[Ned Scott]

pe1dnn hits the nail on the head.

[Packetcrypt]

I bought a MyGica ATV250e box and what a POS it is!!! That's my second one in 2 weeks and have to go back to the store tomorrow for a full refund. The box loses it's settings and I have to do a hard reset so it can be usable again. That means reinstalling all the XBMC plugins which takes for ever.

So I'm still looking for a solid box I don't mind paying extra as long as it's reliable.

The thing is they all seems to be the same, a plastic box with rounded corners 2 USB on the side antenna back left corner, DC then HDMI connector. Are those all made in China and "Print your company name on it"? What's a good box that differs itself from the rest?

I was looking at the Pivos, Gbox, Minix and there's one from Dreamlink that has an aluminum enclosure and that's much wider than the rest. The thing is with those boxes is the online reviews are mixed. It's either a 1 star or 5 star rating.

You must just have a bad box. The ATV520E is a great box and works fantastic compared to most boxes available. Airplay works perfect out of the box, Dolby and DTS passthru works great. Plays 1080 awesome in xbmc native player. Many of the boxes you need to flash to custom firmware to get these functions to work properly. I have 5 different boxes and the ATV520E is still the most reliable and trouble free box I have.

[helkish]

I bought a MyGica ATV250e box and what a POS it is!!! That's my second one in 2 weeks and have to go back to the store tomorrow for a full refund. The box loses it's settings and I have to do a hard reset so it can be usable again. That means reinstalling all the XBMC plugins which takes for ever.

So I'm still looking for a solid box I don't mind paying extra as long as it's reliable.

The thing is they all seems to be the same, a plastic box with rounded corners 2 USB on the side antenna back left corner, DC then HDMI connector. Are those all made in China and "Print your company name on it"? What's a good box that differs itself from the rest?

I was looking at the Pivos, Gbox, Minix and there's one from Dreamlink that has an aluminum enclosure and that's much wider than the rest. The thing is with those boxes is the online reviews are mixed. It's either a 1 star or 5 star rating.

You must just have a bad box. The ATV520E is a great box and works fantastic compared to most boxes available. Airplay works perfect out of the box, Dolby and DTS passthru works great. Plays 1080 awesome in xbmc native player. Many of the boxes you need to flash to custom firmware to get these functions to work properly. I have 5 different boxes and the ATV520E is still the most reliable and trouble free box I have.

I've got a ATV520E and a raspberry pi. The raspberry pi plays everything flawlessly, the ATV520E is good with Gotham nightlies but it still has some troubles with some high profile x264.

I think my next box will have Media Codec support as that seems to be the standard on Android. I was thinking about getting one of the quad core exynos http://www.cnx-software.com/2014/01/20/6...-4412-soc/ or Ouya.

[audiotek]

Bad box or really bad luck. My second box did the same thing it loses all the settings that I input like time, date, WIFI settings etc.... basically you have to do a hard reset and reprogram everything. Plus when I was packing it to send back to the store I realized that the WIFI antenna was flopping around when I try to put it straight the socket where the antenna sits snapped.

[Styxx42]

HI I want to chime in.
I am totally a newbie here and with this but
http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/159151...droid.html
I got two of these to replace my Patriot Media player.

I can't say enough about this unit so far. Had it for three weeks.
I have it connected to my NAS using SMB, I have XBMC 12.3 installed on both units and just today I installed the xbmc remote for my Android phone. UM

WOW SUPER.
I can control both units.

So my kids yell from the bedroom Dad it is over. I can switch it over.

I also got the Airmouse that is a mouse and keyboard all in one. I got two flavours. One with a touch pad(like a laptop touch pad) and the other with a Gyroscope in it.

ALL in all I am VERY happy with my little rockchip Quad core TV box.

[Prof Yaffle]

EzMx - you've made three posts since you joined, all of which look exactly the same, all of which are pushing that same box.

I'd personally give you the benefit of the doubt and say that you're just a huge fan, but please, no more, lest you start to sound like you're on commission.

EDIT

Previous spam post removed.

[pinnamur]

I have used Pivos XIOS and Midnight G2 android boxes - with the latest update in G2, streaming in XBMC seems to be smoother than ever. However, pivos gives us the flexibility to flash the box with Linux and get XBMC running very smooth.

IMO Midnight G2 has more options than Pivos.

[kphammond9]

I have been waffling on this decision for over a month now. I can't justify the investment in a true htpc per tv. The $100 price point is about the limit of what I can spend, but it seems like there are no real good options. The G-Box downscales the picture to 720p in xbmc. Most of the other android boxes are flaky/sluggish. I've heard mixed reports on Raspberry Pi and it seems like you need to be a bit of a hobbyist and overclock the hardware to get decent performance from it (understandable given the pricepoint). The Ouya controller is a non-starter for my wife. The Roku has no xbmc. The Amazon Fire TV is a closed platform and there is no way to tell if it will do what I want it to do.

So frustrating. An htpc will do what I want, but is there anything out there in the $100 price range that will run xbmc/open elec and provide solid 1080p playback? I plan to serve from my main PC over the network (wired) via either WMC or Plex, whichever one works better.

[helkish]

I have been waffling on this decision for over a month now. I can't justify the investment in a true htpc per tv. The $100 price point is about the limit of what I can spend, but it seems like there are no real good options. The G-Box downscales the picture to 720p in xbmc. Most of the other android boxes are flaky/sluggish. I've heard mixed reports on Raspberry Pi and it seems like you need to be a bit of a hobbyist and overclock the hardware to get decent performance from it (understandable given the pricepoint). The Ouya controller is a non-starter for my wife. The Roku has no xbmc. The Amazon Fire TV is a closed platform and there is no way to tell if it will do what I want it to do.

So frustrating. An htpc will do what I want, but is there anything out there in the $100 price range that will run xbmc/open elec and provide solid 1080p playback? I plan to serve from my main PC over the network (wired) via either WMC or Plex, whichever one works better.

If your looking for an htpc then maybe wait for the Minnowboard MAX. The dual core Intel Atom 1.33 GHz will go for $129. It will run both Android and Linux. It should do 1080p video fine and has SATA, USB 3.0 , Gigabit LAN.

[kphammond9]

If your looking for an htpc then maybe wait for the Minnowboard MAX. The dual core Intel Atom 1.33 GHz will go for $129. It will run both Android and Linux. It should do 1080p video fine and has SATA, USB 3.0 , Gigabit LAN.

Hmm... so it's like a slightly more beefy Raspberry Pi? Looks like it won't be available for a couple of months, but an interesting option. Thanks.

[saddie]

I've tried the firmawre upgrade already but I don't see it on the USB key. The unit loses all the settings like date, time, wifi settings etc... As for the XBMC settings it loses the video format settings, audio and whatever I input are preferences. The issue is not with XBMC but the box itself. The firmware upgrade should be online that would make it easier.

Put the upgrade files on the USB key. In the box, when you go to the 'upgrade' app and browse for the files, press the menu button 8 (eight) times, and the files will appear. I know that sounds weird, but it works. Then update your 520 to the latest firmware, and enjoy one of the most stable android box currently being made.

[nickr]

If you want to use plex, why are you here?

---

roku has plex. Amazon firetv has plex and xbmc

[helkish]

If your looking for an htpc then maybe wait for the Minnowboard MAX. The dual core Intel Atom 1.33 GHz will go for $129. It will run both Android and Linux. It should do 1080p video fine and has SATA, USB 3.0 , Gigabit LAN.

Hmm... so it's like a slightly more beefy Raspberry Pi? Looks like it won't be available for a couple of months, but an interesting option. Thanks.

Yeah, it's similar to raspberry pi in terms of what it is built for. But, it should be a little open interms of drivers source code. Also, should be able to run most stuff that is already compiled for x86/x86-64.

[Rodbrazil]

Ouya beats all of the boxes mentioned here.
It handles 1080P, 720P all with great quality and no hickups whatsoever.
XBMC is an easy install and upgrades are available every time a new improved XBMC version is released.
I've owned many many boxes and I have to say if you want performance and peace of mind as far as not having problems OUYA is the way to go.
One minor thing I will say is that the wifi could be better, so I always recomend ethernet cable connection and you will be flying.
Good luck!

[kphammond9]

Ouya beats all of the boxes mentioned here.
It handles 1080P, 720P all with great quality and no hickups whatsoever.
XBMC is an easy install and upgrades are available every time a new improved XBMC version is released.
I've owned many many boxes and I have to say if you want performance and peace of mind as far as not having problems OUYA is the way to go.
One minor thing I will say is that the wifi could be better, so I always recomend ethernet cable connection and you will be flying.
Good luck!

The Ouya would be a nice option if it weren't for the lack of remote. Does anybody know if it'll work with a USB IR remote?

If you want to use plex, why are you here?

---

roku has plex. Amazon firetv has plex and xbmc

I'm trying to figure out if xbmc is going to do what I want. Fact is, I don't know a lot about this subject, but I'm trying to learn. Which is why I'm here.