[wrxtasy]

Hello, I'm looking to get a android box without breaking the bank and after reading through this thread, some threads on libreelec forums and freaktab, narrowed my choice down to the Mecool M8S Pro L. From what I understand, the new Libreelec firmware from Kszaq seems to have resolved the S912 issues, is this correct? Would it be okay to go with a S912 chip or is it better to go with S905D.

AML S912's these days are fine for LibreELEC.

Previous slow Android GPU video drivers (with a Linux wrapper) have been optimised by @kszaq and are now fine, no more Kodi Graphic user Interface tearing.
GPU video drivers have nothing to do with Audio or Video decode performance on AMLogic boxes.

There are now numerous threads here in the Hardware Kodi sub-forum detailing AML options and performance.

Then there is this thread for self research and the S912 LibreELEC Sub forum:

Choosing a AML S905 / S905X / S905W / S905D box guide

I would not bother with a S905D unless you need an inbuilt TV tuner.

[Raizen]

AML S912's these days are fine for LibreELEC. There are now numerous threads here in the Hardware of Kodi section detailing AML options and performance.

Then there is this thread for self research and the S912 LibreELEC Sub forum:

Choosing a AML S905 / S905X / S905W / S905D box guide

I would not bother with a S905D unless you need an inbuilt TV tuner.

Thank You for the reply, Yes i read through that thread, it's actually where i saw "Do NOT buy a AMLogic S912 box for LibreELEC" crossed out and hence started researching S912 boxes. Initially I was thinking of going with Odroid C2 before I saw your post. Seeing as you also work with Odroid C2, which would you recommend, C2 or a S912 box like the Mecool MS8 Pro L? And thanks for the advice on the S905D, I thought that was the newest version of S905 and hence was looking into boxes that use them. Thank You again for all the help.

[wrxtasy]

Suggestion:

Make a list of Audio and Video and Hardware options you require, then consult the previous linked LibreELEC AMLogic thread.

I cannot hope to know what your actual Audio, Video and hardware requirements are.

If you do not have a HDR TV and do not require WiFi, then the Gigabit equipped ODROID C2 with eMMC is perfectly fine and works very well, especially with a $4 CSR 4.0 Bluetooth USB dongle and a BT Mi Box Wireless remote. Thats a nice, snappy combo. Excellent HDMI-CEC support on the C2 too, and you can Overclock safely - only device that can do that.

If you want some HDR support then there is an Army of S905X, S912 boxes to choose from.
In the cheap AMLogic market there are simply too many devices with changing internal componentry to definitively say yes buy that particular box.
That is why @kszaq on the LibreELEC forums does not even try either.

Brand named AMLogic boxes like the Vero, MINIX, WeTek and ODROID ones - you know exactly what you are going to get every time you purchase.

All AML device pro and cons are listed in the LibreELEC forum.
You would need to read user feedback to find which cheap DIY setups work properly, even then it can be a lottery. That is the nature of cheap Chinese sourced hardware.

[Raizen]

Suggestion:

Make a list of Audio and Video and Hardware options you require, then consult the previous linked LibreELEC AMLogic thread.

I cannot hope to know what your actual Audio, Video and hardware requirements are.

If you do not have a HDR TV and do not require WiFi, then the Gigabit equipped ODROID C2 with eMMC is perfectly fine and works very well, especially with a $4 CSR 4.0 Bluetooth USB dongle and a BT Mi Box Wireless remote. Thats a nice, snappy combo. Excellent HDMI-CEC support on the C2 too, and you can Overclock safely - only device that can do that.

If you want some HDR support then there is an Army of S905X, S912 boxes to choose from.
In the cheap AMLogic market there are simply too many devices with changing internal componentry to definitively say yes buy that particular box.
That is why @kszaq on the LibreELEC forums does not even try either.

Brand named AMLogic boxes like the Vero, MINIX, WeTek and ODROID ones - you know exactly what you are going to get every time you purchase.

All AML device pro and cons are listed in the LibreELEC forum.
You would need to read user feedback to find which cheap DIY setups work properly, even then it can be a lottery. That is the nature of cheap Chinese sourced hardware.

This is true, thank you for your help and all the great work you have been doing on these boxes. I'll do some more research on the Mecool MS8 Pro L. Thanks again and have a wonderful day.

[wrxtasy]

No problems - yes the number of choice and options is overwhelming.
AMLogic have carpet bombed the market with a bewildering array of SoC options and combos.

[RyRy]

I'm a little confused about this guide it seems to be promoting all of the expensive options...

I am only interested in a box for Kodi, I don't need the box to do anything else as I'll only be using the box for streaming via the web and local files.

I used an Amazon Fire TV Gen 2 box and that's only £70 and it handles Lodi very easily and is perfect really but I don't need all of that functionality. YET the options suggested are more expensive.

I'm alright doing a DIY option like RPi but I don't know how powerful that is compared to Amazon Fire TV Gen 2...

I'm not really interested in 4K or 3D

Any advice?

[wrxtasy]

Hint:  In Post #1 there is talk about "Bang for the Buck" DIY LibreELEC Kodi Boxes - that are highly optimised for Kodi use and will actually give you the best fuss free Kodi experience you can currently get on any hardware platform once they are setup.

That "Bang for the Buck" post directs you to this thread: (hint follow the Link in e))

AMLogic S905(x) -  LibreELEC / OSMC - Kodi Krypton - 4K Options:

This recent thread will also be of interest, especially when it talks about AMLogic S912 boxes:

4K HDR Streaming Box

The RPi is fine for 1080p mpeg2 / H264 video playback. It's now relatively old, slower hardware vs the AMLogic S9xx boxes. As soon as you strike 10bit HEVC 1080p video content forget about even trying to playback that on a RPi. Its not very future proofed these days but has been impressively pushed as far as it will go.

[TheBluFunk]

Good day!
I really really hope to get the answers I need as I'm dying over here with my old glitchy WDTV live.

I live in Canada.

Looking for a solution for my mancave. Only one TV to worry about. Its right smack next to (less that a few feet) my Gaming mancave/Main PC which houses all of my media files. FYI cant do straight HDMI over to my AMP due to GTX460 vid card limitations....

My TV is connected to a Pioneer Elite HomeTheater amp via HDMI.
I have a network cable ready to go as I used to have it go into my WDTV live box. The network cable is plugged into a Gigabit box that also has my hard wired internet connection going to my PC next to it.
So to be clear on the flow: Wired network cable from my Internet provider's modem right into my Gigabit box. Then one network cable leaving the Gigabit box and going to my PC providing my PC with hard wired internet. Another network cable leaving the Gigabit box and going to my WDTV Live (or whatever I get next). Then my WDTV live box was connected to my Pioneer Elite amp via HDMI.

My needs:
- I want to be able to stream movie files (often in MKV format but not always) that I downloaded from my PC over to my Home Theater and TV from that same PC.
- I also want to be able to use my Netflix account. Previously accessed Netflix via my WDTV live box.
- Want to use wired connection to my new Streaming/Media box. No Wifi, although the option can come in handy as a secondary feature. Hardwired connection is better.

There are so many ready to go boxes out there now and so many options to consider. I've read tons of posts but really want to be crystal clear on my direction. I've read the main sticky on this post and every suggested box and main use combo... There are just SO MANY options!

Some say use am Amazon Fire TV box with Kodi or Plex.
Some say use a Mibox. I cant use mibox as it does not offer a wired network connection option. I read about the prospect of using some form of USB to Ethernet dongle to provide a wired Ethernet connection option with the Mibox? JUst not sure how affordable that option is or how stable and flawless it would be.
Some say Raspberry Pi with some software on it etc..... Not a fan of going the Rasp PI route honestly. Want to keep it simple and easy for me. And not sure its the most powerful option either...
I was looking at the Roku boxes... Not sure if they offer what Im looking for for MKV format compatibility etc.... Especially since I "DL" many of my shows and movies ....And I really wanted to leverage the Kodi angle of things with my new box.
I've seen  a few WeTek devices on my local Best Buy website. The WeTek hub, and Play 2 and the Core..... I also see many brand names that simply haven't made your main sticky list....
 Anyhow, from a simplicity perspective, I'm totally cool with buying a 100$-ish or less box of some sort. I just don't want it to be as crappy and glitchy as my WDTV live was.....

Many thanks in advance for your insight. Don't hesitate to ask me additional questions if you need me to elaborate further from a setup or needs perspective.

Thanks!!!!

[djhifi]

Good remote advise for nvidia shields?
And also, remote + LIRC pen or ...?

[KoopaTroopa]

<snip1>

My needs:
- I want to be able to stream movie files (often in MKV format but not always) that I downloaded from my PC over to my Home Theater and TV from that same PC.
- I also want to be able to use my Netflix account. Previously accessed Netflix via my WDTV live box.
- Want to use wired connection to my new Streaming/Media box. No Wifi, although the option can come in handy as a secondary feature. Hardwired connection is better.

Some say use a Mibox. I cant use mibox as it does not offer a wired network connection option. I read about the prospect of using some form of USB to Ethernet dongle to provide a wired Ethernet connection option with the Mibox? JUst not sure how affordable that option is or how stable and flawless it would be.
Some say Raspberry Pi with some software on it etc.....
<snip2>

I would recommend the MiBox.

The USB ethernet adapter you describe is only about US$5-8 and is flawless.

I use it to stream content from a NAS box that is a bedroom at least 15m away from where the Mibox sits, streams content perfectly (various types of files, including MKV). You didn't say if you need 4K, but it would be able to stream those too over the same Ethernet-connected network.

I wouldn't hesitate, it is an excellent solution for Kodi + Netflix (+Youtube) in one box, with a class-leading remote.

[nickr]

<snip1>

My needs:
- I want to be able to stream movie files (often in MKV format but not always) that I downloaded from my PC over to my Home Theater and TV from that same PC.
- I also want to be able to use my Netflix account. Previously accessed Netflix via my WDTV live box.
- Want to use wired connection to my new Streaming/Media box. No Wifi, although the option can come in handy as a secondary feature. Hardwired connection is better.

Some say use a Mibox. I cant use mibox as it does not offer a wired network connection option. I read about the prospect of using some form of USB to Ethernet dongle to provide a wired Ethernet connection option with the Mibox? JUst not sure how affordable that option is or how stable and flawless it would be.
Some say Raspberry Pi with some software on it etc.....
<snip2>

I would recommend the MiBox.

The USB ethernet adapter you describe is only about US$5-8 and is flawless.

I use it to stream content from a NAS box that is a bedroom at least 15m away from where the Mibox sits, streams content perfectly (various types of files, including MKV). You didn't say if you need 4K, but it would be able to stream those too over the same Ethernet-connected network.

I wouldn't hesitate, it is an excellent solution for Kodi + Netflix (+Youtube) in one box, with a class-leading remote.

Nah, get a s905 android machine and install LibreELEC 9 (which includes Kodi 18 - which isn't finished yet, but works well for me). Netflix works via a Kodi addon.

I recently got two Mecool Pro+ for US$39 from Geekbuying.

[wrxtasy]

I actually could not recommend the MECOOL M8S Pro+ anymore because you do not know if you will get one with dodgy eMMC these days. There have been numerous problems with some bad batches of M8S Pro+ boxes. That's cheap China hardware & quality control for you.

For DIY types needing 1080p Netflix, HBO etc, have a read of this POST from an experienced S912 ATV ROM developer instead.

The S912's are pretty snappy boxes for cheap DIY Android / LibreELEC. Even MECOOL supplied Android Firmware gets regular updates and is half decent and their HDCP 1.x DRM boxes come standard with a Android TV Playstore for direct install of ATV Apps. Sort of a Hybrid Android OS / Android TV platform.

Cheap keep it simple - Android TV only with ATV 4K Netflix and Youtube, Plug N Play, get a Xiaomi Mi Box - but do not use it for demanding Kodi - especially NOT 4K Kodi, with included HD Audio because of the lack of an Ethernet Port, even 4K Kodi and a USB > Ethernet adapter still will not work.

Need cheap Amazon Prime - I would wait till the $70 2017 4K HDR Amazon FireTV Gen 3 is released in 7 days time.

As already mentioned by @KoopaTroopa - Xiaomi make the best simple Wireless remotes vs anything else on the market IMHO.
The OSMC Remote is a very close second.
Perfect remotes for Android TV. (& LibreELEC as well)

Kodi only here are some LibreELEC Kodi options:

Choosing a S905 / S905X / S905D / S905W / S912 box guide

[Pajoe]

I still think The MeCool M8S Pro+ was a great deal for me.

It seems the major MECOOL M8S Pro+ problems are from flashing new firmware. I have not read of complaints from anyone using LibreElec on  SD with a stock MECOOL M8S Pro+ . I have one of the boxes that does have problems, but it seems to work OK with LibreElec.  The only problem I encountered installing LibreElec was using a bad device tree, after switching to the gxl_p212_2g.dtb from the links on the 1st page of the https://forum.libreelec.tv/thread/9319-8.../?pageNo=1  all was OK - I am also using the remote.conf supplied by wrxtasy and the learning remote supplied with the unit works good with the TV.


Please note, I do not use the Mecool for 4K and I do not use it every day, our primary ( daily)  kodi box remains a Chromebox. However, it has replaced our Raspberry Pi 2 that can now be used for a different purpose

[Pajoe]

Wetek Play 2 is better than MeCool M8S Rro+ but cost me more:

Cost for 2 Wetek Play2 = Total Amount (USD) 254,80 ( included $15.00 shipping )

Cost for 1 MeCool M8S Pro+ = Total Amount (USD) 37.86 (free shipping but 1 month wait )

MeCool M8S Pro+ may not be for everyone, but I am glad it was recommended and think it should still be considered for LibreElec/Kodi

[TheBluFunk]

I actually could not recommend the MECOOL M8S Pro+ anymore because you do not know if you will get one with dodgy eMMC these days. There have been numerous problems with some bad batches of M8S Pro+ boxes. That's cheap China hardware & quality control for you.

For DIY types needing 1080p Netflix, HBO etc, have a read of this POST from an experienced S912 ATV ROM developer instead.

The S912's are pretty snappy boxes for cheap DIY Android / LibreELEC. Even MECOOL supplied Android Firmware gets regular updates and is half decent and their HDCP 1.x DRM boxes come standard with a Android TV Playstore for direct install of ATV Apps. Sort of a Hybrid Android OS / Android TV platform.

Cheap keep it simple - Android TV only with ATV 4K Netflix and Youtube, Plug N Play, get a Xiaomi Mi Box - but do not use it for demanding Kodi - especially NOT 4K Kodi, with included HD Audio because of the lack of an Ethernet Port, even 4K Kodi and a USB > Ethernet adapter still will not work.

Need cheap Amazon Prime - I would wait till the $70 2017 4K HDR Amazon FireTV Gen 3 is released in 7 days time.

As already mentioned by @KoopaTroopa - Xiaomi make the best simple Wireless remotes vs anything else on the market IMHO.
The OSMC Remote is a very close second.
Perfect remotes for Android TV. (& LibreELEC as well)

Kodi only here are some LibreELEC Kodi options:

Choosing a S905 / S905X / S905D / S905W / S912 box guide

Thanks for all of the advice peeps!
As I said the Xiaomi MiBox sounded like it checked off all of my basic needs, except for my preference to use wired Ethernet vs WIFI.
I had heard about the USB/Ethernet dongle, but was concerned about its ability to perform.

My current TV is NOT 4k. Its a less than 10y old Plasma. Non-smart TV. Full 1080p is what im looking to accomplish with my streaming etc...

So to recap ==>

1- If I opt to go with the MiBox, and then buy the USB/Ethernet dongle to go with it.... I will be able to use my Netflix account through it to stream HD (not 4k, just full HD) Netflix content without any hitches or glitches
2- If I opt to go with the MiBox, and then buy the USB/Ethernet dongle to go with it.... I will be able to send over my DL'ed MKV and other file type movies I acquire online from my Mancave's PC that's on the same wired network as the potentially wired MiBox?
3- If I opt to go with the MiBox, and then buy the USB/Ethernet dongle to go with it.... I will be able to leverage KODI via the MiBox and all of the wonderful "third party" Kodi treats without any hitches or glitches??

The fact that the remote is the best in the known universe is great news but in no way a big deal for me. I don't mind using my iphone if necessary if a remote app is available etc... So yaye about the remote but not a big game changer for me.

So if the answer to the above noted queries are ==> Yes, Absoluely. You will be quite pleased with the MiBox for the above noted uses.
Then I will gladly jump onboard! 
Also, any recommended locations to obtain the USB/Ethernet dongle? Is tis another "they make em cheap and sometimes they make em good" types of accessories? Should I order it from a specific site online or can I get it at my local Computer specialty shop or Best Buy for it?? Again, I'm in Canada.
Thanks again for all of the insight. This is the most help I've obtained along my journey through the tall Kodi weeds.