ha.. did it do any good at all?

for kodi17 playback and online streams... i mean for dd/dts?

u gotta spill it all out... becos that is most impt.

.. android box for old folks - is a big NO-NO.

becos YOU need to keep maintaining the apps and firmware updates and keep teaching them how and where to click, click, cilck.

it's totally not pushing buttons in axtro remote.

many people think they can get a box and dump axtro as replacement - wrong, wrong, wrong!



speed - what speed u have?

This post has been edited by AVFAN: Apr 14 2017, 11:45 PM

i think u mean u1 ok for kodi17 streaming dd/dts, but not hd audio as in dsthdma/ddtruehd/atmos/dtsx..?

i just know some ex-minix users decided to switch.. but wanna playback with kodi like they r used to... can't blame them.

actually, i tell them they wasted money becos the premium price for himedia Q series is for the native player, not kodi player for playback.

never mind, just i thought u know people do switch brands sometimes... for their own reasons.

their choice, of course.

This post has been edited by AVFAN: Apr 14 2017, 11:59 PM

that is not straightforward.

some box makers have the firmware for that, some don't.

hence if u find a box high in price, u can imagine the value that comes with it.

if price so cheap, don't expect to easily change this and that.

which is also something u shud think about: if u buy online, how sure u will get all the help u may need?

ok...if they hv been using pc, laptops, tablets, then should be possible.

however, i know many 5x yr olds who use PC for decades in the office but can't do cut n paste, no idea how to download an attachment/copy to USB... these... wont bother to learn.

8mbps is bare minimum.. just ok but can't get much of the best stuff.

i prefer not to suggest until u have read enough... i am very biased.

i suggest u re-read page 1, read the links for diff brands/models, ask the individual users for comments.

This post has been edited by AVFAN: Apr 15 2017, 12:06 AM

yr speed, u can get mostly SD stuff.

some 720p.

the best stuff - full 1080p, 4k, dtshdma audio.

if i must suggest, i would think better u buy one of those RM200-300 boxes to try first.

if u hv higher speed and patience to learn, i will suggest >RM600.

"overkill"... u may want to think a bit... sometime, paying a bit more but get good help and assistance may be better than paying peanuts and then getting stuck.

which is why i will NOT suggest u buy anything costly now.

as a new user, for parents use, your focus should not be so much about the box capabilities.

but more about getting the simpler and popular apps they might like, what it takes to keep them going.

read a bit more, ask the users!

your h8+ is quite a good box.

it is as good as the equivalent Q series except for the native player.

i would say H8+ is somewhere between Q16 and Q5/Q10pro.

if by win10, u mean pc windows, i wud say a dedicated android box will be a lot easier to handle.

dns... it should not be such a problem... any device, once it is set, it does not change.

unless u use some exotic ones that die off quickly.

tough for older people unless they are into heavy use of devices.

possible they get to use 1 or 2 reliable apps like netflix and youtube.

those that need frequent updates, deep navigation... tough...

in my experience, the best overall is to use static ip with google dns.

good enough, i get enough of what i want, whether china or europe or north america.

dns alone does not count for everything; a lot has to do with the actual app, the actual provider, the country.

some years ago, a simple "unique" dns can get u thru many things.

just like it used to be easy to get netflix USA.

no more as the providers, authorities now have better means to geoblock.

use of free vpn like hola may help, depending on what u r trying to access.

use of those so call "china tunnels" is of little use.

This is common with boxes.

But i am surprised astrogo doesnt work on yr android phone.

I refer to current version 8.1.9.

It works on my android tablet.

It also works on my tv which has google androidtv.

And i think it works on all devices running on androidtv... shield, mibox and sony, sharp, philips 4k tvs.


Similarly, google androidtv also fine with hypptv everywhere, unlike many boxes giving error 111.

This post has been edited by AVFAN: Apr 17 2017, 02:00 AM

if sports is impt, keep axtro, please.

too many cases of axtro users complaining non-stop.

after terminating, they look for free same supersports only to get frustrated.

for kodi, u can try genesis reborn and phoenix - some good stuff there.

do read kodi thread for kodi matters.


other apps... google for popcorn time, mobdro, terrarium.

the links to some of these apps have been posted before here, u can search for them too.

This post has been edited by AVFAN: Apr 17 2017, 10:26 PM

hmm...

i have had my share of such!

for usb playback, u can also consider the himedia q5pro, about rm500.

u visited the himedia thread before, i think.

u can read/ask other users about specific performances and other playback features there.

the native player in q5 pro is same as q10 pro.

i will be surprised if there is any diff for any reason.

some of the reviews u read are obsolete.

i have been using q10 pro for 3 months now.

and have yet to come across a single file that it cannot play!

i will comment further in the himedia thread.

i doubt such "special DNS of the day or week" work anymore.

they used to... and i have used some of them 2-3 years ago.

ah.. now that u mention it, i remember...

i must be getting old...

there is somewhat of a conflict for beginners to choose the "right" box.

if totally new, hard to justify spending big bucks.

but it is usually the big bucks boxes that are well made, less problematic and with good support that allows the user to learn fast!

so, RM200 or RM600 or RM1600?

perhaps, the best answer is a "middle of the road" box say rm300-400, many users already, can get some help in forums.

but what particular brand or model would that be?

i look back 5 years when i bought my first box - "premium" (at that time) but had no support.

i had no idea about streaming at all but was sure i wanted a box that can playback dtshdma for my home theater.

the good thing was the box was well made, stable firmware, did not give strange problems.

so whatever tip i got from anywhere and anyone was useful.

of course, many hours of work before finally "getting it".

This post has been edited by AVFAN: Apr 19 2017, 10:07 AM

cannot compare directly.

the specs and features are quite different.

support will also be diff.

price... one is rm4xx, the other 6xx.

the basic spec is "2/16gb android5.1" or 3/32gb android6.0" or...

the diff is not just in those but how good the firmware is, video and audio decoding software, updates, etc.

the worst boxes come with half cooked trial firmwares with no further updates.

i m not saying that for the box u posted - i don't know it at all.

just like there are a hundred brands each with 10 models that i don't know!

in general, buy a box that is used by many, popular, easy to find answers to problems.


read page 1 of this thread, some info/details there.