[couto27]

Which box so that i get
- to play my videos (all of which has DTS/DD and all the other HD formats) so that my AVR decodes/processes it (and shows on the display DTS-HD MA... )
- uses Kodi
- Netflix HD

- budget: less of concern of minimising cost, more concerned about quality of output - but that doesnt mean I break the bank. i just dont want to cheap out

-lastly, if it can work with a logitech harmony remote and connect to a network via wire

Nvidia Shield

[PTMD]

how does a wetek core or Mi Box stack up

Nvidia shield is sold out currently

is there anything that compares to nvidia shield - but cheaper?

[tmihai20]

Mi Box does not have ethernet, only WiFi. The Mi Box is not that bad, actually, and one of the few Android boxes that can play Netflix and other streaming apps in HD/fullHD/4K.

[PTMD]

what if i get a usb adaptor to ethernet?

does the Mi Box then stack up to the Nvidia?

[timstephens24]

I assumed that would mean the AVR wouldn't upscale?

You generally don't want the AVR to do upscaling.

[Dan50]

how does a wetek core or Mi Box stack up

Nvidia shield is sold out currently

is there anything that compares to nvidia shield - but cheaper?

Are you from Europe?

[KoopaTroopa]

Which box so that i get
- to play my videos (all of which has DTS/DD and all the other HD formats) so that my AVR decodes/processes it (and shows on the display DTS-HD MA... )
- uses Kodi
- Netflix HD

Wetek Hub, Nvidia Shield TV, Xiaomi Mi Box

[wrxtasy]

No DTS-HD MA / HD Audio Passthrough available on the Mi Box, follow the link below (from Post #1)

Q. I'm a Newbie on a $100 budget using a 1080p TV, I do not need HD Audio and have no audio/video receiver (AVR).
I just want to plug in and power up, and run Kodi with minimal fuss. I don't care about anything else ?

• Xiaomi Mi Box, mini review HERE
  
• WeTek Hub
  
• Which device is better for use as a Kodi media player, well read this and make up your own mind.

[wrxtasy]

what if i get a usb adaptor to ethernet?

does the Mi Box then stack up to the Nvidia?

No need for an adapter, but they help if you want to expand the number of USB ports on the Mi Box. (ASIX Chipset: USB > Ethernet adapters only)
If you have decent, N or AC Dual Band 802.11 WiFi in the Home, the Mi Box is perfectly fine streaming Bluray ISO Rips via WiFi only. Which are typically around ~35-40 Mbps.

[Ned Scott]

Hi guys,
I was reading here a lot lately, mainly following the discussions related to Wetek devices as they seemed to be best for me, but seeing the chaotical development on Wetek's side like the sudden removing of FTP, telnet etc. from their ROM, I fear I need to look elsewhere and was wondering if someone had a look at the Ferguson Ariva 4K already? I had a "normal" SAT receiver from them and it was quite ok, but not sure about this one.

FUD. Getting upset about the crappy built-in FTP server and security-nightmare telnet server being removed is foolish. But go on, see how many boxes even included either of those on their default firmware.

[wrxtasy]

@shad, if you are using any Android device to watch TV we recommend separating the TV backend server from TV viewing client. (Dual tuners highly recommended)

That way you can choose virtually any Kodi media player box that does hardware deinterlacing and it makes upgrading the Kodi Box easier in the future.
You can also leave the TV server device on 24/7 if the box is a low power consumption one. Makes (smart) scheduling of recordings and more a LOT easier.

There are many cost effective options for a TV server. People are using old RPi's. Fanless Mini PC's, NAS's running TvHeadend servers and more recently those dirt cheap AMLogic S905 boxes running LibreELEC and special media_build edition's of LE Kodi. Those media_build's support modern DVB tuners, when used on old AMLogic Linux Kernels.

Oh and by the way on all Android AMLogic platforms, Hardware deinterlacing for TV viewing is broken when using Kodi Krypton due to AMLogic's implementation of the Android mediacodec decoder not being up to Spec. AML LibreELEC Krypton still works.

[Jeffers24]

@shad, if you are using any Android device to watch TV we recommend separating the TV backend server from TV viewing client. (Dual tuners highly recommended)

That way you can choose virtually any Kodi media player box that does hardware deinterlacing and it makes upgrading the Kodi Box easier in the future.
You can also leave the TV server device on 24/7 if the box is a low power consumption one. Makes (smart) scheduling of recordings and more a LOT easier.

There are many cost effective options for a TV server. People are using old RPi's. Fanless Mini PC's, NAS's running TvHeadend servers and more recently those dirt cheap AMLogic S905 boxes running LibreELEC and special media_build edition's of LE Kodi. Those media_build's support modern DVB tuners, when used on old AMLogic Linux Kernels.

Oh and by the way on all Android AMLogic platforms, Hardware deinterlacing for TV viewing is broken when using Kodi Krypton due to AMLogic's implementation of the Android mediacodec decoder not being up to Spec. AML LibreELEC Krypton still works.

What is the impact of not having Hardware deinterlacing for TV viewing?

[lama0900]

@shad, if you are using any Android device to watch TV we recommend separating the TV backend server from TV viewing client. (Dual tuners highly recommended)

That way you can choose virtually any Kodi media player box that does hardware deinterlacing and it makes upgrading the Kodi Box easier in the future.
You can also leave the TV server device on 24/7 if the box is a low power consumption one. Makes (smart) scheduling of recordings and more a LOT easier.

There are many cost effective options for a TV server. People are using old RPi's. Fanless Mini PC's, NAS's running TvHeadend servers and more recently those dirt cheap AMLogic S905 boxes running LibreELEC and special media_build edition's of LE Kodi. Those media_build's support modern DVB tuners, when used on old AMLogic Linux Kernels.

Oh and by the way on all Android AMLogic platforms, Hardware deinterlacing for TV viewing is broken when using Kodi Krypton due to AMLogic's implementation of the Android mediacodec decoder not being up to Spec. AML LibreELEC Krypton still works.

Will this AMLogic implementation ever happen? Does AMLogic know this? Do they care about?
They sell plenty of their S9XX-Devices because Kodi (at least v16 with amcodec) works. That Kodi dropped this in Android is ok, but is AMLogic impressed by that?

[wrxtasy]

What is the impact of not having Hardware deinterlacing for TV viewing?

Loverly video artefacts like Combing...

What is Deinterlacing? Facts, solutions, examples.

[tododo]

Hi all
Looking for a bit of advise
A collegaue at work is considering getting some sort of Kodi box

His main requirement is probably for it to be easy to use and Wife / Kids Friendly and to have an ethernet port preferably

I would guess he would not want to be updating things or playing with it much at all - so plug in forget would be ideal

Hes a bit short cash wise but has been looking around the £50-£60 mark
Ive advised maybe try the Tonbox or Q-Box (Android Boxes) but I understand these all have various stability issues of some sort and it is recommened to put openelec on them instead??

Please correct if Im wrong
Ive never used one of these boxes......we dont want one of these rip off fully loaded boxes either btw we want something we can load on and configure ourselves

Install Openelec doesnt sound like something he would be able to do say if a new version comes out quite often

Im thinking that the Amazon Fire Box is probably best for his needs as it seems to be the best of both worlds - although that is pushing the price up a touch

Are there any other recommendations - the Nvidia Sheild would be overkill really

Thanks all