IPTV players
IPTV player is an application that uses m3u playlists. To watch TV you need to install one of the players, then load the channel list into it. You can get the link to the channels here -
Peers TV
One of the best and simplest players today. You can install directly from Google Play. Peers TV has a built-in weekly program guide, favorite channels function, good optimization and full remote control support.
Lazy IPTV
Another simple and very convenient IPTV player. The main advantages of Lazy IPTV are that it holds broadcasts well (without interruptions), is optimized (works quickly), and has a playlist manager. Just try it and the player will remain in your device for a long time.
OTT IPTV Navigator
So far a little-known, but very powerful player for playing streaming broadcasts. It has a nice design, convenient controls, and works quickly even on weak devices. It is very easy to set up and can be downloaded directly from Google Play.
OTT player
One of the oldest and most popular players. It is famous for reading absolutely any link and playlist from the network. Very convenient and supports an archive of programs (You can watch what happened 3 days ago). Registration on the site is required. Playlist management is located in the service’s personal account.
TVirl – Live Channels
TVirl is an IPTV player that allows you to watch Live Channels. It only works on Android TV and will not work anywhere else. This player has complete minimalism and creates the feeling that you are watching a regular TV.
Halva TV Player
A completely new player. Very stylish, well optimized, works fast. Not perfect yet, but better than many. The developers are actively working on it and constantly updating it. This will soon be the best player, without a doubt.
These are not all players through which you can watch IPTV. There are more on the site and if you want to get acquainted with them, follow this link -
Sideload Launcher
You've probably already noticed that many of the applications require downloading from third-party resources. This is completely normal, but third-party apps don't show up on Android TV when downloaded by default. The only tricky way to access them is through the Settings menu.
This is where Sideload Launcher from developer Chainfire comes into play. When you open it, you see a list of all your applications downloaded from third-party resources. So if you plan to use third party apps, you will definitely need to install it. There are other launchers that perform the same function as Sideload Launcher, but we think this is the best.
Media centers for Android TV
Media Center is a downloader application that can fully replace your standard launcher and all installed applications (TV, IPTV, movies, games and everything, everything, everything). There are even TV set-top boxes that do not have Android or iOS installed, only one media center.
In fact, there are a lot of such applications, but I have selected only the best for you:
Kodi aka XBMC
The most popular media center, which is cross-platform and can be installed on Android TV, game consoles and a computer. There are hundreds of thousands of add-ons for Kodi with movies, IPTV, video hosting, games, etc. Google Play alone will not give you such functionality and capabilities.
Movian
It is similar to Kodi, but has a number of advantages over it: There are many built-in applications that you can simply open and start watching an interesting movie or online TV. Also, it is better suited for an inexperienced user, because there is no need to mess with the settings and installations of repositories.
Netflix
Netflix is to movies what Spotify is to music. It is one of the world's most popular platforms for streaming movies and TV shows. Since Netflix is available almost anywhere on the planet these days, there's a good chance you're already subscribed to it. If not, we highly recommend testing it. There is a huge selection of films and TV series, among which there will certainly be something interesting.
TV players
A TV player differs from an IPTV player in that it already has channels built in and there is no need to search for playlists or configure anything. The disadvantage of such applications is that you are limited by channels, functionality, or the applications are paid. However, I managed to find suitable TV players, which you can see below.
Fry!TV
A very cool TV player that the developers created quite recently. It contains 1700 TV channels, a built-in program guide, can switch SD to HD quality, works stably, and is conveniently controlled by a remote control. The player works through Ice Stream (Torrent TV) and if you have a weak TV Box, it will slow down.
TV+ HD
This is a hybrid application that can be used as both a TV player and an IPTV player. It already has 60 popular Russian channels built into it, and you can also upload your own list (this was discussed above). It does not have strict requirements for system characteristics and is well optimized.
Torrent TV
You can watch movies, TV and all in one application. Works the same as "Fry!TV" via Ice Stream. To install, you will need to register on the website, after which your login and password will need to be entered in the application. Has viewing restrictions, which are removed after purchasing a subscription.
OLA TV
This is the simplest TV player for Android. Immediately after installation, you can start watching TV channels. This is not the only good thing about OLA TV; the player has built-in channels from 50 countries: Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Germany, etc. It also contains broadcasts that in many players are available only by subscription (Match!, Football, TV1000 and others).
The Weather Network
The Weather Network is a beautiful weather forecast app for Android TV. It was designed specifically for TVs, and it shows. The Weather Network includes a number of sections such as Videos, Weather, Maps, and much more. By going to the “Weather” section, you can see what the weather is like in your region now, as well as see the 36-hour and hourly forecast. The Weather Network will even give you a weather forecast for the next 2 weeks, if, of course, you are interested in such a distant forecast. With it, every morning before leaving for work you can quickly look at the weather conditions.
Films and videos
Using these applications, you can watch video clips, install an online cinema, which will contain: Movies, TV series, cartoons, programs and everything else.
YouTube for TV
Large backup of different versions of YouTube apps for Android TV. Also, there is a cool analogue called “SkyTube”, which contains all the functionality of the original, makes it possible to import subscriptions and is completely without advertising (If you do not take into account the video that is embedded in the video).
Zona
Zone is an incredibly cool application that has a lot of movies, TV series, and built-in TV channels. There are not many channels, 250+ to be exact, but all the channels are good and without garbage. Optimized, fast, free - definitely worth installing!
LazyMedia Deluxe
One of the most popular cinemas for Android. You can watch movies, TV series, shows and everything else online and torrent. There are some features that no one else has. An example of such a function is “Synchronization”. It makes it possible to synchronize history and favorites between devices, and you can also start watching a movie on one device and continue on another device from the same place.
HD VideoBox
This is probably the best online cinema for Android TV. HD VideoBox does not contain its own database of films, but pulls them from all over the Internet. Those. When you write “Name of movie/series” in the search, it offers you a choice from the most popular cinemas (up to 15 sources), where you can choose in what quality and from which site to start watching. In addition, this is a very convenient application, where there is: search history, favorites, search by filters, and much more. Through this program you can also watch Torrent movies without downloading them.
Tunnelbear
Having a VPN on hand never hurts. It will help you remain anonymous while surfing the Internet, and can be used to bypass geographic restrictions imposed on many online services. If you don't plan to engage in piracy, then Tunnelbear is one of the best VPN applications. Although it is not yet optimized for Android TV, it works completely fine, and, by the way, it looks quite nice.
Tunnelbear gives you 500 MB of traffic every month for free, and to increase the limit you can purchase one of the paid subscriptions. For basic surfing, 500 MB should be enough for you. Note: Tunnelbear will not allow you to upload items that use the P2P protocol to avoid breaking the law.
Other
In addition to the applications above, you will probably find these programs and setup instructions useful in order to upgrade your Android TV to the maximum. Everything that is in this category will ensure the stability of the device and add ease of use.
MX Player
Your device simply must have at least one video player that can read streaming videos. For most of the applications above, this is what you will need. MX Player is good because it is optimized and has hardware acceleration. Also, MX player supports almost all video formats and audio codecs.
File managers
To install applications from USB and view media files (movies, music, videos), you will definitely need a file manager. I have made for you a selection of the best applications that work perfectly with any type of file, and also greatly expand the functionality of your TV.
Browsers
Many visitors to my blog are faced with the problem of choosing a browser for Android TV. The reasons for this are different, but mainly the problem is in managing and maintaining all the necessary components. I have selected for you the three best browsers to choose from that will solve this problem.
How to turn off all advertising
A simple way to disable all advertising at once in the settings. By changing the DNS on your TV, all advertising in all applications will be cut out without purchasing PRO versions. This method works for all applications except YouTube, unfortunately.
Kodi
Kodi is one of the most powerful media center apps available. It can be used to collect all your media files into one directory, which can even be accessed remotely. In addition, Kodi's capabilities can be expanded with additional plugins.
Kodi is definitely recommended for those who store a lot of video files on their TV and are looking for a way to organize it all quickly and in a proper hierarchy. With Kodi installed, any new media files added to your device will be automatically sorted into the appropriate categories, and sent to predefined directories. In addition, additional plugins help provide support for audio and video files of almost any format, making Kodi a universal solution for viewing multimedia content.
No. 9: Che!
When there is nothing to watch on TV, “Che!” will always come to the rescue. "What!" is a Russian TV channel that broadcasts content in the Adventure genre. With rare exceptions, you can find family-friendly videos here. Here you will find episodes of fresh series for men, provocative releases from bloggers, cult foreign blockbusters and exciting real-time filming.
System utilities
Applications that contribute to the ease of use of the TV set-top box:
- Clearing the cache does its job and takes up little space.
- Memory analysis allows you to identify those gluttonous folders with files that have taken up all the free space.
- Total Commander is an alternative file manager for Android. Suitable for cleaning memory from folders and files detected using DiskUsage.
- Scheduled shutdown (root required) – turns off the set-top box at a specified hour.
Twitch
If you're a big fan of watching different players (both pro and amateur) show off their skills live, then Twitch is for you. This is a place where people publish live broadcasts of their loved ones playing various computer games.
It's always interesting to watch how others play, both for entertainment and educational purposes: you can study the approach of different gamers to the game, or spy on what quests the game is preparing. Trying out the Twitch app is definitely recommended for anyone who is even a little into computer games.
For training
There are quite a few useful applications for learning, but I would like to highlight a few that are good to watch on a large TV screen:
- MIPT lecture hall – open lectures and materials from Moscow Physics and Technology Institute.
- TED – more than 2 thousand speeches by a variety of people on various topics (from science and technology to subtleties in psychology).
- Learning language for TED – speeches and conversations in various languages. It is possible to select original subtitles and translation subtitles for 88 languages.
How to install and configure Smart TV on Sony
To install TV service on Sony Smart TV, you need to connect the TV to the Internet. We will proceed from the assumption that the house or apartment is “entangled in the global web.” You already use it through devices: PC, laptop, smartphone, tablet. The apartment is equipped with a router that supports a wired connection via LAN cable and wireless Wi-Fi. You can connect your TV in both ways. Let's consider both options in more detail.
Cable
To connect via cable, you will need an Ethernet cable, also called a patch cord. At the ends, crimped, prepared tips are required. A cross-patch cord is indistinguishable from a regular one, but serves only to connect computers to each other. His pin order is different. Not suitable for our operation.
Before setting up, you need to turn off both devices from the network - TV, router. Connect the patch cord connector and the TV port until you hear a click. The second end of the cable is connected to the router in the same way. Turn on both devices and wait 15-20 seconds for the router to boot.
Press "HOME" on the remote and visit the setup menu with the briefcase logo. After that - “Network” and “Network settings”. Next - “Setting up a network connection”.
After selecting the “Simple” window, the TV will not offer additional options when the network cable is connected. If everything is fine with the cable and the router is working, the test will pass. A successful internet connection icon will appear. You must confirm by pressing the “OK” button.
WiFi
In the case of a wireless connection, all operations until the moment of selecting a network are carried out in the same way - “HOME”, suitcase icon, “Network”, “Network setup” and “Network connection setup”. Ignoring the “Specialist” choice, click the “Simple” button and select a Wi-Fi connection.
2 options will be offered:
- enter the password in the proposed connection directory;
- configure by pressing the WPS button.
To enter a password, use the buttons on the remote control to enter letters and the center button for symbols. Complete the password by pressing "Enter".
Setting up when choosing WPS is easier. Press the button on the router and TV until the connection directory appears. The password is ignored and the connection occurs directly between devices with WPS.
