I'm using the Minix Neo X7, decided not to upgrade to the X8-H yet cuz my current setup works perfectly for me. Waiting on more powerful specs. For new buyers, you should go for the upgraded box as the X8-h technically does all the X7 can and more, plus its more future proof in terms of OS upgrades. For best real life experiences on the X8-H, I suggest you join the official Minix forum and forums like freaktab. There you'll find more users, official and custom mods to tweak your device just the way you want it. The Minix team work directly with xbmc and so have superior support where xbmc is concerned. Feel free to ask me if you want anything tested on the X7.

Video quality is excellent for me directly connected via HDMI to my plasma TV. Planning to buy an led TV soon, so hoping for even better picture quality (Knocks on wood). Before this, I was using a Noontec A9 android box, so I can't comment on comparison to a Realtek based player. I can personally confirm full support for 3D SBS movies & WD MyBook 3TB which I'm using. Others have reported support for even 4TB hard disks.Usually if the external hard disk has its own power supply, it should work. I primarily watch English movies, TV Series & Live TV and so can't comment on Chinese content but since its powered by android, there are apps out there including Netflix, HULU, XBMC, Cloudtv, Monster Pro etc that should be satisfactory for you. My XBMC setup is heavily tweaked to pull hundreds of live English TV channels worldwide, in addition to various addons that provide instant streaming of full movies and seasons of TV shows, even old ones. I recently just finished watching all seasons of "Fresh Prince of Bel Air". So there's literally an endless supply of free English content.

Get one with the following comfort features.
*Handheld
*Bluetooth enabled with support for multiple devices and OS
*Backlit keyboard (Toggle on and off) for nighttime or dark theatre rooms.
*Inbuilt touchpad to simulate mouse/touchscreen response.
*Inbuilt USB rechargeable battery.

Check ur pm as I've got a brand new spare for sale if you are interested.

Differences between Android boxes is a lot despite running the same base OS. Choosing based on what you want means buying a box based on your preference.

*Like to root, tinker? >> Buy box with great online forums support.
*Games? >>> Buy box with quad-core, minimum 2GB RAM & 16GB internal storage, powerful GPU to handle intensive games.
*Media? >>>> Buy box that supports various audio & video formats you interested in playing. e.g. AVI/MKV/WMV/MOV/MP4/MP3/WMA/AAC... etc, even ISO & 3D files.
*Future OS upgrades?>>> Buy box from recognized manufacturers who offer such Google, Minix, Amazon, Himedia, etc.

See where I'm going with this. Its like buying a car, all cars main purpose is to move from point A to point B (*Run apps*), but some cars do that better or worse than others. You don't buy a Viva when u need an MPV and vice versa.

Yes you can install XBMC/KODI on your phone/tablet and hook that up to your TV. But then means your phone is no longer close to you and you can imagine what happens when you get calls or have to reply sms. Pause media, unhook phone, do function, plug back, wanna go sit down, then msg come in again... . I've got KODI running on my tablet for out of home/bedroom usage, with a box connected permanently to the TV in the living room. Just convenience really, nothing more.

This post has been edited by voncrane: Oct 13 2014, 12:48 PM

Yes, if you find the right sources.

Alas, My Minix Neo X7 now has a new home... Pal dropped by, loved my setup and simply had to have the box configured as is. So now in the market for a replacement... Current contenders include;
Minix NEO Z64
Minix Neo X8-H
Probox2 EX
Google Nexus Player (Though lacking in hardware compared to the above, future software upgrades & Dev community support is very attractive).

I welcome comments & suggestions..

This post has been edited by voncrane: Nov 1 2014, 06:04 PM

Once you understand that an android-based media not equals to Astro/Unifi TV packages, then u are good. An android box can be much better or worse than a regular set-top box, depends on the device, your expectations, how much setting up & maintenance you are willing to put into it. I can only vouch for English channels (HBO, FOX, FYI, etc included), TV shows & movies, as I'm not interested in anything else.

Hmm, what's your budget? Also, torrents can be downloaded easily to an external hard disk connected to or to the internal memory of most android media boxes. However, its highly not advisable to do so as it'll drastically reduce the lifespan of your box's internal memory due to multiple files caching. So better download via PC or an RPi.

Hmm, sorry can't test for you cuz I only have a 3TB hard drive and my Minix Neo X7 is no longer with me (in the market for a new device). I'm guessing your hard drive has its own power source? Also try the other USB ports cuz sometimes a particular USB port might be the problem. Running stock or custom rom?

See my earlier post for my final contenders. I was extremely satisfied with my X7 due to massive support & my decent understanding of the pros & cons of using an android device. Right now, I'm searching for the elusive ultimate media player with the smoothest KODI & custom mods & roms support.

A 4 TB without its own power adapter is probably why its having issues on your box. Possibly not enough power produced to handle the drive efficiently. It's perfectly safe to root your device, just make sure it's not rooted if you have to ever claim warranty. My hard disk is formatted to NTFS file system via the inbuilt software & no issues till today.

I did but not feeling either @ the moment. Maybe in the future...

The words "cheap" and "really good" very rarely go together.
Nope!

We wondered & by software, u mean android apps right? There are a few, XBMC, cloudtv, Monster pro... To name a few. Free & paid.

Been using Showbox app for awhile now & a quick test just now, no server error as movie plays smoothly using MX player. You can also use Mobo or their inbuilt default player to stream. Hope you have the latest apk, mine's version 3.7. They've introduced subtitles support, though you need an account from opensubtitles to enable those.

Edit: No VPN usage here on my end & have zero issues with streaming. Movie or show starts streaming within 30 seconds regardless of quality chosen. I must point out though that my TM router's DNS has always been pointed to a friendlier DNS service as opposed to the crippled default. That probably helped. Using Unifi 10mbps.

This post has been edited by voncrane: Dec 6 2014, 08:40 AM

Using a mix of all.. Never a dull moment when it comes to entertainment. Yes, Showbox is kept relatively up to date very quickly and its easier for the missus to navigate compared to XBMC.. Welcome

Popcorn Time. Click here for apk.

I'm unsure cuz I haven't used it but have u tried XBMC Karaoke addon?

Is what out?

If I recall, apps like that are tied to a hardware ID & can't be used on another hardware without a subscription or transfer. You can ask from the sellers of the service for more precise answers or "borrow" the apk off someone who already uses it. I know CloudTV ties a subscription to a particular hardware ID which can be transferred across devices or the same device in case of a format which usually generates a new ID.

@RM150 a mth, sounds like VIP 5Mbps. So YouTube 720p should stream buffer free. As for your RM550 box with a RM300 per year subscription. Seems like you bought one of the numerous android boxes up for sale that come with pre-installed "funny" IPTV package. At that price point, you are definitely not being serviced by Astro Malaysia (unless its Astro On-The-Go) but other questionable providers, exactly what you paid for. Which is, service as is and when possible. So chalk it up to experience and configure your box to the best of its abilities and your requirements. See AVFAN's post as well.

Once again.. Minix FTW!! The team recently became a Diamond Sponsor of the XBMC Foundation. That's a plus for me right there. Now, if only android TV would play nice.... Waiting on their next android powered hardware.

This post has been edited by voncrane: Jun 5 2015, 11:44 PM

True, let's see if they do. Haven't tried Google Movies service before cuz no need yet for it and found an easier workaround to get Netflix 1080p & 5.1 surround sound through Samsung's inbuilt Smart TV app. That has been working flawlessly. Wetek? Looks like a contender, off to check them out. Their intro video claims support for custom roms & Linux OSes. Nice!