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PostPosted: Mon Jul 27, 2015 3:41 pm 
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May I suggest another option. It's the Nexus player which runs the official android TV OS. I think it is the most hastle free way of getting what you need. It's and official box that is supported by google. So you won't run into any issues with netflix or getting the newest updates. It also has the Kodi app in the app store. So you just install it directly from there. As appose to side-loading it. The only thing you'll need to do is to install the repositories from within Kodi. The easiest way to do that for someone that doesn't want to tinker too much is to go to http://www.tvaddons.ag and follow their instructions to install the Addon installer.

The box is only a $100 and is sold at Staples. The only downside is that out of the box you can only connect it through WiFi. But if you find that the signal is too weak/slow you can get a USB OTG cable like this one http://www.amazon.ca/StarTech-com-5-Inch-Micro-Female-Adapter/dp/B00B4GGW5Q/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1438029428&sr=8-2&keywords=USB+OTG and then get a USB ethernet adapter http://www.amazon.ca/Plugable-Ethernet-Network-Chromebook-Specific/dp/B00484IEJS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1438029485&sr=8-1&keywords=USB+ethernet+adapter and you're set.

You can even hook up a USB hub to add extra storage and to connect wireless keyboard and mouse.

I have one of these and I got one for my father in-law. I set him up to watch live sports on it because he was constantly trying to watch streams on his computer and he always managed to get malware and spyware from the websites. :)


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PostPosted: Mon Jul 27, 2015 3:56 pm 
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Isn't it supposed to get easier not harder to stream crap to your tv in 2015?

Its like the 90's and War Games all over again. You're back to needing rooms filed with tech and hours long mod sessions just to do the simplest of tasks - watch Breaking Bad on your tv.

I get that many people enjoy the road of the hard way... but sheesh.

martin prince wrote:
Now a bunch of people will post the million step "easy" process to mod your whole house and then you'll come back to my post and say: "Damnit... Martin was right again!!!"

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PostPosted: Mon Jul 27, 2015 9:40 pm 
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Location: Milton
nspace wrote:
$1500 would definitely be out of the budget. I was hoping to find some unit in the $100-$200 range, maybe something like the G-Box Q Android box.!



Qnap has a $250 two bay NAS
http://www.canadacomputers.com/advanced ... -986&y=-78

$250, plus two drives at $100.... So $500 isn't that bad of an investment.

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PostPosted: Tue Jul 28, 2015 7:32 am 
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@Paul_W: That is exactly the sort of thing I am looking for. I am going to do a little more reading about that Nexus player today and maybe give that a go.

@martin prince: I know! In some ways it has become easier, but now there are so many devices that do some things and not others. I used to be pretty up on tech stuff, but once you fall out of the loop for a little while, its overwhelming to try and play catch up!

@pete: I have totally found the joy of the outdoors. This is primarily for my wife. It is rare that I watch TV/Movies, maybe once a week!


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PostPosted: Wed Jul 29, 2015 7:42 pm 
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So you want a mediabox you say... Well there are a ton of options out there for you.

Smart TV - These usually will fill the requirement, there are some very cool addons you get when your TV is one of the more popular brands. If you are the "download to my PC" kinda guy, your setup can be quite inexpensive. (Outside of the purchase of your TV of course). Most Samsung TV's also give you the option to run "Plex" which can be made available for 5 dollars or so I believe... Price may have gone up.. But if you're not the most tech savvy person, this is your easy bet.

Roku - I find Roku to be a little pointless.. It's a step up from your Smart TV, offering you some paid for channels (HBO GO, NHL on Demand, etc), and a lot of content that you can find available on the internet. To be honest most of it isn't something you'll "die" for.

HTPC - This is the most expensive route you can take. It's a full blown PC, usually in a small package. These can run you anywhere from 100-800 bucks depending on your setup and how much space/processing you'll need. You'll have the full disposal of a desktop unit, from your living room. However this can be very technical, and trying if you haven't done this before.

Android Stick - This is my preferred method. You can get quad-core android sticks with USB, HDMI, and microSD support. You don't need to "jailbreak" or root the device to get a decent selection. This is actually your cheapest option to get Netflix setup, along with any app that is available for your version of Android. I usually pick up Android sticks from the US for about $40 bucks.

As far as software goes, depending on where you are with your moral compass, you might even leverage KODI. Although it can be daunting to setup, KODI is BY FAR the best media platform I have ever seen. This used to be called XBMC (XBOX Media Center) , and has been around since the original XBOX days, obtaining it's name from modding your XBOX and had the ability to stream downloaded RAR files from your PC directly to your TV (and decompressing them on the FLY).

Reason I mention the moral compass, is frankly because KODi uses lots of internet sites to stream media from not so legit sources.

If you have any questions about any setup, shoot me a PM and I'll gladly give you a hand.


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PostPosted: Sat Aug 01, 2015 5:00 pm 
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Joined: Thu Jun 16, 2011 2:03 pm
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Location: Milton
I got fed up dicking around with Android and other appliance boxes which I found to be slow and/or laggy especially in the UI... I don't have patience for that nonsense.
I went with a 5th generation Intel i3 NUC ($500) and an external 2GB HDD ($100) on my router for a NAS.
The NUC is a full blown computer running Windows 7. The i3 processor blows any of the appliance boxes out of the water. I ditched Cogeco, put up an HDTV antenna, between that and my NUC for streaming I haven't looked back.


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PostPosted: Mon Aug 03, 2015 8:41 pm 
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Joined: Tue Sep 22, 2009 8:41 pm
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Location: HV Vista
Paul_W wrote:
May I suggest another option. It's the Nexus player which runs the official android TV OS. I think it is the most hastle free way of getting what you need. It's and official box that is supported by google. So you won't run into any issues with netflix or getting the newest updates. It also has the Kodi app in the app store. So you just install it directly from there. As appose to side-loading it. The only thing you'll need to do is to install the repositories from within Kodi. The easiest way to do that for someone that doesn't want to tinker too much is to go to http://www.tvaddons.ag and follow their instructions to install the Addon installer.

The box is only a $100 and is sold at Staples. The only downside is that out of the box you can only connect it through WiFi. But if you find that the signal is too weak/slow you can get a USB OTG cable like this one http://www.amazon.ca/StarTech-com-5-Inch-Micro-Female-Adapter/dp/B00B4GGW5Q/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1438029428&sr=8-2&keywords=USB+OTG and then get a USB ethernet adapter http://www.amazon.ca/Plugable-Ethernet-Network-Chromebook-Specific/dp/B00484IEJS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1438029485&sr=8-1&keywords=USB+ethernet+adapter and you're set.

You can even hook up a USB hub to add extra storage and to connect wireless keyboard and mouse.

I have one of these and I got one for my father in-law. I set him up to watch live sports on it because he was constantly trying to watch streams on his computer and he always managed to get malware and spyware from the websites. :)


I second the Nexus Player. As said above, it already has all the media streaming apps built-in (Netflix, YouTube, Play Movies etc) and you can simply install Kodi from the Play Store, just like any other app. It would even update automatically. The player itself will also receive automatic updates directly from Google.
As a bonus, it functions as a Chromecast as well, so can easily cast content from your phone or mirror your screen.
Best option by far.
http://www.google.com/nexus/player/


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PostPosted: Tue Aug 04, 2015 8:38 am 
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Joined: Fri Aug 22, 2008 12:42 pm
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Location: Milton
Anyone using KODI on here?


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PostPosted: Tue Aug 04, 2015 9:03 am 
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The xbox one has had two key updates over the last few months which has me using it as my media center box on two TV’s in my home.

1) Buy an HDTV tuner for the Xbox and you can watch OTA TV on it. It also downloads Guide information and will shortly be able to PVR OTA TV as well.
2) Download Plex and it will handle all your personal media – pirated movies, music, etc. Although this will cost you $5 a month if you don’t buy a lifetime license for $150
3) And Netflix of course.

I’ve ditched my media center boxes and couldn’t be happier. Everything goes through my Xbox now. It's simple and hassle free.


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PostPosted: Tue Aug 04, 2015 9:42 am 
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Joined: Mon Sep 19, 2005 12:42 pm
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Sandeep wrote:
Anyone using KODI on here?


Yes on a ATV2


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PostPosted: Tue Aug 04, 2015 11:45 am 
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Location: HVE
I highly recommend the Raspberry Pi2. Although I'm only using it for Kodi, I know it's capable of all of the above. You can buy a kit for around $70-80. My wife loves it. Powerful and very customizable little device.


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PostPosted: Tue Aug 04, 2015 1:27 pm 
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The CuBox-i4 Pro is a sweet little device if you can find it.


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PostPosted: Thu Aug 06, 2015 11:46 am 
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Joined: Mon Jan 13, 2014 3:23 pm
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Sandeep wrote:
Anyone using KODI on here?



I've setup at least a dozen instances of KODI.

I love it, wont use anything else to get my Mr. Robot fix :P


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PostPosted: Thu Aug 06, 2015 1:14 pm 
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I tried using one of the media boxes from Deep's contact. Super nice guy, and the box seemed to have all the right specs. After using it for a few days I ended up returning it. The modified android OS to use a media center was not for me at all, and IMO the user experience is very poor. The interface was a dogs breakfast IMO. I was hoping it would be a little slicker. Moving it between TV's also wasn't that seamless as you would think. Had to keep tinkering with settings to get movies to play without being cropped. Just wasn't for me. I ended up ordering a Nexus Player (which was my gut feeling after reading this thread) and will give that a go. The interface and controls seem a bit more polished. We'll see how that goes; i will report back over the weekend.

Thanks everyone for their input!


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PostPosted: Thu Aug 06, 2015 1:29 pm 
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Kodi has lots of skins - you have to find the one that works for you. Kodi won't be different on different hardware apart from the speed of the application.


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