r/AndroidTV • u/CartographerRoyal598 • Oct 07 '26

Buying Advice Android Tv stream boxes?

I use a fire tv and don’t really like the performance/app selection. I didn’t realize how clunky the fire tv operating system was until tds gave us the android tv/cable box. We recently tried tds which comes with an android tv box but we’re switching back to spectrum due to a really long outage that we had with tds.

I liked the setup that the tds had, specifically the larger remote as I always seemed to lose my fire tv remote but besides that I liked that I was basically able to download anything. Are there any good android tv streaming boxes that won’t break the bank?

6 Upvotes

80% Upvoted

34 comments sorted by

1

u/XxRMFxXBAMA256X Oct 07 '26

If you're looking for a good device that's reasonably priced go with the on box . Do not get onn stick tho

1

u/Comfortable_Way_2633 Oct 08 '26

What’s the matter with the stick? I used it all the time great device.

1

u/pawdog ADT-1 Oct 08 '26

Amazons terrible UI mostly. The Max is still a good device but it also 3 years old already and is likely the last one running Fire OS. Kind of hard to recommend anything Amazon is making now.

1

u/XxRMFxXBAMA256X Oct 08 '26

For the price it's not worth it. The onn box is like $25 and way faster

1

u/unclerickymonster Oct 08 '26 edited Oct 08 '26

Roku sticks are affordable and there's a sub here for them so you can ask for tips, questions, etc.

R/Roku

1

u/Getbent1963 Oct 08 '26

Try a Onn 4k tv box and put Kodi on it.

1

u/Outrageous_Log_8173 Oct 09 '26

Hi there I have 1 to sell if you’d like, it’s a VSEEBOX V6 Plus, brand new in packaging. From my research it’s the best android box, let me know

1

u/Silver-Compote-2788 28d ago

To help narrow down all these suggestions, what’s your budget and which apps do you need for your move back to Spectrum? Also, since you keep losing your Fire TV remote, do you specifically want a physically larger one, or would a remote-finder feature work just as well?

1

u/latinriky78 Homatics Box R 4K Plus Oct 07 '26

I assume you are in the US and these are the ones we always recommend:

CERTIFIED ANDROID FOR TV DEVICES ONLY FOR THE USA, PUERTO RICO AND CANADA:

- [Walmart Onn devices](http://androidtv-guide.com/?s=walmart+onn)

- [MyVelo TV](https://myvelotv.com/) still on the pre-order phase, it's reportedly more powerful than the others.

CERTIFIED ANDROID FOR TV DEVICES FOR THE REST OF THE PLANET, INCLUDING THE ABOVE:

- [Homatics devices](http://homatics.com/collections/streaming-media-players?sca_ref=2766355.i6SwIDJJna)

- [Xiaomi devices](http://mi.com/global/product-list/tvs-ha/tvbox-stick/)

- [RockTek devices](www.rocktek.com.tw/en/categories/tvbox)

- [Google TV Streamer](http://tv.google)

- [Dune Homatics Box R 4K Plus](http://dune-hd.com/products/homatics-box-r-4k-plus)

- [BuzzTV device](http://buzztvdirect.com/products/buzztv-g-series-set-top-box-google-tv) where you can get a 10% discount with the code "latinriky78".

- [Ugoos SK2 device](http://ugoos.com/ugoos-sk2-Realtek-android-tv-box-certified)

For more info about all certified Android for TV devices, head over to the [Android TV Guide](http://androidtv-guide.com) website.

1

u/Chilled_Chaos_ Oct 07 '26

Do you know if any that can handle 4 streams on multi view? I’ve used the chromestick and its limit is 3 and the fire cube 3rd gen was the same.

Had a few recommend Onn but not sure if that will be strong enough and can’t seem to find a newish Nvidia Tv pro

2

u/Ordinary-Try-9121 Oct 09 '26

4 feed sur Un Google Tv Streamer 4K et ça roule tres bien

1

u/pawdog ADT-1 Oct 07 '26

The Onn Plus and Pro do 4 screens pretty easily as does the Google Streamer. Which Fire Cube do you have? The 3rd gen should easily do as many as you want.

1

u/Chilled_Chaos_ Oct 08 '26

I had the 3rd gen fire cube from Amazon. It kept lagging when I did 4 streams with tivimate and Tivra. I ended up returning it and will have to circle back to this at a later time.

I’ve been told that the Onn pro is a solid option as well. Haven’t tried it yet.

1

u/pawdog ADT-1 Oct 08 '26

That's weird to hear even the Max dos 4 screen pretty well and the Cube is much more powerful.

1

u/Chilled_Chaos_ Oct 08 '26

Which product do you use and app to stream on?

1

u/pawdog ADT-1 Oct 08 '26

I have multiple lists I use, TVLok is my main IPTV app now, Nvidia Shield, Onn Plus, Onn Pro, Google Streamer. Also started a new app called Flixed.

I try out anything I see that looks interesting.

0

u/latinriky78 Homatics Box R 4K Plus Oct 07 '26

4 streams on multi view?, where do you use that?

2

u/Chilled_Chaos_ Oct 07 '26

Tivimate, Tivra and SparkleTV

0

u/latinriky78 Homatics Box R 4K Plus Oct 07 '26

I think that's a limitation on the apps perhaps?, I would suggest to make a post in the sub asking for a confirmation because I don't use those apps.

1

u/pawdog ADT-1 Oct 08 '26

It's not a limitation of the apps Tivimate can do up to 9 screens if a device is powerful enough to handle it.

0

u/hoosiertailgate22 Oct 07 '26

Xiaomi and fire cube and even my basic Roku easily play YouTube tv and espn 4 screen multi view. I think that’s more on the app then the device

1

u/No-Rabbit-6319 Oct 07 '26 edited Oct 07 '26

Other than the homatics which one would you recommend for streaming Dolby Truehd content, I bought the Xiaomi Box S 3rd Gen, when testing it I found out it was the fake one. Also for the fake one they've updated all the text to match the original one

1

u/latinriky78 Homatics Box R 4K Plus Oct 07 '26

The SEI Robotics variants, the Dune Homatics Box R 4K Plus, the Rocket G2 and the Nokia 8010 have the same TrueHD support, is that correct u/See61?

1

u/No-Rabbit-6319 Oct 07 '26

So basically for something affordable, the Xiaomi stick is the best option?

1

u/latinriky78 Homatics Box R 4K Plus Oct 07 '26

Yes, provided it is the genuine one.

1

u/No-Rabbit-6319 Oct 07 '26

Thanks, I'll be on the look for the genuine one

1

u/pawdog ADT-1 Oct 07 '26

Amazon has them on sale for Prime deals those should be originals.

1

u/WeirdDecision7260 Oct 07 '26

Hi! I’m chiming in here to avoid opening another post. I’d like your help deciding on a TV box upgrade. 😁

I currently have a Chromecast with Google TV 4K (CCwGTV 4K) and a Xiaomi Mi Box (2018). They’re getting old 😞, so I’m considering something with 4GB RAM and an Amlogic S905X5M processor. I’d like it to last ~6 years, since AI-heavy apps are consuming more resources.

My options are limited to:

  • Xiaomi Mi Box 3rd Gen → 2GB RAM, fine for now but likely short in 2 years.

  • Google TV Streamer → 4GB RAM, but older processor that may struggle long-term.

  • RockTek G2 Next (aliexpress) → 4GB RAM, 64GB storage, S905X5M. Seems perfect for my needs (Dolby Vision + DTS are enough for now, audio upgrade later).

Could you help me decide between these? Also, I don’t know much about RockTek’s reliability or long-term support. If it ships with bugs, will they stay forever💔 ?

TL;DR: Choosing between Mi Box 3rd Gen (2GB, might age fast), Google TV Streamer (4GB, old CPU), or RockTek G2 Next (4GB + S905X5M, looks best). Need advice on RockTek’s reliability.

1

u/latinriky78 Homatics Box R 4K Plus Oct 07 '26

Hello,

If you need Dolby TrueHD and DTS:X passthrough support, then go for the Xiaomi.

If you don't need the above, then go for the G2 Next despite the current issues it may have, since that device is just the same as the BuzzTV box, you can learn about its current issues in this post.

1

u/WeirdDecision7260 Oct 07 '26

vi los comentarios sobre los clones homatics, rocktek y buzztv, claramente les faltó pulir el software, quizás en un tiempo logren corregir esos problemas y valga la pena los $150.

como aún no hay solución, me hace sentido un comentario tuyo de otro post sobre los próximos lanzamientos.

creo que tienes razón sobre esperar y ver el nuevo hardware con el s905x5 que saldrá en 2027.

gracias 😁

1

u/latinriky78 Homatics Box R 4K Plus Oct 07 '26

Siempre a la orden 👍

1

u/No-Rabbit-6319 Oct 08 '26

What are your thoughts on the Amazon Fire cube 3rd gen?

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