Android/Dream Box [ Illegal discussion = Ban ]

BandMember

I've seen a couple of bricks and mortar shops spring up, blatantly advertising what they are selling - completely over priced rubbish boxes!!

54and56

inforfun wrote: »

And then the shop's window is screaming FREE TV







What A Twat.

I almost think this is fake.

Well in fairness there is a lot of "Free TV" you can legitimately watch via an Android Media box e.g. our very own RTE Player. He may well have meant and most people may have read that "Free TV" = free (or cheap) access to pirated content from platforms such as Sky/BT etc but advertising "Free TV" and selling Android Media boxes, even those pre-loaded with Kodi, doesn't in itself break any law any more than the guys whose website is http://www.freetvdublin.ie and provide the kit you need to access Saorview and Freesat etc are breaking the law.

Selling the same Android media boxes pre-loaded with Addon's whose only purpose is to provide access to pirated content is an entirely different story however.

Horace Cope

Horace Cope wrote: »

I do think Android TV, and the way that subscription services like Netflix can appear as channels is looking very promising. I wonder if our own RTE will be listing it's channels on the service.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMB9B6Z__bM&feature=youtu.be

Just found the answer to my own question

April 2017
RTÉ today announced its plans to develop the next generation RTÉ Player, Ireland’s number one broadcaster video-on-demand service. It is expected that the new service will be launched before the end of the year.

The new RTÉ Player experience will be a gateway into a world of great content, from box-sets and curated on-demand libraries across 10 genres, to exciting new original RTÉ Player shorts, as well as the ability to enjoy RTɒs live channels on any screen.
Delivering a multi-platform experience, the redeveloped RTÉ Player will be available across web, Android, iOS, connected TVs and OTT services, including Saorview, Chromecast, Android TV and Apple TV.

RTɒs lead partner for the delivery of the project is Fincons Group. The global IT Business Consulting company has over 30 years’ experience as a broadband and broadcast service partner and has worked with many leading companies including Sky and the largest Italian commercial broadcaster, Mediaset, as consultant and integration partner for their video solutions and OTT platform rollouts.

RTÉ and Fincons Group will also work with the Dutch-based TV app development company 24i, an internet TV app company, which powers apps for leading brands like Viacom, Fuse media and Sinclair. Discovery and personalisation provider ContentWise will integrate its content personalisation solution.

RTÉ Player will benefit from the combination of Fincons Group’s design and integration, 24i’s unified UI front-end expertise and ContentWise’s user experience automation capabilities.

https://digitalblog.rte.ie/2017/04/26/rte-announces-plans-to-develop-the-next-generation-rte-player/

The high horse brigade

Google assistant has finally arrived on the Shield Tv. I'm not at home so haven't tried it yet. Hopefully the Spot won't be too long away

http://www.androidpolice.com/2017/09/28/assistant-finally-come-shield-tv-looks-great/

The high horse brigade

The update was waiting for me when I got in, will report back later when I've had a play

brendan86

Heh guys

I have a 100euro budget, could someone lead me in the right direction to get bang for my buck. I wouldn't be too familiar with them but want decent one.

Cheers

The high horse brigade

Ok had a quick play, it's working pretty much as expected. You can setup the game remote to listen for 'ok Google' at all times making it just as useful as a Google home. I had to set it to English US to get it working with my Hue lights and Harmony remote. I have now moved my Google home to the kitchen. I'll eventually be getting the Spot when it's available so that I don't need to leave the remote lying about.

The full list of new features is here http://www.androidpolice.com/2017/09/28/nvidia-posts-shield-experience-6-0-release-notes-smartthings-assistant-youtube-360/

batistuta9

The high horse brigade wrote: »

The update was waiting for me when I got in, will report back later when I've had a play

Do you use it for much 4k content?

There's a post in bargain alerts saying it's not actually that great for it

The high horse brigade

batistuta9 wrote: »

Do you use it for much 4k content?

There's a post in bargain alerts saying it's not actually that great for it

I don't have a 4k tv yet. From what I've read it's supposed to be pretty decent with Plex, YouTube and Netflix all working in 4k (unlike the Apple TV which will never support YouTube 4k as it does not have the codec).

I wouldn't heed one person's review, they were probably using Wi-Fi

batistuta9

The high horse brigade wrote: »

I don't have a 4k tv yet. From what I've read it's supposed to be pretty decent with Plex, YouTube and Netflix all working in 4k (unlike the Apple TV which will never support YouTube 4k as it does not have the codec).

I wouldn't heed one person's review, they were probably using Wi-Fi

Noting to do with WiFi, more the general performance issues

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=104765766&postcount=57

The high horse brigade

batistuta9 wrote: »

Noting to do with WiFi, more the general performance issues

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=104765766&postcount=57

There seems to be lots of fixes in this update

This upgrade delivers many exciting new features, including:
For the first time ever, the Google Assistant on TV
The first ever hands-free assistant designed for TV

For help with setting up Google Assistant, please visit the thread below:

https://forums.geforce.com/default/topic/1025429/shield-tv/how-to-get-started-with-google-assistant-on-shield-tv/

View the full release notes for SHIELD Experience Upgrade 6.0 here:
https://shield.nvidia.com/support/nvidia-shield-tv/release-notes/1

Additional enhancements/fixes not covered in the release notes are:
Dynamic refresh rate with mixed HDMI setups:
Dynamic refresh rate switching now is now supported on mixed HDMI configurations (e.g. SHIELD connected to an HDMI 2.0 compatible receiver, then connected to an older HDMI 1.3 compatible TV). Note: we are investigating some rare cases of audio/video loss in these configurations that will be addressed in a future release.

Customized HDMI modes
Select your custom SHIELD display output mode. In Settings > Display & Sounds > Advanced settings > HDMI settings, unselect Set to recommended. Select HDMI display modes to see the list of supported modes your display supports.

Reduced video stutter when display refresh is set to 23.976Hz.
Fixed cases of dropped frames when playing 25Hz content in Kodi.
Improved image scaling for shows recorded in standard definition in PLEX.
Added ability for Hauppauge dual tuners to scan for both DVB-T and DVB-T2 channels.
Improved reliability of firmware updates for SHIELD remote.
Fixed cases of local network storage access disappearing for German language.
Fixed cases of protected content failing to play if TV is turned off during playback.
Added HDMI-CEC volume control for Bose SoundTouch 520.

https://forums.geforce.com/default/topic/1025430/shield-tv/shield-experience-upgrade-6-0-for-shield-tv/

batistuta9

The high horse brigade wrote: »

There seems to be lots of fixes in this update

Probably one of the best things about the box is the updates.

The high horse brigade

batistuta9 wrote: »

Probably one of the best things about the box is the updates.

Yeah, being a console platform they sell and stream games on keeping everyone updated and all on the same version is very important

yabadabado

brendan86 wrote: »

Heh guys

I have a 100euro budget, could someone lead me in the right direction to get bang for my buck. I wouldn't be too familiar with them but want decent one.

Cheers

A good few on the forum bought the H96 Pro when it was around 40 euro a few weeks back it's currently available for €55 which is still a very good price.
It's one of the best lower priced boxs according to most sources.
It might come back available at €40 again soon.

brendan86

yabadabado wrote: »

A good few on the forum bought the H96 Pro when it was around 40 euro a few weeks back it's currently available for €55 which is still a very good price.
It's one of the best lower priced boxs according to most sources.
It might come back available at €40 again soon.

Cheers, yeah I was so close to buying it at 40euro raging now.

Could someone with knowledge please advise me. I'm thinking of going for

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B0192M8CSS/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1506637097&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=minix+android&dpPl=1&dpID=411n1UDi5oL&ref=plSrch

Or the one in the op. Which would be better? I know the one I've listed is double the price but I don't mind if it would be better.

Thanks
Brendan

Horace Cope

People did say that Amazon Prime is crap in Ireland I believe so I guess this is not worth it
https://www.cnx-software.com/2017/09/28/69-99-amazon-fire-tv-2017-tv-box-supports-4k-hdr-10-video-playback/

Netflix, Hulu, SHOWTIME, Amazon Video, and more services will be accessible using the buttons on the remote control or Alexa, and the TV box can also be paired to Echo devices for far-field voice control.

BandMember

brendan86 wrote: »

Cheers, yeah I was so close to buying it at 40euro raging now.

Could someone with knowledge please advise me. I'm thinking of going for

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B0192M8CSS/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1506637097&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=minix+android&dpPl=1&dpID=411n1UDi5oL&ref=plSrch

Or the one in the op. Which would be better? I know the one I've listed is double the price but I don't mind if it would be better.

Thanks
Brendan

Definitely gets a thumbs up from me! Know someone who picked one up a while ago and they have had nothing but praise for it. A good few people on this thread have Minix boxes (including myself) and have said the same.

If you can push the boat for an extra £20, you should definitely get the new model, which is the U9.

bren2001

Was looking at picking up the Mi Box for my Mam. She's been using a firestick for the last year or two but its starting to give up for her. The lack of Ethernet isnt an issue.

Would anyone recommend anything different in and around the same price point? It just needs a simple GUI for her (granted most android boxes do).

brendan86

BandMember wrote: »

Definitely gets a thumbs up from me! Know someone who picked one up a while ago and they have had nothing but praise for it. A good few people on this thread have Minix boxes (including myself) and have said the same.

If you can push the boat for an extra £20, you should definitely get the new model, which is the U9.

Thanks appreciate it, will order the U9 then I think thanks

Brendan

BandMember

brendan86 wrote: »

Thanks appreciate it, will order the U9 then I think thanks

Brendan

Nice one Brendan, you've made a great choice. Enjoy!

The high horse brigade

My brother setup a Mi Box for my Mam, she says it works for a time then the network goes glitchy. I suspect it's the usb standby issue with the ethernet adapter it's got. Is there a fix other than using wifi

McMurphy

Got a pretty decent system update for the shield the other evening including 360° youtube which is a nice feature.

v638sg7k1a92bx

I see that the Mi gets alot of thumbs up from posters on this thread but so does the H96 Pro, are they not very similar in price and considering the Mi appears to be from a more "reliable" retailer what are you getting with the H96 Pro that you don't with the Mi?

yabadabado

Russell Bewildered Unit wrote: »

I see that the Mi gets alot of thumbs up from posters on this thread but so does the H96 Pro, are they not very similar in price and considering the Mi appears to be from a more "reliable" retailer what are you getting with the H96 Pro that you don't with the Mi?

The H96 was only 40 euro for a while so a lot of people would have bought that time.
No Ethernet port on MI box will put plenty off it.

dahat

I bought the h96 for a relative and set it up in my place but when I went to finish the set in hers there was a black screen, box was powered on and nothing. I tried a few combos of power leads/HDMI and nothing.
An xbox worked fine through same HDMI port and lead (1 port only on TV).

Any guidance? I'm stumped.

GY A1

When u set it up what input did u select.
I.e. Scart or hdmi @ 720 or 1080
I had problem before with other box that would not show up on 720 tv cause had setup different

dahat wrote: »

I bought the h96 for a relative and set it up in my place but when I went to finish the set in hers there was a black screen, box was powered on and nothing. I tried a few combos of power leads/HDMI and nothing.
An xbox worked fine through same HDMI port and lead (1 port only on TV).

Any guidance? I'm stumped.

dahat

GY A1 wrote: »

When u set it up what input did u select.
I.e. Scary or hdmi @ 720 or 1080
I had problem before with other box that would not show up on 720 tv cause had setup different

Good tip, I'll look at the set up options again as it is 1080i rather than 1080p TV.

I have adjusted the settings to 1080i/50hz so hopefully it works now.

Korvanica

Any decent places to pick up a H96 Pro ? Looking one for my folks.

yabadabado

Korvanica wrote: »

Any decent places to pick up a H96 Pro ? Looking one for my folks.

I think it's about €50 on Gearbest.

Horace Cope

yabadabado wrote: »

I think it's about €50 on Gearbest.

The reviews are mixed here
http://www.wirelesshack.org/review-h96-pro-plus-s912-3gb-ram-4k-andriod-tv-box.html
not sure what confidence i have in a manufacturer that does this

Ne0
August 8, 2017
I just wanted to add that on the DDR4 version, at least mine, there are 2 extra USB ports on the microSD side, they are covered by the case but I cut the case and now Im able to use these extra ports instead of adding a USB hub as I was planning; btw one is an OTG port (closest to SD port).