I know it says it RRP's at stupid amounts, but I paid £64.99 over christmas for this box and haven't seen it cheaper on Amazon. I would recommend it to anyone. Was looking at prices, as was recommending to a friend and figured I would post it here.
This is 8-cores, hence the price jump as the standard for these boxes tend to be 4-cores. The S912 processor is the best one you can get at the moment, the next down is the S905 and S905X. There have been mixed reviews about the speed difference between 4 and 8 cores, which is due to the firmware not yet being optimized for the S912 (yet). There STILL is a speed difference though, I have this box and you have 8 cores working instead of 4.
The 2GB RAM, is good much better than 1GB. You can get 3GB RAM boxes, but they seem to cost alot more. I personally don't believe the RAM is bottlenecked at much 2GB, even with alot of add-ons open I've never seen it rise above 1.5GB. Whether it utilizes the RAM better, because it has more available (similar to Windows 10) I can't say for certain, but would imaging dropping down to 1GB would mean a big performance drop in these boxes. I know I picked up a ProBox about 4 years ago, and its currently in the loft because of how slow it is compared to todays.
Just to compare with the current trends, the Q-Boxes range from £40-£50 but they are all Quad core. They are still VERY good boxes. S905 is great, and its the one I have in another room. The linked box has a better spec, with a lower price. Haven't really tried the others. I know you can get a quad core for £20 if you wait long enough, but it doesn't tend to tick ALL the boxes and usually either has older firmware, 1GB Ram, no Gigabit ethernet, or less video encoding options.
The spec seems exactly the same, but I don't own this box. If you wish to save the £2 you can get this. I know it has Kodi 17, but personally I prefer the look of the one I linked because its been on the market for a while (and fulfilled by Amazon).
There is a performance tweak recommended by another user: Start kodi, Go to Settings or System, then Video, scroll down to Acceleration,there will be 3 options enabled on the right, the top one that says, Allow hardware acceleration-amcodec, UNCHECK THAT OPTION. then just restart Kodi.
I didn't actually need to perform this on mine over christmas, but just making you aware incase it doesn't have the latest update installed out the box. I don't think this is needed anymore though.
Even if you don't agree this is a deal, its still good for the HotDeals library that Oct-Core S912 boxes were at a low on Amazon at this point in February 2017.
It's money off RRP, its a deal. But just because its cheap doesn't mean you need to buy it. :wink:
Happy hunting!
Top comments
zoso1313
16 Feb 1711#14
get over it, you think KODI is some exclusive little club just for you
Krinkle
16 Feb 177#24
...no, never said that at all...try reading the post again! What I'm saying is that Kodi used to be great but is now so popular it's not so great...just pointing out the inevitability really :wink:
...although I do think 'fully loaded' boxes for sale and nationally published mags printing guides on how to get illegal streams should be prosecuted...that's just taking the p155!!! :disappointed:
tek-monkey
16 Feb 175#21
Kodi has been well known since before it was kodi, they have been selling android boxes specifically for piracy openly on amazon for years. The recent publicity is just it filtering to the last level of less technical people, the movie studio's etc. were already well aware of it.
What is killing it is greed, now that people are trying to charge for better access to streams etc. things have changed. Same with a lot of things, like private plex servers. When people are making money off piracy that's when the cops start appearing and things start clamping down.
MrScotchBonnet
16 Feb 174#15
So let's see, basically you are streaming pirated content and are annoyed others are too meaning yours may get taken away from you?
All comments (89)
Gollywood
15 Feb 17#1
Thanks for the effort :wink:
zx636r
15 Feb 17#2
I use Movie HD and Mobdro etc and cast it from my phone to TV.....does this offer anything different?
Burnz0 to zx636r
15 Feb 17#3
Nope, its the same. The only difference will be the spec. If you bought a QuadCore one, you don't really need to upgrade. They pretty much do all they're going to do now, but if you don't have one already I would recommend picking up this one.
menzah
15 Feb 172#4
I recently bought a firestick, any reason to get this?
Burnz0 to menzah
15 Feb 17#7
To be honest, I've never owned a Firestick. I know you need to sideload apps on, because it isn't "full" android but I don't know if the features are limited compared to the TV box. If it does what you need it to do, then no.
This device will be more powerful and faster, and there are a few extra features you can get with any android TV box (connecting your phone for MobDro or plugging a HDD in for recording/videos) but if you don't need those then you will probably be fine. Alot of people swear by firesticks, but I swear by boxes. FireSticks are better because they take up less "physical" space, but the TV box would offer a few more features. I would imagine they're the only differences, so if the features are worth it to you then go for it. Otherwise, no need. :smiley:
LOUGHBORO.GUY
15 Feb 17#5
Is the sky sports bt sports and sky movies perfect picture ? My router is 3 feet from tv do I need high speed fibre boadband ?
Burnz0 to LOUGHBORO.GUY
15 Feb 17#8
The pictures for these now are HD quality, dependable on your internet connection. This, and the sources are the main bottleneck now (but the sources have been really good the past year). I've ALWAYS had Fibre, so I wouldn't know what speed you would need exactly but it doesn't NEED to be Fibre I know that much. A good connection definately helps, if you get 5-10MB down you should be fine.
Krinkle to LOUGHBORO.GUY
15 Feb 17#9
To be honest, if you are looking for live football and expect a perfect rock solid and HD picture you'll be disappointed. You can get HD occasionally but very rarely for the whole match without buffering...usually, you may get 2 or 3 minutes before it throws a wobbly! You are better off looking for reasonably good quality SD sources and being happy that you can actually watch the match...as for 4K, forget it! :laughing:
jasperpea to LOUGHBORO.GUY
16 Feb 173#19
I would reccomend a I would recommend a subscription service for sports, I use Sportsmania.eu and I get every sporting event in HD with no buffering, works out about £4 a month. Had this for about 4 months now and would never go back to the days of buffering and trying numerous sources over and over.
Krinkle
15 Feb 171#6
The whole Kodi experience has been spoiled by massive over-subscription in the last 6 months or so...ever since the FireStick/Box deals were on here. Now I see there is even a big 'guide to Kodi' in the latest WebUser mag...I honestly don't know how they have the cheek to publish it whilst giving advice on how to install Exodus, SALTS & Specto etc, which are 100% illegal streaming add-ons. I'm not saying people shouldn't use Kodi for this reason but it's far too out in the open now, and it's only a matter of time before the Movie studios and pay broadcasters start clamping down heavily on something that was great...illegal, but great! :disappointed:
...sounds a decent price for the spec though, so heat :sunglasses:
Burnz0
15 Feb 17#10
It is dependant on the match/channel you watch, I know Mobdro sources for the popular channels are really good. If you watch the sports on the internet, it will be as good as what you can get on there. I have seen a match in FullHD though, or at least it was close enough that I didn't notice the difference.
I will probably go against what I said earlier, because I've only ever really watched popular matches when I have people round.The ones on foreign channels (I would imagine) are a bunch of shart, maybe some of the popular channels are too. The movie/series sources are much better, Exodus or Zem are good for that. I can say that for certain.
Savo
15 Feb 171#11
Just ordered this and a wireless mini keyboard to replace my Amazon Fire TV Stick. without doing the usual three weeks of review reading. :-)
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Opening post
This is 8-cores, hence the price jump as the standard for these boxes tend to be 4-cores. The S912 processor is the best one you can get at the moment, the next down is the S905 and S905X. There have been mixed reviews about the speed difference between 4 and 8 cores, which is due to the firmware not yet being optimized for the S912 (yet). There STILL is a speed difference though, I have this box and you have 8 cores working instead of 4.
The 2GB RAM, is good much better than 1GB. You can get 3GB RAM boxes, but they seem to cost alot more. I personally don't believe the RAM is bottlenecked at much 2GB, even with alot of add-ons open I've never seen it rise above 1.5GB. Whether it utilizes the RAM better, because it has more available (similar to Windows 10) I can't say for certain, but would imaging dropping down to 1GB would mean a big performance drop in these boxes. I know I picked up a ProBox about 4 years ago, and its currently in the loft because of how slow it is compared to todays.
Just to compare with the current trends, the Q-Boxes range from £40-£50 but they are all Quad core. They are still VERY good boxes. S905 is great, and its the one I have in another room. The linked box has a better spec, with a lower price. Haven't really tried the others. I know you can get a quad core for £20 if you wait long enough, but it doesn't tend to tick ALL the boxes and usually either has older firmware, 1GB Ram, no Gigabit ethernet, or less video encoding options.
Here is another box that is £2 cheaper:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wechip-Android-Amlogic-S912-Octa/dp/B01N3YTD4R/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487162688&sr=8-1&keywords=Wechip+H96
The spec seems exactly the same, but I don't own this box. If you wish to save the £2 you can get this. I know it has Kodi 17, but personally I prefer the look of the one I linked because its been on the market for a while (and fulfilled by Amazon).
There is a performance tweak recommended by another user: Start kodi, Go to Settings or System, then Video, scroll down to Acceleration,there will be 3 options enabled on the right, the top one that says, Allow hardware acceleration-amcodec, UNCHECK THAT OPTION. then just restart Kodi.
I didn't actually need to perform this on mine over christmas, but just making you aware incase it doesn't have the latest update installed out the box. I don't think this is needed anymore though.
Even if you don't agree this is a deal, its still good for the HotDeals library that Oct-Core S912 boxes were at a low on Amazon at this point in February 2017.
It's money off RRP, its a deal. But just because its cheap doesn't mean you need to buy it. :wink:
Happy hunting!
Top comments
...although I do think 'fully loaded' boxes for sale and nationally published mags printing guides on how to get illegal streams should be prosecuted...that's just taking the p155!!! :disappointed:
What is killing it is greed, now that people are trying to charge for better access to streams etc. things have changed. Same with a lot of things, like private plex servers. When people are making money off piracy that's when the cops start appearing and things start clamping down.
All comments (89)
This device will be more powerful and faster, and there are a few extra features you can get with any android TV box (connecting your phone for MobDro or plugging a HDD in for recording/videos) but if you don't need those then you will probably be fine. Alot of people swear by firesticks, but I swear by boxes. FireSticks are better because they take up less "physical" space, but the TV box would offer a few more features. I would imagine they're the only differences, so if the features are worth it to you then go for it. Otherwise, no need. :smiley:
I would recommend a subscription service for sports, I use Sportsmania.eu and I get every sporting event in HD with no buffering, works out about £4 a month. Had this for about 4 months now and would never go back to the days of buffering and trying numerous sources over and over.
...sounds a decent price for the spec though, so heat :sunglasses:
I will probably go against what I said earlier, because I've only ever really watched popular matches when I have people round.The ones on foreign channels (I would imagine) are a bunch of shart, maybe some of the popular channels are too. The movie/series sources are much better, Exodus or Zem are good for that. I can say that for certain.
Voted hot anyway, for all the detail and effort you've put into the OP :-)