what all can this android box do - beelink X2

[arnprasad]

Hi..I ordered hoping it will do somethings....since it was cheap at 28 dollars. But now I am having doubts

(a) Can I connect a webcam to it and use it for Skype in TV?
(b) Can I connect a hard drive and play files using Kodi?

The gearbest only talks abt streaming and all that. It does say video chatting but doesnt tell how.

never used a android box..basically I plan to give to my in-laws. Bought a 1TB hard drive from amazon during the sale and following is what i want it to do..let me know if it does:

(a) I will load all family videos, photos, music..etc onto the WD 1TB HD and plug it go android box - hopefully it will play all media on TV as it has kodi built in?

(b) can I connect a webcam lying in my house - they got two sons abroad - they can use Skype and video chat

(c) Can they browse? since its kit kat..am assuming chrome will be there and also gmail


what else can this do ...from a elderly/novice point of view?

Beelink X2 TV Box 4K H.265 Decoding-28.07 Online Shopping| GearBest.com

 

[tuff]

Heh. it seems pretty good for the price. Found this review on YT. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCgsIlHArNA
SKype might work if it supports a camera. you will have to plug it in and see.
Also the reviewer claims all apps running on Android are supported.

 

[arnprasad]

Thanks. waiting for delivery. In today's world of interconnected gadgets, IOT..etc, feel odd that a simple thing like connecting a mobile to a TV is a bit complex and involves buying more gadgets.

Would tend to think skype on TV should be a default thing.

 

[sam9s]

I am not sure about the skype but for high bitrate files even h264, cortex A7 might not do, as evident n the below video, you can see the FPS frame drops and stutter very clearly. Even the narrator acknowledges that. Yes out side kodi they play better, but if you ask me, I would not bank my purchase, would add another 20-30 USB and get a decent S905 based box, much better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEVXKRdOj5M

 

[arnprasad]

Hi..i got the box today, plugged an unused webcam and skype works!

will take it to inlaws tomorrow to plug the harddrive and play files - most of my home videos are 1080p as are most downloaded movies

while this box might not be greatest or latest, it does start :lol: and kodi comes preinstalled v14. and it also comes with all sorts of addons preinstalled.

one question i got here..I do realize that US only content wont play on India VPNs (bad experience with hulu, spotify, pandora..etc earlier)

So in one of the you tube videos they said genesis addon was great and it too comes preinstalled. now inside genesis i can see everything like movies, tv shows and inside that i can see all the listings, but when i tried to play big bang theory, it took me to a long list of streaming sites(?) and no matter what i click it says currently not streaming or some kind of error or nothing happened.

Same happened for couple of movies also. Is this happening because of genuine streaming issues or because we have India VPN ? same happened when i tried some audio addons (BBC podcasts)...although when i clicked on fox addon - it did play presidential debates in 1080p

Overall after using it for couple of hours today, seems ok for 2k but again I am not a audio or videophile and hence if it plays something i try...makes me happy.

it is not really android TV or anything (not sure what an android tv is)..it is just like a mobile on my TV - android kit kat - but its 100% android.....whatever i can do on mobile.i can do here

Below are few of the things I did and following are my experences:

(a) tried wireless casting of my mi max...kind of worked but sometimes choppy and audio was delayed by couple of seconds.
(b) Installed chrome and internet works well - pretty fast i would say
(c) Tried angry birds and worked well...tried angry birds two but the bird when pulled back wouldnt fly forward..not sure if its a box issue
(d) Plugged a USB extender and plugged logitech wireless dongles...both mouse and keyboard worked fine
(e) plugged the webcam also into this USB extender thingy...worked well
(f) few apps like gmail..etc worked well.
(g) Downloaded youtube app and played 1080p videos and they played well

The box is pretty fast - I would say way more faster than tablets costing 5000 or less.

Again not really sure if its audio or video phile category...but say someone doesnt want to spend money on a computer but wants that kind of experience on large TV...this works.

 

[sam9s]

So in one of the you tube videos they said genesis addon was great and it too comes preinstalled. now inside genesis i can see everything like movies, tv shows and inside that i can see all the listings, but when i tried to play big bang theory, it took me to a long list of streaming sites(?) and no matter what i click it says currently not streaming or some kind of error or nothing happened..

These addons do more harm than any good, they are links to illegitimate streaming sites, which are in turn links to torrent uploads of the same movie. 7/10 wont work, of if any link works today, they might stop working tomorrow. It a pain in the A** stumbling in all these add-ons and links to get the content working.

Its better to pay a small amount to legitimate streaming service and have peace of mind. yes If for some reason content is not available, on those legitimate streaming services, even then I would not recommend these addons, at the worst, use genuine torrent app to download the content, which has a much much high probability or actually working ...

 

[sam9s]

(a) tried wireless casting of my mi max...kind of worked but sometimes choppy and audio was delayed by couple of seconds.
(b) Installed chrome and internet works well - pretty fast i would say
(c) Tried angry birds and worked well...tried angry birds two but the bird when pulled back wouldnt fly forward..not sure if its a box issue
(d) Plugged a USB extender and plugged logitech wireless dongles...both mouse and keyboard worked fine
(e) plugged the webcam also into this USB extender thingy...worked well
(f) few apps like gmail..etc worked well.
(g) Downloaded youtube app and played 1080p videos and they played well

Can you test just two things for me??

1. Netflix app, does it work, install it, and see if all works good, and what resolution you get the stream.

2. Hotstar app, again does it work properly, the stream and at does it stream @ its native 720p resolution.??

3. Amazon prime video will launch on 9th NOV, so I would also request you to test Prime Video amazon app as well when it launches, if its works as it suppose to.


Thanks.

 

[regeHA]

Roku works very well with VPN, I have tried it in Singapore and India without any issues. Also, Roku has pretty much all the channels and streaming services and with quite a lot of them being free, over 2000 last I checked.

I use Kodi on Windows/HTPC and it works very well, and there are quite a few legitimate IPTV services available on it that work fine. Regarding add-ons, most will not work or are illegal/and want you to pay, where the bigger danger is of identity theft, so be extremely careful when sharing any personal data or credit/debit cards.

But you are better off using something like Roku, Chromecast or Nvidia Shield and paying for services on it, as well as getting a proper VPN service for the entire network if you really want to enjoy the latest shows and movies.

 

[arnprasad]

thanks all - i frankly dont have time to watch anything..i was trying it out coz it was there.. just to make sure whether the issues were with the box or with the input resources.

I have an intel i5 desktop connected to my Panny that takes care of all my needs. This box is for my inlaws for some basic activities.

@sams9 will try it out later and let you know. I have a 720p Panasonic..so will let you know if its looks good on that or not.

Also not sure how many of you order by Gearbest. Its a pretty cool site..have been buying for the past 1.5 years. Earlier it used to take a month or more to reach India..now they have introduced a new shipping service..usually reaches within 10 days.

 

[regeHA]

Also not sure how many of you order by Gearbest. Its a pretty cool site..have been buying for the past 1.5 years. Earlier it used to take a month or more to reach India..now they have introduced a new shipping service..usually reaches within 10 days.

How are they on returns, DOA items, warranty, replacements, etc.?

Having bought anything from them, AliExpress is what I typically use.

 

[arnprasad]

so far I might have bought more than 50 items..but most of them are items costing 10 dollars or less...the costliest item i bought was a xiaomi yi (go pro cheaper cousin) and a tarantula X6 drone - each costing around 100 dollars each with accessories.

Normally when you raise a ticket saying something doesnt work..they ask for proof like photo or video.

Their customer service is just like amazons..even better i would say...every ticket gets answered within 24 hours and if you complain they give you the option of returning it or they just credit your account with either full amount or most of the amount.

So in the past i got many refunds..no questions asked..sometimes I feel guilty with the pace at which they offer refunds..( other day i raised a ticket saying that my Yi battery isnt working - actually it turned out that i misplaced my battery and it was the replacement battery that wasnt working. But anyways...immediately they put some money in my account without asking too many questions)

thats why every week i order something or the other...mostly for my kids - they got so many items costing 2-5 dollars! One example is bicycle accessories - everything from head light to tail light to LED on spokes to programmable LED on spokes...i have ordered so many things!. Most of them do work.....anything that doesnt..they give refund.

I tried banggood also...but i received my item after 2 months..hence stuck to gearbest ever since.

To experiment..try ordering something for 2-3 dollars with free shipping to India!

checkout my video on youtube shot with the Yi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tzt4WOX4OO8&t=75s

 

[sam9s]

I have ordered a couple of things from Gearbest and they arrived on time, which was like 20-25 days from the date of ordering .... and all worked .... so no complains ....

 

[sam9s]

checkout my video on youtube shot with the Yi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tzt4WOX4OO8&t=75s

Can you give me some more details about Go Pro - Xiaomi Yi ??? like performance, memory details etc .....

Also the video seems jerky? Is it the video or the editing? No stabilization ??? and what fps were you recording the same?

 

[arnprasad]

Hi,

in 2012-14 I checked lots of videos by foreigners using Go pro and wanted one for myself but couldnt justify paying 400 dollars and more. Also I dont do extreme sports and hence no reason to splurge.

Then Xiaomi launched Yi and I got one from GB.

Frankly I never looked at details. All I know is that it shoots 1080p..guess it also shoots 2K but my TV is 720P and hence stuck to it to reduce file sizes. Accessories that i got from Gear best was around 20-25 dollars but it had everything from straps for head, body, chest, all parts of human body :lol: plus cycle, bike...all sorts plus water proof enclosure......except water proof havent used the other stuff.

There are plenty of videos on youtube that showcase the Yi's capability - including several underwater videos.

So all I know is technically it shoots 1080p and thats all it matters for me:lol: I have outsourced most of the technical stuff to my nephews as my kids are too young to tinker with it.

Regarding my video being jerky - it was shot mostly on Yi, then mobile phones. Because it was too long...most of it I am running it at 2 or 4 times the normal speed..hence its jerky. Also I am an overweight guy and walking 10KMs in the hills was taxing...hence didnt worry so much about stability of video..etc

It doesnt have a gimbal and that could be one reason why its not buttery smooth....but then the 400 dollar go pro doesnt have free gimbal either.

I got a DJI Phantom Std 3 on my sights next. I bought few drones from GB - both big and small and crashed all of them 100% of the time. But the Phantom seems to fly pretty much on its own and you get super videos.

Check out the below video on Karnataka shot on a DJI...pretty impressive I would say!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2uEfVU5o2s

 

[miltondcunha]

Roku works very well with VPN, I have tried it in Singapore and India without any issues. Also, Roku has pretty much all the channels and streaming services and with quite a lot of them being free, over 2000 last I checked.

But you are better off using something like Roku, Chromecast or Nvidia Shield and paying for services on it, as well as getting a proper VPN service for the entire network if you really want to enjoy the latest shows and movies.

I have purchased a ROKU streaming stick from USA and tried to attach it to my TV in India, but im not able to go through the registration process. It just does not go forward after I enter the PIN (says something went wrong). Do the Roku purchased inUSA not work in India? In the registration process the country India does not show only USA / Europe and some other countries, si I tried time zone GMT +5 hours. (GMT +5.30 too is not available)

 

[regeHA]

I have purchased a ROKU streaming stick from USA and tried to attach it to my TV in India, but im not able to go through the registration process. It just does not go forward after I enter the PIN (says something went wrong). Do the Roku purchased inUSA not work in India? In the registration process the country India does not show only USA / Europe and some other countries, si I tried time zone GMT +5 hours. (GMT +5.30 too is not available)

Mine was purchased in the US and works fine in both Singapore and India.

How are you trying to register it? You will need a US address linked card or PayPal. I used PayPal to register and add as payment source for paid channels, works without any issues.

I don't remember, but you might need a United States IP address for the initial registration, but I don't remember if I used a VPN or not. For daily running however, it does not need a VPN, works just fine, but it needs to be tied to a verified US address payment ID.

 

[sam9s]

I have purchased a ROKU streaming stick from USA and tried to attach it to my TV in India, but im not able to go through the registration process. It just does not go forward after I enter the PIN (says something went wrong). Do the Roku purchased inUSA not work in India? In the registration process the country India does not show only USA / Europe and some other countries, si I tried time zone GMT +5 hours. (GMT +5.30 too is not available)

You need to have a VPN in order to go through this. Once VPN (US) is connected, create an account via below link. You would not be even asked for credit card, right after you add pin your account will be created.

Use the below link to register (make sure you are connected to VPN, else you would give an error "something went wrong")

https://my.roku.com/signup/nocc

 

[miltondcunha]

You need to have a VPN in order to go through this. Once VPN (US) is connected, create an account via below link. You would not be even asked for credit card, right after you add pin your account will be created.

Use the below link to register (make sure you are connected to VPN, else you would give an error "something went wrong")

https://my.roku.com/signup/nocc

Thanks, im new to streaming and online stuff, which is the best VPN. Is it a paid service or do you also get free VPN, and can 1 VPN work on multiple gadgets.

I also just purchased a Yoka KB2 and that works fine out of the box in streaming through addons.

 

[miltondcunha]

I have just gone through some details on google regarding VPN. I guess it is changing my IP Address. Now I have a private IP address from my internet provider to view my Home Security Cameras. I guess if i change my ip address it will also affect streaming of my home security system???

 

[sam9s]

Thanks, im new to streaming and online stuff, which is the best VPN. Is it a paid service or do you also get free VPN, and can 1 VPN work on multiple gadgets.

I also just purchased a Yoka KB2 and that works fine out of the box in streaming through addons.

I am using smartdnsproxy and its working good.

I have just gone through some details on google regarding VPN. I guess it is changing my IP Address. Now I have a private IP address from my internet provider to view my Home Security Cameras. I guess if i change my ip address it will also affect streaming of my home security system???

it temporarily assigns you an IP, does not chnage it as such. Plus VPN creates a tunnel between the server and your system directly and assigns the IP to your end machine. It does not affect the public IP, so no your home security system will not be affected.

Also the entire thing is temporary, till the time you are connected, the moment you disconnect everything is back to the way it was. You never keep your VPN connected permanently. You connect it, do your task/work and then disconnect it.