I have been using Chromecasts for more than 5 years (purchased in US before released in NZ) and love using them. When I read that this Media Stick also had a built-in Chromecast and I had a TV that needed a new Chromecast, I thought I'd give this a shot.
What an excellent decision!! This is a Chromecast with a Remote Control.

It is very simple to get started and the Android TV OS is ready to play Netflix and other streaming services. Even though I don't have an Android phone, setting up my Google account and linking everything was very easy. Sideloading a custom apk for a foreign TV streaming service took a little longer but once I fou...view more I have been using Chromecasts for more than 5 years (purchased in US before released in NZ) and love using them. When I read that this Media Stick also had a built-in Chromecast and I had a TV that needed a new Chromecast, I thought I'd give this a shot.
What an excellent decision!! This is a Chromecast with a Remote Control.

It is very simple to get started and the Android TV OS is ready to play Netflix and other streaming services. Even though I don't have an Android phone, setting up my Google account and linking everything was very easy. Sideloading a custom apk for a foreign TV streaming service took a little longer but once I found a web browser in the Google Store, I was up and running.
The Remote Control is easy to use, but be warned, it does not come with batteries so make sure you have 2 AAA batteries ready to use!
All in all, an excellent enhancement on the old Chromecast.
I'm very pleased with this.

It feels like Xiaomi has decided that because this is "only" a 1080p stick, they can skimp on the processor choice. As a result, despite offering a good feature set on paper (and when it occasionally works), most of the time the experience is a laggy, stuttery mess.

Video playback is usually smooth if you can get that far, but the user interface is borderline unusable, taking multiple full seconds (sometimes more than 10s) to respond to button inputs. Apps routinely crash. The TV is borderline unusable.

I might just have a defective device, but I suspect not. I recommend going with the Chromecast with Google TV (if PB Tech ever gets it...view more It feels like Xiaomi has decided that because this is "only" a 1080p stick, they can skimp on the processor choice. As a result, despite offering a good feature set on paper (and when it occasionally works), most of the time the experience is a laggy, stuttery mess.

Video playback is usually smooth if you can get that far, but the user interface is borderline unusable, taking multiple full seconds (sometimes more than 10s) to respond to button inputs. Apps routinely crash. The TV is borderline unusable.

I might just have a defective device, but I suspect not. I recommend going with the Chromecast with Google TV (if PB Tech ever gets it in stock) which is VASTLY better at a fairly low price.

Failing that, go with the Mibox S, which is much faster.

Great device and can run Netflix, TVNZ ondemand and also Three now, through this stick. Fast shipping too. Thanks heaps. Great device and can run Netflix, TVNZ ondemand and also Three now, through this stick. Fast shipping too. Thanks heaps.

I’m very impressed with this living rural and not many options for television without a large antenna. TVNZ, ThreeNow, Netflix, YouTube, VLC etc all work flawlessly, Chromecast built-in, HDMI CEC support meaning you can control both your actual TV and Mi TV with either remote control you wish to use, switching off the Mi TV will switch the TV onto standby automatically too if you wish to have that feature. It works with Google Home too, I fall asleep with TV on sometimes while I’m in bed, I tell the Google to turn off the tv in 30 minutes and (if CEC is switched on your tv and Mi Stick) it shuts down the Mi TV and puts the tv on standby all...view more I’m very impressed with this living rural and not many options for television without a large antenna. TVNZ, ThreeNow, Netflix, YouTube, VLC etc all work flawlessly, Chromecast built-in, HDMI CEC support meaning you can control both your actual TV and Mi TV with either remote control you wish to use, switching off the Mi TV will switch the TV onto standby automatically too if you wish to have that feature. It works with Google Home too, I fall asleep with TV on sometimes while I’m in bed, I tell the Google to turn off the tv in 30 minutes and (if CEC is switched on your tv and Mi Stick) it shuts down the Mi TV and puts the tv on standby all by itself. So good.

I was lucky to grab this on their special offer of $69. Great product. Excellent value for money. I was lucky to grab this on their special offer of $69. Great product. Excellent value for money.

I purchased this on sale and its great. The supplied remote control means i can finally login to hotel WiFi and then Chromecast. Actually don't need to Chromecast as the stick is smart enough on its own. Have read reviews that say its a bit slow to respond but I haven't found that at all. Only disappointment was the lack of the two small AA? batteries required for the remote. I purchased this on sale and its great. The supplied remote control means i can finally login to hotel WiFi and then Chromecast. Actually don't need to Chromecast as the stick is smart enough on its own. Have read reviews that say its a bit slow to respond but I haven't found that at all. Only disappointment was the lack of the two small AA? batteries required for the remote.

After owning a Google Chromecast for over a year, I wanted more functionality than just streaming from my phone / tablet to the TV for youtube/netflix/prime on one of my older non-smart TVs. This works amazingly and the remote definitely brings in the much needed functionality the Chromecast didn't provide, and at an amazing price! After owning a Google Chromecast for over a year, I wanted more functionality than just streaming from my phone / tablet to the TV for youtube/netflix/prime on one of my older non-smart TVs. This works amazingly and the remote definitely brings in the much needed functionality the Chromecast didn't provide, and at an amazing price!

We have an old 42" plasma which we didnt know what to do with, then we saw this little beauty and decided to turn our plasma into a smart tv, and this works a treat!

It can update the pre-installed apps and operating system, as well download new apps from the play store, although I will probably only use Netflix and Youtube apps on this. Maybe Disney+ in the future.

It came with VLC media player installed so we can browse the network and play videos from our storage drives.

Great buy for the price =) We have an old 42" plasma which we didnt know what to do with, then we saw this little beauty and decided to turn our plasma into a smart tv, and this works a treat!

It can update the pre-installed apps and operating system, as well download new apps from the play store, although I will probably only use Netflix and Youtube apps on this. Maybe Disney+ in the future.

It came with VLC media player installed so we can browse the network and play videos from our storage drives.

Great buy for the price =)

Great product, easy to set-up and install apps on - fast interface and very configurable. Purchased primarily to use with VLC and Kodi. It smashes Kodi, super fast and handles x265 and x265 1080p decoding without an issue.

Got it on sale - super happy, recommend especially if you can get it on sale. Great product, easy to set-up and install apps on - fast interface and very configurable. Purchased primarily to use with VLC and Kodi. It smashes Kodi, super fast and handles x265 and x265 1080p decoding without an issue.

Got it on sale - super happy, recommend especially if you can get it on sale.

By: GmanNZ 08/03/21

Verified Owner

I have a household of non-smart TVs and had previously bought a Mi Box S. Based on the success of the Mi Box I subsequently bought this stick device for another TV. It's excellent value for money but with that you can't expect ultra high performance. It's perfect for the average person's requirements with an easy and consistent interface and well supported with all the major (and many minor) apps for your entertainment pleasure. I have a household of non-smart TVs and had previously bought a Mi Box S. Based on the success of the Mi Box I subsequently bought this stick device for another TV. It's excellent value for money but with that you can't expect ultra high performance. It's perfect for the average person's requirements with an easy and consistent interface and well supported with all the major (and many minor) apps for your entertainment pleasure.

I've had this about 6 weeks and use it every day. It was easy to set up and it's a neat and tidy solution for streaming to my 'dumb' TV.
It is easy to use, but , as others have mentioned, it does have a noticeable lag in responding to commands, so you have to adjust to that.
Nice to be able to connect a Bluetooth keyboard, as keying in via the remote is a nuisance.
When it works well, it's brilliant. But it can be annoyingly unreliable. Around 50% of the time it plays up with a number of different issues-e.g. crashes or reboots on start-up, starts stuttering, or randomly drops the internet connection (the router is less than 2m away). Som...view more I've had this about 6 weeks and use it every day. It was easy to set up and it's a neat and tidy solution for streaming to my 'dumb' TV.
It is easy to use, but , as others have mentioned, it does have a noticeable lag in responding to commands, so you have to adjust to that.
Nice to be able to connect a Bluetooth keyboard, as keying in via the remote is a nuisance.
When it works well, it's brilliant. But it can be annoyingly unreliable. Around 50% of the time it plays up with a number of different issues-e.g. crashes or reboots on start-up, starts stuttering, or randomly drops the internet connection (the router is less than 2m away). Sometimes it becomes soooo sloooow to respond to commands that all you can do is reboot it.
If you disconnect and reconnect the power supply at source before each session it seems to clear out some of the bugs and helps to make it more reliable.
I bought it on special and overall no regrets about buying it at that price, I do think it's a great little device but it needs a bit of patience.

I already have an inVidia Shield that I use in the lounge for media streaming; my wife wanted something for the bedroom so I bought the Xiaomi TV Stick when it was on special. Unfortunately, it's a disappointing piece of kit. Firstly, in case it's not clear, this doesn't have on onboard battery so it always needs to be plugged into the mains - it's a stick on a long piece of string. Setting up was not a breeze - it refused to recognise my phone even when it was right next to it, so I had to manually set it up. During this process, you are presented with a list of regions to select from - none of them is New Zealand. Finally install it, and...view more I already have an inVidia Shield that I use in the lounge for media streaming; my wife wanted something for the bedroom so I bought the Xiaomi TV Stick when it was on special. Unfortunately, it's a disappointing piece of kit. Firstly, in case it's not clear, this doesn't have on onboard battery so it always needs to be plugged into the mains - it's a stick on a long piece of string. Setting up was not a breeze - it refused to recognise my phone even when it was right next to it, so I had to manually set it up. During this process, you are presented with a list of regions to select from - none of them is New Zealand. Finally install it, and its stunningly how slow it is - the home screen opens and the apps slooooowly populate the screen. There's a lag between pressing a button and the response on-screen. And there's fewer apps available than for the Shield. Overnight, it somehow went to sleep and the only way to wake it up was to unplug the power.

It works, but the product is pretty poor - ok as a secondary device (otherwise, I would've returned it!) but not a patch on better media players. I would recommend getting something more expensive if your budget allows.