New Android TV Box and IPTV

ButterCheese

I'm confused as to what has happened here.  I bought a cheap Android TV box from Amazon (brand new).  Set it up, and went to the native App called "live TV".  I just wanted to watch the snooker on BBC.

When it opened up, it is hosted by IPTV.  It had every single channel you could think of e.g. Sky, UFC, WWE, Discovery, RedBull TV, ESPN etc etc.  I do not have, nor have ever had an IPTV account and I do not subsribe to anything but Netflix and Amazon Prime.

What is going on here?  Could it be that this Android box has been pre-loaded with some sort of dodgy all-access code?  The only other thing I can think of is that someone bought it from Amazon, side-loaded some illegal access/password on there, then decided to return it to Amazon but forgot to log out of IPTV.  Then Amazon have re-sold it to me as new?

Any ideas? I'm also wondering if the Chinese manufacturers are pre-loading the box with some dodgy software that allows access to all channels, so that their product is more attractive and they sell more units?

Neil49

I can't answer your question directly but what I can point you to is the fact that the latest Google Chromecast device came without BBC iplayer installed as it had not been through the certification process.

Given that fact I would suggest that your device has not been approved by the BBC therefore the iplayer app is not available on it. 

born_again

ButterCheese said:

I'm confused as to what has happened here.  I bought a cheap Android TV box from Amazon (brand new).  Set it up, and went to the native App called "live TV".  I just wanted to watch the snooker on BBC.

When it opened up, it is hosted by IPTV.  It had every single channel you could think of e.g. Sky, UFC, WWE, Discovery, RedBull TV, ESPN etc etc.  I do not have, nor have ever had an IPTV account and I do not subsribe to anything but Netflix and Amazon Prime.

What is going on here?  Could it be that this Android box has been pre-loaded with some sort of dodgy all-access code?  The only other thing I can think of is that someone bought it from Amazon, side-loaded some illegal access/password on there, then decided to return it to Amazon but forgot to log out of IPTV.  Then Amazon have re-sold it to me as new?

Any ideas? I'm also wondering if the Chinese manufacturers are pre-loading the box with some dodgy software that allows access to all channels, so that their product is more attractive and they sell more units?

Got a link to the box?

If you wanted to watch snooker, why not use either normal TV signal or Iplayer?

flaneurs_lobster

Just to be clear, IPTV is not a company or someone you have an account with, it just means getting TV service/channels via the internet.

It could be loaded with any service's app (like Now TV or Netflix, doesn't mean that there's access or a subscription to actually allow you to watch.

Did it have a copy of the iPlayer app to allow access to the BBC? How easy is it to add extra apps?

Any reason (other than being cheap) for buying this box rather than, say, a Firestick which would definitely let you watch the snooker. 

ButterCheese

flaneurs_lobster said:

Just to be clear, IPTV is not a company or someone you have an account with, it just means getting TV service/channels via the internet.

It could be loaded with any service's app (like Now TV or Netflix, doesn't mean that there's access or a subscription to actually allow you to watch.

Did it have a copy of the iPlayer app to allow access to the BBC? How easy is it to add extra apps?

Any reason (other than being cheap) for buying this box rather than, say, a Firestick which would definitely let you watch the snooker. 

ok thanks I didn't know that.  Yes there was a very good reason to buy this and not a Firestick.  Firesticks don't have an ethernet port and this one does.  I know you can get adpatoers but that is more money.  It was only for our garden room so I wanted something cheap, and Android.  The box itself is fine, and being Android you can add pretty much any App that is on the Play store

ButterCheese

born_again said:

If you wanted to watch snooker, why not use either normal TV signal or Iplayer?

Watching the snooker was not the problem - I could have signed in to BBC iplayer and watched it (but as this was in our garden room I didn't have time so just watched it in the house).  The only thing I can't fathom is that; how does a new streaming box, sold legally on Amazon in the UK, allow free access to hundreds of pay-only channels? 

ButterCheese

Neil49 said:

I can't answer your question directly but what I can point you to is the fact that the latest Google Chromecast device came without BBC iplayer installed as it had not been through the certification process.

Given that fact I would suggest that your device has not been approved by the BBC therefore the iplayer app is not available on it. 

It's not a Google chromecast, and it's not an iplayer problem.  I just mentioned that because at the time I was going to watch the snooker, but instead stumbled upon a live TV App which was native to this cheap Android box (i.e. pre-installed) and I now have free access to what seems like every channel on the planet.  Not only that, but channels that I know are paid subscription only, such as sports chanells, WWE wrestling, UFC, etc etc.  it could be me that's wrong - maybe they are always free on IPTV but I've never come across it before.  But even the UK channels have more than just freeview/freesat on there, such as Discovery, Animal Planet, etc etc which i know you only get with certain paid subscription packages

Undervalued

ButterCheese said:

born_again said:

If you wanted to watch snooker, why not use either normal TV signal or Iplayer?

Watching the snooker was not the problem - I could have signed in to BBC iplayer and watched it (but as this was in our garden room I didn't have time so just watched it in the house).  The only thing I can't fathom is that; how does a new streaming box, sold legally on Amazon in the UK, allow free access to hundreds of pay-only channels? 

I imagine it is like many things, legal to buy and sell but not legal to use in the UK and / or without a subscription! Frustrating but there are many similar situations. Presumably you can return it to Amazon for a full refund?

ButterCheese

Undervalued said:

ButterCheese said:

born_again said:

If you wanted to watch snooker, why not use either normal TV signal or Iplayer?

Watching the snooker was not the problem - I could have signed in to BBC iplayer and watched it (but as this was in our garden room I didn't have time so just watched it in the house).  The only thing I can't fathom is that; how does a new streaming box, sold legally on Amazon in the UK, allow free access to hundreds of pay-only channels? 

I imagine it is like many things, legal to buy and sell but not legal to use in the UK and / or without a subscription! Frustrating but there are many similar situations. Presumably you can return it to Amazon for a full refund?

I don't want to return it.  I guess if it's not allowed then I'll get some sort of letter from my internet provider to say "stop doing it".  To be fair, I never watch live TV in that room anyway, it was only bought to have netflix etc on there to watch the occasional film.  And only because our previous smart-DVD player was about 12 years old and suddenly told us that the aps are no longer supported.

ButterCheese

Just thought I'd post an update in case anyone is in a similar situation (i.e. wants a cheap streaming device that has ethernet).

After being initially excited with getting nearly every channel in the world for free on this dodgy box, I have done some more research and it is in fact illegal (I won't bother reporting to Amazon because they won't care or do anything about it).  In China where it's made, it's probably legal to load their software with all access links, but it's illegal to use such a device in the UK.  More than that though, the box itself doesn't work very well at all.  The Android version it runs is very old, and in the settings it says that the latst android security update was installed in 2019!  Yet it said it was fully up to date.  I also had trouble with Netflix (primarily what I'd use it for) as when I eventually managed to sign in, it would not let me select different tabs such as "movies", "shows" etc.  There was a workaround by using the mouse pointer option, but I don't have time for that in my life.  So it has been returned.

There seem to be very limited budget options for ethernet only connections.  You can get an Ethernet adapter for the Firestick but I don't know how well they work.  There is also the Fire Cube which has ethernet input, but they are obviously more expensive.  Then you get into the realms of the NVIDIA Shield which is top of the range but is about £170, and designed more for streaming your own stored media from a server for example.  There doesn't seem to be much else out there apart from Roku and Firestick (neither of which have ethernet ports), but I think there is a reson that Roku/Amazon Firestick seem to have the monopoly - it's because they are simple and work very well.  Android TV Box devices (in my limited experience) seem to emulate a phone, which is great when using it on a phone, but not very good when using it with a remote. 

So I will probably have to bite the bullet and get a Firecube, or get someone in to get my ethernet>wifi thingy working

RavingMad

You could buy a firestick and the ethernet adapter from Amazon and return it if it's not fit for purpose?