for it.
Minuses… No gigabit Ethernet. Doesn't come with batteries for the remote. Lol.

edit: Updated link to point to same link from Email 'campaign'

Edit: Chromecast not supported

Electrical & Electronics MECOOL Media Player Android

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closed Comments

  • [Deactivated] on 03/04/2018 - 22:26

    Mecool, Younot

  • b-radicool on 03/04/2018 - 22:31

    Shame it doesn't come with any form of digital audio output.

    • donkey on 03/04/2018 - 22:40

      it does clearly have HDMI

      • b-radicool on 03/04/2018 - 22:40

        Sorry, I meant discrete digital audio.

    • mduncan2 on 03/04/2018 - 22:44

      Agreed. Gives me an excuse to upgrade my old Denon AVR3801 to a newer hdmi unit. 5(or 7).1.2 Atmos and DTS hd could be fun. The Xiaomi box optical audio out doesn't work for hd digital content anyways, just for DD & DTS.

      I bought this Mecool box because the Xiaomi box doesn't do reliable netflix+kodi frame rate refresh changes. And I wanted native Android TV.

      • ChurchMouth on 03/04/2018 - 22:55
        +2

        Why not run this box to the TV via HDMI, and then to the hifi via the TVs optical audio out? (maybe the answer is specific to the TV, I currently have the TV running on optical audio out).

        • mduncan2 on 03/04/2018 - 23:04

          My Panasonic plasma only outputs DD or DTS if it is TV broadcast audio. It won't pass through hdmi multi channel digital Audio, unfortunately. It will pass through a 2 channel digital (or analogue) audio out the the optical cable, though.

        • ChurchMouth on 03/04/2018 - 23:10

          @mduncan2:
          Cool thanks I better test that on my TV first (hisense 7000)

        • AlexF on 04/04/2018 - 08:21
          +1

          I currently have the TV running on optical audio out

          SPDIF never had bandwidth for HD audio. Additionally, no TV will output HD audio from its inputs.

  • kiarod on 03/04/2018 - 22:37

    I get $68.99 USD, am I doing something wrong?

  • kirt on 03/04/2018 - 22:52
    +3

    Depending on your use, the upcoming Vodafone TV might be worth a look (runs Android TV 7.1.1, has FTA tuner, Chromecast built in, Ethernet, remote with dedicated Netflix, YouTube, Voice, and Live Channels buttons etc):

    https://sites.google.com/view/droid-tv/pay-tv-provider/vodaf…

    https://www.pickr.com.au/news/2018/vodafone-connects-tvs-wit…

    https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=2714884

    • goose25 on 04/04/2018 - 00:04
      +1

      Not a bad looking device for $120!

    • mnc on 04/04/2018 - 00:45
      +3

      Thanks for that news. Will buy this now instead of MiBOX. I know it’s not as cheap but it has few benefits like built in TV tuner and Android tv 7 and more updates to come.
      I only hope it has built in infrared Receiver so I can still use my Harmony remote.

      • jasswolf on 04/04/2018 - 11:01

        Android 8 is imminent for Mi Box

        • mnc on 04/04/2018 - 12:44

          It’s been IMMINENT for updates for more than 1.5 years now. I don’t know what IMMENT means in Xiaomi dictionary.

        • jasswolf on 04/04/2018 - 13:24

          @mnc: I said 8, not 7. Weeks.

        • bargaino on 04/04/2018 - 13:28

          @mnc:
          "Real Soon Now".

      • garage sale on 04/04/2018 - 19:02

        I have an earlier mecool, and it works fine ….. my MiBox as when I got it, Google TV didn't support our Australian apps eg Ivire, abckids, etc you had to side load and my 11 year old knows how to get stuff from playstore but not sideload… not sure if that has changed.

    • asa79 on 04/04/2018 - 07:17

      No pvr (record) feature with TV tuner

    • philart on 04/04/2018 - 09:42

      That's quite a different device. Only one USB and no SD/TF card slot - if you want to use an optical mouse and play some external video or music via an external drive you can't.

    • jasswolf on 04/04/2018 - 11:02

      If you don't want the TV Tuner, the Mi Box works out to be $30-40 cheaper, though that precludes a sale price for the Voda TV.

      Also unsure of Technicolour's (the manufacturer) history with Amlogic chipsets (this uses the S905D, a variant of the S905X-H in the Mi Box) in terms of updates. I think they basically started on Android 7.1.1, and haven't really updated it since.

      Given how most of these Set-top makers start out with 3rd party SoCs, it wouldn't surprise me if they stalled in a similar fashion to Xiaomi (and nVidia before them).

  • Jklaro on 04/04/2018 - 05:31

    Does anyone know if it supports Chromecast?

  • asa79 on 04/04/2018 - 07:10

    Mi box is similar price better purchase as Netflix HD. This will only be SD

    • mduncan2 on 04/04/2018 - 08:25
      +1

      This is netflix HD at 1080p. I've got the same unit. it works. It has the necessary Widevine Level 1 to allow true HD 1080p from netflix. A bit of googling will show you that this box supports it as explained in the description above.

      • ChurchMouth on 04/04/2018 - 08:58

        Do any of the android boxes do the Netflix 4k/uhd content?

        • Darkscythe on 04/04/2018 - 09:31
          +1

          Nvidia Shield TV and Xiaomi Mi Box do 4K Netflix. None of the cheaper ones do. We're seeing more and more support HD which is great as they've finally cottoned on that people want high definition streaming from legit sources.

        • Mobe1969 on 04/04/2018 - 09:56

          @Darkscythe:
          Just to note, I believe only the NVidia Shield TV will allow you to control framerate for the device (eg force 24fps). The mibox is stuck on 60hz, which is a pain if you get choppy playback, or like me want native 24fps for movies. The AppleTV allows 24fps too (not android TV of course).

          Also, the nvidia shield TV you can use your harmony elite to control (via wifi). But I'm not sure on the Xiaomi Mi Box.

        • b-radicool on 04/04/2018 - 09:59
          +1

          @Darkscythe: Are you sure that that Xiaomi Mi Box does 4k Netflix?

          My quick google research showed it only did 1080p (same as this box). Would love to be wrong though.

        • jasswolf on 04/04/2018 - 11:06

          @b-radicool: You're wrong, and you might be seeing results for their China-only boxes.

        • jasswolf on 04/04/2018 - 11:07
          +1

          @Mobe1969: that's likely a software issue that Xiaomi are supposedly ironing out.

          For now, you can manually switch to 4k/24 or 4k/30 if your screen supports it.

        • bargaino on 04/04/2018 - 11:33

          @Mobe1969:

          The mibox is stuck on 60hz

          You mean for 4K? (You can manually change it for HD.)

        • Darkscythe on 04/04/2018 - 11:48
          +2

          @manic: I'm guessing he's talking about automatic framerate switching. The Mi Box will stay at its framerate even when playing 24Hz content unless you manually change the output settings. I believe the Shield will actually switch to 24Hz output to eliminate judder. This is something I called out in my Mi Box review.

        • Mobe1969 on 04/04/2018 - 12:17

          @Darkscythe:
          So you can set the mibox to force output 4k at 24Hz?

          I've had a look at your review but you are talking about switching I believe. The Xaiomi website and "manuals" aren't much help :)

          I was wanting a device where I can force it to not output in 4k 60hz, and only output at 24hz.

        • Darkscythe on 04/04/2018 - 12:35
          +1

          @Mobe1969: Don't have it near me at the moment but Android Central show a screenshot of a 4K 24Hz setting https://www.androidcentral.com/xiaomi-mi-box-switch-1080p-dr…

        • garage sale on 04/04/2018 - 19:09

          would need a lot of luck to get 4K video streamed and them from router to the mibox via wireless … mibox doesn't have an Ethernet port, and if you use usb Ethernet dongle, it's an added expense and then also slows down the CPU.

    • philart on 04/04/2018 - 09:46
      +1

      This has Android TV firmware installed so you can instal HD TV versions of the app. The YouTube app specifically made for Android TV as opposed for phones/tablets is not available from Google Play, but can be found at third party app source sites like Aptoide.

      YouTube TV does 4K video. I expect it's the same with Netflix.

  • asa79 on 04/04/2018 - 07:21

    The full Google store means it's not Android TV OS and Android tablet OS. Which is why Netflix is not in HD

    • mduncan2 on 04/04/2018 - 08:39
      +1

      I messed that bit up in my original description. It is the Android TV playstore. I've made an edit to correct my error.
      The playstore isn't the full google playstore I have on my android phone.

  • bluegrass on 04/04/2018 - 08:28

    No Android box seems to do Foxtel GO (for FTA Skynews Live) on a big screen. You need a Windows box for that .

  • Thrifty McGifty on 04/04/2018 - 09:05
    +1

    What's the benefit of this over the 2GB/16GB version for around $55?

    • mduncan2 on 04/04/2018 - 09:29

      Is it the same M8S Pro L model? There are lots of different models, some are M8S Pro+, or M8S W, etc.
      This particular unit has a great Bluetooth/IR remote.

  • f38r1 on 04/04/2018 - 09:35
    +1

    "For $4 more you should be able to get the 3Gb/32GB version with a coupon code (which I did a month ago)(I'll just need to go hunting for a code)."

    Can you tell me more about this, I am interested in getting the 32GB version, but I can't find a code.

    Thanks

    • mduncan2 on 04/04/2018 - 10:31
      +1

      currently: geekbuying have it at USD $72.99 if using code GKM8PL — i'll keep looking throughout the day. Should be able to find it for $68-69.99 ish.

      • f38r1 on 04/04/2018 - 11:08

        Thanks, I'll wait for you

      • f38r1 on 05/04/2018 - 09:31

        Hello, I'm just checking again if you have found the code. Thanks

  • f38r1 on 04/04/2018 - 11:13

    BTW, is the remote worth buying?

    • Darkscythe on 04/04/2018 - 11:50

      Reviewing this currently. Having the Google Assistant at your fingertips is awesome plus its Bluetooth so no need to have line of sight.

  • jasswolf on 04/04/2018 - 11:16
    +2

    To be 100% clear, this is box uses Android TV unofficially despite having Widevine DRM (to an extent).

    So the following things will not work:

    • Googlecast/Chromecast from anything other than Chrome (requires Google Certification & licensing)
    • Higher than 1080p Netflix
    • (possibly) HDR implementation on YouTube (despite VP9 Profile 2 support)

    OP should include the near-to absence of cast support in the details.

  • iluvpizza on 05/04/2018 - 02:51

    price is currently showing as $68.99 usd on main link & mobile link, even though they say sale is still on, should i just wait for an hour or so & it will fix itself?? i also noticed the shipping for DHL has gone up by $2. i guess i should've gone ahead & bought it when i first saw this, wanted to check a few reviews online etc first though.

    • iluvpizza on 05/04/2018 - 04:30

      ok its back to $64.99 usd now but shows the wrong price if i select AUD, so the sites a bit screwy i guess, I ordered it anyway with usd option which paypal will probably screw me over with anywayz lol

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