Database Users

G-Box II Android TV Box running JB

Here is the homepage for the box
http://androidtvbox.us/
I originally ran across this on ebay and after a little bit of googling found the home page. I ordered one yesterday and hopefully will have it by Friday since it shipped from the Orlando area and I'm in Lauderdale. Anyways I emailed the company last night around 11pm and within 5 minutes I got a reply, then shot some emails back and forth a bit today. It seems like they are shooting for the mass market but so far have only appealed to the power users so based off feedback so far they have switched gears(that's basically a quote from the email I got today) Also I was hoping there would be a thread about one of these boxes but cannot seem to find one here which is a bit surprising. So I will be posting a review this weekend for you guys to take a look at. I figure it has to be better than this damn Revue box I have running x86 lol.
-----UPDATE-----
I had a chance to play with it a bit Froday evening. Upon first boot it prompted me to update it and everything seemed to go through without a hitch. But after it rebooted it, it prompted me again and then froze. I eventually pulled the plug, grabbed the image from the website and updated it with that and since then it's been rock solid.
Now to the good stuff. The remote it comes with does not have good range at all. My couch is maybe 8 feet away and I felt it to be very unresponsive but to be honest the remote is pointless once you just add a 2.4ghz mouse to the equation. I spent two hours messing aroudn with the damn remote until I remebered I could just use a wireless mouse. After that everything was much easier. I added both my gmail accounts with ease, browsed the store and downloaded my apps. I even installed the latest xbmc(neon) nightly from my SMB share. Video playback with the default player works perfect even over wireless, just lacks subtitle support. For now as long as its less then 720p xbmc can handle it just fine with sub support.
I will post more once I get a chance to play with it more, but for $88 this box blows my google tv away.

For anyone interested, it is $88
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app

Do you know if it comes with the play store installed on it?

Does it come with a flash enabled browser?

orangekid said:
Does it come with a flash enabled browser?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ofcourse not, no flash support anymore.....
Sent from my GT-S5830 using Tapatalk 2

(Frank) said:
Ofcourse not, no flash support anymore.....
Sent from my GT-S5830 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They have an ics one too so I'm sure it can be down graded
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-T989 using xda app-developers app

daweeze02 said:
They have an ics one too so I'm sure it can be down graded
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-T989 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I got confirmation that this thing could stream flash I'd be all over it.

orangekid said:
If I got confirmation that this thing could stream flash I'd be all over it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I sent them an email asking.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-T989 using xda app-developers app

daweeze02 said:
I sent them an email asking.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-T989 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool, even though flash isn't "supported" on JB it works like a charm on my 4.1.1 ROM

They said it does do flash
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-T989 using xda app-developers app

Besides, you could just download or side load a flash browser
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app

Censura_Umbra said:
Besides, you could just download or side load a flash browser
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't found any flash browsers that work, care to illuminate?

thank you for answering my question............

orangekid said:
I haven't found any flash browsers that work, care to illuminate?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flash Player no longer developed for Android?! [ 1 2 ]
Thread By: GuyInTheCorner
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1834286

98Slowstang said:
thank you for answering my question............
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That entitled attitude will not get you very far on this forum. Why don't you just nicely ask again instead of being sarcastic and making people not want to answer your question?
---------- Post added at 12:31 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:30 PM ----------
Dad D O said:
Flash Player no longer developed for Android?! [ 1 2 ]
Thread By: GuyInTheCorner
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1834286
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That didn't really have anything to do with my question, but thanks
We all know Flash isn't being developed for Android by Adobe, but it is still usable in JB and in some browsers.

Looks like one of those at&t internet modems haha

G Box Android TV Box - I have one!
Censura_Umbra said:
Besides, you could just download or side load a flash browser
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To everyone...as as Android user for several years now, and a fan of anything user friendly enough to make nice with my network, while allowing me to tinker and expand, thus far...this thing works! And it works well. First let me tell you what I have...its the G Box I, and it looks like the only differences between the Gbox II are the case size, and additional ports: Here are the specs:
Mali400 Quad Core 3D GPU
Rockchip Cortex A8 CPU
1GB RAM
4GB* Storage
USB Storage Extendable (Flash Drives/HDD)
SD Storage Extendable (Up to 32GB!)
802.11g Wifi
HDMI Out
Audio/Video Out
Y/Pb/Pr Out (G-Box II)
2x USB 2.0 Ports (G-Box I)
4x USB 2.0 Ports (G-Box II)
First of all, It is 4.1... it is Jelly Bean! They did create a custom interface overlay, but you still have access to all the apps, settings, etc...and full google play store access. They include a media center app that can easily see my home network and plays every codec Ive thrown at it. I have a couple of Archos tablets, so Im used to great videoplayers since thats what Archos hangs their hat on. MX player does a good job but their picture quality suffers. I'm using this right now on a 50" LG Plasma...and Im getting full 1080p output. I also have a the MK802 mini PC with the Allwinner 10 chip. The MK802 works fine but it had initial problems with wireless network connectivity. No issues here...it found my network right away and so far has been rock solid. Also, so far, this thing is fast. I believe the Rockchip processor it uses is running at 1.2ghz...so far its smooth. Transitions seem smooth and video streaming is excellent. I loaded the IMDB app and payed several HD trailers... no issues...no stuttering...no frame rate drops....smooth. Like I mentioned before...it recognized my DLNA and Upnp devices like a champ. I use Twonky, and every display in my house is connected to the server... it recognized all of my shares, no issues. These mini pc devices (Gbox. MK802) are replacing all of my stand alone streamers. I have a Sony SMP N100 or one display and a Sony Bluray player that also supports DLNA on the other. I run XBMC on my server ( which is the best!)...but these devices can do everything they can do (except my server) and more. Basically youre running an android tablet on your TV, with all the access and flexibility that comes with it. Browsing works great...and it DOES play flash! Unlike my Motorola RAZR! When it updated to ICS, I lost flash...! Now I have to use the Puffin browser on it to get flash. Dolphin HD is my preferred browser, and Ill have it on the Gbox soon...
Now I am NOT getting paid to write all of this, nor am I connected with the company. I'm your average android user who wants a device to work well, talk to my windows base network, and allow for good connectivity flexibility.(not a closed proprietary ecosystem like Apple!) Im not new to the game. Before XBMC, I used my Popcorn hour for everything, and before that experimented with Window Media Player PC's, integrating my Xbox and PS3. Hell...I still have my original modded Xbox, with the original Xbox media player ( where it all started) Ive had this thing for less than a week, and my MK802 for a little over that...but Ill tell you this...its working well...very well so far!

I can confirm flash worked for me using the default browser. Still playing around so a review will come later.

jadon1 said:
To everyone...as as Android user for several years now, and a fan of anything user friendly enough to make nice with my network, while allowing me to tinker and expand, thus far...this thing works! And it works well. First let me tell you what I have...its the G Box I, and it looks like the only differences between the Gbox II are the case size, and additional ports: Here are the specs:
Mali400 Quad Core 3D GPU
Rockchip Cortex A8 CPU
1GB RAM
4GB* Storage
USB Storage Extendable (Flash Drives/HDD)
SD Storage Extendable (Up to 32GB!)
802.11g Wifi
HDMI Out
Audio/Video Out
Y/Pb/Pr Out (G-Box II)
2x USB 2.0 Ports (G-Box I)
4x USB 2.0 Ports (G-Box II)
First of all, It is 4.1... it is Jelly Bean! They did create a custom interface overlay, but you still have access to all the apps, settings, etc...and full google play store access. They include a media center app that can easily see my home network and plays every codec Ive thrown at it. I have a couple of Archos tablets, so Im used to great videoplayers since thats what Archos hangs their hat on. MX player does a good job but their picture quality suffers. I'm using this right now on a 50" LG Plasma...and Im getting full 1080p output. I also have a the MK802 mini PC with the Allwinner 10 chip. The MK802 works fine but it had initial problems with wireless network connectivity. No issues here...it found my network right away and so far has been rock solid. Also, so far, this thing is fast. I believe the Rockchip processor it uses is running at 1.2ghz...so far its smooth. Transitions seem smooth and video streaming is excellent. I loaded the IMDB app and payed several HD trailers... no issues...no stuttering...no frame rate drops....smooth. Like I mentioned before...it recognized my DLNA and Upnp devices like a champ. I use Twonky, and every display in my house is connected to the server... it recognized all of my shares, no issues. These mini pc devices (Gbox. MK802) are replacing all of my stand alone streamers. I have a Sony SMP N100 or one display and a Sony Bluray player that also supports DLNA on the other. I run XBMC on my server ( which is the best!)...but these devices can do everything they can do (except my server) and more. Basically youre running an android tablet on your TV, with all the access and flexibility that comes with it. Browsing works great...and it DOES play flash! Unlike my Motorola RAZR! When it updated to ICS, I lost flash...! Now I have to use the Puffin browser on it to get flash. Dolphin HD is my preferred browser, and Ill have it on the Gbox soon...
Now I am NOT getting paid to write all of this, nor am I connected with the company. I'm your average android user who wants a device to work well, talk to my windows base network, and allow for good connectivity flexibility.(not a closed proprietary ecosystem like Apple!) Im not new to the game. Before XBMC, I used my Popcorn hour for everything, and before that experimented with Window Media Player PC's, integrating my Xbox and PS3. Hell...I still have my original modded Xbox, with the original Xbox media player ( where it all started) Ive had this thing for less than a week, and my MK802 for a little over that...but Ill tell you this...its working well...very well so far!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Were you able to install plex?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-T989 using xda app-developers app

daweeze02 said:
Were you able to install plex?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-T989 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes...I installed Plex and played around with it a while. It worked. I didnt keep it because I already use Twonky and XBMC. Once XBMC for Android is ready for primetime I'll be good. It does what Plex does and much more.

iMito MX1 Dual Core vs mk808 ?

ok have decided i really want one of these as it appeares these are the best 2, what do you guys consider when choosing what one to purchase please, will really appreciate your advice.

Does this devices support xbmc?

sindamc said:
Does this devices support xbmc?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Both support XBMC but still no hardware acceleration for the Rockchip. Streams well in SD but HD content not quite there yet. There is a workaround using mx player as an external player link in neon builds of xbmc.
I have mx1 and think it is good for most but still not 100% for xbmc for the video enthusiest. Alot of active development community at freaktab website just google freaktab mx1.

Will it have support to hardware acelaration? Do you think its wise to buy an android stick right now? or should i wait for the quadcore rockchips?

I'd guess that the rk3066 series of devices will see hardware support from XBMC sooner than later. They actually have an experimental libstagefright build available if people want to try it. I ran it on my UG007 last night.
http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=152005
It does a reasonable job of running the file dredd.2012.1080p.bluray.x254-sparks.mkv...over SMB. So, I mean...they're not far off. Nojoy on the 1080P Avengers rip, but this is still something.
What I found works well is to set up XBMC to recognize your video dir, and then in services, enable UPNP server. For HD videos that don't play in XBMC, fire up the eHomeMediaPlayer that comes with it, navigate to your XBMC UPNP, and play it there.

[Q] Ouya or GBox Midnight MX2?

OUYA Console by Ouya
Permalink: http://amzn.com/B0050SZD18
VS
G-Box Midnight MX2 Android 4.2 Jelly Bean Dual Core XBMC Streaming Mini HTPC TV Box Player by Matricom
Permalink: http://amzn.com/B00CH643A8
Which one should I go for guys, especially in terms of hardware. Tegra 3 vs A9+Mali400, apparently both have no issues with XBMC or 1080P playback. I do not plan to use either for games, mostly media and music and dowload box. If it doesn't matter, I might go for the MX2 as there are more connectivity options there.

I think that, in terms of brute force, Tegra 3 overhelms A9+Mali400. OUYA bears the last Tegra3 revision and, theoretically, NVIDIA works with OUYA Team to boost it up.
If you buy OUYA, you gain a Bluetooth controller for the same prize which can be used as remote.
At, the end, nobody knows if OUYA nor G-Box thing will have support from the scene, which, for me, is a key value.

I'd say if you're not interested in gaming, I'd go with the G-box. The ouya is marketed as a game console, and while they may add support for some media features in the future, for right now we're busting our tails trying to get better compatibility with the play store apps. the G-box is designed as a media player, and it already supports XBMC with some great reviews. It also includes the play store, so you can easily download the latest versions of netflix, hulu, etc.

Cool, I think that settles it for me, I wasn't aware that the regular playstore apps wouldn't work on the ouya. I will get an MX2 and post a review soon. Also it helps that I can connect a few spare portable hard drives and use this as a streaming box to other TVs in the house.

Didn't mean to mislead, because some play store apps will work. However, a lot don't, or are glitchy or crash occasionally, and they all have to be sideloaded because there is no play store access at all yet...

The gbox is pretty good. I have had it for a few days now and use my Logitech keyboard that also has a touch pad. It works great. Honestly, I would probably hate it if I didn't have the keyboard. The play store works perfectly. I haven't had a problem installing any apps. It is fully rooted. There has been a few times when it has restarted but it is android, it isn't perfect. Especially for 100 bucks. External hard drive works great but sometimes loses power. I don't think the gbox puts off enough juice. A powered hub would fix this issue. I wish there was development for the gbox but metronix or however you spell it won't release source.
Sent from my SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

ouya vs mx2
plasmafire said:
OUYA Console by Ouya
Permalink: http://amzn.com/B0050SZD18
VS
G-Box Midnight MX2 Android 4.2 Jelly Bean Dual Core XBMC Streaming Mini HTPC TV Box Player by Matricom
Permalink: http://amzn.com/B00CH643A8
Which one should I go for guys, especially in terms of hardware. Tegra 3 vs A9+Mali400, apparently both have no issues with XBMC or 1080P playback. I do not plan to use either for games, mostly media and music and dowload box. If it doesn't matter, I might go for the MX2 as there are more connectivity options there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well i have the G-Box MX2 i love it but it died on me. Wont boot up, stuck on the Matricom Screen. I love all the usb it has, was even able to use my Logitech Revue K700 Kb and add a 2TB WD Passport to it with an SDcard. But i think it needs a Quadcore to be a lil more fluid for video. I will return it to get the ouya. Dont like the fact that the Ouya has only one USB port but you cant have everything i guess. i hope the Ouya gets the same XBMC support as the G-box. Only had it for 17 days died on day 14 . Tried the reset option but that didnt work. Maybe it was my box. But when it worked it was awsome.

I'm actually going to be doing a review on the MX2 today and uploading it tonight, I'll be comparing it's gaming features to the Ouya and stuff.
Spoiler alert, the Ouya is way ****ing better.
EDIT: Vid's up, see the Ouya destroy the MX2 for yourself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miTst6QE-34

Interesting topic. I was also looking at the Gbox before I pre-ordered the Ouya. I think the Tegra 3 on the Ouya would do a better job on graphics than the dual core Gbox Midnight. It's not just processor speed and number of cores, but also graphics processor. Plus, the bluetooth on the Ouya means one less USB dongle to plug in.
I went with the Ouya, hoping the hard working people on XDA will get a pure Android ROM for the Ouya soon. If I'm stuck with the Ouya's Android skin, it'd probably be an even split which way I'd go.

I saw the "XIOS DS Media Play" and considered it against the Ouya. I think these box with out of the box rooted + Play Store compatibility is better for the majority, especially non-geeks who don't want to fiddle flashing/etc. Not having PlayStore is still a big flaw for the Ouya in term of satisfying a wider audience imo.
For me the Ouya is the clear choice, it have a dedicated XDA forum section for a reason, it will get more community development and for sure the Ouya will likely get CyanogenMod and other roms, while its less likely with these other Android boxes.
For hardware performance the Tegra3 will be faster than these dual core 1.5GHz A9 with Mali-400 gpu.
If you are looking for a lot of gaming then the Ouya is the way to go, otherwise get one of these Cortex A9 boxes if you only need video playback. There will be some of these boxes that will exceed the Ouya in term of performance in no time, but the Ouya have XDA community that's the key for me. This is the case for all Android devices that I buy.

Went for the gbox for now as a no hassle xbmc box. What you mentioned is absolutely right that the ouya will overtake all these boxes as soon as a rom gets out. I will just wait for that to happen and maybe a tegra 4 device will happen too by then.
Thanks for all the insight guys.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

Axelben said:
Well i have the G-Box MX2 i love it but it died on me. Wont boot up, stuck on the Matricom Screen. I love all the usb it has, was even able to use my Logitech Revue K700 Kb and add a 2TB WD Passport to it with an SDcard. But i think it needs a Quadcore to be a lil more fluid for video. I will return it to get the ouya. Dont like the fact that the Ouya has only one USB port but you cant have everything i guess. i hope the Ouya gets the same XBMC support as the G-box. Only had it for 17 days died on day 14 . Tried the reset option but that didnt work. Maybe it was my box. But when it worked it was awsome.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just ordered the Gbox MX 2 and have a Logitech Revue KB - how do I get the two to talk?

plasmafire said:
Went for the gbox for now as a no hassle xbmc box. What you mentioned is absolutely right that the ouya will overtake all these boxes as soon as a rom gets out. I will just wait for that to happen and maybe a tegra 4 device will happen too by then.
Thanks for all the insight guys.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is an interesting direct comparison between Ouya and the G-box Midnight MX2.
http://www.amazon.com/review/R35SEI3ONB5SCK/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt#R35SEI3ONB5SCK
It didn't make the Midnight look very good. The Ouya emulator games seem to work really well in the video. The Midnight had issues with games and 1080P videos, and the emulator games on the Midnight ran slow. The reviewer also couldn't get bluetooth adapters to work, so could use a PS2 wireless controller. Granted, this is just one person's attempt to use the Midnight box, maybe other people have overcome these issues with some setting changes.

Yep the guy is playing games and using plex..both of which the mx2 doesn't do well. I am just going to have it boot into xbmc launcher. Run utorrent with rss feeds from showrss in the background. And maybe run droidnas on it. I have seen logitech mini keyboards work so that is what I'll get.

coachclass said:
This is an interesting direct comparison between Ouya and the G-box Midnight MX2.
http://www.amazon.com/review/R35SEI3ONB5SCK/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt#R35SEI3ONB5SCK
It didn't make the Midnight look very good. The Ouya emulator games seem to work really well in the video. The Midnight had issues with games and 1080P videos, and the emulator games on the Midnight ran slow.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, I keep getting torn one way or the other every day when I see a review that is posted.
My primary use for either device will not be for games at all. 100% streaming media playback from either my local nas or sites like youtube, amazon vod, etc...
I also won't be using Plex and instead be going with XBMC.
As for Plex... the above video review showed some really bad stuttering while playing 1080p video. On Android, is Plex using its own decoder for playback or does it offload it to MX Player? I ask because when streaming any of my local 1080i content (wirelessly) to my Xoom tablet, it plays back in MX Player flawlessly.
So is the MX2 video stuttering in the video review a fault of the hardware or Plex software?

SamsungBlue said:
Just ordered the Gbox MX 2 and have a Logitech Revue KB - how do I get the two to talk?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you can use the Revue KB. Just buy the Unity USB. You will be able to use it anywhere.

mkhopper said:
Yea, I keep getting torn one way or the other every day when I see a review that is posted.
My primary use for either device will not be for games at all. 100% streaming media playback from either my local nas or sites like youtube, amazon vod, etc...
I also won't be using Plex and instead be going with XBMC.
As for Plex... the above video review showed some really bad stuttering while playing 1080p video. On Android, is Plex using its own decoder for playback or does it offload it to MX Player? I ask because when streaming any of my local 1080i content (wirelessly) to my Xoom tablet, it plays back in MX Player flawlessly.
So is the MX2 video stuttering in the video review a fault of the hardware or Plex software?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This was my video. The settings I was using in Plex on both devices was to use the hardware to decode and playback the videos. The MX2's hardware just simply isnt nearly good enough to rely on for high resolution video playback, and on top of that there's some really annoying kinks with it like no bluetooth support at all and a very fussy keyboard input system that really sucks compared to stock android and what the Ouya uses.There's also a higher res version of the review on youtube, I linked to it on the first page of this thread towards the bottom.

Just got my MX2 today. I was quite apprehensive after reading some of the comments, but I must say that after using it for a while.. it is exactly what I needed. I am not saying it is better than ouya, but I have XBMC setup with all my local media and video plugins. It works like a charm. I will not play any games on it so I don't really care about the gaming performance.
All programs installed from Play store work
Full 1080p videos play no issues on xbmc.
Torrents are download via showrss to my xbmc monitored directory.
USB hard drive 1TB western digital is powered via the usb ports and shared via droid nas
Quick video 1080p: http://youtu.be/vQ6FvGtKbEw

mkhopper said:
Yea, I keep getting torn one way or the other every day when I see a review that is posted.
My primary use for either device will not be for games at all. 100% streaming media playback from either my local nas or sites like youtube, amazon vod, etc...
I also won't be using Plex and instead be going with XBMC.
As for Plex... the above video review showed some really bad stuttering while playing 1080p video. On Android, is Plex using its own decoder for playback or does it offload it to MX Player? I ask because when streaming any of my local 1080i content (wirelessly) to my Xoom tablet, it plays back in MX Player flawlessly.
So is the MX2 video stuttering in the video review a fault of the hardware or Plex software?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
not sure if plex has the issue xbmc for ouya has at the moment but after the new firmware update last week most of my videos have stuttering seems like a framerate issue I reported it to ouya and they got back to me saying they are aware of the issue and are working on it. Before that update my videos were playing smooth.

plasmafire said:
Yes you can use the Revue KB. Just buy the Unity USB. You will be able to use it anywhere.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. There seems to be quite a few "Unity" USB recovers from Logitech. I couldn't find one that listed the Revue KB as a compatible device. Would any of those Unity receivers that work with other Logitech KBs or mice work? Seems like there are several in the $10-15 range. I appreciate your help.

Android tv box strictly for XBMC

Hello everyone,
I want to buy an android TV box and am planning to use it strictly for XBMC.
I have been reading quite a lot on these devices over the past weeks, but I would still like to get some advice.
The CS968 seems like a nice solution, but I think it does not support hardware acceleration at the moment (RK chipset).
Is it better to take a quad core without h/a to run xbmc or a dual core with supported h/a.
Which one would you recommend me? 720p streaming, maybe 1080 in the future and I just want a smooth XBMC experience and a good wifi signal offcourse.

This is the 1.000.000 USD question, which one to buy for media streaming and use of XBMC.
This is mostly due to 2 things, first is that these boxes are still not 1080p approved (you will need to experiment with several kernels that claim to have this output), and second is related to their power. They cannot play 1080p content, not even 720p content without the H/W acceleration.
What does this mean in practice? Well first is that even if you have a flawless version of Android (stable and 1080p content on it), you still need XBMC (in this case) to be able to H/W decode the content, or else you are unable to use it properly for any HD content.
The good news is that XBMC is about to release a stable version with the promised H/W acceleration, however its not out yet.
Now for the options: If you want good streaming, you need a reliable network connection, and unless your router is just next to the Android TV stick, you'll need a wired connection. This is not normally a problem, just be sure to get a true 100Mbit USB adapter (if it is not already built in), as some of them are only 10Mbit which is a bit slow for HD.
I myself bought a Tronsmart T428, as it has both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz wifi module. However the available ROM's are not that many and I still can't use it as a daily driver for my media needs.
Another thing that you might consider is how to control it. A good remote will make or break the deal, as it's not easy to navigate android without the touch input. I sometimes us a mouse and keyboard (and it works quite well), but for HTPC purposes it's not the best. I also have a Mele F10 which is not bad, but the new version is well worth the extra (Mele F10 pro).
Good luck with your quest. If I were you I would wait a little bit until the new XBMC stable version gets out (12.3) and then see what others are using.
Hope it was helpful.

Lewy20041 is doing great work on these relatively cheap devices.
Take a look at the link below and if you haven't already head over to the FreakTab forums.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2494284

rayill said:
Hello everyone,
I want to buy an android TV box and am planning to use it strictly for XBMC.
I have been reading quite a lot on these devices over the past weeks, but I would still like to get some advice.
The CS968 seems like a nice solution, but I think it does not support hardware acceleration at the moment (RK chipset).
Is it better to take a quad core without h/a to run xbmc or a dual core with supported h/a.
Which one would you recommend me? 720p streaming, maybe 1080 in the future and I just want a smooth XBMC experience and a good wifi signal offcourse.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are talking about XBMC and let alone other things, the Matricom GBox MX2 is a fantastic Android TV Box, at least for me. It has HWA out of the box and I am able to play 1080p very smoothly.
There is a review online you can watch:
hxxp://liliputing.com/2013/05/g-box-midnight-mx2-tv-dual-core-tv-box-is-made-for-android-xbmc.html
Having said that, the GBox MX2 doesn't have the best specs in comparison with other Android TV Boxes out there but if you are looking for a smooth XBMC experience, this is the box for you (IMO). (Or... look for a MX2 clone).

dookie23 said:
If you are talking about XBMC and let alone other things, the Matricom GBox MX2 is a fantastic Android TV Box, at least for me. It has HWA out of the box and I am able to play 1080p very smoothly.
There is a review online you can watch:
hxxp://liliputing.com/2013/05/g-box-midnight-mx2-tv-dual-core-tv-box-is-made-for-android-xbmc.html
Having said that, the GBox MX2 doesn't have the best specs in comparison with other Android TV Boxes out there but if you are looking for a smooth XBMC experience, this is the box for you (IMO). (Or... look for a MX2 clone).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a couple of Android boxes. The ones based on rockchips are not the best in XBMC as there is no hardware decoding. There are some builds out there that that have been hacked to make a callout to play media in MX player. My rockchip box sit in the cupboard. I have a couple that have the Amlogic M3(single core ATV510b) that can run Android XBMC but there is also a linux-xbmc distro for it. Great for a pure XBMC experiance. It will run 1080p no prob. Ive also got a ATV520(M6 dual core) but only runs android. Both can do hardware decoding in XBMC and play 1080p. Both are great little boxs.
I would rather a dual or even a single that has h/a than a quad that cant do h/a. A friend got a quad rockchip and it cant play 1080p. he hates it. Cant play crap in XBMC. It needs hardware
the gBox uses the same chip as the ATV520. There is also the ATV1200 has the same hardware as the ATV520 but more connections and external aerial. imports if you going to wifi.
hope this helps.
cheers

rayill said:
Hello everyone, I want to buy an android TV box and am planning to use it strictly for XBMC.
I have been reading quite a lot on these devices over the past weeks, but I would still like to get some advice.
The CS968 seems like a nice solution, but I think it does not support hardware acceleration at the moment (RK chipset).
Is it better to take a quad core without h/a to run xbmc or a dual core with supported h/a.
Which one would you recommend me? 720p streaming, maybe 1080 in the future and I just want a smooth XBMC experience and a good wifi signal offcourse.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Take a look at these, and possibly go for the device with the highest # cores, highest android version (4.2.2+), highest RAM (2GB+), and one or two external antennae. The devices with Android 4.2.x + can be setup for multiple users {see this post}. Analog video/audio out is a plus, especially for direct hookup to speakers or old television. Some have quad-core Rockchip, which xbmc should support as of version 13 (Gotham) as mentioned in xbmc wiki, but not necessarily. NOTE: Some do not have bluetooth whatsoever (and probably no support for USB bluetooth dongle) such as the Ugoos UT1 box :
Ugoos boxes and sticks:
UM2 stick and UM1 box look good.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2424451
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2373469
http://blog.geekbuying.com/?s=ugoos
http://www.apad.tv/apadforum/forumdisplay.php?64-Ugoos-Android-Mini-PC-and-TV-Box-Tech-Support
I think most Ugoos' are around $100 USD or less with stock parts/accessories on Amazon.com as of this writing.
MINIX boxes:
NEO X7 looks good. Quad core CPU and GPU!
http://www.minix.com.hk/
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2440708
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2439433
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2494284
MINIX X7 should be $120 USD or more, but the other models might be okay too.
Satechi tv box seems good too.
on Amazon
Matricom Gbox .
Midnight MX2 looks good. These can do OTA update.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2002758
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1835588
http://matricom.net/
Mele boxes
Some can do OTA updates.
http://en.mele.cn/ (English)
http://mele.cn/products/3.htm (Chinese)
http://forum.mele.cn:81/viewforum.php?f=14
MyGica (Geniatech) boxes and sticks.
Their latest ATV1800 is awesome! All should do OTA update.
http://www.geniatech.com/pa/android-tv.asp
http://www.mygica.com/products.asp
... and the list goes on and on wow
- Measy
- Unuiga
- Jesurun
- ...
Also: native Linux on these boxes:
RK3188 based: link to thread
AML8726 based: link to thread
but you gotta do loads of research to make'em work!
I tested XBMC "gotham 13 alpha 10" monthly release {see post here} on my phone and it works quite well, even playing 1080p movies with 2 or 3 gigs file sizes.
*I say all that above, but honestly, I am just listing devices for others to see. Since you may want to connect a wired/wireless USB-based mouse and/or keyboard and want to play tons of 1080p videos and do many different things over time, then I think a small laptop or netbook with HDMI and hardware-acceleration running linux or windowz and XBMC desktop version will be much much better. Albeit the higher price, this kind of laptop can handle more and do more, thus more usable & valuable, especially under constant/heavy usage. Note that the $99 devices may be like $0.99 food = looks good, but tastes bad and is unhealthy for you.

rayill said:
Hello everyone,
I want to buy an android TV box and am planning to use it strictly for XBMC.
I have been reading quite a lot on these devices over the past weeks, but I would still like to get some advice.
The CS968 seems like a nice solution, but I think it does not support hardware acceleration at the moment (RK chipset).
Is it better to take a quad core without h/a to run xbmc or a dual core with supported h/a.
Which one would you recommend me? 720p streaming, maybe 1080 in the future and I just want a smooth XBMC experience and a good wifi signal offcourse.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The team ATV xbmchub are recommending ouya
Everything I have read indicates a very capable device, if you want arm
It uses a modified version of xbmc (stock version still a bit iffy on android) that's apparently very good

I used a MyGica ATV120 and found that works nicely for XBMC and video was super smooth.
Sent from my CM11 Samsung Galaxy S4

Any boxes that have a linux build.
Sumvision Cyclone Nano
Gbox MX2
pivos xios
generic MX G18REF based boxes - these can be found on ebay for under £50
These boxes are all... pretty much the same thing, the use AML8726 and the same gpu, and under their linux builds have hardware decoding.
The build I use on my generic MX box is MX Linux from croniccorey
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2418029
The ui closely matches the desktop experience and video does match it.
I've tested it with 55Mbps mkvs and it's played them fine.
Ofcourse the problem with linux builds is... bugs, the builds for all these mx devies, even from sumvision and pivos, have some bugs but they run XBMC much better than it will run under ever the most powerful android device

And all Geniatech ATV400/ATV520/ATV1200/ATV3200
wason92 said:
Any boxes that have a linux build.
Sumvision Cyclone Nano
Gbox MX2
pivos xios
generic MX G18REF based boxes - these can be found on ebay for under £50
These boxes are all... pretty much the same thing, the use AML8726 and the same gpu, and under their linux builds have hardware decoding.
The build I use on my generic MX box is MX Linux from croniccorey
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2418029
The ui closely matches the desktop experience and video does match it.
I've tested it with 55Mbps mkvs and it's played them fine.
Ofcourse the problem with linux builds is... bugs, the builds for all these mx devies, even from sumvision and pivos, have some bugs but they run XBMC much better than it will run under ever the most powerful android device
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They are all based on Aml8726-MX

Android and XBMX
Tried a lot out and found this OTT TV Box to work great with hardware decoding and XBMC. It comes rooted based on the Amlogic 8726 chip. Has integrated camera and mic for video chat. The XBMC version comes fully loaded so you just plug and play, even 2 skins are pre-set. Believe me I've spent nights with boxes and sticks and always something did not work. Audio and video out of sync and so on. I think everybody went through those issue. Give it a try it has great Wifi connectivity due to the external antenna and comes with a simple remote, looks pretty cool as well. I think it's fairly priced and the support is great. This is my personal experience.
wwwdotamazondotcom/gp/aw/d/B00IXQTFDQ

Ive just bought the Justop K10A and it is amazing. You can control it as well with a proprietry rockchip app using your android phone or tablet.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda app-developers app

How does those TV box go with the newest version XBMC 14.1 ?

Tronfy said:
How does those TV box go with the newest version XBMC 14.1 ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
14.2

Best Android Tv Box
Got this as a Christmas gift from my aunt. I can watch movies in Full HD now. This android TV box is awesome. This is fast and runs full hd without any issues. I am very happy to have it. A must need device if you love to watch movies.

What is the name of your android box?
Sam787 said:
Got this as a Christmas gift from my aunt. I can watch movies in Full HD now. This android TV box is awesome. This is fast and runs full hd without any issues. I am very happy to have it. A must need device if you love to watch movies.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You did not mention any name or brand for your android tv box??

Really satisfied from my new Android box TV
I recently bought My Matrix TV and if you are interested in anything ask me. I have been using it intensively for the last two months and I can answer any questions related to it. It is the first Android Box TV that I own and after I bought it it my only source of streaming media.

What android stick / box should i get now? Jan 2014

Ok so im completely new to this and would love to get an Android stick or box for the living room 50 inch TV to stream mainly netflix.
Theres just so many choices!
Im just looking for a good reliable smooth HD playback on Netflix and also playing HD from external HDD would be needed.
Budget is around $80 £60 70Euro
Ive noticed a CX919 that seems good but is there a better, newer stick just released?
Thanks for your advice.

Why you don't choose TVBox instead of Stick, you'll have much more options and better performance.
I can advice you to CS968 / CR11s (Both same), the price about of 65 euro.
Internal camera is not awesome but enough for skype with good light ambiance.
Ofcourse there are other models but I recommend you to choose a RK3188 based device with 2 gigs of ram.
Atleast, CS968 has a few firmware sources.

EQUANCY said:
Why you don't choose TVBox instead of Stick, you'll have much more options and better performance.
I can advice you to CS968 / CR11s (Both same), the price about of 65 euro.
Internal camera is not awesome but enough for skype with good light ambiance.
Ofcourse there are other models but I recommend you to choose a RK3188 based device with 2 gigs of ram.
Atleast, CS968 has a few firmware sources.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the advice. yeah maybe a box would be better as it doesnt need to be portable.
Are they a ll the same once they are RK3188 based or should i go for a particular brand?

christrance said:
Thanks for the advice. yeah maybe a box would be better as it doesnt need to be portable.
Are they a ll the same once they are RK3188 based or should i go for a particular brand?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
No, not at all, even same chipset based devices might be slight different than each other, it depends on pcb called REFERENCE BOARD, which released mostly by manufacturer or company self.
Aftermarket manufacturers generally uses that referenceboard for their devices.
And the brands and models:
Actually, there are not many particular brands, only a few may be more.
But as far as I know only Minix provides regularly(!) firmwares and sources for their devices, but they are much expensiver than CS968 like devices.
Of course you can find a firmware for other devices, for CS968 there is Cloudnet and sometimes other sources.
However,
You should go for reviews first, then forums to ask personal experiences to users (examples: here, arm-tvtech and freaktab) then you can make a comparision.
But there is no one choice and not one answer, its up to you to take the risk because there is allways risk.
I hope this answer helps.
Have a nice day with your beloved ones.

EQUANCY said:
Hi,
No, not at all, even same chipset based devices might be slight different than each other, it depends on pcb called REFERENCE BOARD, which released mostly by manufacturer or company self.
Aftermarket manufacturers generally uses that referenceboard for their devices.
And the brands and models:
Actually, there are not many particular brands, only a few may be more.
But as far as I know only Minix provides regularly(!) firmwares and sources for their devices, but they are much expensiver than CS968 like devices.
Of course you can find a firmware for other devices, for CS968 there is Cloudnet and sometimes other sources.
However,
You should go for reviews first, then forums to ask personal experiences to users (examples: here, arm-tvtech and freaktab) then you can make a comparision.
But there is no one choice and not one answer, its up to you to take the risk because there is allways risk.
I hope this answer helps.
Have a nice day with your beloved ones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This one looks good. Should i go for it? Seems to do everything i want.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUu8VXjzQFg

christrance said:
This one looks good. Should i go for it? Seems to do everything i want.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUu8VXjzQFg
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have it, and for me it is best tvbox at the market rightnow, performance is similar or even better than Tegra3 devices.
I can play a few games with my ps3 controller (aftermarket one) wirelessly, even emulator games, 40 mbps video from network drive is very well and also has native 1080p support.
Itsn't an ultimate device but meets basic (means not simple) principles of a Multimedia center.
I also modded a firmware for this one (2 mpx version).
But...
I can not say to you to go for anything, because everyone has different expectations and view, its your choice.
Success :good:

Minix neo x7
christrance said:
Ok so im completely new to this and would love to get an Android stick or box for the living room 50 inch TV to stream mainly netflix.
Theres just so many choices!
Im just looking for a good reliable smooth HD playback on Netflix and also playing HD from external HDD would be needed.
Budget is around $80 £60 70Euro
Ive noticed a CX919 that seems good but is there a better, newer stick just released?
Thanks for your advice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

addictz809 said:
Minix neo x7
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you intent on using the mini PC for video chat, Minix Neo X7 doesn't work properly at the moment. Hangouts doesn't work at all for video. Skype works some times. Lot of people have complained on Minix forum, but they always say that it is a Skype issue.

There are some android boxes now with miracast and I think you can link t.r phone to it? Has anyone here tested one of those?

christrance said:
Ok so im completely new to this and would love to get an Android stick or box for the living room 50 inch TV to stream mainly netflix.
Theres just so many choices!
Im just looking for a good reliable smooth HD playback on Netflix and also playing HD from external HDD would be needed.
Budget is around $80 £60 70Euro
Ive noticed a CX919 that seems good but is there a better, newer stick just released?
Thanks for your advice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If all youre looking to do is use Netflix, just get a chromecast 35.00 google play store

christrance said:
This one looks good. Should i go for it? Seems to do everything i want.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUu8VXjzQFg
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi I'm the one who made this video review and I suggest you go for it. This tv box is the best one this moment and with the best price for it's specs.

marcdman4000 said:
If all youre looking to do is use Netflix, just get a chromecast 35.00 google play store
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
cant change DNS on a Chromecast to get US netflix. Thats a big no no.

c0nvict said:
Hi I'm the one who made this video review and I suggest you go for it. This tv box is the best one this moment and with the best price for it's specs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh really thats great. Really appreciate that you took the time to make the video. Really helps a lot.
I think this is the one i will go for.
Thanks a lot.

c0nvict said:
Hi I'm the one who made this video review and I suggest you go for it. This tv box is the best one this moment and with the best price for it's specs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does it play 1080p mkv perfectly?
I'm having issues with another rock quad core w/ mali 400, the framerate is a little low from usual, around 18fps, enough for the eye to notice.

Pinx0 said:
Does it play 1080p mkv perfectly?
I'm having issues with another rock quad core w/ mali 400, the framerate is a little low from usual, around 18fps, enough for the eye to notice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Outside xbmc it plays 1080p perfectly using the stock video player, mx player, bs player and many third party players

c0nvict said:
Outside xbmc it plays 1080p perfectly using the stock video player, mx player, bs player and many third party players
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does this still mean there is no currently available Android TV Box or stick that plays true 1080P flawlessly (and with 24Hz support) from XBMC?
Many boxes claim 1080P but render using a 720P framebuffer.
Cheers - Neil G

talkiet said:
Does this still mean there is no currently available Android TV Box or stick that plays true 1080P flawlessly (and with 24Hz support) from XBMC?
Many boxes claim 1080P but render using a 720P framebuffer.
Cheers - Neil G
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe that only tv boxes with amlogic mx chips play 1080p flawlessly via xbmc.
Maybe allwinner a10 can do this too

c0nvict said:
I believe that only tv boxes with amlogic mx chips play 1080p flawlessly via xbmc.
Maybe allwinner a10 can do this too
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Amlogic MX boxes I have seen still output 720P. I don't know about the Allwinner A10 but would be thrilled if anyone could point to a specific known box that properly does 1080P... I still don't think one exists with Android.
Cheers - N

christrance said:
cant change DNS on a Chromecast to get US netflix. Thats a big no no.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How to use Netflix outside U.S
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2435579

I am a Minix Neo X7 owner since august. So far, their support during the last 4 months has done a good job, the device is way more stable and the Freaktab community has put a good research on it. I personally use a custom finless rom with slightly overclocked parameters, and the device is rock solid, however, no matter what RK3188 device you will choose, you are going to face loads of problems. Unless you are not willing to actually help yourself with the community, there is no way your are going to be happy with it, just the fact that it has a Quad-Core CPU and 2GB RAM makes you notice that it doesnt feel like it's a turbo machine, any phone with similar specs rocks in performance, my X7 beats the Note 2 in Antutu, yet some alpha effects from custom launchers lag the soul out of it.
The real problem however is RockChip, their main market is cheap tablets and they are not giving much a damn for the TV section. They havent updated their TV SDK for quite a while, and as i read, whatever source is out there, it is ICS old ported somehow to JB, probably just to convince people like me and you to go for a 4.2 device, or like 4.1 a few months before.
Just recently a KitKat test rom was made public by a manufacturer who uses RK chips, and the kernel still dates back to ICS, 3.0.36. I remember 4.2/4.3 were released with a 3.4 kernel. I personally have no idea what those versions mean, all i know is that outdated code is being used, note sure how i can judge here but somebody else hopefully will explain that to us better.
Few things i have learned at Freaktab and i must point out, the X7 has loads of overclocked options availabile to flash due to the fact that the devs doubt the device itself is underclocked from Minix. Apparently the RAM is 800 mhz, and it is underclocked to 400 by default, based on chip readings. The CPU can handle 1.8 without a problem, but 1.6 is enough, the problem is, its lowest state, Minix leaves it to 300mhz, custom roms gain performance by leaving the minimum freq to 1200, which i found to be a game changer.
There are ways to squeeze the device, and dont feel bad about it cause it has performant guts, i personally think have hit a solid device when i got it, but there are people reporting the X7 just dying.
My Setup is as follows, X7 with a Logitech K400 keyboard that recognizes the touchpad as a mouse, connected to a LED TV, i have routed the sound strictly to the Headphone jack since i prefer Stereo AVRs, excluding the network connectivity, thats about it, you'll enjoy the device like this with no major problems, BUT people who insisit having DD or DTS output through new AV Receivers, you will face some problems "passthroughing" them.
If these devices dont shine until the next 4 months to their full capabilites, i dont see a point investing on one, but right now, they are all the same, all that differs is support and community attention.