"Android Box" With HDMI-In

I guess I should read before I post. I just started a thread asking for a device with HDMI in AND horsepower. Looks like you found one.

 

Have to be cautious with these "unofficial Android boxes" though. They have a reputation for stability problems and nonexistent support.

It would be great if that situation changed for the better. It's hard to say without intense research on all of the boxes, and whether there has been any significant improvement.

 

Does it do "AirPlay" with apps installed? Will it transfer youtube video from phone to TV like how chromecast does?

 

No idea, but it's on KitKat, and the built-in "Cast" feature is part of the "L" version.

 

I am not sure aware of "Cast" and I assume you are talking about some proprietary google feature to cast from phone to the chromecast app.

Here is my question in another way.

I have a Sony NSZ-GS1 google tv. When i start my youtube app in my phone i have 2 options.

1) One is to airplay to google tv with apps like "Airtight". What happens here is the video is downloaded in my phone and just displayed on the TV with "airplay" kind of functionality

2) One is to make the "Youtube App" in the google tv play the movie. By selecting this, youtube takes over the video. So now the video is downloaded and played from the Sony Google tv. Even if i turn off my phone the video plays without interruption.


I hope atleast one of the option works in these android boxes and i dont have to keep on typing names in the box which is a pain by itself.

 

Yes, AndroidTV runs on the "L" OS, and is supposed to have an embedded Chromecast capability. The box on this thread runs on the earlier KitKat OS version, without the built-in Chromecast feature.


Hard to say what features will run on these knockoff boxes, or how well. They come on the market fast and furious, and without having owned one, I don't know the answer.

 

Hi, what is the cost of the UT3 box?

 

I've heard if you get it direct from UGOOS you can pay $100. I guess you need to open up a live chat with someone on their website and the'll send your PayPal an invoice. I found this out after I ordered mine. I paid $135 from Deals Prime.

UGOOS product page:
http://ugoos.net/ugoos-brand

Deals Prime:
http://dealsprime.com/ugoos-ut3-android-4-4-mini-pc-quad-core-rk3288-1-8ghz-bt-tv-box.html

 

Would you post a review of the box? How well or not well it works, and if you tried anything with the "HDMI In."

 

I'd love to, but I haven't actually received it yet. It's currently in shipping. I'll post my thoughts after it arrives and a play with it a little.

 

I don't think the operating system can deal with HDMI input, it will be up to third party developers to come up with an app to use it. I would think if the box is off, the HDMI signal will just pass through as if the box isn't there but as far taking a traditional TV source input by HDMI and combining it with internet TV sources in a useful way, I don't see how the tablet operating system used can do anything.

Brian, it will be interesting to see what you find but if there are not many Android mini PCs with HDMI input, I would think there won't be many developers working on apps that use it.

 

HDMI IN works as expected. It is not like the overlay which is in google TV. It is just an app . when you launch the app you get to see the HDMI input content.

See more discussion on XDA website

Ugoos UT3 RK3288 4K HDMi Input Output - Page 2 - XDA Forums

 

Yep, "HDMI in" is just an app that is a simple switch. No overlays, and no sounds, like the "ting" of apps being pushed to the device via PC, while in the "HDMI in" app. Too bad.

That said, I believe it is the best option currently for Google TV owner looking to replace their boxes. It is very very fast and since it's 4.4.2 KitKat, there are many more app options. It's easy to root and there is already a custom ROM being ported to the UT3.

There are a few drawbacks tho. First and most importantly, you will need an air mouse. It doesn't come with one, and until you have one you will be very limited to what you can do and what apps you can actually use. I did notice a few bugs in the current firmware as well. Even if you set the time in setting to "12 hour" format, on the launcher home and in the app drawer it stay's in "24 hour" format. Also I haven't found out how to change the temperature on the launcher home from Celsius to Fahrenheit. And I found one more bug, on Wednesdays the "W" disappears on the launcher home and app drawer so it says "ednesday". All the bug issues have to do with the launcher and can eventually be fixed via firmware update or by simply installing a different launcher.