giddyup Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 Pardon my ignorance, but am wondering if there is anything like a small computer box that can be hooked up to a TV and operated with a remote? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salerno Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 Plenty, probably be better to give readers an idea of what you want to do for more targeted replies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stocky Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 I have an Asus Mini PC running Win10 hooked up to the TV, but use a keyboard rather than remote, keyboard is just so much easier. The Intel NUC mini PCs are another option to consider. You specify computer, so presume you aren't talking about Android boxes. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giddyup Posted February 4, 2023 Author Share Posted February 4, 2023 (edited) 16 minutes ago, Stocky said: I have an Asus Mini PC running Win10 hooked up to the TV, but use a keyboard rather than remote, keyboard is just so much easier. The Intel NUC mini PCs are another option to consider. You specify computer, so presume you aren't talking about Android boxes. Something that I can download all my movies, TV etc and watch on the big screen rather than streaming or downloading to a USB, but I won't need to use it like my desktop for searches etc. Oh, and it has to be bluetooth because it won't be connected to a modem. Edited February 4, 2023 by giddyup Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NextG Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 10 minutes ago, giddyup said: Something that I can download all my movies, TV etc and watch on the big screen rather than streaming or downloading to a USB, but I won't need to use it like my desktop for searches etc. Oh, and it has to be bluetooth because it won't be connected to a modem. What is the difference between downloading all your movies to an external drive on your current PC and buying a new PC and downloading them to it’s internal drive? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
worgeordie Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 (edited) On 2/4/2023 at 3:21 PM, giddyup said: Something that I can download all my movies, TV etc and watch on the big screen rather than streaming or downloading to a USB, but I won't need to use it like my desktop for searches etc. Oh, and it has to be bluetooth because it won't be connected to a modem. No need to download any movies , I have mini PC's with windows 10 ,one is a Beelink U59 ,good not expensive and Win 10 0r 11 already installed. In my browser I use Slimjet , I add sites where I can view movies series for free ,use Google you can find News ,Movies ,series, documentaries ETC ,add them to speed dial on browser, click go to site and you have a choice of 1000's movies ,with a couple of clicks ,stream through HDMI cable from PC to TV. don't use any sites were you have to register ,or sign in. ,you can also download them from same sites ,but why , let them store them for you ..... here's one site to give you idea ... <snip> google ...many more regards worgordie Edited February 5, 2023 by Jai Dee Link to file sharing website removed as per Forum Rules Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayClay Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 59 minutes ago, Salerno said: Plenty Or, to expand on that, all of them! You can get a USB remote and plug it into any computer. Run some TV-friendly front end such as Kodi, and you're good to go. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigStar Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 56 minutes ago, giddyup said: Something that I can download all my movies, TV etc and watch on the big screen rather than streaming or downloading to a USB, but I won't need to use it like my desktop for searches etc. Oh, and it has to be bluetooth because it won't be connected to a modem. Why can't it be connected to a router, wired or wirelessly? Is the downloading going to happen via bluetooth? From where? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giddyup Posted February 4, 2023 Author Share Posted February 4, 2023 44 minutes ago, NextG said: What is the difference between downloading all your movies to an external drive on your current PC and buying a new PC and downloading them to it’s internal drive? Because I'm having a bit of a problem with the new Panasonic Android TV recognising some of the USB drives. Is an Android media player like an Amlogic capable of downloading movies from a torrent site like PB? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giddyup Posted February 4, 2023 Author Share Posted February 4, 2023 4 minutes ago, BigStar said: Why can't it be connected to a router, wired or wirelessly? Is the downloading going to happen via bluetooth? From where? The TV is in the bedroom so it will have to connect wirelessly, same as the Android TV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giddyup Posted February 4, 2023 Author Share Posted February 4, 2023 1 hour ago, Stocky said: I have an Asus Mini PC running Win10 hooked up to the TV, but use a keyboard rather than remote, keyboard is just so much easier. The Intel NUC mini PCs are another option to consider. You specify computer, so presume you aren't talking about Android boxes. If I can download from a torrent site like PB directly to an Android box, that would be good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NextG Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 13 minutes ago, giddyup said: Because I'm having a bit of a problem with the new Panasonic Android TV recognising some of the USB drives. Is an Android media player like an Amlogic capable of downloading movies from a torrent site like PB? What does the Panasonic have to do with anything? You aren’t downloading the movies via the Panasonic. You are downloading them via your PC and then plugging the drive into the Android box. You are totally overthinking everything. Just cool it ???? and buy the Android box. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickeymaus Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 15 minutes ago, giddyup said: Because I'm having a bit of a problem with the new Panasonic Android TV recognising some of the USB drives. Is an Android media player like an Amlogic capable of downloading movies from a torrent site like PB? Perhaps the partition format of the external drive is NTFS? My LG TV can use it. If this is the problem you can try exFAT instead of NTFS. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giddyup Posted February 4, 2023 Author Share Posted February 4, 2023 18 minutes ago, Mickeymaus said: Perhaps the partition format of the external drive is NTFS? My LG TV can use it. If this is the problem you can try exFAT instead of NTFS. Some flash drives work and others don't, no matter what the format. Just bought a 2tb WD Elements external HD and the TV won't recognise it even when I tried changing the format. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickeymaus Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 (edited) 22 minutes ago, giddyup said: Some flash drives work and others don't, no matter what the format. Just bought a 2tb WD Elements external HD and the TV won't recognise it even when I tried changing the format. What happens if you make smaller partitions? Does it support perhaps only FAT 32? Then you have the file size limit of 4 GB. Perhaps no problem for your usage. Edited February 4, 2023 by Mickeymaus 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NextG Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 1 minute ago, giddyup said: Some flash drives work and others don't, no matter what the format. Just bought a 2tb WD Elements external HD and the TV won't recognise it even when I tried changing the format. Forget about the TV, it is too limited. Once you have the box, the limitation will be you. There will be possibilities to play movies that are stored in your PC via the network or by plugging the drive directly into the box. You could also subscribe to a service that saves you downloading anything at all. They download it for you and you simply click to play on any device that you have. Even on your phone on a bus journey. The way you are doing it now is very inefficient. Plus your TV is underspecced; low on RAM etc 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NextG Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 Start off simple. Just using the box the way you have been using the TV; with your media on an external drive. Later you can ask questions with regard to more advanced methods. But in the meanwhile get the box so that you can play most things on either of your televisions via a external drive. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NextG Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 43 minutes ago, giddyup said: Some flash drives work and others don't, no matter what the format. Just bought a 2tb WD Elements external HD and the TV won't recognise it even when I tried changing the format. The likely reason for that is power. TV not supplying enough power to the drive. I am guessing that it’s a 2.5” drive. The solution is to obtain a cable with 2 USB-A connections on one end. Plug both into the TV and then likely the drive will be recognised and you will use that as a reason to put off obtaining the Android box ???? https://shopee.co.th/USB-3.0-Y-Cable-Micro-for-Samsung-M3-WD-Elements-Toshiba-HDTB310EK3AA-External-Hard-Drive-int-i.32478429.3126027283 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigStar Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 2 hours ago, giddyup said: The TV is in the bedroom so it will have to connect wirelessly, same as the Android TV. Wirelessly to the router, then. So, yes, you could download files to an Android box via qbittorrent and play them. There's usually not that much space on an Android box, so you'd need to erase files after watching or get an external drive connected for storage, which is what I do. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NextG Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 32 minutes ago, BigStar said: Wirelessly to the router, then. So, yes, you could download files to an Android box via qbittorrent and play them. There's usually not that much space on an Android box, so you'd need to erase files after watching or get an external drive connected for storage, which is what I do. Android boxes, at least the ones to which I linked in his other thread, have SD Card slots that can likely be used to expand internal storage. Perhaps test with a 64 GB card to begin. Of course he could buy a box with 64GB ROM and plug in a 64GB SD Card. This of course mainly to keep things neat and tidy. External removable storage can be used as and when needed; whereas the SD Card can stay in the slot permanently to keep the increased internal storage size. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NextG Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 Example here: https://www.lazada.co.th/products/8k-2023-android-tv-box-n5-max-x4-4gb64gb-amlogicx4-android-11-1000-m-g20s-pro-i3326432086-s12337729900.html Comes with an Air mouse/remote control with numerical keys. Instead of having to choose left or right, up or down, the air remote has a gyroscope within, you can just move it in the air. The cursor will follow your movement to a certain extent. In practice, it is closer to using a keyboard and mouse than a normal TV remote control. Some air remotes come replete with a qwerty keyboard. I have no idea if the quality of this particular item, I post it just as an example: https://www.lazada.co.th/products/air-mouse-keyboard-24g-ir-mx3-air-mouse-keyboard-24g-ir-android-tv-box-i3109283333-s12121150347.html Dependent on the TV, they can be used for TVs too 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dddave Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 5 hours ago, Stocky said: I have an Asus Mini PC running Win10 hooked up to the TV, but use a keyboard rather than remote, keyboard is just so much easier. The Intel NUC mini PCs are another option to consider. You specify computer, so presume you aren't talking about Android boxes. I have a Celeron Intel NUC with added SSD and 8gb ram. I run Windows 10 and use it for TV streaming and light internet browsing on my big screen TV using HDMI. Like Stocky, I control with a wireless mouse/ Keyboard combo (Logitec) It's pretty much the perfect set-up. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giddyup Posted February 5, 2023 Author Share Posted February 5, 2023 17 hours ago, NextG said: The likely reason for that is power. TV not supplying enough power to the drive. I am guessing that it’s a 2.5” drive. The solution is to obtain a cable with 2 USB-A connections on one end. Plug both into the TV and then likely the drive will be recognised and you will use that as a reason to put off obtaining the Android box ???? https://shopee.co.th/USB-3.0-Y-Cable-Micro-for-Samsung-M3-WD-Elements-Toshiba-HDTB310EK3AA-External-Hard-Drive-int-i.32478429.3126027283 And yet I have a WD My Passport 500gb that plays fine on both the Panasonic and Sony TV's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gargamon Posted February 5, 2023 Share Posted February 5, 2023 56 minutes ago, giddyup said: And yet I have a WD My Passport 500gb that plays fine on both the Panasonic and Sony TV's. Each USB port can handle one 2.5 inch hard drive. For more than that you need a powered USB hub. I recently picked one up on shopee and have 4 of those drives mounted and functional on it. Poor quality USB port in your tv would explain your scenario. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NextG Posted February 5, 2023 Share Posted February 5, 2023 (edited) 1 hour ago, giddyup said: And yet I have a WD My Passport 500gb that plays fine on both the Panasonic and Sony TV's. Make sure that you are plugging the drive into the USB 3.0 port. The other is USB 2.0(less power). Have you purchased a box yet????? Edited February 5, 2023 by NextG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giddyup Posted February 5, 2023 Author Share Posted February 5, 2023 29 minutes ago, NextG said: Make sure that you are plugging the drive into the USB 3.0 port. The other is USB 2.0(less power). Have you purchased a box yet????? Still looking at various models, but this one seems like it might be OK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giddyup Posted February 5, 2023 Author Share Posted February 5, 2023 (edited) 1 hour ago, gargamon said: Each USB port can handle one 2.5 inch hard drive. For more than that you need a powered USB hub. I recently picked one up on shopee and have 4 of those drives mounted and functional on it. Poor quality USB port in your tv would explain your scenario. Are those hubs powered by mains power? The ones I see on Lazada have a USB connection. Plus, once you plug your USB drive into the hub, how does that connect to the TV? I take it you have to supply your own charger because none I have seen on Lazada have a power connection. I see one like this... https://www.lazada.co.th/products/vhoic-usb-77-ac-usb-usb-20-i4312166702-s17162365178.html?clickTrackInfo=query%3Apowered%2Busb%2Bhub%2Bwith%2Bcharger%3Bnid%3A4312166702%3Bsrc%3ALazadaMainSrp%3Brn%3A9298e8d9dbdf6e78be3fe8cca5600151%3Bregion%3Ath%3Bsku%3A4312166702_TH%3Bprice%3A169%3Bclient%3Adesktop%3Bsupplier_id%3A1000412652%3Basc_category_id%3A14376%3Bitem_id%3A4312166702%3Bsku_id%3A17162365178%3Bshop_id%3A638689&fastshipping=0&freeshipping=0&fs_ab=2&fuse_fs=1&lang=en&location=Overseas&price=169&priceCompare=&ratingscore=0&request_id=9298e8d9dbdf6e78be3fe8cca5600151&review=&sale=0&search=1&source=search&spm=a2o4m.searchlist.list.i40.24a31a2bNDMHxQ&stock=1 Edited February 5, 2023 by giddyup Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Stocky Posted February 5, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted February 5, 2023 (edited) 29 minutes ago, giddyup said: Still looking at various models, but this one seems like it might be OK. The problem I have/had with android boxes is you don't usually get any software updates for the OS and you certainly won't get any upgrade to the next android version. After going through about 4 boxes in 6 years I switched to a mini-PC running Windows some 4.5 years ago. In the long run it's cheaper than buying a succession of android boxes, and I can do more with it. Importantly I have a faster processor, more memory and greater storage. . Edited February 5, 2023 by Stocky 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickeymaus Posted February 5, 2023 Share Posted February 5, 2023 (edited) 40 minutes ago, giddyup said: Are those hubs powered by mains power? The ones I see on Lazada have a USB connection. Plus, once you plug your USB drive into the hub, how does that connect to the TV? I take it you have to supply your own charger because none I have seen on Lazada have a power connection. I see one like this... https://www.lazada.co.th/products/vhoic-usb-77-ac-usb-usb-20-i4312166702-s17162365178.html?clickTrackInfo=query%3Apowered%2Busb%2Bhub%2Bwith%2Bcharger%3Bnid%3A4312166702%3Bsrc%3ALazadaMainSrp%3Brn%3A9298e8d9dbdf6e78be3fe8cca5600151%3Bregion%3Ath%3Bsku%3A4312166702_TH%3Bprice%3A169%3Bclient%3Adesktop%3Bsupplier_id%3A1000412652%3Basc_category_id%3A14376%3Bitem_id%3A4312166702%3Bsku_id%3A17162365178%3Bshop_id%3A638689&fastshipping=0&freeshipping=0&fs_ab=2&fuse_fs=1&lang=en&location=Overseas&price=169&priceCompare=&ratingscore=0&request_id=9298e8d9dbdf6e78be3fe8cca5600151&review=&sale=0&search=1&source=search&spm=a2o4m.searchlist.list.i40.24a31a2bNDMHxQ&stock=1 The connection to the TV is via USB cable. But some of these powered hubs don't switch off the power to the USB TV connection. That means they send power to the TV too. Might work but I never used them with the power supply connected because I don't want to risk my expensive TV board. And the ones that I have they have this problem. There is only 1 exception. When I plug in the power adapter at this one the USB power connection to the TV is interrupted. This one is USB 2.0. Look for USB 3. Edited February 5, 2023 by Mickeymaus 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NextG Posted February 5, 2023 Share Posted February 5, 2023 53 minutes ago, giddyup said: Still looking at various models, but this one seems like it might be OK. You seem to be really agonising over this???? If you like that model, then max out the specs: https://www.lazada.co.th/products/8k-2022-android-tv-box-hk1-rbox-x4-4gb64gb-amlogic-s905x4-android-11-1000-m-g30s-i3381524229-s12502760792.html https://www.lazada.co.th/products/8k-2022-android-tv-box-hk1-rbox-x4-4gb64gb-amlogic-s905x4-android-11-1000-m-g20s-i3381379953-s12502698907.html https://www.lazada.co.th/products/8k-2022-android-tv-box-hk1-rbox-x4-4gb64gb-amlogic-s905x4-android-11-1000-m-g10s-i3380316378-s12498722369.html X4 not the X4S https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pez_dSpoG5s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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