Is there a really decent one that people would recommend?

My WII is getting a bit long in the tooth playing Netflix content and
it's Youtube and iPlayer apps are a bit rubbish.

Given how well my phone works, I'd like to replace the WII with an
Android set-top unit.

However there are *many* and I find it impossible to decide if any of
them are actually decent and reliable.

I could be persuaded to go AppleTV if that is truly better?

What I'm after is Netflix (running through unblock-us, but I handle that
in my local DNS server so should not be a problem), Youtube, iPlayer,
ideally some other channels' versions of iPlayer.

Remote operation from an Android phone would be cute but not essential.

WIFI definatelt, wired network nice to have.

Cheers!

Tim

On Wednesday, 2 April 2014 18:44:16 UTC+1, Tim Watts wrote:
Is there a really decent one that people would recommend?



My WII is getting a bit long in the tooth playing Netflix content and

it's Youtube and iPlayer apps are a bit rubbish.



Given how well my phone works, I'd like to replace the WII with an

Android set-top unit.



However there are *many* and I find it impossible to decide if any of

them are actually decent and reliable.



I could be persuaded to go AppleTV if that is truly better?



What I'm after is Netflix (running through unblock-us, but I handle that

in my local DNS server so should not be a problem), Youtube, iPlayer,

ideally some other channels' versions of iPlayer.



Remote operation from an Android phone would be cute but not essential.



WIFI definatelt, wired network nice to have.



Cheers!



Tim

I'm using a Tesco Hudl with great success. Using an OTG cable it runs a wireless mouse, connects via HDMI and has apps for Netflix, iPlayer, 4OD, demand5, TVCatchup, etc, etc as well as a full browser capability. I recently picked up a splitter ITG which allows for USB connectivity and charging at the same time - sorted. Amazon are soon to release their own TV box which does all the same stuff except you can't unplug it and use it as a tablet.......

On 02/04/2014 18:44, Tim Watts wrote:
Is there a really decent one that people would recommend?

My WII is getting a bit long in the tooth playing Netflix content and
it's Youtube and iPlayer apps are a bit rubbish.

Given how well my phone works, I'd like to replace the WII with an
Android set-top unit.

However there are *many* and I find it impossible to decide if any of
them are actually decent and reliable.

I could be persuaded to go AppleTV if that is truly better?

What I'm after is Netflix (running through unblock-us, but I handle that
in my local DNS server so should not be a problem), Youtube, iPlayer,
ideally some other channels' versions of iPlayer.

Remote operation from an Android phone would be cute but not essential.

WIFI definatelt, wired network nice to have.

Cheers!

Tim

Want similar! Must work in conjunction with Virgin cable. If it could
use an external drive (USB stick, SSD or real disc) to also allow
recording, all the better. Ideally controllable from any computer - PC,
Mac, iPad, iPhone or anything Android.

Lack of UK watch-again on Apple TV is a killer.

--
Rod

polygonum wrote:
On 02/04/2014 18:44, Tim Watts wrote:
Is there a really decent one that people would recommend?

My WII is getting a bit long in the tooth playing Netflix content and
it's Youtube and iPlayer apps are a bit rubbish.

Given how well my phone works, I'd like to replace the WII with an
Android set-top unit.

However there are *many* and I find it impossible to decide if any of
them are actually decent and reliable.

I could be persuaded to go AppleTV if that is truly better?

What I'm after is Netflix (running through unblock-us, but I handle that
in my local DNS server so should not be a problem), Youtube, iPlayer,
ideally some other channels' versions of iPlayer.

Remote operation from an Android phone would be cute but not essential.

WIFI definatelt, wired network nice to have.

Cheers!

Tim

Want similar! Must work in conjunction with Virgin cable. If it could use
an external drive (USB stick, SSD or real disc) to also allow recording,
all the better. Ideally controllable from any computer - PC, Mac, iPad,
iPhone or anything Android.

Lack of UK watch-again on Apple TV is a killer.


Chromecast? Start iplayer/YouTube/Netflix stuff on your phone then send to
the TV. I use Bubble UPNP to send videos from my dlna nas to the TV.

On 03/04/14 06:28, lid wrote:


Chromecast? Start iplayer/YouTube/Netflix stuff on your phone then send to
the TV. I use Bubble UPNP to send videos from my dlna nas to the TV.


No - really needs to be stand alone.

I did consider that, but then everyone wants my phone when they want to
watch something. Same problem with hooking up my phone via an HDMI adaptor.

On 02/04/2014 18:44, Tim Watts wrote:
Is there a really decent one that people would recommend?

My WII is getting a bit long in the tooth playing Netflix content and
it's Youtube and iPlayer apps are a bit rubbish.

Given how well my phone works, I'd like to replace the WII with an
Android set-top unit.

However there are *many* and I find it impossible to decide if any of
them are actually decent and reliable.

I could be persuaded to go AppleTV if that is truly better?

What I'm after is Netflix (running through unblock-us, but I handle that
in my local DNS server so should not be a problem), Youtube, iPlayer,
ideally some other channels' versions of iPlayer.

Remote operation from an Android phone would be cute but not essential.

WIFI definatelt, wired network nice to have.

Cheers!

Tim

XBMC on a RPi myself.
Controlled over the network from my android phone.

In article om,
"dennis@home" writes:
On 02/04/2014 18:44, Tim Watts wrote:
Is there a really decent one that people would recommend?

My WII is getting a bit long in the tooth playing Netflix content and
it's Youtube and iPlayer apps are a bit rubbish.

Given how well my phone works, I'd like to replace the WII with an
Android set-top unit.

However there are *many* and I find it impossible to decide if any of
them are actually decent and reliable.

I could be persuaded to go AppleTV if that is truly better?

What I'm after is Netflix (running through unblock-us, but I handle that
in my local DNS server so should not be a problem), Youtube, iPlayer,
ideally some other channels' versions of iPlayer.

Remote operation from an Android phone would be cute but not essential.

WIFI definatelt, wired network nice to have.

Cheers!

Tim

XBMC on a RPi myself.
Controlled over the network from my android phone.

I think OpenELEC is a pre-canned distribution of this.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

On Thursday, 3 April 2014 11:20:10 UTC+1, dennis@home wrote:

XBMC on a RPi myself.

Controlled over the network from my android phone.

Yes. I use RASPBMC myself - excellent. Unfortunately it doesn't do DRM'd things like Netflix, which the OP wants...

On 03/04/2014 13:44, Andrew Gabriel wrote:

XBMC on a RPi myself.
Controlled over the network from my android phone.

I think OpenELEC is a pre-canned distribution of this.


Yes, there are two different ones on the RPi official site, I have tried
them both but there isn't much between them.

There is an android app to control them or you can use a web browser if
you enable them.

You get sound over HDMI if that's any help.

On 2014-04-03, Andrew Gabriel wrote:
In article om,
"dennis@home" writes:
On 02/04/2014 18:44, Tim Watts wrote:
Is there a really decent one that people would recommend? My WII is
getting a bit long in the tooth playing Netflix content and it's
Youtube and iPlayer apps are a bit rubbish. Given how well my phone
works, I'd like to replace the WII with an Android set-top unit.
However there are *many* and I find it impossible to decide if any
of them are actually decent and reliable. I could be persuaded to
go AppleTV if that is truly better? What I'm after is Netflix
(running through unblock-us, but I handle that in my local DNS
server so should not be a problem), Youtube, iPlayer, ideally some
other channels' versions of iPlayer. Remote operation from an
Android phone would be cute but not essential. WIFI definatelt,
wired network nice to have. Cheers! Tim

XBMC on a RPi myself.
Controlled over the network from my android phone.

I think OpenELEC is a pre-canned distribution of this.


Still thinking about your use case, but by coincidence, here's a new
device from Amazon that clearly hopes to compete:

Feed: The Register
Title: Amazon sets FIRE to your living room in bid to shake up TV
streaming
Author: Iain Thomson
Link:
http://go.theregister.com/feed/www.t.../02/bezos_want
s_to_set_fire_to_your_living_room_in_settopbox_sha keup/
Date: Wed, 02 Apr 2014 20:02:07 -0400

Promises $99 Apple-crushing gaming and media console

After months of speculation, Amazon has finally released a $99 set-top
box that'll tout TV programs, music, and games to subscribers.€¦

In article ,
Tim Watts wrote:

On 03/04/14 06:28, lid wrote:


Chromecast? Start iplayer/YouTube/Netflix stuff on your phone then send to
the TV. I use Bubble UPNP to send videos from my dlna nas to the TV.


No - really needs to be stand alone.

I did consider that, but then everyone wants my phone when they want to
watch something. Same problem with hooking up my phone via an HDMI adaptor.

Have you looked into Roku? Again, I'm not sure exactly what you're
looking for, but Roku is pretty great. I've got a NAS at home (FreeNaS
bought from iXsystems), which offers the PlexMediaServer as a plug in.
You put all your local content on the NAS and push it through the Roku
to your television.

That's all I use it for, since here in Senegal most of the good
"channels" aren't available to me due to IP address or due to wimpy
bandwidth. But the Roku has a ton of channels on offer as well. Check
into it to see which ones you want. Offhand I don't think the BBC
iplayer is one of them.

I did some research before settling on the NAS+Roku with Plex solution,
and it seems a lot of Apple TV people aren't feeling overly thrilled
with it.

In article
,
RS Wood wrote:
That's all I use it for, since here in Senegal most of the good
"channels" aren't available to me due to IP address or due to wimpy
bandwidth. But the Roku has a ton of channels on offer as well. Check
into it to see which ones you want. Offhand I don't think the BBC
iplayer is one of them.

Should have checked before sending. BBC IPlayer is one of the channels,
so I spoke too soon.

For what it's worth, the remote is pretty cool. Runs on two AA
batteries, and it has a headphone jack in the side. Insert your
headqphones and the TV goes quiet, good for watching while someone else
sleeps. I'm pretty impressed.

On 04/04/2014 22:58, RS Wood wrote:
In article
,
RS Wood wrote:
That's all I use it for, since here in Senegal most of the good
"channels" aren't available to me due to IP address or due to wimpy
bandwidth. But the Roku has a ton of channels on offer as well. Check
into it to see which ones you want. Offhand I don't think the BBC
iplayer is one of them.

Should have checked before sending. BBC IPlayer is one of the channels,
so I spoke too soon.

For what it's worth, the remote is pretty cool. Runs on two AA
batteries, and it has a headphone jack in the side. Insert your
headqphones and the TV goes quiet, good for watching while someone else
sleeps. I'm pretty impressed.


Some of the smart dvd and bluray players do net tv and iplayer and stuff
like that.

On 04/04/14 22:55, RS Wood wrote:
In article ,
Tim Watts wrote:

On 03/04/14 06:28, lid wrote:


Chromecast? Start iplayer/YouTube/Netflix stuff on your phone then send to
the TV. I use Bubble UPNP to send videos from my dlna nas to the TV.


No - really needs to be stand alone.

I did consider that, but then everyone wants my phone when they want to
watch something. Same problem with hooking up my phone via an HDMI adaptor.

Have you looked into Roku?

Yes - that was one that I did look at. Seemed (on paper) quite good. I
think there was an issue of "no Netflix" once - but that's been fixed, I
think??

Again, I'm not sure exactly what you're
looking for,

Apple TV in Android format would be the simplest description. Settop
box, WIFI (and optionally wired) in, HDMI out.


but Roku is pretty great. I've got a NAS at home (FreeNaS
bought from iXsystems), which offers the PlexMediaServer as a plug in.
You put all your local content on the NAS and push it through the Roku
to your television.

That's all I use it for, since here in Senegal most of the good
"channels" aren't available to me due to IP address or due to wimpy
bandwidth. But the Roku has a ton of channels on offer as well. Check
into it to see which ones you want. Offhand I don't think the BBC
iplayer is one of them.

I did some research before settling on the NAS+Roku with Plex solution,
and it seems a lot of Apple TV people aren't feeling overly thrilled
with it.


Cool. Is Roko an andoid ecosystem or does it have its own?

On Fri, 04 Apr 2014 23:12:28 +0100, dennis@home wrote:

Some of the smart dvd and bluray players do net tv and iplayer and stuff
like that.

FSVO "do". The ones I've played with have been rather basic compared
to the "real thing" on a PC. Also you'll be lucky to get more than a
couple of firmware updates from the set manufacturer before they
change models and drop support for yours after a couple of years.

--
Cheers
Dave.

Amazingly, this just hit OSNews: AndroidTV.

Feed: OSNews
Title: This is Android TV
Author: Thom Holwerda
Link: http://osnews.com/story/27659/This_is_Android_TV
Date: Sat, 05 Apr 2014 15:53:13 -0400

According to documents obtained exclusively by The Verge, Google is
about to launch a renewed assault on your television set called Android
TV. Major video app providers are building for the platform right now.
Android TV may sound like a semantic difference - after all, Google TV
was based on Android - but it's something very different. Android TV is
no longer a crazy attempt to turn your TV into a bigger, more powerful
smartphone. "Android TV is an entertainment interface, not a computing
platform," writes Google. "It's all about finding and enjoying content
with the least amount of friction." It will be "cinematic, fun, fluid,
and fast." What does that all mean? It means that Android TV will look
and feel a lot more like the rest of the set top boxes on the market,
including Apple TV, Amazon's Fire TV, and Roku. All these devices look
the same. It's going to be very hard to stand out if they all have the
same services. On top of that - I'm not putting a separate box next to
my TV. Why can't my tablet or PC act as the box? This is 2014, is it
not? If you see a separate box, they blew it.

["Followup-To:" header set to comp.misc.]
On 2014-04-06, RS Wood wrote:
Amazingly, this just hit OSNews: AndroidTV.

Feed: OSNews
Title: This is Android TV
Author: Thom Holwerda
Link: http://osnews.com/story/27659/This_is_Android_TV
Date: Sat, 05 Apr 2014 15:53:13 -0400

According to documents obtained exclusively by The Verge, Google is
about to launch a renewed assault on your television set called Android
TV. Major video app providers are building for the platform right now.
Android TV may sound like a semantic difference - after all, Google TV
was based on Android - but it's something very different. Android TV is
no longer a crazy attempt to turn your TV into a bigger, more powerful
smartphone. "Android TV is an entertainment interface, not a computing
platform," writes Google. "It's all about finding and enjoying content
with the least amount of friction." It will be "cinematic, fun, fluid,
and fast." What does that all mean? It means that Android TV will look
and feel a lot more like the rest of the set top boxes on the market,
including Apple TV, Amazon's Fire TV, and Roku. All these devices look
the same. It's going to be very hard to stand out if they all have the
same services. On top of that - I'm not putting a separate box next to
my TV. Why can't my tablet or PC act as the box? This is 2014, is it
not? If you see a separate box, they blew it.

I bought the new FireTV from Amazon. I had a Roku but like this new
platform much more. Mostly because it feel responsive. The voice search
thing really works well too. But mostly it feels like a response box.

I did a voice search for a TV show I wanted to watch and it found it
both on Hulu and Amazon and defaulted to Hulu, I'm guessing cause it was
cheaper?? Google will hit soon I'm sure, and Apple already has their
Apple TV platform, which I bought into about 3 times and still don't
like it.

--
Marek Novotny
A member of the Linux Foundation
http://www.linuxfoundation.org
git with the program