Don't belittle nerds they make kodi

For what it is, it is quite a good stick and the best of the bunch in it's class.

It doesn't compare to a Chromecast because it's a completely different beast, so makes no sense whatsoever to try.

Generally: S805 has notably less featureset than the later gen S905. If you're comfortable with Chinese source and possible requirement to use a mains connector travel adapter, it's difficult to beat the high-£23 S905 box with 2GB RAM, 16GB storage, gigabit LAN, bluetooth, decent manufacturer support for updates etc http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/121971026711 otherwise you'll be looking at £40+ ex-UK for similar spec. HUKD member louiselouise suggests possible mains travel adapter at £1.19 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/252377081735.

​Not sure if the Kodi buffering comment was in reply to my post or not? In my situation, the buffering was mainly when trying to stream content within the network in the house. I didn't have that problem with other methods. Kodi does look pretty slick but I honestly think there's too much time spent faffing around for my liking.

So better stick to Amazon fire stick

Bought similar stick from Amazon, it was rebooting itself randomly, and wifi was disconnecting often and when it was working internet speed was very slow

Non available or is it just me?

Hot from me and thumbs up for the nerds :man:

It's probably better to have it built in but these do work with "Android Compatible" USB to ethernet adapters that you can get off ebay but you might need to get the drivers for your particular one if they're not in the default rom.

I got one with an asix chipset that works with my old mk808b and the first gen Chromecast. I think there are apps to install the various drivers on the play store. I can't say what might work with this stick in particular though.

Can you play 1080p files smoothly by plugging an external HDD in to this?

I have a slightly older version and its brilliant with kodi + tvaddons update.

I run mine through a vpn 90% of the time and rarely have any problems. The only pain I when kodi updates addons I usually have to reboot it to be stable.

Other tv that its perfect for what I need, can watch kodi in hotel rooms etc, and I take my external hdd along for playing downloads.
:innocent:
Never had any overheating or WiFi problems with mine.

If kodi is buffering you should get better addons or go through a vpn. Can stream 720 easily.

There are so many s805/905 boxes on the market, does anyone recommend one around the £30/£40 mark?

Wireless streaming is always a potential pain, cos most media players do NOT implement a proper buffering strategy. The wireless bandwidth is NEVER the problem, despite what fools will try to tell you.

The best solution is to get a cheapo windows tab, like the Linx, and use MPC-BE to connect to your NAS. NEVER use transcoding/video serving software- these solutions are plain idiotic. Use a media player that 'sees' your files on your network and can play them NATIVELY.

On Android, ES File Explorer has Windows like functionality, and can see you NAS files directly, allowing your NORMAL Android media player to find and play these files just as it would if they were local.

Sorry, Plex is for idiots who don't know what they are doing. And using a Windows device with your TV means you can use grown-up, robust software solutions- which have the added advantage of being mostly free/open-source. The only downside of cheapo windows devices is that they lag behind the best Android chips in hardware decode for (currently irrelevant) HEVC/H265 video content- but I've found the Linx 8 happily plays 720P HEVC content via CPU decode.

If you must go Android, then as people have said, its best to get a branded device sold for the purpose of video playback.

How would this deal with 1080p files streaming? I've got Plex on Fire stick now and it's stuttering and a pain. Can I connect this straight to a router? Or even put a bunch of video files in 1080p on a SD card and play flawlessly?

i have the MK808B running in one of the bedrooms ,it runs off the tv usb .not had any problems with the wifi ,and you would probably get your money back if you stuck it on ebay.

Still using my mk808+, specs look similar. Anyone know if there's point upgrading?

I have just got the Beelink M18 for £44 from Gearbest UK (still took 3 weeks to arrive though after a lot of fighting). It can be had for £48-50ish from ebay. The nice thing about this is that there is SUPPORT with OTA updates, which is very unusual for these things. 2Gb/16Gb and is very fast. Metal case to help with heat dissipation.

...

They also made Google. Two PHDs from Stamford, check out their first publication that started it all:
http://infolab.stanford.edu/~backrub/google.html

Nerds rule.

That's dependent on your own TV, not supplying enough power through the USB, not the stick.

Care to expand on that comment?

Everybody that I know, who owns one seems to think they are great little devices....

cannot seem to add to basket as it wont let me select the EU or US plug... anyone else?

awful bits of kit.

Comment

Thankyou, bit put off by the wifi problems this one seems to have.

Cheap Chinese crap.

​actually no, it will work randomly. Most of the times it will be stuck in a boot loop. Not enough power coming through usb port to get it going. At least in my experience..

This was popular deal

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/amlogic-s905-android-kodi-box-with-2gb-ram-26-51-delivered-from-gearbest-2422194

Yes they can be powered by the TV USB port in my experience but I use a separate power supply as I've no desire (or need) to leave the TV on while downloading or updating the device.

I've had various MK808 sticks over the past 4 years, the current editions are far better, performance wise, compared to the original dual core devices.

That said, I've opted for the current range of S805/905 "boxes" due to having an ethernet port and remote for an extra fiver or so.

The remotes are essentially useless to be honest....

Got two of the older 812 models with finless rom on them. Great units when used with the tronsmart air wand. Never had a problem with them. Great for when you are traveling. No issues with speed or WiFi. Runs kodi, showbox, wss, Netflix, daily updates ect.

For what it is, it is quite a good stick and the best of the bunch in it's class.

It doesn't compare to a Chromecast because it's a completely different beast, so makes no sense whatsoever to try.

Like others have said, having got one I didn't find any real use for it and it's sat in a draw somewhere. They are just not that useful and I found a chromecast more useful

Don't belittle nerds they make kodi

Had a few of these and I wouldn't bother. They all seem to be slow, have problems with certain apps etc. Better off with a roku, fire stick, apple TV, Chromecast, Microsoft connect, etc.

More a toy for nerds.

Cheap though so hot from me.

​
This isn't four years old, so you have a different model with a more than likely slower CPU

If you bought it 4 years ago, the hardware inside is quite different (to be honest: is really worse). You can't compare your "old" stick to this one. Or did I get anything wrong?

Can this be powered from USB, ie. USB ports on the TV like I do with my Chromecast?

Which can be USB powered.

No, it's like the Fire TV Stick.

some information:
http://androidtvbox.eu/mk808b-pro-4k-hdmi-female-tv-stick-powered-64bit-amlogic-s905/

video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaJAcI5ysAU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7qQigWHdqc