I was looking at the specs on an amazon offering…
Amazon.com: Android 11.0 TV Box, MECOOL KM2 Plus 2GB 16GB Smart TV Box with Netflix Certified, Google Assistant Dolby Atmos, TV Box 4K Support AV1, 2.4G/5G, Ethernet, WiFi 5, BT 5.0 with Amlogic S905X4 (Black) : Electronics
https://www.amazon.com/Android-KM2-Netflix-Certified-Support/dp/B0BKQ1C2QH
Can I ask what are you going to use it for?
I will have it in my hands on Monday and will send out a first impressions video to Patrons and Founding members ASAP. I will then provide a full review the following week.
5 Likes
this one is the real nvidia shield killer and at a lower price than this Mecool
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BMLJ84LQ?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
2 Likes
Hey @TXRon this G2 has Amlogic S905X4-K Quad-core cortex-A55 CPU with Mali-G31 MP2 GPU. You’re a lot more up on chipsets than I am. Any opinion on this set for the G2?
Only 2 USB 2.0 Ports…?
*Thanks for this review, the box looks great! But I’m holding off enthusiasm until I find out if I can use one of the USB ports for additional storage with an SSD.
Excellent Android box. Just got mine over the weekend. I’ve had both the old and new (most recent) shield pro and this is just as good. Doesn’t have upscaling like the shield but that doesn’t work very good IMO anyway. As Troy shows in his video download speeds are faaaaaaaaaast on this thing. 32GB of storage is plenty for me. No complaints yet from me and I prefer the remote compared to the shield remote.
1 Like
Hello @ratt57 I’m in middle of my review and just connected a Samsung 860 EVO 500GB to the USB port with an SSD USB adapter and everything works as it should. You can use it for just storage and I also tried expanding internal storage and that works as well.
2 Likes
I did like the look of this $28 T95Z Plus Android 12 Box First Impessions & Setup Video Now Available from the Troypoint email just the other day.
I guess with the MeCool you are going to get the hardliner NVidia fans pointing out difference between the two, but the obvious price discrepancy is what this box is aiming for. You cannot really just call it a China box otherwise we could just call the Nvidia a Taiwan box.
The fact that Android devices are getting a lot better, is upping the game for the now dated Vvidia boxes and with the price aimed at generating cash from a perceived increase in functionality, Nvidia may have to either up their game or reduce the price of their TV boxes.
I am one of those people who doesn’t need the latest gadgets, and will watch from the sidelines as newer devices come out with better functionality or wait until they have ironed out the kinks in these type of machines first.
1 Like
Nice Review @TROYPOINT . Just looking at the specs I would think this box is/should be the Mecool centerpiece/TOP box. Seems to have it all.(mostly)
1 Like
Thanks Ron. I agree. Someone made the point which is also correct that the Shield still has a stronger processor. But, my take is that the Shield is overkill for most people who just want to stream. If they want to play games then that’s a different conversation as they would probably want the stronger CPU. You aren’t going to notice a difference in streaming 4K or 1080P content when comparing this with the Shield.
2 Likes
About Mecool KM2 DELUXE.
It is fast. Use a good HDMI cable if u do not want interrupts in picture and sound.
Netflix hbo Amazon no problem.
Wifi is 2 times faster as ethernet. BUT…
Wifi 6 disconnect s after about 10/15 min till i reboot the box, this is the only device that has this problem in my home.
Maybe wifi goes to sleep?
This box is not 100% working with Atmos. if the stream container is DD+/ATMOS it plays Atmos no problem., like used in Netflix HBO Prime for example.
If the stream container is Truehd/ATMOS, the player does not choose Atmos so there is no sound.
Tried with Kodi and blu-ray Rips.
With my Shield pro 2019 there is no problem on the same movies and streams.
Some.dolby vision streams are not recognized, but if you use HDR always on, you have less problems.
Hope they fix this problem.
2 Likes
The G2 is a nice box. I really like it. Not more than my Shield, but it has been a terrific streamer ever since I got it. I have thrown a lot at it, soundbar, 4k movies, etc etc and it has handled all of that as well as any other box I have.
2 Likes
without AC-4 decoding you cannot playback any of the new ATSC 3.0 broadcasts without using the SiliconDust program which is not very user friendly.
unfortunately the shield is not as great as you claim as the box will not play 4k streaming on the directv stream app. the channels are in there guide but when you press to play the channels it comes up as your device is not 4k compatible . so i wonder if this new box will play those channels or not as the tivo stream 4k does
The Shield Pro certainly is 4K compatible. I play 4K content every day. Not to mention with AI upscaling to AI-Enhanced I even get that upscaling to 4K for me. I can’t speak for the Direct Stream App, it isn’t something I use.
1 Like
I am in the middle of trying to set up my new MeCool KM2 Deluxe, setup appears to be very straightforward.
My issue is with the IPTV service, I’m able to load IPTV Smarters Pro fine, I login, update each category & then when I go to categories each time it will kick me back to the Live TV, MOVIES & Series menu.
I’ve been in steady communication with the Discord group for the past two days & have not received a resolution.
Any help anyone can provide will be appreciated. I also have a backup IPTV of Aurora and everything works fine with that service.
I want to switch to IPTV Smarters .
Please advise
One of these days, we’ll see a flagship box that will have a SoC that will support 4K120…one day.
Mecool is checking the right boxes…at least the majority of them. At $140 plus shipping (though offset by TP discount) - that’s getting mighty close to sale price ($170 +free local retail pickup) Shield neighborhood though.
While @TROYPOINT does imply that the shield may be excessive for the casual 1080p streamer, there’s still factors that needs to be considered.
4K is the new low cost standard. 1080p rests mostly within the existinf installed user base. Quality A-list gaming is still nice incentive - GeForce Now and Tegra is hard to beat even if you’re tire kicking living room gaming. Ai upscaler is…well, awesome, and for now, exclusive.
I’m not trying to twist this into a Shield vs the world post “again” - though while this Mecool can certainly be considered a shield alternative (with an asterisk), unless they can make a more attractive price point (like $99), I don’t know if has the leverage to sway the targeted demographic.