let's clear up some things about the S905Y2 Android TV dongles (TiVo Stream 4K, xiaomi Mi Stick TV 4K, Google Sabrina)

by rczrider

I keep seeing a lot of misinformation being thrown around about these devices, their performance, and the SoC (Amlogic S905Y2). This SoC is found in the ADT-3 Android TV reference / dev box and so unsurprisingly in the TiVo Stream 4K, almost certainly in the Xiaomi Mi Stick 4K, and presumably in the Google Chromecast Ultra 2 (aka Sabrina aka Nest Cast aka whatever). So let's clear up some things.

  1. The S905Y2 and S905X2 are identical except that the "X" supports Ethernet. That's it. For the purpose of comparison, they are the same SoC. They are 2nd generation 12nm chips that utilize DDR4 RAM . They support Bluetooth 5.0. They support 4K60, decode/encode h.265 HEVC, support HDR10 and Dolby Vision, and USB 3.0 (sometimes in the form of USB-C).

  2. All of these devices are faster than the Mi Box S , which uses the 28nm S905X and DDR3. This isn't even worth arguing about.

  3. With a slightly higher clock speed, these devices are (most likely) marginally faster than the MediaTek MT8695 found in Amazon Fire Stick 4K, but take the edge with more RAM (2GB vs the 1.5GB found in the Fire Stick 4K).

  4. Yes, both the 2015/2017 (Tegra X1) and 2019 (Tegra X1+) Nvidia Shields are faster . I would argue, however, that given the difference in price (using the $50 TiVo unit as a reference point, since the others aren't out, yet), comparing these dongles to the Shield is silly. I would hope that spending 2-4x the cost would give you better performance. And that's before we get into the argument about how dumb the cheaper, 32-bit tube version of the Shield is (my point of view being that the Shield Pro is the only one worth buying).

Which brings me to my last group of points:

  1. These sticks are good enough for "you".
  2. 2GB of RAM is enough for "you".
  3. 8GB of storage is enough for "you" when the device supports additional storage.
  4. "You" don't need Ethernet.

I am defining "you" as the vast majority of users, even those who think they're somehow special because they know what Plex and Kodi are. I have a single $40 AC router, a $100 laptop acting as my Plex Server (no transcoding), and all 4 of my modern devices - TCL TV with Roku Ultra built-in, Mi Box (not S), Amazon Fire Stick 4K, and TiVo Stream 4K - can stream 20GB+ 4K files over my wireless network without issue. If you can't do this, your network sucks and you should spend your money on upgrading it instead of a $50 streaming stick if you have to choose between the two.

Now, are you somehow special? Do you need more because you do more with your streaming device, like gaming? Great! I'm not suggesting that these are good enough for everyone on the planet and that's what the Shield is there for. If this is you, why are you even looking at these dongles and sticks?

Bring on the downvotes.

PrestigiousFall8

I agree with your points but you come across as a bit of a prick

albus_severus_nyc

Down votes? What the hell are you talking about?

We need more posts like this. It really gets on my nerves when people say they'll watch nothing less than 50gb remuxes and everyone else watching on streaming Services or even web rips is a filthy peasant. Everyone has a different level of quality they are happy with

admiralcinamon

TiVo lists the Stream 4K's USB-C port on their device as USB 2.0, not 3.0.

Also if you need Ethernet (because your WiFi can'd handle 4K content or doesn't reach your device well), I suggest trying to get one with it built-in (or a Shield with Ethernet) or upgrading your WiFi infrastructure. From a 20 page thread on the TiVo forums the best anyone could do is getting an 10/100 Ethernet adapter working or gigabit adapter working at well bellow WiFi speeds.

uncjigga

Just my own anecdote--I have a Roku Ultra hooked up to Ethernet and my Tivo Stream 4K connected via 5Ghz AC. Obviously, the Roku is limited to 100mbps, while my AT&T fiber regularly measures 850-900mbps at Ookla, but I thought Ethernet would still be better from a latency perspective. That hasn't been the case. Could be the difference in platforms, chipsets and app coding, but Netflix HDR content loads faster on the wifi-connected Stream 4k.

TrYpMyNe

Realistically, hard-wiring every device you can hard-wire is recommended, and finding ways to connect everything up to a hard-wired network can be beneficial in the long-run. As Wi-Fi at a very simple level can only communicate with one device at a time (of course, it does millions/billions of I/O operations at a time), Wi-Fi can bog down quite a bit in a good deal of scenarios. Ethernet is a bit more free-flowing, has higher bandwidth, lower latency, and overall better reliability than Wi-Fi.

​

Will most consumers use ethernet on their devices? No, probably not, as Wi-Fi is more convenient 99% of the time. That doesn't mean that ethernet shouldn't be the 1st choice, and that consumers shouldn't have the option for ethernet and Wi-Fi both. A good friend of mine has a rather large house with an Orbi mesh system, and while they could just keep everything on Wi-Fi and call it a day, 40+ devices actively connected to the network can still bring things down at times. Hard-wiring the bandwidth hogs (or things that need reliable connectivity), such as smart TVs, network cameras, etc. into the network directly keeps the Wi-Fi clear for devices that would be quite difficult, maybe impossible, and unrealistic to connect to ethernet, such as smartphones and voice assistant speakers.

​

I do realize OP is passionate about tech, and educating the consumer, and also trying to prevent the spread of misinformation, and that's a good thing! While it could've been worded a bit nicer, and replies be posted in an open way, I gather OP probably is beating a dead horse with this issue. I did the same thing with Wi-Fi Calling for cell phone carriers, as there's a LOT of misinformation regarding the inner-workings of that service, along with VoLTE. I got downright nasty with some folks about it, because they were obviously missing the point of things I'd post, and chose to live in ignorance. But hey, sometimes all we can do is put things out in the open, and let folks decide for themselves.

513

You're 100% right sir.

And X4/Y4 (av1 decoding) will be mandatory when launching a new ATV project in Q3/4 2021, if you want YouTube in 4K.

Not sure why I got downvoted...

superdroidtv

Please stop spreading this misinformation pertaining to ethernet. This has been factually covered in great detail here.

MrRenegado

Hmm I missed Sabrina having the S905Y2, but there seem to be hints in the firmware. Was kinda hoping it would fill the gap between the Mi Stick and the shield.

ColeGM

I use the integrated Smarts on my TV and everything works perfectly. Even the integrated 16 GB/2GB is more than enough as the system never lags with Android TV 9. I get your point coz I'm always telling the same to those who say I have to buy this or that dongle.

altsuperego

Shield is the only one that can pass through HD audio no? That's a big deal for many. On another note, Is there a way to redirect the tivo button to home instead of the stream app?

kratoz29

Great analysis but I’d never use Plex without Ethernet.... it’s just a game changer.

iksworbeZ

Before I got mibox3 I was running a Linux laptop for all my entertainment needs, and what I find really appealing about the mibox us that it's actually a box that I can plug shit into. Things like pc speakers and wireless keyboards, USB hubs for four more usb ports etc.

IMO that the biggest limitation in the stick shaped form factor

Sakuga

You did a great job and compiled a lot of points nicely. Made my shopping a lot easier that's for sure.

Mugtrees

I stream games to my shield pro using NVIDIA gamestream or moonlight via ethernet. Night and day difference to the mi box 3 or s. Guess I'm not a 'you'.

It's unlikely that the Google dongle will have a USB port so external storage and ethernet are a non starter.

I appreciate that some can work well with the simpler devices but really, there's a reason the shield pro is successful.

513

Adding another comment, X2, Y2, X3, Y4, X4, C1 and C2 (Hybrid DVB) are all pretty similar and the Perfs improvement from X2 to X4 is pretty small. Those chips will be used everywhere in the coming years.

mar-21

Its possível to connect an usb flash drive with some dongle to the stick?

Cobrainvicta

u/rczrider the point is do they run 64 bit OS versions? The new Shield Stick 2019 does run a 32 bit OS. In a couple of years 32 bit is phased out.

koshergoy

Thanks for being so accurate and forthright.

Your comments hit all the salient points for devices in this product category.

Kudos to you....

someMFonreddit

Thanks for clearing things up!

quiksneak

Thank you.

GravityDead

I read this long post and couldn't even conclude to whom OP is directing this post at! All I felt is that you are some douche like u/PrestigiousFall8 pointed out.

All this said, these new devices aren't worth spending more money on. What's the special part here that says that current owners should throw away their devices and buy these newer devices.

  • Are the new devices much faster? No. | Are these new devices has more RAM? No. Is AndroidTV somehow more efficient in these devices? No. | Are the manufacturers promising quicker, bug-free and long-term software updates? No. | Does these devices have remotes without those huge NETFLIX buttons? No. | Do the remotes now have play/pause, fast-forward/rewind buttons and IR to control TV/External Speakers? No. | Are the manufacturers promising that they won't be any day-0 bugs? No.
  • Not everyone has a great wifi router or lives in a less wifi crowded zone. WiFi on mibox is highly unreliable for me. I was forced to buy that UGREEN's USB+Ethernet dongle. Hopefully WiFi performance of these newer devices are better.
  • Additional storage is not reliable in AndroidTV, hence not recommended. Internal is always better.
  • If you think 2 GB RAM is sufficient for aTV devices, then you either haven't actually used an aTV device for a long period (definitely not the case here though) OR as a fanboy and you refuse to believe that your precious favourite platform is not improving. RAM is the cheapest hardware (I think) with a very good performance boost. Not giving more RAM is just cutting corners just like how these manufacturers cut corners in maintaining / updating these devices.

After all this BS that I've typed above. I still say that this post serves no purpose. In AndroidTV, you either get a cheap device like Mibox and don't complain OR get a shield and save yourself a permanent headache.