 Streaming TV consumption globally has been growing at a staggering rate, 63% in viewing hours since last year. And while you might think that the majority of new streamers are tuning in on their smartphones, it turns out that connected TVs claimed the most growth with a 103% increase in viewing hours year over year. So what's the best way to stream to your TV? A $180 Apple TV? A cheap rando Android box off AliExpress? How about something in between? That right there is Xiaomi's Mi Box S, which you can buy from Walmart for 60 bucks. It's 60 bucks and it has a $70 Chromecast Ultra built in. You know what else is built in by the way? This message from our sponsor, Origin PC. Origin PC builds custom desktops and high-performance laptops with free lifetime 24 seven tech support. And they use only high-end components like Samsung's 970 Evo SSDs. Visit Origin PC today at the link below. And I mean, yes, the box and the website both say that the Mi Box S has Chromecast built in, but they don't specify Chromecast Ultra, the 4K HDR model. So while the Mi Box S is advertised as a 4K HDR streaming media player, I assumed they were trying to pull a fast one on us and that yes, it could stream 4K Netflix, but then casting would still be limited to 1080p or something like that. So we emailed our rep, he contacted HQ and lo and behold, it is a Chromecast Ultra. Pretty compelling considering the Chromecast Ultra on its own retails for 70 US dollars, while this little puppy is just 60. And with a lot more functionality than just casting. It's a full Android TV box. So it gives you an interface to access your streaming services like Netflix, HBO Now and Vudu. And if you're feeling particularly masochistic, you can even browse the web on it. So all the regular smart TV stuff. With some extra perks for this being a Google certified Android box. So first of all, Netflix actually works and so does the remote. If you have experience with off-brand Android sticks, you might've actually run into both app installation issues or even this one's pretty good, discovering that the only way to control it from the couch is with a Bluetooth keyboard and trackpad. Second, you've got a microphone built right into the remote with support for the Google assistant. So it basically acts the same as a Google Home, except instead of having all these on microphones, it has a dedicated button on the remote allowing you to execute commands to help you adjust your smart home lights, browse the web more easily and even automatically find content across the multiple streaming services that you subscribe to. Third, you'll benefit from having access to the Google Play Store, which is not something that you typically get with competitive offerings from Roku, Amazon or well obviously Apple TV. And then finally, it's part of Google's project treble initiative to have all official devices receive updates quickly. So this one ships with Android TV 8, but it should get nine by December, 2018, which means slick new features like native support for a webcam for video conferencing and the PS4's DualShock controller for gaming. And there are lots of games actually that are playable on the Mi Box S with even more selection if you side load other marketplaces like the Amazon App Store. Now, of course, the Mi Box S at one third the price of an Nvidia Shield doesn't have the same power as that kind of a box. But it wasn't specifically made for gamers and it does still offer a fairly decent experience as long as you don't push it too hard. Because spec wise, the S is nearly identical to the original Mi Box from 2016. So other than improved thermals and Bluetooth 4.2, it's still got a four core 1.5 gigahertz Cortex A53 CPU, a mere two gigs of RAM and just eight gigs of onboard EMMC storage of which you will just have 5.4 gigs available out of the box. As for expanding that, unfortunately you can't uninstall the default apps that you don't use, but at least you can expand the device's storage via the box's single USB 2.0 port. Just don't expect it to be fast. While we're in the neighborhood, there's also an audio out port with integrated SPDIF and a single HDMI 2.0A port which supports 4K at up to 60 Hertz and HDR with static metadata. Which I guess actually brings us nicely to our list of complaints about the Mi Box S. While it does support HDR 10, it does not support Dolby Vision, which okay, Dolby Vision is more rare on TV sets and content, but the S comes with Voodoo pre-installed. That's where most of the Dolby Vision content is. So for most people, like raise your hands, those of you who use Voodoo. I don't. It's probably a non-issue, but the point is that competitive offerings like the Amazon Fire TV Stick, which is $10 less by the way, do support it. It also has some gaps in its support for high-end audio. So you do have DTS master and Dolby True HD, but there's no Atmos. And if that's not a deal breaker for the AV enthusiasts, this next gripe will be. There's no built-in ethernet port. Now there are workarounds here, like using a USB to ethernet adapter, but that means that you have to choose between expandable storage and uninterrupted high bandwidth streaming, unless of course you have a sick Wi-Fi access point and no local interference or network congestion. So then with those caveats in mind, should you buy this streaming solution? Well, if you're in the market for a Chromecast Ultra, then the Mi Box S is basically a $10 off coupon. Not to mention that at the time of writing, Walmart is actually offering it in a bundle with a Google Home Mini for just another $15. That is an awesome value. If you want an official Google certified Android TV box, well, the Nvidia Shield is more powerful, which is good for gamers. And it has proper support for Amazon Prime Video, something that is notably absent from this Android TV box. But given its much higher price for anyone else, the Mi Box S is basically a no-brainer. And if you care about local live TV, the S can actually help you there too. As long as you have something like an HD home run, you can jump to your favorite college basketball game with a dedicated button on the remote. It's a pretty sweet little box, a big step up from the imported Android boxes of yesterpast, but thanks to its laundry list of limitations, we just can't quite recommend it to the hardcore AV enthusiasts. PIA hides your true IP address and allows you to bypass geo-restrictions and censorship by making you appear as though you're connecting from somewhere else. And you can use up to five devices at once. It also helps prevent attacks by blocking unwanted connections. It auto-blocks all traffic if the VPN disconnects, and it keeps your data out of the hands of advertisers and other activity tracking snoops. So go try it out at the link in the video description today. It's affordable and it works. So thanks for watching, guys. If this video sucked, you know what to do. But if it was awesome, get subscribed, hit the like button, or maybe consider checking out where to buy the stuff we featured at the link in the video description. Also down there is our merch store, which has cool shirts like this one, and our community forum, which you should totally join.