Streaming Boxes - NAS Drive

Quick Q - what's the best streaming box or stick to use independently (i.e. not needing a smartphone or tablet to cast/stream) to access content on an NAS drive? Preferably with a decent collection of apps including MLB TV.

If you have a WD My cloud, the WDTV is an excellent choice otherwise I'd suggest a kodi box.

Well a WDTV is what I have, and it's been a fairweather friend - works one day, throws a paddy the next, rock solid internet one day, temperamental the next. I love that it streams a load of file formats, but it's got hardly any decent apps and is rumoured to be discontinued soon.

A kodi box can be bought for about £50 from eBay and is widely supported by various streaming sites like MLB TV

Hmm... A lot of the boxes on eBay are being pretty naughty and using the Kodi name as a way of selling a box with illegal add-ons that allow for pirate streams to be viewed. This is totally against the rules of the Kodi foundation (it changed its name from XBMC to allow it to be trademarked to give some ability to control the brand).

I don't think there is an official Kodi MLB add-on (official add-ons only use streams legally provided - though in some cases they may skirt some terms-of-service rules)

Most of the boxes being sold on eBay are cheap (usually bugs) Chinese Android devices which may allow for an Android MLB app to be installed, though often these boxes don't come with the Google App Store (so you then have to side load the app or add the app store app). They come pre-installed with an old version of Kodi and buggy add-ons...

Surely a Raspberry Pi would be a cheaper solution (if slightly DIY)...

In fact, looking at that I might bring the Pi I bought to faff about in RISC-OS with out of retirement and give this a go myself.

What I personally have is an Amazan fire stick with the kodi software loaded onto it, for a best of both worlds approach.

Same here. It's easy to sideload by downloading ES File Manager from the Amazon App Store.

Raspberry Pi 3 is significantly better than the Fire TV Stick (faster, higher quality video, better refresh rate switching support etc.) - unless you need Amazon Prime and Netflix. Fire TV stick is probably cheaper unless you have everything you need for a Pi 3.

To give the Fire Stick some credit, for general viewing with Kodi, it does the job. I've used it with the Zattoo add-ons and the streaming quality is excellent using Kodi's built in 'dvdplayer' software and in my personal opinion performs better than the LG Smart TV app.

Netflix is reasonable via the stick, but I prefer to use my Smart TV which has an Ethernet connection.

Better watch out though as Kodi have now copyrighted the name so anyone that appears to be selling Fire Sticks or anything else with Kodi already on it could face legal action.

No wonder Amazon are taking a blind eye to people sideloading Kodi on Fire sticks (rumoured why they sold out quickly at launch because of sideloaders) when they're selling Android streaming boxes with Kodi added.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Android-Fully-Loaded-Movies-Sports/dp/B01AQ1S1L2/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1459886069&sr=8-7&keywords=kodi