I have around £20 to spend so I am guessing I would need a cheap eBay one or something, however having stock Android TV is a must for me, so does anyone know/recommend any Chinese boxes which can be easily rooted/flashed with custom firmware?
I have around £20 to spend so I am guessing I would need a cheap eBay one or something, however having stock Android TV is a must for me, so does anyone know/recommend any Chinese boxes which can be easily rooted/flashed with custom firmware?
Honestly, I’d just wait and save a bit for a better Android TV box. I’ve always had a terrible experience on those cheap Chinese boxes.
Do not confuse Android TV with a TV running Android. Iknow, it's confusing, but they are not the same. Chinese boxes run Android and display it on a TV.
As the others have said, I strongly recommend either saving up for decent box or looking at your local classified ads for a deal. Buying a cheap Chinese android box will only result in frustration for you, and you're just gonna end up buying another box that doesn't suck.
If I were you I'd save up for a few months and see how much the supposed Shield TV HDMI dongle is gonna go for. You'll thank yourself in the long run.
get another 20 bucks and get a mi box if you saved 20 you can save another 20
To be honest, I'd rather resort to casting from a mobile than using one of those dirt cheap Chinese boxes. The MiBox S sometimes goes on sale for only $40. You'd be better off just saving a bit more and keeping an eye out for when that is on sale.
If you're interested in hacking around a bit, you can try and find a device supported by the ATVXperience rom. Keep in mind, though, that it likely won't have the same DRM licenses that an official Android TV device will, which might cause you issues playing certain media.
Uncertified devices will never work like they're supposed to. If you need cheap get a MiBox.
The cheapest I found (and bought) was the a95x pro >
Its no Nvidea shield but it does have the full Android TV experience
Honestly if you can't afford a good android TV box (shield) I'd just buy a roku.
Well a few days ago the Amazon Fire Stick was on sale for £19.99. So if you can wait for another sale maybe it will be right for you
Why not Xiaomi MiBox S
Seeing threads like this just reminds me again about how there is no Google branded Android TV device. I'd love to see a Chromecast Ultra with Android TV or just another box like the Nexus Player for $80 or less. That way you'd know that everything will work on it(like Netflix) and that it will be receive good support and be updated quickly.
The Android TV team said they're working on making ATV run better on lower end devices. I hope that time happens soon and Google can finally ditch chromecast. On 2nd though, it can still be called chromecast and they can still have a cheap option that only cast. But the have a higher end option that replaces the Ultra and comes with ATV and a remote please.
The Mecool M8S Pro W is probably the lowest cost AndroidTV box. It's not official but it is AndroidTV. Problem is going to be Netflix, it won't work in HD. In fact you have to use the tablet version of Netflix to even get it to work and that means you have to browse Netflix with a mouse instead of with the remote.
Best low cost option for Netflix HD and Android app support is a Fire TV Stick (Gen 2) refurb .
I have one of those cheap Chinese Android 9.0 boxes.. A9FX F2 4 GB memory 32GB storage Ethernet two USB ports 3.0 .. 4K ..comes rooted runs Kodi from Aliexpress for $30. But what do i know only that i just saved $200 instead of buying a shield
Just save up for the Mi Box S.