what kind of PC are you hosting PLEX on? If you have a decent enough PC that can do encode on the fly, you can just use any chromecast capable device, like the chromecast (obviously), or mi box S. At my house I am using the 3rd gen chromecast for Plex and push it either from my browser or phone.



If you are watching h264 video, chromecast/mi box should play it natively. If you are playing something heavier like hevc h265 4K, the server will encode it to h264 on the fly before sending it to chromecast, so it depends on your server's capability

This post has been edited by linkinstreet: May 27 2020, 10:12 PM

Ah you want native HEVC. I have no experience with Apple TV so for me I'd gravitate towards the Shield

Just received my Mi Box S (Lazada managed to send it around 7pm!! Thank god I was still at the office to receive it). For a small device with only 2gb ram, it is quite smooth.

My only complaint would be the lack of Ethernet port but most of my plex collection should not overburden the 5ghz wifi (hopefully)

Yeah. But then again i don't have any 4k TV so this is good enough for me

The mibox s and new Chromecast seems to be similar in terms of specs and what it can do, and for that I would prefer the mibox.
But if you can afford the Nvidia Shield, go for that

Also Pluto Tv is technically legal, since it's free TV. It's just not officially offered in this region. But that doesn't stop one from searching for it's m3u8 playlist and loading it into Kodi...

Mecool KM2?

Android TV + dedicated LAN Port + USB 3.0

https://www.mecoolonline.com/products/2021-...-ram-32gb-rom-1

The only downside is that a pitiful 8GB onboard eMMC storage, but there is always the USB to plug in an external.

A local seller was selling this on Lazada at around RM290, but seems to be out of stock. Importing it from China seems to be around RM320ish

Ah, I never actually used Ali express before. Thanks for the heads up

I'd say the new Google Chromecast would be the best after Nvidia. But the price of that thing in Malaysia is not worth what you are getting. So yeah, get the KM2 or the KM6 (black version)

My issue with Chromecast is that it sometimes can't connect to some Wifi 5GHz channels, which sometimes can be an issue if your AP has auto channel feature that avoids other channels that have been used by other APs near the area

Tvbox2u issit? I've bought a number of stuffs from them, so they are quite okay

Depends. For me only get a TV box if you find that after installing apps, you have no more space on your TV's built in storage. TV boxes like MeCool KM2 has a microSD card slot and USB 3.0, which makes it easier to expand storage

They are mostly similar. IIRC the Xiaomi P1 and the Prism+ TV have better SOC than the Mi Box S.
If you really want a TV box that is much better than what an Android TV can muster, than maybe get an Nvidia Shield? It has a great 4k upscaler, which is unmatched by anything right now

It also have a microsd card slot too, which is easier

I have one and I hate it. The interface is too cluttery and you have limited space too. Also it does not come with Android framework that supports writing files to external device, something which other Android TV devices has. So even if you plug in a usb-c adapter with PD and use a usb/microsd, you can't utilise those extra space

This post has been edited by linkinstreet: Nov 17 2021, 06:50 PM

Yeah, the wifi is quite iffy too, which is why most right now would invest in a USB-Type C with ethernet + Power Delivery so that they would have stable internet.
The wifi issues, and the fact that I had to invest around another RM60 for an adapter to solve it is why I feel in this price range, the Chromecast is way overpriced for what it offers.

It's hit or miss. Even if you use the Developer Mode hack, not every app can be installed on an add on drive.

Heck, not even all added microsd or usb drive can be detected. It needs to be FAT32 specifically, and even then Chromecast seems to have a hard time detecting some. I've tested various microsd card a few weeks back, and only my 8gb and 16gb card were detected properly. My 32gb one were detected, but failed when trying to format it as an internal storage, and even then it took about 30 minutes before it was even shown in the storage menu

Also as an added bonus, Chromecast will fail to detect your USB Hub if you soft reset it (go to menu->reset) or using the power button. A hard power off is the only option if you are using a USB hub :V

So yeah, the KM2 (or if you don't have Netflix like me, the new KM7 with AV1 decoding) are better in this price range

Yep, which is why it can offer more ram/storage at the same price range since it does not need to pay for Neflix certification.

I just received my KM7. Since it's using the same new Android TV controller as what the Google Chromecast is using (Chromecast is using the simpler version), the box comes with an app that you could re-map the controller's IR so it works with your TV.

Yeah, Kodi should be supported by all Android TV boxes. I have KM2 and using it for Plex + Kodi. 4K works, altho for those with HDR, it depends on your TV

Yep. Should have no issues