Android Smart TV Box

I think on mine (no currently is use) the on-screen keyboard just popped up on the appropriate screen. A USB keyboard like this is always handy to have – even if you only need it for setting up – save loads of time typing in urls, passwords etc.

If you have ethernet I’d use that though – I can’ see any case where wifi would be “better” than ethernet, especially on a device that is 99% about streaming.

I’d also be prepared to be underwhelmed as to the performance of these things. I’ve always found the display output less than great on a big TV, and Fully Loaded often means loads of Kodi addons and bloat, a lot of which won’t work.  I’ve normally ended up resetting them and starting from scratch, adding just the Android apps and Kodi addons that I actually want. If Kodi is your main interest, Amazon Fire TV or TV Stick is the best budget solution for me, much nicer to use

Adding apps would normally be via Google play store – just like a phone since these are Android devices. that’s assuming Play Store is installed. You would normally log in to a Google account once your wifi is set up, so you probably haven’t seen it yet….but if you keep the ethernet option, you should get prompted to log in to google ad hopefully then see the “Play” icon on your home page or in the app drawer (just like phone or tablet)

And yes for Kodi – Amazon Fire TV (stick is about £35 at the moment – a high point, it tends to cycle down to £30 and occasionally £25). Chalk and cheese compared to an Android box for Kodi though – way, way better experience. It (Fire) is Android-based and you sideload (from a phone) Kodi. Dave did a little guide on the old site, be worth posting back if you decide to go that way. I’d wait till the Fire TV stick drops again (which it will).

Ah sorry didn’t realise. Might be easier to set up a free google account on a PC/Laptop and then use that to log in to the Android box. You will also now have a free GMAIL email address, so worth picking a decent username.

https://accounts.google.com/SignUp?hl=en

Sounds like the seller has already installed and configured loads (Kodi is an Android app) so you may find you don’t need to add much new, but worth knowing how to. To remove apps, you can find “Apps” in the setting menu and uninstall from there, or search for it in the Play store, it will show “Installed” and you can uninstall from there as well. I’d make sure you are going to keep it before you tinker too much.

The fire app ecosytem isn’t great. But the all 4 is free, as is are all the nomal TV apps.

Evey app you download you will get an email to informing you of the purchase, even on free apps. It’s says something along the lines of “thank you for your purchase of All4” when you look closer the purchase price is £0.00.

The kids have fire tablets attached to the wife’s Amazon prime acount, and she gets these email daily. She always panics.

Personally I can’t stand the fire TV , I actively avoid our TV with it in. Wife loves it.

I’m hard pressed to beat the Chromecast to be honest. It’s so simple, even the girlfriend can use it! :whistle: I’ve the original Fire TV and I don’t use it at all anymore – not even to watch the Grand Tour (I watched the first one and haven’t since).

Anonymous wrote:

blacklion I got hold of an Amazon Fire Stick. Whats it all about, I set it up, everything I tried to watch wanted coins or ££s. I downed apps (all4) it wanted coins to watch it. I downloaded a Free Fitness App, it wanted money I need to check it didn’t take any ££ off my Amazon account. Loads of lists for Prime Members.

The Fire TV Stick UI isn’t great out of the box, but if you want a kodi device then once set up it is easy to use. I didn’t use mine for anything else. Once you have installed and used Kodi it should appear in your “Recents” and be very easy to find and launch from the home screen. You will need a phone or tablet with kodi and an app like “apps2fire” installed. It is a one off so you can always borrow an android phone for 10 minutes to do it. The other way is a lot of work from a PC. Once you have Kodi on, I’d ignore the rest of the GUI and the Amazon apps, just launch Kodi and away you go.

Its horses for courses, I don’t like Chromecast as I prefer a “proper” remote (like Fire and Roku). But for a cheap, Kodi solution I really don’t think you can beat the Fire Stick/TV.

Have a google for (recent) results on “Install Kodi on Fire TV stick” – have a read up and start from scratch (reset) would be my advice. If you want more than Kodi then maybe the Fire Stick s not the product for you – I agree the Amazon UI is pretty dreadful compared to a neutral device like the Roku (no Kodi for Roku though).

My eyesight ain’t brilliant, but Netflix looks great whatever I watch it on (normally the TV client). They are the kings of getting quality out of bandwidth. I had a BT internet fault recently, speed down to a crawl, but was watching Netflix and it still looked great – only when I started testing other stuff I found the fault as everything else was stuttering. But in general for me it looks great on TV, Roku and Xbox One. The Xbox obviously not a budget device, but also UI gets less horrible once you’ve used it a few times, and the stuff you use gets easier to access.

I’ll might have a nibble at a Chromecast Ultra if the price drops (£70 at the moment). Just to see how it is. The dependency on a mobile/tablet/whatever is a real killer for me though.