The Droid TV thread

Noob here again ☺. Had the Droid TV a few months now and still not sure what I'm doing. Maybe just difficult to please in terms of movies (prefer the arty-farty stuff to Hollywood rhetoric). Saw an ad on friend's DSTV for a programme called 'wreck or ready'. Looked interesting. How would I go about finding out whether there's any chance of viewing on Droid TV? Also, how can I get away from the Hollywood same old - same old. Need to trim budget and hoping to cancel Unotelly, Hulu and Netflix subscriptions so this DroidTV has to start paying dividends (no reflection on the tech, merely an incompetent user...). Would be grateful for help. Thanks in advance.
 
Woohoo!
AVSupply is the best! I always underestimate your efficiency when it comes to ordering.
Guys, I placed my order yesterday afternoon and had my goodies delivered at lunch time today - and I don't even live in a major center. Totally blown away, thanks J!

I'll put my review of the MXIII in the OP as well as the review of the 1-2 HDMI splitter - it's connected and working like a bomb!

:):):)
 
Arietans said:
Also, you can probably watch it live on BBC one by following this:
http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthr...-TV-thread?p=13619366&viewfull=1#post13619366
Plenty of British TV there including Sky, BBC, iTV, etc. If you follow that, you'll get the TV guide as well. Just remember to set it -1 hour for it to line up with our timezone.

Also the notfilmon addon will have BBC one under UK TV.
Click to expand...

Thanks Arietans. Again... I'm a beginner and am barely competent enough to switch a (standard, old - school) telly on. Not really knowing what I was doing I installed some more add ons last month. Was rather proud of myself until... started getting a recurring error to do with Live TV or PVR. Googled it and overcame it by disabling Live TV and un-installing related (Live TV/PVR) add-ons. Will check your link and come back with questions if necessary.
 
Hi guys. I own a Roku 3 and mainly use it for Netflix, HULU Plus and Plex. I was planning on getting another Roku for my bedroom when I stumbled on this thread.
Does Plex work on a Droid TV? What's the advantages of this compared to my Roku? I mostly have HD content.

Which model Droid box and remote would you recommend?
 
Arietans said:
Woohoo!
AVSupply is the best! I always underestimate your efficiency when it comes to ordering.
Guys, I placed my order yesterday afternoon and had my goodies delivered at lunch time today - and I don't even live in a major center. Totally blown away, thanks J!

I'll put my review of the MXIII in the OP as well as the review of the 1-2 HDMI splitter - it's connected and working like a bomb!

:):):)
Click to expand...

Awesome stuff!

Before the weekend is always a bonus
 
AVSupply said:
No, it outputs your Android resolution and refresh rate

If you want XBMC to auto adjust the refresh rate of the movie you are watching, that should be possible soon using an XBMC script. I'll post here when I get it working
Click to expand...

The problem I have is that my Plasma can only do 50 fps or 60 fps, no 24 fps. Most cinema movies are 24 fps (or 23.something). So displaying it either in 50 fps or 60 fps is a problem - a jitter on panning scenes every second.

What I did on my other box (microserver running openelec), is the following script in the advanced.xml file:

<advancedsettings>
<video>
<adjustrefreshrate>
<override>
<fpsmin>23.96</fpsmin>
<fpsmax>24.01</fpsmax>
<refresh>50</refresh>
</override>
</adjustrefreshrate>
</video>
</advancedsettings>

This, together with the ui video setting to sync display rates, result in the 24 fps movie being speed up to 25 fps, which is a perfect match for a 50 fps tv screen (this is also how they convert 24p movies to 25p for e.g. on dvds).

The Android box can unfortunately not do this via the advanced.xml (checked last night), so I'm stuck with a jittery picture.

Any ideas?
 
leonb said:
The problem I have is that my Plasma can only do 50 fps or 60 fps, no 24 fps. Most cinema movies are 24 fps (or 23.something). So displaying it either in 50 fps or 60 fps is a problem - a jitter on panning scenes every second.

What I did on my other box (microserver running openelec), is the following script in the advanced.xml file:

<advancedsettings>
<video>
<adjustrefreshrate>
<override>
<fpsmin>23.96</fpsmin>
<fpsmax>24.01</fpsmax>
<refresh>50</refresh>
</override>
</adjustrefreshrate>
</video>
</advancedsettings>

This, together with the ui video setting to sync display rates, result in the 24 fps movie being speed up to 25 fps, which is a perfect match for a 50 fps tv screen (this is also how they convert 24p movies to 25p for e.g. on dvds).

The Android box can unfortunately not do this via the advanced.xml (checked last night), so I'm stuck with a jittery picture.

Any ideas?
Click to expand...

The MINIX XBMC script will sort your issues out

I'll try my best to get it working in the next few days

Sorry about the hassle
 
@Awesum: The DroidTV MX3 can play many more file formats than the Roku via a USB drive. It also comes with the Plex app installed. The biggest advantage of an android machine over the Roku is the huge amount of free content available via XBMC which you cannot get on the Roku. Hulu and Spotify also have free services on android which are not available on the Roku. I am currently watching Netflix, Free Hulu, Hulu Plus, Spotify, VEVO, XBMC (1channel, ProjectFreeTV, Navi-X, Icefilms, IPTV (Entertainment, Live Sport) etc.) as well as watching the latest TV series from www.usdrama.net, www.shush.se via the standard web browser.

Here are a few YouTube video to give you a better idea about the capabilities of the MXIII. The Probox 2 Ex has a slightly different configuration but uses the same motherboard. The MXIII does not include the game controller or the external antenna.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4b0v7urwCP4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtGrudXE03I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pg1WScgdRLQ

If you need the Bluetooth connectivity or want to play android games the 2GB version is probably the better choice otherwise the 1GB version will be just as good. I am operating my 1GB MXIII with the T2 air mouse but there are two other options that include mini keyboards - the MX3 and the Mele F10 Pro.
http://www.avsupply.co.za/index.php...ies-c-55_38?osCsid=qugqq3d4qo0njln62qh3nirpk5
 
Last edited:
Yotch said:
@Awesum: The DroidTV MX3 can play many more file formats than the Roku via a USB drive. It also comes with the Plex app installed. The biggest advantage of an android machine over the Roku is the huge amount of free content available via XBMC which you cannot get on the Roku. Hulu and Spotify also have free services on android which are not available on the Roku. I am currently watching Netflix, Free Hulu, Hulu Plus, Spotify, VEVO, XBMC (1channel, ProjectFreeTV, Navi-X, Icefilms, IPTV (Entertainment, Live Sport) etc.) as well as watching the latest TV series from www.usdrama.net, www.shush.se via the standard web browser.

Here are a few YouTube video to give you a better idea about the capabilities of the MXIII. The Probox 2 Ex has a slightly different configuration but uses the same motherboard. The MXIII does not include the game controller or the external antenna.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4b0v7urwCP4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtGrudXE03I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pg1WScgdRLQ

If you need the Bluetooth connectivity or want to play android games the 2GB version is probably the better choice otherwise the 1GB version will be just as good. I am operating my 1GB MXIII with the T2 air mouse but there are two other options that include mini keyboards - the MX3 and the Mele F10 Pro.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pg1WScgdRLQ
Click to expand...

As it happens, I ordered a DroidTV MXIII yesterday! Paid R1250 for the 1GB version. I bought it purely for BBC iPlayer and NTV streaming. I already have a box that can handle BBC iPlayer, but it doesn't have XBMC support.
 
AlexFl said:
Noob here again ☺. Had the Droid TV a few months now and still not sure what I'm doing. Maybe just difficult to please in terms of movies (prefer the arty-farty stuff to Hollywood rhetoric). Saw an ad on friend's DSTV for a programme called 'wreck or ready'. Looked interesting. How would I go about finding out whether there's any chance of viewing on Droid TV? Also, how can I get away from the Hollywood same old - same old. Need to trim budget and hoping to cancel Unotelly, Hulu and Netflix subscriptions so this DroidTV has to start paying dividends (no reflection on the tech, merely an incompetent user...). Would be grateful for help. Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

@AlexFI: The best free replacement for Unotelly is www.dns4me.net. Other options are jsheed_sa's 154.127.60.71 or the free PlaymoTV service 214.5.182.127 and 213.5.182.117. You could also try www.dnseraser.com.

If you install version 2.14 of the Hulu app you should be able to watch quite a bit of free Hulu content on the DroidTV. Take a look at www.usdrama.net or www.shush.se via a web browser to see if there is anything there of interest. You could also look at www.tubitv.com for less commercial content or www.ora.tv which carries Larry King Now etc.

Hulu 2.14 app
https://www.sendspace.com/file/7yz6xa
 
Last edited:
Bryn26 said:
As it happens, I ordered a DroidTV MXIII yesterday! Paid R1250 for the 1GB version. I bought it purely for BBC iPlayer and NTV streaming. I already have a box that can handle BBC iPlayer, but it doesn't have XBMC support.
Click to expand...

I hope that it arrives before the weekend! I am sure that you will discover a lot more content and services once you start using it.
 
Yotch said:
I hope that it arrives before the weekend! I am sure that you will discover a lot more content and services once you start using it.
Click to expand...

I chose overnight courier, so I'll be surprised if it doesn't arrive sometime tomorrow. I signed up yesterday for ntv.mx and it's a phenomenal service. Only problem was my lack of a device that supports XBMC.

I haven't found much during the brief time I spent searching popular XBMC addons. SportsDevil seems worth a try, but I have concerns about the video quality.
 
Yotch said:
@Awesum: The DroidTV MX3 can play many more file formats than the Roku via a USB drive. It also comes with the Plex app installed. The biggest advantage of an android machine over the Roku is the huge amount of free content available via XBMC which you cannot get on the Roku. Hulu and Spotify also have free services on android which are not available on the Roku. I am currently watching Netflix, Free Hulu, Hulu Plus, Spotify, VEVO, XBMC (1channel, ProjectFreeTV, Navi-X, Icefilms, IPTV (Entertainment, Live Sport) etc.) as well as watching the latest TV series from www.usdrama.net, www.shush.se via the standard web browser.

Here are a few YouTube video to give you a better idea about the capabilities of the MXIII. The Probox 2 Ex has a slightly different configuration but uses the same motherboard. The MXIII does not include the game controller or the external antenna.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4b0v7urwCP4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtGrudXE03I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pg1WScgdRLQ

If you need the Bluetooth connectivity or want to play android games the 2GB version is probably the better choice otherwise the 1GB version will be just as good. I am operating my 1GB MXIII with the T2 air mouse but there are two other options that include mini keyboards - the MX3 and the Mele F10 Pro.
http://www.avsupply.co.za/index.php...ies-c-55_38?osCsid=qugqq3d4qo0njln62qh3nirpk5
Click to expand...
Thank you for the advice Yotch.
How's the playback quality for HD content?

It's there any other advantage with the 2Gb version other than gaming? I'm not into gaming so I don't care about that.
 
@Awesum: If you are referring to playback of stored mkv, mp4 etc. video files, the picture quality is the best that I've ever seen from such a media player. If you watch some of those videos that I posted all the reviewers comment about the excellent video quality. I have the 1GB MXIII and I haven't found anything that has required more RAM. Apparently the additional RAM helps with some games but I haven't really explored this option yet. Some people already have Bluetooth based game controllers which would make the 2GB option more attractive to them. I am sure that you will find that the machine pays for itself in a few months if you make use of the large range of free content and DNS services that are available on this platform.
 
leonb said:
The problem I have is that my Plasma can only do 50 fps or 60 fps, no 24 fps. Most cinema movies are 24 fps (or 23.something). So displaying it either in 50 fps or 60 fps is a problem - a jitter on panning scenes every second. This, together with the ui video setting to sync display rates, result in the 24 fps movie being speed up to 25 fps, which is a perfect match for a 50 fps tv screen (this is also how they convert 24p movies to 25p for e.g. on dvds).

The Android box can unfortunately not do this via the advanced.xml (checked last night), so I'm stuck with a jittery picture.

Any ideas?
Click to expand...

Hi leonb

Got it working :)

Copy zip to external drive, launch XBMC and choose to install addon from zip file (If it complains about dependency problems, just install again).

After installing, go to XBMC Apps and launch "Frequency Switcher". Select "framerates" and choose the ones you want to use, or modify/add your own before saving the configuration. Now go to service and choose the framerate you want to default to on movie start and exit. Keep notifications on so that you can see what XBMC is adjusting the framerate to. Save configuration again and relaunch XBMC to start the service.

That's it!

Download link -> https://mega.co.nz/#!CFU0TAJS!-opaGMsAdkAh3S_yI5414GlFbJE26E8piqrt3tTfblE
 
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