With Chinese SoC advancements we are starting to see some seriously powerful Android set top boxes with 4K video support.
In the past Android set top boxes were nothing more than simple boxes that allowed you to run games and watch videos from Android applications on to your TV. Recent advances in the field, combined with components costs, have seen set top boxes turn into real power houses over the past year.
It is now common to find devices that pack a quad-core processor, 2GB RAM and have enough grunt to run video at Ultra HD resolutions.
The Minix Neo X8-HD is one of the new breed and along with the above features also has a Mali-450 GPU, 16GB internal memory and space for an SD card. Android 4.4 Kitkat has been customised especially to suit life on the big screen, and most apps can be interacted with via the included remote. For more complex settings and features you could always connect a keyboard via USB or Bluetooth 4.0.
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One of the nicest features of the Minix is that the Minix runs XBMC out of the box allowing you to have a very powerful and flexible media hub without messing around. The Minix Ne0 X8-HD is on sale now from just under $150.