Android T.V. boxes (hardware and software) for "dummies"

[Jai Dee]

This video may help you to discover some of the features of your box and remote.

 

 

[Jingthing]

Thanks. Yeah I watched it already before my box arrived but I should probably look at it again.

[Jingthing]

As is probably evident different people have different interests in how to use their t.v. boxes.

My primary interest is better management of my video files.

Using Plex has been highly recommended to me and I want to try it.

I got some advice from a non-forum source on how to make that happen.

I have a wired DSL connection so use a modem/router combination.

I have been running a wire from the modem to the t.v. boxes (LAN). 

 

Here is the suggestion detailed.

 

Get a 4 TB USB external hard drive for videos. 

Connect that to a 3.0 USB on my all in one PC. 

Get a 5 ghZ wireless router and an AC capable dongle.

Connect the new router by ethernet port to my DSL wired router.

Plug the dongle in a USB 3.0 port on my PC.

(Or would the dongle go on my t.v. box? Sorry, got confused)

Install PLEX on my PC to manage the video files on the 4 TB external drive.

Install the PLEX player on my Android box. Apparently that's required for this setup. 

If that all works obviously I would no longer have the issue anymore of controlling USB files from the box on my PC.

Downsides I see are that the PC would need to be on while using the t.v. box for videos and also I wonder if the wireless connection via the new router would be as good as the current setup (internet via LAN, videos via direct USB drive into the box).

Any comments?

Edited June 30, 2020 by Jingthing

[johng]

Install plex server on a Raspberry Pi

Then you can leave it running 24/7

Wire as much as possible by LAN instead of WiFi

 

[Jingthing]

1 minute ago, johng said:

Install plex server on a Raspberry Pi

Then you can leave it running 24/7

Wire as much as possible by LAN instead of WiFi

 

Thanks. I don't know what that is but I will be looking it up!

[Jingthing]

OK turns out I probably won't need an add on wireless router or Dongle. In theory the plex server on my pc should communicate with the plex player on the box. 

[Jingthing]

3 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Thanks. I don't know what that is but I will be looking it up!

OK looked it up. That wouldn't have the processing power of my pc. 

[johng]

15 hours ago, Jingthing said:

That wouldn't have the processing power of my pc.

No I won't    but if you only watch one stream at a time and do not  re-encode/transcode

ie: watch the media file at the resolution it is stored on the hard drive  it can work.

However if you want to  set it up so you can watch anything on your phone while you are out and about

that will require transcoding and the Pi  will not cope with that well at all.

 

 

Edited July 1, 2020 by johng
cant edit no I won't should be no it won't

[Jai Dee]

20 hours ago, johng said:

Wire as much as possible by LAN instead of WiFi

Absolutely.

 

As an alternative to running cat 5 or cat 6 cable you can turn your apartment/house in-wall wiring into a LAN by using something like the TP-Link AV1000 Gigabit Powerline ac Wi-Fi Kit.

Basically you run an ethernet cable from your router to the adapter then plug that into a wall power outlet and pair it to your router (by simply pressing a button). You then plug the extender(s) into any other power socket in your apartment/house and pair it to your adapter and run an ethernet cable to your network device (PC, laptop, android box, AV receiver, printer etc.). They work with 3 phase power too. Each extender not only has an RJ-45 ethernet port so you can hard-wire your network components, but they also act as wifi range extenders so your portable devices such as phones and tablets can connect too.

 

 

You can get a pair from just under 3,000 THB on Shopee or Lazada

[Jai Dee]

20 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Get a 5 ghZ wireless router and an AC capable dongle.

Connect the new router by ethernet port to my DSL wired router.

Plug the dongle in a USB 3.0 port on my PC.

(Or would the dongle go on my t.v. box? Sorry, got confused)

 

You said earlier that you were going to hard-wire all your network devices (PC and Android box) and have a wired DSL connection so use a modem/router combination..

I'm not sure why you would need an additional router as well as a USB AC capable dongle?

Am I missing something?

[Susco]

On 6/29/2020 at 3:45 PM, Jai Dee said:

Does it run hot? I seem to remember someone in another topic forecasting that this particular box would overheat and crash so it would be interesting to get first hand feedback.

 

I just ordered that box, as I wanted to test it, I normally avoid Magicsee boxes like the plague because I had a lot a few years ago that I had to bin, but the youtube review intrigued me.

 

I usually also don't touch boxes with S905X2 or S905X3 processors either, because each and every box from whatever brand, has some issues. Most are with the WIFI and Bluetooth, but I'm aware of brands that have serious issues.

 

Some of the issues are with the processor, but Android 9 also has still many problems

 

I keep myself to S912 boxes with Android 7.1.2, because they are reliable. S922 and S922X boxes are also promising, but much more expensive

 

It is obvious to me now that the reviewer got paid.

 

Box runs 70°C on standby. After only 1 minute on stress test it runs 75°C and start throttling CPU frequency already from 1800 to 1600 Mhz

 

When that happens you know next the Ethernet and the frame rate will be throttled, and your streams will start buffering and apps close down

 

Very poor performing box, wireless air mouse several buttons don't work, and the remote that comes with the box is useless.

 

Auto update doesn't seem to work either.

 

When installing apps, it behaves very strange, and the screen shows glitches when switching between screens and apps.

 

There is a custom firmware available that may fix quite a few issues, but I'm not gonna bother with it, and send the box back right away.

 

 

[Susco]

This is apparently after 2 minutes, but it is actually longer, because when closing the app it doesn't stop running. I've never seen any other box that behaved the same.

 

You stop the stress test, and it keeps running at 100%, even after you close the app, so actually this maybe 10 minutes in reality.

 

CPU frequency is now at only 1200 Mhz, so the box will not crash, because performance is reduced to prevent overheating.

 

Boxes crash when they go over 82°C. This box will remain at 75°C, but performance is reduced constantly to keep it at that temperature

 

 

Edited July 1, 2020 by Susco

[innosiem]

On 6/30/2020 at 6:01 PM, Jingthing said:

As is probably evident different people have different interests in how to use their t.v. boxes.

My primary interest is better management of my video files.

Using Plex has been highly recommended to me and I want to try it.

I got some advice from a non-forum source on how to make that happen.

I have a wired DSL connection so use a modem/router combination.

I have been running a wire from the modem to the t.v. boxes (LAN). 

 

Here is the suggestion detailed.

 

Get a 4 TB USB external hard drive for videos. 

Connect that to a 3.0 USB on my all in one PC. 

Get a 5 ghZ wireless router and an AC capable dongle.

Connect the new router by ethernet port to my DSL wired router.

Plug the dongle in a USB 3.0 port on my PC.

(Or would the dongle go on my t.v. box? Sorry, got confused)

Install PLEX on my PC to manage the video files on the 4 TB external drive.

Install the PLEX player on my Android box. Apparently that's required for this setup. 

If that all works obviously I would no longer have the issue anymore of controlling USB files from the box on my PC.

Downsides I see are that the PC would need to be on while using the t.v. box for videos and also I wonder if the wireless connection via the new router would be as good as the current setup (internet via LAN, videos via direct USB drive into the box).

Any comments?

from what you want
it sounds like @johng has given the best advice
i am about to go through the same
but what you want is a NAS made with pi 4 (can get upto 8GB RAM but 2GB is plenty for 1 drive, single stream etc.)
you can use plex or openmediavault or make a NAS without them
you would be able to download media directly to the 4TB NAS from your PC or phone
and stream them to your TV, PC or phone
you can also setup a NAS for remote viewing outside of your home network

other than that
install VLC
Install Morpheus
Install Mobdro
Install X-plore file manager (to view files from PC by DLNA, enable media sharing in network settings on PC)
and you are good to go
 

[Jingthing]

5 hours ago, Jai Dee said:

 

You said earlier that you were going to hard-wire all your network devices (PC and Android box) and have a wired DSL connection so use a modem/router combination..

I'm not sure why you would need an additional router as well as a USB AC capable dongle?

Am I missing something?

Not missing anything. 

There was confusion from my off forum advisor about my setup. He assumes everyone needs and/or has wireless. 

[sungod]

On 6/29/2020 at 3:45 PM, Jai Dee said:

 

Have you replaced that useless remote control yet with something better?

Or, have you actually loaded an app the remote was designed for?

[BigStar]

On 6/30/2020 at 6:01 PM, Jingthing said:

As is probably evident different people have different interests in how to use their t.v. boxes.

My primary interest is better management of my video files.

Using Plex has been highly recommended to me and I want to try it.

I got some advice from a non-forum source on how to make that happen.

I have a wired DSL connection so use a modem/router combination.

I have been running a wire from the modem to the t.v. boxes (LAN). 

 

Here is the suggestion detailed.

 

Get a 4 TB USB external hard drive for videos. 

Connect that to a 3.0 USB on my all in one PC. 

Get a 5 ghZ wireless router and an AC capable dongle.

Connect the new router by ethernet port to my DSL wired router.

Plug the dongle in a USB 3.0 port on my PC.

(Or would the dongle go on my t.v. box? Sorry, got confused)

Install PLEX on my PC to manage the video files on the 4 TB external drive.

Install the PLEX player on my Android box. Apparently that's required for this setup. 

If that all works obviously I would no longer have the issue anymore of controlling USB files from the box on my PC.

Downsides I see are that the PC would need to be on while using the t.v. box for videos and also I wonder if the wireless connection via the new router would be as good as the current setup (internet via LAN, videos via direct USB drive into the box).

Any comments?

I don't think I've ever seen a thread with as many irrelevant off-the-wall comments. Only blessing is that one of our SSD fanatics hasn't shown up to insist you put an SSD in your media box. And reinstall everything. ????

 

Lemme first address these:

 

Kodi - people here are obsessed with Kodi or the hot alternatives for streaming video from the net, esp all that cr.a.p from the UK, and they evaluate it on that basis. But, as a man of discriminating taste, you just want a player for previously downloaded files. Kodi's good, has more features than, say, VLC. You don't need any addons. VLC's good too, lighter, has a few features of its own. Not as pretty, though. ????Either one will organize your media files. 

 

Loaded apps - what for? You got all you need. At most you'd need an FTP server IF you wanna go the transfer files route.

 

Mini-keyboard, mouse - nah, these are mainly for surfers entering addresses and whatnot frequently. No need, the remote's doable. Once in a blue moon you can suffer an extra 5 min dealing w/ the onscreen keyboard, press the mouse button to get a mouse, press again, sigh. Get into training, man.

 

ES File Explorer - no need. You find your vid files in the media player file browser.

 

dongle on the box, Netflix, Mobro - useless for your purpose

 

a netgear 4 port hub - what for? Your box and PC are already connected.

 

plex server on a Raspberry Pi - Huh? You got a PC and you got a box, either of which can run Plex if you really want Plex. set it up so you can watch anything on your phone WHAT? Yeah, why you need that TV. ????

 

TP-Link AV1000 Gigabit Powerline ac Wi-Fi Kit - Most bizarre of all. W.T.F? You're wired already!

 

OK, getting up to date here . . . let's go thru this:

 

Get a 4 TB USB external hard drive for videos. 

  >Why? You already got an external USB drive. Why 4 TB? That a magic number?

 

Connect that to a 3.0 USB on my all in one PC. 

   >If you're going to stream from your PC, you can just stream from your internal hard drive; faster access.

 

Get a 5 ghZ wireless router and an AC capable dongle.

Connect the new router by ethernet port to my DSL wired router.

Plug the dongle in a USB 3.0 port on my PC.

(Or would the dongle go on my t.v. box? Sorry, got confused)

   >OMG. Laughable nonsense, since both your devices are already on the LAN.

     No, no, no.

 

Install PLEX on my PC to manage the video files on the 4 TB external drive.

    >Personally I don't like Plex. It's a hog, it's slow, it takes over your PC. You can stream from Windows Media Player or VLC to your box if you really want to do that. H.e.ll, Win 10's got its own native DNLA server: That, Plex, and UMS (I prefer that one, it's lighter) are discussed here:

 

https://www.howtogeek.com/215400/how-to-turn-your-computer-into-a-dlna-media-server/

 

Install the PLEX player on my Android box. Apparently that's required for this setup. 

    >I don't think so. The other players will recognize an UnPn/DNLA stream as well.

 

If that all works obviously I would no longer have the issue anymore of controlling USB files from the box on my PC.

    >Well, but now you have to control them from 2 places, your PC AND the media box. Issues may arise w/ transcoding and subtitles and remote control. Or, maybe not. ????

 

Downsides I see are that the PC would need to be on while using the t.v. box for videos

    >Yep, and Plex is running, consuming resources.

 

and also I wonder if the wireless connection via the new router would be as good as the current setup (internet via LAN, videos via direct USB drive into the box).

    >Useless, not as good as the LAN, and the LAN's not as good as direct USB into the box. Your box, you know, can download files directly from the 'net to the USB drive. But then you'd be entering addresses and names, so the keyboard would be good then.

 

So, yeah, you can stream from your PC, as I'd said earlier. Don't listen to Mr. Plex anymore, though.

 

Some, now, use sneakernet, just carry their USB drive from the PC to the box and back. Personally I like FTP to transfer files from the PC to the USB drive connected to the box and also manage files there. I gave you instructions earlier. 

 

BUT, sounds like what you really want to do is set up shared folder on your PC. Which could be on that brand new 4 TB drive Mr. Plex told you to get, if that's where you want to keep all those vid files--rather than on an internal hard drive.

 

I mentioned earlier that it isn't as fun. You gon' have to use that infernal remote, too. After it's set up, however, you should be happy enough. This was asked about earlier too by Powerline:

 

On 6/29/2020 at 4:19 PM, Jai Dee said:

I personally have not tried it, but is it possible to share a Windows drive/directory (even external HDD) to your home network and can the Android boxes connected to the network see it and play media files from it?

 

So, by popular demand, here's how you do it. First, your box may like to talk only to SMB 1 shares, not 2. Don't bother wasting time: just go ahead and install SMB 1 on your Win 10, like this:

 

https://www.tachytelic.net/2019/09/windows-10-enable-smb1/.

 

It will require a reboot. No biggie, though.

 

Then do this:

 

https://www.howtogeek.com/215400/how-to-turn-your-computer-into-a-dlna-media-server/

 

Except you don't need to setup a special user, just create the share on the folder. Note the name of the share. You end up w/ an address in Kodi like this: smb://192.168.n.n/Videos/. Might take a time or two to get it right. You can leave username and password blank if the share is assigned to Everyone.

 

BTW, before one of our ace experts jumps on this point, you should first set up a static IP address for your PC in the router. Otherwise, the address may change and Kodi can't find the share.

 

Some other redditor thoughts here, if you get stuck: https://old.reddit.com/r/kodi/comments/altu3v/adding_smb_share_to_kodi_finally_figured_it_out/

 

So then Kodi and VLC and other players will see that shared folder on your PC and you can play vids from there.

 

Does this really work? Yup, quite well, too. Enjoy!

 

Edited July 1, 2020 by BigStar

[BigStar]

37 minutes ago, BigStar said:

Then do this:

 

https://www.howtogeek.com/215400/how-to-turn-your-computer-into-a-dlna-media-server/

Whoops, fat-fingered the clipboard manager. That link should be this:

 

http://www.ehome.com.ph/local-streaming-how-to-play-videos-from-your-windows-10-pc-to-your-kodi-tv-box/