I’m about to subscribe to Kayo and want a simple media streaming box. It doesn’t have to have all the bells and whistles. I don’t need it for gaming or movies etc. Will only be using for Kayo, Amazon Prime shows and 9now. Was about to go with the Vodafone TV until I read that Apple has auto frame rate matching that made me think it may be more smoother. If I went with VTV I’d chromecast everything until their app becomes available. Obviously the apps aren’t available on VTV yet but would there be that much of a difference between ATV4K and VTV watching NRL on Kayo? If not I’ll go the cheaper option but I’m willing to pay the difference if quality will be much better.
Media Streaming Box for Kayo, Prime and 9now
LRoosterBooster on 28/05/2019 - 07:12
Comments
I don't believe I need all the technical extras like 4k, hdr etc and have read that the shield is more powerful than say the VTV. But if viewing experience will not be noticeably better for what I need it for - watching prime, kayo etc than I might just stick with the VTV.
I don't care about having the aerial input either way and am happy to cast to VTV while I wait for the apps to hopefully be supported.
I am happy with the Apple TV for all streaming services mentioned.
Kayo works great and allows you to watch up to 4 channels at once with a simple swipe on the remote to change which channel is outputting sound.
Prime, 9Now and all the other local channels have their app in the App Store and are easy enough to navigate.
Currently no benefit of the 4K model for the services you have asked about.
Thanks for the advice. I’m sure I wouldn’t have a problem with ATV if I went with it and having the apps there ready is a bonus. I just didn’t want to be paying a premium for it if VTV will do what I require at a much cheaper cost. I don’t think my internet is super fast and didn’t know whether VTV would lag/buffer more than the ATV as it is not as powerful.
NVidia's Shield is a fantastic media device. I was so impressed with them that we've now got 5 or 6 in our household and I plan on getting a couple more in the future as needed. We mostly use them to stream Netflix, Plex, Kayo, and our security cameras feed (Hikvision with the tablet app side loaded). You can run vpn clients on them if you want to stream US Netflix etc, and you can control them with your phone using their app. The have CEC so if you have a recent-ish tv you can use the 1 remote.
I’m sure the shield wouldn’t disappoint but don’t know whether it would be overkill for my needs if there’s something that will do a great job at a better bang for buck. I’m sure I won’t be watching movies, needing VPN, plex etc. Apart from Kayo, Prime & catch up shows I don’t need much else. Being a more powerful device does this only mean you’ll only notice a difference in quality watching UHD 4K movies which I won’t be doing anyway? I don’t know what the Shield is made of but does it make a noise (like old fashioned hard drives)? Does it produce heat?
FWIW I use a Chromecast Ultra with Kayo and 9now and it's great. I don't use Prime so I can't comment on that. It's not a box like VTV or ATV and doesn't have it's own remote but I've never felt like I needed one for it. Anyhow, it might be a good compromise since it supports 4k and is only slightly more expensive that a VTV.
Is VTV on Kayo's list of "officially supported devices"? If not I'd steer clear as you probably won't get the best experience.
With chromecast, do you get all your messages/notifications popping up on the TV when watching a show? If so, that might distract/annoy me.
The reason I was leaning towards VTV is that it has chromecast built in. I’ve read that casting through another device mightn’t work as well as casting through a proper chromecast but I’d only be doing this hopefully for a little while as the apps are meant to be on the way.
When apps such as Kayo are available in play store, does this mean it’s officially supported? Kayo says VTV is on their roadmap.
You CAN cast your entire phone screen to the TV in which case you see everything that you see on your phone, including notifications etc. But CC compatible apps, like all of the streaming apps including kayo etc, have a "cast" button. It just sends the show you want to watch to the CC/TV and you can happily watch while using your phone as normal or as a remote to change shows, volume, apps etc.
You just need to be careful. I originally used Kayo with a 1st gen CC and it didn't work well. Heaps of stuttering etc. It wasn't a supported device and didn't have the grunt required. The CC ultra is supported and has more processing power. If the VTV isn't a supported kayo device I reckon you'll have issues. "On their roadmap" says to me that they might support it one day, but it's not a great choice for now.
I don't understand your last question. Officially supported by what? Chromecast? Not necessarily. Read the app description in the play store and it should tell you if it supports CC. But all the major ones do. The only one I can think of that doesn't is the official NRL app. Telstra has a licencing agreement that doesn't allow NRL streams form the NRL app to be cast to a bigger screen. You can cast NRL from Kayo without issue, though.
Kayo on VTV isn’t officially supported yet but should be soon (hopefully). Some people have said casting from VTV doesn’t work that well but the general consensus is that the Kayo add on in kodi works well. I know everyone will be different but I think I’ll just give the VTV a go using Kayo add on. If it’s not working I could hook laptop to hdmi for Kayo and just use the VTVs native apps from play store.
Thanks for the advice mate. From what I can gather, I don’t think the ATV will be that much better for what I need it for and I’d prefer to have a box with physical remote in the long term rather than having to always chromecast with the cc Ultra.
get the vodafone box
install 9 now
install kodi
isntall the kodi add ons for kayo
there are also kodi add ons for the free to air catch up tv services and foxtel now/gowhirlpool has info on the add ons
I have read the whirlpool threads. I still don’t totally understand about kodi and add ons although am sure I could work it out. Provided the apps are coming soon though, I’d be happy just to cast from VTV in the meantime. As long as streaming is acceptable, but not terrible quality I’d be happy.
If the streaming is like other non supported devices for kayo, like 1st gen or 2nd gen Chromecast, you'll get stuttering. It's pretty annoying.
does a streaming device exist that is powered by the port its plugged into? My TV is wall mounted, and its a pain in the butt to thread a power cable down the back and i don't want to have any wires hanging down! So i was hoping something like a Chromecast
I used to power my original CC through the powered USB port on my TV. I haven't tried that with my CC ultra, though.
Firestick? Although I believe it’s pretty limited though unless you purely watch a lot from Prime video.
My TV is wall mounted too. I didn’t want firestick as it doesn’t have all apps I need. I’ll just have to choose a device and work it out later. Will probably just run power cord down with tv cord. I hate the look of the cords but have come to the conclusion I can’t do a wall pass through or install power outlet behind tv. Just have to make do with it.
I use chromecast for kayo and it works really well
Pleased to hear. Maybe that’s the way to go? Too many options and I can’t seem to find the perfect one. I think I’d prefer an interface with remote which was why I was leaning towards VTV as it has chromecast built in. Once the apps I need become available I wouldn’t have a need to cast anymore.
What would you actually want the remote to do, though? You can still change volume with your normal tv remote. With a CC you just use your phone to change shows or start streaming from a different app. Don't assume all the apps you want will become available. You could be waiting a long time.
If it was me I'd go either of two ways - AppleTV 4K or nVidia Shield depending on which ecosystem I was invested in. If you primarily have iOS devices then go with the AppleTV, Android with the Shield. For Android the other options would be the Mi Box or the Vodafone TV, Mi Box doesn't have ethernet, only Wi-Fi, so that rules that out for me and VTV doesn't have all the Aus apps yet eg Kayo. Of course the ATV or Shield are the two most expensive devices but you get what you pay for.
The Vodafone TV is a good option for the price. While the Kayo Android TV app is not officially supported/available for the VTV through the Play Store, you can still side-load the official Kayo app very easily and it works well for the most part (note that the SplitView feature is not available). There is also the Kayo Sports Kodi add-on which is relatively easy to set up. It works well, and there is also the option of having a full guide/EPG for the live channels, similar to regular Foxtel. As you have mentioned, there have been mixed results with casting Kayo to the VTV's built-in Chromecast. In my experience it is very unreliable and I would not recommend it. There is really no reason to do it anyway, as you can use the offical Kayo app through side-loading, or the Kodi add-on.
In regards to the Kayo app becoming officially supported/available on the VTV, I would not be holding my breath for this. The VTV is already more than capable of being able to handle Kayo. It has near identical specs to the officially supported Mi Box and better specs than the old Nexus Player which is also officially supported. The reason for the VTV not being officially supported is likely due to a commercial decision because of it's Vodafone branding (Kayo is a Foxtel product which is partly owned by Telstra). Even though they say that it's on their 'roadmap', I highly doubt that it actually is. This is likely said just to shut people up, and to stop them from asking questions.
Overall, if you're looking for a well priced, capable media box, and not wanting to spend hundreds, the Vodafone TV is a solid option with a really good remote.
Wow, I appreciate the length you’ve gone to in describing this, as its all relatively new to me. I ended up ordering VTV. I gathered the ATV and Shield would be surplus to my needs. I couldn’t justify paying more than double the price when there’s others that will do the job fine. I think I’ll follow your advice and side load Kayo or use the kodi add-on. I’m keen to try it out and feel I’ve made the right decision to go with VTV.
No worries. I don't think you will be disappointed with the VTV. It's a great media box. Obviously it would be better if it was officially supported by Kayo, but you should have a good experience nonetheless with both the side-loaded Kayo app, and/or the Kodi add-on.
Instructions for setting up the Kodi add-on can be found here: https://www.matthuisman.nz/2019/03/kayo-sports-kodi-add-on.h…
Installing the offical app is very easy. All you need to do is download the app, pop the file onto a usb and plug it into the VTV. From there download a free file manager from the Play Store (something like X-plore works well) and install through that. You can download the latest version of the app from here: https://apkpure.com/kayo-sports-for-android-tv/au.com.kayosp…
Cheers, I'll do that when it arrives. In the meantime I'll make do watching Kayo on my ipad for a couple of days. Thanks for the advice.
I tried installing the kodi add-on. Followed the series of steps but when I got to the install there were a few things that failed to install. I tried a few times, same result.
So I downloaded the apk file and installed using X-plore file manager. That one worked, although it is blury watching Kayo. I think it must be our internet speed. I don't want/need the absolute highest quality imaginable, although with what I've got watching NRL the players and ball are a bit of a blur. I noticed watching sport via 9now app is much the same. I turned noise reduction and ultra smooth motion off but there was no noticeable difference.
@RoosterBooster: I also had some trouble installing the Kodi add-on initially. It can be a bit tricky. Everything needs to be done exactly right for it to work. Took me a few goes, but I eventually got it working, and it's been great ever since.
What is your internet speed like? Is the VTV connected via Ethernet, or Wi-Fi? Are you on NBN? If so, who's your ISP? Also, make sure you set the VTV to 1080p 50hz under Settings>Display>Screen resolution>Display mode. If it's not set to 50hz you will have issues with judder which causes jerky motion.
@jmys01: I thought I followed the instructions very carefully. After trying a few times I just decided to go the alternate route.
I don't think its great (I don't understand the technical side a lot).
Just did speedtest app - Download 4.50 mbps. Upload 0.99 Mbps.VTV is not through ethernet, just wifi. We don't have NBN yet, just using telstra with a telstra gateway modem/router thing.
Thanks for all your advice, I will try changing the display and see how it goes. I noticed that the post game analysis show after the footy was clearer (still not great) last night. Not sure if its because everyone else was offline at this stage or if it was just the motion of the game that caused so much blur.Cheers.
@RoosterBooster: No worries. Just FYI, your internet speed is unfortunately not really up to scratch for streaming Kayo. You will likely even struggle to get decent SD quality video, especially over Wi-Fi. If you can, I would suggest connecting the VTV via Ethernet to get a more stable connection. That may allow you to get HD quality if nothing else on the network is using bandwidth when you're watching Kayo.
Hopefully NBN is not too far away for you.Cheers.
@jmys01: Thanks again for all your help. I kind of gathered that the internet speed may have been causing the problem. I don’t really have the option of connecting via Ethernet unfortunately. I think NBN is available but neighbours have said they have had nothing but trouble and wait until we have to to change over. I don’t think we could do worse though than the connection we’ve got a the moment!
Voda TV doesn't have the kayo app yet as you mentioned. It's a PITA.
I think the Mi Box does. If not, I prefer the Mi Box over the VTV. The only advantage of the VTV is it has an aerial slot so you can watch TV through it.
I generally watch Kayo on my SHIELD or casted to my VTV. Both produce the same quality. Kayo is capped at 1080 I believe.