Android Boxes

[snoopdog]

Hi, Thinking of getting an Android box. Anyone have any experience of these and may be able to point me in the right direction. Do they have all the boxsets? Can you get the premiership on them through streaming etc?
are they better than getting Netflix?
Cheers

[screenexile]

Hi, Thinking of getting an Android box. Anyone have any experience of these and may be able to point me in the right direction. Do they have all the boxsets? Can you get the premiership on them through streaming etc?
are they better than getting Netflix?
Cheers

They don't have all the boxsets they are just a platform for you to access things like NowTV and Netflix.

You can get BBC iPlayer and 4OD but other than that you're going to have to fork out to watch anything decent! My box isn't Android but does the same job it's a ROKU3 Player and works well!

[Bud Wiser]

Bud Wiser is launching a new one on 10th August, was supposed to have it this week.  If you can't wait then the best next one is Zoomtak. Make sure it is from the original manufacturer and has an aluminium case. Apart from dissipating heat the amount of junk stuffed into plastic boxes is unbelievable - and dangerous.

Next year our flat screen 1080p will be history as we all move to 4K UHD (Ultra High Definition) and there are a couple of comparrisons on YouTube about UHD.  Our box already has the capability to stream UHD. If you are looking at UHD on YouTube make your screen full screen and then go to settings within YouTube and select UHD above 1080p.

Our new box has 4K Streaming/Ultra High Definition and comes with Android V 5.1
 http://www.fennetec.com/Android-TV-Box.html

[laoislad]

I upgraded mine there recently for a box called an MX III
Plays Kodi brilliantly. Kodi didnt work so well on the last one I had which was a dongle type that plugged straight into TV HDMI socket. This also has 4k capability.
Was €75 delivered.

[Boycey]

Hi, Thinking of getting an Android box. Anyone have any experience of these and may be able to point me in the right direction. Do they have all the boxsets? Can you get the premiership on them through streaming etc?
are they better than getting Netflix?
Cheers

They don't have all the boxsets they are just a platform for you to access things like NowTV and Netflix.

You can get BBC iPlayer and 4OD but other than that you're going to have to fork out to watch anything decent! My box isn't Android but does the same job it's a ROKU3 Player and works well!

The whole point of these boxes is that you fork out for nothing??

[Bud Wiser]

You get what you pay for, some are $30, some are 130$ but when the newer higher definition TVs come out, (are out) it will be the units with the better processing capabilities that make the difference. Having said that, if you dont have good broadband forget it.

Here is a sample   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vrdgDdPApQ of the new 4k/UHD that all new tv's will have. Go to you tube, select full screen and then in settings select the 2160p resolution. You won't stream that on a 30$ box with a dual core processor unless you are prepared to watch it starting and stopping like the Laois team.

Even if you have low bandwidth you can still manage fairly well once you have a good box but compare apples with apples when you are deciding, not price.

[Hereiam]

Bud what is the minimum speed required to watch shows through your contraption without it stopping and starting for 720p. Have been debating for a while whether to get one of these.

[under the bar]

If you want to know what an android box is like download Kodi (Xbmc) to your android phone and watch the streams.  Streams all differ in quality from HD to pretty low quality pixelated.   If you have 5 mins of patience you'll find a quality stream for any Sky or other channel you are after.  I have BT infinity and the kids have any movie they want in HD or 720.  Live streams are more like 480 but fine if you sit back a little. 

[Syferus]

4k saturation is still years off. I'm not even touching it for my next mointor and there's more compelling reasons to do it there than on a TV.

[gallsman]

4k saturation is still years off. I'm not even touching it for my next mointor and there's more compelling reasons to do it there than on a TV.

I don't think it's that far off at all. Prices are tumbling, while still prohibitively expensive.

[rosnarun]

4k saturation is still years off. I'm not even touching it for my next mointor and there's more compelling reasons to do it there than on a TV.

I don't think it's that far off at all. Prices are tumbling, while still prohibitively expensive.

but still like 3D no content worth getting it for. i heard the studios  are all waiting for 8K which will be here in a few years . then maybe as long as its compatable 4K might be worth it

[heffo]

You get what you pay for, some are $30, some are 130$ but when the newer higher definition TVs come out, (are out) it will be the units with the better processing capabilities that make the difference. Having said that, if you dont have good broadband forget it.

Here is a sample   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vrdgDdPApQ of the new 4k/UHD that all new tv's will have. Go to you tube, select full screen and then in settings select the 2160p resolution. You won't stream that on a 30$ box with a dual core processor unless you are prepared to watch it starting and stopping like the Laois team.

Even if you have low bandwidth you can still manage fairly well once you have a good box but compare apples with apples when you are deciding, not price.

Your offer looks great Bud - do you need a subscription to any other service to watch sports though?

[laoislad]

You dont need to pay for anything once you know where to look for content.

[Bud Wiser]

Hi Ros, how are you. I don't be on here that much anymore but I must make a comeback ! I see a lot of the old hands are still here, love reading Donnelly's Hollow on the nags, I see Dinny Breen pops in now and again. Awful lack of big rows though !! Maybe Dubs having all their games at home and having a basketball coach on their backroom team should start one?

As for the boxes, I don't want to appear to be using DB to sell them but I have tested a lot of them. Make sure the housing is aluminium case (heat dissipation) for one thing and cheap copies of shady technology inside plastic copies being another reason. Make sure it has a decent spec (2GB Ram and 8GB Flash Memory)
The best way is for five or six people to group together and by direct from a manufacturer, Zoomtak for instance. They have their own back up server so at any time you can upgrade the box OTA. You can also reset the box to default and upgrade to new versions of Kodi direct from their server.  I  say five or six in a group because with DHL Freight you would end up getting 5 for the price of 3 - generally !

As for the idea itself of having a box you will seldom look at TV again as you used to.  Go for it Ros

[screenexile]

Hi, Thinking of getting an Android box. Anyone have any experience of these and may be able to point me in the right direction. Do they have all the boxsets? Can you get the premiership on them through streaming etc?
are they better than getting Netflix?
Cheers

They don't have all the boxsets they are just a platform for you to access things like NowTV and Netflix.

You can get BBC iPlayer and 4OD but other than that you're going to have to fork out to watch anything decent! My box isn't Android but does the same job it's a ROKU3 Player and works well!

The whole point of these boxes is that you fork out for nothing??

Sorry!! Obviously I'm not up to speed with this stuff.

Can I get RTE on Kodi??