Android TV Boxes

The humble Android TV box has been around for a number of years now. The chances are you may have already owned and used one as they are very popular. If you are a newcomer to the Android box, it is essentially a device that connects to your TV and transforms it into a super smart TV.

You can think of an Android box for TV like an Android mobile phone. It shares the same functionality in that you can download and install apps from the Google Play Store (or other providers) and use them as you normally would. Though you don’t need a SIM or phone contract as it does not have this feature, everything is done over the internet via WiFi or Ethernet cable. You can learn more about what is an Android box is in our guide.

There are thousands upon thousands of apps that are available for use on your Android TV box. You can use it to browse the web, do some online shopping or keep up to date on social media. They work exactly like how they do on an Android phone with easy to navigate menus. Though instead of touching a screen you do this with an included remote control.

One of the main uses for an Android box is as a streaming device. Using one is a cheap and easy way to upgrade your TV to use the latest streaming apps such as BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime Video and many more. You can use software such as a VPN to access streams from outside of your country if you wish to.

Another use is as a media centre. If you have a collection of media such as photos, music and films you can store them on your Android box for TV, either on the internal storage or external such as a USB stick or hard drive. Some models such as the Beelink GS-King X 4K Android TV Box even have space inside for one or more hard drives which allows many terabytes of storage. You can then use a media player to browse the storage and listen or view your media. It is an excellent way to have all your favourite media at the touch of a button and can be shared with everyone on the big TV.

One use not commonly thought of, but is a cheap and effective way to use an Android box, is for digital signage. You can create your promotional material such as an image slideshow or video and display it on a loop or sequence on a TV or monitor for potential customers to learn more about your service or products. These devices have low energy consumption and can save a lot of money when used for long periods of time compared to a laptop or PC.

And one final use for an Android TV box is for gaming. You will likely need a Bluetooth or wired controller such as those from EasySMX to enjoy the majority of games. However once you get connected you can enjoy a wealth of games such as Call of Duty Mobile and Shadowgun Legends. And not forgetting retro gaming with the excellent RetroArch supporting dozens of classic consoles and computers. They look great on the big screen and run very well on Android boxes.