Cutting the cord

[EldrickOnIce]

Originally Posted by Hanni

I ordered this one https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01GLE929I/...785990_TE_item
We'll see how it is, the nvidia shield and fire tv are appealing but price is and availability (fire tv) are tough.

I'm sure it will be good.
It will come preloaded with Kodi. My advice would be to add fusion as source and use 'Fresh start' to wipe it clean. Assuming play store is installed, I would also delete Kodi installation and install directly from the play store. It will them update as with any other app. It's will be a bit of work, and some learning curve, but will benefit you greatly in the long run.
Keep us posted!

[cupofjoe]

Originally Posted by fundmark19

Was this refreshing your personal media directories? I still use plex for all that stuff since the wife can use it easily on the iPads. I need it only for kodi streaming and Netflix

It was with my media directories in Kodi. I believe (through researching Kodi forums) that I had one or more add-ons giving me issues as it started after I upgraded to a new version of Kodi. Frankly due to the limitations of the ir control, I didn't put a ton of effort in trying to resolve it.

[fundmark19]

Originally Posted by EldrickOnIce

I'm sure it will be good.
It will come preloaded with Kodi. My advice would be to add fusion as source and use 'Fresh start' to wipe it clean. Assuming play store is installed, I would also delete Kodi installation and install directly from the play store. It will them update as with any other app. It's will be a bit of work, and some learning curve, but will benefit you greatly in the long run.
Keep us posted!

I second this the model I had was by the same company and the pre installed stuff was out dated and once I did a clean install it was slightly better on the Kodi front. The Netflix app was what really drove me mad and made me return it. Also wasn't the best for live streaming sports but that could have been my internet and not the actual box

[fundmark19]

Originally Posted by cupofjoe

It was with my media directories in Kodi. I believe (through researching Kodi forums) that I had one or more add-ons giving me issues as it started after I upgraded to a new version of Kodi. Frankly due to the limitations of the ir control, I didn't put a ton of effort in trying to resolve it.

Good to know I will keep an eye out for anything and report back! Just got the boxes today so will load them up tonight and test on the weekend

[fundmark19]

Well kodi will be put on hold my wife decided to start having the baby early. I did bring Amazon tv to the hospital and I am liking it so far. The voice integration seems to work very well. Bad news is you can't get crave tv on it so I can't marathon band of brothers all night.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by fundmark19

I did bring Amazon tv to the hospital and I am liking it so far.

You're welcome.

[EldrickOnIce]

Originally Posted by fundmark19

Well kodi will be put on hold my wife decided to start having the baby early. I did bring Amazon tv to the hospital and I am liking it so far. The voice integration seems to work very well. Bad news is you can't get crave tv on it so I can't marathon band of brothers all night.

You can watch anything you want, just not legally.
Congrats dad

[EldrickOnIce]

Originally Posted by rubecube

For NFL fans, from the Vmedia thread:
"Info on NFL Game Pass International"


I also downloaded the Kodi extension for gamepass and it's awesome. The app only streams at 1600kbps and looks like crap, whereas the Kodi extension gives you full 4500kbps and 720p. Looks as good as watching it on an HD cable channel. The Kodi extension is also pretty rad because it has a full library of games from past seasons (I think it went as far back as 2010).

Just signed up for the free one week trial.
The Kodi addon is awesome. Watching the condensed version of Thursday game right now (40 minutes long lol).
Quality is excellent. Will see how today goes. Am very happy to have Red Zone.
It's expensive, but meh.
Anyway, thanks for this heads up!

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by EldrickOnIce

Just signed up for the free one week trial.
The Kodi addon is awesome. Watching the condensed version of Thursday game right now (40 minutes long lol).
Quality is excellent. Will see how today goes. Am very happy to have Red Zone.
It's expensive, but meh.
Anyway, thanks for this heads up!

Not sure where you signed up from but if you use PIA and change your location to Brazil or New Zealand, the price drops by about $50.

[MoneyGuy]

Long thread and this is probably answered but I don't have time to read it all now. How can I cut cable (we use Netflix for 95% of our content) and be able to watch my CFL games and the occasional NHL game? I watch the Walking Dead (it is on Netflix but not up to date) and Game of Thrones so need to know if I can legally get those. I suppose I could go old school and get sports on non-cable TV but it wouldn't be HD.

[EldrickOnIce]

TSN Go (CFL) and TMN Go (HBO in Canada) are not available as standalone subscriptions options. They are only included with cable package(s). Sportsnet now is available as standalone. There is no option for AMC except as part of package in Canada.
You should be able to use OTA antenna to pick up local channels in excellent HD quality. This would work for CBC hockey broadcasts, and any regular network programming.
Legal streaming options in Canada suck.

[hixxes]

Are you sure about Sportsnet being available as a standalone? Telus appears to still have it as part of the Popular Sports package.

[gottabekd]

Originally Posted by MoneyGuy

Long thread and this is probably answered but I don't have time to read it all now. How can I cut cable (we use Netflix for 95% of our content) and be able to watch my CFL games and the occasional NHL game? I watch the Walking Dead (it is on Netflix but not up to date) and Game of Thrones so need to know if I can legally get those. I suppose I could go old school and get sports on non-cable TV but it wouldn't be HD.

Lots of cable channels release their shows on services like iTunes, Google Play, Playstation Store, Microsoft store. Unfortunately they are released essentially the next day after broadcast. E.g. Walking Dead airs Sunday night at say...9:00 PM MST. The episode becomes available on iTunes at about 1:00 AM Monday morning, meaning it is likely a next day viewing. AMC, FX, and many network shows can be watched this way.

To watch on your TV you will want a small IPTV box like an Apple TV or Roku, or the Sony or Microsoft game console if going that route.

Unfortunately, the one major exception is HBO (for Game of Thrones). In the past, the only 100% above the board way to watch Game of Thrones in Canada as it airs is to subscribe to a cable/satellite service and add HBO to your package. About a few months after the final episode of a season airs, the whole season is available for purchase on services like iTunes or Google Play. But this means you have to wait around 2-3 months avoiding spoilers, and being unable to talk about GoT with anyone.

[gottabekd]

Originally Posted by hixxes

Are you sure about Sportsnet being available as a standalone? Telus appears to still have it as part of the Popular Sports package.

The Sportsnet NOW Internet streaming service can be subscribed to without a TV subscription. It's $25/month to get the 6 or whatever Sportsnet channels, available to watch on your web browser, Xbox One, more devices coming soon.

[puckedoff]

^ I just bought the Sportsnet Now and I would caution that although it says Chromecast supported, its not true Chromecast support. You can flip the browser to Chromecast but there is not an actual button like Netflix has, so the quality suffers a bit when you cast to TV.

[Hanni]

Originally Posted by Hanni

I ordered this one https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01GLE929I/...785990_TE_item
We'll see how it is, the nvidia shield and fire tv are appealing but price is and availability (fire tv) are tough.

I've finally had some time to get everything setup and started trying it out. From a hardware perspective it seems adequate, loads apps quickly, pretty responsive, no real complaints there. Android in this setup leaves something to be desired, but that has nothing to do with the box. I bought a mini keyboard/trackpad combo that helps a lot but an OS that is meant to be touch screen still feels cumbersome to use with it. The Netflix and Plex apps are a bit of a pain to use, again I think because they are meant to be used on a touchscreen, but they work for the most part.

A couple of Kodi questions for the experts; is there a good search addon that will search across all of the installed addons? I tried to do a bunch of Live TV last night and out of the 20 or so streams I tried, on multiple addons, I only got one to actually load. Am I doing something wrong?

[fundmark19]

I've been reading that castaway is bad right now for live tv since the developer has decided to take a vacation. Any tips also appreciated!

I loaded kodi on the Amazon box and it was very simple. Seems to be working pretty good I haven't had too much time to fiddle with the live streaming yet

[fundmark19]

So Amazon doesn't have a NHL Game Center app. I've been trying to install through kodi but looks like the app is disabled. I have a valid account does anyone know a way to get it to work on Amazon or kodi?

[EldrickOnIce]

Originally Posted by fundmark19

So Amazon doesn't have a NHL Game Center app. I've been trying to install through kodi but looks like the app is disabled. I have a valid account does anyone know a way to get it to work on Amazon or kodi?

Google NHL.tv addon by Eracknaphobia. You will have to send his repo to your amazon box, I think. I don't think it is in official repo, but may be?
It is excellent. Live plus full, condensed and about 10 minute highlights for each game. Really good quality, without buffering. Also works with Rogers login, which you get with phone plan.

[EldrickOnIce]

Originally Posted by Hanni

I've finally had some time to get everything setup and started trying it out. From a hardware perspective it seems adequate, loads apps quickly, pretty responsive, no real complaints there. Android in this setup leaves something to be desired, but that has nothing to do with the box. I bought a mini keyboard/trackpad combo that helps a lot but an OS that is meant to be touch screen still feels cumbersome to use with it. The Netflix and Plex apps are a bit of a pain to use, again I think because they are meant to be used on a touchscreen, but they work for the most part.

A couple of Kodi questions for the experts; is there a good search addon that will search across all of the installed addons? I tried to do a bunch of Live TV last night and out of the 20 or so streams I tried, on multiple addons, I only got one to actually load. Am I doing something wrong?

No way to search across all addons, that I am aware of. There are several aggregate addons like Exodus and SALTS, that scrape multiple sources . I exclusively use Exodus, and can't remember the last time I couldn't find a good source for what I want to watch. Use in conjunction with Trakt.tv account/addon, and it keeps track of all your tv watching across all Kodi devices.
TBH, live feeds suck. Sometimes one can find good sports streams, but for other TV it is not good, in my experience.