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R-BOX Android 5.1 RK3229 4K TV Box w/ Digital Display $34.99 US (~$46.96AU) Shipped @ Geekbuying

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R-BOX Android 5.1 RK3229 4K TV Box w/ Digital Display $34.99 US (~$46.96AU) Shipped @ GeekbuyingAffiliate
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MarketingClear on 07/06/2016 - 18:42 geekbuying.com (2257 clicks)
Last edited 07/06/2016 - 20:53 by 1 other user
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Tonight we have a new Android powered TV Box on sale that makes your TV smart.

It features Rockchip's RK3229 which has very good media capabilities and can handle 4K video including 10-bit H.265 @ 60fps and 10-bit H.264 @ 30fps reasonably well. Unlike other RK3229 TV boxes this has 2GB of RAM and Android 5.1 instead of 1GB of RAM with Android 4.4. There is a display on the front that shows the time as well.

It comes in black or white and costs $34.99 US with free shipping.

Discounted TNT Express is available.

Specifications

  • Android 5.1.1
  • RK3229 Quad Core CPU @ 1.5GHz
  • Mali-400MP GPU, OpenGL ES 2.0
  • 2GB RAM
  • 8GB eMMC Storage (Supports micro SD up to 32GB)
  • 802.11 b/g/n WiFi (RTL8723), Bluetooth 4.0
  • 10/100 Ethernet
  • HDMI 1.4b with CEC
  • 3x USB 2.0, 1x SPDIF, 1x Micro SD Slot, 1x 3.5mm
  • Digital Display, IR Receiver, Mic
  • Google Play, KODI etc preloaded

Package includes: TV Box, IR Remote, HDMI Cable, Power Adapter, User Manual

Get an extra 3.20% back at Cashrewards

Other Geekbuying Deals:

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Tronsmart QC2 5 Port Charger - $18.69 US
ROMOSS Sense6 Plus 20000mAh Power Bank - $19 US
Teclast X80 Power 8" Windows/Android Tablet - $99 US

edit: $48.38 AU via 28 degree card at 8:03pm

Computing 4K Computer Media Player Mini PC Android

Related Stores

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closed Comments

  • Axelstrife on 07/06/2016 - 18:52

    I like this i have the MXQ 4k which doesnt have the 2gb ram or the power button on the unit itself or bluetooth.

    whats the original price?

    • factor on 07/06/2016 - 23:35

      Meh - the MXQ 4k does pretty much everything this unit does. 10-bit HEVC support works smoothly.

      http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/121964370581
      Currently AU$35.97 incl shipping.

      I don't think this is a bargain.

      • Axelstrife on 07/06/2016 - 23:41

        I've noticed stutters sometimes on mines not enough to warrant me spending another 45 but the things I listed would persuade me ifin 6 months or so

      • notout50 on 08/06/2016 - 07:50
        +1

        I would spend an extra $14 for 1GB of RAM personally. Don't think it's worth the upgrade if you have the MXQ 4K already though.

        • factor on 08/06/2016 - 14:04

          Sure. Get back to me when you work out what the extra 1GB of RAM does for you. :)

          It's a TV Box. You're not mult-tasking with it — unless you are running bit-torrent off it, which is an odd setup. What you need is hardware decode support, and getting the right apps on their to utilise the hardware decode rather than attempting software decode. The rest of the hardware makes zero difference.

        • notout50 on 08/06/2016 - 18:57
          +1

          @factor: Your logic is not wrong, but I guess I just like future proofing my hardware. It's probably overkill though, you're right.

    • avan1976 on 08/06/2016 - 09:33

      Thought this was a great deal for a HTPC.
      You can get them cheaper with 2GB and less storage. But this has Z8300, 4Gb, 64GB storage . Windows 10. Hardware x265 decoding and lots of ports for $155. Owning a 2GB Ram version of a similar thing, the extra 2 GB is very enticing.

      http://www.gearbest.com/tv-box-mini-pc/pp_357284.htmlb

  • fruit on 07/06/2016 - 18:57

    Never heard of 10bit before what's that?

    • thebargainhunter on 07/06/2016 - 19:00
      +1

      Colour depth/range - an extra 2 bits per channel.

    • MarketingClear @ Geekbuying on 07/06/2016 - 19:03

      Even though this talks about 10-bit in TV panels, it'll help you understand it better.

    • scrimshaw on 07/06/2016 - 19:05
      +7

      For the people who are downloading 10-bit videos from the internet…. The reason a lot of people use 10-bit in encodes now is because it reduces file size

      10bit is more efficient in compression than 8bit, so it's used for better compression, not because the source has more bits.
      You can read about it here: http://x264.nl/x264/10bit_02-ateme-why_does_10bit_save_bandw…

      It can also be used to encode directly from 10bit processing without going via dithering if processing is used.

      • hamwhisperer on 07/06/2016 - 20:32

        I thought it meant it had a slightly wider colour range which helped with blacks / lights but cost some space?

        • Agret on 08/06/2016 - 00:22
          +1

          Be that as it may you'd be hard pressed to find any media source that originates in 10bit. Using it to re-encode from normal videos it is more efficient at compression.

    • [Deactivated] on 08/06/2016 - 16:21

      you'll want 10-bit hevc/x265 & 10-bit vp9 for futureproofing

  • mskeggs on 07/06/2016 - 19:08

    How does this go as an all-in-one torrent download then watch/listen device?
    Is the torrenting side adequate?

    • MarketingClear @ Geekbuying on 07/06/2016 - 19:12
      +2

      It won't be a problem. Just load up a torrent app and you're set.

      • batrarobin on 07/06/2016 - 20:20

        Wish there was an easy way of storing torrent movies on a NAS while downloading.

        • llama on 07/06/2016 - 20:43

          Wish there was an easy way of storing torrent movies on a NAS while downloading

          What? Surely you store them where you download them to. Put another way, when you download, save them to the NAS.

          They have to save somewhere, so where else would you store them?

        • batrarobin on 07/06/2016 - 22:09

          @llama: sorry I am not aware of any torrent client that would let you save your downloads directly on a network drive, pls let me know if there is any. Basically the torrent client would only let you select the local drive as its working and saving directly.

          No doubt it would be the most logical thing that you would think should be possible but I gave up last time I looked into ways of achieving it.

        • Unrvl on 07/06/2016 - 22:39

          @batrarobin: oh for android no idea, but windows this is easy.

        • ashanrath on 07/06/2016 - 22:45

          @batrarobin: Are there any torrent clients available for your NAS?

        • batrarobin on 07/06/2016 - 23:19
          +1

          @ashanrath:

          Yes, my NAS is a QNAP which has an inbuilt support for bittorrent which is great. However my android box has a better interface through my TV screen so would have been great if I could save torrents directly to NAS.

        • batrarobin on 07/06/2016 - 23:21

          @xEnt: yes correct, for Windows it's very easy.

        • llama on 08/06/2016 - 01:37
          +1

          @batrarobin:

          It is an android limitation. By default, Android cannot even write to an SD Card!

          You need to mount the SMB (network share) as a folder under Android.

          That requires ROOT, and some hacking.

          There are far easier and better ways to do it - like running the torrent client ON the NAS, then using Android app to control it.

        • uccoffee on 08/06/2016 - 04:19
          +2

          How about use some app to move it to the nas after complete dl? Or sync every day with the nas etc?

        • batrarobin on 08/06/2016 - 10:05

          @llama:

          Thanks for the reply. I rooted my device and tried mounting SMB folder however failed miserably, the tutorials online don't seem to work with the recent Android version. Ah well, I would stick to the bittorrent client on my QNAP.

        • llama on 08/06/2016 - 14:45
          +1

          @batrarobin:

          Ah well, I would stick to the bittorrent client on my QNAP.

          Much faster that way.

          Any decent "server-based" torrent proggie only needs that you drop the .torrent or magnet files into a directory, then come back and collect the downloads from target directory. So you don't really even need an interface to do that.

          I ran mine from a old D-Link NAS in that way for many years, never has an actual torrent program on the computer. It was only quite recently that I installed Qtorrent, after my NAS was retired and I urgently needed the latest Linux distro.

          Any reason not to just install this (or similar) on the Android box?
          https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.qnap.com.q…

        • batrarobin on 08/06/2016 - 15:14

          @llama: Thank you. Yes that's the one I currently use on my Android phone to initiate torrents on the QNAP. Cheers.

  • finger on 07/06/2016 - 19:11
    +1

    Would this run kodi and stream movies from another computer?

    • MarketingClear @ Geekbuying on 07/06/2016 - 19:12
      +2

      KODI comes preloaded and you can stream over the network.

      • [Deactivated] on 07/06/2016 - 21:18
        +1

        Damn, that's quite awesome! Good stuff :)

      • EightImmortals on 08/06/2016 - 06:27

        Cool. So we could load up Kodi apps like Genesis and youtube?

        • MarketingClear @ Geekbuying on 08/06/2016 - 07:02

          Yep. It's pretty much an Android phone in box form.

  • salem on 07/06/2016 - 19:15

    Netflix?

    • Caleb57 on 07/06/2016 - 19:19
      +1

      If your after 4k netflix, it is only supported on certain TVs and the roku 4 and also the nvidia shield.

      • salem on 07/06/2016 - 19:25
        +1

        1080p would be fine. But I should have been able to work it out since it's android. :P

    • Darkscythe on 07/06/2016 - 20:51
      +6

      It'll be 480p as only Netflix-certified Android devices get 1080p and above.

      • salem on 07/06/2016 - 22:05
        +2

        Well that's disappointing.

        • Darkscythe on 07/06/2016 - 22:06
          +1

          Yeah, Netflix on cheap Android boxes is disappointing. You're better off going for one of the cheap Windows boxes instead if you want 1080p Netflix or get something like the WeTek Core or Shield TV.

        • Hirolol on 07/06/2016 - 23:30

          Shoulda got AppleTV

        • borgsta on 08/06/2016 - 06:57

          @Darkscythe:
          What are some decent Windows based boxes?

        • fatty on 08/06/2016 - 19:21

          @Darkscythe: perhaps a telstra TV box (roku) would support 1080 Netflix. Around $80 outright.

        • Darkscythe on 08/06/2016 - 20:02

          @fatty: Yep, the Telstra TV is a great little unit.

        • Darkscythe on 08/06/2016 - 20:08
          +2

          @borgsta: I'm a fan of anything by MeLE or Minix. Beelink also make some great units if budget is an issue. I've reviewed a number of them on my site.

          Check out something like the MeLE Star Cloud PCG60 Plus, Tronsmart Ara X5, or Rikomagic MK36S.

  • xenoic on 07/06/2016 - 19:17
    -2

    Dude, HDMI 1.4b doesn't support 4K

    4K requires HDMI 2.0

    • [Deactivated] on 07/06/2016 - 19:20
      +4

      http://www.hdmi.org/manufacturer/hdmi_1_4/4K.aspx

      • TheContact on 07/06/2016 - 19:28

        4K @ 60fps though? That link says nothing about framerate and the HDMI 2.0b page has 4K@50/60 as a key advanced feature.

        • thunderz on 07/06/2016 - 19:36
          +1

          It says 4K@60fps at http://www.cnx-software.com/2016/06/04/35-r-box-rockchip-rk3….

        • TheContact on 07/06/2016 - 19:42
          +1

          @thunderz: Thanks. That page says it should be HDMI2.0 not 1.4b.

          From the comment section as well:

          While the prices are getting better on these Android devices the habit of some boxes being vague or wrong with specifications when sold by some suppliers will only reduce customer trust in Android devices, I suggest.

          heh

        • [Deactivated] on 07/06/2016 - 21:06

          Nope, 30Hz.

          But still 4K.

  • yoshiyoshi on 07/06/2016 - 19:24
    +2

    Is the power block au or does it have a au adapter (eg Europe plug and au converter)?

    • MarketingClear @ Geekbuying on 07/06/2016 - 19:29
      +1

      It'll have the AU adapter. That's why I personally use a Xiaomi power strip.

  • OzzyMozzy on 07/06/2016 - 19:44

    So this is good for netflix, plex client, stan and presto viewing?

    • batrarobin on 08/06/2016 - 10:08

      Not sure about others but Presto definitely won't work on this.

    • x d on 23/06/2016 - 23:09

      As other poster wrote, Presto won't run. It will install but on opening, it will say that due to HDMI connection, the program won't allow the software to continue due to licencing issues.

  • hitubaba on 07/06/2016 - 19:59

    Sorry i am a newbie with Network related stuff.

    • can it automatically download via torrent overnight once some movie is available.

    • can it allow me to remotely or network access my portable/desktop hdd if connected to it, so that i can directly transfer files wirelessly from my mac. If yes, would the video transfer speed be good.

    Or should i just go for the seagate cloud nas i have been eyeing on. As my budget is less than $300

    Please assist

    • MarketingClear @ Geekbuying on 07/06/2016 - 20:05
      +1

      You're going to need to load apps to do those functions since it's Android.

      I'm not sure if there are any torrent apps that will download movies as soon as they're available. You'll definitely be able to download overnight though.

      You can access files from a USB device connected over the internet.

      With the Seagate cloud NAS being designed specifically for wireless storage - it might be a better choice as this TV box is more intended to be a smart media player. It would be interesting to see the specifications on the NAS and see if the wireless is better.

  • seigweilo on 07/06/2016 - 20:07

    how's the wifi on these bad boys? I mostly got 720ps but I'm starting to upgrade my collection to 4-5GB 1080ps

    • tko6070 on 07/06/2016 - 21:35

      I'm wondering if it will bottleneck 1080p h264 like the wdtv… will this device work over lan

      • LoungeLizard on 08/06/2016 - 07:35

        LAN or WiFi will not be the problem. To stream 1080p you need ~10Mbps (dependent on quality/compression). Unless you have prehistoric LAN/WiFi devices on your network it'll be fine

        • klownz on 08/06/2016 - 23:09
          +1

          Time to upgrade my token-ring network

  • darcbohs on 07/06/2016 - 20:11

    Has anyone got how to guides for a beginner with android tv box ?

    if i buy this can i get epl etc ?
    How do you get torrents ?
    What else can it do

    • scrimshaw on 07/06/2016 - 20:19
      +3

      An Android TV box is basically the guts of an Android phone shoved into a stick form.

      Whatever you can do with an Android phone can also be done with an Android TV box.

      uTorrent if you want torrent
      Plex if you want to stream stuff
      Netflix and Hulu
      Spotify or YT Music if you want premium music
      SBS or ABC iView if you want aussie tv
      for games you can play emulators and crap with a wireless controller

      et cetera.

      • darcbohs on 07/06/2016 - 20:25

        Thanks alot will give it a craic where do you get the controllers and emulators

      • OzzyMozzy on 07/06/2016 - 20:44

        Thanks, ordered!

    • notout50 on 08/06/2016 - 07:54

      Assuming Optus release their EPL app on Android, then we should be fine to simply download the app for the box and login with your credentials.
      I'm also wondering if it'll work with Foxtel Go…

  • altomic on 07/06/2016 - 20:36
    +1

    Geekbuying also has the MX PLUS II for US$27.99 delivered same specs but only 1gb ram. I have one and it's very good.

    • darcbohs on 07/06/2016 - 20:42

      and this http://www.geekbuying.com/item/MXQ-Pro-4K-Ultra-HD-KODI-Andr… which ones the best buy ?

      • altomic on 07/06/2016 - 20:51
        +1

        depends on the TV. I'm using mine on a Aldi Medion 32" with 1920x1080 resolution. the MX Plus II just works well with it.

        MXQ Pro would be best for a higher spec'd TV.

        depends also how much you want from it.

        here is a review I wrote about the MX plus II:

        set up was no problem. found wifi network and logged on sweetly. came loaded with android 4.4.4. XBMC/KODI is there.plugged in my .99cent Zapals wireless mouse and that worked straight away. plugged in wired keyboard . PLugged in my 2tb seagate portable HDD which played straight away. installed VLC from PlayStore as the media player. no problems.
        I'm pretty impressed with this US$27 android box. my first android box and I'd give it 9/10. not 10/10 as I haven't used any other android boxes to compare and there are probably better and faster ones. but this one is fast, does everything I want and was cheap.

      • gembel on 07/06/2016 - 22:28

        got mine today, so far so good with plex

  • superforever on 07/06/2016 - 20:59

    Is it possible to play Karaoke?

  • skysurfer on 07/06/2016 - 21:08

    Does this or any other similar one support Apple Airplay?

    • MarketingClear @ Geekbuying on 07/06/2016 - 21:16

      No Airplay in this one, but others might.

    • mnc on 08/06/2016 - 01:32

      You can download apps like Airpin from Playstore and it should be able to take airplay. I have used it on Nexus Player and works well even with screen mirroring from iPad.

    • Agret on 08/06/2016 - 14:30

      In theory you can use this to do it:

      https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.waxrain.ai…

  • Aap Ke Papa on 07/06/2016 - 21:13
    -1

    But does it blend?

  • figarow on 07/06/2016 - 21:13

    Tonight we have a new Android powered TV Box

    New means no reviews, no reviews means risky purchase, risky purchase means me no buy, me no buy means me no vote, me no vote means me leave thread, me lea

  • heathwithnoteeth on 07/06/2016 - 21:15

    could i use this with an old SD LCD? or would a cheaper option be better, to make the tv 'smarter' cheers

    • MarketingClear @ Geekbuying on 07/06/2016 - 21:17

      Yep. If it has HDMI then you're all set.

  • pork chop on 07/06/2016 - 21:16

    I have an MXQ 4K Box and have had trouble reading 2TB portable HDDs. At times the drive shows up as sd1 but often it doesnt mount the drive. Much appreciate if anyone know the root cause.

    • [Deactivated] on 07/06/2016 - 21:40

      Can't regulate enough power, you will find it's not even enough to charge phone

    • x d on 23/06/2016 - 23:12

      I have 3 MXQ 4K box. The first one I bought can't produce enough USB power to run one of my USB 2 drive. But the 2 I bought after that is fine.

  • jeeg on 07/06/2016 - 21:20

    I am keen to get this one. Is the 10/100 LAN an issue for streaming from NAS? Will this be a bottleneck?

    Anyone has this box and can give feedback re. the Netflix app? I am hoping that it is not slow or laggy?

    • Darkscythe on 07/06/2016 - 22:07

      I've found 100Mbps fine for most streaming unless you're watching high bitrate content. For Netflix and most streaming it should be fine.

  • Morien on 07/06/2016 - 21:37

    Anyone have a suggestion on a cheap box I can connect (multiple) USB3.0 drives to and use as a cheap-o NAS?

  • mvbc85 on 07/06/2016 - 21:40

    Looks interesting, but what are some of the differences between this and a chromecast?

    • MarketingClear @ Geekbuying on 07/06/2016 - 21:52

      scrimshaw summed this up well.

      An Android TV box is basically the guts of an Android phone shoved into a stick box form.

      While with a Chromecast you're streaming content from your phone or tablet to the TV.

      • Darkscythe on 07/06/2016 - 22:09
        +1

        Plus you don't really get apps on the Chromecast - but you do get HD Netflix, etc. Each has their pros and cons. I personally use both for different uses.

        • MarketingClear @ Geekbuying on 07/06/2016 - 22:15
          +1

          Yup. I leave all the retro gaming with emulators to the tv boxes.

  • congo on 07/06/2016 - 22:03

    Will Youku run smoothly on this connected to wifi?
    Does it support the dual band wifi?

    • MarketingClear @ Geekbuying on 07/06/2016 - 22:05

      Depends on how far away you are and your internet speed. This box is using a Realtek RTL8723 module for wifi.

    • shaiguy on 08/06/2016 - 11:27

      I am also looking for a media player that can run Youku smoothly (and I do not know about Android devices). So essentially you can install Youku HD on this device and it will run smoothly?

      Also how does this compare to other Android media players (sorry I am still using a very old Boxee)

  • regenade on 07/06/2016 - 22:06
    +14

    This is probably a much better box : Beelink Mini MX III 2GB RAM, 16GB eMMC. S905 is a much better chip and more chance to get OpenElec rather than RK3229 based boxes.

    Currently available at everbuying at around $40.50 after sign-up and mobile discounts : http://www.everbuying.net/product1161221.html
    Also available on ebay for just $34.97
    http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Beelink-MiniMXIII-TV-Box-H-265-Fu…

    I have bought one from Everbuying and it scores around 36,500 in Antutu !

    Dont buy a RK3229 box unless you want nothing but trouble and also this box as OP posted is not true 4K and has a HDMI 1.4b and not HDMI 2.0 to support 4K @ 60Hz

    • k3nn3th323 on 07/06/2016 - 23:18

      Thanks! just grabbed one of those beelink

    • BlazinPast on 07/06/2016 - 23:19

      Thanks for that. I'll look into this more tomorrow night but does anyone else know of any other contenders for less than $50?

      • regenade on 07/06/2016 - 23:21
        +3

        Less than AU $50, I will recommend only the Beelink Mini MX or Beelink Mini MX III. Also make sure you get a box with 2GB RAM, 16GB ROM/storage and a 1000M Gigabit LAN as Wifi in these boxes are often patchy !

        • BlazinPast on 07/06/2016 - 23:24

          Thanks! Any stuttering or issues when it comes to spotify, watching movies or torrenting/streaming? Any downsides? Seems like a good deal to me

        • regenade on 08/06/2016 - 00:14
          +1

          Its just out with the 1st firmware, so most if not all except >$100 S905 boxes are a bit buggy. You will need to wait for better firmwares and OpenElec builds to be out for them.

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