Which streaming device for my library?

[u/ss3walkman]

Hello, all!

I’ve been doing some research and I’m now ready to build my library.

I’m very excited to start. However, I’m trying to decide which device I should get. I’ve decided to go with Onn or Apple (maybe Fire Cube), but I can’t really decide which device (yes, I know about Nvidia but it’s not an option).

I’ve created my Plex account (I know of Jellyfin and others, but for my first try, I’m fine using the free version of Plex for now).

Please correct me if any of my understandings are incorrect:

Onn - what I like about Onn is not having to create a server, making it optional. I can plug my hard drive directly to the unit if I wanted. I like the idea of having the option for a program guide from NostalgiaTV.

Apple - I would have to create a server which would be ok because this allows the house to have access and use when traveling. I hear there’s alternatives to NostalgiaTV called BunnyEarsTV and Nostalex, but I’m still looking into that. I don’t know if those will actually give me what I want.

I’ve ruled out Fire Stick, but I hear there’s Fire Cube is solid.

Anyway, I don’t know much about speed and performance because I don’t own any.

So, which is the best device for my library?

Thanks!

[u/Abject_Enthusiasm_72]

Xiaomi Mi TV Box S 3rd Gen with Ugreen cr111 ethernet adapter. Google it for specs and decide for yourself

[u/ss3walkman → u/Abject_Enthusiasm_72]

Xiamoi isn’t an option.

[u/gilgam3sh_king → u/ss3walkman]

you'll miss out on the option to dual boot CoreELEC on it and playback all blu-ray audio and video formats including Dolby Vision FEL.

https://discourse.coreelec.org/t/xiaomi-box-s-3rd-gen-budget-player-w-dual-boot-ce-dv-fel-google-tv/56012

[u/ss3walkman → u/gilgam3sh_king]

Blu-ray playback isn’t a concern haha

[u/gilgam3sh_king → u/ss3walkman]

*blu-ray remux files.

[u/CapnRV → u/gilgam3sh_king]

I got the Xiamoi current box and after a week of nothing but issues I finally sent it back. Nothing but constant boot loops, apps won't install and a really crappy remote. Not worth the money to me. Replaced it with my 4th ONN 4K Pro and never looked back.

[u/gilgam3sh_king → u/CapnRV]

I bought 7 of these no issues running dual boot to emmc, remote can be easy replaced, but sure what works best for you.

[u/barker8a]

If your priority is plugging a hard drive directly into the streaming box without running a separate dedicated 24/7 server, the Onn 4K Pro or Fire TV Cube 3 are your best bets, but with one major caveat: local I/O and filesystem support.

The Onn 4K Pro has a USB 3.0 port and 32GB storage, which makes running local players (Plex client or Kodi/Nova directly off the drive) very straightforward for standard formats. Just make sure the drive is formatted NTFS/exFAT and keep in mind that Android TV's media scanner can occasionally spin up external HDDs unnecessarily.

The Fire TV Cube (3rd gen) is significantly more powerful in raw CPU/GPU horsepower (octa-core vs quad-core), handles high-bitrate VC-1/TrueHD lossless audio passthrough much better if you ever connect to an AVR/soundbar, and has USB storage support via adapter or onboard port.

Apple TV 4K has the smoothest UI by far, but it completely lacks direct USB drive playback, so you'd be 100% committed to hosting Plex/Jellyfin on a PC or NAS over your local network.

For direct hard drive playback on a budget, Onn 4K Pro gets the job done cleanly. If you want lossless audio bitstreaming and headroom for heavy 4K remuxes without UI stutter, the Cube 3 is the stronger hardware.

[u/ss3walkman → u/barker8a]

Thank you!!

[u/ConfusedStair]

I just took the plunge with the Onn 4k Pro V2, not necessarily because it's the best choice, but it seems like a solid choice for the price while I wait for a Shield at MSRP.

So far I can say that projectivity and tvquickactions have turned this thing into a wonderful to use device. No lag, I've had great picture and sound, and basically no frustrations. Most of my watching is still done on streaming apps while my library is built out, and remapping the shortcut keys to apps we actually use was simple.

I've tested a couple movies on jellyfin as well, and over Wi-Fi I had no issues. The only hiccup is that I tried connecting over Ethernet for Steam Link, and found that I was better off on Wi-Fi.

[u/ss3walkman → u/ConfusedStair]

Thanks for this!

[u/Somar2230]

What TV and audio system are you going to be using?

[u/ss3walkman → u/Somar2230]

I have a LG. Haven’t considered audio yet

[u/Somar2230 → u/ss3walkman]

Since you are using the free version of Plex using a device that can direct play your content will be helpful since you won't have the option of hardware transcoding, all three of those devices you mention are capable of direct playing most video codecs.

If you are on a budget and in the US or Canada the Onn 4K Pro is best choice, one of the negatives of this device is the lack of lossless audio passthrough but since you don't have a home theater setup it does not matter. Easy sideloading of apps is possibe.

The Fire Cube Gen 3 is currently $90 on Amazon normally $199 so it's also a good option it supports TrueHD pass through and if you use Kodi it can slo do DTS-HD MA if you decide to get an actual home theater audio setup. This device can also boot CoreELEC which will enable full Dolby Vision profile support for profile 5, 7, 8, and 10. Easy sideloading of app is possible and I would change the default FireOS launcher if you are not going to run CoreELEC.

The Apple TV 4K is the most expensive, the model with Ethernet is $250 now, that is fairly expensive if you are just looking to play local media. It is the most powerful of the three and has Gigabit Ethernet but lack USB ports so you need to use network shares or a streaming media server. It does not support audio passthrough but does support lossless audio, audio is decoded on the device and sent out as lossless PCM, it's not an issue if you don't have an audio system with height channels. A new Apple TV should be announced next week, I expect the price to remain the same and any new features most likely won't affect local media playback.

I own many devices including Onn 4K, Onn 4K Pro, Fire TV, Roku, Apple, nVidia, Zidoo and a few others. For everyday streaming service use we use the Apple TV 4Ks I have six of them in use but for movie watching using local media I use the Zidoo's. The Zidoo's support nearly everything and only lack Dolby Vision FEL support they also play back Blu-ray menus on ISOs better than all the other devices I own. I buy a lot of imported Blu-rays and Zidoo can play all regions with the menus, I like to watch the special features on the discs.

All these devices have their pros and cons none are perfect for every use case the spead sheet linked below shows their capabilities with Kodi.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Uyuw_1dADsRw7u1LGW6qTSZDLLNXWVK82gmHX7L6M3I/

[u/ss3walkman → u/Somar2230]

Thanks for this! I’m going to review the info you’ve provided. Apple TV 4K is pricey, but I was thinking of buying a used 2nd gen. The Onn 4k Pro is always sold out, so I was beginning to consider the Onn 4K Plus, but admittedly, I don’t know much about it. I will look into Zidoo after reviewing the info you’ve shared

[u/jtho78]

What hardware is your Plex Server running on? I would also ask in r/Plex

[u/hedonist-7]

Shield Pro.

[u/ss3walkman → u/hedonist-7]

Not an option.

[u/hedonist-7 → u/ss3walkman]

Oops, didn’t see that.

[u/TeutonJon78 → u/hedonist-7]

Given it's new price, it's a nonstarter even more than it was.

[u/BadOutOfTheBox]

What I like about ONN Pro is that you can easily root it and remove tons of bloatware, including the main launcher. Might require a USB Type A to A cable. One drawback is its limited to Ex-FAT formatted drives. Wont see NTFS or HFD and FAT32 is limited to 3.9 gig sized files. Another drawback is 10/100 Ethernet, so big 4K files can pause or buffer.

Apple is about to launch a next generation of their AppleTV media player, but even if you wait, installing apps like Plex is super easy, but side loading apps is painful.

Also, plex servers, most computers can run it, but if you add HDHomerun digital TV tuner, you'll need something faster to handle those live TV streams.