smart tv box conundrum

da wiseguy

hello one, hello all,

apologies in advance if this sort of thread has been posted an answered previously - i have seen some similar but i had further queries etc so thought it would be best to start afresh rather than tack on to someone else's...

i saw this smart tv box (https://www.livingsocial.com/deals/989609-android-smart-tv-box?index=1) on living social and seemed like a good idea, which got me thinking and then looking further afield. there is of course a huge amount of choice out there...so after advice from a friend, i am posting up here!

is this a good deal or would i be better getting something else? Dongle type, router style, media box (like Boxxee etc)? It is basically (and initially) for use in the bedroom - we had sky multiroom and rarely used it, but liked the idea of having it...and it was great to have on the rare occassions we did use it. but of course we are spending money each month on it so decided to cancel the subscription. i went out and bought an LED tv with Saorview & Freeview built in (as well as DVD) but would love to get internet access (has USB and HDMI connnection) to browse/play stuff. I use android so the above seemed like a good deal...but then after some research, there are loads of other options of course! XBMC etc - I am not tech stoopid but don't know if that is all "too much" etc - does it all need to be updated etc regularly?

We have Sky in the living room with movie & entertainment package (with on demand feature) - we moved the phone & BB to them from Eircom middle of last year so I think I am contractually obliged to them for a while but can downgrade the packages and do something similar in the living room too possibly.

Advice, tips, etc would be appreciated...sorry about the ramble!

tony1980

There are lots of threads there about this but I would recommend one with XBMC on it, especially for the bedroom. Very handy for when you occasionally fancy watching some of the latest movies up in bed. There are alot of options out there, maybe have a look at the ouya, depends on what you want to spend!

da wiseguy

hey tony!

thanks for swift reply. i saw a video on an XBMC box, but it seemed very "complex" - do you need to know what you are doing with them, i.e. do they need to be updated regularly etc or are they easy enough to go along with?

tony1980

Check out www.xbmchub.com to get you started. It seems a little confusing at first but it really isn't and there are plenty of youtube videos out there that are very helpful and easy to follow. If you have a laptop, I could show you how to install it on that to start with and you could have a little play with it for a couple of weeks and see how you find it.
I could install it remotely for you via teamviewer and show you a few things and then let you off to play with it yourself. Check out the forums on xbmchub, they are very helpful!

Gran Hermano

Since the release of the config/setup wizards on XBMChub it's pretty easy to install and setup the common addons. Step by step wizard guide on xbmchub.

da wiseguy

thanks all for your input