[blindhai]

Hello,

i have read the "Start here"-Thread and got some nice tips there, but i am still not sure which 2 boxes I want / need. I need 2 boxes with two different requirements, i just list them and hope someone can help me.

1.) I have a FireTV (1st Generation) and running Kodi, Netflix, Amazon Video and Youtube on it. I primarly use it to send Youtube links to it, so they can be played one after another. I regularly watch Netflix on it and sometimes Amazon Video. I want to get rid of my AFTV, because i am looking for a Box with a 3.5 mm jack connector(!) to connect it to a 2.1 active sound system. Right now it is connected via optical to a Decoderstation, but i have a 1-2 seconds delay everytime I start a video and i have tried everything(!) to get rid of it, but without any success. The components are ok, i have changed them and tested really everything. With this change i hope to get this problem out of the way and can change this old AFTV.

But enough with that, these are the requirements for my first box:

• 3.5 mm jack connector for audio (2.1 and/or 5.1 possible?)
  
• Netflix (1080p)
  
• Amazon Video (as far as i understand it, this app is in the appstore available again but doesnt work in 1080p everytime)
  
• Kodi (of course)
  
• 1080p (4k nice, but not really needed)
  
• HEVC 265
  
• no 3D
  
• Bluetooth would be nice
  
• max. 80 Euro (even though a Vero4k is very nice)
  

My choices (so far):

Xiaomi 4K HDR 'Mi Box' https://goo.gl/uhCo1T
R-TV BOX S10 https://goo.gl/xJXvd2
MECOOL M8S PRO PLUS Amlogic S905X https://goo.gl/wb7jAc
Mini M8S II https://goo.gl/yP1cbq
Beelink MiniMXIII https://goo.gl/NRhhuY
MECOOL M8S PRO S912 https://goo.gl/cDWNkF
NEXBOX A95X - B7N https://goo.gl/AU4eGk

2.) The other Box need:

• good/reliable Wlan (AFTV was/is good enough)
  
• no problems with attaching a HDD with 3 TB at it (ATFV didnt like that all the time and just didnt recognize the HDD or didnt show it in Kodi)
  
• good / easy remote, like the one from AFTV (small and simple, not too much buttons. Tbh only right, left, up, down and "ok" is needed)
  
• very important: the Box needs to boot directly into Kodi and you cant switch out of like with a home button like with the AFTV
  
• max 60 Euro
  
• no Netflix needed
  
• no Amazon Video needed
  

Thank you

[wrxtasy]

No proper Amazon video on anything but Amazon Hardware or NVIDIA Shield. You need to severely narrow your choices.

Possible box (1) likely released this week....

2017 - Amazon 4K HDR Fire TV for $69.99

Audio = 3.5mm headphone jack from TV

Box (2) stay away from Android, and get a AMLogic S9xx box and run LibreELEC Kodi Krypton on it with a Wireless remote like the $12 aftermarket Bluetooth Xiaomi Mi Box remotes which now work with LibreELEC.

[noggin]

No proper Amazon video on anything but Amazon Hardware or NVIDIA Shield. You need to severely narrow your choices.

Amazon Video is coming to Apple TV soon as well I believe.

[blindhai]

No proper Amazon video on anything but Amazon Hardware or NVIDIA Shield. You need to severely narrow your choices.

Possible box (1) likely released this week....

2017 - Amazon 4K HDR Fire TV for $69.99

Audio = 3.5mm headphone jack from TV

Box (2) stay away from Android, and get a AMLogic S9xx box and run LibreELEC Kodi Krypton on it with a Wireless remote like the $12 aftermarket Bluetooth Xiaomi Mi Box remotes which now work with LibreELEC.

1.) Yes, i saw that, but i really need that 3.5mm jack, so that i dont need a Decoderstation anymore. And on my display is no headphone jack. What if i would say that Amazon Video is not that important. Which box would you recommend? Or would the Vero 4k or a Minix U1 help there and play everything?

Right now the Xiaomi 4K HDR 'Mi Box' looks good, but as far as i understand it the MECOOL M8S PRO Plus has better hardware (more powerful). The only downside is that the MECOOL has no Bluetooth and so i cant change the remote. And the "Mi Box" does not supoort Libreelec dual boot, right?

2.) I have looked in your thread in the LibreElec forum (https://goo.gl/KrebJa) and then i would say the best box would be MECOOL M8S PRO Plus can dualboot and always boots into Libreelec, when the SDCard is inserted? Then this would be enough and there is only 2,4GHz Wifi anyway, where the box is needed. Can i just take a Bluetooth dongle like this one (https://goo.gl/YqK58n) and it just works to control the box with it? I mean besides to get it to work with LE.

3.) One other question to the Xiaomi Remote, what is the difference between those two?

https://goo.gl/rEbqdo and https://goo.gl/UspWY1

Look pretty much the same, but has different prices and the is is called "pro" and the other one "enhanced". Which is better?

4.) When i follow this guide to connect a Xiaomi bluetooth remote control to a LibreElec device like the MECool. How do i get the code into the machine? Do i need to type it or is there a way to send it?

[wrxtasy]

The MECOOL Pro L has everything the MECOOL Pro + is missing. Pro L has Bluetooth and better WiFi in a faster AMLogic S912 Box.
I no longer recommend the Pro+ because there have been bad batches of boxes with faulty eMMC Flash chips, you never know if you will get a "good" box or "bad". These faulty eMMC have caused all sorts of problems.

You can Dual Boot the MECOOL's I just mentioned. Android TV / LibreELEC. You will get 1080p Netflix with them. Still no Amazon Video tho.

If you want quality hardware buy something like the Vero 4K or MINIX U1 / U9. Those come with integrated Wireless remotes and 3.5mm audio. Only the MINIX U9 will give you 1080p Netflix with a Dual Boot Android TV ROM. Quality Wireless remotes with MINIX Hardware.

Xiaomi Mi Box is Android TV only with 3.5mm Audio output. No Amazon Video.

Easiest setup would be a DIY Dual boot MINIX U9 or MECOOL Pro L then attach either a Plug N Play MINIX A2 or A3 USB dongle Wireless Mini Keyboard remote. Both also have 3.5mm audio.

The dual boot WeTek Play2 will also do nearly everything as well. No Amazon Video tho.

[blindhai]

Thank you very much!

So for the second box i will try the MECool L and go with LE. I just hope the remote is easy enough for my family member or i will try the Mi remote. The box will often get powered down over the powerstrip, when the TV is not on. So i hope the box will get into LE once the SD Card is in there.

For (my own) the first box i will think about it. Perhaps i will see how the the MECool L is and then decide between the MECool and the Xiaomi. I think that there will be new boxes coming too. My old FireTV was bought in 2014 and when the new box is good for 3 years, it is all good .

[noggin]

3.5 mm jack connector for audio (2.1 and/or 5.1 possible?)

You can only carry 2.0 stereo over a single 3.5mm analogue audio connection.

2.1 is usually generated by speaker systems and sound-bar type devices internally - and isn't an audio format you find in widespread use.

5.1 usually refers to digital-only DD/DTS/PCM multichannel (playing FLAC, AAC etc.) and DTS HD MA/Dolby True HD (which either requires a Digital coax/optical - for DD/DTS - or HDMI for DD/DTS/PCM Multichannel/DTS HD MA/Dolby True HD)


You can extract/generate a kind of 5.1 using Dolby Surround / Dolby ProLogic etc. analogue matrix decoders fed a stereo signal IF the original content is 2.0 encoded with ProLogic, and not compressed such that the matrix surround is corrupt, or fold-down DD/DTS to a signal that can be Dolby Pro Logic or Surround decoded (though proper Dolby 5.1->2.0 decoders will only do this if the metadata settings in the source suggest a matrix fold down not a stereo one)

[blindhai]

3.5 mm jack connector for audio (2.1 and/or 5.1 possible?)

You can only carry 2.0 stereo over a single 3.5mm analogue audio connection.

2.1 is usually generated by speaker systems and sound-bar type devices internally - and isn't an audio format you find in widespread use.
5.1 usually refers to digital-only DD/DTS/PCM multichannel (playing FLAC, AAC etc.) and DTS HD MA/Dolby True HD (which either requires a Digital coax/optical - for DD/DTS - or HDMI for DD/DTS/PCM Multichannel/DTS HD MA/Dolby True HD)

You can extract/generate a kind of 5.1 using Dolby Surround / Dolby ProLogic etc. analogue matrix decoders fed a stereo signal IF the original content is 2.0 encoded with ProLogic, and not compressed such that the matrix surround is corrupt, or fold-down DD/DTS to a signal that can be Dolby Pro Logic or Surround decoded (though proper Dolby 5.1->2.0 decoders will only do this if the metadata settings in the source suggest a matrix fold down not a stereo one)

Right now i am testing a RPi 2 over the 3.5mm audio jack and it is working fine with my 2.1 active sound system and right now it is ok for me. When i change my setup in the future and will use the sound over HDMI with will be also fine for me then. But i am looking for a solution for right now .

[blindhai]

Hm, interesting...why do i get notifications about this thread, when there are no new posts?