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Internet TV - Geek Alert


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When Netflix started cracking down I got interested in Internet TV.  There is a lot of hoopla about thousands of channels with set top boxes and smart TV's selling like hotcakes.

A friend lent me 3 TV attachments including the Kindle fire.  I played with them for about a week and and the performance ranged from poor to pathetic.  The Kindle was totally useless with buffering and failing to connect to links. I did not even consider smart TV's since all they are is a TV with the set top box bundled in.  The price for these is several hundred $'s more than a regular TV.

A partial problem is the Internet speed here and I am confined to about 3 Mbs (Telmex Chula Vista). However examining the Kindle closely it only had about 300K RAM for buffer and the processor was running at a steady 60% capacity.  A better unit had about 1GB RAM, a better processor, and performed a bit better.  The bundled links with the units were useless.

There is a deeper problem.  The original Internet TV concept started with Windows media Center, then forked to XBMC and eventually became Kodi probably maintaining a Windows oriented base. KODI is the heart of the Internet TV process.

When Google developed Android they probably ported Kodi to Android via an emulator which adds another delay layer.  Android, used in Set Top Boxes, focuses on low power, and minimizes hardware and RAM.  I am not qualified to comment on Android software but conclude that the performance of a smartphone or an Android box falls far short of the processing power of the typical desktop computer.  If I am not mistaken the favored Set Top Box Infomir MAG 254 does not use Android.

Another  problem is Google and Amazon.  Google owns Android and cripples KODI in Set Top Boxes, ties you to their app store, and severely limits what KODI can do so that in self defense folks start to buy movies.  Amazon is the same. Box manufacturers seem to follow suit probably to get a discount on Android license fees. The pre-loaded boxes seem to offer a lot but you can't get connected to most of the services. This sucks.

THERE IS A SOLUTION.  

I downloaded KODI from kodi.tv for Windows 7, both 32 aND 64 versions on my desktop.  I added the following add-ons:  Phoenix, Genesis, Exodus, Navi-x, M4U, Ice Films, Movie Mix, 1 Channel and Spectro Fork.  Installing the add-ons was simple if you google KODI+(name of add-on).  This provides a step by step recipe for addon install.  This can be done by anyone with some computer knowledge.

The results were very good. I get major news services, TV Series, some just released movies and a  host of other movies.  I can watch them without stuttering about 99% of the time. A big majority of the connections work compared to connection difficulties with Set Top Boxes.  Video quality is good.

My present setup is an older laptop with Win7 connected with Ethernet cable and to a large ordinary TV,  I use a wireless mouse (Microsoft) as the remote control.  I am quite happy with the arrangement and cancelled Netflix.

Unlike Netflix, Hulu etc. this setup requires attention since TV Internet servers come and go. There are individuals and businesses that provide the maintenance for changed server connections. However there is also a scam where Mr. X buys 10 maintenance contracts with a business, sells 40 access codes and then fades from sight. Eventually the server finds out and cuts off the user.

I am not a computer expert and do not want to become a tutor.  Hopefully my experiment may be of interest to another amateur computer geek. 

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This is a great review and round up of information on this increasingly-popular method of "cutting the cord". At present, the state of the art is in complete disarray, as everyone vies to become a standout leader, and trying to figure it all out is not for the faint of heart. In the meantime, I stick to torrents downloaded to a portable hard drive that I plug into my TV via USB, and never see a commercial or suffer from buffering or other hiccups.

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Have been using kodi for a year now. Mostly for uk football and cricket. There are hundreds of addons which then give you the direct links to tv channels. Unfortunately after a while many disappear and can be a pain. However at the mo i am using wookie wizard which can be seperately downloaded as an app for android. In wookie i use  sports devil for sports. Can be used on windows using blustacks .Also uktv now is good and has american channels as well. Simple signup is required. also for android world stream sports. Down load from doctor-dance.net. have had no problems with viruses with any of the above. hundreds of uk american and some canadian live channels are available plus films.. All free.quality varies some sd others hd.buffering depends on your internet connection and download server. But 3 should be sufficient. I have recently seen local ads lakeside offering similar service and charging people  setup and monthly charges..all is available for free dont fall for it.

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Thank-you for your research, well documented

My wife likes to watch all of those mystery shows like NCIS, Scandal, Good Wife, Criminal Mind etc.   and I like some others like local news, Big Bang Theory, How the Universe works, etc.   Seems like  cable is still the best for our type of viewing requirements.     We like to record on the PVR and watch later.    I don't think hunting for servers would be something of interest to my wife or me.

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Mostly of addons that you are talking about are free addons, that is the reason of the problems, I recommend you a pay service, it is cheaper than Telecable and Dish, specially the service and channels you can watch , arround 900 channels , Usa-Canada-Europe-America, contact me to give you futher details, pepe_alejandroglez@yahoo.com.mx.

premium channels, sports, cinema, Adult section, several HD..... whatsapp 3314238251

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I've tried many of these services but always delete them in frustration as the providers don't work as intended, or only for 10% of the listed shows, even here in the States! I'm currently using a Roku TV and we mainly use it to watch things on Amazon Prime. I need to research this for when we move back to Lakeside next year. I'll probably try to continue Amazon video w/ a VPN, otherwise I'll just torrent everything as usual...

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In March I was visiting the kids and son-in-law put Kodi & 1Channel on an Amazon Firestick for me.

It works just great with all the shows we normally watch over Slingbox but without commercials.

I will say that this is not for everyone as selecting the server to stream from can be frustrating, but for someone who is patient I always find at least one server to serve up the program and the picture is very good.

Probably a good idea for someone who is somewhat technically savvy. 

 

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So is 3mbps the best speed available in the lakeside villages? I need at least 6 to do my work, which involves downloading a lot of things. I would prefer higher speeds. I have around 32mbps now in the states and I think it's slow. I'd go crazy with only 3!

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We're using Strong Open VPN to receive NetFlix U.S. and other channels.  So far so good.  NetFlix U.S. has a lot more content than NetFlix Mexico BTW.

CBS News has an excellent streaming channel on Roku.

Gotta get our "House of Cards" fix! :D

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I use Kodi and there are groups on Facebook that provide help and support, most of the stuff is for free and there is no need to pay, however you must put attention to changes in the servers or addons.

I can watch PPV events, NBA,movies, Total Play mexican Channels .

 

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