Looking to get a box, any recommendations?

So far looking around I found Mi Box S, Walmart Onn Box, HK1 Box and this thread seems to suggest Mecool KM2
Seems like the stick type tends to overheat
A lot of sketchy ones like those X96 T6 Pro whatever with crazy specs like 8K which I doubt
A relative of mine has an svicloud thing which is quite expensive
also I found out it runs fake Android 10 lol , Security Patch from February 2019 which Android 10 didn't even exist yet
pairing with a 1080p tv

probably will use youtube mainly, and astro go + its other bundled stuff like disney+ (using grandparents astro subscription)

Walmart's own in house brand is ONN, they rebrand a lot of stuff to sell under the Onn brand. Well at least it should be better than those no brand boxes

The Disney+ button probably opens the US Version of Disney+ which won't work here

Currently considering Mecool KM2 and KM7

KM2 is more expensive for less storage but since I don't use Netflix anyways i suppose it's better for me to get KM7 for more storage?

Unless there's some other caiveats i should know about

Reply to self but I decided on the KM2

I found out the OEM for it is Skyworth and they sell it as the Leap S1

Skyworth also makes the Unifi Plus Box with very similar specs, might even be the same box with different branding.

Where as the KM7 from what I've seen it's just "VS" listed as manufacturer

Basically, just buy an Android tv box that has proper Google Android tv certification

There are actually a few casting protocols.

First, you got good old Miracast, actually gone as of Android 9, but lots of phone makers (Samsung, Xiaomi and others) still add it back on their own, usually refered to as just "cast"
Ideally you should not use this if possible

Then, you got Chromecast, Google's protocol, most android devices will support this, it's also a better experience than Miracast in my experience

There's also AirPlay which is by apple for apple devices only.
To receive on Android tv box, you'll probably need to use a 3rd party app like Air screen

Your use case is certainly an odd one, so you want 1 android tv box to display to 1 tv while also casting to another smart tv?
Most android tv boxes are intended to be a target for casting, not as a source

Also, chromecast is built into the box so you dont have to buy extra...

the mecool km2 is ~rm250, not ~350 to 400

honestly, you got a few options
1. 2 boxes, doing their own thing
2. hdmi splitter from the 1 box to 2 tvs

Pretty sure Miracast in its entirety has been removed from android 9 and beyond.

Truth it, this was never an intended use case for these boxes
So either get 2 boxes, get a HDMI splitter and run cables, or something else

I know Google duo/meet does, but not sure if Facebook messenger supports it

It might work but the app may not be optimized for a tv big screen experience

the tivo 4k's remote looks rather unique, so no idea if it will work

but the if you want to try generic remote for android tv is the "G10 remote" which is the reference design by google
Unfortunately, the chinese manufactueres decided to make a remote with that same name, so it is hard to find it
so you should look for remotes that look like the mecool km2's remote or the onn tv box/stick

So I think most here have seen the latest LTT Video about Android tv boxes with Malware

I myself use a proper Android tv box so I'm not too concerned but I am concerned about those sketchy boxes on e-commerce sites that some of my friends and relatives use

On that note, searching for "Android TV Box" no longer gives any results on Shopee, did they ban that keyword?

1. it is AndroidTV / Google TV
Basically android but for tv with a tv ui, google tv is just a newer name for it with a newer look
the cheap chinese boxes run just android with a launcher

2. smarttubenext is the better app for android tv youtube usage, other apps like kodi are readily available from the play store, and it is android, so of course can sideload apk

now, browsers... are a problem
there is no good browsers for android tv
you can give TCL BrowseHere, TV Bro, JioBrowser a try
I myself am using JioBrowser

or, Firefox technically exists, "Firefox for Amazon Fire TV" but very outdated since it is abandoned

you CAN install normal chrome/firefox/etc, but it is not optimized for tv use, you will need to connect a mouse

3. yes, just get a proper REAL usb3 hub and done (suprisingly, there are fake usb3 hubs that are just usb2)

4. that new model that was linked seems to have 32gb storage

I'm not sure, it may be for their browser use only

look into other vpns like protonvpn or windscribe for free choices of vpn that are system wide