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Android TV Box

PAUL161

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What's the best Android TV box? Couldn't believe how many there are out there. Price is of no concern, I just want the best one to do the job it's supposed to do. PJ
 

TR3driver

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Mine isn't Android at all, but a Raspberry Pi 3 running LibreELEC/Kodi/PlexKodiConnect and linked to a Plex server. Hasn't been trouble-free, needs to be rebooted occasionally, but works well enough most of the time. One of the things I like best is that it can be controlled through the standard TV remote, no need for a 'universal' remote or pressing a mode button. Haven't tried all the skins yet, I'm currently using 'Bello'.

I'm looking forward to what others have to say.
 

JPSmit

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I don't get the idea there is a "best" - more like what it is loaded with and cheap. They all seem to be made in Jyna and get obsolete after a while.

We are now regularly streaming using putlocker and chromecast off my phone with a casting app - cost me about $9 for the complete app and whatever the chromecast cost.
 

JPSmit

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Quick update - I am test driving a streaming service and so far am really pleasantly surprised. Quite by accident I discovered a website (cablecast.ca) they like to use android boxes but will also use an app called Smart-stb - already on the TV waiting to be downloaded. the app costs about $2.25 per month or $27 lifetime and the service is $15 per month (or cheaper for 3 or 6 month terms)

I get 245 english channels, 142 sports channels, 20 baseball channels, and 7837 movies or TV series by name (Foyle's War/ the Simpsons etc.) it also has African, Haitian, Spanish, French, Russian, Turkish, Balkan, Romainain, Polish, Filipino, Portuguese, Brazilian, Israeli, Italian, Afghan/ Persian, Arabic Grrek, Chinese, Korean Vietnamese, Hindi, Punjabi, Bangla, and Urdu channels - on a one week free trial but, so far, so good.
 

TR3driver

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We're talking about small, single-board computers, whose only mission in life is to grab content over the Internet (or in my case, my LAN) and display it on a television/monitor.
Android is an operating system, not terribly different than Windows or MacOS, but designed from the ground up for smaller computers. (I run it on my smartphone.)

My Raspberry Pi computer is only slightly larger than a pack of cigarettes, and only cost about $50 including case & power supply; but is disgustingly more powerful than the 'supercomputer' CDC6500 I learned to program in college. So's my smartphone, but at least it was a bit more expensive :smile:
 

waltesefalcon

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JP I just checked out Cablecast and perhaps I am not looking in the right place but the pricing seems to be quite a bit higher than what you were talking about ($15 a month), what I am finding is something called IPTV subscriptions when I look on the website and there is no option for a lifetime plan anywhere that I can see. When you say you are using an app do you mean on your phone or on a computer hooked up to the TV or do you have a smart TV?
 

TR3driver

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The difference might be US vs Canada. US courts have ruled that it's illegal to capture free over-the-air content and rebroadcast it on the Internet; even if there is a 1:1 match between antenna and receiver! I don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised to find that Canada's courts are not so much in bed with big business as ours are. (And hence believe that free content is free even if it gets converted to a different signal format before being viewed.)
 

JPSmit

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JP I just checked out Cablecast and perhaps I am not looking in the right place but the pricing seems to be quite a bit higher than what you were talking about ($15 a month), what I am finding is something called IPTV subscriptions when I look on the website and there is no option for a lifetime plan anywhere that I can see. When you say you are using an app do you mean on your phone or on a computer hooked up to the TV or do you have a smart TV?

Sorry I wasn't clear - the app (on my smart tv) that is used to transmit the IPTV subscription has a $27 lifetime purchase option - the IPTV is as you note, $15 per month. My brother had an Android box and over time he lost more and more channels until it no longer really worked and would not update any longer. I have also worked really hard not to have any visible cables or boxes attached to the TV (they are in my office in the next room)

So, I decided to initially go month by month on both App and IPTV - I can't say it has been totally seamless - a couple of key channels (HGTV) won't broadcast properly and tonight I couldn't get anything to load - the guy from the company has already told me the app isn't quite as reliable as an android box. That said, for $30 per month all in it is worth experimenting as opposed to the $100+ I would be paying for the same service.

So, will keep you posted
 

Gliderman8

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JP, the IPTV sounds intriguing... is there a better app to use than STB?
Also is cablecast one subscription per TV?
Tell us more...
 

JPSmit

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JP, the IPTV sounds intriguing... is there a better app to use than STB?
Also is cablecast one subscription per TV?
Tell us more...

There are different Apps (my Samsung TV has maybe half a dozen available for download) However, they need to be matched (somehow) with the provider.

Soooo this is what my guy wrote when I asked about another App:

"SMART IPTV is another app but only can use servers that offer M3U. We only offer Ok2 M3U to use this app. The SMART STB app is okay but it has it's issue quite often. If you would like to get the best IPTV I would recommend getting an IPTV set-top box like Buzz XPL 3000, Dreamlink T2 Plus, or Formula Z7. Android devices are probably second best solution and SMART STB is the third."

So, it sounds like they aren't quite there yet but they are close, very close.

Cablecast is one subscription per TV - though 2 TVs is $25 per month so there is a deal of sorts.

So far so goodish.

The annoying.

It sometimes takes more than one try to load the App
It is streaming so occasionally things freeze for a moment or two
The interface could be a little more user friendly - basically just pages of channels to scroll through with no easy way to search

The good

All is HD and picture quality is excellent
This morning we were watching DIY network flawlessly and when it got boring switched to watching British TV in real time - Almost all the North American channels have a schedule attached - the British don't but it is easy enough to find a British TV guise online.
Oh and the Cablecast tech support is really good - the guy emails back very quickly.

will keep you posted!
 

Gliderman8

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Thanks for the extended information; it is very helpful.
 

vette

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Is there a carburetor in there somewhere?
 

JPSmit

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Is there a carburetor in there somewhere?

That's pretty much how I feel about all this. My daughter is currently in Austin TX for the summer and when she returns is getting an apartment on the other side of town. This pretty much means that I will never be able to buy or program any more technology until I die (unless the kids visit)
 

NutmegCT

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That's pretty much how I feel about all this. My daughter is currently in Austin TX for the summer and when she returns is getting an apartment on the other side of town. This pretty much means that I will never be able to buy or program any more technology until I die (unless the kids visit)

I'm dense. Why does your daughter moving across town mean you can't buy or program any more technology?

:confused:
 

JPSmit

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I'm dense. Why does your daughter moving across town mean you can't buy or program any more technology?

:confused:

On account O she's a Millennial and she is the only one who can program/ reset/ turn off/on the durn things. :grin:

technology.jpg
 

DrEntropy

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Paul said:
Price is of no concern, I just want the best one to do the job it's supposed to do. PJ

Geez! For th' paltry sum of two grand large I'll sell ya my Spitzgrummish Agamemnon V. 2.6... reluctantly. :smirk:
 

JPSmit

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So, time for an update. For Christmas my son bought me a BUZZTV XPL 3000 android box for the TV. Have transferred the IPTV account over to the box. Still getting used to the interface but liking it a lot! This also means I get access to the movies which I didn't have before. (7000+ movies)

When we got our TV a few years ago, I worked hard to make sure that no wires dangled under the TV. So, everything not only goes through the wall but actually exits into my office - behind the family room. This was an issue because while the box handily hooked up to the interweb and the hdmi cable and LAN, it needed a line of sight for the remote to work. So, today I bought a Rii mini i24 wireless bluetooth keyboard remote control ($20) - once I figured out how to hook it up, it works awesome. Android box tucked away and we are good to go. (I may exchange it for a simpler version but still I love it)

Technology is grand - when it works!

cheers all
 

NutmegCT

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... BUZZTV XPL 3000 android ... IPTV ... hdmi lan Rii mini i24 wireless bluetooth

gak - could you translate that into English?

yikes - remember when we just worried about horizontal hold and vertical hold? and finding the single button remote?
 

TR3driver

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Basically a tiny computer whose only function is to let you watch TV over the Internet.

FWIW, although I have a different setup, it can be controlled through the remote that came with the TV. Commands are sent to the box through the HDMI interface.
 
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