What to get to replace NowTV Box?

[valve90210]

With the recent update to the Now TV boxes having disabled developer mode and removed Plex, I'm now looking to get something to replace the Now TV box.

It will be used in a bedroom connected directly to the television, no surround sound or anything and will be used the majority of the time for Plex, though I would occasionally like to be able to watch Iplayer or 4OD (or whatever it's called these days), though could potentially still use the NowTV box for those.

I was considering a Chromecast but would really rather something with an interface so I can browse films and TV shows on the television rather than having to use my phone or tablet.

Also, in an ideal world I'd like something with an IR remote so I can still use my Harmony to control it, which counts against the Roku Streaming Stick which (if I'm right) uses an RF remote?

I also want to spend as little as possible really.

Any thoughts on what would might be best to suit my needs?

 

[valve90210]

I did wonder about that but thought they used a 'point anywhere' remote ie rf? Though have had a bit of a read and it seems they do feature an IR Receiver?

It is really a bit more than I'd ideally like to spend though I'm assuming it'd be as forgiving or file format as the NowTV box is when it comes to Plex, something which sadly can't really be said for the Nvidia Shield I have in another room which has issues with avi files?

Are there any other cheaper options I could go for?

Would any of the android boxes you can get suit me, are they stable and simple to use or are they a bit of a pain?

 

[valve90210]

Cheers, that would be awesome. I have to say I liked the way the black NowTV box worked, it seemed nice and fast and played pretty much anything thrown at it by Plex without a bother, just a shame the recent sky firmware messed it up for everyone.

Would be nice to get to use the newer Plex Roku app though if I did go down that route.

 

[valve90210]

Cheers