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Android Boxes- any experience?

ca Offline Grant Lamontagne

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Android Boxes- any experience?
on: May 15, 2017, 01:08:21 PM
I have just cut the cord on my cable as I mostly watch stuff on Netflix, Youtube, a service called Crave (similar to Hulu, but not as good) and occasionally download stuff.  There's not much point to cable TV these days, and I have been thinking about an Android box.  I have to say, I don't know much about them, so I thought I would ask here to see who has one (or, more accurately, anyone here that has a friend who has one  ;)) that may be able to tell me what to look for, whether they are worthwhile etc.

I don't have a big multimedia setup so I don't think I need 5.1 or 7.1 outputs or things like that... the TV speakers are more than enough for a half deaf bugger like me.

Def
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cy Offline dks

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Re: Android Boxes- any experience?
Reply #1 on: May 15, 2017, 01:20:21 PM
I have been using one for a few years, mainly for YouTube

There is a lot of material for kodi etc, but the legal one is limited
do not spend too much money 40, 50 dollars should be enough

They usually come with a remote, but you can buy better ones, with keyboards for 10, 20 dollars

make sure it has the right number and type of inputs and outputs you require (USB, memory card, A/V etc.)
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england Offline Kev D

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Re: Android Boxes- any experience?
Reply #2 on: May 15, 2017, 01:48:09 PM
My 'friend' has an amazon fire tv box and a couple of firesticks as well. They are android based as any android apps can be loaded on them. Kodi is easily sideloaded on them, and is easist done with the apps2fire app and my friend can highly recommend the paradox build for kodi.


us Offline Sazabi

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Re: Android Boxes- any experience?
Reply #3 on: May 15, 2017, 03:33:40 PM
I use an Amazon Firestick, myself; it's a nice interface for Netflix and Hulu; I'd also probably look into an indoor HD antenna (or hell, old rabbit ears will work just as well - perhaps better) for local channels, such as news and maybe weather.  I'd love to ditch our cable TV, however the powers that be would have a fit. :facepalm:


fr Offline Whoey

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Re: Android Boxes- any experience?
Reply #4 on: May 16, 2017, 01:21:31 PM
Kodi can do a lot, and with the right addons covers a lot. So perhaps looking at an android box that will run kodi natively (get full use of resources) or you could just install it on android directly https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.xbmc.kodi&hl=en

I bought one of these when they went on launch sale: https://wetek.com/product/wetek-openelec but barely use it as my Shuttle box is still more powerful (but minus the tv tuners) and Openelec seemed to stagnate with updates and I switched to Libreelec. I also have a Pulse Eight USB-CEC adapter which allows me to run my kodi box with my TV remote (once it's initially powered on, there are many options I choose not to use such as power up with the tv)

These days I've been looking for a replacement again, hoping for something that will natively decode HEVC/H265 (I'm not overly bothered by 4k, it'll be some time before I get a TV that will support that, but that's also a bonus), so some of the new Intel Compute Sticks and NUC or similar are looking like a likely option, albeit more money than I want to spend atm.

As far as basic kodi box, an rPi will do A LOT for very little scratch, you probably already have most of the things you need minus the rPi.

Worth mentioning that you can use any android device as a remote for kodi using the app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.xbmc.kore&hl=en
« Last Edit: May 16, 2017, 01:25:06 PM by Whoey »
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ca Offline Grant Lamontagne

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Re: Android Boxes- any experience?
Reply #5 on: October 12, 2017, 01:34:48 PM
My Android Box arrived yesterday.  I picked it up on eBay for around $40 and so far I'm pretty happy with it, although I have yet to really figure it out.  I am however really enjoying being able to watch Rick & Morty.  :D

I am sure as time goes y I will find other uses for it, but for now, coolsies.  :D

Def
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england Offline Kev D

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Re: Android Boxes- any experience?
Reply #6 on: October 12, 2017, 03:24:23 PM
Put Movie HD android app on it, you won't be sorry  :pok:


ca Offline Grant Lamontagne

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Re: Android Boxes- any experience?
Reply #7 on: October 13, 2017, 01:16:31 AM
I think that one is already on it.  If it isn't I'll put that one on it.  Thanks for the heads up!

Def
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us Offline MadPlumbarian

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Re: Android Boxes- any experience?
Reply #8 on: February 16, 2018, 01:20:22 AM
*Bump*
Some how the wife is all over the subject about a firestick with kodi 17.6, so since I found this post I fig I’d ask if anyone’s into this?
JR
"The-Mad-Plumbarian" The Punisher Of Pipes!!! JR
As I sit on my Crapper Throne in the Reading Room and explode on the Commode, thinking, how my flush beat John’s and Jerry’s pair? Jack’s had to run for the Water Closet yet ended up tripping on a Can bowing and hitting his Head on the Porcelain God! 🚽


us Offline Pacu

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Re: Android Boxes- any experience?
Reply #9 on: February 16, 2018, 07:23:21 AM
I Kodi'd my surface pro 3. Put in all kinds of repositories. Think it's on v. 17.3 or so. Covenant and Exodus have a lot of content. Been a couple months since I've played anything on the tube. Might need updating.
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england Offline Kev D

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Re: Android Boxes- any experience?
Reply #10 on: February 22, 2018, 02:29:54 PM
I Kodi'd my surface pro 3. Put in all kinds of repositories. Think it's on v. 17.3 or so. Covenant and Exodus have a lot of content. Been a couple months since I've played anything on the tube. Might need updating.

Kodi is version 17.6 at the mo. I have the Paradox build on all my firesticks. It's been a good build for a long time now and they update it regularly.


england Offline Kev D

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Re: Android Boxes- any experience?
Reply #11 on: February 22, 2018, 02:31:15 PM
*Bump*
Some how the wife is all over the subject about a firestick with kodi 17.6, so since I found this post I fig I’d ask if anyone’s into this?
JR

I am  :D

How's she getting on with it?


england Offline Kev D

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Re: Android Boxes- any experience?
Reply #12 on: February 22, 2018, 03:48:40 PM
I think that one is already on it.  If it isn't I'll put that one on it.  Thanks for the heads up!

Def

Movie HD won't update at the mo so it's broken.  :cry:

They are supposedly working on a fix, but I haven't found it yet.


fr Offline Whoey

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Re: Android Boxes- any experience?
Reply #13 on: March 02, 2018, 01:54:52 PM
I have been going back and forth on a new box/stick for a while. my old chromecast doesn't do H.265, nor does my kodi minipc. Also, I'm an Amazon Prime member, and for whatever reason Amazon is at war with Google/Android.

My best options atm seem to be either a Firetvstick or Roku, and looking at the prices here in Spain, it looks like Firetvstick will win out. (also it's possible to run Kodi on it, and it's H.265 compatible)
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england Offline Kev D

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Re: Android Boxes- any experience?
Reply #14 on: March 02, 2018, 02:36:28 PM
I'm a prime member to so I use the firetvstick. I've run Kodi in it's various forms for a few years now from when it started as XBMC. I don't know about the in and outs of H.265 encoding, but everything works on Kodi that I want to watch. I use the Paradox build on mine and recommended to the same to JR as well so I'm assuming he is using it as well.

It is a shame about Amazon and Google falling out, I really liked the youtube app on the firestick, but since the last update the youtube addon on Kodi works properly again so it's no biggie.

Mine are the old firesticks, and when I have sorted Kodi on a few friends new ones, the speed difference is noticeable when loading and using Kodi. I've found the easiest way of side loading Kodi onto a stick is using the Apps2Fire android app from my phone or tablet. It's a doddle with that.


fr Offline Whoey

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Re: Android Boxes- any experience?
Reply #15 on: March 02, 2018, 07:13:02 PM
I'm not sure if it's all the Euro versions, but in Spain we can only get the Basic firetv stick... ie it doesn't have the voice command option that the US one has, not that I care.
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england Offline Kev D

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Re: Android Boxes- any experience?
Reply #16 on: March 02, 2018, 09:12:07 PM
The new ones here are the ones with voice control. Mine are the basic ones


fr Offline Whoey

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Re: Android Boxes- any experience?
Reply #17 on: March 03, 2018, 12:01:52 PM
If the firetvstick does h.265 and can run Kodi it can replace my Kodi machine (A Shuttle XS 35GT) and I'll leave the chromecast for youtube etc.

As is my current Kodi setup is on 6 year old hardware and any h.265 test videos stutter and are unwatchable... It's been fine for nearly everything else I use it for... just avoiding h.265/HEVC content. Then again, not having that support may explain a lot of the issues that I had with streaming in the past.
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us Offline MadPlumbarian

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Re: Android Boxes- any experience?
Reply #18 on: March 03, 2018, 07:31:27 PM
My bad, I missed this.. She loves it, so long as you put Kodi on it, she says it’s easy to use, some of the new movies are a not movie theater quality, but other then that great..
JR
"The-Mad-Plumbarian" The Punisher Of Pipes!!! JR
As I sit on my Crapper Throne in the Reading Room and explode on the Commode, thinking, how my flush beat John’s and Jerry’s pair? Jack’s had to run for the Water Closet yet ended up tripping on a Can bowing and hitting his Head on the Porcelain God! 🚽


england Offline Kev D

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Re: Android Boxes- any experience?
Reply #19 on: March 03, 2018, 09:34:15 PM
Glad she's getting on with it ok.    It takes a while for the newest movies to get on there in high definition.  It's great for getting netflix series when you don't have Netflix though  :tu:


es Offline microbe

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Re: Android Boxes- any experience?
Reply #20 on: March 03, 2018, 10:12:04 PM
Never tried Android box. I have a smart TV, with dozens of movie apps on it. Netflix, Amazon, Google and many more. I also have Orange TV from my internet provider.  I am subscribed to Netflix and Amazon, and use Google for renting movies. I do not use the voice control of the TV, as I don't like their privacy policy, but I have a Google Home connected to the TV and to the receiver for additional voice controlled viewing and listening entertainment. Oh, and for controlling my Philips hue lamps. It's not perfect, but I am happy with the setup.
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fr Offline Whoey

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Re: Android Boxes- any experience?
Reply #21 on: March 04, 2018, 12:05:59 PM
My TV is also a smart TV, it was likely obsolete when I bought it. It is clunky and slow to use, whereas my kodi box is a 10000% improvement. In the future I'll likely avoid any TV that has integrated media center options unless it has a provision for upgrades. As is we use none of the smart TV options as it is much easier and faster to use apps with the chromecast or similar with kodi.
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england Offline Kev D

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Re: Android Boxes- any experience?
Reply #22 on: March 04, 2018, 01:10:42 PM
I'm the same with my smart tv, it's much faster and easier to use the firetvstick and kodi.


cy Offline dks

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Re: Android Boxes- any experience?
Reply #23 on: March 04, 2018, 01:32:29 PM
I had a Samsung Smart blu-ray but then Samsung stopped supporting the Youtube function, making it useless.

The old Ditter U28  Android box I have, however, still works fine (bought in 2015)

I bought a Mini M8S II last summer, but it died quickly.

I got a  Minix unit last summer (expensive as F...) as I just needed another decent unit quickly during the holidays, when the M8S died.

Works very well actually and has proper support and guarantee, but the price is not nice.

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fr Offline Whoey

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Re: Android Boxes- any experience?
Reply #24 on: March 04, 2018, 05:35:10 PM
I have a Wetek Openelec box which was converted to Libreelec, then recently to Android to see if I could get Amazon to work that way, but it doesn't :/

It also feels a bit under horse powered vs what I'd like. I'm going to have to start a Firetvstick fund I guess...
The difficult we do immediately, the impossible takes a little longer.


us Offline MadPlumbarian

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Re: Android Boxes- any experience?
Reply #25 on: March 04, 2018, 07:02:46 PM
Never tried Android box. I have a smart TV, with dozens of movie apps on it. Netflix, Amazon, Google and many more. I also have Orange TV from my internet provider.  I am subscribed to Netflix and Amazon, and use Google for renting movies. I do not use the voice control of the TV, as I don't like their privacy policy, but I have a Google Home connected to the TV and to the receiver for additional voice controlled viewing and listening entertainment. Oh, and for controlling my Philips hue lamps. It's not perfect, but I am happy with the setup.
(Image removed from quote.)
Glad to see someone else does the light behind the tv, led strips all the way around that change color? They work great for me..
JR
"The-Mad-Plumbarian" The Punisher Of Pipes!!! JR
As I sit on my Crapper Throne in the Reading Room and explode on the Commode, thinking, how my flush beat John’s and Jerry’s pair? Jack’s had to run for the Water Closet yet ended up tripping on a Can bowing and hitting his Head on the Porcelain God! 🚽


england Offline Kev D

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Re: Android Boxes- any experience?
Reply #26 on: March 05, 2018, 11:11:32 AM
I have a Wetek Openelec box which was converted to Libreelec, then recently to Android to see if I could get Amazon to work that way, but it doesn't :/

It also feels a bit under horse powered vs what I'd like. I'm going to have to start a Firetvstick fund I guess...

If it's more horsepower you want, you might be better off going to the firetvbox instead of the stick. You'll also get 4K and HDR supported as well then if you want that sort of quality.


fr Offline Whoey

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Re: Android Boxes- any experience?
Reply #27 on: March 05, 2018, 11:15:08 AM
I don't need 4k, h.265 support would be the goal atm.
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fr Offline Whoey

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Re: Android Boxes- any experience?
Reply #28 on: March 05, 2018, 11:26:11 AM
also, just looked, and in Spain we currently can only buy fire tv basic edition  :facepalm:
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england Offline Kev D

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Re: Android Boxes- any experience?
Reply #29 on: March 05, 2018, 11:30:50 AM
also, just looked, and in Spain we currently can only buy fire tv basic edition  :facepalm:

They are all sold here so if you want any others I can get one and send from here.


 

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