If you’re looking for the advice on the best nz streaming boxes then you’ve come to the right place. Currently owning and operating such devices in NZ is a grey area.
Early in 2017 Sky TV started upping their fight against internet piracy, targeting a small Hamilton business called MyBox that offered IPTV through a streaming box for a one time fee of $259.
As of December 2017, no court date has been set and founder Krish Reddy says he will take Sky head on in the high court. Sky claimed Krish was promoting ‘free sky tv channels’ and is said to have sold thousands of boxes to kiwi’s.
It’s unclear how Sky found out how many boxes MyBox actually sold but Stuff reported he sold 8,000+ and Sky’s defiance at going after such a small fish in a big pond show’s us NZ streaming boxes are causing problems for Sky.
Unfortunately for Krish his website was promoting pirated streams (archived photo).
Years ago, tech savvy IT guys would download movies on Limewire, then came torrent sites, usenet servers and more recently streaming sites such as Putlocker.
Fast forward a few years and android streaming boxes, magboxes and even Roku and Amazon Fire TV stick’s can be used to watch free premium TV.
It’s unclear why Sky targeted MyBox or went after android boxes in general.
Any streaming box can stream illicit content, it’s a fact. We’re not going to go into details on how to do this but if you know where to look you can download an IPTV app.
You can actually do this on a smartphone, it’s no different to a streaming box.
So whether you have good intentions or bad, here is the best nz streaming boxes.
NZ Streaming Boxes
Amazon Fire TV (Amazon.com – $39)
Believe it or not, the best nz streaming box is actually the Amazon Fire TV which comes loaded with a pre-set interface with their hidden gem deep inside the settings area.
The best way to get your hands on one is through the various parallel importers on Trademe or buying on Amazon and shipping to Myus.com or Youshop.co.nz and forwarding this to NZ.
With a few tweaks you can sideload android .apk files into the box allowing you to install those all important apps. For example you could sideload an IPTV app and sign up for a subscription.
Alternatively many eBay sellers will ship you one with Kodi and other apps pre-loaded.
The Fire TV is definitely the most powerful streaming box at the lowest price.
Xiaomi Mi Box NZ ($99)
If you want to download apps within minutes of opening the box then Xiaomi is definitely the best nz streaming box to checkout. You’ll need to purchase one from Gearbest.com, it’s approx $100 + shipping.
You’re unlikely to find this on Trademe so head straight to Gearbest and be sure to change the plug to Australian on checkout.
Once it arrives you’ll want to download an IPTV app. The box also comes with the usual Netflix, Hulu and other android apps. You can download .apk files and install these manually too.
MagBox NZ
If you don’t care for apps such as Netflix and just want to stream content then getting yourself a Magbox is the best idea.The most popular ones are the Mag254 and Mag256.
You’ll need to look further afield to get one of these, probably eBay UK.
A MAG box is a set-top box for streaming media to your television. You can play offline media files from a storage device through the USB port. Most users choose a MAG over an Android box because of its native support of the Stalker middleware. This allows you to connect to remote servers to watch live TV or stream VOD movies.
A quick Google images search will show you what this box does, it’s probably what MyBox was actually selling, who knows.
Best NZ Streaming Box
If you’re looking for a streaming only device then you’ll want to get yourself a Magbox. These devices will never be sold in New Zealand so you’ll need to order one from Europe.
If you’re looking for a android streaming box for NZ then you should consider the MiBox or the Amazon TV. Personally I’d go for the MiBox due to the power and open interface, Amazon offers too many restrictions.
