• i_stole_ur_taco@lemmy.ca
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    5 months ago

    Any recommendations on shopping for an Android set top box? Every time I start down the rabbit hole I feel like I’m just getting AI-written SEO scam fake review sites.

    • Diabolo96@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      5 months ago

      I can’t really give you recommendations because you’re from Canada and I am from a shitty third world country, so my needs and available choices are likely vastly different from yours. My only source is AliExpress, and I mostly don’t care about the Android box being certified by Google so Netflix & co. work (at least I believe that’s what the Google certification is for) because I sail the high sea.

      TL;DR: Better to ask local groups.

      That said, here’s my recommendation based on my own limited experience:

      • A Xiaomi box would be a good choice if you want a product from a big international company.

      • A Mecool Android box is also a good choice since they are Google certified and have decent hardware like DDR4 RAM and somewhat decent CPUs. Just avoid the boxes with the AMLOGIC 905Y4 CPU (which uses the weak ARM Cortex-A35 cores) and only go for the ones with the AMLOGIC 905X4 (ARM Cortex-A55 cores). Otherwise, they both have the same GPU (Mali-G31 MP2) which should suffice for an Android box.

      • A more specific recommendation would be the Kinkhank G1 which has an AMLOGIC 905X4, 4GB DDR4, and 32GB of ROM and is Google certified.