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START HERE - Pick the Right Kodi Box (updated Dec 2020)
The Piracy Box Sellers and Youtube Promoters Are Killing Kodi

and

Kodi's Official Forum Piracy Policy

Tip: if you buy some unsupported "Fully Loaded" Piracy Kodi box from online vendors at Amazon or Ebay, you will get no help from anyone here on Kodi forums. Android Kodi on unsupported Kodi boxes is an absolute lottery compared to what you get on the better supported Kodi boxes. Usually Kodi on such boxes is absolute rubbish.

We have much higher Audio and Video (A/V) requirements here on the Kodi forums. A/V features that actually have to work properly, than what you will find in Kodi boxes found out in the wider internet.

See Post #1 of this thread for recommended Kodi devices that will actually work properly.

Time for a free content (wiki) link.
If I have helped you or increased your knowledge, click the 'thumbs up' button to give thanks :) (People with less than 20 posts won't see the "thumbs up" button.)
Thank you for the in depth information and organizing this thread. It's made the process of researching different boxes incredibly easy and I thank you for that. Unfortunately some of the boxes listed aren't available in Canada or without paying rather hefty shipping/custom charges. Due to our poor exchange rate right now it makes choosing a box all the more difficult with a limited budget. Would it be possible to get a suggested box for using Kodi (let's just say netflix, TED talks, and a few other programs), as well as running some retro games? If I had planned to install LE on the box, does it support common emulators? Please let me know if retro gaming emulation talk is a no-no. I'd like to budget around $100-$150 CDN ($76-$114 USD). I originally wanted to pick up a Raspberry Pi but was uneasy due to it only having 1GB RAM. Odroid isn't as cheaply or readily available in Canada.
Xiaomi Mi Box would be the closet for cheap 1080p Netflix, TED talks and retro gaming, with a bit of light Kodi.

You will have to put up with, until a future Firmware update, for the time being at least. No dynamic refresh switching, predominately 60Hz video only and no DTS Audio passthrough. Plus a few other bugs. See the seperate Mi Box thread. I don't think deinterlacing is working that well either.

Otherwise a FireTV2.

(2016-10-17, 17:35)wrxtasy Wrote: Xiaomi Mi Box would be the closet for cheap 1080p Netflix, TED talks and retro gaming, with a bit of light Kodi.

You will have to put up with, until a future Firmware update, for the time being at least. No dynamic refresh switching, predominately 60Hz video only and no DTS Audio passthrough. Plus a few other bugs. See the seperate Mi Box thread. I don't think deinterlacing is working that well either.

yeah the deinterlacing is garbage, s/w only unless you want a slideshow, and nowhere near as good as Intel's MCDI/MADI. Deal breaker for me as I still watch OTA TV, which is MPEG2 and often 1080i
On the Mi Box its the underlying crap, immature, Android 6.0 AMLogic Firmware that is the root cause of all issues.

As an example the user compiled Android TV OS ROM (Android 5.1.1) I'm testing for the S905 Play2 has fantastic hardware deinterlacing of 1080i mpeg2 and H264, will full HD Audio passthrough and dynamic refresh rate switching all working. Its all in the quality of the Firmware with any AMLogic device.

(2016-10-17, 17:35)wrxtasy Wrote: Xiaomi Mi Box would be the closet for cheap 1080p Netflix, TED talks and retro gaming, with a bit of light Kodi.

You will have to put up with, until a future Firmware update, for the time being at least. No dynamic refresh switching, predominately 60Hz video only and no DTS Audio passthrough. Plus a few other bugs. See the seperate Mi Box thread. I don't think deinterlacing is working that well either.

Otherwise a FireTV2.

I'd be lying if I told you I knew what all of those terms meant. Any chance you could give me the ELI5 on what I'm going to see as a result of "dynamic refresh switching", deinterlacing, and audio passthrough. If it's any consolation, the box will be hooked up to a 1080p TV using the built in speakers. It will only be ever playing back streamed content, and I don't foresee it ever being hooked up to any time of speaker system.

I hadn't heard much of the Xiaomi Mi Box so I tried to see about getting one. I stumbled across what I assumed was an official website but I'm having a hard time understanding what the major differences are between the multiple Xiaomi boxes. When I look up reviews they give me the impression there is only one and it was released recently. Upon looking on Amazon and other sites, it would appear they've been around for months. Here is the website in question. . I assume it's the black box with the title "Xiaomi Mi Box Pro 4K 2GB TV-Console"?

Also, Amazon Fire was never available in Canada unfortunately.
Its easy to confuse the new US specific device with the older Mi Box 3's. None of those Mi Devices are the correct ones you want for 1080p Netflix streaming. The 2GB old one, you linked too is running a pretty old Android 4.4 The new one runs Android 6.0 and a Android TV OS.

If you are only hooking directly up to a TV, with just basic 2.0 channel Audio requirements for streaming then you will be perfectly fine with the US Mi Box. It is target directly at users like yourself. The issues I listed previously will not even affect you. Have a look in the Mi Box thread for a YouTube video review.

This is the correct one from Wally World !

Apparently the great unwashed general US populace like to shop at Wally World. Or thats what I've been led to believe over in the Mi Box thread Wink Wink

(2016-10-17, 15:18)iimitz Wrote: Thank you for the in depth information and organizing this thread. It's made the process of researching different boxes incredibly easy and I thank you for that. Unfortunately some of the boxes listed aren't available in Canada or without paying rather hefty shipping/custom charges. Due to our poor exchange rate right now it makes choosing a box all the more difficult with a limited budget. Would it be possible to get a suggested box for using Kodi (let's just say netflix, TED talks, and a few other programs), as well as running some retro games? If I had planned to install LE on the box, does it support common emulators? Please let me know if retro gaming emulation talk is a no-no. I'd like to budget around $100-$150 CDN ($76-$114 USD). I originally wanted to pick up a Raspberry Pi but was uneasy due to it only having 1GB RAM. Odroid isn't as cheaply or readily available in Canada.

Odroid C2 is well within your budget, do a search for odroid us resellers, there's a few that will be on the first page. I just paid $109 US which included shipping to Australia. That included all the extras too which you could peg back to save more... this included eMMC 16Gb, Bluetooth module, Power supply & the more expensive blue tinted case.
(2016-10-18, 02:36)racer_ Wrote: Odroid C2 is well within your budget, do a search for odroid us resellers, there's a few that will be on the first page. I just paid $109 US which included shipping to Australia. That included all the extras too which you could peg back to save more... this included eMMC 16Gb, Bluetooth module, Power supply & the more expensive blue tinted case.

Just curious, as a fellow Aussie - which reseller did you use?
(2016-10-18, 03:02)bogchop Wrote:
(2016-10-18, 02:36)racer_ Wrote: Odroid C2 is well within your budget, do a search for odroid us resellers, there's a few that will be on the first page. I just paid $109 US which included shipping to Australia. That included all the extras too which you could peg back to save more... this included eMMC 16Gb, Bluetooth module, Power supply & the more expensive blue tinted case.

Just curious, as a fellow Aussie - which reseller did you use?

Hardkernal - 140AU delivered in the end with a 28degrees (no currency conversion fees charge) card.
Kiwi here also used hardkernel direct.
If I have helped you or increased your knowledge, click the 'thumbs up' button to give thanks :) (People with less than 20 posts won't see the "thumbs up" button.)
I already own a chromecast and looking to "upgrade" a bit.

I'm torn between the Xiaomi, AFTV2 and Wetek Core/Hub. Performance wise what would be the ranking between these and which do support Google Cast except the Mibox which I know does.

I might go for a Shield but they can't find it on Amazon anymore Sad
Can you suggest me some modern (4k, 10bit hevc, hdr, all dolby sound) player with internal hdd storage support ?
I have popcorn hour a110 which is brilliant player, but no hevc and Kodi support.
I have beelink gt1 which is great player, Kodi support, no hdd support.
There is new product of popcorn A500, but no Kodi support.
So I am looking for something combined :-)
(2016-10-18, 10:35)313Flex Wrote: I already own a chromecast and looking to "upgrade" a bit.

I'm torn between the Xiaomi, AFTV2 and Wetek Core/Hub. Performance wise what would be the ranking between these and which do support Google Cast except the Mibox which I know does.

I might go for a Shield but they can't find it on Amazon anymore Sad
Only the Google Android TV OS licensed - nVIDIA Shield and Mi Box will support Google Cast.
Amazon and Google are not friends, no Google Cast built in to Amazon devices or WeTek devices either for that matter.

Shield will be quick than all the Rest. Its one of the reasons you pay the extra $$$ for it.

Compare Android Streaming Media Players HERE

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