[dishe]

I'm currently running one of those cheap MXQ (red stripe, beelink style) boxes and I've been pretty happy with Kodi's performance on it. My kids play emulator games on it as well, and its been a pretty solid home entertainment machine.
One thing that bugs me a lot however, is Netflix support. As we all know, Netflix on Android is a cripple.

I'd like to also point out that I do not currently have TV service (cut the cord long ago), and there have been other times I wanted to watch a stream that Android didn't support well or at all- for example, this past year's Superbowl had an official stream that my laptop could play just fine, however the Android app kept thinking it was on a phone, and kept asking me to sign in with my mobile carrier info. I ended up plugging in my laptop to watch that stream (silly to pirate a stream when there's an official available, also the pirate streams were terrible), and whenever I want netflix in HD.

This has got me thinking, I see there are cheap boxes like the ones from Vensmile which look just like the Android set top boxes, however they run x86 chips and come with windows 8.1 (or some of them with 10 already- and the ones with 8.1 can be easily upgraded to 10 according to the Amazon reviews, and still work fine). Some of them are well under $100, and less than the price of a Chrome Box and other similar recommended hardware around here. I'm wondering, is there anything I'm missing that would make this a less-than-desirable option? I'm not running 4K or anything, and these seem plenty capable of playing back 1080p streams. Not sure about H.265 performance, but I can't imagine it would be any worse than my AMLogic S805 in the MXQ, which has been just peachy. If nothing else, I'll gain Netflix and other desktop-based support, and hopefully some decent W10 apps to replace the Android games my kids play. I'm under the impression that x86 Kodi support is pretty great, perhaps even better than Android support. Am I correct in that assumption?

Thoughts?

[wrxtasy]

As we all know, Netflix on Android is a cripple....

Cough cough...you seem very out of the loop...

Compare Android Streaming Media Players HERE

Remote control in Hand from the comfort of the couch, Android TV leanback Apps like those found on the Shield or FireTV's or a tvOS equipped Apple TV4 will be VERY remote control big screen TV friendly. You will have to use workarounds when using Windows to achieve anywhere near the same remote control ease of use, and even then I don't think it can be fully achieved.

Then you have the recent WeTek AML devices that also show Netflix and other DRM Video Streams in 1080p HD.

ALL other Kodi / Android devices not already mentioned are crippled, as you put it, and limited to 480p Max DRM Video streaming.

[dishe]

As we all know, Netflix on Android is a cripple....

Cough cough...you seem very out of the loop...

Compare Android Streaming Media Players HERE

I got excited for a minute because I thought you were going to show me something I didn't already know.

Yes, fair enough, there are "certified" Android-OS devices that can play Netflix in HD, but they are exceptions and not the rule. Heck, I have some phones that aren't certified, even though an older model I own *IS*... because the older model was a flagship from Samsung that bothered to get certified, and my newer handset is not. Then, one day I tried a different ROM on my older device to speed things up and remove bloat, and guess what? Netflix started playing in SD again. The whole certification thing is very annoying and I'd rather just avoid using the platform like that.

For the purposes of TV boxes, I looked into some commercial devices and was totally turned off by how locked down they are, trying to encourage you to buy into their ecosystem and media purchases. I had to jump through so many hoops to install and use apps on my friends' Fire TV that weren't part of Amazon's ecosystem, that I decided it wasn't worth it for me, especially for the price. My MXQ was under $40, works great, and came not only with the Google Play store, but already rooted out of the box! I like that they encourage tinkering, and aren't trying to force you to buy content from the subsidiaries.
For a while I was running that hacked XDA version of Netflix that allowed HD streams, but it was based on v2, and is now considered outdated enough that Netflix has moved on to features that don't work with it reliably or even at all sometimes. So, for all intents and purposes, I consider Android and Netflix incompatible. There's a lot that I don't know, I admit, which is why I'm asking the questions here still. But I don't feel like buying another Android device is what I want to do.

What made me interested in the Windows box is that there are many very affordable options if you know where to look (some easily half of what the devices you mention above cost), don't require certification for Netflix, and Windows 8/10's metro UI for apps and navigation are great for a set-top box. We already use a mii keyboard/mouse remote with the MXQ, which I like way better and find more intuitive than the traditional remotes my old Cable system used to force me to use. Then there's the ability to run Windows apps and streams not available on Android, and services like Hulu which would still allow basic service without an app or subscription by using it right in a browser window. Heck, my kids could open office and do their homework on the TV. That's cool. No certification required.

...I guess my real question was regarding Kodi performance on x86 Windows. Is the Android version more efficient with low powered hardware since Windows has too many driver layers perhaps? Or anything else I may be missing and/or haven't considered?

[joelbaby]

Kodi performance on x86 machines is great - if you set up a MultiBoot system with OpenElec.

Performance is not great if you start running Kodi on Windows 10. It just totally detracts from the home living room experience. Waiting for windows to boot up, clicking icons, moving a mouse pointer around. It's just not good for a TV. I set up an i5 PC this week for an inexperienced user, and Win 10 was a total turnoff - but they loved booting straight into Kodi.

Not much does H265 very well, and if its important your best bet is Odroid C2 - but I can't speak to how well it works with Netflix. The cheap x86 machines won't do it well because on the ODroid the decoding is done by the hardware so it is fast, with other boxes it is done in the software and slows everything down.

It also occurs to me that I'm not sure what you want. You want a living room TV that runs Open Office? Which is it!?!? Last thing I want to see in my living room is an Excel spreadsheet on the big screen.

I think - decide what you want and how it is going to be used. Then pick the box that fits the purpose.

[cwh060]

I have tried a lot of devices, Pipo X8 & X9, Minix X7 & X8, Zotac (nano x2), MXQ Lenovo/Dell/HP (Laptops). For me, windows machines have always been superior. I've not tried the Nvida or the Wetek, they have good reviews. If they were out at the time I started this (15yrs ago), I probably would have had the Nvida, instead of a PS3! Or the hardrive with playback capabilities (pre-Kodi!)

My reasons, simple they just work without much fuss. I can RDP (uVNC) into my Windows machines from anywhere in the world and set up how I like or retrieve a movie. I have Network devices to store content.

Now, getting to the point of using one remote control for all hardware is not easy. I use an FLIRC and some cheap learning remotes. Netflix works great on them and I can launch Netflix, Hula, Chrome, IPTV, NextPVR from Kodi and use the remote as a mouse with Autohotkey. I've had to write some code on my own and read lots. I have everything the way I want it and the easiest has been using Windows devices.

OpenElec works well, I played with it for a few months, just not worth the hassle on an Android. I've not taken the leap into Linux yet, it might be next!

simply my 2c

cwh

[teki4u]

I have tried a lot of devices, Pipo X8 & X9, Minix X7 & X8, Zotac (nano x2), MXQ Lenovo/Dell/HP (Laptops). For me, windows machines have always been superior. I've not tried the Nvida or the Wetek, they have good reviews. If they were out at the time I started this (15yrs ago), I probably would have had the Nvida, instead of a PS3! Or the hardrive with playback capabilities (pre-Kodi!)

My reasons, simple they just work without much fuss. I can RDP (uVNC) into my Windows machines from anywhere in the world and set up how I like or retrieve a movie. I have Network devices to store content.

Now, getting to the point of using one remote control for all hardware is not easy. I use an FLIRC and some cheap learning remotes. Netflix works great on them and I can launch Netflix, Hula, Chrome, IPTV, NextPVR from Kodi and use the remote as a mouse with Autohotkey. I've had to write some code on my own and read lots. I have everything the way I want it and the easiest has been using Windows devices.

OpenElec works well, I played with it for a few months, just not worth the hassle on an Android. I've not taken the leap into Linux yet, it might be next!

simply my 2c

cwh

Same here and currently running Kodi on Windows 10 with both a remote control while in Kodi and a k400 keyboard/mouse combo for "the rest" = it just works!.
Anyway if OP wants full HD not only in Netflix but in whatever other actual/future services he wants without limitations then you can't beat Windows with Internet Explorer or Microsoft Edge (Chrome has some restrictions depending on the service).
And all in one mini PC that just works is something that some people look for too.
I also have setup Linux many times in the past for testing purposes and fun including Openelec (which is light and simple but I always needed more a.k.a full OS) but simply put Windows is less hassle to setup and usually compatibility is better, Yes! is heavy and bloated but works and is what I use daily.

PS: I've owned Android TV sticks and a tronsmart vega S89 (amlogic S802) , sold them all!

[ianuk2005]

As we all know, Netflix on Android is a cripple....

Cough cough...you seem very out of the loop...

Compare Android Streaming Media Players HERE

I got excited for a minute because I thought you were going to show me something I didn't already know.

Yes, fair enough, there are "certified" Android-OS devices that can play Netflix in HD, but they are exceptions and not the rule. Heck, I have some phones that aren't certified, even though an older model I own *IS*... because the older model was a flagship from Samsung that bothered to get certified, and my newer handset is not. Then, one day I tried a different ROM on my older device to speed things up and remove bloat, and guess what? Netflix started playing in SD again. The whole certification thing is very annoying and I'd rather just avoid using the platform like that.

For the purposes of TV boxes, I looked into some commercial devices and was totally turned off by how locked down they are, trying to encourage you to buy into their ecosystem and media purchases. I had to jump through so many hoops to install and use apps on my friends' Fire TV that weren't part of Amazon's ecosystem, that I decided it wasn't worth it for me, especially for the price. My MXQ was under $40, works great, and came not only with the Google Play store, but already rooted out of the box! I like that they encourage tinkering, and aren't trying to force you to buy content from the subsidiaries.
For a while I was running that hacked XDA version of Netflix that allowed HD streams, but it was based on v2, and is now considered outdated enough that Netflix has moved on to features that don't work with it reliably or even at all sometimes. So, for all intents and purposes, I consider Android and Netflix incompatible. There's a lot that I don't know, I admit, which is why I'm asking the questions here still. But I don't feel like buying another Android device is what I want to do.

What made me interested in the Windows box is that there are many very affordable options if you know where to look (some easily half of what the devices you mention above cost), don't require certification for Netflix, and Windows 8/10's metro UI for apps and navigation are great for a set-top box. We already use a mii keyboard/mouse remote with the MXQ, which I like way better and find more intuitive than the traditional remotes my old Cable system used to force me to use. Then there's the ability to run Windows apps and streams not available on Android, and services like Hulu which would still allow basic service without an app or subscription by using it right in a browser window. Heck, my kids could open office and do their homework on the TV. That's cool. No certification required.

...I guess my real question was regarding Kodi performance on x86 Windows. Is the Android version more efficient with low powered hardware since Windows has too many driver layers perhaps? Or anything else I may be missing and/or haven't considered?

Kodi performs just fine on x86 hardware, especially on celeron's, i3's etc. On atom's i'm not too sure of performance as i've never had one. If your going for full blown windows though you have to consider that you may need more than 2gb ram and you may want more storage than a lot of miniature devices comes with such as 32gb. Only newer intel devices will support HEVC/265 hardware decoding as well but software decoding 1080p HEVC hasn't been an issue for me with an i3.

Secondly you have to consider your control schemes, not everything can be done with a standard remote. Something like an airmouse/remote is more suitable, not just for apps that aren't remote friendly, but for when you get inevitable windows error dialogs, popup messages etc.

Android is the hybrid of the devices with apps+kodi+remote friendly, but of course not without platform specific issues.

Perhaps a good shortlist might look something like this:

Acer Rev Build - £80, inexpensive, doesn't come with windows and may want to upgrade the 32gb+2gb
Intel NUC - £200+??, expensive, powerful, 4k/hevc support on newer models, plenty of upgrade options
Shield TV - £150, expensive, lightning fast good app options, very remote friendly, 4k/hevc support
Wetek boxes - £??, inexpensive, runs openelec plus android so good app options, 4k/hevc support
Fire TV £80, inexpensive, great app options, 4k support, locked down OS

My personal opinion is that windows is an absolute mess not suitable for HTPC's, openelec is great, never get's in the way and everyone can use it easily. Android TV is also brilliant, very user friendly unlike the hacked together android launchers most boxes come with.

[bbsc]

Waiting for windows to boot up, clicking icons, moving a mouse pointer around. It's just not good for a TV.

What a strange idea.
OpenElec boots 6 sec. on Chromebox, Windows 10 LTSB boots 12 sec. directly to Kodi. Extremely long waiting.
No need of any mouse movement and icons' clicking - just Up-Down-Left-Right and Ok.
Using Trust Air Mouse/Keyboard.
Absolutely wife-frendly system.
But in addition I have a small office and some necessary windows-apps there via RDP.
And I don't have weird problems like this one.

[ianuk2005]

Waiting for windows to boot up, clicking icons, moving a mouse pointer around. It's just not good for a TV.

Absolutely wife-frendly system..

Right until windows starts being windows....

"Here have an error dialog that a service stopped"
"Here lets shift focus this java update dialog over the top of the ui"
"Kodi crashed, here have a blank desktop"

This kind of stuff just isn't an issue on android/openelec, no need to be waving around an air mouse fighting against the OS.

[bbsc]

@ianuk2005
You're right, maybe.
But LTSB + Kodi looks rock solid for me till now.
Let's see what will happen in the future...

[ianuk2005]

@ianuk2005
You're right, maybe.
But LTSB + Kodi looks rock solid for me till now.
Let's see what will happen in the future...

I ran windows on my main machine for about 18 months and I just gave up in the end. Windows doing it's usual quirky stuff is fine for me but if someone else is using it like grandparents while i'm not around it just makes it unusable.

It's not too bad on openelec, worse case tends to be at has a meltdown and just restarts kodi. It helps that TVHeadend is much more stable than any of the windows PVR services as well.

[dishe]

Y'all have some funny ideas about remotes. Or some antiquated ideas about Windows. Or maybe both?
Do you guys actually LIKE television remote controls? Or is it just what you're used to?

My current Android box (MXQ) came with an IR remote that I actually hated from day one. I used to plug in a keyboard so that I could enter titles into the search box, and found that sometimes I'd be thrown into an Android screen not designed for a remote that I couldn't navigate without great difficulty (such as the Play Store). So, as I already mentioned above, I got one of those Rii keyboard/mouse combo units that are practically MADE for media. It has two game-controller style cross shaped button pads, one on the right that navigates up/down/left/right/OK, the other that does volume (up/down), reverse/fforward (left/right) and play/pause (center).
So basically, it works like a remote for all those UI parts that we can use a remote for, and whenever we get spit out to a screen that doesn't support it (which plenty of Android has) or want to do some light web browsing, we have a touchpad mouse as well as a full keyboard for searches. This, to me, is more functional than any remote control we've ever owned. Back when I had a cable box, the remote it forced me to use to navigate the menus and content was THE WORST. I don't understand why anyone would want that!

Funny thing is, my kids actually prefer to use the mouse than the directional pad on our Kodi android box right now. I'm always saying "just go down and press OK!" and they're busy fiddling with the mouse cursor on the screen. Truth is, in Kodi sometimes its easier to click the home button on the bottom than get there with the remote. I like having both options accessible to my thumb! And whoever is currently using it can choose which interface control they like better. That's the beauty of it.

Waiting for windows to boot up, clicking icons, moving a mouse pointer around. It's just not good for a TV.

What a strange idea.
OpenElec boots 6 sec. on Chromebox, Windows 10 LTSB boots 12 sec. directly to Kodi. Extremely long waiting.
No need of any mouse movement and icons' clicking - just Up-Down-Left-Right and Ok.
Using Trust Air Mouse/Keyboard.
Absolutely wife-frendly system.
But in addition I have a small office and some necessary windows-apps there via RDP.
And I don't have weird problems like this one.

Yeah, quite frankly I'm confused what about Windows they think is so much worse than Android in that regard. We're not talking about the desktop UI- Windows 8 and 10 have that Metro interface which is totally remote friendly, and I've already got the mouse controls to navigate around screens that aren't (since I have to do that in Android too already). As for boot up times... the MXQ isn't exactly a champ in that either. If it ever turns off, it takes about as long to boot into Android as my laptop with an SSD does to start Windows. We usually put it to "sleep" instead of powering down, which I imagine I'd do with the Windows box as well.

It sounds to me like some people can't shake the stereotype that Windows is a strictly desktop UI, despite Microsoft's best efforts to shake that stigma.

Right until windows starts being windows....

"Here have an error dialog that a service stopped"
"Here lets shift focus this java update dialog over the top of the ui"

I gotta say, Windows has become a lot more stable over the years- things that like don't happen to me anymore, especially if you aren't installing the same things as you would your home computer. I have a Windows 7 tablet (recently updated to 10) that I've been using for Kodi on the go since it was still XBMC. I barely have anything else installed on it, and I've *NEVER* had Kodi crash, or an error / java update take over my screen focus. In fact, I'm under the impression that applications which assume control of your screen (such WMP, VLC, Kodi, Netflix, etc) don't allow notifications to assume control. You'll see the dialog when you exit the program, I think. Or at least, that's how its been for me.

"Kodi crashed, here have a blank desktop"

No, here have the Metro UI. Click, repeat. No mouse necessary. Seriously, I feel like this argument was relevant in 1995 more than now. Windows is designed for alternative computing now, not just desktops.

This kind of stuff just isn't an issue on android/openelec, no need to be waving around an air mouse fighting against the OS.

That just simply isn't true! I bought the rii remote mouse/keyboard because I NEEDED IT IN ANDROID. And even if I didn't, as I mentioned before, sometimes we like using the touchpad to quickly hit something instead of using the direction pad to get the button we wanted.

But anyway, this conversation has very quickly derailed. All I wanted to know is if Kodi on windows would work well and have similar compatibility and performance as it would on an Android platform of similar hardware specs.

[Tinwarble]

But anyway, this conversation has very quickly derailed. All I wanted to know is if Kodi on windows would work well and have similar compatibility and performance as it would on an Android platform of similar hardware specs.

Basically, no. Because for one thing Android mostly runs on ARM (though you can run it on x86, Nexus Player is x86), but Windows need x86. So your aren't going to get "similar hardware specs".

My current Android box (MXQ) came with an IR remote that I actually hated from day one.

And that seems to be where most of your issues stem from, using some cheap Chinese crap (which all those boxes that carry the "MXQ" label are).

Don't confuse a Android TV (which is the OS) box with an Android on a TV box, which is what all those cheap boxes run. Android TV is made for the TV, it's designed for use with a remote as is all the apps for it. It is also not Fire TV OS, which is only on Amazon Fire TVs.

[trogggy]

Y'all have some funny ideas about remotes. Or some antiquated ideas about Windows. Or maybe both?
Do you guys actually LIKE television remote controls? Or is it just what you're used to?

I do, yes.
If I'm watching or listening I don't want to start picking up keyboards, mice or anything else other than one remote. And I don't want to wave it about or type on it. I want to press a minimum of buttons and have everything work seamlessly.

Obviously you can use a remote like that on any os.

[wrxtasy]

Don't confuse a Android TV (which is the OS) box with an Android on a TV box, which is what all those cheap boxes run. Android TV is made for the TV, it's designed for use with a remote as is all the apps for it. It is also not Fire TV OS, which is only on Amazon Fire TVs.

Not true actually. Android TV is actually not an OS but a leanback launcher App interface running on top of the Android 5.x/6.x OS.
This is a very common misconception, when users refer to generic Android boxes as Android TV.
See here:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/detai...cher&hl=en

Any old Android device running 5.x and above can replace the stock launcher with the Android TV launcher if you know what you are doing.
Some remote friendly Android TV launcher specific Apps are then able to be launched once a few internal checks are remove from within the leanback launcher compatible Apps themselves. A bunch of them just run without modifications, others fail due to missing Frameworks.

See over on the WeTek forums HERE for what is possible. On that device you don't even need the Android TV leanback launcher interface, but just hold down the OK button to directly access the leanback Apps drawer. Which is enough for some.

However unless you get a Google / Netflix - Certified Android TV launcher compatible device with proper DRM Licences and the essential HDCP Keys, then all those Paid for Video streaming Apps will not work. (leanback Netflix running on the Wetek Core is the exception here)

Google really should have made a clear distinction between the two interfaces, to avoid mass confusion and cheap Android sellers marketing their devices as Android TV, and named the leanback launcher interface found on the nVIDIA Shield or Nexus player something far less generic.