[phreedumb]

Hi guys, fantastic discussion in the thread!

I've been lurking for months (probably over a year now, actually almost 2 years http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=220581) to replace my aging Fire TV Stick (gen1). It is connected over 2.4Ghz Wifi to my Asus RT-AC87R router (5Ghz compatible) in the next room (so good signal strength), running 16.1 Kodi and SMB shares from USB2 hdd shared from Asus router). My tv is a 55" LG OLED 4K HDR (HDMI2 compatible). I don't have an ethernet port to connect it to, but considering installing one (should be very quick/easy given proximity to router)

I waited until CES for the new nVidia Shield however was disappointed in the lack on new hardware. Likewise, the Amazon Fire TV 2 is over a year old and I was waiting for some new tech/hardware.

My current issues;
720p and 1080p x264 files are buffering and locking up Kodi (reboot, or stop start file fixes it)
unable to play x265 HEVC files
I see micro-stuttering (not sure if dropping frames related to network, or performance)
Kodi is hacked to run (pressing HOME drops back to Amazon GUI)

My new requirements;
smooth playback
4k playback (TV is HDR compatible so HDR would be good to have)
'point anywhere' remote support
Kodi/LibreELEC/equivalent (wife friendly)

Nice to have;
emulation gaming (Mario Kart 64 for example)

I've narrowed it down to (note, I'm a tech/bleeding edge nerd-burger, but also a tight-arse )
Xiaomi Mi Box - $69 (next week)
nVidia Shield - $199 (preorder, god knows when)
Amazon Fire TV 2 - $89 (available Feb-1, other models are available earlier)

then, buying a bluetooth game controller, and upgrading my USB2 hdd to USB3 (not sure if necessary, but running out of free space).

I think I'll buy the Mi Box but need someone to validate my purchase/decision

OR...

Buy an Intel i3/i5 NUC (running all front and "backend" services on it), or even a Intel Compute Stick?