OK I know this has been asked a 100 times before, but I just seem to get conflicting answers and going round in circles. I'm running a 10 year old TV with 3 HDMI sockets on the back. A fibre WiFi internet connection and at the moment I have a Firestick that I brought 4 years ago and I'm trying to run Kodi v19. I'm finding it crashes while moving around the menu options every 5 to 10 mins. Its also slow. Once a film / prog has been selected and running it seems to be fine.
I want to upgrade to a faster box that doesn't crash. I don't need netflix or any of the other bloatware, just kodi. I don't want to spend a fortune so the latest and greatest box may not be required.
What would you recommend? I've been looking at boxes like the H96 on eBay, any good?
Thanks for that, but don't these cheap ebay boxes work then?
I've looked at the Vero and taken your advice. I've got hold of a Vero 4K not the plus version. I think that will be good enough for my needs.
What did you like about him? I heard about him but did not dare to buy
I have purchased around 50 H96 Pro+ and a half dozen H96 Pro Max boxes and a half dozen other brands and set them up for friends and friends of friends. They are very good value, but they do have a few flaws. Here is the list of flaws that I see for each option. Keep in mind that I occasionally use the streaming devices to stream live channels on Kodi, which is a bit different from what many here use them for.
H96 or Equivalent
- Very good price point
- Will work as a PC when it comes to browsing, but is clumsy otherwise
- 2 USB ports
- 64GB storage, 4GB RAM is good
- Usually capped at max speed of 100mbps speed
- Will NOT stream Netflix and Amazon Prime Video in HD
- 4GB of RAM very good when streaming live channels
- Occasional issues with buffering and stability
Nvidia Shield TV/Pro
- Price point of TV is high but not horrible, Pro version is very expensive but needed for gaming
- Will work as a PC, but from my research this involves a bit of work and technical know how (others here would be able to help you more than me)
- Will stream Netflix and Amazon Prime Video in HD
- Will support Dolby, which is a major advantage
- 1 USB port
- 16GB storage, 3GB Ram is ok
- 3GB of RAM good but not great for streaming live channels
Beelink BT3 Pro II Mini Computer
- Price point $50 less than Nvidia Shield TV and $150 less than Nvidia Shield Pro
- VERY IMPORTANT, through Windows, you can stream Netflix and Amazon Prime Video in HD
- Will not support Dolby; which is a major advantage of the Nvidia
- A full fledged computer, with a small wireless remote or wireless keyboard/remote combo, works amazingly well
- Web browsing, using programs like Microsoft Office, all computer/laptop functions are a breeze
- 2 USB ports
- 4GB storage, 4GB of RAM very good for streaming live channels
- Windows 10 incredibly stable when streaming live channels
- Can handle up to 1000mbps speeds
In summary, this little computer is incredible for what it delivers for the price point. It is useless when it comes to gaming, and you won't get Dolby audio, so if you are doing any of that go with the Nvidia Shield Pro, but otherwise it is incredible.
Correction:
Beelink BT3 Pro II Mini Computer should be 64GB storage, 4GB RAM.
A few corrections or clarifications :
(2020-01-09, 10:07)Stammers Wrote: [ -> ]Nvidia Shield TV/Pro
- Price point of TV is high but not horrible, Pro version is very expensive but needed for gaming
- Will work as a PC, but from my research this involves a bit of work and technical know how (others here would be able to help you more than me)
- Will stream Netflix and Amazon Prime Video in HD
-Will stream Netflix and Amazon Prime Video in UHD HDR.
2015 and 2017 models support HDR10
2019 models add Dolby Vision support
Quote:- Will support Dolby, which is a major advantage
2019 models add Dolby Digital Plus with Atmos support in streaming applications. All models support Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital Plus audio, and HD Audio (DTS HD MA and Dolby True HD) passthrough in Kodi.
Quote:- 1 USB port
2015, 2017 Shield TV and Shield TV Pros have 2 USB 3.0 ports
2019 Shield TV Pro has 2 USB 3.0 ports.
2019 Shield TV has no USB 3.0 ports.
Quote:- 16GB storage, 3GB Ram is ok
- 3GB of RAM good but not great for streaming live channels
2015 and 2017 Shield TV (non-Pros) have 16GB + 3GB
2015 and 2017 Shield TV Pros have internal 500GB hard drives + 3GB
2019 Shield TV (non-Pro) has 8GB + 2GB
(2020-01-09, 10:07)Stammers Wrote: [ -> ]Beelink BT3 Pro II Mini Computer
- Price point $50 less than Nvidia Shield TV and $150 less than Nvidia Shield Pro
- VERY IMPORTANT, through Windows, you can stream Netflix and Amazon Prime Video in HD
- Will not support Dolby; which is a major advantage of the Nvidia
- A full fledged computer, with a small wireless remote or wireless keyboard/remote combo, works amazingly well
- Web browsing, using programs like Microsoft Office, all computer/laptop functions are a breeze
- 2 USB ports
- 4GB storage, 4GB of RAM very good for streaming live channels
- Windows 10 incredibly stable when streaming live channels
- Can handle up to 1000mbps speeds
In summary, this little computer is incredible for what it delivers for the price point. It is useless when it comes to gaming, and you won't get Dolby audio, so if you are doing any of that go with the Nvidia Shield Pro, but otherwise it is incredible.
Beelink BT3 Pro II Mini is Intel Atom x5-Z8350 based isn't it?
I had no problems getting Dolby Digital (and I'm pretty certain Dolby Digital Plus) audio out over HDMI with a different Z8350 based device in Windows, though you could also configure it for PCM decode if you didn't enabled exclusive mode ISTR? I wonder if the Beelink needs a driver update (though I think HDMIaudio output is part of the Intel GPU+HDMI audio drivers so it should be standard?)
The Z8350 is a very weak SoC for Kodi use though in my experience, and it was marginal for HD OTT streaming using Windows 10 apps.
(2019-12-12, 22:59)Sutton Rider Wrote: [ -> ]Thanks for that, but don't these cheap ebay boxes work then?
40$ X96 Max+ S905X3 4/32 + CoreELEC is the best buy for 4K HDR today.
(2019-12-12, 21:08)Sutton Rider Wrote: [ -> ]OK I know this has been asked a 100 times before, but I just seem to get conflicting answers and going round in circles. I'm running a 10 year old TV with 3 HDMI sockets on the back. A fibre WiFi internet connection and at the moment I have a Firestick that I brought 4 years ago and I'm trying to run Kodi v19. I'm finding it crashes while moving around the menu options every 5 to 10 mins. Its also slow. Once a film / prog has been selected and running it seems to be fine.
I want to upgrade to a faster box that doesn't crash. I don't need netflix or any of the other bloatware, just kodi. I don't want to spend a fortune so the latest and greatest box may not be required.
What would you recommend? I've been looking at boxes like the H96 on eBay, any good?
Kodi 19 is beta software. Beta software has the potential of being buggy. Try the current stable before you go upgrading hardware.
(2020-01-09, 11:35)noggin Wrote: [ -> ] (2020-01-09, 10:07)Stammers Wrote: [ -> ]Beelink BT3 Pro II Mini Computer
- Price point $50 less than Nvidia Shield TV and $150 less than Nvidia Shield Pro
- VERY IMPORTANT, through Windows, you can stream Netflix and Amazon Prime Video in HD
- Will not support Dolby; which is a major advantage of the Nvidia
- A full fledged computer, with a small wireless remote or wireless keyboard/remote combo, works amazingly well
- Web browsing, using programs like Microsoft Office, all computer/laptop functions are a breeze
- 2 USB ports
- 4GB storage, 4GB of RAM very good for streaming live channels
- Windows 10 incredibly stable when streaming live channels
- Can handle up to 1000mbps speeds
In summary, this little computer is incredible for what it delivers for the price point. It is useless when it comes to gaming, and you won't get Dolby audio, so if you are doing any of that go with the Nvidia Shield Pro, but otherwise it is incredible.
Beelink BT3 Pro II Mini is Intel Atom x5-Z8350 based isn't it?
I had no problems getting Dolby Digital (and I'm pretty certain Dolby Digital Plus) audio out over HDMI with a different Z8350 based device in Windows, though you could also configure it for PCM decode if you didn't enabled exclusive mode ISTR? I wonder if the Beelink needs a driver update (though I think HDMIaudio output is part of the Intel GPU+HDMI audio drivers so it should be standard?)
The Z8350 is a very weak SoC for Kodi use though in my experience, and it was marginal for HD OTT streaming using Windows 10 apps.
Thank you very much for all the info, much appreciated. As far as Dolby goes, I have only had the Beelink for a week and haven't been able get Dolby so far, but I'm still tinkering around with it. Technically, I'm a little ahead of Sutton Rider because I have been using these boxes for a few years, but nowhere near your level of expertise.
For official Kodi apps the Nvidia is amazing and the Beelink is much better and more stable than the Chinese boxes. With live streaming channels, so far I have found the Beelink much better than both the Chinese boxes and the Nvidia. For picture quality, the Nvidia is amazing. For an inexpensive alternative to getting Netflix and Amazon in HD, the Beelink is also a great choice. I have only tried the Nvidia Pro, haven't tried the TV, but will be curious to give it a go.
(2020-01-09, 11:37)djnice Wrote: [ -> ] (2019-12-12, 22:59)Sutton Rider Wrote: [ -> ]Thanks for that, but don't these cheap ebay boxes work then?
40$ X96 Max+ S905X3 4/32 + CoreELEC is the best buy for 4K HDR today.
I have both and I would say that the 64GB of storage is nice to have even if you don't use most of it. I would also say that so far, the H96 Pro+ with Android 7 seems to be more stable running Kodi than the H96 Max+ with Android 9. Just my experience along with a couple of my friends.
but he recommends it without android