My last post I blogged about the GreekTV4me box and I expanded on the technology we use and how at the time, the Ouya box was the best thing going around, till this day this technology continues to outperform many other boxes on the market, however the development team at Ouya have not moved forward with the latest release of XBMC, as such, as time moves forward many plugins will not work 100% since the Ouya version is stuck in version 12 (Frodo), since then version 13.2 (Gotham was released) and now a stable version of 14.2 (Helix) has been released.
What does this all mean? Well we have searched high and low for good box alternatives, we only like to use the best and as such, selected a very specific type of hardware and specs that will ensure we deliver the best hardware for the job. We use nothing less than a quad core boxes, with at least 2gb ram, 8gb NAND Flash and 1080p resolution support. As such we have selected 3 of the best boxes on market today that will handle XBMC/Kodi as flawlessly as possible.
Why 3 types of boxes?
Well we found that in this world there are 3 types of people......
1 - Those who want the best bang for buck.
2 - Those who want a little more bang buck.
3 - Those who want the best of the best.
The specs of the boxes we use are as follows and included are the different price points, all boxes are similar specs and very similar to each other, the chipsets (CPU) are the best in the industry for running XBMC/Kodi. We have tried and tested these boxes and know they work well, essentially the difference between them all comes down to build quality and company support. Box 1-3 have similar specs but the launchers are different. They are all Android based boxes with custom launchers made by 2 of the companies, laying the boxes side by side you realise immediately how different the build quality is from one to the other, They are all good but box 2 and box 3 are a lot more rigid with lots of support from the companies. Both boxes have there own custom version of XBMC, this is good since the custom build has been specifically programmed for the box itself and its hardware.
Box one has almost the same hardware as the other boxes but the company has focused less on building their own custom XBMC version, rather they have focused on providing us with top end hardware specs without all the bells and whistles of customised launcher and XBMC version, some will even argue as to say that because its not fully loaded with their own bloatware that the box functions better with less strain on performance, I personally think there may be an element of truth there since box one works very well and has a $100 price difference to box 3. That said box 2 and 3 work extremely well and since they have been built with their own version of XBMC I think they are better overall and must admit that I prefer those boxes.
Another small thing I noticed between the 3 is their quality in remote functionality, box 1 and 2 pretty much have the same remote except that box 2 has better IR range with a much better IR sensor, box 3 runs rings around the other 2 in terms of out of the box remote, that said 80% of everyone that purchases a box, usually buys a quality wireless remote which completely eliminates any concern about IR range.
Some Specs of our boxes
Box number 1 (QV7)
= $350
- Quad core rk3188
- Bluetooth built in
- Chipset:RK3188 28nm Cortex-A9 Quad core
- Embedded octo core (8 core GPU) 3D GPU Mali 400
- SDRAM: DDR3 x 2GB
- Nand Flash: 8GB Nand Flash with additional Support for MicroSD(TF) ,Up to 32GB
- Network:2.4GHZ WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, LAN 10/100M Base-T
- Interface:HDMI Out
- 1xHDMI(A type Male), HDMI1.3 Full HD :1920x1080P
- 2 x USB port.
- 1 x SPDIF
- 1 x RJ45 LAN Port (Ethernet)
- Antenna:External WiFi antenna
- Video Decoding: MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4,H.263, H.264, AVS, VC-1, RV, VP6/VP8, Sorenson Spark, MVC 1920x1080P 60FPS
- Video Encoding: H.264,VP8,MVC(1080P) Resolution Full HD1080P@30fps H.264 Data Rate: Up to 60Mbps
Box number 2 (Miii s802)
= $400
- Amlogic S802 Quad-Core Cortex-A9 2.0GHz CPU + ARM Mali-450MP Octa-Core GPU
- 2GB DDR3 RAM + 8GB NAND flash ROM (max. support 32GB)
- 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0 wireless connectivity with Android 4.4 OS
- Supports 2K / 4K ultra HD video play back
- Ships with a pre-installed version of XBMC
- Supports Miracast, DLNA and AirPlay
- WiFi: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
- Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.0
- Power Supply: Charge Adapter
- Interface: DC 5V, RJ45, TF Card, USB2.0, SD Card Slot, HDMI, OTG, AV
- Media Playback: Decoder Format: H.264, RealVideo8/9/10, “HD MPEG1/2/4, HD AVC/VC-1
- Video Format: MP4, TS, MKV, FLV, DAT, RMVB, WMV, MPG, M2TS, AVI, MPEG, MOV, TRP, VOB, TP, ASF, RM
Box number 3 (X8H Plus)
= $450
- CPU :Amlogic S812 Cortex A9r4 Processor
- CPU Cores :Quad Core
- GPU :Octa Core Mali-450 GPU
- Memory DDR3 :2G
- Internal Storage :16G eMMC
- Wifi Connectivity :802.11AC dual band Wi-Fi, 2.4GHz/5.0GHz
- Network :100/1000Mbps, Supports hotspot sharing via Wi-Fi
- Bluetooth :Bluetooth 4.0
- Video Supported :DAT/MPEG/MPE/MPG/TS/TP/VOB/ISO/AVI/MP4/MOV/3GP/FLV/ MKV/M2TS/MTS/M4V/WMV/ASF/RM/RMVB
- Audio Supported :DD/DD+/DTS/MP2/MP3/WMA/WAV/OGG/OGA/FLAC/ALAC/APE/AAC
- Video Output :HDMI 1.4b, up to 4K @ 30fps
- Audio Output :via HDMI 1.4b, 3.5mm stereo jack, optical SPDIF
- HDMI Port Standard :HDMI female
- HDMI Version :HDMI 1.4b
- 1 x RJ-45 Ethernet Jack (100/1000Mbps)
- 1 x SD/MMC card reader (SD 3.0, MMC V4.41), Support HDMI-CEC
- 3 x USD 2.0 port x 3
- 1 x OTG port
- 1 x Microphone Jack
- 1 x Headphone Jack
As you can see above the specs are very similar, as stated the differences are mainly aesthetic, software orientated and company support, hardware wise they are pretty similar.
We currently carry all 3 boxes in stock, however please check with us on stock availability. We also carry a small range of wireless remotes, High Quality HDMI Cables & Ethernet Cables and 500mbps Power line adapters. We have you covered no matter which path you chose to go down.
Has anything new happened with the Greek content on GreekTV4Me box?
Yes, a lot has happened, Hellenic TV plugin has evolved substantially, It has gone from 4 separate plugins to just 1 that allows you to do everything the 4 plugins used to allow you to do, the difference being that it is far more evolved with a lot more functionality and less down time thanks to the Hellenic TV contributors. Big shout out to Lambda for all the hard work he has put in for all us Greeks, wherever possible I will endeavour to contribute to the project and try help the project continue to evolve.
So what's changed?
Under the new Hellenic Tv Plugin, you are presented with what I like to call the Hellenic TV home screen. You have a multitude of choices, you can go to, including; TV, Radio, Networks, TV Shows, News, Cartoons, Movies, Documentaries, Music, Sports. The major difference with the latest Hellenic TV is the refined layout of the Greek Channels in the TV section, you can now see an icon of what's playing on each channel under the thumbnail view, this has the name of the channel with scrolling text telling you what's currently playing on each channel, this is a huge step up from the old system of just an icon of the channel logo.
In addition another major improvement is the work gone into the TV shows, the TV show section is a section filled with Greek TV Shows on Demand, This section here just about has every Greek TV show on the planet, all completely on demand, this was well needed since the old version of Hellenic TV, did not stream from alternative sources other than from the content network itself. TV shows section now streams from mostly youtube but wherever else the TV show stream may exist on the net. This Alone would have taken a long time to get right and the continued effort that goes into maintaining these streams is a huge burden for people like Lambda, everyone should be so lucky that people like this exist for the benefit of all the Greek all around the World, my 1 million Thank you's would not be enough. So a major improvement since now you have both the network section (which streams VOD directly from the Channel network's website) and TV shows section (which streams from alternative sources) SO consider yourselves lucky that you have choice now since when the networks decided to geo block content and from time to time still do to some countries, you couldn't watch your favourite TV shows on demand cause they had been governed by the network police when and who should have access to their on demand content, now you have choice or a backup when the networks are being funny.
Other improvements have been made to the cartoon section and movies and stream sources had been fixed, the news section also offers on demand news from your favourite channels, sports offers sports highlights, music has also been improved slightly, overall though these have only slightly been improved, the major improvements are as mentioned earlier.
So here's who we are and what we offer for those who don't know.
We are an Australian based business located in the city of Melbourne, who offer a solution to the Greek's seeking Greek content on their TV, The technology we happen to use, utilises the power of the Internet (Gone are the days of satellite) Because most TV networks in Greece have made their presence known through the use of the internet, most networks have gone all out to provide a live stream of their channels and many have included a large database of their shows on demand. The streams provided are free for people to view and as such the techno geeks of this world such as myself have utilised todays technology, software & applications to bring you a solution that will bring all your favourite Greek content and more, straight to your TV through the use of a TV box that in simple terms is a mini Computer system. We have eliminated all the hard work for you and found the best hardware for the job and best software, we completely program the box so that it is ready for use with all the best plugins to get the job done, watch Greek TV, Movies and Shows and much much more including English TV shows all on demand & never leave the house again.... Perfect for Winter snuggling wit the partner.
We have the solution and offer it to you fully installed (within Melbourne and on occasion to other parts of Victoria) with 60-90 minutes complete in home training of the system and how to use it properly so that you can get the most out of your TV box, some say 60-90 minutes training seems excessive but wait till you lay your eyes on this box and the amount of power and features it has, it will really take 60-90 minutes to get through it all and learn to utilise the power of the GreekTV4Me box.
We speak fluent Greek and explain the technology and its use in the most simplistic way possible, we have trained young kids to 90 yr old grandparents, there is no one we haven't trained yet to date, call us for Free advice on a solution that will get you all the Greek Content and more directly to your TV.
I am an expert in this field and likely the number one authority on XBMC/Kodi in the Country, I contribute to the open source project of Kodi and its plugins, im active within the community and am a wealth of information on technology and computer systems, I'm a Computer technician and a Microsoft certified system engineer, I was also the owner of an internet marketing / SEO firm and have huge knowledge in Web design, Search engine optimisation, website Analysis / Google analytics, website testing, knowledge of networks and server and much much more, My extensive skill set which the above is just a small aspect of a large extensive skill set has brought me to this point in my life and made me an authority in this area of expertise.
When you purchase from us as a business you are getting my knowledge and expertise that come with the box and the product, I will always be a phone call away to help you with any issues or questions you may have, In addition I also provide technical support and technical repair of computer systems for my clients should they need it. I can set up networks, diagnose problems with your computer or network and repair, reformat, remove viruses and just service and tune your computer system should you request it for a small fee more.
Here is just some of the testimonials we have received from our customers about our product and service.
"The GreekTV4Me box was really a shock to us, we had been paying monthly subscriptions for both Greek and English till we discovered this box, we now enjoy everything at the click of a button"
Steve, Mentone VIC
"Nick came to do a demonstration of the GreekTV4Me box at my home, we had been so impressed that we purchased a second box for the bedroom, In the process he discovered issues with our network and fixed them free of charge as part of the install, he saved us hundreds of dollars, Thank You"
Stavros, Coburg VIC
"There are some people that you just take to with open arms, since Nick came and installed our box, he treated us with the same care and respect that one would expect from a family member, he helped us with much more than just a Greek TV box and have called him for various other technical jobs, he even got us in touch with an electrician for some electrical issues we had, very kind and helpful he is officially a close family friend now. Thank you and god bless"
Silvia, Noble Park VIC
"WOW, This box is amazing, enough said, cant be more grateful, saving myself close to $1400 per year because of this box"
John, Preston VIC
"I thought I knew about technology and computers, then I met Nick and he installed this amazing gadget for me, you are a human encyclopaedia, especially with anything to do with techie stuff, the box is crazy amazing, Highly recommended"
Paul, Reservoir VIC
"We know nothing about technology and we are old, Nick came to our house, helped us with our bills and sorted out everything with the internet company for us, he taught us how to use the box and we are very confident now in using it, I don't think many people have his patience, he trained us for a full 2 hours and has even been back to our house to check up on how we are going with it all and to deliver a special cord that we needed unrelated to the box, he really is a humble kind human being and we now have him close to our hearts"
Michael, St Albans VIC
"We installed the GreekTV4me box and are very happy with what it offers, Nick trained the whole family and spent three hours at our home training us all, he didn't complain that he was their for so long and still charged us the same amount. You are a champion"
Maria, Armadale VIC
"I didn't think I would ever meet someone like Nicko, What hasn't he helped me with is the question I should ask, he saved me money on my bills, sorted out problems I didn't know I had and installed this fantastic little box, since then I have purchased 3 boxes for myself and referred at least 10 people, we now have an ongoing friendship with each other, I can count on him for all my technical needs and much more. thanks Nicko."
Dimitri, Springvale VIC
"It doesn't get much better than this box let me tell you. I don't think anything comes close, cant believe I went years without knowing this existed"
Chris, Northcote VIC
"I called Nick because I had an issue with another box I purchased from someone else, he offered to fix my box for a small fee, when he came down he was very helpful, I then proceeded to tell him I wanted to purchase his box and he said let me just fix & reprogram this one for you and save your money. He repaired the box and reprogramed it for me for a small fee, the other box seller would not even come and honour his warranty, glad he didn't cause now I have Nick as my technical guy, honest to the core and super knowledgeable, I was so upset with the other box I asked to buy his box instead but he said, let me fix this and if it stuffs up again ill let you buy my box at a discount so you don't loose too much money as a result of the other guy, his honesty has saved me money and as a result I have referred everyone I know wanting Greek TV to him and not the other guy I purchased from, you cant put a price on good people"
Tina, East Malvern VIC
How much does it Cost?
Well the cost varies depending on what's required but I will itemise it all out for you, prices as follows;
Boxes
- Box 1 - QV7 = $350
- Box 2 - MXiii s802 = $400
- Box 3 - MINIX NEO X8H Plus = $450
Remotes
- Rii x2 remote mini wireless remote 2.4ghz = $30
- KP Mini wireless keyboard and mouse combo 2.4ghz = $30
- MX3-M 2.4ghz Wireless remote, keyboard Air Mouse combo. = $35
Other
- Edimax 500mbps Powerline Adapter = $80
- A+ solid copper high quality Ethernet cable 3m/5m/10m = $10/$12/$16
- A+ solid copper high quality HDMI cables (3m). Mini HDMI to HDMI / HDMI = $15
So it really depends on what is required, If you live in Melbourne $350 includes me driving out to your premises and setting things up for you + Training, otherwise if you would like to order the box for interstate $350 includes shipping, If you require anything in addition such as the powerline adapter, Ethernet cables, high quality HDMI or additional wireless remote then just add the amount in addition to the $350.
What are the minimum requirements to have this setup at my home.
Well a good internet connection is key, Cable internet or ADSL 2+ with unlimited internet data is usually best but the minimum would be 200GB of data per month which will give you about 8 hours per day. See you can get by on less data but its all dependant on your viewing behaviour and time. Watching thing in high quality 720p-1080p can chew up to 1600mb per hour depending on the source.
In addition to the above a line check on the distance to the phone exchange is usually a good indicator on internet speed, the closer to the exchange, generally = better speed, the further away the slower the speed. I can perform this check and step you through on how to do a speed test on your current internet connection. This will give us a good indication if your speed is suffice for Internet TV.
Running a speed test using SPEED TEST will give you a connection / line speed, a minimum of 6000-7000kbps (6-7mbps) is required for the Greek Channels to work relatively ok, at this speed you will still get the odd buffering issues on some channels. Ideally 10,000 kbps (10mbps) and above is required, most ADSL2+ connections will generally be above this providing they are not 2.5km+ from the nearest exchange
Cable Internet generally has an average line speed of 22,000 - 24,000kbps (22-24mbps)
NBN can vary depending on the tier category you select. Tier 2 (25mbps) and above is ideal in our experience as Tier 1 can go a tad slow sometimes.
How do I purchase this? What Next?
Call us for a chat and we can book a Free demonstration in Melbourne, If you should like to proceed with a purchase after that, we always have boxes in stock and carry them ready for purchase. Payment of $350 to be paid by cash or Paypal on day of in house install / training. We are a fully registered business with ABN and will provide you with a receipt which will include your warranty.
If you are not located in Melbourne and you would like to purchase the box online for delivery interstate (in Australia), please call us or email to make arrangements, we expect full payment before sending out any packages, we will send packages via registered post and will include insurance to ensure you receive your box without issues.
So what are you waiting for?
Call me (Nick) on 0490 144 872
or
Email: GreekTV4meAustralia@Gmail.Com
to arrange payment via PayPal. We will invoice your PayPal Email and you can have peace of mind knowing your transaction is protected through PayPal Buyer Protection. Alternatively you can send a Money Order or you can contact me on my mobile to come to your home for a demonstration and I can Pick up the Deposit and invoice you then. Just make contact and we will take it from there.
Warranty / Return's
Our boxes are purchased here in Australia and as such the warranty they carry is located here through our Australian partner, don't be fooled by others, they are selling you a box without Australian Warranty, we purchase all our boxes here in Australia and you are covered by Australian warranty, boxes will be fully replaced provided they have no evidence of misuse / abuse, from time to time some boxes may be faulty, this is a normal part of life and occurs even with the best of brands, just contact us and provide the box is under warranty we will replace the box with a new box of the same kind or equivalent / better box if your box has been discontinued.
Contact Information
Call me or Email me for more Information, Questions , To make a Purchase or arrange for a shipment;
Phone Nick on: 0490 144 872
Email: GreekTV4meAustralia@Gmail.Com
