Raspberry Pi for Android TV box - please help !!!!

[Skyh3ck]

Hello

I wish to have Android TV at home,

since its difficult and costly to order TV box from China, i am thinking about
using Raspberry Pi and convert it to Android TV box.

Main use willbe Youtube, Hotstar, movies, etc.

I have never used Raspberry or any such items, can you please giude me what items are requied, cables, keyboard, software, total cost etc. where can i get all this.

also i know there are some other compititor to raspberry also like asus, roku etc,,

please guide me

 

[SaiyanGoku]

I thought about the same a while ago but it isn't worth it. Raspberry pi 4 requires active cooling else it will thermal throttle. Just buy an Android TV box and set it up. It'll cost less and work without needing to spend extra time.

 

[cute.bandar]

Firestick or mi box . Both would be much cheaper than pi , as the pi requires extra power supply, case, card etc.
There is also roku, but I have no experience with it.

 

[Desmond]

I thought about the same a while ago but it isn't worth it. Raspberry pi 4 requires active cooling else it will thermal throttle. Just buy an Android TV box and set it up. It'll cost less and work without needing to spend extra time.

Does RPi4 really run that hot? I was thinking of buying it.

 

[whitestar_999]

Does RPi4 really run that hot? I was thinking of buying it.

*geek.digit.in/community/threads/raspberry-pi-4-devils-curse-from-hell.207836/

The board has a heating issue. Now you might find reviews about the heating issue and reviews telling you that the issue is not that big, but trust me, for Indian climate, it is an issue. Even though Mumbai doesn't have much of a winter, the weather is still cool right now. And yet, with moderate usage, the Pi was hitting 70 degrees. I got a heat sink and a fan to keep it cool, after which the temperature dropped below 45.

 

[SaiyanGoku]

Does RPi4 really run that hot? I was thinking of buying it.

Yes, it does. 52Pi Ice Tower Raspberry Pi 4 Cooler Review: Big Honking Fan
I thought about getting everything including Pi4, type-c power plug, that cooler via a friend and a case which might allow it. Airlines might have stopped him because of exposed PCB.
That's why I didn't order.

 

[Desmond]

Exposed PCB is not allowed on flights?

Also, given the temperatures, I think the cooler is really needed.

 

[SaiyanGoku]

Exposed PCB is not allowed on flights?

You never know when some non-tech savvy person can mistake it for PCB for bomb. I'd carry it myself if I was travelling than subject anybody else to questioning/harassment by airport personnel.

 

[whitestar_999]

Exposed PCB is not allowed on flights?

In current times, what is allowed on flights is quite subjective & as mentioned by @SaiyanGoku all it takes is one extra-cautious non-tech savvy person to flag a simple object as dangerous so it is recommended to stick to the safe side.

P.S. A friend of mine was once asked about induction plate cooker at airport simply because it looked odd in backpack & after another security personnel explained(he also used induction plate cooker so knew what it was) it was cleared & this was way back in 2014.

 

[Desmond]

Wow. I was wondering how people transport their personal motherboards and GPUs. I guess that explains it.

 

[whitestar_999]

Wow. I was wondering how people transport their personal motherboards and GPUs. I guess that explains it.

Actually you just put all such stuff in your check-in luggage which is scanned by a system with much more data capability so it mostly identify such items correctly with no issues(friend got mobo,processor,gpu,psu,hdd in this way through flight). Cabin luggage on the other hand is scrutinised more deeply by a person so shape/size/characteristics of object matters.

 

[SaiyanGoku]

Get the Mi Box 4K which was just launched today for 3.5k.

 

[Skyh3ck]

i am thinking to get Sanyo Kaizen 32 inch TV

but also get one of those SBC, there are so many Raspberry, Odroid, and many more, i want to hook it up to TV just to use some browing and as a second computer, what say guys, which SBC is good, so i can thinker it with Android, some linux, sometime windows etc

 

[whitestar_999]

i am thinking to get Sanyo Kaizen 32 inch TV

but also get one of those SBC, there are so many Raspberry, Odroid, and many more, i want to hook it up to TV just to use some browing and as a second computer, what say guys, which SBC is good, so i can thinker it with Android, some linux, sometime windows etc

Cheap/affordable SBC are only for Android, windows need much more powerful hardware & thus money.

 

[Skyh3ck]

Yes..

What can I get to use like android TV system what sbc to use

 

[SaiyanGoku]

Yes..

What can I get to use like android TV system what sbc to use

Just buy Mi Box 4k instead. SBCs are good tools for tinkering and learning but good ones are expensive when you take your primary usage into account.

 

[Skyh3ck]

ok, i saw some review and it seems like good,

i will get a mi box then

 

[Skyh3ck]

i still need a SBC just for fun, and have it connect to TV as emergency computer need, or some old retro game etc, i will create a separate thread for that

 

[Skyh3ck]

ali express and bangood are now asking for very high shipping price, so no point on getting anythign from there,

but does mi box have any performance issue, with hotstar, youtube, sideload etc, does it have full google play support

 

[ico]

Yes, it does. 52Pi Ice Tower Raspberry Pi 4 Cooler Review: Big Honking Fan
I thought about getting everything including Pi4, type-c power plug, that cooler via a friend and a case which might allow it. Airlines might have stopped him because of exposed PCB.
That's why I didn't order.

I haven't heard of this happening.

I brought the following when I came to India recently:

• Ryzen 7 2700 + Cooler
• Ryzen 3 3200G + Cooler
• 4 * 8 GB GSkill Samsung B-die RAM sticks
• 2 * Crucial MX500 1TB SSD
• Samsung 860 Evo 512 GB SSD
• Raspberry Pi 4 + a case that had cooler

Note: I had bubble wrapped everything myself and gotten rid of the original "boxed" packaging.

The CPUs (not coolers) were in my backpack though in their small plastic containers which were again bubble wrapped.

ok, i saw some review and it seems like good,

i will get a mi box then

Consider something from Amazon if it's possible. I'd rather be okay with Amazon spying on Indians than the Chinese.