Android TV box

The ones with the Allwinner A10 / A13 or RK3066 chipset are the most compatible with 3rd party Linux distros for Arm, if you’re interested in that down the road. Aside from that, I noticed there are one or two TV boxes on FastTech that have an ethernet port, which is a nice perk.

Android 4.2 OS 4GB AML8726-MX

This one looks really well specced with with 4 usb-ports, spdif, card-reader and ethernet-port.

Go for ethernet if you can as many of the android pc-sticks seems to lack really reliable wi-fi connection.

Helped a co-worker buy a pc-stick (cant remember which model, there are so many now!) and it´s pretty amazing how well it works but as I said the wi-fi wasn´t a 100%…

Thought about buying one myself, but the lack of good support for dvd-isos made me buy a used Zotac Zbox Nano AD10 instead, it´s a mini-pc, 12,7 x 12,7 x 5cm small.

Works really nice with xbmc, is really quick when webbrowsing and wi-fi works perfectly.

I have one of the MK-802s and it works well, but the wifi is spotty due to it being behind a TV.

How do these things work? Do you just need a monitor or flatscreen?

so an external wifi antenna, LAN port, dual core CPU and GPU?

http://www.fasttech.com/products/1288201

Looks good but doesnt say if it had a GPU

I have a MK-802… meh… it works but there are compatibility issues with Hulu+ (if you want to use it). I ended up getting a Sony BluRay player with Wifi… has Netflix, Hulu+, etc… loaded on already… easier to work with remote than an air mouse… the MK-802 is a bit older so I don’t know if the newer quad cores work better….

… with hdmi input… but yes… technically thats all you need… the MK-802 is a mini Android computer… the TV specific boxes are android computers with a UI specifically for TV i believe… (?)

Ahh, thanks! How do you control it? Does it have Bluetooth or something for a keyboard?

Mine just has two USB ports, you can plug in USB keyboards.

you can get a separate ‘air mouse’… it has a usb dongle that you plug into the unit (on my MK 802 anyways)… I’m pretty sure a number of the ‘mini android’ computers are similar… iirc many of the tv specific boxes come with remotes…

on my bluray dvd player i have an android app that allows me to control it via wifi, in addition to the remote that it comes with…

Thanks guys! I had not seen these things before (only in FastTech new products) so will do some more research. Do they often come with remote controls?

not that i’ve seen…. in my experience, at a certain point I was looking for a cheap tablet with hdmi out that I could use as UI for the tv… the air mouse is a bit of a pain in my experience…. but YMMV… :wink:

I researched them for a while and decided to just buy and android instead. You can pick something like this Ippo up cheap.

http://www.focalprice.com/CE0402B/GD_IPPO_Y88_7_Android_411_Dual_Core_IMAPX820_15GHz_Tablet_PC_with.html?utm_source=Radica&utm_medium=EM&utm_campaign=DM_1317NR_CE0402B

Or for a little more get this one it’s a good company and amazing specs. Ainol NOVO7 Crystal Quad Core Tablet PC with Android 4.1

You can just run an HDMI cord to your TV and you are good to go. Plus you can take it with you.

I have the Neo G4 and it works OK. The WiFi works good enough to stream things in high def. The interface is OK but rather slow when you are used to using a PC/Mac. It came with an IR remote with a very limited range, but it’s good for initial settings. I have a miniature wireless keyboard/touchpad that was required for setup and fine minor text entry, but I soon added a wireless standard mouse to ease navigation. The Android OS is just OK and familiar since I have an Android phone.

Installing a Linux distribution might help, but at this point I would prefer a small PC because it runs faster and I can do more with a full OS, Windows/OSx/Linux.

http://www.fasttech.com/products/1110/10002140/1154404-minix-neo-g4-dual-core-mini-android-404-tv-box-8gb

If the WIFI doesnt work too well, would it be possible to use a WIFI usb stick instead? (I have one laying around somewhere, and ebay has them for about $5)

So you will use the TV as an actual monitor? thats pretty interesting…
I have to look into this… seems pretty nice.

(I was going to buy a HDMI cable for my Ipod Touch, so I can watch Youtube directly on the TV, but this might be a better option…. right now Im using an older laptop, but its not able to go higher than 380p on youtube)

High Def? is that 1080p (60fps)? Cuz i heard they still has issues with HD streaming from a few pc stick YT reviewers. I would like to know if u guys can benchmark the miniSD slot? If it’s bottlenecking the system. Since most class 10? are 10-16MB/s transfer rate, I was wondering if they take advantage of better microSD cards. Last time I check and did some streaming, BBC’s “Planet Earth” in HD video format of mkv needs a buffer of 13-25 MB/s.

Also almost all current phones (HTC One & Gallaxy S4) are quad core 1.5ghz+… Can’t wait for the development of xbmc on the android to fully support HD content.

Here’s an example of an microSD being tested on HTC EVO.

I agree, a small x86 PC would be a lot more hackable. But the problem with most of them is noise and power usage. There are very few x86 PCs that are designed to run without a fan and on low power. Here is at least one exception I know of:

They’re rather pricey, though, compared to these cheap Chinese ARM devices.

Yes 1080P I have not bench marked the SD slot yet, the device is attached to the only TV in the house. :slight_smile:

Yes, those are interesting and pricey. Most of them have power saving modes and by using a solid state HD it should have low power requirements. I do notice the Neo G4 gets quite warm when operating.

I was looking at these: Mini Computer Barebones | Newegg.com

Or a bare bones PC: Shuttle SH61R4 Intel Socket H2(LGA1155) Intel H61 Barebone - Newegg.com

Most likely it will be an ITX motherboard like one of these and then assemble a complete PC: Embedded Solutions | Newegg.com

The 3066 processor is old and slow. Rockchip RK3188 is the hottest thing now. Search for the Tronsmart T428 Quad Core Android. This thing is high speed with no lag whatsoever.