Bald Eagle

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Jul 29, 2014
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Hi all,

I'm new on here so please go easy on me! This is my second attempt at posting this as my first attempt was wiped after switching tabs on my browser, schoolboy error!

I am looking into purchasing an Android box and am after some information on which model would best suit me. I am primarily looking at one to stream sports and to a lesser extent, movies; I am into some pretty diverse sports that are not screened here and currently stream them through a laptop, which has its own frustrations, mainly the fact that my laptop is crap!

I only found out about droid boxes through a work colleague who purchased one for around £70 on Amazon and he has been raving about it so I decided to do a bit of research for myself. I am tempted by the X7 model or the X7 Ultimate model, mainly due to the fact that you can link them to your phone to use as a remote. Before choosing finally which one to buy I have decided to ask some of you more learned people on the subject to see if you can answer some of my queries on the X7 models.

1) Can you fast forward through movies with this model or is this impossible with all models due to the fact the movies are streamed in the first place? If available to me I would like a box with this option, if not then hey hoo!

2) Is the linking of the smartphone as a remote actually any good or would you be better buying a keyboard to go with it?

3) Does anyone know when the X7 model will be available to purchase? It is currently being listed as out of stock

4) Which is better, the X7 or the X7 Ultimate and why?

5) Is there a droid box that is better for me than either of the two mentioned, and if so what is it? If you could send me a link that would be great.

I may have more questions in time but that's enough to get me started, as I have said before I am pretty new to droid boxes but am not a technophobe (nor a tech wizard) and any advice would be gratefully received apologies if this is a thread that is out of place, mods please feel free to move it if it is.

Thanks in advance.
 
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ChrisM

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1) You can skip through most streams. Obviously live streams of TV channels can't time travel, but if you pause them to make a cup of tea, you should be able to skip forward (adverts etc.) The model you purchase won't have any bearing on the ability to fwd/rwd, don't worry. One thing to consider is a stream that involves torrenting will take a while longer to fast forward, but most TV shows/movies are normal streams.
2) Most of our models come with a VIP remote control, which has a keyboard on the back. Some people prefer using 3rd party controllers or their phone. Personally I have a VIP remote control on my main device, along with a cordless trackball and a USB keyboard, it all depends what I'm using the device for at the time.
3) I'll check for you.
4) The Ultimate edition of the X7 has greater storage space internally. If you don't plan to plug in a microSD card or USB thumbdrive/hard drive, it makes sense to get the X7 Ultimate.
5) I'd stick with the X7 Ultimate. Some people prefer the older iMX6, but it has a slower processor and less RAM, and over time I think it would be a false economy. We will be bringing out an Octo-Core GPU based model, but there isn't a concrete ETA on that yet, and unless you have a UHD (4K) TV, I'd not worry about waiting for it to arrive.

Obviously I work for DroidBOX, so feel free to wait for customers to chime in with their own thoughts, but FWIW I started out as a customer (an X7 at Christmas) before joining the team.
 

Bald Eagle

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Jul 29, 2014
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Cheers for the reply, another question for you, whats the price difference between the 2 devices? If there's not much between them then I'd go for the ultimate version.

My mate has the iMX6 version and he was telling me about the restriction when it came to fastforwarding through streamed content, as long as it's just certain files then I wouldn't worry too much about it.

What's the best place to buy one from? I look on the site and get redirected to amazon. I'm heading to Ireland for a few weeks now and am looking at buying one to arrive around the same time I return back again.

Again, thanks for the reply. All other input/info is gratefully received.
 

ChrisM

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X7 Ultimate - http://www.amazon.co.uk/DroidBOX-X7-Ultimate-RK3188-Android-Black/dp/B00K3LKB8M - Currently has £5 off the normal price, though I don't know how long that will last.

X7 - http://www.amazon.co.uk/DroidBOX-X7-RK3188-Android-4-2-2/dp/B00FLXEF9I

A customer mentioned recently that we were out of stock, but Amazon seems to show stock remaining (send an e-mail to [email protected] if you want to be certain before purchasing, I tend to stay on the Tech Support side of things at the company).

Let me know which add-ons/streams don't skip if you like, I'll double check it isn't a configuraiton problem by loading them on my devices.
 

Bald Eagle

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Just about to make my choice and purchase on this item, the X7 Ultimate is currently at £89.99 with the X7 at £84.99, the Ultimate looks to be the winner here. Does anyone have any advice on whether or not I should buy a keyboard also? If so, what do you recommend? All advice welcome (and links) welcome!
 

ChrisM

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It comes with a "VIP remote control", which has a QWERTY keyboard on the back
41Vm74cxWmL.jpg


I also have a full-size USB keyboard plugged into my X7, as if I occasionally need to type a lot of text in, being able to use all 10 fingers instead of two or three is obviously quicker :)
Some people prefer the Mele F10 - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wireless-Keyboard-Remote-Control-Center/dp/B009YPQ7PO - to the VIP remote control.
There are also some other remote controls in our shop - http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/node/ind...MQ0AW7Q&merchant=A1R743WMQ0AW7Q&redirect=true , but I've not used them.

I've heard rumours that other keyboards are available from different retailers ;)
 

Bald Eagle

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Jul 29, 2014
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Ha! Will have a look then, might try the keyboard that comes with to start with. Is the smartphone control option any good?
 

Bald Eagle

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Jul 29, 2014
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Cheers, here's hoping for some info on it from others. Just bought the Ultimate, looking forward to having a play with it and torturing you all for help on here!!!
 
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Bald Eagle

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Jul 29, 2014
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Looks like I'll find out for myself and report back on the Android app for the remote control. Cheers for all the info and help thus far SS, I'm just waiting on the droidbox being delivered in the next day or two!
 
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Bald Eagle

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Jul 29, 2014
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Right, box came yesterday and was pretty much plug & play, I found the startup guide pretty helpful especially as I didn't have my phone or computer near when I entered the murky world of XBMC for the first time and done the add on thing!

I haven't had time to mess with the app for the remote as yet but the remote that comes with it is a good piece of kit, however it does unconfigure from time to time. By this I mean that I have to aim roughly 1 inch above a selection tab to highlight it, very annoying! Is there a way of sorting this out quickly after it happens?

I am still trying to come to terms with the XBMC thing as I am a virgin when it comes to that and still trying to figure out what the best add ons are for TV Shows & movies (tips & links welcome), I have the sports thing sorted and have been enjoying some Aussie Rules! Some stream quality leaves a lot to be desired but overall I am very impressed. All I need now is to get my head into what this thing can do and crunch this forum!
 

ChrisM

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Re remote control and cursor mis-alignment. This happens if you hide the Android bar at the bottom of the screen AFTER you start XBMC. You can either hide the bar first (the little two downwards arrows icon at the bottom) or don't hide it.

Add-ons worth checking out (they're all worth a look, but if I'm searching for something, I go to these first, then look elsewhere if no joy):
1Channel, IceFilms, Mash Up and Navi-X.