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FAQ – Android TV Boxes Questions and Answers

What is an Android TV Box?

Android TV Box is basically a mini PC that runs Android operating system. It normally comes with Kodi (XBMC) installed that allows you to stream movies, series, channels, sports, etc for free.

What is XBMC?

XBMC / Kodi is an open source a media player application that give you the power to stream media from internet in your TV.

What content can I stream from XBMC?

You’re going to find many add-ons available on Kodi platform. There are add-ons for everything including to watch free Movies, TV Shows, TV Channels, etc.

Be Careful! ⚠

There have been significant crackdowns over the last few months on illegal streaming. This is due to the ISPs blocking users access to streaming sites, causing Kodi errors and streams not opening or constantly pausing.

Luckily, if you use a good VPN, your traffic will be anonymous and encrypted so your ISP won’t be able to see what you are doing online.

My VPN of trust is Surfshark. It offers the fastest connections and also a strict no logs policy, meaning your traffic history will not be stored and cannot be used against you.

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  • 🔑Unblock Anything: Safe access to censored apps, websites and torrent sites.
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What add-ons come pre-installed on Android TV boxes?

All the boxes that we recommend in our blog comes with Kodi (XBMC) pre-installed, with it normally comes add-ons like Exodus, Phoenix, Navi-X, UK Turk Playlist and many others allowing you to stream thousands of Free movies, TV shows and live TV.

What internet speed do I need to run an Android TV Box?

For the best streaming quality we recommend a minimum of 2mb and for HD content you will need minimum 4mb broadband speed.

What Video formats does Android boxes support?

Most of Android TV Boxes support: MPEG1/2/4: Up to 1920*1080; H.264: Up to 1920*1080; VC-1/WMV; Up to 1920*1080; Realvideo 8/9/10; up to 1280*720, including dat, avi, mpg, mkv, rm, rmvb, ts, vob, m2ts, mp4 suffixes etc.

What is the best remote control for any Android TV Box?

[easyazon_link identifier=”B009TF0HSM” locale=”UK” tag=”bestdroidplayer-21″ cart=”y”]Wi-Fi keypad[/easyazon_link] off Amazon works much better than other Android TV remotes.

Do I need to pay any TV subscription to use an Android TV Box? Are there any extra costs involved?

You just pay for the box, no subscriptions.

Which apps or add-ons should I download to watch movies and series?

Check our article about the Best XBMC Kodi video add-ons.

Do I need fibre broadband?

You don’t need fibre broadband. Any good broadband with more than 4 mb speed will works perfectly. But of course the speed of fibre broadband is the most stable.

Will it connects Wireless?

You can connect your box either via ethernet or by wifi.

Can I get Cartoon Network or any other children’s channels for my son?

Yes, there are lots of kids channels on it…

Does this work if I take to Portugal and plug in? Would I get UK TV channels over the internet?

Yes you would. Anywhere in the world with an internet connection.

It says this comes with Kodi XBMC already pre loaded…. will I still have to add on the app or download it from the internet?

No, it comes installed. You just enjoy it.

Does Android Boxes work overseas?

Yes. Anywhere with internet connection.

How do I get films on Android TV Box?

You can go into the XBMC application and there is a option for films, box sets, live TV, live sports etc. You can filter from genres.

What’s the best add-ons for films now as mash up has gone?

Exodus, Velocity, and phoenix in my opinion.

Is that possible to Web Surf with Android TV Box?

Yes. You’re going to find a button in the main menu to web browser. Very useful feature.

Can I have a Android TV Box and Sky box plugged into the same TV?

Yes, they are both HDMI. Select the HDMI input via your TV remote.

Does this have recent films on?

Yes all new and old films are available through some Kodi addons.

How do i know if this will work on my TV?

If your TV has an HDMI port it’s all good.

Is Android Box legal to buy?

Yes, or would not be selling on amazon.

Can you watch BBC and ITV on Android TV Box?

Yes, all BBC and ITV channels can be watched. We recommend the freeview addon to stream UK channels legally.

Do you need to have a subscription to have the movies, sports and adult?

No you don’t. It’s all available in through some Kodi addons.

How can I watch geolocked streams?

You will need to install a VPN.

What’s the Best VPN for Kodi?

Surfshark was considered the best VPN for Kodi. Is fast and supported by Kodi VPN addons.

Can’t you stream some content?

Check the Log for more information. ?
kodi error check log for more information

Empty directory ?
kodi empty directory

Solution:
Most of the times that you get these annoying errors is because the content is geolocked. This means that you are trying to access content that is blocked for UK (if you are in UK). For eg if you are trying to watch an american TV Channel.

There is a couple of VPN’s that you can use with Kodi, however, there is only one that stands out as the best VPN for kodi >> Surfshark.

best vpn for kodi Surfshark

Surfshark just may be the fastest VPN provider out there, and you need as much speed as possible to stream. There are free VPNs, but they use slow servers and then the streams would be constantly buffering. With Surfshark you will get the best VPN experience available for the most competitive price.

Are VPNs legal?

Yes they are totally legal, you have the right to stay anonymous.

Get the most of Kodi with Surfshark:

  • Unblock Geo targeting to access any content regardless of where you are located
  • Bypass any censorship put in place by websites or streaming providers
  • Stay truly anonymous when streaming content to your Kodi device

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Related Posts:

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. admin says

    Open Kodi
    Select SYSTEM
    Select Appearance
    Select Skin > Settings
    Select Add-On Shortcuts
    choose Home page “Videos” submenu & select Add-On 1 (or other position)1
    In the next screen choose the exodus to use as shortcut.

  2. admin says

    You have some free addons to watch live tv. For example UK Turk Playlist, sportsdevil and many others

  3. Ramona says

    I’m have problem with getting exodus back on front at home page can someone help me plz.

  4. Jon says

    I bought a android 4k box. It has the kodi app on it with Exodus. Guy who sold to me also put a live tv app called radiosity. I can watch live tv and ppvs in he. He’s asking for a 20.99 monthly subscription. Anyway to avoid that with what he set up for me on this box?

  8. admin says

    on android box: click in the Return button in your remote control
    on laptop: click in the backspace button

  10. Trevor says

    I have a ten year old plasma TV, my android streaming picture qualify is very poor. Is this due to the age of the TV as my broadband is the latest virgin fibre optic and i use an ethernet connection lead.

  11. Dave says

    How do you get rid of the bottom player bar and the picture of the movie (on the left on screen) when playing a movie?

  12. Lisa solloway says

    Hi
    I have a mx3 box can anyone tell me wot the best sd card I brought SanDisk Extreme 32 GB microSDHC Memory Card + SD Adapter up to 90 MB/s, Class 10, U3, V30, FFP
    It’s show up but when I try to download it’s says successful but the folder is empty
    Any help would be much appreciated

  14. admin says

    Your box should have the wrong date – 2014. You will need to change the date / time of your android box. To do that, in your main screen, go to settings – advanced settings – date
    I recommend to set to automatic, so it will get the date/time from your operator, in this case your ISP.

  15. admin says

    These boxes dont get aerial tv signal. To use the box to watch channels, you will need internet because you’ll be streaming that channels.

  16. Jennifer Collins says

    I have also run into this problem. I have had the box for a few weeks now and have been happily watching all the latest episodes of the shows I like but today when I tried to watch anything I discovered I can’t access any content beyond 2014. What is going on?

  19. admin says

    Hi. It depends on your broadband service. You can test it using 2 mobile devices streaming HD videos on youtube at the same time. If it loads fast, you wont have problems having 2 boxes streaming at the same time :)

  20. Christine says

    I have an Android box for my living room tv, I am thinking about getting another one for my bedroom tv. My question is, if I am watching it in the living room, will my husband be able to watch something else in the bedroom at the same time? Or does that decrease the quality of the stream?

  22. Sally says

    Hi I had a box I’ve brought from amazon for a year now
    All of a sudden the programs I trying to watch like I do every week have disappeared lucifer completely gone and vampire diaries season 7 and 8 have gone to

  24. admin says

    They will be compatible. You can use your freeview in your TV or your box selecting the HDMI port.

  25. admin says

    Hi Marissa. That’s kind of normal if you’re watching in 1080p (full-HD). If each episode has 3GB, 2 per day is 6GB per day. 6GB x 30 days = 180GB. If you want to reduce your monthly usage, choosing HD instead of 1080p should save you almost 50% of bandwith used.

  26. Mick says

    Hi my lg tv is about 8 years but it has a hdmi port , will this work or do I new a new tv(smart tv) thanks

  27. Beth says

    Hi I’ve just ordered a tv with free view in it, if I got a kodi box would it be compatible, or does it need a separate to box to connect to??

  28. Marissa says

    Hi there – I too got a Kodi box for Christmas, and within 2 weeks I have gone over my 200GB internet usage for the month! I can’t seem to find information anywhere but how much internet usage is typical for using a Kodi box? I’ve only been watching 1 – 2 episodes of a TV program a DAY. This seems crazy. I haven’t been shutting it off or unplugging it after use – does this matter so much?!

  29. admin says

    Hi. In the bottom of your screen you have the smaller icons with the apps. Click on the “+” icon. In that page you can select with apps will show in the main screen. Cheers

  30. Paul Schram says

    I got a kodi box for Christmas. I forget the brand, but it was bought from Amazon. I’m completely new to this an it’s taken me a long time to figure some things out. But when you first turn it on and you get the big icons before you launch Kodi, there are some apps that I won’t use. How can I delete them from my screen without necessarily deleting them from the box entirely. And remember this is on the main screen before I enter the kodi app, not the kodi screen. Thank you

  31. admin says

    You can install Kodi through Play Store or through kodi.tv (download the Android ARM version). Then to download kodi addons follow these instructions

  33. admin says

    Hi. You can download Kodi from the Play Store. If you can’t use the Play Store app, just browse kodi.tv and download the ARM version for Android in their website.
    Then in this page you can find some instructions to install addons.
    Hope you find it easy enough

  34. Arnott says

    Well, can you explain the difference between M8 & G8 4K Ultra HD Android TV? I am using G8 4k Ultra android tv box which provides super quick Mali450 Octa-core graphics processor and Amlogic S812 Quad Core CPU, it renders smooth 3D games graphics along with crystal clear 4K UHD video streaming. This Christmas I have purchased it from Gostreamer which have lots of features and this content help me a lot to enhance my knowledge.

  37. Julie says

    Hi when I go into Kodi there is writing of
    swipe down from the to exit full screen
    Then it says OK
    I can’t remove it

  39. Nathan says

    Hi i am trying to get 4k content to play through my M8 android box. I have installed project m which lists 4k content but everytime i select 4k movies the box locks up and has to be unplugged to restart. I have tried on other addons but the same thing happens. I am getting around 90mbps and exodus works fine for hd movies. Tv is a lg 4k Any ideas?

  41. admin says

    Hi there. When you’re playing a movie, in the bottom player bar, there is an icon for volume. Press that icon and try to adjust the volume and volume amplification.
    Hope I helped you today.

  42. admin says

    Hi Eric. When you chose a movie, you will get a list of available streams. In front of the stream says the quality:
    1080p = Full HD
    720p = HD
    SD – Medium
    TS or CAM – Low quality

    If you want to use less data, I would recommend to not stream in 1080p. But streaming less than 720p quality isn’t a good experience. I would stick with 720p but you can try less quality.

  44. Vicki says

    We are unable to get volume when we select a movie no matter what movie we are trying to watch, although all other channels we have volume. Is there something that we are not doing or hopefully someone out there is able to help me.

  45. Eric says

    Hello. I got a box. And I am told that normal movies takes way less data. And I want to use that cause my Internet is expensive so I do t want ro watch hd movies by accident. How do I tell

  46. admin says

    You can run a 4k box and buying a 4k box means that you’re buying something with a good performance.
    If you want to enjoy the 4K quality you will need a TV with 4K resolution.

  47. admin says

    Yes , the box works in any part of the world with internet access. I just recommend you to use the VPN that I suggest in this post because I don’t know your country legislation and a VPN makes your traffic anonymous and safe.

    Yes you can use USB flash drive to plug in your box and play some media :)

  48. Angie says

    Hi, i live in Singapore, can this android box still work like it is suppose to? will there be different country issues?
    and i do understand there is a USB port, will i be able to plug in my USB and use the android box to play movies that is from my USB?

    Thanks

  54. Bruce Gay says

    Hello. I have the box already, but I do not have a smart tv. Does this box
    work on a regular, non-smart tv with RCA ports?

  55. Shanza says

    Hi I have a fully loaded android box, and it’s connected to one of my tvs which is in my living room but can I connect it to my bedroom tv without having to buy another box? Thanks

  57. Jon says

    Hello,

    I am wondering if you can get HD tv shows?
    I can’t seem to find any, it’s all SD. Is this just my error and need to change a setting or something?

    Thanks so much

  59. gemma says

    i dont have a smart tv can i still get a box? i wish to cancel my sky tv should i also cancel my internet and go with a different provider? is the box easy to set-up ?

  61. admin says

    If you stop the movie, when you select the same movie again, Kodi will ask you if you want to continue where you were or start from beginning.
    Are you asking how to hide the player bar? – Just click in the back button.

  64. Anonymous says

    How can you start a movie off from were you left off at? And when your watching a movie and you unpause it,how can you take that screen off?

  65. Kelly says

    Hi just got one of your boxes an I can’t seem to get any channels like itv or BBC channels is it pre installed or do I have to install it an if so what do I install ?

  66. admin says

    Yes. You can stream live channels or just use a video addon like exodus to access all seasons and episodes.

  70. admin says

    the box doesnt come with channels normally. You will have to install the right addons / wizard / IPTV list.

  74. admin says

    The Android TV box just connects to one TV by HDMI cable. But this boxes are very small and portable so you can just unplug from one TV and connect to another without having to setup anything.

  75. Venus says

    I am VERY interested in the Android box and want to get one my only hold up or question I guess is what if you have more than 1 television set in the house? Is there something that links it to all the sets or do you have to buy a box per every tele?

  78. Jenny says

    Hi, I want complete sky channels on the m8s could you please recommend for me, which app add on’s do I need please I am a complete novice ;)

  79. unseen says

    I have a question.apart from movies can we do something else in this box.Does it require internet connection every time.Is it a box like other which have different channel.Does it have many function.pls remind because i wanna buy one.

  81. Jim says

    I bought a mxq mini kitty box but don’t seem to get sky sports how do i get this or have I got the wrong box.

  84. Adam Goodway says

    Hi found these comments very well presented and very well to use and understand however is there an app out there that makes the android box run live streams more efficiently without buffering every couple of secounds looking forward to here back off you thanks

  90. H jackson says

    Hi i also can’t stream content on ms8 box. Do i just download a vpn app from internet through the box? Sorry complete novice.

  92. Janet Kenvin says

    I’m thinking of cancelling Sky and getting an Android TV box. Is Discovery available via the box?

  93. admin says

    Hi Alan. If you get 25mb doing a speed test, that should be ok as the recommended is 25MB or above for 4K streaming. But if your contract is for 25MB you should be getting less that. you can do a speed test here: http://www.speedtest.net/

    You wont find streams for channels in 4K. But you can find some 4K movies using a video addon.

    If you want to get the best of streaming, I recommend you fiber. If you are interested, I can refer you to virgin media fiber and you get £50 credit, just drop me a comment if you want it.

  94. Alan Patterson says

    Hi , I have a 65 inch panasonic 4k tv. I only watch discovery, gold, dave and movies but we have since cancelled the movies. My wife follows sky atlantic so is it possible to garantee these shows and if I had a minimum of 25 mb would I be able to veiw anything in 4k. We intend to still retain sky as we are on the lowest contract but I am concerned about the mb speed from our router at 6-9 will it be ok. Thanks

  95. admin says

    Hi Caroline.
    I recommend you the box M8S, very good value for money – https://bestdroidplayer.com/xbmc-android-tv-box-droidplayer/best-kodi-box-2016/

    In this article you will find how to set up an android tv box and how to install addons on Kodi https://bestdroidplayer.com/xbmc-android-tv-box-droidplayer/how-to-setup-a-xbmc-android-tv-box/

    Sky channels aren’t easy to get, but its possible. You’ll need to try some video addons https://bestdroidplayer.com/xbmc-android-tv-box-droidplayer/best-kodi-addons// .

    Enjoy!

  96. Caroline Henderson says

    Hi , I’m not renewing my sky subscription , And thinking of getting an android box . But I’m not sure which one to purchase. And how you set it up .
    Can you get Sky Atlantic as I watch a lot of things on that. Please excuse my ignorance as I’m not that keyed up on technology. Thanks in advance ☺

  97. George says

    Will I get bbc & itv etc if I take the box to tenerife & set it up,I have internet

  98. admin says

    Hi Louise. Thanks for your comment.
    You should get a faster internet connection, nowadays you can get 20MB or more for a good price.
    Unfortunately you can’t record streams. But you can watch any movie or TV series at any time without having to record it, which you can’t do with a normal TV box :)

  101. admin says

    20MB its enough. But it doesn’t just rely on speed. You will be streaming from someone’s server, so it will depend on the server performance, the ping and how many people are watching the same stream.

  102. Jj says

    what broadband speed would you recommend for crystal clear picture while watching football on 46″ tv??

  103. Chris says

    I’m looking at getting virgin broadband installed. Will that allow my boxes to stream with out getting blocked from certain sites?

  104. Louise Bourne says

    This is really helpful – thank you.
    We have a droid player Kodi. I know nothing about these things, really thick so please be patient!
    Two questions: we are having almost constant problems in streaming movies – it constantly says ‘programming’ and then nothing happens… And then if we do get them , it freezes saying ‘buffering’. Once in a while it works perfectly and we can’t seem to find any rhyme or reason to it… Our internet speed is 4mb/sec.
    Secondly, I read about people ditching Sky etc which I’d love to do, but am I right in thinking that you can’t ‘record’ with kodi droid player – you can only watch channels ‘live’? So if I wanted to watch a programme or a sports match on a sky channel then I could only stream it in live time when it was actually showing? Or is there a ‘recording’ facility in order to watch it at a later date?
    Thanks, Louise

  115. admin says

    yes you can. With some addons like phoenix, uk turk playlist and sports mix you can find any sports channel and live games streams

  118. Jay says

    Can I watch the game of thrones box set
    On these androids and which one is the best for me to buy?

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