Movies? Yes... TV Shows? Yes... Live TV & especially Live Sports? Yes & No... Astro subscription will always be Astro and all other ehem! services cannot be depended on like Astro/HyppTV etc. There are tons of boxes that can handle your needs, question is what's your budget and your skill level? Willing to play dirty? You'll probabaly end up using Kodi, so make sure whatever box you decide on has dedicated dev support.
True... It's sad that manufacturers simply refuse to build that one box that rules them all!

This is cuz Minix works directly in partnership with the Kodi dev team and so ensures that the software is optimized for their hardware. Used to use an X7 and never had any unexpected issues (ehem tweaks, sources & addons) from my Kodi installation.

Think you need to clarify what you mean by service and being raided by enforcers. Ain't nobody gonna kick down your house door cuz you are using an android box.

"A source who asked to remain anonymous told TorrentFreak that raids were also carried out at home addresses. In those cases officers reportedly seized computer equipment and mobile phones. A 38-year-old man was arrested under the Copyright Designs and Patent Act."

Okay... UK authorities, you've got my attention... Malaysia, move along. Nothing to see or emulate here..

See this thread. It should answer your questions at least to some degree, especially the last few post in the thread about current owners running KODI on the device. Being a newbie (everyone was once), once you understand that configuring and dealing with bugs/issues especially on older hardware and less than optimal software is the norm, then you should be fine. Personally, rather save up more and buy a more recent device with better specs and compatibility with the latest KODI versions, cuz KODI upgrades don't wait for no one (especially hardware acceleration & decoding)...

It appears the box does have some issues. I can't speak much about Intel NUCs cuz no experience with it. Maybe other members who have such device or experience with them can tell more. Meanwhile, if you are really tight on budget and only require KODI software (not default android), how about checking out the Raspberry Pi 2? Its reasonably cheap, gets decent reviews with support here on lowyat from owners. Be advised, be willing to put in the effort.
KODI's Official take on the RPI
KODI on RPI 2 Tutorial

Tons of Android powered sticks out there to choose for. Be hard to recommend such cuz they often always have performance issues.

Which particular box did your friend recommend? As the link you posted merely pointed to search results on boxes with Amlogic S812 CPUs. Minix boxes come with a higher level of guarantees than your average box manufactured by less than popular companies even with identical hardware specs. Not to say its the perfect box but at least they offer software updates, work directly with the KODI Dev team, operate an official forum where you can go ask for fixes, tips or future requests, as well as there being lots of "unofficial" support forums, posts and how-to videos. Think of it this way, Apple, Sony and even Samsung products are mostly over-priced hardware but why do people buy them?

This post has been edited by voncrane: Jul 1 2015, 08:55 PM

I see... Here are some of the noteworthy hardware differences I picked up, where the Minix NEO X8-H Plus comes out on top.
*Internal Storage: 16GB eMMC vs 8GB NAND Flash
*Wireless Connectivity: Much faster & future proof 802.11ac Dual Band Wi-Fi with Bluetooth 4.0 vs Some unspecified (Probably 802.11n) Dual Band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth support also unknown.
*Ethernet: Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000Mbps) vs 10/100M only.
*KODI: Officially confirmed Kodi 15.0 Isengard compatibility vs Default 13.2 Gotham (KODI 15.0 support unknown).
*HDMI (Video Output): HDMI 1.4b, up to 4K @ 30fps with HDMI-CEC support vs HDMI 1.4 up to 1080p.
*USB: 3 USB 2.0 ports with 1 OTG port vs 2 USB 2.0 ports.
*Supported Audio Format: DD/DD+/MP2/MP3/WMA/WAV/OGG/OGA/FLAC/ALAC/APE/AAC vs MP3/WMA/WAV/OGG/AC3.
*Supported Video Format: DAT/MPEG/MPE/MPG/TS/TP/VOB/ISO/AVI/MP4/MOV/3GV/FLV vs AVI/RM/RMVB/TS/VOB/MKV/WMV/MPEG.

As you can see, those are hardly "similar" specs. In addition to buying local with 1 year local manufacturing warranty, I'd say its worth an extra $90, still up to you to decide though. As for other places to buy from besides Aliexpress. There's right here from forum members (Try a search in the garage sales section), DX and Lazada Malaysia with possibility to get a cheaper deal through discount codes. Though better support lowyat forum members...

This post has been edited by voncrane: Jul 1 2015, 10:29 PM

Depends on what you consider as better. Personally, I've never used any Himedia box before but would always pick boxes from Minix over them due to support alone...especially clear English support. Also, I believe to have read that hardware acceleration on KODI is unavailable.

You are welcome....
A rough currency conversion sees you paying about RM570 for the box, possibly having to deal with customs and also, I can't seem to find any warranty claims offered by the seller (despite very excellent feedback from previous buyers). Do you have a thing against buying local with a 1 year warranty for roughly the same amount or max RM600 with the A2 Lite Air Mouse included? I'd link several posts by good sellers but don't want to play favorites, so up to you.

[quote=AVFAN,Jul 2 2015, 11:43 PM]
let me chip in...

i have himedia q5ii for 1.5 yrs and q16 for almost a year now. very happy.

never used minix.

from what i read:

minix is yr choice if u r heavy KODI user due to customised kodi/dev involvement.
support, i hv no idea.
made in hong kong, i believe.
a bit more expensive, i think.

himedia q16 is similar in specs to that minx except:
- it can pass thru dtshdma, dd truehd and dd atmos audio while minix cannot (this is what i know then, not very sure now) - impt if u r using home 5.1/7.1 theater.
i find the hardware, playback codecs and wifi capability very good.
support - varies from seller to seller, some sell n forget, some support all the way.
for launcher and settings, it is dual language, u can toss between eng and chi
eng apps like kodi and oithers, it is eng, no chinese.
chinese apps will be chinese on any device.
i will say both are good, depends on yr needs and preference.

[/quote]


[quote=cchean,Jul 3 2015, 09:11 AM]
[quote=AVFAN,Jul 2 2015, 11:43 PM]
let me chip in...

i have himedia q5ii for 1.5 yrs and q16 for almost a year now. very happy.

never used minix.
I must say that Q16 has been working very well for me after using it for a few months. No complaints so far..

[/quote]

Valid points. As mentioned support is tricky at best especially for the uninitiated. As for pass-through, The Minix Neo-X8 H Plus has full support for H.264, HEVC, DD (Dolby Digital), DTS (Dolby Theatre System) and Dolby pass-through. So far and to the best of my knowledge, 7.1 Dolby True HD is not currently possible on an S812-H chip. 7.1 DTS Master Audio is possible but maybe down-mixed. I'm a tweaker and I expect my devices to not only be tweakable but also have a strong following online for guaranteed firmware upgrades, new mods and tricks. Sure its a bit biased, as I lack interest in non-English apps and content. So as the nice folks above have mentioned, it boils down to one's preference. I'd rather be safe than sorry b4 coughing up close to RM600 on a box.

This post has been edited by voncrane: Jul 3 2015, 09:21 PM

Nice... Looking much better now and smooth streaming. Oh Yeah, app has channel guides as well..

Hey... Here u go

Works on a Nexus tablet but not on my windows 8.1 PC. Also, Its a bit suspect why it asks for admin rights to run on the PC.

Please do not be misled. An android box cannot simply replace your Astro box n plans cuz they don't work the same way. If you want ease of use? Stick to your Astro package. If you want LOTS of tweaking and messing around with installation files, xmls, some codes here n there, then get an android box. A decent android box is just that, a box capable of running android apps. Will all apps work smoothly on it or all channels available 24/7? Nope! If you don't mind the above, then yeah, get a box. They are a great replacement. Buy a reputable box with support, minimum specs include a quad core CPU, 2GB ram & 16GB ROM for best results. Also bear in mind that even those myiptv or myhdtv or whatever not so legal paid subscriptions can fail at any time. No warranty/guarantees involved.

SOS: Cable cutter for almost 5 years now...

This post has been edited by voncrane: Jul 22 2015, 01:22 PM

You are much welcome. Skybox? Can you post a link to the box.

Oh I see. Having never used or know anyone who does. After some light reading around, I wouldn't recommend it at all. See if you can find a seller, you will get more specific info from them.

Nonsense? You don't simply assume that everyone knows how to properly fix up an android box. Sure, you can install apps from the play store & stop there, but i can tell you, most don't even know how to side-load an apk. Heck, probably don't even know what an apk means. Setting up say Kodi to nearly replace an Astro set top box is no where near as simple as installing from the marketplace and tapping the icon. Also, most boxes contain OTA firmware updates, but what happens when said firmware is problematic and or crashes the box upon update and you have to restore using a PC? Or he encounters a boot loop and needs to flash a custom recovery to backup apps, restore firmwares and pull apps + data from the backup. Yeah, you think everyone can do that? I simply let him realize what the majority of the populace don't realize before buying an android box (ending up blaming the seller or hardware). Its not a Hypptv/Astro box that auto-updates its firmware, channels and EPG data, if you encounter issues, then you call tech support to come replace the box for free. A good android box is great while it works but some day you'll require REAL hands-on.


There are a few out there. E.g. Minix, Amazon Fire TV, HiMedia, Wetek, Nvidia Shield TV, Tronsmart, Ugoos, etc. Seeking out the best depends on your needs and budget. So what are your needs & budget? If it's mostly streaming live TV through KODI and the occasional IPTV app, then I'd recommend the recent Minix models like the X8-H Plus or say an RPI 2 (Cheaper but not an android box). Do your require Netflix with full 1080P and 4K support? Get the Nvidia Shield box. For 1080P Netflix, the Amazon Fire TV should do just fine.

Edit: Your home internet speed is also very important to smooth streaming especially for high bit-rate full HD content or live Tv streaming. Now while 5 Mbps might be sufficient for some streams, its hardly enough especially if you have other devices utilizing the internet at the same time. Go higher, 10Mbps @ least or even the new Unifi 30Mbps package.

This post has been edited by voncrane: Jul 22 2015, 10:58 PM

To all who are interested in performance feedback of the Minix Neo X8-H Plus, feel free to drop by here and ask. Updated to latest firmware (Clean install). So far so good, setting up Kodi, apps etc. Fast, smooth and responsive UI. Tvapp.so doesn't work on it though, apparently the developer blocked access from popular TV boxes (works on my Nexus tablet). I'm working on a work around for that. Latest Kodi works effortlessly on it and able to pass through all sounds via spdif cable to the HT, like AC3, DD, DTS, DTS-HD & DTS-HD MA. Files with 7.1 DTS-HD/DTS-HD MA plays but audio gets down-mixed to 5.1. No proper receiver to confirm the down-mixing, but other users from the official forum say so. Possible future fixes in the works. Loving the CEC feature on it, less remotes on the table for control.
Confirmed apps working so far.
*Hypptv Everywhere (Tablet version)
*Showbox
*Mobdro
*Popcorn Time
*Movie HD
*iFlix.


This post has been edited by voncrane: Aug 2 2015, 11:01 AM