2016-07-10, 16:02
If you want a whole bunch of remote friendly Android Apps to use easily on a big screen TV with a bit of Kodi on the side then grab the Shield. It will outperform all other Android devices.
Be aware Hardware deinterlacing is broken currently since a recent Shield Firmware update. There may be 4K Kodi stuttering problems as well. You should really ask for any known problems in the Shield thread to be bang up to date.
The WeTek Hub has the best Audio support out of all the AMLogic S905 Kodi Jarvis boxes both in Android and LibreELEC. It also runs a slightly upgraded S905 SoC compared to other AMLogic boxes. You get Dual boot here if you must use Android Lollipop. Its a pretty flexible little device. See the comprehensive reviews in the Hub thread for any limitations.
The AML S905 MINIX U1 is not as versatile as the Hub, looks like it is going to be stuck on Android Lollipop and audio support is not as good. You will be stuck with an Android Lollipop OS that is not as big screen remote control friendly compared to the Shield.
Personally I would avoid Android completely for a Kodi only media player and just use LibreELEC Kodi as an always on Appliance like device in a fanless, low power consumption box. Kodi is more stable with less bugs when using LibreELEC.
For ultimate speed, get an SSD equipped Intel i3 - and run LibreELEC Kodi and Software decode 10bit HEVC. You may even prefer Windows10 for more versatility.
In reality a well sorted LibreELEC Kodi running on the S905 Hub will satisfy most (non 3D) users for Kodi 10bit HEVC decoding.
Be aware all ARM devices like RPi's or AML boxes really should be using externally powered HDD's or a powered USB Hub for HDD power supply reliability.
You may be able to get away with a directly connected, modern power efficient USB3 HDD, without power issues.
I unsure what color output the Shield uses for 10bit content. For the AMLogic devices it is dithered down to 8bit color and output, Intel is the same I believe.
All that is not important if you only have a 8bit HDMI connected display.
Be aware Hardware deinterlacing is broken currently since a recent Shield Firmware update. There may be 4K Kodi stuttering problems as well. You should really ask for any known problems in the Shield thread to be bang up to date.
The WeTek Hub has the best Audio support out of all the AMLogic S905 Kodi Jarvis boxes both in Android and LibreELEC. It also runs a slightly upgraded S905 SoC compared to other AMLogic boxes. You get Dual boot here if you must use Android Lollipop. Its a pretty flexible little device. See the comprehensive reviews in the Hub thread for any limitations.
The AML S905 MINIX U1 is not as versatile as the Hub, looks like it is going to be stuck on Android Lollipop and audio support is not as good. You will be stuck with an Android Lollipop OS that is not as big screen remote control friendly compared to the Shield.
Personally I would avoid Android completely for a Kodi only media player and just use LibreELEC Kodi as an always on Appliance like device in a fanless, low power consumption box. Kodi is more stable with less bugs when using LibreELEC.
For ultimate speed, get an SSD equipped Intel i3 - and run LibreELEC Kodi and Software decode 10bit HEVC. You may even prefer Windows10 for more versatility.
In reality a well sorted LibreELEC Kodi running on the S905 Hub will satisfy most (non 3D) users for Kodi 10bit HEVC decoding.
Be aware all ARM devices like RPi's or AML boxes really should be using externally powered HDD's or a powered USB Hub for HDD power supply reliability.
You may be able to get away with a directly connected, modern power efficient USB3 HDD, without power issues.
I unsure what color output the Shield uses for 10bit content. For the AMLogic devices it is dithered down to 8bit color and output, Intel is the same I believe.
All that is not important if you only have a 8bit HDMI connected display.
