1. a box is just an empty box. until somebody or u put something called apps in it.
so, there is no box can come with this or that for sure.
but most box sellers preinstall the common apps - which u may want or not want.
some box sellers sell ahem (illegit) packages as well - that, u will have to ask in private.
many users seem to happy about them.

2. for the same class of android and memory, all of them should work the same - theoretically.
the differences lie in hardware quality, firmwares, updates, user support for maintenance and trouble shooting.
these differences can be significant in terms of video and audio output quality, and accepting certain apps to be installed.

3. in general, english and mandarin stuff are easy to find - live tv or video on demand.
other languages or dialects, subtitle requirements will be less easy, less in content or less reliable.

4. the best way to get a good idea about what u want/need is go visit a neighbor or friend who has what u are looking for. check for yrself, ask all the questions before u buy.

5. over time, if u hv the interest and the patience, u will be able to get a lot more out of a decent box on yr own. android boxes have been in the market for a good few years now, incl those in smart tv's.

What specific Minix box? If Neo U1, I can answer specific questions about it.. Also, for the bold part above, got a source? Cuz buying a box alone does not equal getting such..

You can find a seller at Digital mall, PJ for MiniX where they install apps for you. 1st floor right beside the escalator. I bought my Himedia there and they install the apps for me. So far 1 year on, everything still ok.

there are several ways to buy a box - online portals, LYN online sellers, retail outlets.

preinstalled apps - even online portals advertise "come with....".

u just need to know if the preinstalled apps and firmware are up-to-date, if they have what u want.

note u also need updates and new versions as time goes by, not static like decoders.
if u hv checked out mibox, can also ask other users to reconfirm a few things if u wish in this thread, esp if u do not know chinese language well.
https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/3561305/+460

you can see from the posts and threads in this section that the most popular ones are: minix, mibox, himedia. choice is usually decided by price, previous experience and seller support.

https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/1462384

here's the link of the seller

please avoid Mibox at all cost.

The Minix Neo U1 ranges from RM5xx - RM6xx, perhaps even more. It depends on what ships with the box itself. I strongly recommend that you purchase it with the Neo A2/A2 Lite airmouse remote, as it's very handy and has a long battery life. I'm also not a fan of the Mibox, especially if you plan to run Kodi efficiently.. would ask you to avoid it. It's still your decision to make, try to check out the Mibox & Kodi thread for complaints. 
Really.... 

Please read first...

i think i have shared in v1 thread. anyway, in short, you may have issue of memory shortage and most importantly, mibox doesnt support google playstore (though you may be able to jailbreak). but since your price for both minix and mibox are the same, better get minix.

They install an app called Cloud TV for you. You need to subscribe to it. I think USD 40 for 6 months etc, different pricing. It contains Astro. I sub to the 6 months package before, works ok. But picture quality and audio is so so only, so i no longer sub to it. Just using Kodi and Netflix

more to i dont have time to search actually.

btw already bought Minix Neo U1 yesterday   

what a question.

u r looking for a 100% pirate. that's illegal.

pls don't discuss in public, astro people/lawyers may be reading.

1GB RAM + 8GB ROM in 2016.. IMO, those are hardly pretty good specs.. A couple years ago or a very simple user? Yeah.. But hardly sufficient for today's average user. Plus manufacturer support may be nonexistent.
A must to pay the fee? Well Yes and no... Also, you were probably shown a sample with really bad sources. You must understand operators of those apps are not legit and can close up shop any day + they don't owe you a dime even after you paid a million rm.. Hence, legitimate Astro or Hypptv, Netflix, iFlix, etc. These guys have proper licenses and the infrastructure to get HD content to you the user.

Welcome to the world of DIY... However, If you must ask such questions, I'm sorry to inform you that, you MUST stick to your Astro and other legitimate subscriptions. I'm sure everyone wants 4K channels with DTS:X or at least DTS-HD MA audio.. What one wants is entirely different from what one can get.. Hope this clarifies such.. 

Try hunting down another provider.. Check out the garage section for sellers.. Typically, there'd be screenshots of the app in action.. Maybe even a trial period.. But in all fairness to the sellers, only ask for trial testing if really eager to buy.

hi, u need vpn for iflix, right?

oh, ya. mistaken it with netflix, again. silly me.

hi guys,

i currently enjoy having kodi + youtube on my sony android tv,
and is currently looking at a way of converting my 7yr-old samsung HD LCD TV to be used on the same way (nothing much, just kodi + youtube)

i'm eyeing this android box :

HiMedia H8 Octa Core (2G RAM+16GB)



not sure if it's a bit overkill, but i'm also looking at an opportunity to upgrade to 4K TV in the future
if the LCD goes kaput.. hence the reason to be fixated on that particular android box.

anybody using one currently? how's it going anyhow - any frequent crashes/issues/etc?