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USB Blu-ray or DVD players that work with the Transformer Infinity

I've seen a Portable USB Blu-ray players posted on Amazon.com from Panasonic ($55-60) and Samsung ($85). But some require an AC adapter and others require 2 USB ports to power them.
Has anyone tried one with the Infinity? Can you please tell me your experience?
Here are some links to relevant discussion:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1033887
Another XDA thread about Android and External DVD/Blu-Ray Players
http://www.transformerforums.com/fo...54-tf201-dock-usb-external-bluray-drives.html
Basically says that Android lacks UDF 2.5 filesystem support as well as an OEM to build Android drivers for their Blu-ray player.
http://www.transformerforums.com/fo...ns/9784-usb-port-play-external-dvd-drive.html
Here is a drama and information filled thread that covers a lot of related topics. The basic result is that they don't expect Blu-ray support on the Transformer line, ever, as digital content is what is being pushed now. Google especially has a Play Store designed to get you to buy movies and shows in digital format and not on BD or DVD.
http://www.transformerforums.com/forum/asus-video/3377-play-bluray-external-usb-bluray-drive.html
Another thread with basically the same info. Not much to read.
I'll update this thread with more information as I research this topic.
The basic issue that I'm trying to address is the following:
I'm trying to replace my mother in law's old Acer laptop with an Infinity. I've been able to resolve my questions about printer and printing support from the Infinity. I've also resolved just about every other question that would stand in the way of doing this. The last remaining issue is that she owns a number of DVDs (and very few BDs) and she enjoys watching them when she travels. She does have a portable DVD player, but it is a shame to watch that poor quality screen when you have a 1280 Super IPS+ screen sitting next to it.
So I'm kind of on the fence right now. There are certainly some thoughts that I should just make things easy and return the Infinity and get her another laptop. But Windows has already caused her endless troubles over the last 4 years and I would really like to avoid repeating that. I'm not really looking forward to sitting down and ripping all of her existing DVDs, but I guess that it could be done over the period of some weeks. Hrm...

Splaktar said:
I've seen a Portable USB Blue-ray players posted on Amazon.com from Panasonic ($55-60) and Samsung ($85). But some require an AC adapter and others require 2 USB ports to power them.
Has anyone tried one with the Infinity? Can you please tell me your experience?
I'll update this thread with more information as I research this topic.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your issue is not getting the hardware to work, with the right drivers you might very well get to use the drive as a data drive, but there is no software apps for android to decrypt commercial blue ray movies. If you want to have it as a drive then you may eventually get drivers in a custom ROM to make this work, but in the near future you're not gonna get commercial blue ray movies on your tab. Your best bet is to rip the movie on a computer move it to your tab or play it off the network.
Also keep in mind that Blu-rays come in 2 major flavors right now, some use h.264 video and some use vc1 video, the infinity can easily play back full spec h.264, but I have had no luck getting it to play back vc1.

Updated the OP with links to related discussions and a blurb about why I'm looking into this. I have to make a decision in the next couple weeks about keeping the Infinity or returning it and going with a traditional laptop.

Guess what - I was just able to connect my portable USB DVD burner to my TF700, mount a DVD and actually read it!! I remember trying this with the TF101 and would not work but it's working on TF700! Here's how (have to be rooted, I believe):
1. Connect the USB DVD device (I'm using a Toshiba "Portable Super Multi Drive").
2. Insert a DVD
3. Create a directory to mount the DVD to:
# mkdir /mnt/cdrom
4. Mount the DVD:
# mount -t iso9660 /dev/block/sr0 /mnt/cdrom
5. That's it! If you do a "ls -l /mnt/cd", you'll see your CD/DVD files! You can now see the DVD files via ES FIle Explorer, etc too!
So, I can now read DVD's with my TF700 - something that was always lacking with my Transformer!
What would really be cool is to be able to write DVD's now!
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 2

jtrosky said:
Guess what - I was just able to connect my portable USB DVD burner to my TF700, mount a DVD and actually read it!! I remember trying this with the TF101 and would not work but it's working on TF700! Here's how (have to be rooted, I believe):
1. Connect the USB DVD device (I'm using a Toshiba "Portable Super Multi Drive").
2. Insert a DVD
3. Create a directory to mount the DVD to:
# mkdir /mnt/cdrom
4. Mount the DVD:
# mount -t iso9660 /dev/block/sr0 /mnt/cdrom
5. That's it! If you do a "ls -l /mnt/cd", you'll see your CD/DVD files! You can now see the DVD files via ES FIle Explorer, etc too!
So, I can now read DVD's with my TF700 - something that was always lacking with my Transformer!
What would really be cool is to be able to write DVD's now!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome! But can you actually play a DVD movie via any of the available media players?

Splaktar said:
Awesome! But can you actually play a DVD movie via any of the available media players?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will give it a shot (need to find a DVD - haven't used one in years - stream EVERYTHING now!). I highly doubt it will work via video DVD"s though as they are encrypted, etc...
I'll report back.
But, being able to read data CD's/DVD's fixed that one last thing that you could still do on a laptop, but not on a Transformer (read optical media)...
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 2

[email protected] >>>
In short > since its for OLD FOLKS > who often get easily frustrated @ things not workin right from first try ,,,,
IMHO... and having helped number of folks in that generation(s) .... i would buy her a LAPTOP ... you can get one with BD player easy for less than "infinity+DOCK" now
SOLVED !!

Ausmike said:
[email protected] >>>
In short > since its for OLD FOLKS > who often get easily frustrated @ things not workin right from first try ,,,,
IMHO... and having helped number of folks in that generation(s) .... i would buy her a LAPTOP ... you can get one with BD player easy for less than "infinity+DOCK" now
SOLVED !!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the thing. Her old laptop hasn't 'just worked'. The webcam drivers have to be reinstalled every 2 months. The firewall and virus scan pop ups are needed but cause great confusion. Automatic backups have been problematic. The battery doesn't last long enough. The laptop is too heavy. It gets too hot. Her fingers get tired and sore using a keyboard and mouse.
So really an ultrabook with an external bd player might be the best solution if money wasn't an issue. But that is currently $350 more and doesn't have a touch interface or the ability to remove the keyboard.

Well if dvd and bluray playback is required, i think your best bet may be to wait for the surface tabs and hope microsoft includes bluray/dvd decryption. Their intel based model will surely work but will also be ultrabook expensive.
Right now ripping and or streaming are your only real options.

Splaktar said:
The basic issue that I'm trying to address is the following:
I'm trying to replace my mother in law's old Acer laptop with an Infinity. I've been able to resolve my questions about printer and printing support from the Infinity. I've also resolved just about every other question that would stand in the way of doing this. The last remaining issue is that she owns a number of DVDs (and very few BDs) and she enjoys watching them when she travels. She does have a portable DVD player, but it is a shame to watch that poor quality screen when you have a 1280 Super IPS+ screen sitting next to it.
So I'm kind of on the fence right now. There are certainly some thoughts that I should just make things easy and return the Infinity and get her another laptop. But Windows has already caused her endless troubles over the last 4 years and I would really like to avoid repeating that. I'm not really looking forward to sitting down and ripping all of her existing DVDs, but I guess that it could be done over the period of some weeks. Hrm...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would recommend you help her convert her movie collection to a digital portable format. It's a little time consuming at first, but once you are used to doing it you can do it overnight and not really notice the time it takes.
There are sooo many tools out there for converting videos. I love free ones (Handbrake, MediaCoder, DVDShrink, DVDFab HD Free) but they take a lot more work to learn how to use properly, in my opinion. There are easier to use tools like the DVDFab suite which will rip (copy) and convert all in one. Many of the free ones require you to use two or three programs to achieve your goal. One of my favorite compression programs is TMPGEnc, but it isn't free and it doesn't "rip" (copy) discs by itself either so you still need something to copy. It is very powerful and works very well.
What ever you pic, plan on taking some time to learn how to use it right, find guides on how to use it and experiment. Once you settle on what works for you and her, you can usually streamline it and make it easier.

Thanks guys, seems like a lot of work just to watch a video. Like mentioned I stream everything as well. I guess this would be good for road trips and hooking the tf700 to a dash. Thanks!

Thanks for the compilation. Any new / recent news / updates?

johnlgalt said:
Thanks for the compilation. Any new / recent news / updates?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been keeping my eyes open for news about this or new BD players designed for Android. So far nothing new but I haven't done any more in depth research. Probably soon...

Yeah, in another thread jrotsky said that ISO9660 support in 10.4.4.16 seems to have disappeared....if that is the case then that seems more like a reversion to me....

Splaktar said:
I've seen a Portable USB Blu-ray players posted on Amazon.com from Panasonic ($55-60) and Samsung ($85). But some require an AC adapter and others require 2 USB ports to power them.
Has anyone tried one with the Infinity? Can you please tell me your experience?
Here are some links to relevant discussion:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1033887
Another XDA thread about Android and External DVD/Blu-Ray Players
http://www.transformerforums.com/fo...54-tf201-dock-usb-external-bluray-drives.html
Basically says that Android lacks UDF 2.5 filesystem support as well as an OEM to build Android drivers for their Blu-ray player.
http://www.transformerforums.com/fo...ns/9784-usb-port-play-external-dvd-drive.html
Here is a drama and information filled thread that covers a lot of related topics. The basic result is that they don't expect Blu-ray support on the Transformer line, ever, as digital content is what is being pushed now. Google especially has a Play Store designed to get you to buy movies and shows in digital format and not on BD or DVD.
http://www.transformerforums.com/forum/asus-video/3377-play-bluray-external-usb-bluray-drive.html
Another thread with basically the same info. Not much to read.
I'll update this thread with more information as I research this topic.
The basic issue that I'm trying to address is the following:
I'm trying to replace my mother in law's old Acer laptop with an Infinity. I've been able to resolve my questions about printer and printing support from the Infinity. I've also resolved just about every other question that would stand in the way of doing this. The last remaining issue is that she owns a number of DVDs (and very few BDs) and she enjoys watching them when she travels. She does have a portable DVD player, but it is a shame to watch that poor quality screen when you have a 1280 Super IPS+ screen sitting next to it.
So I'm kind of on the fence right now. There are certainly some thoughts that I should just make things easy and return the Infinity and get her another laptop. But Windows has already caused her endless troubles over the last 4 years and I would really like to avoid repeating that. I'm not really looking forward to sitting down and ripping all of her existing DVDs, but I guess that it could be done over the period of some weeks. Hrm...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why not use handbrake and rip all her content to dropbox or drive, then let her stream them? Problem solved
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app

dasunsrule32 said:
Why not use handbrake and rip all her content to dropbox or drive, then let her stream them? Problem solved
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mostly just because she gets new content every week or so. That would mean that I'd be spending a lot of my time ripping discs. It's obviously an option, but I'm not sure how effective it will be.
I did keep the TF700 and am still planning on giving it to her, but I still might end up just keeping it for myself and giving her a new laptop instead. One issue with just streaming everything from the Play Store or Amazon, etc is that she lives in Peru most of the year and many of those streaming services are not allowed/supported there. I've also heard stories of people traveling from the US to Europe and being unable to access their purchased video content from the Play Store due to the country that they were in.
I'm not sure if Drive/Dropbox/Box have any of those issues with access/support internationally or not.

i brought one but it had two usb ports and didnt read on my tablet

NO HDMI for the GT-P3113 tab 2 7.0 (returning)

I am seriously considering that the tab 2 7.0 needs to be returned for lack of HDMI support. I have called Samsung three times concerning HDMI or TV out support, they told me it is coming. But the tab 2 10.1 now has HDMI support, so I am thinking that 7.0 support might never materialize.
Has anyone else decided to return thier 7.0 for lack of HDMI support? Has anyone tried and been successful? I bought mine from Amazon the first week.

I dont understand why people buy these devices and start crying about hdmi support, honestly who gives a crap?
In reality how many times will you exactly use the feature? Netflix? Xfinity? Because last i seen xbox 360 has the apps.
Unless you doing powerpoint presentations then its a pointless feature. A tablet is a "portable device" meaning its meant for you to carry it around for portable entertainment, i highly doubt you gonna carry a hdmi cable around and plug it into every tv you see.....
Sent from my GT-P3113 using XDA Premium App

rvdangel630 said:
I dont understand why people buy these devices and start crying about hdmi support, honestly who gives a crap?
In reality how many times will you exactly use the feature? Netflix? Xfinity? Because last i seen xbox 360 has the apps.
Unless you doing powerpoint presentations then its a pointless feature. A tablet is a "portable device" meaning its meant for you to carry it around for portable entertainment, i highly doubt you gonna carry a hdmi cable around and plug it into every tv you see.....
Sent from my GT-P3113 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't own an Xbox and do not subscribe to Netflix. I do have a lot of movies that are watched on my tab and when visiting friends they sometimes want to share a movie viewing together, when they are not pretending to be a soldier or a badman of course. There are times when stuck in a hotel room before a regional meeting and I need to review a presentation that bigger would be better. But the main reason I would consider returning the tab is because it was sold with HDMI support.
Imagine if your game would not allow you to get the BIG gun you spents weeks trying to earn.
Okay, just kidding a little.
:laugh:

Didn't know we were supposed to have HDMI support. Any idea how they added the support to the 10.1" model?
I had a microHDMI spot on my Droid Charge and never used it and didn't know anyone that used it more than one or two times just to see if it worked. IMO, it's more of a gimmick than anything else. I would think that using the AllShare app that comes with the tablet would be easier to use than playing around with HDMI cables.

Well if you knew you needed hdmi then you should of gotten one that has support for it. But instead you whine about not having it. If you needed it that bad there are plenty other tablets. But instead you opted to get the cheapest tablet on the market and hoped to get support for it later. Its stupid to start a thread about an item you returning anyway. Just my opinion.
And to add hdmi is not the only way to share a movie at a friends house, and most hotels still have not upgraded there tube tvs so its still pointless.
Sent from my GT-P3113 using XDA Premium App

rvdangel630 said:
Well if you knew you needed hdmi then you should of gotten one that has support for it. But instead you whine about not having it. If you needed it that bad there are plenty other tablets. But instead you opted to get the cheapest tablet on the market and hoped to get support for it later. Its stupid to start a thread about an item you returning anyway. Just my opinion.
And to add hdmi is not the only way to share a movie at a friends house, and most hotels still have not upgraded there tube tvs so its still pointless.
Sent from my GT-P3113 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Truly dude !!! i don't think anybody is whinning, The first manual clearly stated that the tab2 7.0 supported this feature, nobody made this crap up!!! Samsung did, so anybody that purchased the TAB2 with this feature in mind is screwed!!! now what? Return it, call Samsung and complain!!! Why does a customer have to go through this crap...seriously. So please don't give an opinion if you don't know the facts!!!
Thanks,

I would have returned this too. I am looking for a nice cheap tab with hdmi out to play stuff on my big screen tv. Did samsung release the fix

get an android set top box. The cost of the cable will be half of those boxes anyway

rvdangel630 said:
I dont understand why people buy these devices and start crying about hdmi support, honestly who gives a crap?
In reality how many times will you exactly use the feature? Netflix? Xfinity? Because last i seen xbox 360 has the apps.
Unless you doing powerpoint presentations then its a pointless feature. A tablet is a "portable device" meaning its meant for you to carry it around for portable entertainment, i highly doubt you gonna carry a hdmi cable around and plug it into every tv you see.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, this doesn't help the OP at all. Who are you to question how people use their devices? A tablet is a multimedia device that should have video output, and most of us do give a crap about it. That's why some of us purchased the first Galaxy Tab 7 CDMA/GSM. So what if the stupid xbox has apps?... a $60 DVD player has apps. They aren't portable. And, yes, we do carry HDMI cables around- like when we travel and connect the device to a hotel TV. But, I guess if you stay in your room all day playing video games, you don't really travel.
djashjones said:
get an android set top box. The cost of the cable will be half of those boxes anyway
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Another useless response. Don't get me wrong- I have a Logtitech Revue and love the Google TV. But, again, it isn't portable.
The lack of video output on the newer tablets is what keeps me from buying any of them. I still stick with my old SPH-P100 for it's features that the new ones don't have. I honestly don't see how these companies decide that HDMI out- either directly or indirectly- is worth the "savings". I personally would pay the extra $10 it takes to add it to the tablet. Hell, my Rezound is HDMI-out capable. Why can't a tablet have the same feature? Especially a 7" tablet, which is seriously too small for more than one person to watch anything. Sometimes you just need to show stuff on the big screen.
Android is all about versatility- and cutting back on the hardware is just tying the OS's hands. The companies should let the consumers decide which features to use instead of forcing them to accept the limited ones they provide. There has to be a way to get an all-around great mid-size tablet with every useful feature for under $250.
So, in answer to the OP- no, the new tablet doesn't appear at all to have any video output. I don't even think the old docks work with the new tablets. Otherwise, I would suggest rooting and flashing a different ROM that would support video out using the old multimedia dock. I also see that there is nothing in the tablet's specs mentioning any type of video output... so if it did before, shame on Samsung for false advertising.
It is possible for Samsung to add video output with a firmware update and a hardware adapter... the question is, will they?

I only interested when using the Gtab2 as presentation device (using Wifi to laptop, and then laptop to projector)
There's no need for HDMI anyway, the cable is expensive & too short

ITs' pretty clear from Samsung's specs on the G Tab 2 .7 that it does not have the hardware for HDMI. If you had bothered to read any of the reviews you would have seen they dropped that hardware as a way to cut the cost. You can't fix it if it don't exist in the device.

DigitalMD said:
ITs' pretty clear from Samsung's specs on the G Tab 2 .7 that it does not have the hardware for HDMI. If you had bothered to read any of the reviews you would have seen they dropped that hardware as a way to cut the cost. You can't fix it if it don't exist in the device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But... but, the original manual said it DID had the support for HDMI.

When I bought my US GT-P3113 it was advertised as having HDMI by every website that had a pre-released review posted. I was not satisfied by the third party confirmation for HDMI support. So I placed calls to Samsung support asking for a PDF user guide or confirmation that the tab supported HDMI. They confirmed that it would support HDMI but that the online user guide was not available for download.
I bought my tab from Amazon for $249.00 full retail the first week that it was released. The manual that was enclosed with the tab did verify that HDMI was supported. I asked people on this forum to confirm that it worked with thier HDTV adapter. They answered and the answer was "it does not work". I called Samsung and they told me that a new adapter was on the way and that my tab would support HDMI soon.
I waited a few months and then it became apparent that HDMI would never be supported. I called Amazon for a refund and at first they refused until a supervisor was engaged and they approved a fulll refund instantly.
After not having my tab for a week I stopped by MicroCenter in my area and they had the US GT-P3113 for $199.00. I bought it from them and it had the updated manual which does not state support for HDMI (Build date 06/2012), I am happy with my tab and use DNLA with my Samsung LED TV, but I would still like HDMI support.

Well I wasn't around for pre-release hype, but as it stands now, the P3113 has no hardware inside to support this function. The P6200 and P6210 (Gtab 7 Plus) both have hardware and do support the function. Bottom line is you cannot make software support hardware that doesn't exist.

DigitalMD said:
Bottom line is you cannot make software support hardware that doesn't exist.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow!!
:silly:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ob_AeSbB-qg
anyone know if this works?
---------- Post added at 10:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:34 PM ----------

shane1diamond said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ob_AeSbB-qg
anyone know if this works?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure, very easy! Just get the P1000 model of the tablet, and this accessory cable that they show. The Amazon link is in their blog post. But what does this video have to do with the Tab 2?

kt-Froggy said:
Sure, very easy! Just get the P1000 model of the tablet, and this accessory cable that they show. The Amazon link is in their blog post. But what does this video have to do with the Tab 2?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Aha! Apparently nothing. I thought the dude was using a tab 2 in the vid. Thanks for the clarification.

Wait for Chromecast or buy Justop A10

Looking to get an android based device for watching Netflix etc. and streaming from my media hub. Thought about repurposing my Galaxy S2 for this but as I can get at least £80 from mobile trade in sites I figure I'd go for this Justop A10 device: http://www.amazon.co.uk/JUSTOP-Andr...reamer/dp/B00D6LEABA/ref=pd_rhf_se_p_t_2_1QAV and keep the phone for a little longer.
However, I like the google cast functionality of the chromecast (probably work around this by using Chrome-to-phone) and the price of the chromecast. If I go for the Justop device (unless someone can recommend a better one at a better price) would it be unreasonable to expect that someday a developer will release a ROM that replicates the Chromecast? Is there anything that the Chromecast can do that these generic android sticks can't and vice versa?
Thanks,
empty

emptybee said:
If I go for the Justop device (unless someone can recommend a better one at a better price) would it be unreasonable to expect that someday a developer will release a ROM that replicates the Chromecast?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. Just get the chromecast if it does what you want, because it already does it. Well, once you can buy one. Keep in mind that it requires chrome on a PC someplace to play local files.

drinkypoo said:
Yes. Just get the chromecast if it does what you want, because it already does it. Well, once you can buy one. Keep in mind that it requires chrome on a PC someplace to play local files.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Decided to go for the Cozyswan S400 (also known as Justop K10A) in the end as will do everything the chromecast can do and more. Also want to start developing my own ROMs for android sticks so will give me a good device to test on (similar, if not identical, hardware to a lot of the other RK3188 devices).
Will probably pick up a Chromecast to play with when they arrive in the UK too as £20-25 is too good an opportunity.

What is the BEST i can get for 60$+-?

Hi,
I'm looking 2buy a straemer for kodi.
I made a big research upon that question read a lot.
Found some reccommandtions such as:
* NEXBOX A95X
* BEELINK GT1
* ZIDOO X9S
* Xiaomi Mi Box (maybe wont be relevant due to lack of RJ45 Ethernet? *important
What is for your opintion is the best for around 60$? Not only from the follwing...
Thansks!

Bro! Thanks for putting that initial list together. I was also considering some of those.... following this thread to see if any further input on affordable boxes similar to above.

Lets cross our finguers to responces

The new NVidia Shield TV dropped also. But that beast is $199 for standard and $299 for a pro. Heck for that much money might as well get an Intel mini-pc.

Cannot find a single reasson of buying a media pc (streamer is so 2010)

I personally am buying a T95Z box, specifically the easytone package off amazon.
The T95Z and the S96 boxes are loaded with newer chips and decent memory/storage and most are around $60. Check em out.
Sent from my OnePlus One using XDA Labs

Unless you need the video features the s905X supports, stay away from it..
It's billed as "the new SoC" by the sellers but it's over-all slower than the S905 - all it has is those few video feature extras... but generally slower all around.

OK
So it better choosing a S905 device.
But which one/s??
All around XDA, with around 7 MILLION membes - not any single recommandation?
Tnx!

So looking at the new zoomtak Uplus I might hold off and get that when more vendors start selling it. Check it out
h t t p ://www .zoomtak.net/product-item/4k-hd-tv-box-zoomtak-amlogic-s912-uplus/
As for right now, at that price point, best bet would be a sunvell t95z. It has the newer Amlogic S912 and better mali gpu than most. It'll handle 4k no problem.

Thanks
Also heard about the sunvell t95z.
Guess it supposed to be good...?
How is it compare to Beeling GT1?

Hardware wise they are identical. The launcher/ui's will be different, but is always customizable. If choosing between those two I'd say it would come down to price, accessories, and visual appeal. Since both will offer similar performance.
Sent from my OnePlus One using XDA Labs

mibox is the only answer, other ones are running ****ty android tablet version

A bit late shabydog, but give this video a watch. Might answer most of your questions.
h t t p s://youtu.be/VAMHe6eQQO8

This may be obvious, but did you consider a Fire TV stick? They're only 40 for the basic model and they're more than powerful enough to run Kodi. if that's all you're looking to do. they can also be rooted without problem and have custom ROM's in case you want a more traditional Android feel. I've got two running Kodi without any issues. You don't even need to go for the upgraded version with the voice search remote as you can download the fire tv remote app free from the Play store on any Android device and it has voice search built in. Unless you are looking to set up a PVR with Kodi, in which case the six gig storage would be an issue.

Guys have a look at this.
It might help you, especially if your main goal is to use KODI / SPMC / etc:
http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=252916

The Xiomi Mi Box 4K seems like a no brainier at ~$70. I've had it for maybe 6 months and it's very good. Runs Kodi v17 awesome, runs RetroArch awesome for gaming emulators, plus all the usual Android TV stuff like Chromecast, Netflix, YouTube, Spotify, etc. It still runs Android 6.0.1 but hopefully it'll get Android N soon. Some of the 4K/HDR stuff isn't perfect I've heard, but have mine set to 1080p, don't have a 4K TV anyway. I'd definitely buy it again though at this price point: http://www.mi.com/en/mibox/

Generic android set top box guide(i have a great many questions)

So, I was at Menards a couple weeks back and saw a generic looking android set top box for around 30$, and so I came here, and find there are a few different kinds of chips that they may use, so... my first question is...
What are the differences between those chips, which is the best, and how can you tell before purchasing, what you are buying, as well as how to buy a good one, as in what to look for, to avoid a bad purchase, and what specs to look for
The next question is, once I buy a generic looking set top box,(the one I saw was labeled abx-12 as a model) how easy is it to find roms for them, and will one rom work on them all
To be fair, I do know about phones, but im out of my depths here, but would like to get into set top boxes, and possibly putting custom roms like resurrection remix (my favorite), on them... i would like this thread to eventually be a guide for every set top newbie, such as myself, and this is the best android modding, and well, anything android, website in my opinion... if these answers can be found elsewhere on this site, condensed into a single thread, please link it, else, if you guys can help me and others like me, I would appreciate it...
I edited it with the right model... i put upx 12, when it was abx 12...

Oh... and id also like to know how much android version matters in set top box discussions as well...

Here's the link to the one I saw at Menards...
https://www.menards.com/main/electr...x-and-wi-fi-router/abx-12/p-1518075021952.htm

i just picked this QFX ABX-12 cheapo ATV box at Menards on Clearance for $20.
Pretty much what i expected, pos china thing.
the rom that is on it is ancient android 7.1 from 2018.
update does not work.
came searching here on XDA to see if maybe someone had easy way to root/re-flash this model box and put a decent ATV rom on it, newer os at least.
but, seems no one cares about these cheap china no name boxes.

Hi, you woukd need to find out what SOC is in your box (amlogic,rockchip ect...) and what model (s905x, s905w ect...) or what bootloade (eg p212, p281 ect...)

The QFX ABX-12 uses the Amlogic S905X, has 1 GB RAM and 8 GB flash. At $25 I might grab one just to mess around with.

I picked up a Transpeed_6k from a Chinese supplier for under €30 to play around with an as a stopgap for my dead Humax box. It runs Android 9.0, has 4GB/64GB memory. CPU-Z tells me that the SOC is Allwinner H6 @ 1.49 GHz, with 4 ARM A53 cores. Bootloader is unknown and no root.
The operation is fast, but the navigation is painful - you have to constantly toggle the mouse mode on and off and you can't scroll the screen. I contacted the supplier because the lack of scrolling prevents Netflix from working. The solution was to install a previous version of the Netflix app. It's still awkward to use. BBC iplayer works with limited scrolling which means you have to use the search function to find TV shows.
I also thought of maybe using it as a Chromecast receiver (like my Mi TV stick does), so I installed Allcast Receiver, but it wouldn't work.
I've also tried using a phone as an external mouse, but that too doesn't let you scroll.
That's it. I haven't managed to find any way of changing the ROM or OS. I suppose not many people are spending time on these boxes.