primarily for streaming, don't care for gaming. would an Nvidia Shield Pro be overkill? could Mi Box S handle skins like Arctic Horizon/Arctic Zypher 2/AuraMod in Kodi well enough?
primarily for streaming, don't care for gaming. would an Nvidia Shield Pro be overkill? could Mi Box S handle skins like Arctic Horizon/Arctic Zypher 2/AuraMod in Kodi well enough?
A mi box s will do the job but a shield woukd do it better. If you can afford the shirld het the shield pro. Anything else is just delaying the inevitable
Mi Box S is perfect for video streaming, Shield for gaming emulation and the extra mile.
Try first the $60 Mi Box S and you will see it's a very good certified and official partner of Android TV.
If this will be your primary box, get the shield pro. It will pay itself off in few years. I bought the 2015 Shield 5 years ago for streaming needs only and thought it was overkill. But to this day the 2015 Shield still gets supported and better than all the androidtv box besides the newer Shield tv.
If price is too much. I would give these a try
Tivo 4k stream - overall solid
Verizon stream tv - essentially a stock android box with ethernet but hast no usb port though
Mecool km1 - more ram and storage, lack of support by mecool though
Mi box s and jetstream box are alright but meh. Outdated hardware with buggy interface
No comparison whatsoever. Nvidia hands down.
Gold vs Copper
The Mi Boxes are not the only option out there:
Certified Android TV devices WITH Netflix and Prime Video certifications:
- AirTV Mini
- Ematic Jetstream
- Nvidia Shield TV
- Tivo Stream 4K
- Verizon Stream TV
Certified Android TV devices with Netflix ONLY certification:
- AT&T TV
- JBL Link Bar
Certified Android TV devices with Prime Video ONLY certification:
- Mecool KM1 (Available at mecoolonline.com )
- Mecool KM3 (Available at mecoolonline.com , where you can also download the NEW Android 10 firmware update for this model)
- Mecool KM9PRO (Available at mecoolonline.com , where you can also download the NEW Android 10 firmware update for this model)
Certified Android TV devices WITHOUT Netflix and Prime Video certifications:
- Channel Master Stream Plus (with ATSC dual tuner built-in but outdated Android TV version)
- Minix Neo T5 (With gigabit ethernet but remote control doesn't have a microphone)
For more info about all certified Android TV devices, head over Android TV Guide website.
The AirTV Mini gets good wraps with it's AMlogic S905Y2 chipset.
If you do not need HDR get a USB-C equipped $50 S905Y2 - TiVo Stream 4K.
(TiVo needs a Firmware bug fix for full HDR/DolbyVision usage)
Both will be will be noticeably faster and more powerful vs the now pretty old tech in the Mi Box - and will also not cost you Shield $$$.
You can also USB-C to Gigabit LAN adapters / USB hubs if you need TiVo expandability too:
https://www.tivocommunity.com/community/index.php?threads/usb-c-what-works-and-what-doesnt.577408/