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  1. I have one like the Rii. The trackpad is pretty crappy. But the device is certainly helpful when you need a keyboard/mouse.
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  2. jagabo: Thank you for telling me about your experience with the keyboard you have that is like the Rii. It certainly gets frustrating with the remote that came with the box when it comes to apps. Those scrolling keys on the right hand side of the keyboard will certainly come in handy. I like that it is the keyboard and mouse together as I only have two USB slots on the box. I notice these Android Boxes are loosing options as they progress in regards to giving a person less USB slots as time goes on. They take up so little room why be so cheap and reduce the number? There were boxes that had three or four USB slots. I hope they never take away the ethernet slot.

    I did try a .epub & .pdf app as I thought it would be nice to read some books from Project Gutenberg. It would open them but you couldn't really access them very well as with the remote you couldn't scroll. I tried a jigsaw game app and it says grab the puzzle piece and drag it to the puzzle place mat. I would get the mouse hovered over the piece but it wouldn't grab it to move it. I tried a solitaire game and it wouldn't let me grab the cards and move them with the remote. So I just uninstalled them and hopefully this keyboard will be of use.
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  3. On Amazon, those cheap Android boxes are getting bad review a lot because folks are complaining about their included remote controls. The frustration comes from not be able to remote that device. Lots of them does not think of it it that way. (They should not be I guess). I tried to brought it up couple of times here. The cheaper box , worse remote. Those remotes make the device itself almost not usable at all. So that extra remote ($20) must be added to overall price for a cheap Android box. And fluid playback and audio passthru are not guaranteed as well (LibreELECT is needed or some other forks because Kodi does not help in this regard), but that does not belong here.
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  4. Member Seeker47's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by Tom Saurus View Post
    There are quite a few on the market like this, under various brands, with extremely similar appearance and features. That is probably not a coincidence. I think Fry's even sells one for around $15., perhaps even less on sale.
    When in Las Vegas, don't miss the Pinball Hall of Fame Museum http://www.pinballmuseum.org/ -- with over 150 tables from 6+ decades of this quintessentially American art form.
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    Originally Posted by manono View Post
    Originally Posted by Seeker47 View Post
    I was not aware of a Skystream 4, only the One & Two (have both), plus maybe some older models. Was this one of those ?
    . I don't know for how much longer these Android boxes will be legal, though. Dragon Box is under attack and I don't believe the Android boxes are even allowed in many other countries.
    from promo description: "reliable and convenient access to all the content they can stream" That and similar claims for other boxes is greatly exaggerated and bordering on BS, in my experience. Maybe it depends on what you happen to be looking for, but by far the most common result I see -- on any of the boxes + Kodi -- is a recurrent "No Streams Found." And much time gets wasted, in the searching. So, I don't know how these people who are supposedly infringing on content right and left -- are doing so successfully -- in ways so worrisome to the powers that be.

    To cite a rare example of what was (to me) somewhat useful, and that actually worked for a limited period, there was a WCBS "channel" under Kodi, where you could still watch a replay of the CBS Evening News (and sans commercials !), even if you got home at 10:00 P.M. Well, that WCBS (internet ?) channel went away, some time ago. Gone. (I get local CBS in my tv package that I pay for anyway, so I don't consider that infringing on anything.)

    The price they are asking for that Dragon Box seems ridiculous, though. And as I look over

    http://www.thedragonbox.com/buy-now/

    it appears there is some subscription involved, for an extra $240. / year. For WHAT ? They gotta be kidding !

    And incidentally, the apps of greatest interest to Kodi users are not coming from the Google Play store !
    When in Las Vegas, don't miss the Pinball Hall of Fame Museum http://www.pinballmuseum.org/ -- with over 150 tables from 6+ decades of this quintessentially American art form.
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  6. Well, I did say Dragon Box was under attack.

    http://variety.com/2018/digital/news/dragon-box-sued-netflix-amazon-universal-warner-b...nt-1202660358/
    https://www.scribd.com/document/368872101/Dragon-Box

    There are reasons why it's more expensive than the others, but I won't go into them. As for the subscription, it's certainly not required and I'd never pay for it, but you do get something for the money. For how much longer, I can't say.
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    The Android TV boxes that are being removed from the market have proprietary versions of Kodi with addons that facilitate warez streaming pre-installed. The Kodi Foundation has no involvement with these proprietary versions of Kodi or the rogue addons.

    If someone buys an Android TV box, and wants to use Kodi, they should install Kodi software and addons obtained from the Kodi Foundation.
    Ignore list: hello_hello, tried, TechLord, Snoopy329
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  8. Originally Posted by usually_quiet View Post
    The Android TV boxes that are being removed from the market have proprietary versions of Kodi with addons that facilitate warez streaming pre-installed. The Kodi Foundation has no involvement with these proprietary versions of Kodi or the rogue addons.

    If someone buys an Android TV box, and wants to use Kodi, they should install Kodi software and addons obtained from the Kodi Foundation.
    Kodi is quite a functional program even if you stick to the official Kodi addons. Of course it is tempting to install the warez stuff so you can enjoy all those movies and Tv shows. I hope more legal websites like PopCornFlix show up on the Internet, because even if they are ad supported it is a good thing to have options.

    I have never ordered Netflix. I have thought about it on occasion but they just don't have enough selection to hook me in with the Canadian version. I tend to like classic shows that I watched when I was a kid. There are tons of classic Canadian Shows we will never see again because even if they were to stream them by the time they paid all the residuals and such it probably wouldn't be worth their effort. I would like to see "The Forrest Rangers" again, "The Campbells", "Front Page Challenge", "The Tommy Hunter Show" and many more but it isn't going to happen. My Mom would be in a state of bliss if she could watch "The Don Messer Show" again. But in the U.S. you have shows you probably will never see again as well like those Jack Benny episodes that CBS will never release from their vault. We do find the odd "The Forrest Ranger" episode on YouTube which is nice.

    Back to the Android Boxes I see a lot of potential and I can see myself buying one for each TV in the house. I hope Canada gets a streaming service that has a great selection of classic TV shows to enjoy.
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  9. Originally Posted by Tom Saurus View Post
    I have never ordered Netflix. I have thought about it on occasion but they just don't have enough selection to hook me in with the Canadian version. I tend to like classic shows that I watched when I was a kid.
    People who want the latest movies, most recent TV episodes, or very specific content will be disappointed with Netflix. But if you're open to something new (to you) there's quite a lot worth watching.

    Originally Posted by Tom Saurus View Post
    I hope Canada gets a streaming service that has a great selection of classic TV shows to enjoy.
    cbc.ca has quite a lot of good stuff. You may need to use a web browser to view it.
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  10. jagabo: Thank you for this information. I could try Netflix on a free trial sometime to see how I like it. We finally have Brit Box here in Canada as well.

    I have the CBC website in the Android Box Chrome Browser saved in my favorites. I also have The Knowledge Network and The Global Wrestling Network saved. The Knowledge Network has quite a few U.K. Mystery shows to watch. The Global Wrestling Network allows one to watch episodes of Impact Wrestling.

    I also have YouTube's "Living Big In A Tiny House" saved in a favorite. I can also add in some YouTube cooking channels as they can be quite enjoyable to watch.
    Last edited by Tom Saurus; 23rd Feb 2018 at 15:11.
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  11. Member Seeker47's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by jagabo View Post
    Originally Posted by Tom Saurus View Post
    I have never ordered Netflix. I have thought about it on occasion but they just don't have enough selection to hook me in with the Canadian version. I tend to like classic shows that I watched when I was a kid.
    People who want the latest movies, most recent TV episodes, or very specific content will be disappointed with Netflix. But if you're open to something new (to you) there's quite a lot worth watching.
    Well, it depends. These new players are becoming a force to be reckoned with, and for new stuff that is exclusive to them. I enjoyed the recent NF series "Altered Carbon", even falling into binge-watching it (over 3.5 nights), and they have a number of other originals, with a considerable variety. So too for the two seasons thus far of "Man in the High Castle" on Amazon, to which I also have a subscription. Just take note of the newcomers' representation, when each awards season rolls around, these last few years. More NF or Amazon titles, displacing what had been the province of HBO or ShowTime, and decreasingly the OTA broadcast networks.

    Some feature films have debuted this way also: "Beasts of No Nation" being a notable example awhile back -- an Amazon production, I believe. This will continue into the future. Daring or innovative or serious, adult fare has greatly retreated from being represented in the cinema house (where Marvel type stuff now dominates), moving instead to places like HBO and these newer "upstarts." The service I have not sampled as yet is Hulu, which at least in the past has had a free-month trial option.

    But, if you're talking about "classic" tv series, I'm sure there is a lot that remains unavailable -- from any of these services.

    We are really moving towards more of a subscription model. Talk about "cord cutting" all you like: it's just choice of a different cord. Maybe people will save some money making changes, or maybe not. And for those who can't or won't pay the freight, there continue to be ways to acquire content -- with or without Kodi, from official sources or otherwise.
    Last edited by Seeker47; 23rd Feb 2018 at 16:42.
    When in Las Vegas, don't miss the Pinball Hall of Fame Museum http://www.pinballmuseum.org/ -- with over 150 tables from 6+ decades of this quintessentially American art form.
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  12. I tried some more apps, when will I ever learn. I tried CTV Go, Space Go and Global Go. Global Go wanted wifi and something else. They all flipped themselves on the screen like they do on a phone. I uninstalled them all. I am better off saving stuff as favorites in Google Chrome and just watching stuff that way. There are websites with free word search and other puzzles that you can do through the browser as well.

    Here in Canada we pay a fair bit for internet access. I pay around eighty dollars a month because I figured I need unlimited bandwidth. So even if you drop your satellite or cable and went totally warez you are not watching stuff for free, not that I am encouraging people to go warez.

    Netflix is becoming a place where shows can be revived as well. I hope somebody there decides to revive Farscape. I have hoped that Netflix would revive CBS's Limitless. That was a rather fun show and I think it could be a hit for Netflix.
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  13. This site https://free-classic-movies.com/ used to have a sister site with old TV shows, https://free-classic-tv-shows.com/. For some reason it was taken offline.
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  14. jagabo: Thank you for that link. I have saved in on my Desktop browser favorites and I will save it on the Android Box's Chrome Browser's favorites.
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  15. I was trying out a website for wordsearch puzzles through the chrome browser on the android box. I haven't got that new keyboard yet so I am just using the remote that comes with the box. Well anyway I realized that when I want to select a word I have found in the puzzle that on my Desktop I am right clicking and dragging and with this remote I can't do that.

    I ran across this today on YouTube "The 8-CORE Raspberry Pi Killer":

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yX3AMp0W3cA

    Maybe this is better than a Raspberry Pi.
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  16. Calling the Odroid XU4 a RPi killer isn't very accurate. It costs twice as much and has much less support. Might be OK for a media player or NAS though. There may be some software issues with it:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qBxi6Q4XlY
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  17. jagabo: Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I will think of all this after I figure out my Income Tax software issues.
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  18. The RPi is designed to be a very inexpensive ( US$35) computer capable of running an operating system and basic software. That's a step up from say, an Arduino Uno (US$7 to $20) which is a microcontroller -- it runs simple dedicated software without an operating system. There are even smaller microcontrollers like the Atmel ATTiny4 (US$1). Obviously, there's a place for more expensive and more powerful computers like the XU4 too.

    Oh, one note: the review you linked to is wrong, the XU4 doesn't support 4K video, only up to 1920x1080. That's a disadvantage for a higher end media player. The RPi3 doesn't support 4K either.
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  19. Over at YouTube I watched some videos about a new Raspberry Pi. It is called Raspberry Pi 3 B+. It has a few advancements over the Raspberry Pi 3.
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  20. Member Seeker47's Avatar
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    As I mentioned previously, a lot of time can go by between my using the various streaming boxes that I have on hand here. Last evening, I discovered that one of them (the Roku, I think) had its last software update in mid-August. The sole exception would be my old WD Live TV Gen. 2 boxes, which remain my "Go To" for attached playback of downloaded material. Their primary drawback is the inability to play HEVC or X265 codecs, and the rare flavor of AVC or obscure WMV variant. Encountering any of those had been quite infrequent here, but I'm noticing a decided uptick in the prevalence of HEVC / X265 material. So, I took the opportunity to shuffle between the various boxes, to test out such playback. I very quickly discovered an only partially related MAJOR FAIL in the Roku, which happens to be their latest, top tier model: when you attach a portable USB HDD, it complains (in a robotic voice that is clunky, has a hard-to-understand accent, and is very annoying !) that it does not have enough power to run the device, and a power adapter would be required -- so 'would you kindly go to \Roku\USB page at their website to read more.' Haven't done that yet, but there is NO external power connection for the WD Passport HDDs I have always used. They get their power from whatever device you plug them into. EVERY version of the WD Live streamer boxes has never had any such issue, nor has any other device I can recall trying that will allow you to connect external USB storage to it. I mean, WTF !: the Roku has its own power adapter, and that really should be sufficient ! It seems that the Roku will accommodate some flash drives, and that's about it.

    On to other fails. I tried to play back sample HEVC / X265 items on a couple other boxes, using VLC for Android as the player -- which seemed like it ought to be one of the better options out there. They began to play on the Sky One, but locked up solid within 5 seconds. Not very encouraging. I'll get around to trying the Sky Two and the Minix downstairs for this in due course. So far, my only playback success has been on the Amazon Fire TV (first Gen.) box. That was with a flash drive -- have to see if it also balks with the HDD. I believe that the current 2nd. Gen. Amazon Fire TV did away with outboard USB support altogether, and was roundly criticized for this.

    I recognize that we are primarily discussing these boxes for their streaming capabilities, but the local playback is also an important feature -- for most of them.
    Last edited by Seeker47; 24th Mar 2018 at 12:42.
    When in Las Vegas, don't miss the Pinball Hall of Fame Museum http://www.pinballmuseum.org/ -- with over 150 tables from 6+ decades of this quintessentially American art form.
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  21. Originally Posted by Seeker47 View Post
    As I mentioned previously, a lot of time can go by between my using the various streaming boxes that I have on hand here. Last evening, I discovered that one of them (the Roku, I think) had its last software update in mid-August. The sole exception would be my old WD Live TV Gen. 2 boxes, which remain my "Go To" for attached playback of downloaded material. Their primary drawback is the inability to play HEVC or X265 codecs, and the rare flavor of AVC or obscure WMV variant. Encountering any of those had been quite infrequent here, but I'm noticing a decided uptick in the prevalence of HEVC / X265 material. So, I took the opportunity to shuffle between the various boxes, to test out such playback. I very quickly discovered an only partially related MAJOR FAIL in the Roku, which happens to be their latest, top tier model: when you attach a portable USB HDD, it complains (in a robotic voice that is clunky, has a hard-to-understand accent, and is very annoying !) that it does not have enough power to run the device, and a power adapter would be required -- so 'would you kindly go to \Roku\USB page at their website to read more.' Haven't done that yet, but there is NO external power connection for the WD Passport HDDs I have always used. They get their power from whatever device you plug them into. EVERY version of the WD Live streamer boxes has never had any such issue, nor has any other device I can recall trying that will allow you to connect external USB storage to it. I mean, WTF !: the Roku has its own power adapter, and that really should be sufficient ! It seems that the Roku will accommodate some flash drives, and that's about it.

    On to other fails. I tried to play back sample HEVC / X265 items on a couple other boxes, using VLC for Android as the player -- which seemed like it ought to be one of the better options out there. They began to play on the Sky One, but locked up solid within 5 seconds. Not very encouraging. I'll get around to trying the Sky Two and the Minix downstairs for this in due course. So far, my only playback success has been on the Amazon Fire TV (first Gen.) box. That was with a flash drive -- have to see if it also balks with the HDD. I believe that the current 2nd. Gen. Amazon Fire TV did away with outboard USB support altogether, and was roundly criticized for this.

    I recognize that we are primarily discussing these boxes for their streaming capabilities, but the local playback is also an important feature -- for most of them.
    I got a powered sub hub and plugged in the drive. This worked for me.

    Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
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  22. I noticed if I use Kodi I can watch movies on Popcorn Flix, but if I visit there website it tells me I can't watch the movie because it is available in the Country I live in. I am curious about that. Thank you in advance for an answer regarding this matter.
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    Maybe it would make more sense to ask this on the Minix or Skystream forums, but I'll ask it here anyway. Has anyone had much success at watching live MLB games via Kodi on one of these boxes -- particularly those that would otherwise be blacked out for you ? If so, exactly how are you doing this ? What I'm finding is basically zilch. On rare occasions I may come across a game or two that was not of interest, while in the course of searching. Even then, they would be in a pretty crappy-looking SD resolution. (Maybe this is where that 'real debrid' business comes in, but I'm skeptical.)
    When in Las Vegas, don't miss the Pinball Hall of Fame Museum http://www.pinballmuseum.org/ -- with over 150 tables from 6+ decades of this quintessentially American art form.
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    Originally Posted by johnathan_hershb View Post
    ]I got a powered sub hub and plugged in the drive. This worked for me.
    Thanks. I'll give that a try.
    When in Las Vegas, don't miss the Pinball Hall of Fame Museum http://www.pinballmuseum.org/ -- with over 150 tables from 6+ decades of this quintessentially American art form.
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  25. Kodi with the official legal addons for Kodi is quite nice. I am also finding that Kodi can play hev 1 files quite well when the default android player would not play them.

    I am finding apps quite frustrating as so many seemed designed for the swipe your fingers on the screen technology. Are there any that work well with the android remote?
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  26. Originally Posted by Tom Saurus View Post
    I am finding apps quite frustrating as so many seemed designed for the swipe your fingers on the screen technology. Are there any that work well with the android remote?
    This is a problem with many of the "Android TV" devices. They aren't really Android TV, they are Android tablet devices without the tablet. Apps developed for them assume you are running on a tablet and can tap or swipe the screen. You can't install official true Android TV apps because the device "knows" it's a table. Fortunately, you can usually get the tablet apps working with an "air mouse".

    I bought one of those cheap not-really-an-Android-TV devices a while back. With it's simple remote the Netfix App was unusable since you couldn't swipe up to navigate or tap to start playing a video. When I complained about this (their advertising explicitly lists Netfix as one of the pre-installed apps) they sent (at no charge) their better remote with the air-mouse feature.

    https://smile.amazon.com/Wireless-Keyboard-Android-Control-Infrared/dp/B06XCRJF54

    The air mouse isn't as accurate as tapping or swiping a touch screen, and it's annoying switching back and forth between air mouse mode and remote control mode, but at least you can use those tablet apps.
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  27. jagabo: Thank you for this information. I will keep that air mouse in mind.

    Something I found quite strange lately is I used the Chrome Browser on the Android Box to go to the CBC website and no video would play and I also tried the global wrestling network website and no video would play. I updated the browser and it still wouldn't work. Thankfully YouTube videos would play.

    I think in the future I will get a desktop computer with HDMI output with a wireless keyboard and mouse and have that as our entertainment center for surfing the web, watching online video, playing games and whatever else it is suited for. Hopefully Raspberry Pi will take another leap forward and that won't be necessary.
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  28. Originally Posted by Tom Saurus View Post
    I am finding apps quite frustrating as so many seemed designed for the swipe your fingers on the screen technology. Are there any that work well with the android remote?
    I brought it up in this thread, https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/386414-Android-Box/page2#post2511813 , always reminding it in discussions like these, remotes are useless or half useless with android devices. Mini keyboards with touch-pad remotes are needed because there is a point you need to swipe something. They cost about $20-$30 so that is a must and must be added to overall purchase price.
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  29. You could try hooking a wireless PC mouse and keyboard via USB dongle...That works for me for swiping and entering text. Android will usuallly detect them and use them as peripheral devices.
    Last edited by teodz1984; 1st Jan 2019 at 15:31.
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