u haven't got it right:

.. kodi is just ONE app that u can install on an androidbox.
.. kodi is a "universal", popular, vast app with many versions for androids, pc, mac, other devices.
.. kodi is an "endless possibilities" platform for streaming enthusiasts - both builders and users.

on the right android box and sufficient broadband speed, u can have many other great apps incl:

tvapp.so - a free iptv with many great channels incl discovery, national geo, fox sports, bbc - all in hd.
popcorn time - video on demand for thousands of eng movies, a variety of file size and quality to select.
assorted chinese apps - tonnes of chinese stuff, mainly in mandarin
kissanime app - all the japanese anime u want, eng subbed.
youtube app - the usual youtube to watch anything available.

astro... if u must have wahlaitoi or supersports, yes, stick to it.
the rest of the channels can be found elsewhere somehow.
i dumped astro 1.5 yrs ago, saved so much money and get to watch lots more!

not all android apps have pc versions. if fact, most are not available for pc. so, u gotta get the device first. if yr seller is helpful, it will come pre-installed with plenty of goodies.

tvapp.so - said many times, it is strange. works on some pc's, no good for others. same with androids. so, u should pay attention to this.

popcorn time - yes, this has a pc version. can google to get it to try on pc.

can check out this one:
https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/3677149

.. it can pass thru ddtruehd, dtshdma, dd atmos.
.. native player is good.
.. many apps preinstalled
.. rooting will void warranty

my understanding is these 2 are the top best brands in terms of hardware reliability and features.

assuming comparable models, yr final decision will depend on:

.. firmware & apps support
.. need for hd audio
.. price, if very sensitive

good luck.

some of us have been thru a couple of years and diff models, grew with it.

at this time, many devices cannot pass thru hd audio incl dtshdma, dd truehd and dd atmos.

i do not know if this is due to hardware cost or simply reluctance to pay for the licenses.

well, assuming yr avr can handle all of that.

however, most devices can handle core dts, core dd.

it will just downgrade hd audio to core.

if yr collection is mostly mkv dts/dd, then it's not relevant.

but if u plan to go bdmv/iso with hd audio, you will want to have that capability.

had a blast yesterday with terminator genisys dd truehd.

i can't watch blockbusters w/o home theater with hd audio anymore.

err... do u not know there are 40-50gb bdmv files around?

what device are you using now?

while i said many devices still can't handle hd audio, my 5 yr old ac ryan mini can!

i think yr device is made in china.

china made devices are prone to problems with you-tube, google browser and google playstore.

becos google is banned in china.

but they will work if the right firmware is used and/or google patch applied.

that, you have to check with yr seller as firmwares and patches are unique for every device or model.



the other app - may be due to new china geoblocks or local isp throttling for some sites - this is becming common for all devices.

only yr seller can help you.

if u bought in china or roadside stall, tough....

got to settings, check audio output.

see if it is set as hdmi auto or lcpm or pass thru.

usually it is set as hdmi auto which will auto detect.

the settings do not change by themselves, but it is possible sometimes, firmware upgrades can cause changes.

only 2?

i hv 10 of them - mix of 1 and 2tb.

and i still keep on deleting!

now, i only keep rare old stuff but min 720p dolby.

new stuff, bdmv/iso or min mkv 1080p dtshdma.

becos a lot is easily available these days, no point keeping.

i promised myself i will not buy any new one anymore.

bmw or mercedes better?


both premium devices, depends on yr preferences.

if u list them down, people can comment.

if yr needs are only that, the two brands (assuming equivalent models) will make no difference. they both can do or cannot do the same things.

.. looks like u come from the astro world, so yr want is really astro channels. astro is astro, u pay. no box can give u that... unless u go illegal with illegal dishes, illegal boxes which comes with a set of problems we will not discuss here. this, u need to understand. astro is like dvd player, u pay and press buttons, u get the channels or the show designated; no need to do anything else. android boxes with broadband don't work like that, not at all.

.. but if u can accept alternative channels, some boxes can give u some of what u ask for, maybe more if u put in the work.

.. epl.. this one, everybody wants but there isn't one channel that telecast live ALL of them, i believe. there are all over the place - channels like sky sports, fox sports, nbcsports. all these can be obtained... but may have to be from diff apps, diff addons - all that, u need to learn how to install, operate and maintain. are u ready for that? simply pressing buttons in astro is easy, but not using androids!

.. Astro XD for kids... again, can you live with some other kid's channels or must be XD?

.. CNN, BBC, movies - these are the easy ones, plenty.

... HK TV series - there are limited ones found in diff apps, some not reliable. again, if it must be wahlaitoi astro, u can only to go illegal. generally, hk/canto stuff is not easy to find or unreliable. mandarin ones, tons of them, a lot in hd.

what video people look for, i summarise:

1. easiest to get, best quality, reliable - english movies, english news, mandarin movies, mandarin tv series
2. fairly easy to get but lower quality - hundreds of english and other language int'l tv channels
3. can get but may be unreliable, limited selection- live sports, canto/hk stuff

some pros with lots of tweaking and expertise will get more. new users with little knowledge will struggle. so, make sure u buy a popular device with good seller support/preinstalled goodies so that u can get help and maintain the device. i cannot say this enough: astro/dvd are pay/press buttons, hardware driven. android boxes are hardware/firmware/apps/maintenance/broadband speed&stability dependent. be sure u have the time and patience to learn before jumping in.

This post has been edited by AVFAN: Oct 8 2015, 07:10 PM

this mxq you hv... can the native player play bdmv/iso?

i am surprised if native player can't do that.

my 4 yr old ac ryan can do that!

i would have assume except for cheapest models, all current android boxes can play bdmv/iso.

only diff is some cannot pass thru hd audio (will downgrade to core), some can - even dolby atmos.

This post has been edited by AVFAN: Oct 29 2015, 11:24 AM

himedia q1 as in this?
http://www.lelong.com.my/himedia-q1-quad-c...7-01-Sale-I.htm

if yes...

.. this model is quite new.
.. 1gb/8gb is good enough if you do not put too many apps and not too many addons in kodi.
.. it may have been pre-installed with too many things, so as you add more, cache builds up, u can have a memory problem
.. u can check it at android device settings (launcher page), see which app taken what memory, what is left for use.
.. 10mbps is fine, i had it before; best to use ethernet and not wifi

.. kodi - this model works on a hisilicon chipset, may need adjustment - go to kodi-settings (set to expert level)-video-acceleration. play with select/unselect libstagefright and hardware acceleration - see if one combination works better.
.. also as suggested, try removing kodi clean - all cache, files and app, reinstall from scratch, may work.

i have an older model 1g/4gb. kodi works fine until i had too many things in it. since kodi is big and can take up to 1.5gb in total, i no longer use kodi on this one, use it for all other apps. in contrast, on a 2gb/16gb device, u can dump anything on it, no worry about memory space!

yr situation is astro is a must, use kodi only. then, you probably made a wrong choice in the device. yr android's main features are playback hd video incl 4k, hd audio files for home theater and stream a variety of great apps - english and chinese. kodi is just one app that gets you movies and live tv. there are many others incl popcorntime, moviedhd, showbox, mobdro and tons of china apps for all kinds of things.

bottomline - if u only want kodi, yes, should explore cheaper options.

This post has been edited by AVFAN: Nov 3 2015, 11:57 AM

hk/canto, taiwan, china, korean, japanese stuff...

there are many variations - japanese with chinese subs, korean with eng subs, canto with no subs...

my experience:

kodi - in azdrama and dramago, chinese, jap, korean... most have eng subs. but selection may be limited.

other apps like vst, moretv, togic, mango, puding - these are all china apps - besides the bulk in mandarin audio/chinese subs, there is jap/kor/taiwan in original language audio and chinese subs. hk/canto stuff usually dubbed in mandarin, chinese subs.

so, if one MUST have eng subs, not much choice other than what u get in kodi.

take note a lot of those "subscriptions" are illegitimate; you pay upfront lumpsum.

astro, hypptv NEVER allow others to sell their channels for them.

however, if u spend enough time and effort, there are a lot of free channels although not 100% reliable or not HD.

the answer is not straightforward.

kodi is one of the laregst and most popular apps. can be complex too.

start reading!
https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/3139601/+2920

there is no box that will replace astro. it does not work like that.

for older people, it is even more difficult unless they are used to pc's, mouse, copy and paste, downloads, usb drives, etc.

i suggest u visit a friend, colleague or neighbor who has an androidbox working.

see for yrself if you can handle it, if yr parents can handle it.

.. it is a diff kind of device compared to astro decoder or dvd player.
.. needs time and effort to make it work.
.. needs constant upgrades and changes.
.. does not have much reliable canto stuff unless u go illegal.

good question.

i lost it too. the last time i accessed it, a message popped up saying something like only certain users will allowed to use for the time being while a new app is being developed for all. until now, nothing.

i also read somewhere that for now, movieHD is sensitive the chipset type/model and mac numbers.

it is possible they are now filtering such that only certain devices can play.

but never mind... there is still popcorntime and showbox, besides all that stuff in kodi.