I want another player - for Kodi and occasional simple games.
I have the FTV and although I'm happy with the performance, I don't like the inability to root (inc. custom recovery etc) and to use external storage.
Any alternative suggestion at a nearby price? Or is FTV the only way to go at that price mark?
Id wait now, unless you're desperate.
There may be some android tv boxes coming out soon which may be better than the fire tv or amazon might have a sale.
Amazon might cut a tenner out of the price of FTV, but I really want to have the ability to root and not to be afraid that my box will one day be locked forever.
The minix X8 looks tempting
papars said:
Amazon might cut a tenner out of the price of FTV, but I really want to have the ability to root and not to be afraid that my box will one day be locked forever.
The minix X8 looks tempting
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
do this. search on ebay for new sealed firetv's. ask the sellers to send you the serial number. Pick up a rooted one. Once rooted you are golden. I essentially got an extra rooted new one in my bunker for future use or I may hook it up in the bedroom in future. I'm glad I picked up an extra rooted one when I could.
The biggest thing you will loose when getting out of an architecture from amazon is the native apps like Netflix, bbc etc. I would stick with amazon ftv and find a rooted one. I'm sure if you look hard you will find yourself a rooted one If you disable the updates you should be fine.
Your suggestion is valid but I'm in europe and not really in need for netflix.
The price for sealed older FTVs seems somewhat high and by reading articles I see that even the SN wont warranty a rootable box.
In the meantime I will try to h/w root my box and see what comes out of this.
I recently shelfed my Fire Tv for the same reason. I have to many streaming boxes kind of a habit of mine (Fire Tv, Google Adt1, Ouya, Madcatz Mojo, Tronsmart Draco). Fire Tv still has the best commercial content but the hardware is getting outdated for games and the OS is way to restrictive. AndroidTV devices are still open to root and side loading but the commercial content is lacking has a great interface. On the opposite end is the Mojo and Draco with raw Android out of the box. They allow root without risk to warranty. I have gone with the Draco for now as it is very fast, Antutu test out at almost 60,000 with Power VR graphics. Madcatz has great quality and controller.
There are allot of consoles coming in the next few months, Razer Forge, Snail Games Obox, Nvidia Shied, Roku 4, Apple TV, others. You will be able to take your pick. My opinion for what its worth
Pure xbmc, get a rasp pi 2. Fast, cheap and simple with openelec And no amazon os to deal with. My living room fire tv has been relegated to the drawer since getting one.
I have raspberry pi first gen. It works ok and decoding is great but is sloooooow as death.
I've replaced it with AFT and I don't want to go back.
pi 2 could be faster but the cost of getting it operational (case, psu, remote etc) is near the cost of a commercial box. I will check out the options listed in above posts.
papars said:
I have raspberry pi first gen. It works ok and decoding is great but is sloooooow as death.
I've replaced it with AFT and I don't want to go back.
pi 2 could be faster but the cost of getting it operational (case, psu, remote etc) is near the cost of a commercial box. I will check out the options listed in above posts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i've moved my fire TV to a bedroom and have been running 2 s802 m8n china boxes and if you dont care about android and games.. openelec is flawless on it for me, full CEC control, refresh rate changing, etc etc.. best 75$ i've spent so far.. after using these for a while you really notice how much better openelec runs than kodi on android.
nhumber said:
i've moved my fire TV to a bedroom and have been running 2 s802 m8n china boxes and if you dont care about android and games.. openelec is flawless on it for me, full CEC control, refresh rate changing, etc etc.. best 75$ i've spent so far.. after using these for a while you really notice how much better openelec runs than kodi on android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Openelec is an operating system which runs the XBMC/Kodi program the same way that Android is an operating system that runs XBMC/Kodi. The only difference is that Openelec is a minimal operating system that uses just enough to run XBMC/Kodi, while Android is a full operating system able to run several programs. A couple years ago when XBMC came to Android it sucked and I quit using it after about a week, but it has came along way since and my Openelec system running Kodi cannot compare to my Fire TV running Kodi.
papars said:
I have raspberry pi first gen. It works ok and decoding is great but is sloooooow as death.
I've replaced it with AFT and I don't want to go back.
pi 2 could be faster but the cost of getting it operational (case, psu, remote etc) is near the cost of a commercial box. I will check out the options listed in above posts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to chime in here. With some smart shopping ill bet you could get all you need for 60 or less. My rpi is still the most consistent , reliable kodi device but like you, i thought it was too slow (even running off usb 3.0)
But ive heard good things about rpi 2 just running it on a class 4 sd card. My advice--dont use a case, its not needed unless theres reason to think itll get damaged. My tv remote works fine with it and this might not matter cuz if you have b+ you should have a lot of the stuff u want or need. I heard you might want to upgrade the power supply. I bought one for the b+ that worked great for 8 bucks on ebay. If i didnt care about netflix thatd be the way imight go. Of course that could change in the upcoming months.
porkenhimer said:
Openelec is an operating system which runs the XBMC/Kodi program the same way that Android is an operating system that runs XBMC/Kodi. The only difference is that Openelec is a minimal operating system that uses just enough to run XBMC/Kodi, while Android is a full operating system able to run several programs. A couple years ago when XBMC came to Android it sucked and I quit using it after about a week, but it has came along way since and my Openelec system running Kodi cannot compare to my Fire TV running Kodi.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks, im aware of the setups, had a firetv since day one.. had fedora installed on it at one point even, what im saying is that Kodi for linux (openelec in my case) is much more stable than kodi for android or maybe its just linux stability vs android stability.. i dunno. but you dont get hangs or freezes like you can sometimes get with the android boxes, i also said the main things that are better with openelec than with kodi on the fireTV are fulling working CEC control, refresh rate changing since im kind of an videophile and watching any movie on the fireTV results in less than perfect playback, and HD audio support is also another nice feature you cant get on a fireTV.
porkenhimer said:
Openelec is an operating system which runs the XBMC/Kodi program the same way that Android is an operating system that runs XBMC/Kodi. The only difference is that Openelec is a minimal operating system that uses just enough to run XBMC/Kodi, while Android is a full operating system able to run several programs. A couple years ago when XBMC came to Android it sucked and I quit using it after about a week, but it has came along way since and my Openelec system running Kodi cannot compare to my Fire TV running Kodi.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depend on the hw that your OE is running on, got myself an Asus Chromebox that costs slightly more than the Fire TV when it was on sale last Black Friday, it runs like a dream.
As for running Kodi/XBMC on FireTV vs generic Android box vs OpenElec/Xbmcbuntu/Linux + XBMC I'd say it doesn't matter any longer. I've run all 3 ways, and it used to make a difference. A cheap booksize miniPC running OpenElec or Xbmcbuntu was much better than any Android based solution for a variety of reasons. That just isn't the case any longer. Of course if you have better hardware things like menus or the time it takes to start streaming a show will be a bit quicker, but otherwise you can get a solid stable Kodi/XBMC environment on any of these.
Back to the original question, personally I'd hold out until some of the Google Android TV boxes (not generic Android boxes) start shipping. Not because I think they will be better than GATV boxes, but because there should be a better selection of options and one might be a better fit than your two AFTV choices. Either way, it's hard to beat AFTV and I expect similar results from GATV boxes. Side-loading isn't as easy as just installing from the app store, but there are options that have all the plug-ins ready to go. Unlike other setups, you don't have to figure out which remote to use or how to get it configured (yes, I know some generic Android boxes come setup for XBMC and even have their own customized XBMC, I have one).
In short, I used to have a mix of generic Android boxes and mini HTPCs running OpenElec/XBMCbuntu. Now I have AFTV boxes in daily use and two Rokus that are almost never used. For the price point, ease of use, stability and extra functionality above and beyond Kodi the AFTV and presumably GATV boxes just make more sense.
One last thing I almost forgot - the space limitation on the AFTV is a huge drawback. Until (unless) Amazon releases an update to let us use USB drives for apps and data this could be a big issue. If for some reason you absolutely require plenty of disk space, perhaps you don't have network storage and need all your media on the device itself, then AFTV may not be an option.
GATV might have the same lock as amazon regarding custom updates / root.
I would like to escape the proprietary ecosystem opposed by amazon and google if possible to avoid possible lockouts in the near future.
I like the amazon box, is fast and easy to use with its remote. I use a NAS for my media but I would like to have root and extra storage option on it.
The mojo looks like a good option, I might go for this.
I've been using a Fire TV Stick for about a week now, after you sideload Kodi (and then use your Amazon account to install Kodi on another device, so you trick the FireTV into showing Kodi in your Recent apps on the home screen) I don't think you can beat the bang for the buck.
I'm about to order the Minix X8-H Plus. This thing seems a lot better than the AFTV! I have a 256gb SD card lying around, so I can't wait to throw it in this thing. It has 2gb RAM, 2.0ghz Quad-Core Processor, SD slot, three USB 2.0 ports, gigabit ethernet, 16gb eMMC, 4K2K UHD video playback, Octo-Core Mali-450 GPU, Dual-Band Wi-Fi 802.11ac and 4K H.265 / HEVC Hardware Decoding Support.
It looks like they're going for around $150-$160. Check it out:
http://www.minix.com.hk/Products/NEO-X8-H-Plus-Android-TV.html
papars said:
Your suggestion is valid but I'm in europe and not really in need for netflix.
The price for sealed older FTVs seems somewhat high and by reading articles I see that even the SN wont warranty a rootable box.
In the meantime I will try to h/w root my box and see what comes out of this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just got a firetv from ebay and its rootable. I've done about 28 mods and haven't seen one with series 305 which are the incorrect ones.
shutterslaps said:
I'm about to order the Minix X8-H Plus. This thing seems a lot better than the AFTV! I have a 256gb SD card lying around, so I can't wait to throw it in this thing. It has 2gb RAM, 2.0ghz Quad-Core Processor, SD slot, three USB 2.0 ports, gigabit ethernet, 16gb eMMC, 4K2K UHD video playback, Octo-Core Mali-450 GPU, Dual-Band Wi-Fi 802.11ac and 4K H.265 / HEVC Hardware Decoding Support.
It looks like they're going for around $150-$160. Check it out:
http://www.minix.com.hk/Products/NEO-X8-H-Plus-Android-TV.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats a sweet box for sure.. I am not too sure its a fair comparison though.. My AFTV cost me $80 and came with a remote. The $145 standalone box is more than twice as much if you get a controller. My Android MiniPC's (older) have been disappointing when trying to run Kodi etc.. which led me to the snappy performance of AFTV.. This box looks to have all the power you could need. Should be fun to have
This note on the webpage should be noted as well - The NEO X8-H Plus only supports standard definition Netflix. Netflix 1080p HD and 4K UHD resolution are not available on any MINIX NEO Series devices
I have been watching the Razer Forge TV box as well it looks to be a beast for $99
Now that RPi has its own forum and this is getting a lot of visibility, would be cool if people who has made a CUSTOM/HOMEMADE case for Raspberry Pi can showcase it here. Can be screenshots, descriptions, anything ie:
Model: RPi B+
Materials used: blabla
Running Os: blabla
[photos here]
Thanks in advance for your contributions!
Raspberry Pi Model A.
Selfbuilded with acryl+hard carton.
Sensor on chip for temperature.
Coolingfan from AMD boxed edition Quadcore 955.
Running on 950 mhz Overclocked OpenElec/Kali Linux/Debian OS.
Some early shots are from my PIrolleo Project attached too
Pi 2
Model: RPi 2 B
Materials used: plexiglass
Running Os: Raspian
Combining my love of Lego and tech.
By no means an original idea, but did give me an excuse to spend a happy half hour sifting through my Lego for matching yellow pieces. Amazing how the Pi fits perfectly too.
moralesnery said:
Now that RPi has its own forum and this is getting a lot of visibility, would be cool if people who has made a CUSTOM/HOMEMADE case for Raspberry Pi can showcase it here. Can be screenshots, descriptions, anything ie:
Model: RPi B+
Materials used: blabla
Running Os: blabla
[photos here]
Thanks in advance for your contributions!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pi B #1:
Pi B #2:
Pi 2:
Holy crap that acrylic case is sexy!
I've had THE hardest time trying to look for an OTG cable for my phone in order to have a better experience with mobile gaming/ emulators. Once I finally was able to find and pick one up, I soon found out that it was not compatible with my Samsung Galaxy core prime [sm-360t1].. In a desperate search to find a device that was compatible but still inexpensive, I realized it would be better to just buy a Bluetooth gaming controller instead of a whole new device. I did some research on PS4 controllers and it's compatibility with Android devices, and I had some good feedback with that research. BUT! I'm still sceptical on if it will work only because when I did research on connecting controllers via OTG cable, A lot of people if not most said that it would work for ALL android devices which is not the case. Same goes for connecting PS4 controllers to Android devices, Every single person that has reviewed this has said it works for ALL android devices 4.0 and up. I wanna know if this is the case for my Galaxy core prime [sm-360t1] before I spend money on this controller and it turns out that it's not. Please if anyone has any knowledge of this I would appreciate if you shared it with me. Thank you!
x
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I had also heard about PS4 controllers having blue tooth in them unlike the Xbox one controllers. Im pretty sure it should work for your phone , I haven't heard about any android devices not being able to connect to one.
As long as the games will not be specifically developed for controllers (like on Android TV), it will be a hit and miss! (Some games will work, some will work with intermediate apps, emulators might all work and some games will not work at all)
Recently purchased a hp pavilion eh1070wm laptop from Walmart as it was on sale for 599$ and needed a upgrade my 2011 MacBook Pro well technically mid 2010 but was manufactured in early 2011. The hp has as base 8gb of ram but can be upgraded to 32gb of ddr 4 3200mhz and can actually handle a 2tb Samsung evo 970 nvme drive as I thought with that capacity and faster speeds vs original that it would overheat apparently not which I’m glad it can handle it just fine so far. Went from 512gb to 2tb and ram upgrade as mentioned before . Well if I’m allowed since there’s barely any reviews for it out in the wild I will do one if this gets enough votes, and people wanting me to do so. Forgot to mention it has a AMD Ryzen 5700u with boost clock up to 4.2 ghz though base is 1.8. Hopefully this helps someone wondering about this model. Geekbench 5 scores and how it looks are in the attached images. If anyone wants a review of this laptop be free to let me know if I’m in the green to proceed
Robot or human?
One more thing this laptop can run Linux but a few caveats. For the Wi-Fi you need a Linux kernel module driver for the rtl card which I’m on my phone, so tomorrow I will tell you guys which card it has. Hopefully the next Linux kernel release adds this card for support if not no real big deal at least for me. Also it states it comes with a intel wireless card if you look up the laptop model on hps site, but if your like me and bought from Walmart new than you may get the Realtek version. One more thing it does indeed come with windows 11 not 10 as it stated, but your shipment may come with 10 and the intel wireless card so
Also for those that may have this laptop, look here for help In getting Linux running as someone on GitHub and Reddit that has a Lenovo laptop with similar specs got it working but needed to do a few things but it’s possible at least. It’s a wonderful windows 11/10 business laptop out of the box. Also it can do some light gaming like forza 5 at medium and a setting or two at high with about 33-40 fps at 1080p and halo master chief collection with all halo games so far on normal with 45-60 fps. I’m gonna stop as I basically did a mini review.
GitHub - jrandiny/yoga-slim7-ubuntu: Notes and instruction about running Linux (Ubuntu) on Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 (AMD)
Notes and instruction about running Linux (Ubuntu) on Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 (AMD) - GitHub - jrandiny/yoga-slim7-ubuntu: Notes and instruction about running Linux (Ubuntu) on Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 (AMD)
github.com
https://www.reddit.com/r/linuxhardware/comments/p4vh6v/_/h95kw0q
I saw something in the forum rules about no promotion so I’m just making sure. I see many others doing device reviews so I’m guessing it’s fine to do so.
Tom33231 said:
One more thing this laptop can run Linux but a few caveats. For the Wi-Fi you need a Linux kernel module driver for the rtl card which I’m on my phone, so tomorrow I will tell you guys which card it has. Hopefully the next Linux kernel release adds this card for support if not no real big deal at least for me. Also it states it comes with a intel wireless card if you look up the laptop model on hps site, but if your like me and bought from Walmart new than you may get the Realtek version. One more thing it does indeed come with windows 11 not 10 as it stated, but your shipment may come with 10 and the intel wireless card so
Also for those that may have this laptop, look here for help In getting Linux running as someone on GitHub and Reddit that has a Lenovo laptop with similar specs got it working but needed to do a few things but it’s possible at least. It’s a wonderful windows 11/10 business laptop out of the box. Also it can do some light gaming like forza 5 at medium and a setting or two at high with about 33-40 fps at 1080p and halo master chief collection with all halo games so far on normal with 45-60 fps. I’m gonna stop as I basically did a mini review.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi! I'm thinking of upgrading my laptop and this model caught my attention because of the technical specifications. I have a question, how is the battery life? I'm going to give it heavy use for development (nodejs and javascript) under Ubuntu 20.04. You recommend me ?
EugenioT said:
Hi! I'm thinking of upgrading my laptop and this model caught my attention because of the technical specifications. I have a question, how is the battery life? I'm going to give it heavy use for development (nodejs and javascript) under Ubuntu 20.04. You recommend me ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would suggest running latest the Linux kernel on which ever distro you decide to run. I Found latest ubuntu 20.04 lts works well with Kde plasma haven't tested other distros but one thing to consider is that the Wifi Chipset is a RTL8852AE Wifi 6. Some others come with the intel one I just got a bit unlucky but after looking for the kernel module for this and researching I found as long as you do tethering to the laptop from a phone or connect a WIFI dongle temporarily that's all ready in the kernel and follow the instructions the internal wifi will work. Everything else Audio, Usb C, Trackpad, Keyboard, Web Cam thought only 720p but hardware fault, and etc works out of the box at least. Heres the wifi driver.
GitHub - lwfinger/rtw89: Driver for Realtek 8852AE, an 802.11ax device
Driver for Realtek 8852AE, an 802.11ax device. Contribute to lwfinger/rtw89 development by creating an account on GitHub.
github.com
Battery life on power saver or balanced CPU governor is about 4 to 5 hours depending on use. If you decide to go for performance than battery life is more like 2 to 3 with heavy use. I mainly bought this laptop as a desktop replacement which works great for me because the Usb C does HDMI and I have the laptop screen so I have a total of 3 screens when needed and the Cpu, Apu, and Memory for great performance comparable to the Ryzen 7 5700G but more like the AMD Ryzen 5 3600G which is perfect for me when it comes to compiling and such. I usually use this laptop plugged in with my monitor setup except when I need to go somewhere which these days and remote work is usually never especially with Covid. Some point I plan to organize this thread or create one for reviewing this Laptop. Depending on what people want I will probably just keep this as is and change the title/heading to HP Pavilion EH1070WM Laptop review. Also sorry its been a month I have been busy lately with online college along side with work.