streaming help

[elgenon]

I know nothing about streaming. I have a dumb tv (apparently the best for streaming), my speed is 35.3 Mbps, and I plan to use a Roku Premiere+ (available through Walmart and has a remote). Am thinking about Netflix and Disney+. 

 

Apparently I run a cable (what kind?) from my router to my TV? Roku is easy to use?

 

Any comments, help?

[hoxman]

Youtube can be your friend here, lots of videos of people configuring their Roku box

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

You're gonna need some help...and education.

 

Roku from the U.S. isn't so easy to set up here, especially if it hasn't already been initially installed with your Roku account and used in the U.S. first.

 

Assuming you can get over the install and account setup hurdles for the Roku...

 

The Roku device connects to your TV via an HDMI cable to send the video from your Roku to your TV. The Roku itself has a wifi connection that you can use to connect it with your wifi router, which is how you Roku can receive content from the internet.

 

Re the Roku Premiere+ model, the current version AFAIK only uses wifi for its data connection. But there was an older version of the Premiere+, one that I have at home, also has an ethernet port on the rear, meaning you COULD use that for your data connection. But I'm guessing you have the newer wifi only version.

 

 

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Roku-Premiere-4K-HDR-Streaming-Player/775987008

 

However, Rokus are really U.S. centric devices, meaning a lot of their channels and content require a U.S. internet connection, which you won't have here unless you have a U.S. VPN service on your wifi router.  And unlike Fire Sticks or Amazon TV devices, you can't install any VPN service or app on the Roku itself.

 

Netflix is international, meaning you can get Netflix even without having a U.S. internet address. But Disney+ is not so international and not available in TH, so to get it here, I'm pretty sure you're going to need to have a U.S. internet address or something similar to that, like using a DNS redirect service.

 

Edited January 15, 2020 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[sometime]

I use Youtube, music at the moment is 13,244 Files, 877 Folders

TV and film I have 3 external hard drives 10TB almost full

And its all free

 

[Bruce Aussie Chiang Mai]

I got a Roku I brought from Australia, prefer the Android box though.

I can't set up a vpn on my Roku 4 box and don't want to set it up on router so that why Android box better for me.

Roku apps have improved somewhat in last few years but very limited compared to Android. 

[Speedo1968]

On 1/15/2020 at 6:29 PM, sometime said:

I use Youtube, music at the moment is 13,244 Files, 877 Folders

TV and film I have 3 external hard drives 10TB almost full

And its all free

 

Dailymotion can be good too especially for English and International TV series

 

[elgenon]

On 1/15/2020 at 7:27 AM, Bruce Aussie Chiang Mai said:

I got a Roku I brought from Australia, prefer the Android box though.

I can't set up a vpn on my Roku 4 box and don't want to set it up on router so that why Android box better for me.

Roku apps have improved somewhat in last few years but very limited compared to Android. 

Are there various manufacturers of Android boxes?

[elgenon]

On 1/14/2020 at 9:58 PM, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

You're gonna need some help...and education.

 

Roku from the U.S. isn't so easy to set up here, especially if it hasn't already been initially installed with your Roku account and used in the U.S. first.

 

Assuming you can get over the install and account setup hurdles for the Roku...

 

The Roku device connects to your TV via an HDMI cable to send the video from your Roku to your TV. The Roku itself has a wifi connection that you can use to connect it with your wifi router, which is how you Roku can receive content from the internet.

 

Re the Roku Premiere+ model, the current version AFAIK only uses wifi for its data connection. But there was an older version of the Premiere+, one that I have at home, also has an ethernet port on the rear, meaning you COULD use that for your data connection. But I'm guessing you have the newer wifi only version.

 

 

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Roku-Premiere-4K-HDR-Streaming-Player/775987008

 

However, Rokus are really U.S. centric devices, meaning a lot of their channels and content require a U.S. internet connection, which you won't have here unless you have a U.S. VPN service on your wifi router.  And unlike Fire Sticks or Amazon TV devices, you can't install any VPN service or app on the Roku itself.

 

Netflix is international, meaning you can get Netflix even without having a U.S. internet address. But Disney+ is not so international and not available in TH, so to get it here, I'm pretty sure you're going to need to have a U.S. internet address or something similar to that, like using a DNS redirect service.

 

Thanks for taking the time to give me knowledge. I plan on setting up streaming in the US and then using that experience to help set up in Thailand.

 

Will my current router work or is a certain kind better?

 

Is there a different box that you would recommend? Not wedded to Roku.

 

Thanks everyone. No jerks on this thread.

[ThaiBunny]

8 minutes ago, elgenon said:

I plan on setting up streaming in the US and then using that experience to help set up in Thailand.

Theoretically if you've set it up on the box you just bring the box to Thailand and plug it in. However, that's theoretically. Practically, as others have said you can get Netflix in Thailand but it won't have the same catalog of shows as Netflix (US). Almost certainly you won't get Disney Plus (I can't) unless you go down the route of setting yourself up with a VPN even if it works on the same box in the US before you bring it here

Edited January 17, 2020 by ThaiBunny

[stouricks]

On 1/15/2020 at 6:29 PM, sometime said:

I use Youtube, music at the moment is 13,244 Files, 877 Folders

TV and film I have 3 external hard drives 10TB almost full

And its all free

 

And I would imagine you will be dead and gone before you can listen and watch all that stuff. Why DO you save it all to hard drives when you can stream almost any movie, or download via a torrent?

[johng]

2 minutes ago, stouricks said:

Why DO you save it all to hard drives when you can stream almost any movie, or download via a torrent?

Because once you download it to hard drive you have it to watch again and again anytime instantly even if you have no internet or the torrents have no seeders and  would take weeks to finish..also you can share the files via a NAS server and multiple people can watch or listen at the same time without having to hog internet bandwidth all downloading the same files.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

37 minutes ago, elgenon said:

Thanks for taking the time to give me knowledge. I plan on setting up streaming in the US and then using that experience to help set up in Thailand.

 

Will my current router work or is a certain kind better?

 

Is there a different box that you would recommend? Not wedded to Roku.

 

Thanks everyone. No jerks on this thread.

 

If you plan to use a Roku in Thailand, I certainly would advise creating your Roku account, which is required as part of the device setup process, while you're in the U.S., and doing your initial setups there in the U.S.

 

The problem you're going to face, however, depending on which channels you want to watch on your Roku, is a lot of them (not all, but various of the paid video streaming services in particular) ONLY will work with a U.S. IP/internet address, and not a foreign country IP address. And it's not easy for a non-techie to get a U.S. IP address on a Roku, unless for example you're using a VPN service or similar on your wifi router, which itself is not so easy for a non-techie.

 

That said, there are lots of things you should still be able to do with a Thai IP address and your Roku device. YouTube and Netflix TH should work. So should Spotify and TuneIn. But apps/services like Disney+, HBO, Showtime, any U.S. cable TV network related channels probably will not work with a Thai IP address.

 

For me, I have at home and have used all three types of streaming devices -- Roku, Fire TV and Android TV... Because I like to access a lot of U.S. only content, my Rokus these days sit unused in a drawer. My Android TV device (an original MiBox) is plugged in but used mainly as a backup. And my main streaming devices in the house are Amazon's Firestick 4Ks, which also support sideloading pretty much any Android app.

 

The advantage of either the Fire TV devices or the Android TV devices over Rokus in Thailand is both of the former allow you to install and use apps from many of the major commercial VPN services directly on the device. Meaning, it's easy to make the streaming world believe you're located in the U.S., and thus unlock all of the U.S. georestricted content.  Roku devices, not so easily done.

 

In the end, it comes down to, can you get enough of what you want from your Roku and a Thai internet connection, or do you need/want more from the U.S.

 

Edited January 17, 2020 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[stouricks]

4 minutes ago, johng said:

and multiple people can watch or listen at the same time without

Do you mean they can all sit in your house, each with their own tablet, phone or PC and watch at the same time, OR someone in USA can watch the same movie simultaneously as you are watching here in Thailand?   555

[stouricks]

6 minutes ago, johng said:

Because once you download it to hard drive you have it to watch again and again

10TB of hard drive will hold around 10,000 movies @ about 1GB each. How often would you start re-watching those movies?

[johng]

Its not about whether they get watched again or how many times..its the fact that they are there instantly available..with known formats and quality..no rubbish,malware,virus or fakes..and no need for an internet connection.

And yes to "they can all sit in your house"   and "someone in USA" could also in theory watch too. ????

 

[Damo666]

Hi. My laptop wont allow me to stream any of my True channels. Started happening last weekend yet can view them on my mobile fine. I get the on screen message ' stream is unavailable in this country'.  Ive made sure my browser & laptop location is Thailand. Any advice?

Thanks.

[johng]

15 hours ago, Damo666 said:

stream is unavailable in this country'. 

Do you have some  sort of VPN   or PROXY enabled on your laptop ?

also check the timezone   should be GMT + 7  or  BKK ( Bangkok)

[MJKT2014]

On 1/17/2020 at 12:48 PM, johng said:

On 1/17/2020 at 12:41 PM, stouricks said:

Why DO you save it all to hard drives when you can stream almost any movie, or download via a torrent?

Because once you download it to hard drive you have it to watch again and again anytime instantly even if you have no internet or the torrents have no seeders and  would take weeks to finish..

But the original post said the 1000's of downloads were all from Youtube, not torrents, so no point unless you think Youtube is disappearing one day?

[i84teen]

On 1/17/2020 at 5:56 AM, stouricks said:

10TB of hard drive will hold around 10,000 movies @ about 1GB each. How often would you start re-watching those movies?

He hoards them all because they're free. Same concept as when Chinese go to all u can eat buffet restaurants and stuff their pockets full of chow.

[Eindhoven]

As aforementioned, you'll need a VPN with any new Roku.

[retoohs]

Hi I am ontop of streaming and I would advise to use an Xiaomi Mi 4 Tv box which is excellant for the price and far better than all the others I have tried except the expensive Nvidia Shield streaming box which is 3-4 times the price of the Xiaomi. I recently switched to the Nvidia from the Xiaomi and it is a better picture slightly but streaming abilities are similar. Debatable if it is worth the extra money. 

 

https://www.techradar.com/nz/reviews/xiaomi-mi-box-s

 

https://www.androidauthority.com/2019-nvidia-shield-tv-review-1047045/

[Eindhoven]

1 hour ago, retoohs said:

Hi I am ontop of streaming and I would advise to use an Xiaomi Mi 4 Tv box which is excellant for the price and far better than all the others I have tried except the expensive Nvidia Shield streaming box which is 3-4 times the price of the Xiaomi. I recently switched to the Nvidia from the Xiaomi and it is a better picture slightly but streaming abilities are similar. Debatable if it is worth the extra money. 

 

https://www.techradar.com/nz/reviews/xiaomi-mi-box-s

 

https://www.androidauthority.com/2019-nvidia-shield-tv-review-1047045/

 

Example;

 

https://shopee.co.th/New-Mi-Box-S-4K-Ultra-(MI-BOX-4)-Global-Version-(รองรับภาษาไทย-และ-อังกฤษ)-i.52591873.1345041580

 

 

Edited January 24, 2020 by Eindhoven

[elgenon]

On 1/24/2020 at 10:44 AM, retoohs said:

Hi I am ontop of streaming and I would advise to use an Xiaomi Mi 4 Tv box which is excellant for the price and far better than all the others I have tried except the expensive Nvidia Shield streaming box which is 3-4 times the price of the Xiaomi. I recently switched to the Nvidia from the Xiaomi and it is a better picture slightly but streaming abilities are similar. Debatable if it is worth the extra money. 

 

https://www.techradar.com/nz/reviews/xiaomi-mi-box-s

 

https://www.androidauthority.com/2019-nvidia-shield-tv-review-1047045/

Does the Xiaomi have a remote control?

[kekalot]

18 hours ago, elgenon said:

Does the Xiaomi have a remote control?

yes, also is a certified chromecast ultra which you can cast to

 

 

[johng]

On 1/23/2020 at 10:38 AM, MJKT2014 said:

so no point unless you think Youtube is disappearing one day?

Things  "disappear" from Youtube    just today I was looking for a Thai song by a quite famous artist ( เก็บเห็ด พีสะเดิด )

the song was on Youtube but its vanished   lucky I have my copy stored on hard drive.

[NoshowJones]

On 1/15/2020 at 6:29 PM, sometime said:

I use Youtube, music at the moment is 13,244 Files, 877 Folders

TV and film I have 3 external hard drives 10TB almost full

And its all free

 

My Huawei smartphone just refuses to allow me to download music from Youtube.

[NoshowJones]

On 1/16/2020 at 7:27 PM, Speedo1968 said:

Dailymotion can be good too especially for English and International TV series

 

It can, but it is a real hit or miss, I have less than 50% chance of downloading any TV series

in Daily Motion.

[tlandtday]

On 1/25/2020 at 1:44 AM, retoohs said:

Hi I am ontop of streaming and I would advise to use an Xiaomi Mi 4 Tv box which is excellant for the price and far better than all the others I have tried except the expensive Nvidia Shield streaming box which is 3-4 times the price of the Xiaomi. I recently switched to the Nvidia from the Xiaomi and it is a better picture slightly but streaming abilities are similar. Debatable if it is worth the extra money. 

 

https://www.techradar.com/nz/reviews/xiaomi-mi-box-s

 

https://www.androidauthority.com/2019-nvidia-shield-tv-review-1047045/

yeah but streaming is only as good as what comes in and you can get a good pic from a 4 gig ram android box with decent processor for under 2k baht no need to upgrade