Best Kodi Box

[x2006nzl]

hello whats the best box or recommended box to load kodi to thanks

[Nostradamus]

a PC or a laptop

[c8rbk1ng]

a PC or a laptop

:doh: :tehe: :rotflmao: :thumbsup:

[henpecked]

I totally agree with the PC or laptop post
But, that's not for everyone
Google QB4 Android Box
It's a mini pc for about $80
I've tried it out and given them to family members
Works really well, especially for Kodi



hello whats the best box or recommended box to load kodi to thanks

[henpecked]

Have to mention, don't even take remote out of box..it's useless
Get a usb wireless with touchpad, like the Logitech K400.


I totally agree with the PC or laptop post
But, that's not for everyone
Google QB4 Android Box
It's a mini pc for about $80
I've tried it out and given them to family members
Works really well, especially for Kodi

[Nostradamus]

I totally agree with the PC or laptop post
But, that's not for everyone
Google QB4 Android Box
It's a mini pc for about $80
I've tried it out and given them to family members
Works really well, especially for Kodi

why would an android box with a cell phone OS, limited RAM and integrated video be a better choice than a laptop or PC where you have more RAM, an internal harddrive and in many cases a dedicated video card as well that might have more RAM than a whole android box. In addition, most people already know Windows and don't want to mess with another operating system just to watch some free tv

[henpecked]

A I said...I agree with the post
Some people do not want a computer in their living room or rec room
Their choice
I used to spend big bucks on HTPC..Now a computer off the shelf will do the same.

The old saying...Why do they have 1000's of colours of paint...Cause we all have different tastes..
That will never change
So, you're trying to convince the wrong guy,,

BTW, I help family..don't make a dime..I give them all the facts..they decide
As for the other OS system...there's either Android or Apple IOS...they have no problem picking it up the OS real quick on the phones..This is no different

I said in a previous post...I used to do electronics for a living...Now, I just wanna watch TV..Do whatever they want.


why would an android box with a cell phone OS, limited RAM and integrated video be a better choice than a laptop or PC where you have more RAM, an internal harddrive and in many cases a dedicated video card as well that might have more RAM than a whole android box. In addition, most people already know Windows and don't want to mess with another operating system just to watch some free tv

[Nostradamus]

I am really not trying to convince any one of anything. I am simply answering the OP question and explaining why as well. A laptop running with the cover closed does not look any worse than anything else sitting on a shelf but it is nice to have the option of having your music and video collection, streaming tv, pictures, and be able to check your email or answer a skype call without moving. No need of adding the additional expense of an external hard drive as well.

[Digital Dog]

I've had android boxes but I do agree windows boxes are the best.
There are several windows tv boxes on the market for around $100.
I am using the one below and love it. I bought a wireless mouse/keyboard to go with it.
VOYO Mini PC Windows 8.1 Media Player Intel Z3735F 2G RAM 64G ROM XBMC KODI WIFI Bluetooth with 1000mAh Battery

[henpecked]

I agree..
So, the original poster has enough info here now for him to make a decision.




I am really not trying to convince any one of anything. I am simply answering the OP question and explaining why as well. A laptop running with the cover closed does not look any worse than anything else sitting on a shelf but it is nice to have the option of having your music and video collection, streaming tv, pictures, and be able to check your email or answer a skype call without moving. No need of adding the additional expense of an external hard drive as well.

[Benney]

I've had android boxes but I do agree windows boxes are the best.
There are several windows tv boxes on the market for around $100.
I am using the one below and love it. I bought a wireless mouse/keyboard to go with it.
VOYO Mini PC Windows 8.1 Media Player Intel Z3735F 2G RAM 64G ROM XBMC KODI WIFI Bluetooth with 1000mAh Battery

That is a true mini PC and is a good way to go.

[Newfygarge]

Well on adding my 2 cents worth, I use an Amazon Fire tv stick with Kodi sideloaded & I am veerrrryyyy pleased. I was using a laptop running an hdmi cable to my 60 in tv, but that is now an inconvienience when using the AFtv stick.

[x2006nzl]

Thanks for all the help so the VOYO Mini PC is a good choice? as its a mini laptop? now after i get this what do i have to do to get kodi to work thanks

[Digital Dog]

The easiest way is to go to tvaddons and download TVMC for windows. Its a pre-setup version.

[river]

Amiko A3. Has more than you will probably use.

[Mr Hanky]

A PC's is large and its power pack is noisy and you still need a wireless remote. You can bye a stb box for the price of a cheap video card. These little boxes are loaded with power and have everything the PC does at your finger tips. Myself I like the Carbon 8 or newer line of boxes after having mygica, mxII, jynx, mega and mega 268 products in the past.

[Nostradamus]

if you have a PC with a noisy fan you either have a problem with the power supply or a cheaply made case prone to vibration. I bought a used laptop with 8 GB of RAM, quad core processor and HDMI out and use it in the living room. You can't hear that running either. Added a wireless mouse and good to go :)

[Digital Dog]

if you have a PC with a noisy fan you either have a problem with the power supply or a cheaply made case prone to vibration. I bought a used laptop with 8 GB of RAM, quad core processor and HDMI out and use it in the living room. You can't hear that running either. Added a wireless mouse and good to go :)
Absolutely something wrong there! The Z3735F processor is fan-less as it is designed for use in a windows tablet. Did I mention he HD output is 4K for an awesome picture even though you can't stream 4k yet.. I added the Tronsmart wireless keyboard/mouse for $17.00 but wireless mouse is also a good way to go.

[Mr Hanky]

Yupe $2000 cheap. Its the fan air movement you hear from the power pack, processor fan and 200 dollar video card fan, not vibration .Still cheaper to by an android all day.

[Nostradamus]

you don't need a $2000 PC to run Kodi. I paid $160 for a used laptop and in addition to running Kodi I can do whatever I want on the web with it as well. I added a wireless keyboard and mouse that cost $22 at Wallyworld just for the sake of convenience to do be able to check email without having to pull the laptop off the entertainment center. It runs Kodi every bit as well as my PC.

yes my PC cost about $2500 to build 3 years ago. I built it mainly for video & graphic editing. It has three 4" fans plus the power supply, CPU fan, and Video card fan all running. It is sitting 2 feet from me with the side off, because I was switching hard drives around and you can not hear it running. In fact, to hear it operating at all you have to be within 1 foot of it. Quality parts! Sure if you are going to buy a $200 PC from a big name store you are going to get junk but even those do no make that much noise. You shouldn't hear a PC running from 5 feet away in a quiet room. If you do there is something wrong with the thing. Even with variable speed fans that rev up when more heat is present.

A computer running Kodi should not require the fan running extra fast to compensate for internal heat as it is not a complicated program requiring a lot of resources or it would not run on those little android / linux set top boxes to begin with. In fact on many it doesn't run well as it is. Too many android apps running in the background, cache full, freezing and buffering. Any buffering seen running on a PC and it is the fault of the server or the users internet speed. The other problems do not exist.

So for those running android boxes now and not satisfied with the quality just try it on your laptop or PC and compare it. See if all the same issues exist

[c8rbk1ng]

So for those running android boxes now and not satisfied with the quality just try it on your laptop or PC and compare it. See if all the same issues exist

It's funny but Kodi runs better (and easier) on my Fire TV than on my computer :)

[Nostradamus]

well I never compared it with that unit since I have never seen one but I have used 5 different android or linux boxes here and I seen how they all perform. The linux unit worked better than any android unit and even that was satisfactory at best. Perhaps there is something wrong with your computer or it is really old. Even an old duo-core processor should easily blow any of the android units away.

I really don't care, people can use what they want. I am simply answering the OP question of what unit is best to run Kodi on. Free TVers want to call themselves testers. Well here is an opportunity to test it out by running a few comparison tests. That is of course the person has the smarts to install and configure Kodi, or, you can doit the easy way and install the TVMC for Windows version with everything pre-configured and experiment.

the problem is Kodi (formerly known as XBMC) is quite new for most people and so is Android other than in their phone. The PC is a great way to get your feet wet as well. To see what works, what works well, etc. Then if they want to buy an android box get the unit with the best specs they can. Don't ask for opinions because you get a lot of fanboy feedback but read what other people are already saying about the unit. just like buying a car or any thing else. don't rely on a salesman advice or a fleabay sale to make the decision

[Homer Jay]

I run Kodi with a HTPC I built a few years ago and it runs Kodi good. My parents got an android box and again it runs it fine I believe it is a MX3 quad core. They are very happy with it and I wouldn't put down the android boxes, they are reasonably priced compared to a HTPC or laptops. So if you are just wanting something to run Kodi I personally would go with an android box with at least a quad core they are more then reasonable to run kodi. Think of the power savings as well running an android box to a PC, no noise from them either.

[Nostradamus]

I agree Homer, if a person insists on using an android box a quad core is a must and then get rid of all the useless apps that come packaged with it. Anybody using one will soon get tired of entering data with a mouse and on screen keyboard and want to upgrade that to something more familiar like a wireless keyboard and mouse / touchpad. Also to function as a true media player the android unit will need an external hard drive as well to store video, audio, & pictures. A computer already has those options built in. What made a HTPC more expensive was the video card required and most people added either / or a sat tuner and OTA tuner. Well the price on video cards required has dropped drastically and android can not do either sat or OTA. basically any computer that has HDMI out will suffice

[Benney]

Just finished setting up my old gateway mid tower 5yrs old. Got KODI 15 on it and using WMC with 40 OTA channels as the back end TV.
Have a 15 day guide for 70% of the channels as well.

Using a MC remote I had laying around and all the buttons work.

The tuner is a Hauppauge Wintv-HVR-955Q.

PVR and recordings work great, set a timer and put the machine into suspend mode to save power and it starts the TV server when it wants to record.


Also have an old Captive Works 4000 with an internal Skywalker one tuned to 5 sats.
Running Media Portal as a back end integrated into Kodi 14.2.

Untill they either burn up or get hit with lightning I will never have to buy a unit again. If things need to be changed I will just rebuild the sofware and start over again.

HAHA on my last trip to the DR I had Kodi on a Netbook and connected to the TV and streamed movies.


I have everything from the Jynxbox Androids and Linux to a Matricon Gbox, Matricon Q and an Excalibur I have been testing over the last few months and they work fine. The last three are good machines.

BUT they will never replace my HTPC units for the flexibility I have with running anything I want.
Even using a chat during commercial breaks, LOL

[laker]

well I never compared it with that unit since I have never seen one but I have used 5 different android or linux boxes here and I seen how they all perform. The linux unit worked better than any android unit and even that was satisfactory at best. Perhaps there is something wrong with your computer or it is really old. Even an old duo-core processor should easily blow any of the android units away.

I really don't care, people can use what they want. I am simply answering the OP question of what unit is best to run Kodi on. Free TVers want to call themselves testers. Well here is an opportunity to test it out by running a few comparison tests. That is of course the person has the smarts to install and configure Kodi, or, you can doit the easy way and install the TVMC for Windows version with everything pre-configured and experiment.

the problem is Kodi (formerly known as XBMC) is quite new for most people and so is Android other than in their phone. The PC is a great way to get your feet wet as well. To see what works, what works well, etc. Then if they want to buy an android box get the unit with the best specs they can. Don't ask for opinions because you get a lot of fanboy feedback but read what other people are already saying about the unit. just like buying a car or any thing else. don't rely on a salesman advice or a fleabay sale to make the decision

What system of windows are you running?....all extensions (or start up items on) what processor? (I 3,I 5 ?)
will it run a 60" led tv at 1080 with no problems or overheating the laptop?
what version of kodi with add-ons are you using?

I would like to do the same setup you are using?

[Digital Dog]

I run Kodi with a HTPC I built a few years ago and it runs Kodi good. My parents got an android box and again it runs it fine I believe it is a MX3 quad core. They are very happy with it and I wouldn't put down the android boxes, they are reasonably priced compared to a HTPC or laptops. So if you are just wanting something to run Kodi I personally would go with an android box with at least a quad core they are more then reasonable to run kodi. Think of the power savings as well running an android box to a PC, no noise from them either.
True enough and I hope it works for them for many years. I have bought the mxiii for 4 ppl and only one is still standing. There is a well known heating problem with this box. I have recorded core temperatures as high as 96 degrees c. I am replacing these boxes at my expense.

[Benney]

What system of windows are you running?....all extensions (or start up items on) what processor? (I 3,I 5 ?)
will it run a 60" led tv at 1080 with no problems or overheating the laptop?
what version of kodi with add-ons are you using?

I would like to do the same setup you are using?

I have a netbook with W7 Ultimate and 2 gig ram running on a 60" Toshiba with no problems.
It doesn't over heat at all.
I was lazy and loaded TVaddons to it.
KODI 15

I like it when I go away as it is small and easy to pack.
It worked great in the DR last year and Tampa last February.

[Nostradamus]

What system of windows are you running?....all extensions (or start up items on) what processor? (I 3,I 5 ?)
will it run a 60" led tv at 1080 with no problems or overheating the laptop?
what version of kodi with add-ons are you using?

I would like to do the same setup you are using?

I have it running on a quad core 3.2 ghz AMD processor with 8GB of RAM on Win 7, works fine on my LG tv in 1080P. 50Mbit download on uncapped internet

as for version I done exactly the same as Benney and just installed the TVMC for windows. More there than I can watch

[laker]

I have a netbook with W7 Ultimate and 2 gig ram running on a 60" Toshiba with no problems.
It doesn't over heat at all.
I was lazy and loaded TVaddons to it.
KODI 15

I like it when I go away as it is small and easy to pack.
It worked great in the DR last year and Tampa last February.

Thank you so much for your answer!

[laker]

I have it running on a quad core 3.2 ghz AMD processor with 8GB of RAM on Win 7, works fine on my LG tv in 1080P. 50Mbit download on uncapped internet

as for version I done exactly the same as Benney and just installed the TVMC for windows. More there than I can watch

Thank you too Nostradamus for your reply.....usually AMD processors run a little hot, so yours have no issues, I was even considering if the laptop gets hot putting a one of dose cooling laptop plates that go underneath but I guess may not be necessary.

My Daughter has a Dell Laptop I3 with 2 gigs of ram, do you think running W7 Home will be sufficient for Kodi....I would just install the system & and kodi, nothing more?

[Digital Dog]

Thank you too Nostradamus for your reply.....usually AMD processors run a little hot, so yours have no issues, I was even considering if the laptop gets hot putting a one of dose cooling laptop plates that go underneath but I guess may not be necessary.

My Daughter has a Dell Laptop I3 with 2 gigs of ram, do you think running W7 Home will be sufficient for Kodi....I would just install the system & and kodi, nothing more?
Absolutely. I am running windows 8 with an I3 2gigs or ram. Runs flawlessly.

[Graeme33smith]

Can you run Kodi on your Samsung TV with Anynet HDMI+ ( where you can control the HDMI with TV Remote ), I have it working with Youtube where I chromecast it

[18dd2]

Seen a project on youtube today for building your own sure looks simple and it is a quad core

Best Box for Running KODI


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1Ar1XTFFIA&feature=em-subs_digest

Also


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkiB4BWOSnc