Android TV boxes?

[someguy 67067]

Hi there.

I was at a demo of a Android TV box, and it looked pretty interesting and the guy showed me how you could get live tv, recent movies and tv shows.

But the package was on sale for 300 including a year support.

This was a stick version of the android tv.

 

I was tempted, but I know I can get them cheaper.

Don't know much about these appliances yet?

 

On Kijiji there are many sellers from 60 to 300. They all seem to do the same thing, some are no names, other are brand name, duo core to quad core. and memory.

 

Just wanted to know what you know about these android tv boxes.

If you have one, which one do you recommend and what stay away from?

 

I already watch some tv thru PS3 and have a WD live box.

 

But I would like to watch movies from Showbox and livetv also.

 

Please share what you have experience so far?

 

thanks

[Angel Lee 241]

I have an android box 300 is way overpriced I paid 120 last year have updated it once and paid 20 for that its now running on kodi instead of xbmc there fantastic

[Dan123 290]

I have 2 TV's and last spring I cancelled my satellite TV and started streaming everything. Do a google search on "cut the cord" for a lot more information on this growing trend. Un-real the money saved in a few months.

 

One TV is with the stick, which I did not properly investigate and paid more than I should have (bought at the Home Show), but also I've never had any issues with it.

 

The other is MyGica (small unit with remote) which I paid around $180 and only had minor issues with it, sometimes the sound stops and I have to reboot it. It came pre-installed with Kodi and I manually added Showbox. I do not regret the purchase.

 

I also installed an antenna in my living room window, for which I get the following channels in clear HD, CBC (French and English), Global, CTV and TVO. I'm able to get a few others but reception is poor. I could put the antenna in my attic to get the other channels but I see no need for it.

 

I find that when I'm trying to stream free live TV with Kodi, quality can be so-so depending what is been broadcasted. Example trying to watch a major golf tournament or trying to watch CNN when there is major news as seen a few weeks ago, the feeds are busy and I get a lot of buffering or the feed just stops.

 

No issue with Kodi when watching movies in HD, but lately I found that TV shows are not always available in HD. Not sure if I screwed up my Kodi configuration :-). So now I use Showbox and all the shows are available in HD. I also have Netflix which their Canadian programming is getting better.

 

Been debating lately to subscribe to a streaming service to eliminate the buffering and receive international news and sports which I cannot see with my antenna.

 

When I first started streaming my internet service was 6mbs download, it was working ok and saw buffering a few times. I changed from Bell to Teksavy and now have 15mbs download with 400GB limit per month and no issues.

 

Do check what is your download speed and what is your cap per month with your provider. I find for myself I stream on average about 200GB per month and my limit is 400GB. But again I live alone and only surf and stream.

 

Hope the above information helps.

Since cancelling my satellite TV, I've had no regrets.

[blacklabdog 3049]

I cut the cord a year ago and have an good Mohu indoor antenna. Have an outdoor one too but its not hooked up yet. I got it as I cant get CTV as I live near Kemptville

 

I bought Nividia Shield Android box for $149 US on sale w/free remote

http://www.amazon.com/NVIDIA-SHIELD-STREAMING-ADVANCED-GAMING-ANDROID/dp/B00U33Q940?tag=wcshsocial-20

 

Arguably the best one out there spec wise.

 

review: http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-media-streamers/#local

Biggest sellers on Amazon are in the $80-100US range. I just wasn't keen on buying hardware with ?? brand components

 

I watched Grey Cup thanks to streaming. To bad results wasn't what I wanted

[Guest N***he**Ont**y]

If you are going Stateside the Amazon Firestick is an option. It has Kodi installed on it plus NetFlix etc.Comes with a remote and is the size of a usb stick.

[blacklabdog 3049]

comparison

http://shield.nvidia.com/android-tv/shield-androidtv-vs-appletv-vs-roku-vs-firetv

[Guest N***he**Ont**y]

What I liked about the FireStick was the USB size of it with a remote. Who wants a big box when you can have something that is compact.

[blacklabdog 3049]

if it was on sale and I needed access to my Amazon videos I'd go w Amazon Fire TV box not the stick as its much more flexible

[someguy 67067]

I've been playing around with Kodi on my desktop PC and am just exploring all the links. Does it work better on these android boxes? What is the quality of the movie streams? Do you control the android box with a wireless mouse or wireless keyboard?

 

how much memory do you recommend it should have?

[Guest N***he**Ont**y]

I made my own box using a dual core PC with a hi def card in it. Using KODI for PC on it and it works fine

[Fengshui 140]

Stay away from the "stick" varieties. They are unreliable and perform as you would expect from a sub 100 device.

 

Good Android media devices in a form factor like an apple TV go for about $120C, look for a quad core with at least 2G ram and a recent 4.1 or better Android version.

 

Add a wireless keyboard, mouse and a 50" display, configure Kodi, and start streaming.

 

The advantage of the Android device is the open platform. Kodi, play store, etc.

 

Plan on buying a new one in a couple of years. And be prepared to figure out how to reset the language the English when chineese characters start popping up on the screen.

 

Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk

[GentMada 2181]

For anyone wondering how to set up Kodi here is a very good video :

 

Cheers,

GM

[Guest N***he**Ont**y]

Go to the Kodi add-ons site and download the app from there and follow the instructions after unzipping it. It will automatically set up the add- ons for you. Google Add-Ons site.

 

Additional Comments:

[someguy 67067]

Got myself a HiMedia android tv box. It's great.

so many channels and movies to watch.

You can watch movies that are playing at the theatre right now and even some that haven't been release yet.

There are so many channels and live tv from satelite dishes to watch.

there are sites where where you can watch almost any tv series. all season included.

 

The trouble now is what to watch. These boxes range from 60 to 200. instructions to use the software and find channels are on the internet and youtube videos.

 

You can cut cable after you buy this box. You can get local channels via a HD antenna.

[Guest N***he**Ont**y]

Your so called USA channels are being given to you by card sharing off of someones subscription. Be very careful as this is frowned upon by government agencies and by the providers them selves. In Canada people are getting sued by providers for that kind of service.

[ninaamour 451]

i understand your view '

but i take my box everywhere use wifi everywhere

what are they going to hire people to track me down.lol. the Internets not in my name and the location changes and i do not download anything..

 

i think its a bit fetched to be oh so worried..

 

 

best thing ever!

[someguy 67067]

Having this android box for 4 months now is great. Some of the movies are not of good quality, but there is so much choice out there that it makes it hard to decide what to watch. Also there is so much international TV that allows you to see what it is like to be in a different culture. There are also so many movies that never made it to the big screen, but are still watching. Plus there are sites where just about every tv series ever made can be found with all episodes. This is even better then Netflix and most of it is free, it just takes a bit of time to explore the hundreds of sites to see where the best movies and tv shows are found

[fr33yay0 1172]

Kodi is the way of life man... so easy.

[Luckyme 41401]

Found this article this morning on CBC news -

 

Cable companies launch court battle against 'free TV' Android box vendors

Court rules 5 defendants must temporarily stop selling boxes that can be used for piracy

 

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/free-tv-loaded-android-box-cable-1.3633331?cmp=rss&cid=news-digests-canada-and-world-morning

 

Wonder how it will affect the whole situation. Most likely, these boxes will not be available in Canada any longer ( but still available across the border), but what about the streaming ? Will it affect the streaming on boxes already sold? I have a rough idea of the answer, but just wonder what people in the know think.

[Able 1010]

Found this article this morning on CBC news -

 

Cable companies launch court battle against 'free TV' Android box vendors

Court rules 5 defendants must temporarily stop selling boxes that can be used for piracy

 

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/free-tv-loaded-android-box-cable-1.3633331?cmp=rss&cid=news-digests-canada-and-world-morning

 

Wonder how it will affect the whole situation. Most likely, these boxes will not be available in Canada any longer ( but still available across the border), but what about the streaming ? Will it affect the streaming on boxes already sold? I have a rough idea of the answer, but just wonder what people in the know think.

True, they may not be available in Canada anymore, but it will be really difficult to ban purchasing these boxes from another country. Current Canadian law as I understand it, it is not illegal to stream content provided from these boxes as you are not making a copy. It is downloaded, viewed in 'real time' and disappears. It is illegal to download and store a copy.

 

As far as affecting current streaming, it should have little effect. There are various app on these boxes, and there are great resources on the web that can give you step by step video instruction on how to update and configure your apps, should your apps stop functioning.

[Guest ****emb******n]

I have a question. I have two televisions ,older models. One has cable and the other not. I was wondering if I buy one of those boxes and hook it up to a cable wire instead of an antenna will my second tv catch all the same channels as my first . Or maybe I should just buy a new tv? Trying to get some free local channels.

[blacklabdog 3049]

those boxes dont connect via cable, instead they get content via the Internet. Boxes plug into tv via HDMI port which you may not have if tv super old

 

You can hook up an HD Antenna tho to get free HD CBC, CTV Global etc like this:

http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-indoor-hdtv-antenna/

[Kilt Boy 29353]

If you have an extra computer laying around, or preferably a laptop, you can do what I do. Hook it up to your television and let it control your feed.

 

I've been doing this for the last 15 years, and it works great.

 

Recently this has been made much easier with the introduction of Kodi. This is the program that is installed on 95% of those Android boxes you find. IT'S FREE TO DOWNLOAD! It will take a little bit of research and practice to figure out how it works, but it hooks into every channel you can think of with the right add-ons (also free).

 

Do yourself a favour and also download and install the Kodi Tips addon. It configures a lot of stuff that is the most commonly used sets of addons. It saves a lot of time.

 

It can be a tiny bit flaky at times, but you're not paying a cable bill anymore. Suck it up.

 

There are videos online about how to set it up and use it. It isn't that difficult. It's just different.

 

I watch a LOT of tv now (and surf for ... you know ... pictures), and my account is limited to 150Gb/month. I get close to that limit once in a while.

 

Can also be used to stream music.

 

I haven't paid for cable for 15 years or more now. I can't say that I've missed anything. I still watch what I want to watch, but with no commercials. I can't believe that some people pay hundreds of dollars every single month. I guess they're paying for ME to watch. Thank you for that.

[RubJunky 1954]

Same here, built my own box with Zotac 4K system, Win7 Pro and Kodi, never have issues watch all current live AMC series, NFL, NHL and even the olympics.... All free!!!

[Blue0012 1699]

What are typical resolutions like and bit rates like? I've seen a few Kodi setups at clients and the ones I've seen had pretty terrible bit rates, blurry, low res.