Left Apple Tv for Android Tv because of more options.

[NewtonGravity]

Hey guys,

I just left my Apple Tv for an Android Tv device due to not having any external storage connection capacity and very limited options in terms of apps Anyone on the same boat with me about being annoyed at Apple for not having even the most basic functions like external storage connection, app downloads, etc?

I searched around on Amazon and found an Android Tv Box for like 70 bucks.

Amazon.com: Android / XBMC Smart TV Media Player with SATA Harddisk support by Orealo Dual Core Processor Quad core GPU 1GB RAM WIFI and Ethernet Support: Electronics

Received it last week and can't rave enough about it. I'll post a more detailed review later on this thread, but I'm liking everything so far.


Update - I've posted the review - scroll down below.

 

[Fausty82]

Hey guys,

I just left my Apple Tv for an Android Tv device due to not having any external storage connection capacity and very limited options in terms of apps Anyone on the same boat with me about being annoyed at Apple for not having even the most basic functions like external storage connection, app downloads, etc?

I searched around on Amazon and found an Android Tv Box for like 70 bucks.

Received it last week and can't rave enough about it. I'll post a more detailed review later on this thread, but I'm liking everything so far.

No external storage? How about your whole computer and airplay? I have a whole 10TB Drobo NAS full of stuff that I can stream to my AppleTV.

As for no apps, I?ll give you that... but at the same time, not sure I need any... what am I missing by not having "apps" on my AppleTV? I have a plethora of channels to watch as well as access to my entire media library...

 

[kch50428]

Not annoyed with AppleTV in the least as the "external storage" is met by my home shared iTunes library... I've never been one to want apps on AppleTV... I've got my iPhone, iPad and MacBook for app needs...

Good luck and enjoy your new toy...

 

[NewtonGravity]

Thanks guys. I do have a macbook that I use for my work, not to play movies on. So airplay for me is not an option. I upload all my movies to an external hard drive so I can file/categorize my movies. Anyways I still like Apple in general due to its clean interface, but I need more options for my tv. I guess I'm a unique user?

 

[Just_Me_D]

I'm glad you like your new device, and I hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoy our Apple TV. Take care..

 

[iEd]

500gig internal hard drive? Not enough for all the movies and music I have. I use a 2TB external with my iMac just for music and Movies with Apple TV. Does the Android TV do Netflix? HBO Go?

The Android seems like a cool piece but I don't see the advantage over ATV.

 

[NewtonGravity]

500gig internal hard drive? Not enough for all the movies and music I have. I use a 2TB external with my iMac just for music and Movies with Apple TV. Does the Android TV do Netflix? HBO Go?

The Android seems like a cool piece but I don't see the advantage over ATV.

500gig internal hard drive? Not enough for all the movies and music I have. I use a 2TB external with my iMac just for music and Movies with Apple TV. Does the Android TV do Netflix? HBO Go?

The Android seems like a cool piece but I don't see the advantage over ATV.

I like to keep my computer and tv separate.

Yes the Android Tv does have netflix and hbo go. I've used the netflix app and it generates up to 1080p of high quality video. The thing that's compelling about this device is that it turns your whole tv screen into an Android operating system. So whatever apps you want to download from the Google play store, you can actually get it via your television - this is the biggest advantage over the ATV.

For instance I downloaded an alarm app so that my tv can wake me up. hehe

 

[iEd]

I like to keep my computer and tv separate.

Yes the Android Tv does have netflix and hbo go. I've used the netflix app and it generates up to 1080p of high quality video. The thing that's compelling about this device is that it turns your whole tv screen into an Android operating system. So whatever apps you want to download from the Google play store, you can actually get it via your television - this is the biggest advantage over the ATV.

For instance I downloaded an alarm app so that my tv can wake me up. hehe

That's what's up.

 

[NewtonGravity]

So here is just my review of the product so far.

This thing has ALOT of ports - by far the most I've seen on any Tv Box's. So you can hook up basically almost anything here.

Here are the hardware specifications:

• CPU: Allwinner A20 Dual Core 1.2GHz A9 CPU
• GPU: Mali 400 Quad Core GPU
• Storage: 4GB Storage
• WiFi: RealTek 802.11 b/g/n

Here are the software

• OS: Android 4.2.2
• Web Browser: Google Chrome
• DLNA: Supported
• Video Playback: Up to 1080p
• Music Playback: MP3, WMA, OGG, WAV
• Picture Viewer: Yes
• Video Playback: MPEG-2, H.264, MPEG-4 at 1080p

The unit came with a

• The Unit
• Remote
• Power Adapter
• A/V Cable

The remote can be compared to your typical dvd/blu ray player remote - except that it has the option of having the mouse as a cursor! This is one of the best features of this device because it's like having a computer monitor on your screen without the mouse/keyboard! You can move the cursor around via the directional pad.

So enough about the hardware, let's talk about the Android OS. Here is what the homepage menu looks like:

The first thing I did was hookup my external hard drive and checked out the quality of the video image - this is what I bought the device for! I played Kung Fu Panda You can't see it in the image (camera sucks in the dark) but the quality was excellent! Based on my assessment, I would say the video played in 1080p - I'm not overstating!

Next I logged into my wifi network and visited the app section to play Netflix.

I played The Office. Again you can't see it from the image, but the quality was excellent. It also played 1080p.

I was curious about the Google Chrome web browser so I checked it out. It was very easy to browse around! You can't see the mouse cursor from the image below, but you can easily navigate around the web without a mouse/keyboard. Although you can hookup a mouse and keyboard if you want! I was using it mostly for looking at some news items

So I haven't really played around in terms of games and play store - still have to once I get some time. I bought it mainly for hooking up my external hard drive to watch movies or connect to the internet to watch Netflix. However, whatever app is in the Google Play Store, you can download it! So this device is capable of delivering tons of content right into your television. Think of it like an Android phone on your big screen - only it fits and does not dilute the image quality of the screen.

Anyways, I really don't have any cons for this device. I would rate it one of the best gadgets I've ever bought. I rank it 10/10 based on comparisons with other tv boxes I've bought like the Apple Tv, Roku Streaming, and Western Digital.

Hope you guys like my review! I'll make sure to post more when I get another gadget. hehe.

 

[Coachbulldog]

For instance I downloaded an alarm app so that my tv can wake me up. hehe

I don't keep up on technology like many posters here and I had not even heard of Android TV until I read this thread. Beside the alarm clock, what other apps do you find valuable that aren't on Apple TV?

 

[iEd]

I'm good with the Apple TV. I Tried Android OS,not feeling it.

 

[NewtonGravity]

I don't keep up on technology like many posters here and I had not even heard of Android TV until I read this thread. Beside the alarm clock, what other apps do you find valuable that aren't on Apple TV?

I haven't really gotten that much into downloading apps yet, but I think some of the more useful apps I've downloaded thus far that aren't on apple is Gmail. While you're watching a movie, you can get little notifications that says you've got a new email. hehe. Like I said, anything that you see in the play store (https://play.google.com/store?hl=en) you can download it for the Android tv box. So there are so many apps you can put into your tv. I just need a little more time to play around with it to make suggestions on useful apps. I'm most likely going to download apps that will enhance my tv browsing experience. Not sure of what that is yet though.

I'm good with the Apple TV. I Tried Android OS,not feeling it.

Ya Android OS is not as intuitive but you get a lot of customizations. I guess I'm just the type of guy that likes to hack things hehe.

 

[iEd]

I'd personally hate to have a movie interrupted by an email notification. My TV is purely for sit back and relax viewing. If I really need to get an email urgently, my iPhone, iPad, and MBP are all probably within arm's reach.

But each to their own.

Dig. I have my iPad,iPhone and Mac for communication. I don't have time to hack anything. ATV does what it does well.

 

[Trees]

I like to keep my computer and tv separate.

Yes the Android Tv does have netflix and hbo go. I've used the netflix app and it generates up to 1080p of high quality video. The thing that's compelling about this device is that it turns your whole tv screen into an Android operating system. So whatever apps you want to download from the Google play store, you can actually get it via your television - this is the biggest advantage over the ATV.

For instance I downloaded an alarm app so that my tv can wake me up. hehe

Nice review and photos. Good to see what others find to solve their problems. Thanks for sharing this.

For years I used the TV alarm and a traditional alarm clock. Sounds like your alarm apps can wake the TV and the box comes out of sleep just prior?

Have to admit that with smartphones and my iPad, I haven't even bothered to setup the TV and cable box alarm and wake options.

All that said it does seem plausible that Apple could add an alarm feature in ATV for a future release.

 

[NewtonGravity]

I'd personally hate to have a movie interrupted by an email notification. My TV is purely for sit back and relax viewing. If I really need to get an email urgently, my iPhone, iPad, and MBP are all probably within arm's reach.

But each to their own.

Yes, to each their own. As someone who constantly need to respond to emails in a very quick manner, it's a useful tool for me. Like I said, I have many apple products that I love dearly, but I'm always open to try out other devices that would make my life easier. hehe.

Nice review and photos. Good to see what others find to solve their problems. Thanks for sharing this.

For years I used the TV alarm and a traditional alarm clock. Sounds like your alarm apps can wake the TV and the box comes out of sleep just prior?

Have to admit that with smartphones and my iPad, I haven't even bothered to setup the TV and cable box alarm and wake options.

All that said it does seem plausible that Apple could add an alarm feature in ATV for a future release.

Np. Thanks for your response.

My tv screen is always on at night - I'm one of those people that can only sleep with the tv on. I only turn it off when I leave home so I wouldn't say this is your ideal device for setting the alarm. The device is not capable of activating the settings on the tv itself. I think for a tv to do that, it would have to be able to have the OS built right in.

 

[Tre Lawrence]

Sounds fantastic. Nice review OP. Sounds like Google is stepping up to the plate with regards to media consumption. I like Android, but an way behind when it comes to GTV.

 

[NewtonGravity]

Thanks!

Though Google is ditching it's GTV. Check this out...
Google Reportedly Ditching Google TV Brand, Going With Android TV Instead – Droid Life

Looks like Android will be their main device!

 

[Totalimmortal363]

I have a GoogleTV/Android TV. It sucks. Big time.

 

[NewtonGravity]

Some people where asking me privately about the mouse option. Here is a demo of me using the remote to fully control the box.

 

[RemmyZero]

I have a jailbroken ATV2, a Vizio Costar and a Roku so I can say from an informed point of view that the ATV is not as flexible as either the roku or costar. Yes, the iTunes store will always have the biggest library but as far as programs and flexibility the others beat it hands down. I shouldn't *have to use my phone to airplay content to the ATV because it's not in my iTunes library. I have 8 movies in my library, and 400 on my server which aren't in the right format so I can't import them and I refuse to spend my time converting them all. I can effortlessly watch these with my costar and roku. I can also airplay to my roku. Also, why no amazon instant video? No aereo support for live TV feeds? No Plex support? No Hulu support? (I refuse to pay for Hulu plus in addition to everything I already pay for. The point is to pay less and cut the cord, not to cut the cord and pick up 4 different subscriptions). Seriously apple, you had a great start and you're letting the ATV fall behind and treating it like a hobby. The ATV is great, it's just not the greatest.