What is Kodi? Android TV Box Buyer’s Guide

Not too long ago, the idea of streamed content was very simple, and there were only a few ways to stream your favorite content through your television. Today, the technology is different, and most consumers prefer to get media through advanced gadgets.

Conventional television boxes aren’t nearly as glamorous because they confine you to offline content. KODI has revolutionized the industry because it allows you to watch offline and online content, and since the technology is open-source, it’s available for several platforms.

Once you’ve purchased and installed your device, you can play games, grab files from a local network and stream your favorite media. The greatest benefit that television boxes have to offer is the ability to support third-party plugins, weather forecasting, audio, and video.

Choosing Android TV Box with Kodi

Below, you’ll find 10 of the top TV boxes available, and by choosing a product from the list, you can save your precious time and money.

NVIDIA SHIELD Streaming Media Player – High-End Hardware for Games and 4K Streaming

The NVIDIA SHIELD media player makes it possible to watch games, television shows and movies in 4K HDR, and you can use it to explore thousands of different apps. With the GameStream app, you can broadcast your favorite games to the television in your living room.

The NVIDIA SHIELD media player gives you access to Google voice search and allows you to grab results from 100 different apps. If you want to watch Amazon Prime video, you can do so with this product.

This complete package comes with the Shield TV remote and controller, and these components feature new style upgrades. This media player is designed to put the world at your fingertips, and it can be used for thousands of games, music or television shows. When compared with some alternative products, the NVIDIA SHIELD offers a much faster operation speed.

With some of the best performance available from this type of product, the NVIDIA SHIELD is highly recommended. It offers fluid UI, universal searching and support for an external hard drive. It also gives you access to many manual functions.

Digital Media Player – Your Best All-in-One Choice

With HDMI support, the Digital Media Player can be connected to almost any television, and it doesn’t take long to set up. If you’re looking for a reliable way to stream your favorite content, this is one of the best products for the job.

It’s compatible with HBO, Netflix and Amazon video, and it’s an ideal product for consumers who’re tired of cable programming. The Digital Media Player gives you access to many different apps, and the library of downloadable apps has thousands of options to choose from.

If you’re planning to stream content, you can do it in 4K UHD. Once connected, the Digital Media Player gives you access to thousands of titles and allows you to surf the web. It’s one of the best solutions available for an overpriced cable bill. The packaging is simple, clean and protective, and the system comes with a standard IR remote.

A major selling point for the Digital Media Player is the fact that it comes loaded with the top add-ons, and it’s a top choice for consumers who need a plug-n-play device.

Despite the simplicity of the UI, the Digital Media Player gives you free rein to customize many different aspects of the interface. Overall, it’s one of the best products available for the price.

How to use KODI on your SkyStream Android TV Box

Asus Chromebox  – The Most Underrated Mini-Computer and Android TV Box

The Asus Chromebox comes with parental controls and gives you personalized access to your favorite apps and programming. It has built-in malware and virus protection, and the system starts up within seconds.

The Chrome OS offers reliable multitasking performance, and the connectivity options are vast. You can connect the Asus Chromebox to several displays, and with personalized data access, it works well as a family device. The system can switch between users while keeping everyone’s data private.

In conclusion, a major selling point for this product is the ability to instantly synchronize with existing Chrome services. It comes with 100GB of Google Drive space. When compared with competing products, the size of the Asus Chromebox is a differentiating factor because it’s significantly smaller than the competition.

If your desktop computer recently passed away, or you’re looking for something different, the Asus Chromebox is a steal for it’s price. Most people spend almost all of their time on the computer surfing the Internet, and this product allows you to browse the web quickly and effectively.

OUYAWEI TX6 – Perfect Stability and Performance

The OUYAWEI TX6 features a quad-core A9R4 processor, and the Mali 450 GPU is enough to handle HD content. Unlike many competing products, this system is designed to do more than just stream content. Company is also listed as a Diamond Sponsor of Kodi project. You may check it here.

You can install your applications on it, and files will fit comfortable on the 16GB internal storage. A major selling point for this product is the size, and when compared with alternative products, it sports a smaller overall size.

This product doesn’t require flashing custom ROMs, and it’s designed for the average consumer. The system is easy to set up, and it shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.

Q Plus Android 9.0 OS TV Box – Budget Choice Android TV Box with Kodi

The Q Plus Android 9.0 OS TV Box allows you to stream HD content, and it comes with the Android 5.1 Lollipop OS. The system is powered by a quad-core Amlogic S905 Cortex A53, which delivers plenty of performance for the price. The Penta-Core GPU can reach speeds up to 2.0GHz, and if you’re looking for a media player that can handle HD 4K, then this product is worth considering.

With dual-band antennas, this product supports all the major Wi-Fi protocols, and for high-speed data transmission, it uses a fast Ethernet connection. ROM capacity is 16GB, and it comes with 2GB of RAM.

T95Z PLUS – Still Good for a Price

The Rominetak T95Z PLUS offers 2GB of DDR3 RAM, and it has a 16GB EMMC FLASH ROM. The Amlogic octa-core Cortex-A53 operates at a frequency of 2.0GHz, and the Wi-Fi operates at 2.4 and 5Ghz frequencies. The T95Z PLUS comes with Bluetooth 4.0, and for superior reliability, it’s equipped with Marshmallow 6.0.

You can use the Rominetak T95Z PLUS to browse the Internet and sift through thousands of videos and movies. So, the various add-ons allow you to stream content, and to access unlimited media, all that you must do is plug this system into an electrical outlet.

With an octa-core Amlogic S912, this system is very fast, and it’s designed to offer better performance than many alternative media players. If you’re looking for a computer that you can use in your living room, this product is worth considering.

If you decide to buy it, you’ll find that this is one of the best media players for watching movies. The performance is what you’d expect from the high-end components, and you can get started with this system within minutes.

Fire TV Recast- Perfect With Amazon Prime, Alexa and Kodi

The Fire TV Recast is one of the most well-known media players available, and it’s backed by the performance and reputation that you’d expect from Amazon. This media player supports 4K Ultra HD and allows you to stream YouTube, Netflix and Amazon Video in 1080p.

If you don’t have a television that supports 4K Ultra HD, you can still enjoy 4K content. The Fire TV Recast provides access to over 7,000 games and apps. The included Alexa Voice Remote lets you launch and control your favorite content, and you can use it to watch live TV.

When compared to the previous model, this product comes with 75 percent more processing power, and it even has a dedicated graphics engine. With built-in Wi-Fi, the Fire TV Recast can connect to your home Internet connection, and the internal storage capacity is 8GB.

They say big things come in small packages, and the Fire TV Recast is a great example. For private listening, it’s compatible with Bluetooth headphones, and the interface is designed to be user-friendly.

Buzz Tv XPL – A Pick from Past Years

The Buzz Tv XPL is another affordable product, and it was one of the first products to come loaded with the newest 6.0 firmware. A major selling point for the Buzz Tv XPL is its intuitive user interface, which is designed for the average user.

Since it comes with an Amlogic S905X quad-core CPU, the performance is great, and it’s more than enough to enjoy streamed content. The powerful CPU is complemented by 2GB of DDR3 RAM, and the Buzz Tv XPL has an internal storage space of 16GB.

If you’re looking for a reliable, affordable way to stream UHD 4K, then this product is worth buying. The bundle comes with a basic remote, and the device takes about 40 seconds to boot up.

Android TV Box with Kodi Buyer’s Guide

When it comes to operating systems, Android is one of the best options in the industry. The market share for this operating system has been on a steady increase (FireOS and ChromeOS are also Android-based), which is why it’s a great choice for the products on this list.

To find the best media player for your television, it’s important to know what to look for. There are several features that you can’t go without, and once you know what to look for, you’ll find it much easier to choose the ideal product for your needs. You go “features over performance” in low-end products. So be prepared that cheaper TV boxes will be more like media players than gaming stations.

Choosing A Good Version

Lollipop is used by manufacturers because it’s a great system. For optimal results, your media player should come with version 5.1 or higher. If you don’t have 5.1 or greater, the software integration for the device will suffer.

Many would argue that the operating system is the most important feature that the product can offer. If the product doesn’t come with Lollipop, then you might consider getting one that is compatible with Marshmallow, which is better for saving power and handling applications.

The Right Codecs

When looking for great television boxes that can stream your favorite content, you need to find out if the product comes with important codecs. Several boxes come with different video and audio codecs, and the codecs are used to compress and decompress big media files.

Today, media files are huge, and every year, the average file size continues to grow. Before choosing from our list of boxes, some popular codecs to consider are MPEG-4 and H.265.

If the product you’re interested in doesn’t have these codecs, it doesn’t have to be a deal-breaker, but the lack of codecs might limit the content that is available for you to stream on your device.

What Formats Can It Play?

The content delivered to your television through these products comes in various formats, and if your device doesn’t support the format, then you won’t be able to view the content.

For the best results, consider television boxes that support OGG, AC3, AAC, WMA, MP3, MKV, MPEG, AVI and MP4 formats. These are some of the most-used formats. If your device can support most of them, then you should be able to view most types of content.

What About the Resolution?

The resolution is another feature to consider, and today, full HD is the standard. Not too long ago, 720p HD was a good resolution.

Many modern television boxes support 4K Ultra HD, and for the best results, you should consider boxes that can handle full HD and 4K Ultra HD.

HDMI 2.0 Support

Many boxes are made with ports for HDMI 2.0, which is important for 4K content. Many services, including Hulu and Netflix, already offer content in 4K Ultra HD. So, if your device doesn’t have an HDMI 2.0 port, then the 4K content from these services can’t be transmitted to your television.

Extra USB Ports

USB ports are great because they give your devices additional connectivity. As a result, the best television boxes come with several USB ports. It allows you to connect external devices and load your device with data from an external storage device.

What Is KODI?

Before purchasing the television boxes discussed in this article, it’s important to understand how this technology works. You can think of it as an open-source media player. It’s the software that television boxes use to stream media and games.

Conclusion

Once you know what to look for, it will be much easier to find the ideal television streaming device. Many services already allow you to stream popular content. So, it’s safe to say that many more services will begin offering these benefits.

Tired of cable or satellite and want to pay less money for your favorite programs? Consider getting your television box and gain access to endless choices for movies, games and live television programming just now!