[ZippyTheChicken]

I have been having a number of conversations with people about what Android Boxes are the best for the money and there are always people that label the main distributors of Android Boxes as .. Knockoffs or Cheap in comparison to Nvidia or Xiaomi.

When the Xiaomi Mi Box was to be sold by Walmart I was at the point that I was going to upgrade my old Android 4.4 box for a new one. My old box still works but I needed h.265 support because I am converting my Recorded TV to that format to save size. It can fully play h.264 content and it can connect to sites like Youtube and Crackle to watch online content.

Then I started looking at the Mi and its hardware.
Its CPU GPU was the same as all of the other KNOCKOFF brands or maybe it was not as good
It came with a premium of $30 or more over other boxes.
There is no wired ethernet which I want in my home for security of my NAS which I don't want to make available over WiFi so the average neighbor or someone wardriving can access it.

By the time I was ready to make my purchase and with some research here I decided on a KM8 Pro

The KM8 Pro was listed for $54 with free 10 day shipping which was not a big deal I can wait 10 days

It offers Wired Ethernet and WiFi.
It offers a better CPU/GPU than the Mi and has 2gb ram 16gb storage and a microSD Slot to add to internal storage.

I am not a Gamer so the Nvidia Shield is not something I am looking at .. I like PC Games anyway and they do have some support for that but why not just get a gaming rig if I am going that way. Unfortunately I have little downtime in my life .. what I need is a TV Box to have TV in the background as I work and do other things.

Also the Nvidia costs a few hundred dollars and other than the GPU CPU for Gaming there really isn't all that much to offer in additional hardware or software support.

Honestly I am outfitting our home and I can't afford 4 Nvidia Shields.. I am lucky to have 2 KM8 Pros and my Android 4.4 box.. and antenna... I am guessing people that have them probably only have 1 not 4 of them... and if they do have 4 of them they have a lot more disposable income than i do.

THE PROBLEM IS ... DRM SUPPORT...

Now I know my KM8 Pro as other boxes has the DRM level software installed.
The problem is having Netflix and other distributors Approve these devices.

Even my old Android 4.4 device can play MLB.com live content as I had an account with them last year.

and DRM and Approval .. is not just a problem for the Android Boxes.
DirecTVNow was holding off on approving the Roku
If someone wants to say the ROKU is not a Primary Device that should be approved in days not weeks that is foolish.


BUT even though there are tons of Rokus out there ... there are many times that in Android Boxes.

I have not looked into how many boxes that DoCooler Minix and Other makers ship but it has to be 10 to 1 over any other device.

and when the comparison to shipped devices is compared to Nvidia Shields costing $200-$300 I am sure that DoCooler must ship 100 to 1 as many devices.


Its really like people Loving GM Cars back in the 1970's and then Honda came out with tiny cars for Japan that they shipped to the USA ... AND THEN THE OIL CRISIS HIT.. And there were Waiting Lines at the gas pumps and you could only get gas every other day based on the last digit of your license plate if it was Odd or Even... I remember that.. The people in Hondas and VW Bugs were driving around as other people tried to scam the lines to get gas for work.

These boxes are not knockoffs they are leading the development of better hardware.

So .. What can we do as owners of these devices to get Content Distributors to stop the Backroom deals with Apple, Nvidia and Xiaomi and get our devices approved?

AND THERE ARE BACKROOM DEALS GOING ON HERE WITH CONTENT DELIVERERS...
For crap sake many of them give AppleTVs and FireSticks away when you sign up for their service...
Let alone telling other manufacturers that they will never approve their devices.


There are many millions more of us.

I understand Kodi is going to install DRM in the future maybe...

I am not sure that will get approval from the big distributors like Netflix or others.

There is a thread on the Minix Website Form where they released some internal Emails they had with Netflix where Netflix basically told them YOU WILL NEVER GET APPROVAL because they refuse to review their products.. that is insane.. you have a maker begging to be approved and it would bring millions of users to your company vs these users prirating content ... and they say NEVER? .. its insane...

But I would like to hear what other owners think about this....

We own devices with great hardware .. with DRM installed.. and we are spit on by companies that control the content.

For me I am lucky I have been recording TV for Years and I have a NAS full of stuff and many of the free sites out there do give me access with no problems.

But for others they need DirecTVNow and Vue and Netflix


What can we do as a group to get our hardware reviewed and approved?


Can we start an online petition or something?

Can doing this also help Kodi get approval from theses sites?


Before you say DRM support on Android Boxes is the fault of the Device Maker

PLEASE READ MINIX'S FORM WHERE THEY EXPLAIN DRM IS INSTALLED AND NETFLIX WONT REVIEW THEIR DEVICE

http://www.minixforum.com/threads/netfli...port.2921/

[trogggy]

As the owner of a couple of cheap chinese android boxes...
You buy a cheap box on hardware specs, you take the rough with the smooth.
The 'cheap' manufacturers don't care about DRM, because the typical buyer is more impressed by how many GB of RAM they're getting for their $30. See the post above for an example of how that works.

[ZippyTheChicken]

As the owner of a couple of cheap chinese android boxes...
You buy a cheap box on hardware specs, you take the rough with the smooth.
The 'cheap' manufacturers don't care about DRM, because the typical buyer is more impressed by how many GB of RAM they're getting for their $30. See the post above for an example of how that works.

DRM software is installed.. its the content distributors that won't approve the devices...

Just like I said ROKU had problems getting DirecTVNow Approval .. are you saying that device is garbage too?

It has nothing to do with the Hardware or the OS

And you speck a Mi Box or a Fire Stick against a KM8 Pro or one of the other devices out there and you are getting a better device for less money from a company that ships more devices.

Can you get 3 USB Ports, Wired and Wifi, Same CPU GPU or better, Same Ram or Better and HDMI Optical and Composite Out on a FireStick or Mi Box?

NO you can not

And then you have the problem of having to sideload apps on the Amazon Products .. thats total bs.


http://www.minixforum.com/threads/netfli...port.2921/

Read that thread and see how Minix is getting screwed by Netflix
AND that DRM Software is installed.

[Tinwarble]

I understand Kodi is going to install DRM in the future maybe...

No, no it's not. Any DRM that's supported by Kodi will be reliant on outside DRM.

So if you have a Android box that doesn't support DRM at the OS level then you're not going to be able to play that content in Kodi either.

You should read this: https://kodi.tv/article/dev-journal-kodi-and-drm

What can we do as a group to get our hardware reviewed and approved?

Can we start an online petition or something?

Can doing this also help Kodi get approval from theses sites?

Before you say DRM support on Android Boxes is the fault of the Device Maker

You can do whatever you want, but it's still upon the device manufacture to get their devices approved and if the content provider will not review their device then there's not much else that can be done.

The lesson here is, know what it is you're buying. Don't buy it on hopes that some day it may get a feature or because of the specs.

As for the Mi box, you could have gotten it and just added a USB ethernet adapter, which most here do.
http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=...pid2562461

[wrxtasy]

The content creators and actual Movie studios would have very strict, watertight contracts with Netflix about DRM and platform approvals.
As with anything, business operate on a Risk assessment basis.
How is the Netflix brand going to be hurt financially if we grant approval's to company X, how risky is it granting approvals to X named boxes ?

In Pirate haven China - were IP theft is rife - the risk is simply too great to open up Netflix & full DRM streaming approvals to every man and his dog.

Xiaomi and WeTek for example have major offices outside of China, where strict company security protocols and Hardware certifications would have to be followed before Netflix Hardware approvals are even looked at. The 99% of other Android Box manufacturers, Headquartered inside China simply would not even get a foot in the Netflix DRM door.

As has already been mentioned - there are cheap Android manufacturers that simply don't care - they Spin all sorts of Bullshit Tech Specs and bigger numbers because there are masses of mainstream clueless consumers that love that sort of fancy marketing crap and will buy anything.
Exhibit A here is the AMLogic S912 Android boxes - like the KM8 Pro

There is also politics at play - Netflix may never break into China

[hansolo]

By the time I was ready to make my purchase and with some research here I decided on a KM8 Pro

The KM8 Pro was listed for $54 with free 10 day shipping which was not a big deal I can wait 10 days

It offers Wired Ethernet and WiFi.
It offers a better CPU/GPU than the Mi and has 2gb ram 16gb storage and a microSD Slot to add to internal storage.

What on Earth is KM8 Pro? Why I would ever buy that (unsupported device) instead of Xiaomi Mi? My time and peace of mind is more expensive that 20-30$

I have not looked into how many boxes that DoCooler Minix and Other makers ship but it has to be 10 to 1 over any other device.

No, it's the other way.

and when the comparison to shipped devices is compared to Nvidia Shields costing $200-$300 I am sure that DoCooler must ship 100 to 1 as many devices.

I bet it's the other way.

There is a thread on the Minix Website Form where they released some internal Emails they had with Netflix where Netflix basically told them YOU WILL NEVER GET APPROVAL because they refuse to review their products.. that is insane.. you have a maker begging to be approved and it would bring millions of users to your company vs these users prirating content ... and they say NEVER? .. its insane...

Why would ever approve Netflix devices from a company that posted a hacked Netflix app on their server?

What can we do as a group to get our hardware reviewed and approved?
Can we start an online petition or something?
Can doing this also help Kodi get approval from theses sites?
Before you say DRM support on Android Boxes is the fault of the Device Maker
PLEASE READ MINIX'S FORM WHERE THEY EXPLAIN DRM IS INSTALLED AND NETFLIX WONT REVIEW THEIR DEVICE

Of course you could start any petition. Minix can say all he wants, we can't verify their words
At last, it's not that you don't have any choice for devices.
And as our wesk05 member posted on your link:
,,I don't get why many of you are blaming Netflix and Google for this. Netflix has requirements set before they will enable HD streaming to a device. It is up to the device manufactures to comply with those requirements. One of the requirements that Netflix has for 1080p streaming is the device has to be Google supported (pass Google CTS), for 4K streaming, the device should have HDCP 2.2. Those are the basic requirements. If you don't like DRM or other restrictions, you are free to watch from another source while they last."

[ZippyTheChicken]

Why should I be limited to the Mi Box when there are many better offerings out there?

you can get Android 7.1 boxes with 3gb ram.. some come with video cameras for skype.. there are so many different options out there

Even Dish Network is pushing a box with Antenna Support but Android Boxes have been supporting Antenna TV for a few years now.

I mean I guess I could just get a fricken COMCAST CABLE ADAPTER TOO AND WATCH HBO AND NETFLIX THAT WAY... but that is not the situation... its the fact that a lot of great products are not being allowed to use these commercial content websites and they are fully compliant with the standards set by those distributors.

As for the Mi box, you could have gotten it and just added a USB ethernet adapter, which most here do.
http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=...pid2562461

[timstephens24]

Most are not great devices. People buy it because they flash some fancy specs and people base their decision just on that, so they assume that it'll work amazing. These devices have cheap components, basically untested or optimized firmware, and run like crap. But hey, specs! Specs aren't everything, you need to not get sold on crap just because the 'specs' look good on paper.

[Tinwarble]

Why should I be limited to the Mi Box when there are many better offerings out there?

you can get Android 7.1 boxes with 3gb ram.. some come with video cameras for skype.. there are so many different options out there

Because for the most part, they aren't "better offerings".

You're buying into the fact that these boxes have better specs, but having 3GB of RAM means nothing if the box isn't supported. Those boxes, the most of them, have zero support, and I'm not talking about when you have a issue there's someone to talk to. They won't get bug fixes, they won't get updates and usually if there is something wrong with them you are left to your own devices to fix it. They push those specs specifically just to sell you hardware and for the overall performance it means nothing.

As well, the majority of those boxes you point to have a 64bit SoC also, but then run a 32bit version of Android.

You may not want to be limited, but the reality is you are.


EDIT: If you want to go back to the car analogy, you're looking to buy a Ford Pinto just because someone advertised as having 200Mph rated tires.

[noggin]

DRM is all about protecting content. Content providers (Netflix, Amazon Prime Video etc.) and content creators (Movie studios, TV broadcasters) all have a vested in keeping their content secure.

If they approved any/all boxes without checking them and being confident of the ethics of the manufacturer, they could authorise their nice, shiny, popular, high quality content could play on a box with no HDCP protection on its HDMI output (allowing easy content theft), or a platform that allowed streamed video to be recorded in other ways without DRM.

DRM doesn't exist in a vacuum - it only works if the manufacturers of the platforms also respect the content once the provider DRM has been removed, effectively adding a new layer of DRM (i.e. HDCP) to the content to keep it secure.

There are other, perfectly sensible and valid, commercial reasons to restrict streaming to a reasonably small number of boxes and platforms, and in some cases avoid providing it to platforms friendly to a competing service.

[ZippyTheChicken]

The content creators and actual Movie studios would have very strict, watertight contracts with Netflix about DRM and platform approvals.


In Pirate haven China - were IP theft is rife - the risk is simply too great to open up Netflix & full DRM streaming approvals to every man and his dog.

OMG what was I thinking ..... you are so right.. I bow to you and your greatness...

Netflix would never go to chi.....WAIT...

https://techcrunch.com/2017/04/25/netflix-china-iqiyi/

awwww man dude ... you totally had me there for a minute...

Now I am going to have to rethink everything about you..................

i'm gonna crawl under my bed now.... see ya later... :o(

[wrxtasy]

If you read the article carefully you might realise that all Netflix are doing is Licensing small parts of their own Original programming content to already existing streaming services operating inside China. This already happens in other parts of the world on all sorts of streaming platforms too.
This is Netflix own content they have actual control over, like House of Cards.

Its completely different to having HDCP 2.2 / DRM capable, Netflix approved Hardware, running the the full monty Netflix service with ALL the Movie Studios & TV Broadcasters content you would get in other parts of the world.

Don't confuse DRM and Netflix Hardware approvals with Netflix Original programming content, licensing distribution deals.