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Review on MINIX Octa Core Directly Technology Limited by Stephen Pendergrass

Revainrating 4 out of 5

TV box is better/cheaper.

I have a lot of experience as a user/owner of Android streaming boxes. This is my second Minix. I also have an outdated (Android 5.1 limited) Neo U1 box. For quality streaming you need at least Android 6. I looked through 3 boxes of Matricom. G box and Q&Q2. Matricom is good at taking calls and troubleshooting. They're also huge on misleading hype. Forget the "promise of easy OTA update”. Each block received one in the first week. However, users have to flash the rest to get it. Your block will report a (permanent) server connection error every time you check for updates/upgrades! Support gives a strange explanation for this: three models are the same hype, the same result. Their new boxes are still lagging behind the streaming demands of 2017. The Skystream One is even worse. No one answers the support phone and you never get a call back. what their bot promises. I know. I called every day for 3 weeks. No answer, no call back. Minix makes updates. My U9-H has already received 3. A large one (454 MB) surfaced recently. He installed Kodi 17.1 and a few other essential apps. like ES File Explorer. It took care of the ethernet connection error that could occur on reboot (every 2-4 weeks on my computer). Firmware. Chinese brands fail in firmware. Like Roku and Nvidia Shield, Minix excels in its firmware. With those cheap Chinese brands that have the latest specs, it usually ends up with bad firmware. Many go so far as to copy and use firmware tailored to a different set of components for their hardware! Others make multiple adjustments. What you get is a Franken streaming box at best. Get the best system. Best 2nd only Sheild TV. Better only in hardware properties. Where the Sheild falls short of this minix box is in the strictly limited control of the Sheild owner. As with Roku, Nvidia's true customer base consists of itself and its content providers. Like Roku, Sheild gets a percentage from each content seller. Like Roku, Sheild's "customers" don't like it when Box owners have a real Google App Store or internet browser. Anyone who distracts from paid content uses a cage in which both boxes lock up the owners. I can highly recommend Minix U9-H

Pros
  • Pleasant to use
Cons
  • old