Pizzawheel

I got a smart TV, like JS accidentally because I know nothing about the things. I think it's pretty good because though the indoor aerial wasn't a great success micro wheel loves that he can stream all of his favourites with just one device. (I like that because I only have to hide one remote to be Despot Daddy).

I just checked with him and he loves it.

Note that I've only turned it on myself twice since I got it in mid-august though. I also recall it was pushing $300 from costco.

Danny B

I have a TV from 2010'ish and use an Android TV device.

Carlsberg don't do Android TV's, but if they did, they would sell this. Best thing ever, Netflix, Live TV from all over the world, stream PPV, live sports, XXX, kids, 13 seasons of Greys Anatomy, whatever tickles your fancy you can find on this thing via a Kodi add-on.

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B01...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Oink

The girlfriend said that she wants a bigger one and I want one that doesn't stink. We have 40" one in the living-room and a terrible Panasonic in the study that we got on sale in London Drugs.

quiltman

[QUOTE BristolUK]

I can only conclude that the desktop monitor behaves better with the desktop as the source than it does with the laptop as the source.

Disappointing. [/QUOTE]
It is possible that its the resolution of the file you're playing. For example, most youtube videos are 360/480p and on the desktop monitor(mines a 23inch) are perfect, but when filling the 42inch TV screen look awful! I usually try and ensure when I download programmes i know my wife wants to watch on the TV that I get at least the 720p version. I've just downloaded Question Time from youtube and the choices ranged from 240p right up to 1080p. My download program is set to always get the 720p version if available.
Oh, I would not worry about getting a smart TV as virtually all modern flatscreens have at least 1 and often up to 4 HDMI connections.

BristolUK

No problem streaming/downloading for later using a nice download manager, but...

Two questions.....

I used to stream and watch as it streamed, whereas now I use Internet Download manager and download it for later. Streams sometimes would not start...or rebuffer every minute...sometines you could pause to go for a pee, make coffee and it would not restart upon return. My stepson still streams. This still happens with him. Does it never happen when streaming a movie or show using an android or other gadget like chromecast? Our internet is great, but there are problems with streaming which is why I download (not torrents) instead.

Q2. Occasionally, the football is not on any TSN or any Sportsnet (except SportsnetWorld which I don't pay the extra for) so I stream it. There is no shortage of sites with anything up to a dozen streams.

But some do not fill the screen. Some have a stop start motion. Some pause for 10 seconds and then carry on. Some pause the action but commentary continues. Bizarrely and recently, some will freeze and then restart from a minute or so ago, play to the same part, freeze and then replay from the same part...as many as 4 or 5 times and then play properly. Some pictures go fuzzy. Sometimes it just cuts out.

Some perform really well. This is all with great internet speeds that we have on fibreoptic.

Do these things happen with Android gadgets?

quiltman

The fallacy is that because you have a good internet connection then there should be no problem in streaming. Actually it depends on the speed at which the server you are connected to can output the signal and this depends on 1. what bandwidth the server has available and 2. how many people are trying to download from that server at the same time. As you've found, some sites are better than others. I've streamed from various sites and one day it's as smooth as silk and another day it buffers all over the place! youtube is a prime example -play file fine, then go to show someone same file later and it stutters all over the place. Doesn't matter whether its windows, Mac or Android, the limit is the server you are connected to, not so much what speed your internet is supposedly.
If you do a speedtest to a remote site you can see it varies, often depending on the time of day.

Danny B

In my experience, and I can only comment on that device I mentioned above, yes, things do buffer once in a while. A lot of the newer movies seem to do this, but all of the older TV shows work fine.
Having said that, we watched that Irish bloke fight in the UFC last Saturday and we got a perfect BT stream that did not buffer once. If you get fed up with one stream, you can easily move to another and FFWD to where you left off.

As for screen size, it fills my entire TV.
I know what you mean about having a small window, I have on occasion 'air played' something from my Mac to the AppleTV and can't quite get a complete full screen.
The benefit of the Android TV is that this does not happen.

I always used to download TV seasons at a time, move them to USB key, plug that USB key into my DVD player and watch that way. My Son said that this was the old way of doing it and suggested I purchased a 'fully loaded' streaming device. I wasn't sure at first, but now I am glad I did.
If my Wife can figure out how to stream Grey's Anatomy, trust me, anyone can.

BristolUK

Yes, that's just it. Okay, download speed might not be everything but we have no limits, multiple people downloading simultaneously is no problem. So even though a smart TV or a dunce TV plus gadget can stream movies and live tv to your heart's content, it could still be intensely frustrating.

I've had 'perfect' plenty of times too but I also think it depends what you watch. For example it's pretty obvious that the bigger the football match the more problematic it is. This might be the number of people trying to stream or it might be Sky or whoever being more proactive in trying to block it.
Yes, but that's where I prefer downloading. Buffering seems to have no impact on downloading. Once the option to download it is available that's it...the download goes to where you save it while you can see the stream has already stopped/buffered/whatever.

But when it's a live game of football or rugby, having to go to another stream that might do the same, might be a Russian commentary, might be fuzzy...might stop and start or might just stop....all frustrating.
I just keep mine on the laptop until I'm ready to watch. That way I watch when I want and don't have to find another if it's not faultless.

What do you do if you want to watch something you know you can stream on the TV but someone else wants the TV?

I think, even with an appropriate TV I'd do the same as I do now but just use an HDMI cable when I have a TV that will take it. If the TV is available.

plasticcanuck

From BristolUK Post # 35
No problem streaming/downloading for later using a nice download manager.

Can you/Would you recommend "a nice download manager"? It would be appreciated.

plasticcanuck

So you have a small one that stinks. You're supposed to wash it regularly, particularly if your handling fish and peeing off the boat. Daily washing would be good.

BristolUK

Internet Download Manager

There are quite a few features but I use hardly any of them.

It recognises when there's a video playing and a nice little button appears inviting you to download. Just choose where you save it and overtype the title if necessary.

I paid a one off fee of about $30 having benefited from a one month free trial for about four years but it seems there are more options now.

I used to download using whatever came with windows but IDM is much quicker.

One thing, pay little attention to how long it says it will be. It may say hours or 50 seconds and it'll be minutes instead.

If you've never used a download manager - other than what comes with windows - you may well find a free one that does the job.

But I got so used to IDM over an extended period (one of my wife's hacks ) that I decided to pay for the familiar.

Danny B

If you have a laptop with HDMI then an Android TV is pointless as you can just use Kodi on the laptop plugged into your TV. That's how I first heard of Kodi, my Son come over for a visit and gave me a demo on his laptop. I don't own a laptop so I opted for the $60 device instead.

As for sharing, luckily my Wife and I have similar tastes (except for Hospital TV shows) so we watch stuff together 99% of the time.

We mainly use an AppleTV and watch BBC iPlayer for most stuff, currently watching 'The Missing', God I wish Canada made Police dramas like the Beeb.

BristolUK

Check out The Romeo Section. Not police as such but it is BBC standard. Season two currently on CBC. Season one on the usual stream sites.

Oink

You inspired me to go have look at getting a new tv for Christmas but its hard to find one that's not a "smart" tv. I wanted an OLED but they are awfully spendy in Canada with Canadian dollars. There's a nice LG that's $3k in the US but they want $5k plus tax here.

magnumpi

Can anyone enlighten me regarding getting Kodi on a laptop, can it be done, I have found a few kodi apps but they don't show movies they are for storing saved programs? And are void of any content!!.

Or is Kodi Android only ?