Super Cheap Android Box that supports Libreelec and x265?

    Hi,

    Could someone please suggest the best budget / cheap as chips android box that could be bought from the likes of AliExpress that supports Libreelec alongside x265 hardware decoding playback with libreelec.

    By this I am meaning, when you look at AliExpress you can see a whole load of Android boxes in the region of $10-$20. I want to buy one but I am only interested if they support Libreelec. And I need it to support x265 playback.

    I suspect this question may get asked a lot so if there is a recent topic where this is already given that I have missed I am sorry.

    Orange Pi 3 LTS will cost you about $40 with shipping on alie, you can install the latest versions of LE direct to its internal memory (no SD card needed) and it handles x265 great.

    I bought a TanixTX6 for $30 on AlieExpress a while ago, and it actually plays x265 with the Kodi player that comes preinstalled on it, but I bought it specifically because there is a LibreElec version for the TX6, but after hours of frustration I gave up on getting it to work.

    As it turns out, the Tanix TX6 is supposed to have a H6 chip in it (same as OPi3LTS). But the particular TX6 i purchased (and probably all the other el-cheapo boxes) actually has a lower-end H616 chip, which will not run LibreElec.

    If you get a "genuine" TX6 it should work. But I doubt those sell for $30.

    Edited 2 times, last by gadget_guy (August 29, 2023 at 12:58 AM).

    RPi4 is no longer unobtanium so pricing is returning to normal. The 2GB board it's not the $20-30 device you're looking for, but if you want something super reliable and no issues or guesswork on software support.. that's the device.

    Quote from Da Flex

    Super cheap also means super cheap software, and no chance to install other OS's. Something under 50$ should be OK.

    Right, you can find some Android boxes which can run 8K video on pre-installed Kodi for around $40 (if you filter out all the really cheap crap), and they are ready to go (with remote, power supply etc).

    But still you may find hardware issues after a year, or updating to latest Kodi will be impossible etc.

    On the other hand with RPi4 you need:

    • RPi4 2GB RAM = $35
    • IR Remote = $15
    • MicroSD 1GB = $2
    • Power Supply 15W = $12
    • Micro HDMI to HDMI Adapter = $9
    • Alu case = $12

    So in total around $85.

    Buying some $40 android player and put it in the trash after 2 years when it breaks and buy again another one for $40 might not be bad strategy after all ;)

    Quote from adam.h.

    Buying some $40 android player and put it in the trash after 2 years when it breaks and buy again another one for $40 might not be bad strategy after all ;)

    well - you should better ask the coming generations about this one

    I have no clue about android boxes neither do I order from Aliexpress.

    Not because I am rich (I am not at all), but certain business policies shouldn't be supported.

    The quality of Raspberries is very good an long lasting.

    Better buy good things once than crap twice...! Just from a hardware perspective

    I know, I can't wait for biodegradable processors either, but for now I consider 2-3 years old electronics as a crap, no matter how much it costed initially. That's why I replace my smartphone after 2-3 years too. Yes, what a waste, coming generations would need to fix it.

    Shutting up now, this is completely off topic.

    There are any number of chap RK3328 boxes on Aliexpress that would do the trick and checking on the specific Rockchip forum here may help focus more on specific models.

    I would tend to avoid the 2Gb/16Gb varieties as they tend to come with only 100Mb Ethernet and 2.4Ghz WiFi.

    The suggestion from emveepee regarding the S905W2 is also valid.