I have a 1080p TV that is still going strong, so with no plans on upgrading to 4k soon, should I upgrade to something more powerful than my Mi Box 3? Is an upgrade necessary, or will the difference be unnoticeable? I mostly use it to watch movies on my various USB drives (Using Kodi) and on Netflix. Any advice would be appreciated, thanks!
If you have a feeling for upgrading there must be a reason for it.
If it's lag, there isn't much choice for upgrading. Nvidia Shield + Remote brand new is ~$150.
But at the end of the day even if you can afford that price tag and you think the upgrade is worth it, please consider this (quoting /u/HawkeandKeating in this thread)
If it does all you need it to do, save your money.
Mi Box is perfect for 1080p. You won't see any slowdowns even if you play h265 10bit on it.
I own two Mi Box's for my 1080p TV's and both are going strong after 3.5 years of use or how ever many years since I bought them when they first hit the shelves at Walmart.
I do have a 2019 shield TV pro for my 4k LG OLED C9 TV. When you spend over two grand on a TV, you demand the best and it was well worth the $200. It can play 4k HDR h265 10bit files with no stuttering or slowdowns.
While the video portion of the devices are important , the overall increase in performance of the 4k capable devices make them better fo any user. 4k TV or not. so if you notice you device is kind of slow to respond an navigate, just know updating to a more modern device will help quite a bit with your overall experience.
Certified Android TV devices WITH Netflix and Prime Video certifications:
- AirTV Mini
- Nvidia Shield TV
- Tivo Stream 4K
- Verizon Stream TV
- Xiaomi Mi Box S
- Xiaomi Mi TV Stick
Certified Android TV devices with Netflix ONLY certification:
- AT&T TV
- Ematic Jetstream
- JBL Link Bar
Certified Android TV devices with Prime Video ONLY certification:
- Mecool KM1
- Mecool KM3 (With Android 10 update available at mecoolonline.com )
Certified Android TV devices WITHOUT Netflix and Prime Video certifications:
- Channel Master Stream Plus (with built-in ATSC dual tuner)
- Mecool KM9 Pro
- Minix Neo T5
For more info about all certified Android TV devices, head over to Android TV Guide website.
I'm waiting to see reviews on the upcoming Chromecast Ultra and compare that with the TiVo.
I'm mostly interested in long-term software updates.
TVs are not very powerful. I have a 2020 Sony kd55x8500g. It's a great TV but My pixel 3 smokes it ...
If it does all you need it to do, save your money.