Media boxes lead the way in Digital Entertainment
Digital Media Box devices are designed primarily for the consumption of content from streaming media services and connects to a network via Ethernet or Wi-Fi and to a HDMI port in the TV or A/V receiver.
Essentially, streaming media boxes enable alternatives to the traditional cable TV and satellite subscription services (cord cutting). They can also play local media from an internal or external drive.
There are many media boxes but none like the BTAndroid with the capabilities of a direct Kodi install. Here are a few crucial points (and general information) to use with the BTAndroid or any popular media box unit for that matter. For more on Media Boxes see our Media Box links on this page.
USING MEDIA BOXES
Kodi as a clean install is a very good media center build in itself. Using it on the BTAndroid can be a pretty straight forward affair for streaming movies and live TV. First thing is to familiarize yourself with the look and feel of the Kodi Main menu. Then move on next to Add-ons and then on to TV. These two menu items are where you can set up your movie streaming apps and live tv streaming configuration to get going with Kodi streaming right away.
Movies:
The BTAndroid comes with several streaming apps (Add-ons) already installed in the Add-ons section, but you can choose to add more from any of the over 25 Kodi repositories that are included.
Live TV: In the TV section of Kodi on the BTAndroid the PVR IPTV Simple Client has been configured to allow for use of m3u or EPG XMLTV files.
Once you have these files they can then be configured in the PVR addon interface. Just follow the process for setup in Kodi and start streaming live TV channels.
Favorites : The Favorites section in Kodi can be very useful for allowing you to connect to all your streaming content that you have already found. Just 'Add to Favorites'
Even though Kodi on the Raspberry Pi is an awesome media center, there are a few things to know when it comes to your network connections. The quality of a stream depends on several factors, but the most important one is the kind of internet connection you're using with a media box. As a general rule a wired connection is always preferred over a wireless one.
The Wi-Fi card on the Raspberry Pi is decent but Kodi really works best with a wired connection. The broadband available is way better than that on a wireless connection. This is absolutely true with all media box units. A dedicated LAN connection can be made from your router to the media box or a LAN Selector Switch can be used next to an established connection.
The BTAndroid reaches its full and awesome potential with a wired connection.
Kodi 'Apps' are actually called Addons and the BTAndroid already comes with several of the best streaming 'apps' available such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and TuneIn Radio for your streaming enjoyment.
Unofficial Kodi Apps however allow you to stream almost any content imaginable that can be found on the internet. They range from the latest movies to Live TV from all around the world. The selection and variety are endless and only Kodi allows users such variety.
Just explore any of the over 2 dozen 'App stores' that are included on the BTAndroid and the other 'App store' options that are available ...
'App stores' are called Repositories in Kodi. There are literally hundreds of these available from the Kodi developer community that makes available thousands of addons that you can try out. Many of these awesome addons allow you to stream everything imaginable found on the internet.
These repositories or 'Repos' as they are commonly called sit on internet servers that the Kodi community maintains and makes available to all Kodi applications.
Once you familiarize yourself with the Kodi menu and interface the over 2 dozen 'App stores' can be easily explored and you can start customizing your BTAndroid Kodi build.
Kodi is hands down the best Media Center application available, period. It is open-sourced meaning it does not require a license to use and when used with the hundreds of Add-ons (Kodi Apps) that are available delivers you all the wonders of internet streaming.
Kodi itself does not come with these addons installed so it is up to the user to get them. BTAndroid comes with the most popular streaming addons preloaded such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Spotify, and TuneIn Radio for use right out of the box, but unofficial addons can also be installed from the over 2 dozen Repos plus optional installs that are available.
It's like when you go onto the internet and search for movies, news, or live sports to stream. You usually go to a search engine, type in what you're looking for, and then sift through the multiple options and endless clicks in order to finally get to a decent stream.
Kodi apps do all of this in the background when you click on a movie or live stream option to view (this is when the Kodi circle spins). The app uses scrapers and resolvers to find streams on the internet and depending on several factors such as the movie you're looking for, your internet connection (wired or wireless), and the server location it may take a few seconds or a few minutes to come back with the stream.
Keep this in mind when using unofficial Kodi apps on the BTAndroid and everything should work out quite nicely.
It is well known that Emulator Gaming on Raspberry Pi 4 is truly amazing, but the RetroKodi Pack takes this to a new level. For playing classic Retro consoles like Nintendo,SNES, Nintendo 64, Playstation, PSP, and even Sega Dreamcast emulators our Retrokodi Add-on Pack cannot be beat.
With over 20,000 retro games in this pack, a simple addition of this kit to your BTAndroid (or any Raspberry Pi 4 unit for that matter) alows you to have an amazing dual-booting (Kodi and Lakka) media box.
The default build on this Add-on Pack is Lakka which the BTAndroid launches into, but you have the option of switching over to a Kodi OS build with the use of a keyboard and mouse
It is even possible to use Xbox 360 controllers for awesome analog gaming control when used with a compatible wireless adapter. This option added to the BTAndroid brings media box streaming and retro gaming entertainment literally to your finger tips!