# Android box for 4k 60fps



## PeterStoffregen (Dec 14, 2016)

Hi Folks; I'm looking for an Android box (or something) to playback 4k 60fps movies from an external hard drive. I have ordered cheaper units from 'over seas' sources and had 0 for 3 luck; either couldn't play 4k, couldn't produce 60 fps, or simply did not arrive.
It seems like the Nvidea Shield would be a safe bet, but wondering if there are less expensive alternatives as my only requirement is playback from a downloaded library.


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## Da Wiz (May 8, 2019)

If the TV is relatively new, you don't need a "box". Sony and Hisense and likely other brands (but not Panasonic) will plaly virtually ANYTHING from NAS. Any decent smart TV with an Ethernet connection can play 4K/60 Hz... but ONLY if the NAS is fast enough to keep up with the bandwidth (WD My Cloud will NOT be fast enough, Netgear ReadyNAS 4xxx series may not even be fast enough, may have to go to 6-series for 4k/60p. It may be impossible to have a Wi-Fi connection fast enough to keep up with the data transfer rates needed for 4K/60Hz, which means you will need Ethernet... and NOT 10/100 Ethernet, that won't be fast enough either. You will need 10/100/1000 Ethernet, aka Gigabit Ethernet. That means the computer or TV MUST have gigabit Ethernet AND the sending device must also support gigabit ethernet. And of course you must have Gigabit Ethernet on your internet router. If you have 10/100 Ethernet anywhere in the signal path, you will lose the ability to play 4K/60, it's just not fast enough (assuming 10-bit data).


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## Tech Geek (Apr 1, 2015)

PeterStoffregen said:


> Hi Folks; I'm looking for an Android box (or something) to playback 4k 60fps movies from an external hard drive. I have ordered cheaper units from 'over seas' sources and had 0 for 3 luck; either couldn't play 4k, couldn't produce 60 fps, or simply did not arrive.
> It seems like the Nvidea Shield would be a safe bet, but wondering if there are less expensive alternatives as my only requirement is playback from a downloaded library.


I use a Fire TV Cube (android box) and can view 4k streaming via Amazon, HBOMax, or Kodi. I can do this wired OR wireless! 

When you say external hard drive, I am assuming you wish to use a USB external unit (as that's what most Android boxes can accept). Or are you speaking of using a NAS? If USB either USB 2.0 or 3.0 should work just fine as both have sufficient bandwidth for 4K.

Contrary to what the previous poster stated, the bandwidth requirements for 4K streaming are high, but not so high that "YOU NEED GIGABIT"!!!

To be honest a 25mbps connection should stream 4K just fine. Although, I'd suggest room for overhead and would want a minimum of 100mbps.


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## BP1Fanatic (Mar 28, 2011)

Correct. I don't think Netflix has ever showed any faster than 15.x mbps while in HDR on my TV.


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## PeterStoffregen (Dec 14, 2016)

Thanks guys! Pardon the dumb question; I did not know what NAS was until Da Wiz just mentioned it. I was planning on using an external hard drive as a source. I am using a drive that says USB 3. My entry level TV claims 4k and 60 fps refresh rate and has a USB port. It does not play any video files though that port.
I thought that 4k 60 fps required something like 18 mbps. I was hoping to find an android box in the $100 range that could accept an HDD as a souce and output 4k 60 fps via HDMI


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## drducky (Nov 14, 2012)

I would recommend that before you buy another box, that you troubleshoot what you have already purchased to see if there is an issue with setup. Almost any of the current cheap Android boxes should be able to display 4K videos, especially from an attached external hard drive. Adults with moderate-to-severe what are you trying to watch? UHD Blu-ray should be 24 Hz and it may be in trying to convert 60 Hz it is overwhelmed. If what you're trying to watch are videos recorded with a 4k camera, they may have been recorded in a codec not supported buy the operating system or the Box, in which case that is a specific need for a new box.
Another issue that sometimes plagues the lower-powered boxes is converting audio formats. For example, if the box has to process multi-channel audio because it is attempting to stream to a TV or rendering device that does not support that particular format, that can sometimes overwhelmed the box as well. I have several very inexpensive amlogic S912 boxes that can stream UHD Blu-ray all day without a hiccup, especially using Kodi as software but one wrong setting and it will buffer constantly. Give us a little bit more detail about what you're trying to do, and I think we can help you a lot more


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