for u and others looking for an android box, it will benefit u if u specify a few things so that users of diff boxes, brands and models can comment with a focus and not shoot everywhere and anywhere! tongue.gif

if u can describe:

.. your broadband speed.
.. will use ethernet or wifi?
.. want only english or only canto or only mandarin or...?
.. want eng subs, chinese subs, whatever subs...?
.. want movies or tv shows or live tv, what languages... give examples.
...must have live sports incl all epl?
.. can accept sd or only want hd?
.. want hd audio (dtshdma, dd truehd) pass thru for yr home theater?
.. want legit iptv like netflix, iflix, astro on the go, hypptv everywhere?
.. want ahem iptv , i.e. aztro and the like?
.. your knowledge level with androids?
.. budget - min and maximum

just don't say "i want everything" because that does not exist and even if it does, it will cost u everything. biggrin.gif

welcome to the thread.

almost everyday, someone will pose the same question.
yr questions and quest will mark the beginning of a long journey! biggrin.gif
it will be nice to able to answer u in a few sentences but no, it will take pages.
i would say some users here started 4-5 years ago, so, it's going to a bit of work and time for u if u really want it.
but here's what i can do - a few thoughts and some links for u to read so that u have a better idea, then come back and get to the specifics and details.
.. Aztro is aztro, there is no "replacement"; there are ALTERNATIVES. (i do not talk illegit/illegal stuff.)
.. android boxes typically do everything an old media player will do and LOTS more, i.e. playback, live streaming, networking, etc.
.. these boxes need updates, upgrades, new firmwares, new apps regularly, i.e. they are not "auto" push button type but need yr time, knowledge and effort to keep it working. u can buy a box with many things preinstalled but will still need yr effort over time as no one will come to "service" the box. so, it's very much DIY by searching, reading, watching you-tube demos, experimenting.
.. videos are streamed via installed APPS, sometimes called APK's. some are better than others; some are small and simple, some are big and complex; some stay good for a long time, some die within days, need new.
.. 30mbps is good, good enough for most streaming purposes.
.. popular english tv series and movies, mandarin shows are easy to get, even in HD; eng live tv channels incl sports in SD easy, HD very hard. and i mean free ones, not paid iptv.
.. u DL stuff.. what quality r u used to? if SD, the alternatives available will be very acceptable to u; if u r used to 1080p with DD/DTS/HD audio, that's a bit more challenging to get with online streaming.
.. there are like 100 brands each with 10 models to choose from; can buy online, at shops, IT centers, from LYN sellers, etc. diff in price is mainly due to chipset, android version, memory size, video and audio handling capabilities, networking capabilities.

i understand what u r looking for - mostly live tv but not on demand.

what u want is definitely not simple.

the way android boxes work:
.. need a good stable connection... 10mbps will be good, anything higher excellent for HD streams.
.. these boxes are just boxes, the good stuff comes from what u install, i.e. apps or apk's.
.. there is no such thing as "everything in it" - becos some apps will die, need new or the provider can't maintain well.
.. there hundreds of apps; some are totally free, DIY. this is the bulk of the discussion here, what boxes, what apps, what changes, where to get what.
.. some apps are legit - u pay, good streams - netflix, iflix, and i think amazon now.
https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/3828808/+680
others may be illegit but payable. some sell as a package, u can find them selling here:
https://forum.lowyat.net/HomeElectronics&WaresGarageSales

if u hv the time n patience and willing to get yr hands dirty, u can get a lot of stuff incl HD. a lot of us here are enjoying good free HD stuff everyday for several years now. but if u hv no time, then go to a shop or IT center, get a package but it is not guaranteed 100% service.
my experience, a few good apps is all u need. u dun hv the time watch so much anyway.

actually, it is now very common to see, hear and read:
... more and more axtro users wanna quit.
... after quitting, they want same axtro content - for free or only a small price.
... uninformed axtro user think there must be box out there doing all that with minimal or no personal effort.
alas... the truth... axtro is eating in a restaurant; android box is cooking at home.
not the same, maybe similar in some ways.
the cook needs to know the oven, the wok, the knives, the ingredients, the recipes.
a good cook needs to learn, watch videos, search for info, experiment.
well... some people enjoy cooking, some don't.
the good cooks get to eat better food at a lower price!
poor cooks get to eat little or return to restaurant.

I am stock android tv fan, own a Nexus Player and Mibox International version, belongs to which category?

And it seems that Nvidia Shield TV 2017 is interesting.

Hmmmm....Nexus player is on android 7.1 and Mibox is on android 6.0. Yeah both boxes are on google android tv and not normal android.

Yes, i am able to sideload apps via ES file explorer which is available from Playstore and I mainly uses this file explorer to manage files between the box and usb drives.

I notices some issues where some app for mobile that i side load could not work, as they would not turn landscape automatically on google android TV.
But if I installed these same mobile apps on normal android boxes they will auto turn to landscape mode making them workable (but need to have mouse or touchpad).

Thanks for your feedback.   Yeah, the groups ended up appearing like high to low per price & AV quality...not the intention. I'll add some comments to the Mi box.

So the nvidia shield is just usd 200 for a basic 2/16 box?
Hmm let's see if got friends going to US or not

The box with foc lifetime 1000++ channels will cost RM5xx~RM6xx.
Actually worth to get it ?

I think so far it's okay, most apps that I use on android 6.0 is also working on android 7.1 but my experience is only limited to android tv.

Not sure if there are any boxes that have got the normal android 7.0 or above.

U mean evpad/unblock tech are illegal?
Turbo box/small seven also?
Then with one is legal?

You want to check out "TV App Repo" apk? This to help sideloading on leanback launcher. I don't have smart TV to try.

There's also apk to force landscape.

We just need one shield user there's a thread in the hardware section...

Amazon ships it free to Singapore...there are more users there...

It uses method same as #sideloadtag ...google this

It will download & install directly...no need USB... It's quite new, no idea what apps are available...so meanwhile you may still need USB

I m new in tvbox,just wanna buy a box that
not so complicated,no need to install apk. etc.
Open n watch,with self apps. that easy to update.
Turbo box/himedia H8 look good to me now,evpad/unlock tech look overprice.
Thanks bro for the above explanation.

May I know what APK you using for movie ?

Buffering I referring to APK server... not that ISP..
Each APK have their own server right ?

Simple and user friendly only suitable for parents...

If you have shafa market installed, you can use it's remote install method over network via your pc, no need USB.

Anyways just sharing methods...use whichever makes you happy

Android TV on Mi box 3 enhanced

Given how the bigger brother Android is ballooning out of control, I'm glad Google decided to place a tight leash on the Android TV OS. However, it isn't maturing at the pace it should be. Guess there isn't enough market share to make it worthwhile to most manufacturers and app developers. For now, it's alright.. Just expected more from it at this stage.

Android definitely is the champion.. Or rather Unix is.. IMO, IOS is solid and all but it's very hard for me (right now) to imagine it or any other mobile-oriented OS ever overtaking Android. Well, as long as Alphabet (Google) doesn't mess up in the future and keep pushing it's limits.

10bit video files = HDR movies?
If displayed on non HDR TV will it look worse than non 10bit files or would it look just the same?

A player that can take 4k 10bit file, will play to FHD 8 bit TV no problem...

4k will be shrunk, extra bits will be ignored.

Wah, AwanTV so stable one! I'm going to continue with it and forget about Angin, Kambing, Dragon.

Wow I did some digging, there were actually two apps on the machine, one was called "google play store", the other "play store". When I disable  "play store" and i try to launch google play store, it says incompatible version for device, uninstall updates blah blah(cause play store auto updates to latest version.) So I think maybe "play store" stops google play store from updating itself thereby causing the problem I was seeing. Wah is it safe to use this play store ah, luckily i created different account for the box.

Good tip I did more digging, play store auto updates to the google tv version.

http://www.apkmirror.com/apk/google-inc/google-play-store/

If you look there, my version is the [8] one. But even though i downloaded the [0] one to manually install after it installs successfully, app info is the [8] version. So I think the software replaces it with factory version(which is [0]) after everytime google play self updates.