The only devices i used since i left firesticks years ago are the Nvidia Shield Pro the Onn 4k and Onn 4k Pro.
Nvidia is great but not cheap.
The Onns are great too and much more affordable here in US but I am not sure about UK compatability and price. I know this has been discussed on TP so you should do a search. I thunk a European version is available under a different name.
Hopefully some memebers from UK can chime in on their device preferences.
Yeah Iāve been looking at the Onn 4k Pro so i think Iāll go with that The Nvidia it out of my reach unfortunately. Thanks for your help and time
Which Onn box is recommended? The 4K, 4K pro, or the newest 4k Plus?
I guess it depends on your price point and need.
The Pro is the top of the heap at $50 but the Plus is newer and I believe has some features the Pro doesnāt. I dont have the plus so i cant say for sure.
I believe Troy has done videos on all of them if you want to get a better understanding. And plenty of thread discussions as well.
The ONN boxes are definitely a good value, but Google could follow and make Play Protect mandatory to receive certification. It just depends on what apps you use and if you need a certified Android/Google TV device.
The most censor proof devices are the AOSP style devices from Ugoos, Minix, the modified Android TV OS devices from Dune, Zidoo etc. or one running CoreELEC. With Projectivy or another 3rd party launcher you canāt even tell it is AOSP.
Unfortunately the rebranded version of the ONN in UK and Europe is absolute robbery compared to Walmart prices.
Update now Ā£79.99 on Amazon which is a big improvement even though still over double the US$ price.
This situation is not a surprise, it has happened, everyone knew it was on the cards in 2024.
Myself, I took advantage of Troypoint and your experts posts, then started researching other avenues that may be the answer to overcoming the side-loading 3rd party apps.
I didnāt really get very far in that area.
However, I delved into the "so called "cheap Chinese android boxes/Google boxes etc etc as mentioned in a reply to this post.
Iām am not an expert, by any manner or means, but, I have found if you deal with the Chinese in a way they respect, then they will be honest and reciprocate.
The genuine companies are very embarrassed about the reputation of Chinese goods and practices.
I think it is about time we started accepting our present situation.
It is what it is, look to sites like Troypoint and research as much as possible before committing to any project.
I am glad I already made the complete switch to Onn. 3 4k pros, 1 4k plus and 1 4k box. I may give my daughter one of the fire sticks for her dorm.
I have been using devices with AOSP for 15 years now and never had any real issues.
I think google tv os will become even more restrictive to combat third party apps tbh.
The 4K plus takes care of my needs at a great price
Same here. I have no need for Netflix etc.
Google is built on selling ads/info so I wouldnāt be surprised at all if they crack down also. The big question mark is Walmart and its successful ONN boxes. You would think they would continue and even dropping the entire line shouldnāt affect current devices unless Google makes a move, but Walmart bought Vizio for $2.3 billion for its ad platform, so they have to have a plan.
I think all of the certified boxes will become consumer unfriendly eventually.
Itās good to know we have choices especially if you donāt need certified. Ran 2 T95Z Plus boxes for about 7 years. Great boxes. Never an issue. Transitioned to the ONN 4K Pro a year or so ago and working great. If Walmart goes the Amazon route I will go back to the uncertified cheap China boxes again without hesitation
The new Xiaomi mi box 3rd gen is a decent box with the new amlogic s905x5. Can get it for around Ā£40 on aliexpress.
Is the onn google tv 4k plus streaming device (new 2025) 4k uhd, dolby vision, dolby atmos a good box then? Iām moving away from the fire stick I need to get a good affordable box
Appears Amazonās at it again! On flashing up the system this morning I was notified Amazon had neutered the Live Net TV app and were recommending it be uninstalled as it would no longer function. I forgot the exact reason they gave for disabling it, one of the joys of growing old I guess. Let this serve as a reminder to those using fire TV gear that you didnāt buy your gear, youāre just renting it and Amazon will govern what you can and can not do with it at their pleasure.
I have no idea about the Plus other than itās cheaper than the Pro with less Storage. I love the Pro. Troy did a video and review here on the Plus recently. Search for it
So, I was curious. I havenāt tried them yet, but I have an old Formuler Z box, and a T3 Dreamlink box from years ago. Do you think they would be better than the firestick right now. My firestick in the livingroom has the Tduk update blocker on it, but it looks like my firestick wants to start acting up every now and then. I was just curious because Iām still using the firestick until it just craps out completely. Thanks. You guys are always amazing with the things you know or come up with. Keep the streaming alive!
Hi all. If you download 3.0.0 it seems to overcome the issues. The code I used is 795590 and then donāt update it.
Hope this helps.
Understand the pressure, but will they respond to it? Still not clear yet.
Theyāve only cherry picked a couple of well known malware apps with their latest move. So the motive is unclear still.
They certainly are. Especially with the release of the new Vega OS. Then the intent is to make sure, when the devs modify their apps to transition from the Fire OS to the Vega OS, that the sideloading capabilities are blocked or banned outright.