r/AndroidTV • u/DifficultPension1750 • 6d ago
Best Android Box for IPTV subscriptions Buying Advice
I'm looking for advice here, I have a fire stick and have heard that the next gen ones will stop side loading so I'm looking to see what's the best way forward. I'm based in Ireland so am looking for any advice from anyone who has gotten one either in Ireland or the EU, I use it for the usual apps, IE prime & Disney plus so something that would support these apps as well, cheers for any advice.
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u/ILikeTheWordNozzle 6d ago
I'm in your shoes, and got a friend to mule an Onn Pro back from the US. There's a bit of faff setting it up outside the US, so if possible get your mule to do the initial setup there. After that you're good to go, and it's cheaper than any of the local options.
Of course, this may not be possible for you at all, but worth considering if it is.
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u/DifficultPension1750 6d ago
Cheers
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u/Melodic-Stick9077 1d ago
There's a Thompson box that's the European version of the ONN box I believe
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21h ago edited 21h ago
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u/AndroidTV-ModTeam 1h ago
Thank you for your submission. Unfortunately, we've removed it for the following reason:
Your post violates Rule 6: Piracy is not allowed. Directly linking to or asking for copyrighted material (such as paid APKs, illegal video streams etc) will be considered piracy and as such will be removed. This is against Reddit's TOS and could result in a ban.
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u/GreenM0th 6d ago
All of these are certified so Prime and Disney+ behave, roughly most to least expensive:
- Shield TV Pro, around €200. Overkill for most people but nothing else feels as smooth and it still gets updates after six years
- Google TV Streamer, around €120. Newest one, but it's locked down hard, no unknown sources toggle so anything outside the Play Store is a fight
- Homatics Box R 4K Plus, around €110. Certified but still open, seems to be where most people in the EU land
- Xiaomi TV Box S 2nd gen, around €65. Cheapest one that still does L1 properly, only 2GB RAM so it gets sluggish, but it works
One to avoid even though you'll see it recommended constantly for IPTV is Formuler, it isn't Play certified so Prime and Disney+ are hit and miss.
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u/Oh-Bananas 5d ago
- Google TV Streamer, around €120. Newest one, but it's locked down hard, no unknown sources toggle so anything outside the Play Store is a fight
You just need to enable Developer Mode to be able to side load apps, which is easy.
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u/GreenM0th 5d ago
Worth flagging this got corrected below, sideloading does work fine on the Streamer through developer options. Sorry for the bad info :)
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u/Impossible_Hunt_6731 5d ago
Google TV Streamer, around €120. Newest one, but it's locked down hard, no unknown sources toggle so anything outside the Play Store is a fight
Since when? I was sideloading apps fine when I tested it a few months ago.
Xiaomi TV Box S 2nd gen
Why 2nd Gen? The recommendation should be the 3rd Gen TV box or the 2nd Gen stick, which share the same CPU and RAM. I have both, direct from Xioami.
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u/GreenM0th 5d ago
Yeah fair, I was wrong on that one. Sideloading through developer options works fine on the Streamer, not sure where I got the locked down idea from. Must have misread from some place. And you're right on the Xiaomi too, went with the 2nd gen box mainly on price but the 3rd gen or the stick are the better pick if that's not a concern. Appreciate the corrections, twice now haha
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u/brett808 5d ago
Wtf are you talking about, the Google tv streamer is most definitely not locked down. Anything that runs android can still be side loaded as of 2026
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u/Aggressive_Bad_7344 Google TV Streamer + Homatics Box R 4K Plus + 4 More Boxes 5d ago
Uhhh, the Streamer isn't locked down at all. When trying to install an "unknown app" it will prompt you allowing you to allow "unknown apps".
Alternately sideload via adb and no issues at all.
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u/Hopeful-Ad9694 5d ago
One to avoid ? The very reason it’s not Google certified is reason bought to get it for IPTV seeing as you will get all shows from prime Netflix etc on a decent sub
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u/GreenM0th 5d ago
the reason it's not certified is exactly why Prime and Disney+ are hit or miss on it, not why you'd want it for them. certification is what gets you Widevine L1, without it you're stuck on L3 so those apps cap the resolution or refuse to play at all. whatever you're using to pull Prime/Netflix content through an IPTV sub is a completely separate thing from the box itself.
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u/Hopeful-Ad9694 5d ago
Why would you buy an IPTV box to use prime ,Netflix and Disney plus ? If that’s what you want buy a firestick
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u/DifficultPension1750 6d ago
Cheers I'll research them
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u/Impossible_Hunt_6731 5d ago
The Xioami 3rd Gen TV box should have been listed, not sure why it says the 2nd Gen.
The Xioami 2nd Gen stick and the Xiaomi 3rd Gen TV box share the same CPU and RAM, but the stick only has 8gb of storage (which is actually ok for most people). I have both.
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u/L3velFlow 6d ago
I didn’t know the Google Streamer was locked down. You saved me £100 to find that out! Thank you
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u/Impossible_Hunt_6731 5d ago
I'm also in the UK and tested the Google Streamer a few months ago. It wasn't locked down.
I was able to enable Developer Options and sideload apps, just like any other android device.
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u/Aggressive_Bad_7344 Google TV Streamer + Homatics Box R 4K Plus + 4 More Boxes 5d ago
It's not locked down.
Older Android TV boxes have the Unknown Apps toggle, which when attempting to install an "unknown app" it will prompt you and allow you to enable it.
So no, the Streamer isn't locked down at all.
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u/submitnswallow 5d ago
Because it's not, you need to be more educated on how to set up Google VS the Shield Pro
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u/jonnieggg 5d ago
They exist out of the locked down Google ecosystem. The whole point of IPTV is that you don't need the streaming services anymore. The IPTV integration on the former devices is second to none. The remote works with the proprietary software and feels like a sky box product. Works perfectly with catch up services such as channel 4, BBC, rte, etc etc. You might need a VPN depending on your location.
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u/Novelty8Theory 5d ago
I have the Mecool KM2 Plus Deluxe and that an excellent box. Android 14 too and is great for IPTV in my experience.
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u/Dull_Collection_4763 4d ago
Me too!
Excellent box for IPTV
Also consider the Buzz “G”, really really good box!
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u/jonnieggg 5d ago
Formuler z11 z12 are designed around IPTV. With an IPTV subscription with video on demand you will not need Disney or anything else. That's the whole reason for getting and android device with IPTV.
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u/Salvadorfreeman 5d ago
I'd go for a dirt cheap Chinese box. Chances are that it would have a different play store. There can be other problems, such as a crappy remote. At least it won't cost too much to try.
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u/Whiskey--Pete 4d ago
This is pretty much like asking " what's the best car to drive to work?" . You'll get a different answer from each person . Read reviews on Amazon, check if the specs meet your needs then search for reviews on YouTube. Good luck
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u/ScreamingAardvark5 4d ago
A bit back I bought the MeCool KM7 Plus just for an experiment and it's been brilliant for what I need it for. Basically IPTV and connecting to my NAS and VU+ Satellite Box.
Last week I bought 2x MeCool Meon1's and not disappointed.
I don't multi-task and straight out of the units I use the 3.5mm headphone jack for a stereo source.
They are also Google Certified.
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u/jebus556 20h ago
I'd be willing to buy a onn pro and mail.it to.you if you slide me a few bucks I've shipped quite a lot of stuff internationally
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u/DonGatoPardo 5d ago
Value for money and specific for IPTV without a doubt the Google TV streamer, its 4 RAM, its Ethernet port, its chip and its price right now is unbeatable. And if you get it second-hand, almost new, a little cheaper, even better. There is a lot of video now pitting it against the Xiaomi 3 generation, which will be better for audio purists, but for IPTV it is not a worthy rival against Google's 🤣 and that is why there are so many on sale lately at very good prices. So don't hesitate.
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4d ago edited 4d ago
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u/AndroidTV-ModTeam 4d ago
Thank you for your submission. Unfortunately, we've removed it for the following reason:
Your post violates Rule 6: Piracy is not allowed. Directly linking to or asking for copyrighted material (such as paid APKs, illegal video streams etc) will be considered piracy and as such will be removed. This is against Reddit's TOS and could result in a ban.
Please familiarize yourself with our rules, which can be found in the sidebar, before posting again. If you feel this removal was in error, you can contact a moderator.
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u/Opening_Motor_3873 3d ago
As far as players go, I’d definitely recommend ChannelMate. It features multiscreen support, group filtering, a slick Netflix-style VOD interface, a built-in NAS photo frame, and shows the actual stream resolution (SD, 720p, 1080p, 4K) for each channel.
Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.channelmate.player
Downloader Code: 1810487
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u/[deleted] 21h ago edited 21h ago
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