Firestick alternatives

[Anths79]

Did you get it from aliexpress? My firestick is on its last legs and I read they aren't a good buy anymore. The Chinese boxes seem good but not sure if the support streaming services or play store so wanted to check if yours does.

Its not a certified android box it won't have support for netflix and prime etc. Better off getting the xiaomi mi tv box s 3rd gen. Remote is rubbish but just pair the box with ya firestick remote. Buy from Goldway store on aliexpress.

 

[browney]

Its not a certified android box it won't have support for netflix and prime etc. Better off getting the xiaomi mi tv box s 3rd gen. Remote is rubbish but just pair the box with ya firestick remote. Buy from Goldway store on aliexpress.

Definitely go for something certified, alot of the devices on AliExpress will come with a version of netflix but this normally needs updating using there proprietary app store.

 

[Aristotle]

Definitely go for something certified, alot of the devices on AliExpress will come with a version of netflix but this normally needs updating using there proprietary app store.

Or just install the official apps on the TV.

 

[silverblack]

Google 4K Streamer down to £69 if you have the discount in the app.

Google Streamer 4K via Google Play Store Link (Discount Applied) 69.00 Google Store - | hotukdeals

 

[wilsock]

G'day guys, if anyone is interested in a decent firestick replacement I picked up a Strong Leap-Nova off Amazon for £53 inc discount. Set it up yesterday and seems a pretty good buy, very smooth operation and quick navigation round the apps. It's only 2gb ram but I think processor more than makes up for it.
See here,
LEAP NOVA | 4K Google TV with AI & Dolby Vision | LEAP streaming stick | Strong.eu

 

[silverblack]

That new Buzz TV G-Series looks good 64gb storage,4gb ram and has that new X5M chip.
Might be worth getting over the Shield.£130 plus shipping tho so not cheap.
It's £103 on the BuzzTV website but they want £42 for shipping to the UK 😲

Buzztv G Series UHD 4K 4GB + 64GB AISR Google TV Android 14 Media Player | Netflix 4K | Prime Video | Dolby Atmos

 

[mike123]

Difficult to get shields now anyway unless you want to pay silly prices for a second hand one

 

[lemta]

G'day guys, if anyone is interested in a decent firestick replacement I picked up a Strong Leap-Nova off Amazon for £53 inc discount. Set it up yesterday and seems a pretty good buy, very smooth operation and quick navigation round the apps. It's only 2gb ram but I think processor more than makes up for it.
See here,
LEAP NOVA | 4K Google TV with AI & Dolby Vision | LEAP streaming stick | Strong.eu

Th Strong LEAP Nova 4k seems to me like the popular Onn 4k Plus with exactly the same SOC but in a stick format. There doesn't seem to be much discussion about it unfortunately but I think this could be a decent firestick alternative as it doesn't suffer from the H.264 codec issues.

 

[mike123]

Yeah strong leap are good had one before I bought my tv

 

[Jackal-UK]

Which is better the Strong Leap or xiaomi s box 3rd Gen? They’re the same price.

Anyone with long term use of both?

 

[mike123]

Only used the strong leap has regular updates all apps work fine never missed a beat to be fair. More than enough for IPTV very quick

 

[lemta]

Which is better the Strong Leap or xiaomi s box 3rd Gen? They’re the same price.

Anyone with long term use of both?

The Strong Leap NOVA has AI upscaling which potentially could make picture look better.

 

[Jackal-UK]

The Strong Leap NOVA has AI upscaling which potentially could make picture look better.

Oh that’s interesting. Hadn’t clocked that. Have friends asking what to buy and up to now only thought of the s box

 

[mike123]

Dont really need upscaling now most TVs do it anyway

 

[Jackal-UK]

Dont really need upscaling now most TVs do it anyway

Most new TV’s maybe but TV’s last 10 years so easier to buy device with upscaling rather than a whole new TV.

But yes new TV’s will cover that.

 

[mike123]

You have to remember upscailing on devices only works with certain apps. TVs will upscale anything in the pic settings

 

[lemta]

Dont really need upscaling now most TVs do it anyway

Sometimes a good built-in upscaler can make lower quality old TV programmes or heavily compressed videos look much better. That's one reason why some people rave about the Nvidia Shield.

 

[mike123]

Sometimes a good built-in upscaler can make lower quality old TV programmes or heavily compressed videos look much better. That's one reason why some people rave about the Nvidia Shield.

It will only generally work on YouTube, Netflix, and Plex . what it won't do is upscale quality for IPTV. Back when I had a shield I run my TV through Plex don't know if you can still do that

 

[lemta]

It will only generally work on YouTube, Netflix, and Plex . what it won't do is upscale quality for IPTV. Back when I had a shield I run my TV through Plex don't know if you can still do that

You're right about not being able change quality of stream as in make a SD video into HD. But it can make the image more vibrant and pop / smooth out jagged edges and pixelation etc.

 

[moshibeth]

It will only generally work on YouTube, Netflix, and Plex . what it won't do is upscale quality for IPTV. Back when I had a shield I run my TV through Plex don't know if you can still do that

You are a legend on the upscaling side Mike 😁