2015-05-25, 08:08
So I was able to find a pretty good deal on some android sticks.
$12 a piece at my local store and I had a 15% off coupon.
I got three .. i will use two and either keep or sell the other one.
Its plain android not a propitiatory solution so you get the ability to add and remove apps.
It comes with a MicroSD Card slot and I got a package deal on Amazon for two 16gb cards and a usb card reader stick.
it comes with a standard wireless mouse but I purchased an airmouse that looks like a remote control with a full keyboard.
It works well and only cost $10 free shipping on Ebay Direct from China.. took 11 days to get to the USA East Coast.
Not bad on shipping i was in no rush. Amazon over $35 free shipping .. from 3 states over often takes longer than from China.
Upon booting you go through the same setup as you would for a android phone.
First thing you want to do is go into settings and adjust your display so it fits your TV.
there will be arrows at the 4 corners.. make sure you give yourself a tiny bit of margin.
this is not the TV's setup .. this is Android Settings for your Display.
You will need a GMail email account so you can access Play Store.
Setup is not that difficult you need to add your wifi and I had to add my network manually because I hide my network.
I did use the mouse that came with the stick to do the initial setup but i strongly suggest that you buy a wireless keyboard.
once you get connected to the internet install a real browser like chrome.
check your version of Kodi.. my stick came with XBMC installed so i removed that then installed Kodi from the Kodi.tv website.
Use your browser to go to the website and download the apk ..
Go into your settings and allow app install from unknown sources
then navigate to your downloads folder and click on the kodi package.
From there its like everything you do on a PC.
I also installed Hulu for a free account.. most of the stuff is locked up but not all
and I installed LiveStream they have a bunch of News Stations across the USA you can watch free.
My sticks came with 1 foot USB Extension cables and if yours does not you run the risk of
having wifi interfere with your wireless mouse or keyboard.
yes they are on different frequencies but the close proximity causes bleed over.
so if you have crappy wifi or no distance on your mouse or keyboard then get a USB extender cable and move the dongle away from the android stick or box.
not sure what else to say.. you can get these things real cheap now.. Ebay direct from china like $10
make sure you get android 4.
Like android and Kodi you have the option to stream from a local source..
I tested that but I am not using that at this time.
Maybe if I build a small low power NAS
$12 a piece at my local store and I had a 15% off coupon.
I got three .. i will use two and either keep or sell the other one.
Its plain android not a propitiatory solution so you get the ability to add and remove apps.
It comes with a MicroSD Card slot and I got a package deal on Amazon for two 16gb cards and a usb card reader stick.
it comes with a standard wireless mouse but I purchased an airmouse that looks like a remote control with a full keyboard.
It works well and only cost $10 free shipping on Ebay Direct from China.. took 11 days to get to the USA East Coast.
Not bad on shipping i was in no rush. Amazon over $35 free shipping .. from 3 states over often takes longer than from China.
Upon booting you go through the same setup as you would for a android phone.
First thing you want to do is go into settings and adjust your display so it fits your TV.
there will be arrows at the 4 corners.. make sure you give yourself a tiny bit of margin.
this is not the TV's setup .. this is Android Settings for your Display.
You will need a GMail email account so you can access Play Store.
Setup is not that difficult you need to add your wifi and I had to add my network manually because I hide my network.
I did use the mouse that came with the stick to do the initial setup but i strongly suggest that you buy a wireless keyboard.
once you get connected to the internet install a real browser like chrome.
check your version of Kodi.. my stick came with XBMC installed so i removed that then installed Kodi from the Kodi.tv website.
Use your browser to go to the website and download the apk ..
Go into your settings and allow app install from unknown sources
then navigate to your downloads folder and click on the kodi package.
From there its like everything you do on a PC.
I also installed Hulu for a free account.. most of the stuff is locked up but not all
and I installed LiveStream they have a bunch of News Stations across the USA you can watch free.
My sticks came with 1 foot USB Extension cables and if yours does not you run the risk of
having wifi interfere with your wireless mouse or keyboard.
yes they are on different frequencies but the close proximity causes bleed over.
so if you have crappy wifi or no distance on your mouse or keyboard then get a USB extender cable and move the dongle away from the android stick or box.
not sure what else to say.. you can get these things real cheap now.. Ebay direct from china like $10
make sure you get android 4.
Like android and Kodi you have the option to stream from a local source..
I tested that but I am not using that at this time.
Maybe if I build a small low power NAS
