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Hi,
have the minix but not happy because some bugs, remote and the interface.
My main use is xbmc, will fire tv be as good or better ???
007xico said:
Hi,
have the minix but not happy because some bugs, remote and the interface.
My main use is xbmc, will fire tv be as good or better ???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They're VERY similar. Fire TV has some bugs, some quirks, and a pretty ineffective remote. The best XBMC is probably like a ECS LIVA mini-PC or a bay trail tablet (Dell venue 8 pro) which run full Linux or Windows with much greater speed and stability. An Intel X86 build is probably going to smoke any ARM+Android implementation.
That said, the Neo X8h and FireTV are probably about even for being the best XBMC ARM devices, in my opinion.
cmdrfrog said:
They're VERY similar. Fire TV has some bugs, some quirks, and a pretty ineffective remote. The best XBMC is probably like a ECS LIVA mini-PC or a bay trail tablet (Dell venue 8 pro) which run full Linux or Windows with much greater speed and stability. An Intel X86 build is probably going to smoke any ARM+Android implementation.
That said, the Neo X8h and FireTV are probably about even for being the best XBMC ARM devices, in my opinion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for replying.
A quick question, do i need to be rooted to have xbmc?
007xico said:
Thanks for replying.
A quick question, do i need to be rooted to have xbmc?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nope. just need to sideload via ADB.
Root is only needed to make XBMC your default launcher at startup.
The mini x8h apparently has Mali,which is less bad than Fire TV's Qualcomm Adreno.
It also has higher standards for resolution than Fire TV. (I wish I had a mini x8h!)
Can mini x8h run Reicast without causing it to reboot?
Can it run any version of Dolphin Emulator? (It has KitKat 4.4,which means OpenGL ES 3.0 support)
retroben said:
Root is only needed to make XBMC your default launcher at startup.
The mini x8h apparently has Mali,which is less bad than Fire TV's Qualcomm Adreno.
It also has higher standards for resolution than Fire TV. (I wish I had a mini x8h!)
Can mini x8h run Reicast without causing it to reboot?
Can it run any version of Dolphin Emulator? (It has KitKat 4.4,which means OpenGL ES 3.0 support)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
actually the adreno 320 is better than the mali 450 in all tests
http://www.antutu.com/view.shtml?id=7356#2
http://kyokojap.myweb.hinet.net/gpu_gflops/
adreno 320 APQ8064T 400 MHz 86 gflops
vs
Mali-450 MP8 --- 600 MHz 71 gflops (thats if its using the best mali 450 processor)
You forget the main point.
Stability and compatibility is much better with Mali according to a Dolphin Emulator blog post.
https://dolphin-emu.org/blog/2013/09/26/dolphin-emulator-and-opengl-drivers-hall-fameshame/
Qualcomm is deemed horrible while Mali is called bad,but can now actually run Dolphin Emulator because of driver workarounds.
I bought a Minix 8H and returned it 10 days later. The air mouse is a piece of junk which is what really attracted me to the unit to begin with. Their launcher is clunky and yes, you can go back to the default Android launcher, which I did. It just feels unfinished and unpolished. I know I could have customized it but I didnt pay that much for a box to re-invent the wheel.
MadFlava said:
I bought a Minix 8H and returned it 10 days later. The air mouse is a piece of junk which is what really attracted me to the unit to begin with. Their launcher is clunky and yes, you can go back to the default Android launcher, which I did. It just feels unfinished and unpolished. I know I could have customized it but I didnt pay that much for a box to re-invent the wheel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this^^^. plus you can snag an FireTV for $85 or less while the Minix 8 is like around $120ish I believe.
Well, im right now waiting for my minix8 to be delivered, which i ordered just two days before preorder launch of the atv here in germany.
I did some research beforehand and for my main use xbmc the minix seems to be best, as they are supplied with special minix versions of xmbc featuring a better mali hardware support.
But for a dicouted prime price of just €50 i ordered an atv as well
I only wonder if i should cancel the minix order and wait a month or two for my atv batch to arrive or go with both units and sell one later.
retroben said:
You forget the main point.
Stability and compatibility is much better with Mali according to a Dolphin Emulator blog post.
https://dolphin-emu.org/blog/2013/09/26/dolphin-emulator-and-opengl-drivers-hall-fameshame/
Qualcomm is deemed horrible while Mali is called bad,but can now actually run Dolphin Emulator because of driver workarounds.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well i had a rk3188, works ok but it always feels heavy and slow compared to my galaxy s2, galaxy s3 and firetv.
but i guess compatibility will be higher since mali is very widespread although i have yet to run something not compatible..
Anyone with a mini x8h please try out Dolphin and Reicast with any game like Luigi's Mansion on Dolphin,but specifically Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 on Reicast since they gave me the most trouble with reboots on my Fire TV.
I am curious if it does not reboot at all with Reicast and if Dolphin actually works since there is KitKat and OpenGL ES 3.0 support on mini x8h.
retroben said:
Anyone with a mini x8h please try out Dolphin and Reicast with any game like Luigi's Mansion on Dolphin,but specifically Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 on Reicast since they gave me the most trouble with reboots on my Fire TV.
I am curious if it does not reboot at all with Reicast and if Dolphin actually works since there is KitKat and OpenGL ES 3.0 support on mini x8h.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hi retroben i bought a x8-h just for reicast and sa1 and sa2 run really good, no reboots only after applying beta 8 firmware and hardware guru's firmware patch. :good:
Did it have issues before patching?
Are you going to try Dolphin emulator to see if it even runs?
My Fire TV has started running at superb speed since I applied a certain UI tweak.
If you are reading this rbox,I can confirm that nothing bad has happenned since that forced GPU tweak,and I am hoping that you will tell others how to apply said tweak.
retroben said:
My Fire TV has started running at superb speed since I applied a certain UI tweak.
If you are reading this rbox,I can confirm that nothing bad has happenned since that forced GPU tweak,and I am hoping that you will tell others how to apply said tweak.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you elaborate on what the UI tweak is and does? I'm always looking for ways to improve the Fire TV experience.
Lol Rbox holding out on us
I have a MINIX X8-H, Minix Neo Z64 and the Fire TV. I have to say out of the three the Z64 is my favourite. It fixed some of the quarks that the X8-H had and is a lot more customizable than the Fire TV. I actually only use the Fire TV for games now. I just got tired of going to the systems pane to access my apps. In this regard both the Z64 and X8-H are much better. I also absolutely love the air mouse and keyboard remote, light years ahead of the Fire TV's remote. Anyway, grab the Z64, its defiantly the winner, you can also install Windows 8 or Linux, which the Fire TV can't do.
calden74 said:
I have a MINIX X8-H, Minix Neo Z64 and the Fire TV. I have to say out of the three the Z64 is my favourite. It fixed some of the quarks that the X8-H had and is a lot more customizable than the Fire TV. I actually only use the Fire TV for games now. I just got tired of going to the systems pane to access my apps. In this regard both the Z64 and X8-H are much better. I also absolutely love the air mouse and keyboard remote, light years ahead of the Fire TV's remote. Anyway, grab the Z64, its defiantly the winner, you can also install Windows 8 or Linux, which the Fire TV can't do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, it fixed some quarks? Far enough, I'm in!
Seriously though, the Chinese boxes look tempting but their support is somewhat lacking. They move to a new model and abandon the last, bugs and all are left unfixed and you are relying on enthusiasts to make them usable. Also, look at the price difference, in Europe the Z64 is 50% more expensive than an AFTV.
the_chinaman said:
Wow, it fixed some quarks? Far enough, I'm in!
Seriously though, the Chinese boxes look tempting but their support is somewhat lacking. They move to a new model and abandon the last, bugs and all are left unfixed and you are relying on enthusiasts to make them usable. Also, look at the price difference, in Europe the Z64 is 50% more expensive than an AFTV.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes but your also getting a lot more, specifically, a customizable UI, which is, to me anyway, worth every penny. I got absolutely sick of having to go to the System menu to access my side loaded apps. There is also a plethora of ports, another area in which the Fire TV falls extremely short. Each to his own tbough but I guarantee that you'll be a lot more happier with the MINIX than the Fire TV. The Fire TV is still better than the Apple TV though, I'm actually dumbfounded as to why people by that thing, just a horribly inadequate TV set box. Oooohhh we now have HBO, says the bloggers on Apple extremist sites, yeah, well I've had it since its incarnation with my MINIX and Fire TV.
Hi all,
I got my Amazon Fire TV a few days ago, and have sideloaded XBMC for media playback. Although I was ideally looking to do that via USB, until there's a root method for the latest UK firmware, streaming will have to do, I guess.
However, the issue I am having is with playback quality. I do not know if this is down to XBMC/Kodi or AFTV, but videos are not as smooth and lovely as they are when played directly via my TV's USB port. Even my TV is not as good as my previous device, which was a Sony DVR. It had the MOST wonderful video playback, with beautiful colours, perfect balance and no noise. It failed, so I started using my TV's USB port. Video quality is not as good - it's slightly grainer, a bit overexposed.
I got Amazon Fire TV because I was expecting something better than what my almost 4 year old Samsung TV can do. All those extra bells and whistles are fine, but playback quality is THE most crucial thing for me. I am not an expert, and I do not know if Sony and Samsung have some state-of-the art upscaling, but I'm baffled that a quad-core device with a dedicated GPU is worse than both of them. Playback via XBMC is just a huge let-down.
Am I doing something wrong? Is it supposed to be like this? Am I expecting too much? Are there any settings I can try?
I'd love to hear what you all think!
Lisali said:
Hi all,
I got my Amazon Fire TV a few days ago, and have sideloaded XBMC for media playback. Although I was ideally looking to do that via USB, until there's a root method for the latest UK firmware, streaming will have to do, I guess.
However, the issue I am having is with playback quality. I do not know if this is down to XBMC/Kodi or AFTV, but videos are not as smooth and lovely as they are when played directly via my TV's USB port. Even my TV is not as good as my previous device, which was a Sony DVR. It had the MOST wonderful video playback, with beautiful colours, perfect balance and no noise. It failed, so I started using my TV's USB port. Video quality is not as good - it's slightly grainer, a bit overexposed.
I got Amazon Fire TV because I was expecting something better than what my almost 4 year old Samsung TV can do. All those extra bells and whistles are fine, but playback quality is THE most crucial thing for me. I am not an expert, and I do not know if Sony and Samsung have some state-of-the art upscaling, but I'm baffled that a quad-core device with a dedicated GPU is worse than both of them. Playback via XBMC is just a huge let-down.
Am I doing something wrong? Is it supposed to be like this? Am I expecting too much? Are there any settings I can try?
I'd love to hear what you all think!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Having no idea what you are trying to play, what it's resolution is, what it's codec is, etc, makes it hard for anyone to say. My AFTV (rooted) with Kodi plays videos great. Everything is looking like it should, whether it's old doctor who episodes in divx, latest 720p TV releases, or 1080p movies. Previously I was watching stuff via a computer connected by a dvi- 15p vga connection. Both connections at 1080p on the TV.
And yes it is possible that your TV has a hardware upscaler that does a better job then software. If you usb tv thingy is connecting at a lower resolution then your AFTV then upscaler could play a factor. There is a post about how to change the resolution of what your AFTV connects at.
nyder said:
Having no idea what you are trying to play, what it's resolution is, what it's codec is, etc, makes it hard for anyone to say. My AFTV (rooted) with Kodi plays videos great. Everything is looking like it should, whether it's old doctor who episodes in divx, latest 720p TV releases, or 1080p movies. Previously I was watching stuff via a computer connected by a dvi- 15p vga connection. Both connections at 1080p on the TV.
And yes it is possible that your TV has a hardware upscaler that does a better job then software. If you usb tv thingy is connecting at a lower resolution then your AFTV then upscaler could play a factor. There is a post about how to change the resolution of what your AFTV connects at.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi nyder,
Thanks so much for your response!
I play a variety of files, but mostly mp4 in SD and MKV in 720p. 720p an above looks OK - not as good as the TV's USB or Sony, but the biggest difference is with SD mp4 files. They look noticeably worse - oversaturated, overexposed, blocky, with artefacts.
Thanks for the tip about changing the AFTV resolution. I tried that, but it did not help. Hmm...What can I do now? Shall I try something else or look for another device?
Thank you!
Lisali said:
Hi nyder,
Thanks so much for your response!
I play a variety of files, but mostly mp4 in SD and MKV in 720p. 720p an above looks OK - not as good as the TV's USB or Sony, but the biggest difference is with SD mp4 files. They look noticeably worse - oversaturated, overexposed, blocky, with artefacts.
Thanks for the tip about changing the AFTV resolution. I tried that, but it did not help. Hmm...What can I do now? Shall I try something else or look for another device?
Thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am new to UK fire tv but I have to say I have tried a few 1080p dd5.1 H264 and so far all looks very nice streaming localy
using xbmc-13.2-Gotham-armeabi-v7a kicked off from newest plex app
madusmacus said:
I am new to UK fire tv but I have to say I have tried a few 1080p dd5.1 H264 and so far all looks very nice streaming localy
using xbmc-13.2-Gotham-armeabi-v7a kicked off from newest plex app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How are you enjoying your device?
Yes - that seems to be the case. 1080p will look fine, but SD files look awful.
Lisali said:
How are you enjoying your device?
Yes - that seems to be the case. 1080p will look fine, but SD files look awful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Took me a few days to get past all the "you cant root this version" nonsense its OK now :¬)
I have firedtv and I used llama to make the old Plex app launch the new Plex app (sideloaded) and
I use air buddy to launch xbms as it detects its sideloaded and gives you a laod button :¬)
Its definatly a mark up from my old jailbroken ATV 2 - (RIP) - :¬)
Only bad thing its for me DD5.1 definatly does NOT WORK over HDMI (Netflix and amazon prime)
Fixed by buying optical cables - it its a real pain duplicating cables - grrr
XBMC of course works over either HDMI or OPTICAL
I am guessing this problem is UK version or a new firmware NERF they have done to ruin peoples life for a laugh and then buy optical cables from amazon :¬):¬):¬).
madusmacus said:
Took me a few days to get past all the "you cant root this version" nonsense its OK now :¬)
I have firedtv and I used llama to make the old Plex app launch the new Plex app (sideloaded) and
I use air buddy to launch xbms as it detects its sideloaded and gives you a laod button :¬)
Its definatly a mark up from my old jailbroken ATV 2 - (RIP) - :¬)
Only bad thing its for me DD5.1 definatly does NOT WORK over HDMI (Netflix and amazon prime)
Fixed by buying optical cables - it its a real pain duplicating cables - grrr
XBMC of course works over either HDMI or OPTICAL
I am guessing this problem is UK version or a new firmware NERF they have done to ruin peoples life for a laugh and then buy optical cables from amazon :¬):¬):¬).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good to hear you're enjoying it. I really wanted to use it for USB playback. As the computer is in the same room, I do not want it being on all the time, so I'm a bit annoyed that it can't be rooted to allow for USB playback. I tried XBMC, but SD playback quality is just abysmal, so I'm not sure what to do at this point.
I did not know that 5.1 does not work over HDMI - that's odd, I'll have to try that. Thanks for the heads up!
[/COLOR]
Lisali said:
Good to hear you're enjoying it. I really wanted to use it for USB playback. As the computer is in the same room, I do not want it being on all the time, so I'm a bit annoyed that it can't be rooted to allow for USB playback. I tried XBMC, but SD playback quality is just abysmal, so I'm not sure what to do at this point.
I did not know that 5.1 does not work over HDMI - that's odd, I'll have to try that. Thanks for the heads up!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might want to try "MX Player"(free) for SD or PLEX (but that involves and external server)
I might just be it does not like my HDMI tv or AUDIO
I obviously can be done because XMBC works flawlessly
I am using Amazon HDMI cables too :¬)
:¬( lowest I have gone so far is 720
I was having issues with some of the services I was trying to use on my FTV. Playback would be jerky here and there. I went ahead and disabled mediacodec and everything plays nice and smooth now.
Maybe try that incase it changes the quality as well?
Hello Lisali
the same issue goes for me too.
I am rather disappointed with the picture quality of AFTV. In most of the time, I play 1080p net-downloaded movies and TV shows such as Band of brothers, Dark knight, and etc. The pictures are too blocky and grainy.
I thought it was some kind of limitation of the mobile chip(?) cause I tried MX player for playback which resulted in the same picture quality, but it seems not everybody are having the same issue.
I wonder what the problem is.
Amazon Fire TV intentionally downgrading video playback quality
wonhorang said:
Hello Lisali
the same issue goes for me too.
I am rather disappointed with the picture quality of AFTV. In most of the time, I play 1080p net-downloaded movies and TV shows such as Band of brothers, Dark knight, and etc. The pictures are too blocky and grainy.
I thought it was some kind of limitation of the mobile chip(?) cause I tried MX player for playback which resulted in the same picture quality, but it seems not everybody are having the same issue.
I wonder what the problem is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi - I see, the MX player did not help?
After some thinking, I think this is intentional on Amazon's part. Here's why: The main point of Amazon Fire TV is to promote Amazon services - Prime, App Store, music. When you look at Amazon Prime, you get a lot of content for free, but mostly in SD. Want HD? Pay more. If Amazon started upscaling their SD content, there would be no reason for people to pay to watch HD stuff.
This is quite devious, I must say. SD content = crappy. HD content = better. Pay even more for HD, Amazon makes more money. Devious - yes. Honest and honourable - no.
I and some others use SPMC and it works a lot better than xbmc
Regards
dbaseii said:
I and some others use SPMC and it works a lot better than xbmc
Regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi - thanks for the response. That sounds good, but how is it at upscaling SD content? If this is a hardware limitation in Amazon Fire TV box, it may not be much better than Kodi. I will give it a go, thanks!
Looking at system info in SPMC it does use all 4 processors.
Other people have used the Ouya version with success.
---------- Post added at 04:59 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:53 PM ----------
Any of you guys in the UK. Head over to Amazon Fire TV UK group on fb.
if it is so, how come there are guys who are satisfied with the playback quality?
from the reply, i see other guys satisfied with their amazon TV's razor sharp picture quality.
wonhorang said:
if it is so, how come there are guys who are satisfied with the playback quality?
from the reply, i see other guys satisfied with their amazon TV's razor sharp picture quality.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They may be playing 1080p content, or are happy with the quality they get. I am not. Amazon Fire TV is NOT razor sharp.
Lisali said:
They may be playing 1080p content, or are happy with the quality they get. I am not. Amazon Fire TV is NOT razor sharp.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have gone through a few android boxes including the Minix Neo X8-H. I thought that was a great box. But tha AFTV is better. Handles even the most demanding skins and excellent picture quality. As I said in a previous post I'm using SPMC.
Lisali said:
Hi - I see, the MX player did not help?
After some thinking, I think this is intentional on Amazon's part. Here's why: The main point of Amazon Fire TV is to promote Amazon services - Prime, App Store, music. When you look at Amazon Prime, you get a lot of content for free, but mostly in SD. Want HD? Pay more. If Amazon started upscaling their SD content, there would be no reason for people to pay to watch HD stuff.
This is quite devious, I must say. SD content = crappy. HD content = better. Pay even more for HD, Amazon makes more money. Devious - yes. Honest and honourable - no.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you in the UK as well? I ask as you mention Amazon Prime content being in SD, I only watch HD with my prime membership and i dont pay any extra. Granted i don't even think about looking at anything that would be in SD but everything i am interested in is always available in HD.
My experience is that SD looks like crap on any HD TV no matter how you slice it. Upscaling helps but you can still see the difference very easily
nujackk said:
Are you in the UK as well? I ask as you mention Amazon Prime content being in SD, I only watch HD with my prime membership and i dont pay any extra. Granted i don't even think about looking at anything that would be in SD but everything i am interested in is always available in HD.
My experience is that SD looks like crap on any HD TV no matter how you slice it. Upscaling helps but you can still see the difference very easily
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi - yes, I'm in the UK. Some Prime content is in HD, but not all of it is. A lot of movies, especially older ones, are SD only. Some of them are included in prime as SD, but you have to pay extra for HD. I also watch a lot of my own content, which is not always in HD, and the box seems to degrade, instead of upscale those. It's just odd that my 5 year old TV's built-in USB playback function is so much better at this than Amazon Fire TV, which is a beast of a machine. When it comes to how much better it is, I'd say 20-30% for HD and 50-60% for SD content.
Lisali said:
They may be playing 1080p content, or are happy with the quality they get. I am not. Amazon Fire TV is NOT razor sharp.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Completely false. I play US TV shows (typically downscaled HD broadcasts to SD or even 640 x 360) and full HD movies ([email protected]) and I see no real image quality difference compared to my Windows 8.1 HTPC also running XBMC. I usually disable any post-processing in XBMC, in the Windows video driver (if applicable) and on the TV itself.
The claim that Amazon is on purpose degrading the video is also BS IMHO.
I want another player - for Kodi and occasional simple games.
I have the FTV and although I'm happy with the performance, I don't like the inability to root (inc. custom recovery etc) and to use external storage.
Any alternative suggestion at a nearby price? Or is FTV the only way to go at that price mark?
Id wait now, unless you're desperate.
There may be some android tv boxes coming out soon which may be better than the fire tv or amazon might have a sale.
Amazon might cut a tenner out of the price of FTV, but I really want to have the ability to root and not to be afraid that my box will one day be locked forever.
The minix X8 looks tempting
papars said:
Amazon might cut a tenner out of the price of FTV, but I really want to have the ability to root and not to be afraid that my box will one day be locked forever.
The minix X8 looks tempting
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
do this. search on ebay for new sealed firetv's. ask the sellers to send you the serial number. Pick up a rooted one. Once rooted you are golden. I essentially got an extra rooted new one in my bunker for future use or I may hook it up in the bedroom in future. I'm glad I picked up an extra rooted one when I could.
The biggest thing you will loose when getting out of an architecture from amazon is the native apps like Netflix, bbc etc. I would stick with amazon ftv and find a rooted one. I'm sure if you look hard you will find yourself a rooted one If you disable the updates you should be fine.
Your suggestion is valid but I'm in europe and not really in need for netflix.
The price for sealed older FTVs seems somewhat high and by reading articles I see that even the SN wont warranty a rootable box.
In the meantime I will try to h/w root my box and see what comes out of this.
I recently shelfed my Fire Tv for the same reason. I have to many streaming boxes kind of a habit of mine (Fire Tv, Google Adt1, Ouya, Madcatz Mojo, Tronsmart Draco). Fire Tv still has the best commercial content but the hardware is getting outdated for games and the OS is way to restrictive. AndroidTV devices are still open to root and side loading but the commercial content is lacking has a great interface. On the opposite end is the Mojo and Draco with raw Android out of the box. They allow root without risk to warranty. I have gone with the Draco for now as it is very fast, Antutu test out at almost 60,000 with Power VR graphics. Madcatz has great quality and controller.
There are allot of consoles coming in the next few months, Razer Forge, Snail Games Obox, Nvidia Shied, Roku 4, Apple TV, others. You will be able to take your pick. My opinion for what its worth
Pure xbmc, get a rasp pi 2. Fast, cheap and simple with openelec And no amazon os to deal with. My living room fire tv has been relegated to the drawer since getting one.
I have raspberry pi first gen. It works ok and decoding is great but is sloooooow as death.
I've replaced it with AFT and I don't want to go back.
pi 2 could be faster but the cost of getting it operational (case, psu, remote etc) is near the cost of a commercial box. I will check out the options listed in above posts.
papars said:
I have raspberry pi first gen. It works ok and decoding is great but is sloooooow as death.
I've replaced it with AFT and I don't want to go back.
pi 2 could be faster but the cost of getting it operational (case, psu, remote etc) is near the cost of a commercial box. I will check out the options listed in above posts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i've moved my fire TV to a bedroom and have been running 2 s802 m8n china boxes and if you dont care about android and games.. openelec is flawless on it for me, full CEC control, refresh rate changing, etc etc.. best 75$ i've spent so far.. after using these for a while you really notice how much better openelec runs than kodi on android.
nhumber said:
i've moved my fire TV to a bedroom and have been running 2 s802 m8n china boxes and if you dont care about android and games.. openelec is flawless on it for me, full CEC control, refresh rate changing, etc etc.. best 75$ i've spent so far.. after using these for a while you really notice how much better openelec runs than kodi on android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Openelec is an operating system which runs the XBMC/Kodi program the same way that Android is an operating system that runs XBMC/Kodi. The only difference is that Openelec is a minimal operating system that uses just enough to run XBMC/Kodi, while Android is a full operating system able to run several programs. A couple years ago when XBMC came to Android it sucked and I quit using it after about a week, but it has came along way since and my Openelec system running Kodi cannot compare to my Fire TV running Kodi.
papars said:
I have raspberry pi first gen. It works ok and decoding is great but is sloooooow as death.
I've replaced it with AFT and I don't want to go back.
pi 2 could be faster but the cost of getting it operational (case, psu, remote etc) is near the cost of a commercial box. I will check out the options listed in above posts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to chime in here. With some smart shopping ill bet you could get all you need for 60 or less. My rpi is still the most consistent , reliable kodi device but like you, i thought it was too slow (even running off usb 3.0)
But ive heard good things about rpi 2 just running it on a class 4 sd card. My advice--dont use a case, its not needed unless theres reason to think itll get damaged. My tv remote works fine with it and this might not matter cuz if you have b+ you should have a lot of the stuff u want or need. I heard you might want to upgrade the power supply. I bought one for the b+ that worked great for 8 bucks on ebay. If i didnt care about netflix thatd be the way imight go. Of course that could change in the upcoming months.
porkenhimer said:
Openelec is an operating system which runs the XBMC/Kodi program the same way that Android is an operating system that runs XBMC/Kodi. The only difference is that Openelec is a minimal operating system that uses just enough to run XBMC/Kodi, while Android is a full operating system able to run several programs. A couple years ago when XBMC came to Android it sucked and I quit using it after about a week, but it has came along way since and my Openelec system running Kodi cannot compare to my Fire TV running Kodi.
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thanks, im aware of the setups, had a firetv since day one.. had fedora installed on it at one point even, what im saying is that Kodi for linux (openelec in my case) is much more stable than kodi for android or maybe its just linux stability vs android stability.. i dunno. but you dont get hangs or freezes like you can sometimes get with the android boxes, i also said the main things that are better with openelec than with kodi on the fireTV are fulling working CEC control, refresh rate changing since im kind of an videophile and watching any movie on the fireTV results in less than perfect playback, and HD audio support is also another nice feature you cant get on a fireTV.
porkenhimer said:
Openelec is an operating system which runs the XBMC/Kodi program the same way that Android is an operating system that runs XBMC/Kodi. The only difference is that Openelec is a minimal operating system that uses just enough to run XBMC/Kodi, while Android is a full operating system able to run several programs. A couple years ago when XBMC came to Android it sucked and I quit using it after about a week, but it has came along way since and my Openelec system running Kodi cannot compare to my Fire TV running Kodi.
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Depend on the hw that your OE is running on, got myself an Asus Chromebox that costs slightly more than the Fire TV when it was on sale last Black Friday, it runs like a dream.
As for running Kodi/XBMC on FireTV vs generic Android box vs OpenElec/Xbmcbuntu/Linux + XBMC I'd say it doesn't matter any longer. I've run all 3 ways, and it used to make a difference. A cheap booksize miniPC running OpenElec or Xbmcbuntu was much better than any Android based solution for a variety of reasons. That just isn't the case any longer. Of course if you have better hardware things like menus or the time it takes to start streaming a show will be a bit quicker, but otherwise you can get a solid stable Kodi/XBMC environment on any of these.
Back to the original question, personally I'd hold out until some of the Google Android TV boxes (not generic Android boxes) start shipping. Not because I think they will be better than GATV boxes, but because there should be a better selection of options and one might be a better fit than your two AFTV choices. Either way, it's hard to beat AFTV and I expect similar results from GATV boxes. Side-loading isn't as easy as just installing from the app store, but there are options that have all the plug-ins ready to go. Unlike other setups, you don't have to figure out which remote to use or how to get it configured (yes, I know some generic Android boxes come setup for XBMC and even have their own customized XBMC, I have one).
In short, I used to have a mix of generic Android boxes and mini HTPCs running OpenElec/XBMCbuntu. Now I have AFTV boxes in daily use and two Rokus that are almost never used. For the price point, ease of use, stability and extra functionality above and beyond Kodi the AFTV and presumably GATV boxes just make more sense.
One last thing I almost forgot - the space limitation on the AFTV is a huge drawback. Until (unless) Amazon releases an update to let us use USB drives for apps and data this could be a big issue. If for some reason you absolutely require plenty of disk space, perhaps you don't have network storage and need all your media on the device itself, then AFTV may not be an option.
GATV might have the same lock as amazon regarding custom updates / root.
I would like to escape the proprietary ecosystem opposed by amazon and google if possible to avoid possible lockouts in the near future.
I like the amazon box, is fast and easy to use with its remote. I use a NAS for my media but I would like to have root and extra storage option on it.
The mojo looks like a good option, I might go for this.
I've been using a Fire TV Stick for about a week now, after you sideload Kodi (and then use your Amazon account to install Kodi on another device, so you trick the FireTV into showing Kodi in your Recent apps on the home screen) I don't think you can beat the bang for the buck.
I'm about to order the Minix X8-H Plus. This thing seems a lot better than the AFTV! I have a 256gb SD card lying around, so I can't wait to throw it in this thing. It has 2gb RAM, 2.0ghz Quad-Core Processor, SD slot, three USB 2.0 ports, gigabit ethernet, 16gb eMMC, 4K2K UHD video playback, Octo-Core Mali-450 GPU, Dual-Band Wi-Fi 802.11ac and 4K H.265 / HEVC Hardware Decoding Support.
It looks like they're going for around $150-$160. Check it out:
http://www.minix.com.hk/Products/NEO-X8-H-Plus-Android-TV.html
papars said:
Your suggestion is valid but I'm in europe and not really in need for netflix.
The price for sealed older FTVs seems somewhat high and by reading articles I see that even the SN wont warranty a rootable box.
In the meantime I will try to h/w root my box and see what comes out of this.
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I just got a firetv from ebay and its rootable. I've done about 28 mods and haven't seen one with series 305 which are the incorrect ones.
shutterslaps said:
I'm about to order the Minix X8-H Plus. This thing seems a lot better than the AFTV! I have a 256gb SD card lying around, so I can't wait to throw it in this thing. It has 2gb RAM, 2.0ghz Quad-Core Processor, SD slot, three USB 2.0 ports, gigabit ethernet, 16gb eMMC, 4K2K UHD video playback, Octo-Core Mali-450 GPU, Dual-Band Wi-Fi 802.11ac and 4K H.265 / HEVC Hardware Decoding Support.
It looks like they're going for around $150-$160. Check it out:
http://www.minix.com.hk/Products/NEO-X8-H-Plus-Android-TV.html
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Thats a sweet box for sure.. I am not too sure its a fair comparison though.. My AFTV cost me $80 and came with a remote. The $145 standalone box is more than twice as much if you get a controller. My Android MiniPC's (older) have been disappointing when trying to run Kodi etc.. which led me to the snappy performance of AFTV.. This box looks to have all the power you could need. Should be fun to have
This note on the webpage should be noted as well - The NEO X8-H Plus only supports standard definition Netflix. Netflix 1080p HD and 4K UHD resolution are not available on any MINIX NEO Series devices
I have been watching the Razer Forge TV box as well it looks to be a beast for $99
I just saw this on another forum:
....You are limited to 24, 50 and 60Hz Output refresh rates with AMlogic and Rockchip devices. 60Hz only on the Amazon Fire TV + Stick and even the new NVIDIA Shield believe it or not. Although Frame rate switching is a built in feature of the new Android 5.0 Lollipop OS
In Kodi 15.0 Isengard – Beta 2 - they have a new option:
Refresh rate switching and 4K Playback on Android - One of the limitations of the Android platforms always was that it wasn’t capable of switching your screen to the same refresh-rate as the current playing video. This could cause a slight video stutter occasionally as video frames had to be duplicated to keep audio in sync. Since Android 5.0 there’s at least a way to set the preferred refresh-rate of the video output that could solve several of these problems.
Can I assume that the AFTV still doesn't support (hardware limitation) 23.976/24fps or has it been or can it be added?
If not mines going straight back - I'll just refuse delivery - as all my files are 23.976fps which my WDTV Live plays fine and has done for the last 5 years.
I can't stand the stutter when playback of source material is different from the encoded frame rate.
Fingers crossed... the AFTV looked perfect apart from that LITTLE problem....
Strange thing is there are hardly any posts about this - so either people don't notice the stutter or are putting up with it. Very strange.
24fps videos will stutter on the FTV, output is either 50hz or 60hz. Many people won't notice or modern TV will somewhat compensate. I think it is terrible. As u mentioned, starting android 5, it is possible in theory. I doubt that amazon will update from KK to LP
shaksbeer said:
24fps videos will stutter on the FTV, output is either 50hz or 60hz. Many people won't notice or modern TV will somewhat compensate. I think it is terrible. As u mentioned, starting android 5, it is possible in theory. I doubt that amazon will update from KK to LP
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The Fire TV does not run KitKat, it runs Jellybean. Hopefully the will update to KitKat soon.
porkenhimer said:
The Fire TV does not run KitKat, it runs Jellybean. Hopefully the will update to KitKat soon.
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correct, sorry for that.
But good news, Android 5 is coming! https://developer.amazon.com/public...10/Announcing-the-Fire-OS-5-Developer-Preview
Hopes up ?!
Her'e's the relevant part of the article:
"June 19, 2015
Mike Hines
Annoucements, Fire Tablets
Starting today, developers have the opportunity to participate in a Developer Preview of Fire OS 5, the next generation Android-based operating system that powers Fire tablets, Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick. And because Fire OS 5 is based on Android Lollipop, we can make this update while preserving even more compatibility with existing Android apps than ever before. This means that even more of your apps should work on Fire devices with no additional engineering effort. "
So does this mean if it gets OS 5 based on Lollipop, that the 24fps frame rate playback will be an option or is it impossible due to the hardware limitations of the chip used in the Amazon Fire TV?
System on Chip (SoC) Platform Qualcomm Snapdragon ARMv7
CPU Qualcomm Quad Core Krait 300, up to 1.7 GHz, 2MB L2 Cache (APQ8064)
GPU Qualcomm Adreno 320, 400 MHz
PS I have the AFTV sitting here next to me all nicely wrapped up (delivered to my neighbour so couldn't refuse delivery) - but if 24fps is going to be supported I will hold onto it! If not it's going back on Monday. :0
shaksbeer said:
correct, sorry for that.
But good news, Android 5 is coming! https://developer.amazon.com/public...10/Announcing-the-Fire-OS-5-Developer-Preview
Hopes up ?!
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Not good news at all. The Fire TV is still running Fire OS 3 and the Fire Tabets have been running Android 4.4 for 8 months, so if thats any indication, it will be a very very long time before the Fire TV is running Android Lollipop. The Fire TV has continued to run Jellybean for 8 months while the Fire tablet has been running KitKat, so expect the same after Lollipop is released for the tablets. Around a year after the Fire Tablet gets Fire OS 5 then the Fire TV should be getting it. Even the Fire Phone has been running KitKat for two months. Its clear that Amazon sees the Fire Tablet and Fire Phone as being more important that the fire TV, which is understandable, because they are mobile and can be used anywhere. I think thats the same reason why Apple said the Apple TV was just a hobby, cause it can be used in your home or a hotel room, while the iphone and ipad could be used everywhere. So like I said, if the past is an indication, which in most cases is, the Fire TV being upgraded to Fire OS 5 is a long way off.
Stationed overseas, looking at buying a FireTV Stick to run Kodi and other apps on it.
What are the pro's and con's of it?
What apps should I install on it?
I have a ton of movies/tv shows, could I stream from my iMac to it? (This isn't needed to much)
I've had Kodi before on my devices, so figured a FireTV Stick would be a cheap alternative to have it on my Sharp Smart TV.
May be as you said, FireTV Stick would be a cheap alternative, but if you have the extra money, the FireTV BOX is always the best solution, because it is faster, have USB Port and more memory, that can be expanded with memory stick (on the 1st Gen.) or use Micro USB Cards (on the 2nd Gen.), to move some some data of the installed APPs...
I am the owner of: 2 FireTV Sticks and 2 FireTV Units (1st Gen. and also 2nd Gen.), and I really think that you should better consider to get the Fire-TV BOX instead of the Stick, because I started using my FireTV Stick for KODI, and I was forced to rapidly change, and I had to decide to install KODI and TVMC on my FireTV BOX, because the FireTV Stick was too Slow and was not enough to handle KODI!
So, I although the processing power and the memory of the FireTV Stick are too limited, it can run programs like: KODI, TVMC, SPMC and XBMC, but all of them always will run very slow and with lags...
I don't want to force you to buy the FireTV BOX version, but when the BOX and STICK are compared, you immediately notice a very big difference in speed between these two models and then will understand why the FireTV it's cheaper!
I think that you should wait a little, because it could be possibly that Amazon will offer some kind of discount or special price for all FireTV products, in the next coming months...
I really hope this information could help you to make a good decision!
I have a fire tv stick and like you I find it slow to handle kodi, I want to confirm if Amazon improved the specs on the new fire tv stick 2015?
I really want to update to a newer model with better specs but don't want to invest in a fire tv yet.
What is your budget and goals? Do you plan to use other streaming services such as Amazon instant video or Netflix or Hulu? How do you feel about installing Plex server on your iMac?
Kodi can be a bit of a resource hog for a device like the (original) FireTV stick, but I find that Plex runs just fine. I gave my FTV stick to my parents and set it up so they have access to my Plex server over the internet and their crappy DSL and it's great. Netflix and Hulu also work just fine. A FireTV is a step up for sure, and a nVidia Shield Android TV is an even bigger performance boost that will also get you into console quality gaming.
Hello Silenus21,
I am not fully sure because Amazon has not released yet the FireTV (2015) with the New Voice Remote yet, but I think that Amazon has Not improved the hardware specs on the new FireTV Stick (2015), only difference is that now it came with the new WIFI Remote and Also FireOS-5, that supposedly all FireTV Sticks are going to receive it today October 22nd!...
http://www.aftvnews.com/fire-tv-stick-may-receive-update-to-fire-os-5-tomorrow-october-22nd/
However, I thought that you would like to know, that Amazon has delayed all orders for the Fire TV Stick with Voice Remote bundle, and that will Give a $10 Credit to all customers who ordered the new Stick bundle:
http://www.aftvnews.com/amazon-dela...ick-with-voice-remote-bundle-gives-10-credit/
Edit:
Unfortunately it Seems that today again Amazon has now changed their FireOS-5 release date to the 13th November!
I have 2 sticks and I spent a couple of weeks with a box (gen1) setting it up for someone else:
- The box is excellent, I think the best set top box on the market, especially for $100.
- The stick is good, and unbeatable for $40.
For me, the stick has two drawbacks and one important quirk:
- Wireless only can be a problem. Personally I was impressed by the wireless strength, but you want to make sure you have a decent signal wherever you are going to place the stick. For reference, I was getting ~18Mbps with a FTV stick vs mid-20Mbps with an Android box vs. mid-30Mbps with a FTV box (2.4G wireless n).
- No USB port means (1) no way to play local media except through your network, via wireless, so you're back to the importance of the wireless signal, and (2) no way to connect an average air-mouse, so you have to go through hoops a little if you want to use apps like Showbox or Movie HD (Plex and Kodi both work fine with the standard remote). To get around (2), there are bluetooth air-mice (relatively expensive), bluetooth touchpads (not my favorite), and Mouse Toggle for FireTV (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fluxii.android.mousetoggleforfiretv), which I haven't tried yet.
- The quirk is, don't plug the stick into a surge protector. Two different sticks, plugged into two different surge protectors, ran like crap for me. Each of them when plugged directly into an outlet or a standard extension cord were just fine, responsive enough to make me happy and running Kodi with no issues.
In terms of use (of either the stick or the box):
- Kodi is a one-stop-shop for access to local media (if it's in a shared folder on your PC) and nearly unlimited media streaming from the internet. Personally, I don't like the way many addons require you to manually check one source at a time to see which will play effectively.
- Plex is very god for local media (requires you to run Plex Media Server on your PC in parallel) and ok for internet media streaming.
- Showbox and Movie HD are excellent for internet media streaming, better than Kodi in my opinion but not with the same breadth of content, and they will not function with only the standard remote.
- Firestarter is a must-have to access your non-Amazon Appstore apps.
- Curnchyroll works well, with the standard remote
Thank you, I'll hold off for now I suppose. ****ty part about holding off though is Amazon doesn't ship FireTV outside the US, so I'd have to wait until I'm stateside again or mail it to a family member and they can mail it to me.
I have Amazon Prime, so I'll be using that along with Kodi for movies/tv as well.
I can set up a Plex server on my iMac, I've done it before but ran into issues of using the DLNA on my Smart TV. But shouldn't Xbox One see the Plex server?
Reason for wanting to use Kodi is for the streaming add-on's for TV. Being in Europe, we don't get to many US channels.