Android TV
 

What types of android tv devices do you own? What are your thoughts?

I have a cylindrical Nvidia shield, Amazon fire stick 4k max 1st generation and 2nd generation.

For user experience I love the Nvidia shield. For cheap and cheerful a fire stick is the way to go.

On the shield I have cx file explorer that has cloud storage so I'm logged into my OneDrive for sideloading apks. Downloader on the fire stick does the job.

Though these devices are decent spec. I've found they cannot handle large local databases. I'd be interested in reading better spec'd devices? :)

Re: Android TV
 

Firestick Max 16GB and Firestick Max 8GB in bedroom, with Downloader app for sideloading and X-plorer where I could sideload via OneDrive if I needed to but I used X-plorer today to backup my Tivimate data file so I can copy it to the other Firestick in my bedroom saving a huge amount of my time.

Interesting thread to find out what better devices are out there if needed in the future.

Re: Android TV
 

I posted this elsewhere, but to recap ;

My main box is an X96Q (about 18 months old).
My other box is an A95X (about 6 years old) - not often used now.

Re: Android TV
 

Any none fire android TV box I always skinned to the older android none tv interface so it was not filled with content and just shortcuts that I chose

Re: Android TV
 

Probably not the right place for this but the new Amazon 4K stick will be called Firestick 4K Select with Vega OS and it only has 1GB RAM compared to 2GB on the current 4K"and WiFi 5 instead of 6.

Re: Android TV
 

its gonna be pants . Why they put only 1GB in anything nowadays is nuts. Wonder if they finally switched to 64 bit though

Re: Android TV
 

So they downgraded the memory, the WI-Fi, and OS ? No Thanks.

Re: Android TV
 

Yep.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Staging-Pro.../dp/B0CN41YQKQ

Re: Android TV
 

SnoopZ do you have the full playlist enabled from your provider? How are your fire sticks behaving?

Re: Android TV
 

I've hidden everything that's not in English, so I've got loads of Sky channels and for Movies and TV Shows I've also hidden the none English.

I don't have anything to compare against but in my opinion it's running fantastically, I use VLC as my Player as this gives automatic subtitles for Movies and TV Shows and also I purchased the Premium Tivimate as my guide to allow me to hide stuff.

The only time it's stopped working which I thought was a service outage was when I changed VPN location, so I've learnt never to do that.

Formula 1 TV is fantastic and really looks awesome to my eyes in both UHD and HD, so much so I've today cancelled my Formula 1 TV Pro subscription which cost me £6.99 a month, so I'm keeping this IPTV service costing £7.86 a month.

It's running great on my Firestick Max 16GB and also great on my Firestick 4K 8GB in the bedroom, I've also bought another 4K stick for my Dad's Christmas present while it's on offer and I will attempt to set him up on IPTV with him paying the monthly bill and me hopefully managing it 3hrs away so I hope it's still reliable!

Not sure why your experience was so much different to mine and Jays unless they limited stuff on your trial or maybe your existing service is just way better in your opinion.

Re: Android TV
 

The gripe I had with it is I want the full playlist, sometimes sport in a different language is the only option. Neither my shield nor fire 4k max could handle the demands of the playlist in full example switch stream, looking for a stream my app would crash.

I have no idea how your provider updates things but with you making custom changes should your provider update the playlist you'll be reconfiguring it once again. Which could be a pain in the arse.

With my provider(s) there's everything in sensible numbers in folders. Everything is kept to a minimum to allow the end user to have everything loaded.

Re: Android TV
 

With Tivimate I can create groups, like put all Sport in one group but I think the channel list will still get updated so I will just see how it goes as there are 130,000 channels and I really don't want to see all those. It's a learning cure for me but so far it does everything easily that I want it to do and I'm more interested in the movie and TV show lists for now.

My Fire sticks haven't crashed once, so it maybe worth you grabbing one while still on offer before the crappy version comes out as they don't cost too much. I went for the Max at £40 and 4K for my parents at £25.

If your provider has a website please PM me it, it maybe good for my dad so I need to test.

Re: Android TV
 

I've got 2 4k max models 1st gen and another 2nd gen with the pro remotes, ethernet adapter all the bells and whistles. I too went for them on offer :tu:

The two providers I have are closed for invites at the minute. I'm awaiting an opening for somebody else so I'll keep you in mind but it's been some time now no mention of it opening up. But I do stress if it ain't broke don't fix it meaning your found provider. Stick with it if it's working for you. I did like some bits of your playlist Italy was working, Netherlands too. With recent raids those were not working elsewhere including my provider.

Re: Android TV
 

Thanks I'll probably stick with my current provider, I don't like all this invite crap, I like to go to a proper website and click purchase and see how it goes, so as you say if it ain't broke stick with it.

My Fire sticks are only connected via VM WiFi and so far there is no issue, hopefully at my parents house no issue also.

Re: Android TV
 

And this is all why I swear by PC. Not messed with the M3U yet but you can literally open and M3U in a text editor and delete all the entries you do not want and have a much smaller playlist. Used to do this all the time when I use ProgDVB as my player

Today I purchased off ebay for the grand sum of £45 HP ProDesk 600 G3 i5-7500 @ 3.4GHz 8GB DDR4 Ram 240GB SSD WIN 11 Pro. Will urinate all over any of the Firesticks once connected to my PC it is replacing a much smaller HP EliteDesk 705 G4 Mini PC A10-9700E CPU16GB RAM 256GB SSD WiFi which cost me £80 but because it is smaller its cooling is a little louder . I am going to sell this at a loss

You can still run Windows Subsystem for Android on these btw even though it is not supported anymore so most android apps will run on it as well

Re: Android TV
 

Using a Firestick is just convenience for me. I did read last weekend I could edit the M3U but as long as it works and stays working I'm hoping what I have I will be happy with.

Re: Android TV
 

It is no more convenient that turning a set up PC on

Re: Android TV
 

Well it turns out the original month of IPTV I purchased on October 1st is still active and Smarters Pro says it's due to expire 5th March 2026, I wish I new this before I bought another month.

I've now setup another new 4K Firestick with Tivimate as the player and everything works perfectly. I just need to print out a label and stick it on the box for Dads Christmas present saying.... *Dad's Dodgy Box* :D

Re: Android TV
 

Does your Nord threat protection block your streaming provider?

Re: Android TV
 

Nope but I'd have to check if I have threat protection.

Re: Android TV
 

Please do. It'll be useful knowledge :tu:

Re: Android TV
 

Threat Protection was turned OFF on my Nord so I turned it on and my IPTV still worked OK, is yours having issues?

When I say worked OK I meant viewing TV shows etc, I've not tried updating the TV Guide.

Re: Android TV
 

Mines blocked with threat protection on :(

Re: Android TV
 

Can you not add an exception to the main url of your service? perhaps see where it redirects too also

Re: Android TV
 

Nope there's no whitelist. There's split tunneling which I haven't tried but that defeats the whole point of having threat protection. Oh well.

Re: Android TV
 

So is yours still blocked? I still have NO issues with Strong8K IPTV. Do you know which service you use, let everyone know so we can put on the void list.

Re: Android TV
 

Yup :Yes: It's a closed community so it's unlikely people will find it tbh.

Re: Android TV
 

Can't you unblock in the settings somehow?

Re: Android TV
 

Nope :no:

Re: Android TV
 

Well maybe it's doing its job and thinks your IPTV is a threat and mine isn't.

Don't you have a list of URLs to use, I'm given several?

Re: Android TV
 

My backup is fine which has 2 servers. My main is blocked which has 1 server.

Re: Android TV
 

The month account I got on g2g gives me 6 I've never actually tried trying them other than the default to see if it makes a difference.

I'll see how it goes and consider getting a backup account because my EVERUP app I keep banging on about for cheap gift cards means the savings across a 1 month for grocery shopping means that'll pay for all of my IPTV shananigans.

Re: Android TV
 

That's interesting. Renewals via g2g. Decent.

Re: Android TV
 

When I was looking who to go with there were links to the sellers that specifically said for renewals only so I believe the same exact details will be kept and the same price as normal.

I'll likely try a different seller next time as I made a mistake with my choice and it took 20hrs to deliver and others are instant.

Re: Android TV
 

They were very helpful when I bought through a different account. They linked my old sub with a 6 month renewal they did not have to do

Re: Android TV
 

I think I'll be using your same seller on 29/12 when this expires on g2g again as long as it's instant.

Re: Android TV
 

Dads happy with his IPTV box and service, it takes a long time to explain it all though!

Re: Android TV
 

I'm now on the lookout for a Google TV android box as I'm finding my Firestick 4K 8GB in the bedroom is running out of memory and I only have Tivimate. NordVPN, Downloader and X-plorer file manager installed on it and can't uninstall anything else, so it's bye bye Firestick 8GB and I will move the Max with 16GB into the bedroom and replace the living room box.

I'm keeping it simple so I don't want a mini pc, so I'm considering the Thomson Streaming Box Plus 270uk, which has 32GB and is Google TV, just waiting for the price to come down as I feel I don't want to pay £90 just for IPTV access.

Re: Android TV
 

I really like this Thomson Streaming Box 270UK Google TV box, it's super snappy, I didn't have to side load any of the apps I use as they're all available on the Google Play Store and I've just found out about the Projective Launcher and so far that is great in getting rid of all the crap I don't need.

The apps I have installed are Tivimate for my IPTV, NordVPN, X-Plorer File Manager, YouTube and Prime Video so far.

Re: Android TV
 

Try smart tube

Re: Android TV
 

Will do when I've got some time thanks.

---------- Post added at 23:10 ---------- Previous post was at 23:07 ----------

EPGenius is great for populating blank spaces on EPGs.

Re: Android TV
 

Google suggests this isn't safe to use anymore, thoughts?

https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/com...promised_with/

Re: Android TV
 

Don't know :shrug: I didn't even know it was compromised :LOL:

---------- Post added at 14:44 ---------- Previous post was at 14:41 ----------

I have 30.48 which isn't on the list :woot:

---------- Post added at 14:59 ---------- Previous post was at 14:44 ----------

It seems theres a new download only available via fresh installs old versions don't update.

30.82 now

Re: Android TV
 

As per the dev notes

So that and later versions are fine.

Re: Android TV
 

Projectivy launcher for Google TV and android boxes is really nice, Tivimate is also considered to be the best TVGuide and Premium lifetime only costs £30 for 5 devices.

Re: Android TV
 

I use OTT Navigator from Scillarium Studio

https://ott-nav.com/

I've found the functionality (bar recording) is the best. Example on a stream to bring up menu, switch stream are easily navigated buttons on the remote. On tivimate I got confused while on a stream what to press to bring up the playlist (left button) next stream up or down are confusing :dunce:

Re: Android TV
 

So I helped my friend setup his IPTV service on a Firestick I had sold him with the EPGenius Playlist, all went well until 30mins later Sky Broadband phoned him to discuss his use of Streaming services!:D He hung up.

Anyway he's now on a free trial of NordVPN.

Re: Android TV
 

You should have done it free or told him to do it himself

Re: Android TV
 

All I did was sell him my old Firestick 4K Max 8GB and saved him some cash. Obviously I helped him set it up again for free.

Re: Android TV
 

Some worrying upcoming change to android

https://keepandroidopen.org/

Re: Android TV
 

That notes you can bypass it in Dev mode.

I love the way they say "dismiss scare screens" when the whole article is a massive "scare" article, with simple steps to bypass it (I already use Dev mode).

Re: Android TV
 

Google had to do something seeing as so many apps were shipping through the play store with malware . End of the day you have to treat everyone as the lowest variable and the ones with no Tech experience should be protected

Anyway I been messing with roms since Windows phone 3 and Gingerbread this sort of lockdown does not bother me. I still think more people should go down the mini pc route and stuff android as the main os anyway and just use an emulator and have the best of all worlds

Re: Android TV
 

What happens to fire sticks? Developer options are limited.

Re: Android TV
 

Arent firesticks limited anyway, as they run a crappy Amazon version of Android ?

Re: Android TV
 

Yup but it's functional, it works.

Re: Android TV
 

Normally NordVPN threat protection wasn't a problem for all 3 of my IPTV providers, but today on my main account it was so I disabled it. I was starting to think the DNS was dead again.

Re: Android TV
 

I keep on trying to get people to look into the cheap Dell/HP SFF computers. I picked up a 4th Gen i5 with 8GB ram 128GB SSD running windows 11 andd Bluestacks so all your android Apks run and then you have a whole PC for the price of the 4K max jobbie

Re: Android TV
 

Because Nord is soo good I've easily forgiven them for the block. Can't have everything :shrug:

Re: Android TV
 

actually less it cost me 30 quid

Re: Android TV
 

Is there 4k output on the machine?

Re: Android TV
 

over displayport which converts to HDMI in one cable

---------- Post added at 15:11 ---------- Previous post was at 15:09 ----------

the chips are like an order of magnitude more powerful than any amazon device

Re: Android TV
 

Is it any good to disabled energy optimization? I was having a fiddle with my Nvidia shield last night because it somewhat struggles to multitask when streaming 4k. I guess optimization frees up ram of apps in the background but I want raw power. Anyway I've disabled optimization system wide. I feel a factory reset coming soon lol

Re: Android TV
 

Well it's something I always disable on a TV, so I would think it's best not to cripple it by having it on, so keep that ahit off.

Re: Android TV
 

One would have thought the system was clever enough to throttle itself when is in under low load and then boost when needed. This is not new technology

Energy optimisation on a TV just means it measures the outside light level and adjusts the brightness of the panel

Re: Android TV
 

Is there a really powerful android TV device on the market? Seems very limited right now :no:

---------- Post added at 14:34 ---------- Previous post was at 14:31 ----------

Chinese boxes not included*

Re: Android TV
 

You have a Nvidia shield that is meant to be good, why change it?

Google TV Box should be OK, I've got a Thomson 270 4K box which is similar but they have currently lost their European distributor.

What's wrong with Chinese boxes? don't lump them all together I'm sure you can check reviews for good ones.

Re: Android TV
 

The shield is good but it's dated. A more powerful processor and ram would be welcomed in a new release. No sign of such though.

Those Google streamers look interesting. I've had word it's as powerful as a fire stick :shrug:

Chinese boxes just keep getting released. No real support is given so an upgrade is the only logical step to take. I can't be arsed with constantly upgrading.

Re: Android TV
 

I've done my research when buying mine, don't over think it.

If you had been in the states the ONN 4 K would be the way to go although a VPN is needed to set it up in the UK, my Thomson is based on it.

https://www.google.com/search?q=equi...client=gws-wiz

Don't knock the Google streamer 4k it is excellent same as the above 2 devices and none of these devices are sluggish and have updated features over the Shield.

If you're primary usage is streaming you can't go wrong with the Google Streamer, ONN 4K,Xiaomi TV Box S 3rd Gen.

Re: Android TV
 

Thenry

NordVPN seems to have issues today with both my IPTV services, I can get it working by either turning OFF Nord or selecting double VPN in the options.

If you're having issues let me know and I'll message you the exact work around.

Re: Android TV
 

Yes it is called a PC. I keep on telling people all these android boxes are pants. For £50 last year I was buying i5 6000 or 7000 series intel machines with 16GB of ram and 1TB SSD. Now you could mess around with this and install an Android Project ISO or create a bootable ISO variant or just run Bluestacks and you will not find an android tv box anywhere competes

---------- Post added at 10:37 ---------- Previous post was at 10:36 ----------

Unless you are very careful where you buy and even then you are not safe or decompile the rom and the bios on the device you have no way of knowing if there is malware on them and a hell of a lot of them do have malware

Reviews mean nothing most of them would not have a clue if you were distributed computing behind it

Re: Android TV
 

No issues here buddy. Thanks though.

---------- Post added at 10:57 ---------- Previous post was at 10:55 ----------

How would you make it remote control friendly? I don't really want to mess around with a keyboard mouse combo. :(

Re: Android TV
 

Even though I couldn't be happier with my Android box and definitely have no reason to regret my purchase I would be interested with this remote question too.

Re: Android TV
 

you can buy USB remote controls or you could even run it using your phone or a tablet. First PC remote control I had was likely pre 2010 I would choose a bluetooth one if one exists

I got to say are you crazy? searching media sites having to type stuff in with a remote control is the most tedious pain in the rectum ever. The Logitech k400 series keyboards with a touch pad is a dream for a media centre

The more I am thinking the more options there are. How about voice operation ?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/198556002...nqyAGkwKICkyvQ


https://www.amazon.co.uk/i25-Wireles...0&gad_source=1

Re: Android TV
 

On my 2 devices I never type in by hand I use Google Home Remote and on Firestick their version of it I could never imagine typing in by hand it's all copy and paste for me.

That remote on eBay does look very nice.

Re: Android TV
 

This is 3rd gen but tbh these machines still hold up for less than £50 delivered
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/117381089...Bk9SR5aasamKaA

You could likely find one on vinted

Re: Android TV
 

If my Firestick ever becomes unusable I might give something like that a try, I would want it to start with a home screen like Google Home does if that is possible.

Re: Android TV
 

how do you copy and paste an internet search ? I like have PC as my media player it plays everything both PC and Android as long as you can get an APK if it is not on old playstore but nowadays a lot of the android games are coming with their own emulator container or Googles VM running Bluestacks or similar is not worth it

---------- Post added at 13:18 ---------- Previous post was at 13:16 ----------

Windows is icon based so you just have extra large icons and you got yourself a tile menu a directional remote would be able to navigate

---------- Post added at 13:20 ---------- Previous post was at 13:18 ----------

Incidentally you can run windows in tablet mode too

Re: Android TV
 

What I copy and paste are things I've got saved for future use in 'Keep Note's', what I need for my IPTV DNS and logins etc and Google Home Remote is perfect for it on my Thomson device.

Re: Android TV
 

oic

Re: Android TV
 

Search isn't bad for me. The Nvidia shield could do with a smartphone remote like fire TV has a keyboard copy and paste etc.

I use OTT Navigator by Scillarium Studio.

I'd love an upgraded shield to be honest but nothing of the sort is being released though :cry:

Remote keys are easier to use than a keyboard. It's just keyboard entry that's better for a keyboard mouse combo otherwise not very appealing :(

Re: Android TV
 

On an IPTV search can't you use voice?

Re: Android TV
 

Don't know. I don't use voice.

Re: Android TV
 

It's very good and easy no faffing around with typing.

Re: Android TV
 

Thenry, Google have just raised their price of the Google 4K Streamer box from $99.99 in the states to $149.99 so it's only a matter of time before everyone else follows suit, so if you still decide to get some kind of an Android streaming box I would decide quickly and make that purchase.

Re: Android TV
 

Warned everyone I know about impending price rising of everything with a chip in it. People have a tenancy not to listen .

I am currently considering building a new PC just so I have spares for the inevitable point I can no longer afford parts. Or at least get a few sticks of ram to store

My Ram is lifetime but if it fails I know Corsair is gonna say oh we can not replace that will will give you what you paid cuz Crucial has done it (Via Micron) and it is over £350 more than I paid to replace. It is making me quite paranoid tbh. I have spare computers but just not as powerful as I like

Re: Android TV
 

Yes anything with electronics in is going up in price alot over the last 12 months or so it's ridiculous.

All this AI stuff causing price rises is going to cause a recession I fear, I have no interest is PC gaming but the upcoming PS6 is not going to be affordable for alot of parents, I'm glad I got my PS5 Pro at launch.

Who's had a tendency not to listen? Lol

Re: Android TV
 

Thanks for the heads up :tu:

Re: Android TV
 

everyone I have told this haha

Re: Android TV
 

Prices will remain high whilst people still buy stuff, eventually (with luck) people will stop buying expensive shit and the bubble will burst.

. . or maybe people will pile the debt up to keep up with the Jonses?

Re: Android TV
 

People are listening but likely still want an android box if they're happy with it like I am. Lol

You just said the Android box is pants but that doesn't mean it's not perfectly fine for it's intended use case. Hehe

Re: Android TV
 

Yeah a lot of things are fine until you experience something better. Our 21 inch tv that you had to get up to change channel and manually tune each one was great till I saw a 24" Trinitron flat tube and then I saw my first flat panel . I have experienced better ;-)

Re: Android TV
 

If 1 of my 2 devices ever die I'll look into a cheap mini pc possibly, I just don't want any faffing around, I want plug and play, I'm retired from PC stuff now, I won't be buying another Firestick that is for sure.

Re: Android TV
 

I've had to double VPN. Last night one of my playlists stopped streaming. Provider says Nord have changed infrastructure which is blocking. :rolleyes::no:

Re: Android TV
 

Try these servers in the UK they work for me on both my IPTV services, use the normal protocol.

You have to go to search and enter the number, you won't have to double.

2586
2799

Re: Android TV
 

My double is connected to London and Netherlands currently. It's working. Speed is good. Connection stable. I'll try those if this set up doesn't play ball anymore. :tu:

Re: Android TV
 

I couldn't get Netherlands to work with both my services and I was getting buffering on others.

I don't actually need a VPN with my broadband provider(Zen) but I need it for parents who are on Sky.

Re: Android TV
 

2586 is blocking

2799 isn't

Re: Android TV
 

I'm subscribed to Nord until December 2028 so if it doesn't improve by then I'll likely jump ship.

Re: Android TV
 

This is a poor showing of Nord. It's the best VPN on the market. Why screw that up!!

Any idea when Nord will fix what they have broke?

Re: Android TV
 

When this all started happening 3 weeks ago I heard they were decommissioning servers.

At least I can find servers that work in the UK simply by testing.