[djneo]

I've been very impressed with the Minix X8H that i bought last week. Its very quick for navigation and the Minix edition of Xbmc runs very well. I've upgraded from an RPi and so far im very pleased with my purchase.

Not had any issues playing back any video formats no matter what I have thrown at it and all the live streams from various add-ons work brilliantly also.

Cool!. I was looking at info on it last week. Have you tried with Hi10 formats?

[oldpoem]

I doubt Minix X8H would handle Hi10P since it has no HW decoder for it. For now Hi10P require pure cpu power for decoding. Latest Hi-End ARM CPU might be enough but for sub-100 unit probably has not enough power.

[nickr]

deleted

[yaqh]

New here and I was reading the whole thread before ordering anything. But the hint came from a friend of mine to try this out, he had used it for a couple of months. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IXQTFDQ

I have to admit, it never let me down. It just works. XBMC is pre-loaded and streams at 1080p. There are some very useful apps pre-installed as well. It is rooted.
We use Skype and tango a lot to communicate with europe, this is a great solution as well. Never had issues with any wifi or movie stuttering during playback.
It has airplay and we love the miracast function.

I've tried an MX2 previously at my friends house and it is not bad either. Did not go in detail with the MX2, so not sure if it has all the connectivity.

The only downside of all boxes are the remotes. All the basic functions are available but it is just slow to navigate with the mouse pointer through the keyboard. So everybody ends up buying a 2.4ghz or Bluetooth mini keyboard. On the other hand that's why the price ranges around $99.

New unknown item buying tipp:
I'd personally always would order through Amazon than ebay.... returns!

Hi, I am thinking of ordering this box.How does it perform? Need something that will xbmc out of the box without too much hassle.Also comparing it to rasberry pi.I have not seen this in the Uk, can i only order from US?

[mr.bigglseworth]

Hi, I am thinking of ordering this box.How does it perform? Need something that will xbmc out of the box without too much hassle.Also comparing it to rasberry pi.I have not seen this in the Uk, can i only order from US?

If you want something that is easily maintained, why not buy one of the supported boxes listed in the wiki (XBMC Devices Wiki) rather than one of these bogus anonymous boxes. A Raspberry Pi is pretty easy to set up for XBMC using RaspBMC. I use an Ouya and it was really easy to set up, and I suspect that the Fire TV is too (not available to me in Canada). If you want XBMC pre-installed, why not get one of the Pivos boxes (the new XIOS XS is just being released)- they at least help support XBMC development.

[yaqh]

Hi, I am thinking of ordering this box.How does it perform? Need something that will xbmc out of the box without too much hassle.Also comparing it to rasberry pi.I have not seen this in the Uk, can i only order from US?

If you want something that is easily maintained, why not buy one of the supported boxes listed in the wiki (XBMC Devices Wiki) rather than one of these bogus anonymous boxes. A Raspberry Pi is pretty easy to set up for XBMC using RaspBMC. I use an Ouya and it was really easy to set up, and I suspect that the Fire TV is too (not available to me in Canada). If you want XBMC pre-installed, why not get one of the Pivos boxes (the new XIOS XS is just being released)- they at least help support XBMC development.

thanks I will have a look.

[yaqh]

Hi, I am thinking of ordering this box.How does it perform? Need something that will xbmc out of the box without too much hassle.Also comparing it to rasberry pi.I have not seen this in the Uk, can i only order from US?

If you want something that is easily maintained, why not buy one of the supported boxes listed in the wiki (XBMC Devices Wiki) rather than one of these bogus anonymous boxes. A Raspberry Pi is pretty easy to set up for XBMC using RaspBMC. I use an Ouya and it was really easy to set up, and I suspect that the Fire TV is too (not available to me in Canada). If you want XBMC pre-installed, why not get one of the Pivos boxes (the new XIOS XS is just being released)- they at least help support XBMC development.

which Pivos is worth buying for xbmc?

[yaqh]

Whats are the general census when comparing with Pi, I need user friendly option, good wifi signal and hassle free but dont want to spend too much?
These are the ones I have been looking at:

Pivos
Pi
Amazon tv box
Ouya

[normadize]

I just ordered a Measy B4A from Amazon (65 GBP): http://j.mp/1tkEk2C
Manufacturer product page: http://j.mp/1n5cOwU

It uses the Amlogic S802, same as some of the newer boxes, Quad-Core A9 @ 2GHz, Octa-Core Mali-450 GPU, 2GB Ram, 8GB flash, WiFi 2.4 GHz only, integrated IR receiver. Runs KitKat 4.4.2. Does not include a remote.

I ordered this remote (RF 2.4 GHz air mouse + IR learning remote + keyboard @ 14 GBP): http://j.mp/1n5d1QA

There are quite a few boxes with the same chip and specs. Some are more expensive than this, mostly because they include a remote, others are just ripping you off.

The only other more powerful and/or feature rich box right now that I could see is the Minix NEO X8-H (and equivalents) which uses the Amlogic S802-H chip (only difference to S802 is that it supports hdmi passthrough for dolby and dts, but that's useless in this box) and has a few extra features: 16GB, Dual band WiFi, external antenna, microphone jack, IR remote. However, it comes in at about 110 GBP which I think is too expensive. Amazon sells some which also include a free Minix Air Mouse (for 112 GBP): http://j.mp/1n5dwKz

I'll pot back after I get and test the Measy B4A (and remote).

p.s. Some boxes are due to be released with slightly better SoCs (e.g. S812 with H265 decoding) but I'm not willing to wait.

[yaqh]

I just ordered a Measy B4A from Amazon (65 GBP): http://j.mp/1tkEk2C
Manufacturer product page: http://j.mp/1n5cOwU

It uses the Amlogic S802, same as some of the newer boxes, Quad-Core A9 @ 2GHz, Octa-Core Mali-450 GPU, 2GB Ram, 8GB flash, WiFi 2.4 GHz only, integrated IR receiver. Runs KitKat 4.4.2. Does not include a remote.

I ordered this remote (RF 2.4 GHz air mouse + IR learning remote + keyboard @ 14 GBP): http://j.mp/1n5d1QA

There are quite a few boxes with the same chip and specs. Some are more expensive than this, mostly because they include a remote, others are just ripping you off.

The only other more powerful and/or feature rich box right now that I could see is the Minix NEO X8-H (and equivalents) which uses the Amlogic S802-H chip (only difference to S802 is that it supports hdmi passthrough for dolby and dts, but that's useless in this box) and has a few extra features: 16GB, Dual band WiFi, external antenna, microphone jack, IR remote. However, it comes in at about 110 GBP which I think is too expensive. Amazon sells some which also include a free Minix Air Mouse (for 112 GBP): http://j.mp/1n5dwKz

I'll pot back after I get and test the Measy B4A (and remote).

p.s. Some boxes are due to be released with slightly better SoCs (e.g. S812 with H265 decoding) but I'm not willing to wait.

Let me know your views when you get it, as I am also looking at ordering this type of box.

[normadize]

Let me know your views when you get it, as I am also looking at ordering this type of box.

The box arrived but it's dead. No video output (tried both monitor and projector). Power button does turn the LED blue but pressing it does not turn it red (sleep mode) even after waiting several minutes.

The other things I can say is that build quality on this round thing (plenty of other brands use the same case) is crap -- case doesn't sit tightly (pressing on it makes it click and shift a little), and feels very cheap. The vent holes are on the bottom (...ok) but there is a circular foam going around the edge of the base, which means that no air can escape so those air vents are worthless. Who designs these things? There is also no reset button and comes with no accessories whatsoever except the AC adapter.

Wouldn't mind all the above so much if it was actually working.

I reconsidered the options and I will go for the Minix X8 even if it's more expensive. The dev and user community is large and quite active (http://minixforums.com/ with dedicated XBMC and individual boxes subforums), they keep XBMC updated and apply fixes fairly frequently, has a reset button (helps with rooting/fiddling), can be easily rooted and there are plentry of tutorials (try a google), firmwares with non-wipe options, non-official firmwares etc. I guess a cheaper box is fine if you don't care about fiddling with it, though you might care about having an updated XBMC that works well with the box.

Will post again after I get the 2nd box.

[yaqh]

Let me know your views when you get it, as I am also looking at ordering this type of box.

The box arrived but it's dead. No video output (tried both monitor and projector). Power button does turn the LED blue but pressing it does turn it red (sleep mode) even after waiting several minutes.

The other things I can say is that build quality on this round thing (plenty of other brands use the same case) is crap -- case doesn't sit tightly (pressing on it makes it click and shift a little), and feels very cheap. The vent holes are on the bottom (...ok) but there is a circular foam going around the edge of the base, which means that no air can escape so those air vents are worthless. Who designs these things? There is also no reset button and comes with no accessories whatsoever except the AC adapter.

Wouldn't mind all the above so much if it was actually working.

I reconsidered the options and I will go for the Minix X8 even if it's more expensive. The dev and user community is large and quite active (http://minixforums.com/ with dedicated XBMC and individual boxes subforums), they keep XBMC updated and apply fixes fairly frequently, has a reset button (helps with rooting/fiddling), can be easily rooted and there are plentry of tutorials (try a google), firmwares with non-wipe options, non-official firmwares etc. I guess a cheaper box is fine if you don't care about fiddling with it, though you might care about having an updated XBMC that works well with the box.

Will post again after I get the 2nd box.

thanks for the feedback,sorry to hear about your box.I look forward to the next review!

[yaqh]

i was looking to order this one on this page further down.It looks likes the one you ordered.
http://www.avforums.com/threads/best-and...x.1887479/

[normadize]

i was looking to order this one on this page further down.It looks likes the one you ordered.
http://www.avforums.com/threads/best-and...x.1887479/

Not sure which one you mean exactly ... which post is it? (click on the post number on the right, e.g. #25).

[yaqh]

i was looking to order this one on this page further down.It looks likes the one you ordered.
http://www.avforums.com/threads/best-and...x.1887479/

Not sure which one you mean exactly ... which post is it? (click on the post number on the right, e.g. #25).

post 16