Electronics

[Lilysmom1]

@gardenman , good advice.  I am going to be in South Carolina for a month this winter.  Maybe I will check out ONN there!

I bought a Sony tv which has an android o/s which I use a lot. I really like it.   It gives me a storage warning from time to time though which is one of the reasons I am looking for a new streaming device.  My current android boxes are old.

[gardenman]

@Lilysmom1 

Yeah, YouTube is your friend with anything electronic. You can learn a lot there.

I'm planning to get a Playstation 5 over Black Friday and was planning on also getting a stand and using it vertically as it could easily slide into my entertainment setup vertically. After watching way too many YouTube videos on the PS5, I've learned that the liquid metal thermal compound Sony uses can pool and in some cases even leak when the PS5 is used vertically causing overheating and other issues. I'm still getting a PS5 when the Black Friday sales kick in but now I'll be using it in the horizontal position where the liquid metal stays where it needs to be. I have to shuffle some stuff around to make room to use it that way, but it's better for the PS5 and it saves me the cost of the stand, so that's good.

I wouldn't have known about that if I hadn't spent hours watching YouTube videos on the PS5 and issues with the PS5. A few minutes of YouTube watching can save you hours of grief later.

[Lilysmom1]

How would we survive without YouTube?  It has rescued me more than once!

[Lilysmom1]

@gardenman , I was looking at these 3 yesterday...any comments on the specs?  I am thinking the first one @ 32 GB ROM might not be enough?  Is 4GM of RAM standard?  I never seem to find one with more than 4 GB.  I am leaning toward 2 or 3.

TIA.  LM

1.  Android TV Box 13.0 2024 Android Box 4GB RAM 32GB ROM 4K 6K 8K WiFi 6, X88 PRO 13 TV Box Android RK3528 Quad-Core Support Dual-WiFi 2.4G/5G

8K HDR BT5.0 USB Smart TV Box with Mini Wireless Keyboard

by T95 $59.99

2.  Android TV Box 4GB RAM 128GB ROM Upgraded W2 Mali-G31 2.4G/5G Dual WiFi Bluetooth 4.2,Media Player Support 3D Android 12 TV Box USB 2.0

Wireless Backlit Mini Keyboard Support 4K Video by XDOOZOO

$81.99

3.  Android 13.0 TV Box 4GB 64GB Smart Android Box with RK3528 Quad-core 64-bit Set Top Box with 5.0GHz WiFi6/BT5.0/8K HDR/3D H.265/USB3.0 Smart

TV Box Android 2024 with 2.4GHz Wireless Keyboard by EASYTONE

$68.99

[gardenman]

Streaming boxes don't need a lot of RAM as most apps are pretty small.  RAM is the active memory devices use while streaming and 4 GBs is plenty. If you're planning on putting a lot of apps on the device then more ROM is good, but most people only use five to ten apps so it's not something that would drive my decision making. With the devices only having 4 GBs or RAM, that means all apps will be less than 4GBs. So at worst, a 32 GB ROM device would hold 8 apps. (And that's assuming each app was the full 4 GBs in size and they're typically much smaller.)

On average, smart TV's have 8+ GBs of ROM for app storage. With your TV now giving you storage warnings. you'll want something with more ROM for app storage. The smaller 32 GB one would still have about four times what your TV currently has. Probably. You can check your TV for how much storage it has now, but bear in mind some of that storage will be taken up by the OS of the TV.

.

A faster processor gets you through the menu quicker but has little real-world impact on the streaming itself. Any of those devices are likely far superior in terms of hardware to your current smart TV. You can't go too far wrong with most streaming devices these days.

[Lilysmom1]

@gardenman Thank you!  I will probably opt for the middle of the pack then.  Much appreciated!

[Lilysmom1]

@gardenman I bought this one this morning.  Wanted to check out the Fire Stick and see how it operates.  It is very portable so will take this when I travel...thoughts?

[gardenman]

That's an excellent choice in my opinion. I was going to get that Fire Stick in September. It had been on sale for $39.99 but when I went to get it the price had gone back up to $59.99, so I opted for the Fire Stick 4K (no Max) at $29.99 and it's been great. I think you'll be very happy with it. 

[Lilysmom1]

@gardenman , great.  Another item off the list.

[Lilysmom1]

@gardenman I have the fire tv 4K max up and running.  It is working very well so thank you for pointing me in that direction.  Very portable for travel too which was one of my purchasing criteria.

I downloaded the remote control app but am having trouble with the connection.  I am ensuring my tv and my iPhone 15 are on the same wifi signal, ie, 2.4 ghz or 5 ghz but still having issues.  I really want to use that for searching for titles.  The old hunt and point is enough to drive anyone up the wall.

Any advice?