I get asked all the time about my opinion on different Android boxes. To be honest, most of them are fairly generic boxes that have trouble standing out in a crowd. Every now and then you get one that stands out for an entirely different reason. That’s the case with the StreamSmart S4 and StreamSmart PRO.
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In case you missed part one This isn’t the first time that I’ve come out against buying an Android box. It’s rarebut it does happen. Back in September 2015, I wrote the first. At the time, it was one of the most expensive Kodi boxes on the market – selling for $325 and promising “Free TV for a Lifetime.” The article got some pretty high praise from a Team Kodi rock-star: Nate Thomas. Nate and I don’t see eye-to-eye on everything, but we did agree on our opinions of manufacturers like SmartKodi. Check out the comments on that article to see what he said.
Since then, there haven’t really been many boxes which have ticked me off that much. I’m not against Fully Loaded Kodi boxes, even though that’s not how I choose to watch my TV. A ton of people love them and I think they have a place in the industry.
I’m also not against people charging for providing a service, as long as it’s giving a fair value to the customer. But what I don’t like is when a company is obviously overcharging for a device and making an insane amount of money off their customer’s lack of knowledge. As I said in that first article: I worked in consumer electronics retail with Circuit City for a long time – over ten years, in fact. We were always taught to ignore our opinions on a product and just pitch its features and benefits. If any of you are in sales, you’ll understand what I mean. Most products were beneficial to at least some customers, even if we didn’t like them.
Occasionally, we came across a product that is just so bad, or so overpriced that you really have to wonder what was going through the manufacturer’s heads. The StreamSmart box Anti-review You can find out about StreamSmart at StreamSmart.tv. There are other sites with similar names, but I’ll get into that in a minute.
They’re all online stores, and all sell the same product. I won’t link to any of the sites because that may indirectly help them out, and that’s definitely not my purpose here. All of the images in this article were taken on December 27th, 2016 (except for two images which are noted in their descriptions) and were accurate as of the time of this writing. So if you’re ready to find out why you shouldn’t buy a StreamSmart Android Box, let’s get started. I’m going to cover both the StreamSmart S4 and the newer StreamSmart PRO in this article, because I believe that both are an absolutely horrible value for your money. First I’ll list out the specs of each below and then get into why.
Please note: the following specs have been copied in their entirety from the StreamSmart.tv website. Only the order of the specs have been changed in order to put all relevant hardware specs together at the top of the lists. No item has been added or removed. StreamSmart S4 specs • AMLOGIC S805 QUAD CORE 64 BIT ARM CORTEX A 1.5 GHZ CPU + QUAD CORE MALI 450 GPU • 1 GB DDR3 RAM AND 8 GB NAND FLASH STORAGE • ANDROID 4.4 KITKAT SUPPORTS GOOGLE BROWSER, FLASH10.2 AND HTML5 • MEGABIT ETHERNET 10/100M RJ45 PORT • INTERNAL WIFI 802.11 A/B/G/N/AC DUAL WI-FI (2.4GHZ/5.8 GHZ) • USB2.0 HOST× 3(CONNECT TO USB DEVICES) • SD/MMC CARD READER • HDMI 1.4 AND AV OUTPUT AND COMPONENT(YPBPR) OUTPUT THAT’S SUITABLE FOR ANY TV AND DISPLAY. • ***CHANNELUP ACCOUNT INCLUDED WITH PURCHASE*** • ***HD VIDEO*** • SUPPORTS VIDEO FORMATS: VC-1, H.264, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DIVX, RM, ETC. • SUPPORTS AUDIO FORMATS: MP3, WMA, AC3, DTS, AAC, FLAC, ETC. • SUPPORTS PHOTO FORMATS: JPG, JPEG, BMP, GIF, PNG • FULL HD SUPPORT • ABILITY TO UTILIZE USB MOUSE, KEYBOARD OPERATION AND 2.4G QWERTY REMOTE • SKYPE/MSN/QQ • ANDROID VIDEO: YOUTUBE,XBMC • MULTILINGUAL GUI SUPPORTED.
• SUPPORT ALL STANDARD SD/HD VIDEO OUTPUT FORMATS: 480I/P, 576I/P, 720P, 1080I/P • SUPPORTS 3D HDMI DISPLAY • ERGONOMICALLY DESIGNED REMOTE CONTROL MAKES OPERATIONS SIMPLE AND COMFORTABLE. • MCU POWER ON/OFF BY REMOTE CONTROL StreamSmart Pro specs • AmLogic S905 Quad Core 64 bit ARM Cortex A53 2.0 GHz CPU + Penta Core Mali 450 GPU • 2 GB DDR3 RAM • 8 GB eMMC storage • Android 5.1 Lollipop Supports Google browser, Flash10.2 and HTML5 • GigaBit Ethernet 10/100/1000M RJ45 Port • Internal WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Dual Wi-Fi (2.4GHz/5.8 GHz) • USB2.0 Host× 3(connect to USB devices) • SD/MMC card reader • HDMI 2.0 and AV output and Component(YPbPr) output that’s suitable for any TV and display. • ***CHANNELUP account included with purchase*** • ***4K Video*** • Supports video formats: VC-1, H.264, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DIVX, RM, etc. • Supports audio formats: MP3, WMA, AC3, DTS, AAC, FLAC, etc. • Supports photo formats: JPG, JPEG, BMP, GIF, PNG • Full HD Support, ability to utilize USB mouse, keyboard operation and 2.4G QWERTY Remote • Skype/MSN/QQ • Android Video: Youtube,XBMC • Multilingual GUI Supported.
• Support all standard SD/HD/UHD video output formats: 480i/p, 576i/p, 720p, 1080i/p, 4K • Supports 3D HDMI display • Ergonomically designed remote control makes operations simple and comfortable. • MCU power on/off by remote control How much should a StreamSmart box cost? What would you pay for such an amazing piece of cutting edge technology? I’m being a little tongue-in-cheek here because neither of these devices have anything close to cutting edge technology. The AmLogic S805 that’s in the StreamSmart S4 was announced way, way back in April 2014. Back then of the differences in the main AmLogic chipsets at the time: the MX, S802, S812 and S805. In the image below, you can see a current selection of the AmLogic S805 Android boxes.
With the exception of the Android projector and one crazy box priced at $200, all of the devices are currently priced between $32 and $65 US. For the record, these prices are accurate as of December 29th 2016. The StreamSmart PRO boasts the newer AmLogic S905 processor. This is still a good performing chipset, and the one found in both the and. Even though this is a newer chipset, the S905 still came out in the latter half of 2015. If you’re interested in the performance difference between the S805 that’s in the StreamSmart S4 and the S905 that’s in the StreamSmart PRO,. Caution, it’s a technical article, so it may be a bit heavy for the casual reader.
At GearBest, similar devices range between $36 and $79 US – excluding the $26 Android stick. To be fair, Android stick PC’s normally have less features than their TV box counterparts. Comparing on cost isn’t an apples-to-apples comparison.
Again, these prices are accurate as of December 29th, 2016. StreamSmart costs HOW MUCH??? If you’ve been following along, you’ve probably got a good idea that I think a StreamSmart box is insanely overpriced. But just how much are they? A StreamSmart box is over seven times more expensive than they need to be! I did the math.
If you look at the nine (normal) AmLogic S805 boxes in the GearBest image above, their average cost is $45.66. Compare that to the $349 that StreamSmart charges for the S4 and that’s 7.64 times more than the average S805 Android box.
The average cost of the twelve S905 Android boxes at GearBest is $57.08. That works out to be 7.86 times more expensive than the average! With that much markup, there better be some killer features, right? Well.not exactly. Support Network The after-the-sale support is handled either by forum, Facebook group or via email.
There’s no option to talk to a live support representative that I can find on their website. I will say that the response time on their official Facebook group is evidently very quick.
There’s also a “Support News Feed” which sounds like a great way to keep users informed of changes, except that it redirects to a Tumblr page with three posts on it. The first is from January 2nd, 2016, and then the other two from December 15th and December 27th, 2016. I guess it was a slow news-year at StreamSmart. The lack of live, personal support is a big strike against StreamSmart. If I’m paying a premium price for something, I expect to be able to talk to someone in person when I have a problem. ChannelUp.tv Arguably the main benefit to buying a StreamSmart box is the lifetime subscription to ChannelUp.tv. What is ChannelUp.tv? It is an IPTV subscription service which advertises “unlimited entertainment at your fingertips!” It appears that ChannelUp.tv is affiliated with StreamSmart, but I wasn’t able to confirm that, and they did not replay to my email question at the time of this writing.
Basically it’s a which has paid streams so it purposefully limits the number of people trying to get on to the streams at any time. In theory, you can get pay-per-view and premium channels as part of your subscription cost. I won’t go into why I think these services are a bad idea here, but I will if you choose to subscribe to ChannelUp or any other service of this type. Even then, you probably won’t be protected when these finally become illegal to use.
After all, they’ll already have your account information so they know where you live. 🙂 What I will do though, is show why – even with a lifetime subscription to ChannelUp.tv – either StreamSmart box is still insanely overpriced. The image below is taken from ChannelUp.tv and shows the various pricing tiers for their service. I will give them credit for offering a bunch of different ways to sign up with the service. You can have a 24 hour trial or choose to pay monthly, semi-annually, annually or even a one-time payment for lifetime access. As you can see, ChannelUp.tv offers a lifetime subscription for $149.79.
Interesting The ChannelUp.tv service is available on different hardware, so you don’t need a StreamSmart box to use it. So let me break out my calculator again: StreamSmart S4: $349 Value of Lifetime ChannelUp.tv subscription: ($149) Total value of StreamSmart S4 hardware: $200 StreamSmart PRO: $449 Value of Lifetime ChannelUp.tv subscription: ($149) Total value of StreamSmart PRO hardware: $300 StreamSmart is overcharging their customers between $200-$300 per device! Can I get it cheaper on eBay or Amazon?
You could, probably. But StreamSmart goes out of their way to make it difficult to use anyone but their authorized resellers (more on that in a minute). In December 2015, they unceremoniously told their customers that any device purchased “on Amazon or eBay after 1/1/2016 are no longer covered under warranty, supported, and will be shut off.” But don’t worry.
If you happened to buy your device on eBay or Amazon and suddenly find yourself with a very expensive paperweight, StreamSmart will be happy to sell you another one of their devices with a small discount. After allthey certainly have a healthy profit margin, right? I cannot put into words how disgusted I am by this. If you are a manufacturer of a product, then you have the obligation to support your product no matter where it was purchased from. That’s why a manufacturer’s warranty exists.
I will leave it to legal professionals to figure out if that is within the bounds of the law, but my opinion is that it’s a pretty scummy way to take care of your customers. What does Team Kodi think about StreamSmart? There are only a couple of references to the StreamSmart box on Kodi.tv, but to me., the former Team Kodi member in charge of the Kodi Wiki, and Kodi developer, who created the “Recommended Kodi Box” guide both chimed in on the StreamSmart box – and they didn’t mince their words. In Ned’s words, “ I know people need to make a profit, but the price they’re selling their product at is at scam-levels.” Moderator Wrxtasy went even farther: this device is a GPL Open Source Violator box and actually illegal to sell in its current form. This sort of practice pisses Kodi developers and the Open Source community off no end. StreamSmart are freeloaders, actually stealing other people hard work unless they show us this modified Kodi code.
This is nothing more than an Illegal Scam Pirate Box, sold at a ridiculously inflated price to fool Mums and Dads and Joe public into thinking its legit. Why are there so many websites promoting StreamSmart?
At this point, you might be wondering why there are so many websites promoting StreamSmart. Well, it turns out they do it because they’re actually selling the StreamSmart boxes themselves. StreamSmart promotes it’s reseller program directly on the front page of their website and promises an “average part-time income of $3,500” or a full-time income “exceeding $15,000!” I wonder how they can make that much selling a Kodi box?
If you Google “StreamSmart” you can quickly find several of these resellers like StreamingSmart, Captain StreamSmart and MyFreeCable.tv. To be fair, I’ll say again that I have nothing against small businesses or selling your knowledge for a fee. But when you’re deliberately price-gouging your customersthat’s where I draw the line. Why are there no StreamSmart reviews? That’s a really good question. I tried searching for any StreamSmart reviews but could only find a few “unboxing” videos.
There was nothing that I could see that would show any benchmark tests or experiences using the product other than basic interface. It’s entirely possible that there aren’t any StreamSmart reviews because the box is so expensive. Many of the review sites just starting out purchase their own products for review.
A box that costs $449 is much less likely to be reviewed than something that costs $50. More established reviewers will likely put the box through rigorous testing and that will be bad press for the company. Buy thisnot that At this point, I think I’d recommend you buy anything other than a StreamSmart box. I put out a list of what I think are the on the market.
You could actually buy all three devices on that list for less than the cost of the StreamSmart PRO. If you’re looking for a good,, I’ve got some ideas on that too. You shouldn’t be looking at a device that costs over $400 that isn’t cutting edge. What should you do if someone tries to sell you a StreamSmart S4 or StreamSmart PRO? Laugh.then walk away quickly. Have you used a StreamSmart box?
What do you think? Tell me about it in the comments below! Tim, most people who buy streaming boxes, do not know shit, they are totally lost, So I don’t think there is anything wrong with StreamSmart selling their boxes for a little more, they are providing a service that almost all other boxes do not provide.Excellent web based support via Facebook.If it was not for StreamSmart most of these people would not be able to enjoy streaming. I am not a personal friend of anyone related to StreamSmart, I am just stating my opinion, Thank’s for letting me respond, Joe. I got one from Buddies Home furnishings, they were charging $500 dollars a box. Its so not worth it if it is illegal. I did watch a few ppv fights for free and that does make the money back.
But if I am going to get fined or jailed for this then I will be suing them. I don’t get why the ethernet wont work.
It’s just not worth it. I am retiring it to the store. They should be jailed for steeling copyrighted material. You are right they told me it was legal. That there were no laws to prevent us from watching pay per view.
Its says right on the pay per view that there are many laws. So I am done. Your paying for customer service also. It be phone or in home service. Trust me it’s a great buy. This author is is seeing it from his view alone.
That with lack of knowledge of other things It’s the best box I’ve had. Not everyone knows exactly what to do with a basic Android box. They make it easy for us all. You have a problem or need help.
Contact them or the person you bought the box from and get direct help. If you ask me the author is throwing a hissy fit because he missed the band wagon. It’s obvious by the way you wrote this that one would think the box is overpriced. Here’s what YOU LEFT OUT AND NOT SURE IF IT WAS PURPOSELY. Streamsmart gives it’s users access to 6 PREMIUM ADD ONS that others pay 10 to 20 bucks per month for. So in essence you get a lot more VALUE than just a box with specs.
Come on now we all know a box with specs and still a basic KODI build with no HD QUALITY TV is just another average box. These actually have A CESS TO PREMIUM LIVE HD QUALITY TV. Sorry you had the lack of information which obviously made streamsmart look bad.
I’ve had many boxes and this by far runs circles around my mx8, zoomtak t8h, Nvidia shield as well. This box runs just about as fast as all of them because if the premium links for one. They respond and process the info almost instantly. I was expecting some StreamSmart resellers to chime in fairly quickly, and I wasn’t disappointed. But seriously, Charles, there’s just so much wrong in your comment that I don’t know where to start. Just to let you know, I do my research before I dive into something – even responding to a comment. 🙂 First of all.
Showing your customer’s ChannelUp login and password in a YouTube video? So if anyone wants a free subscription to ChannelUp, by all means go check out “onewayagent” on YouTube. You won’t even need a StreamSmart box to get its biggest benefit!
Secondly, what’s with the cow theme on your website: Freetvnmovies.com? “The udder way to watch TV?”.really? ThirdI can tell just by looking at your recent history that Android boxes is obviously just another get rich quick thing for you.
MLM, options trading, “consulting”, and now TV boxes. I’m all for trying different things, but come on. The bottom line is that the “””premium streams””” that StreamSmart and other sellers tout as the biggest benefit of their devices are TEMPORARY AT BEST. The people who run those services will close up shop at the first sign of trouble, taking your hard earned money with them.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Things that are “Free for a lifetime” usually have a very short lifetime. Noone tucked their tail. My comment has already gotten me more business. I’m a legit person and don’t overcharge anyone. It’s amazing how you all will listen to a landslided review.
Just like the guy that said something about zoomtak below. That’s how I can tell the real research has not been done.
You know how many box sellers and developers have said they could get the same PREMIUM APPS YET THEY’VE ALL FAILED? WE NOW HAVE 8 PREMIUM APPS since my last post on here. Bottom line is WE ALL KNOW THAT PAID IPTV SERVICE is the way to go. If you pay 250 or 350 one time for a good device (not the one described above because that box is outdated) that has more than 1 IPTV service you’ve won. Let’s take you alls perspective and buy a cheap box for 60 bucks. Then what???? Take a gamble on 1 IPTV service and pray it continues to work and spend 10 to 15 bucks per month.
Let’s pretend it works a while yr. You’ve now spent what I charge 1 time for life on a device. Again I know nothing is perfect which is why STREAMSMART STILL WINS. EVEN IF ONE IPTV SERVICE GOES DOWN we still have 7 other options to watch what everyone else WISHES THEY COULD FOR NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE. You all keep IGNORING LOGIC TO BACK THE AUTHORS POST.
I like how you looked thru my you tube videos to determine you know me. 1st off I’ve done this for 4 yrs successfully. Started with zoomtak and mx boxes. They might have similar specs but we all know those don’t include PREMIUM IPTV SERVICES. What you see on YouTube is a glimpse of my business endeavors.
You’re a funny guy that’s reaching and wanting to sound eloquent to your so called flock. My trucking company alone probably dwarfs what most on here do. Have a great day as well. I still CHALLENGE ANYONE WITH A BOX TO DO MORE AND PERFORM BETTER THAN THE PRO MODEL. I have an office and have challenged many other box sellers and not one to this day has been able to show me something better than the programming and content provided on these. If you really knew anything then you would know streamsmart devices come from the same company you’re speaking of. You obviously ran a test on an older streamsmart device.
AGAIN WHILE YOU ALL ARE TALKING ABOUT SPECS THE BOTTOM LINE IS THE ZOOMTAK BOX ISN’T LOADED WITH THE CONTENT NOR DOES IT HAVE A WIZARD AND REAL PROGRAMMERS WHO CONTROL THE BOX. I USED TO SELL ZOOMTAK BOXES AND CAN TELL YOU EVERYTHING THERE IS TO KNOW WITH THERE INTERFACE ETC.
WHO DO YOU THINK THEY COPY FROM???? STREAMSMART DUHHHH!! WHY DO YOU THINK ON THE ZOOMTAK DEVICES THEY HAVE SPORTS ACCESS AND EVOLUTION IPTV AND IPTV MANIA YET THEY DON’T WORK BECAUSE YOU NEED A SUBSCRIPTION TO THEM??? IT’S BECAUSE THEY COPY STREAMSMART UPDATES. STREAMSMART JUST HAPPENS TO HAVE 8 PREMIUM APPS THAT HAVE PASSWORDS THAT SWITCH UP EVERY FEW WEEKS TO KEEP US FRESH.
SO PLEASE UNDERSTAND YOU ALL ARE COMPARING SPECS WHEN I’M SIMPLY SHOWING YOU ALL THE CONTENT ON THE CHEAP BOXES IS ALL FREE BASIC BUILDS THAT AREN’T RELIABLE. NONE OF YOU CAN NAME A LIVE TV APP THAT’S LASTED THAT WASN’T PREMIUM. MOBDRO IS TRASH COMPARED TO WHAT WE OFFER.
CCLOUD SUCKS ALONG WITH ALL OTHER FREE IPTV APPS. Need help!!!!!
On the topic of buying this item thru eBay. I bought 3 boxes from local distributor for xmas gifts. Only needed 2, so sold 1 brand new on eBay. Buyer says eBay shuts off box. EBay has no way to do this. Reached out to spencer troth.
He was very rude & refuses to answer the question if he will refund or reactivate the box. Just keeps saying refund customer. Then let him know. I understand that if u pay to distribute u can’t sell on any sites. A contract between troth & distributor. I am NOT a distributor!
There is 1 distributor on eBay. Good reviews & troth isn’t blocking those ones. My question is does troth pay a few people to buy on eBay from anyone but his seller. Buyer buys box, gives him serial number on box, he deactivates? He is strongly advising refund the buyer. But refuses to give a remedy if the box will be refunded?
As of now, he & his “fake” buyer are the ones out the money. There would have been no way for troth to get serial number unless the buyer gave it. It would appear troth does this to make sure the paying distributors don’t under bid. However once u give him the info, troth offers he will give u a new box with discount for 200. I can see that you are very passionate about how unfair the price is on this box. Do you own one?
I’ve tried Roku, Apple Tv, and finally Firestick. I got a build, side loaded it after countless hours of trying to figure out how (after all, not everyone knows what you know), only to have a glitchy experience at best. Did more research, and found my way to a s905 4k MXQ box thinking that all I needed was a little horsepower to make things work.
It even came “preloaded” with a bunch of addons. Worked a little bit better than the firestick, but not much. Finally I got a StreamSmart. Spoke to a local reseller, cut a deal for less than the listed price (apparently the website price is high to push people to local sellers for support and promotions) and have never looked back.
It just works, like 99% of the time, which is more than I can say for any of the options I’ve tried with all the builds from beast to wookie and even my own mismatched effort. Whenever I have needed help, I simply go to their facebook group and ask. Someone always answers within minutes and my issue gets solved. Further, I would ask that you consider the average person before making such bold claims as to something’s worth or value.
To me, all 3 units have paid for themselves several times over. I like being able to come home and just turn it one and it works, unlike ALL of your examples and my previous attempts. I like having access to private servers that don’t kick you out or pixelate. I like have the home screen laid out for me so I can simply navigate to what I want to watch.
You may have time to mess around with a cheaper box and maybe you don’t need support, but the average person for whom you write more than likely does not. So all you’ve really done is write a hatchet piece that discredits another company. I’m sure I’ll get the whole “you work for StreamSmart” but actually, I’m an insurance agent, and if there is one thing I know when I see it is fraud. Which is basically your writing. Your self-aggrandizing piece is nothing but “look at me”.
You are obviously entitled to your opinion, and on the surface I can see how you would feel the way you do. But judging from what you have written, it is obvious that you have not actually used the box or else you would probably be singing its praises like I do. Temporary or not, I choose my StreamSmart 10 times out of 10. I have to agree with you. I bought one on a whim from a reseller.
I grilled the guy about the processor, network speed, memory, connectivity and tv options. I did this in front of a very large crowd of interested buyers at a local retail show where I bought it. I wondered about its legality and even call Cox cable and asked about the Kodi box because to me getting something for nothing seems dubious. Well Cox said they didn’t have a problem with it. I had previously cut my cable which was $225 a month for three different tiers to watch 4 channels in digital High Def. I first subscribed to Sling.TV at the beginning. I had doubts about that too but for $25 per month with 40+ channels that I had to paid hundreds for previously, it was a good buy.
Still there were the 4 premium channels I couldn’t get with Sling. Enters Streamsmart.
I paid $360 for an S4. My reasoning was that if I could get the 4 premium tier channels I had with Cox the box would pay for itself in 60 days. To my joy I was able to get them “FREE” from several locations using the Streamsmart. I also discovered I can get just about any movie I want to watch FREE as well. Now taking into account it cost me $20 just to got see a movie with my wife, this was great! I have now had the box for 4 months. Digital Drivers Card Lost here. As far as I am concerned the access I have to the channels I want and movies has paid for itself twice over and continues to do so.
I am happy with it. Are there down sides to this, sure. Sometimes there is buffering and timeouts but I just switch to a new source and continue on. I will say a Streamsmart box is not for the “tech novice” out there.
You definitely need to have some knowledge and experience with computers, electronics and internet to have a good experience. Once set up right it works great. I can even use DNLA and mirroring from my home network to the device and watch my media collection on tv. Yes, the upfront cost is expensive but I believe what you get in return is well worth it.
Will it be around a year from now? Who knows but in the meantime I don’t think it can be beat. Oh, get the Real Debrid subscription too at $18 US for 6 months.
The access to high speed dedicated servers is well worth it. As for the detractor(s), all I keep hearing and reading about is how expensive it is. Well, maybe so, but it sounds to me they whine about it because they cant afford it, wont afford it or have some other issue that they have taken the “high moral ground” on. IF they could do it better and cheaper, knock yourself out and show the rest of us how to get the same service we get with a Streamsmart faster, cheaper and better. I am willing to convert if they can do that. In the meantime I will stick with the Streamsmart.
It works and gives me exactly what I want and it has paid for itself in a short amount of time. All I can say is I have a streamsmart, paid $265 and never paid another penny to watch any movie, PPV event, live TV including live local TV. I don’t know what “other” content streamsmart wants you to pay for that you mention, but I have everything and more than all the other boxes you mention without issue or additional money and my streamsmart has already paid for itself many times over with what I’ve been able to watch. When I have a question I get an immediate response either from the FaceBook page or the seller. I need no other subscriptions nor need to pay any additional money. Streamsmart is far and above the best straming box out there! No actually u can download a build from developer where all the apps work and load and movies autoplay or u can even get a premium customised build for $20.00 from other kodi builders and its lets say better cause it has everything u want and skins and toolbars and it automaticly updates just like almost every other build and wizard and who runs android kitkat still outdated garbage!!
Were on android 7.1 not 5 and were using octacore processors!! Your not using kodi anymore uhuh when your using media player funny thing when your downloading media player in upper left corner next to media player text it still has blue k kodi icon!!! Your no different than people selling firesticks for $100 overcharging for same stuff!!exodus specto phoenix one242415 zem evolutioniptv goodfellas2.0 sportsreplay bob sportdevil zen pac12 star taboo stunner sports sportacess realstream beau’s place wolf alpha 1904 streams guess what i have all this and more i have 6 builds on my android box i paid $ 60 dollars for ive seen your videos march 2017 and mine loads a movie 3 seconds so u might need fix your equipment or talk to your programmers and i have 897mb zip build so i think its both kitkat s905!!!! As to the initial posters question depends. Again, if you go to Alibaba you can find the exact same box (and even better ones) and buy direct from the manufacturer (most don’t even restrict the quantity and the most you will pay is about $60). They will build your own custom box, with your own custom logo, with your own customized Kodi (media player), and they will warranty your box for one year.
They have a support team who “checks the links” (just like StreamSmart and all the other boxes claim). Basically you are paying the middle man for nothing more than being “Sticker on a Box” people (and they don’t even put the sticker on the box!). Need that warranty great send it to the middle man (who overcharged you to begin with) and he will happily give you one of his “on supply” boxes from the latest shipment while he prepares a shipment of any other boxes that need to be returned under warranty. He is so nice isn’t he? He will then ship it back in bulk to claim the warranty for you (that’s what you are paying $$$ for).
The only value they add is “customer service” (which is severely lacking). Basically, you are paying a bunch of self-centered “entitled” punks to play the middle man for you (when you could do it yourself just as easy). They take advantage of the fact that most people think it is “hard” or too complicated. How hard is it to pick up the phone or go online and place an order or ask a question to the supplier? That “crack team” of developers is also the manufacturer. Think StreamSmart (or any other premium box for that matter) has a group of guys sitting in cubicles who are constantly checking connections?
Think again you probably guessed it by now it is the manufacturer. Want to add some new features? Pick up the phone and call the manufacturer that’s it period. Seriously it is that easy (and there are plenty of websites that put you in direct contact with manufacturers). You don’t have to be a coder, designer, or technical wiz kid just tell the manufacturer what you want and there you go (with all the same warranty).
So if you like paying $450 to join a private FB Support group which is moderated by a bunch of A-holes who can’t take any criticism then be my guest. And one other thing the only reason StreamSmart is all over the place on the internet isn’t because it is a quality box.
It is because they are taking it to the next level (and not in a good way). They are turning it into a multi-level marketing scam buy our box and if you like it, you can sell our box become a reseller today!
They are trying to become the Amway, Mary-Kay, Zrii of the new millennium. So don’t be fooled into thinking it is all over the place because it is “good.” It is all over the place because the original guys who started it realized they move up a level and sell to resellers instead of direct to the customer and those resellers are buzzing about like flies on s**t!
I bought the S4 box a few months ago. It really works well and I have no complaints about the box. I am new to android boxes and was blown away at the different types of boxes that are out there.
I have learned that the StreamSmart boxes are definitely overpriced. I am in the market for getting another box.
I have researched and found that the SkyStream One box is much better than my S4 and is much cheaper in price. It also has 4K capabilities that the S4 does not. Thanks, Tim for the information.
It’s an eye opener. First off, I’m not affiliated with nor do I own a Streamsmart and I certainly have no intention of promoting Streamsmart.I just hope to shed some light. Second, it really isn’t fair to pass judgement when you haven’t owned and used the product.
Ignorant is the first word that comes to mind. Here’s the deal. I am in the business and sell Digixstreams.
Streamsmart is a rebadged Digixstream. Digixstream has the box manufactured and branded for SS.
Same boxes, same manufacturer. The Digixstream sells for half the price at around $175 lower model and $225 upper.
While the specs may be the same as many other Android boxes, these boxes are actually made very well. Truly solid, high quality hardware and very good custom firmware with regular OTA updates. The defect ratio is extremely low but all that really doesn’t justify the high price of Streamsmart.
The real value like it or not is in the included premium add-ons/IPTV. I have had my finger on the pulse of Streamsmart since day one, and have to say the guy has done a great job of delivering what’s promised and more. I have spoken with many owners and they can’t say enough. I’ve also borrowed a box to test and see for myself. This is not just a box with paid sub content. It’s a marketing machine that’s part of a well thought out and skillfully executed business plan. Yes it seems overpriced, but it is really?
After all, people don’t buy boxes, people buy content and or the promise of. There are at least 5 serious premium additions that provide a ridiculous amount of HD content.
Were talking about ALL TV and PPV Events in HD with zero buffer. Lets do the math assuming there are only 5 sources of premium content. Channelup is actually $20 per mo.
I know because I have it. Need For Speed Underground 2 Unlock Everything Pc Mod Parts. For the record they look to be down as of a few days ago, but they have been running strong for over 2 years. I won’t mention the other services for reasons of privacy, but they are also in the $20 per mo. There’s usually a discount for 1 year subs, so lets say $50 each for a year, together makes $250 in value for 1 year. Even if you lose half of the content over the next year for a value of $175, you now have a total value of $425 + the hardware. You really can’t lose. Everything after that is gravy.
Furthermore, the Distributors are happy and motivated because they have something valuable to sell and can actually make some money. SS pays an average of $75 a unit and wholesales them for around $150. After the extra content cost and other expenses, he’s profiting about $40 a box. It’s the Distributor that’s pushing the sale and also making the bulk of the margin.
A perfect business plan in my opinion and the proof is in the numbers. Lets just say $100’s of thousands of dollars in monthly revenue for our boy Spence.
It doesn’t matter how much less you can get equal spec hardware for. The only thing that matters is that the customer is happy with their purchase and that the sellers are happy with their margin. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. You can’t grow a business to level that he has unless the product delivers.
I don’t feel it’s right to give out close to exact numbers, but let’s just say there are at least 100,000 Streamsmart customers. They can’t all be idiots! A quick search online reveals that there are almost no complaints from buyers. There can only be one conclusion when you have all the facts. I don’t think I need to spell it out any further. I do want to add that I personally don’t like some of the tactics SS has used for price control, but I’ll be the first to admit that it works.
The key to SS’s control is the MAC address. Every box is tracked from the moment is arrives in the US. A database links every box to the Distributor, then to the consumer. Much of the premium content is authorized using the MAC and other data from buildprop.
Although the boxes can be disabled remotely using this info, I’ve only heard of the 1 instance mentioned in a post above. My guess is that is was done to prove that it can be done in order to keep control which means continued high profits. You have to ask yourself, aside from the potential legal aspects, has Streamsmart really done anything wrong? Sure makes ya think, don’t it. Thanks for the well thought out comment. I appreciate the dialogue and (unlike some of the other StreamSmart fans on here) you actually make some good points.
I’ll give you two points. First, the box is incredibly well marketed, and they seem to target people who are sick and tired of paying too much for cable (aren’t we all?), but don’t have any reservations about the legality. I’m not going to get on a soapbox about that one way or the other. People can make their own decisions about piracy and that’s not for me to say one way or the other.
Second, I don’t believe they’ve done anything “”wrong””. But that doesn’t mean that I think they should be able to price the device the way they do without someone calling them out on it. My main problem with all of the boxes that follow this model is that you’re paying for the service. IF it works out the way you’re detailing, then yes, you are getting a value.
But I want to stress that there are two HUGE risks with paying for services which are, to be blunt, illegal. Sooner or later those services will come crashing down. Most of them revolve around one or two people keeping the content updated. If they decide to quit, the service stops working. That could happen next week or next year.
We don’t know. Also, think about Napster, Popcorn Time, Pirate Bay, and I can go on and on. The end users of all of these services ended up being sued for watching or downloading content. Is that really a risk you want to take? That PPV movie isn’t worth it IMO.
Streamsmart may not have done anything “wrong”, but then again, neither did Mylan when they jacked up the price of the EpiPen. It’s still price gouging, no matter how you look at it. Maybe a great observation but the math is wrong on what streamsmart pays for the boxes. Streamsmart doesn’t pay $75 for the boxes (maybe if they bought one box at a time). They buy the boxes for far less because they buy them in bulk (probably $20 I’ll give them some credit that they may actually pay more than a $1 a box based on customizations that the manufacturer charges more for but that is being generous).
So when they sell the box wholesale for $150 they are certainly making more than $40/box. Could anyone stay in business with that ratio of profit? I promise you it is not that close. Me no think so So the quantity discount is what gives streamsmart it’s greatest profit base.
Omg Tim, I had my best laugh lately I am following from time to time your blog and this article got my attention:) You don’t know what you are loosing if you don’t purchase their “state-of-the art” products. Man, like they are saying, their website is the place “where smart people shop”. You can easily replace your Nvidia and Minix U1 with these jewels. Real value for money, come onAnd Live TV in HD, uuuugh. I couldn’t resist, got these boxes plus two AudioQuest Diamond 16m (52.49 feet) Braided HDMI Cables that I just ordered from Amazon (best value for money, only 13.k USD each) will amazingly get connected to my best 65″ Sony CRT TVs in the basement & attic. Can’t wait to see all of them connected & my st Live TV in HD from these wonderful guys.
Wait, have to get some more water to calm down my hick ups too much laughing Great job with your reviews, keep on going! Cheers from someone across the ocean, somewhere in Europe;). Not going to get technical with this. I will keep it simple. I’ve had a Streamsmart S4 is for a year now. Since then, I have watched about 5 live pay-per-view shows for free. Quality is fantastic and I got to see the live action of pay-per-view UFC.
I also enjoy watching literally any television show or movie I want with no problem. I paid one time for it and it is still going strong. My parents, wife’s parents, and five of my friends have since then purchased one and everyone loves it.
You can’t beat a one time payment compared to paying $150+ for cable each month. Streamsmart investment is well worth it.
Tim, again thank you for the great help you give to us, I have followed your reviews for some time and find very useful. I couldn’t agree more that this box is a rip off BIG TIME and of course many people think more money for a product means a better product which is not always true. This Stream (not) Smart is a perfect example of more money doesn’t equal better product. My brother and I each bought SkyStreamX boxes a little more than a year ago.
While at $150 was a little high after reviewing and having all we wanted and a very good customer response I’m way happy with our choice. Only think that I didn’t like is it was replaced in no time with a new box with a new name, not sure why but that’s what happen. I do wanna add that I am still happy overall with SkyStream and would buy other product from them. You were also very helpful with questions we had in the beginning, although again the customer service with SkyStream is very good and have fast response time to solve any problems I have had. For the most part problems have been caused by us the end users which is not uncommon.
I can’t stress enough how great it is to have you as a source of help with these things, your hard work is greatly appreciated by me along with many others. Thanks again. I am new to all of this and don’t understand all the technical jargon. I just purchased an S3 through my husband’s boss for $100. Guess I still got ripped a new one, just not as bad. However, I am not seeing major problems with our Streamsmart.
It glitches some and we’ve had to reset the box a few times. But as I said, we are new to all of this. We were on the hook to our tv provider to the tune of $160 per month and just dropped down to $53 with the bare bones package. I have a Roku in my bedroom and we have the SS in our living room. I just don’t know what to do, was thinking about buying another box for my bedroom and giving my daughter the Roku, but now I don’t know.
I really don’t understand what you all are talking about with this being so bad, other than the outrageous price, which I didn’t pay. As far as it being illegal, I am under the impression that as long as you don’t download any content, it’s as legal as can be. What’s the difference between using the box or watching all of this directly from the internet, it’s streaming content and once it’s on the internet, it’s out there. I’m not saying I agree with people sitting in theaters with their phones and recording movies and putting them out there is ok, but once it’s on the net, it’s fair game for anybody who has access. In conclusion, I would just like to understand this article a little better and be able to make up my mind as to what I want to do.
Thanks from one confused person. None uses Channel Up anymore!! That’s how old his information is. We have 8 premium apps now that are pretty doggone good.
It’s amazing he’s saying stay away from IPTV SERVICE but promotes another svc that’s 15 bucks per month??? So these people say buy a cheap box for 60 or 70 bucks then pay 200 plus per yr to have the IPTV on the cheaper box. What sense does that make when you can have 1 box that plays 8 premium IPTV apps at no ADDITIONAL CHARGE??
I’LL POST IN HERE EVERYDAY JUST SO THE PEOPLE CAN SEE THE TRUTH BEFORE HE DELETES AGAIN. Tim you look so dumb now!!! I guess you have not saw the review site looking just like yours.
I told you I was the wrong one to mess with. You put bad info out on me as well??? We have screenshots of all comments that were deleted and recreated your page so PEOPLE WOULD SEE THE TRUTH.You’re so wrong in your content plus the fact you’re 1 sided makes your credibility go right down the tube.
Are you scared I’ve been sharing the TRUTH AND NOW PEOPLE WERE COMING TO ME TO PURCHASE FROM YOUR POSTS SO YOU TOOK MY COMMENTS DOWN. I WILL HAUNT YOU FOR DOING THE PEOPLE WRONG. Hi Tim – Sorry to break up the fight between you and Charles 🙂 but I have a real question I haven’t seen in your writings that the product doesn’t work or deliver on its promises.
If it is up there in the thread then I apologize. All I see is that it is too expensive. Here is my issue – I was a breath away from buying this product, until I read this article, because my wife LOVES UFC and we buy all of the PPVs so it would be easy to recoup the $450. Frankly I am still leaning toward buying the StreamSmart Pro because I don’t know any different. A friend said she loves it and it works great for her so she has my wife hooked.
The money isn’t an issue for us so help me understand why I should not buy this box other than the principle of paying an outrageous amount for free PPV. Is there another box that will also give PPV channels and also allow me to watch my in market baseball games? I have looked at all the comments here and tend to agree with most. I have no clue how to program a box.Yes the SS is expensive. Yes it has almost instant customer support in addition to a FAQ area for self help.
Hardware is getting outdated. Who could keep up with it as fast as its moving. I’m not buying a new one every 3 months when techys learn a new trick. I have updated my SS from a 3 to a pro. Guess what my Channel up moved with it.
Although I don’t use it much. I don’t think they promise one add-on for life but he live tv where ever they can get it.
So far so good. I figured the price was covered by not paying cable for 3 months. After that profit. Ya the shield is better but I don’t game and that’s what it is for. If you want flawless tv SS is the way. Support auto updates and great content.
I wish I had an auto mechanic so reliable. Everyone thinks the Shield is a gaming system, but that’s only part of it. It has official 4K support for Netflix and YouTube.
You can count the number of boxes that have that on one hand. I’m glad you’re happy with the StreamSmart. But your analogy about buying a new box every three months isn’t really accurate. The StreamSmart is 1-2 years out of date. By the time you recoup your investment, you’re looking at three year old technology.
If you’re still excited about paying four times as much for something that old, then there’s not much I can say to change your mind. I gave a $50, which i custom programmed myself to a friend of mine. This friend has a top of the line stream smart box. He uses my box on one tv and the streamsmart on another tv in the same house on the same internet connection. I programmed the box with the free add on build pulse ccm. I also added a few more add ons all free.
There is not one channel, that anyone watches, that is not on my pulse ccm box. They play perfectly and my $50 box updates itself every couple of weeks. Dont buy a streamsmart its a rip off. You are paying for a multi market scam system. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this thread of comments! Tim, I’m an electrical engineer, software developer and I’ve designed boards from scratch, built a ton of machines from bare motherboards, Linux, windows, etc.
I’m not your average reader. I also try to use the English language correctly, and I appreciate others that do, too. There are a few who have done so in these comments and I’m thankful. CJ, I believe you have tried to make some points, but you lost me based on your own one sided rants as well as your problematic use of the language, bragging and caps lock. Tone it all down and you will sway even more people.
Tim, I appreciate where you are coming from. Over priced old specs isn’t ok, and neither is the business model.
I offer a slightly different take on things I write software. What does it mean to steal my software? Just because someone else stole it, some people feel ok to just use the pirated copy because of a loop hole?
If, as everyone says, the value is in the content, I totally agree! So why is it ok to take it for free?
That, by definition, is making it worthless. Does that make purchasers smart?
I don’t think so. I guess most may not know where the content originates. Or they don’t care, which is their choice. I respect other people’s work product. I cut the cord from cable a couple years ago and I pay for what I want legally. Amazon fire TV, with Kodi, Amazon prime and Hulu and Netflix.
Rock solid and legal. Call me crazy for respecting other people’s work and expecting legit pricing on hardware. Yes, people are happy with their ss and they get a lot of free things they shouldn’t. Neither make a good value or ethically ok. If you are happy with the price, the risk of the services being shutdown, the ethics about stolen content, then have at it.
I, personally, won’t buy the box. I hold myself to a very high ethical standard that this does not meet. Mike, I appreciate your comments and agree. What I appreciate most is your ethical standings on the whole “sharing of content”.
I would appreciate if you could reach out to me, I’d like to speak with you about a professional and “legal” matter. I can be reached. If the info is removed, please reach out to Tim for my contact info. Tim, I thank you for your input and efforts, it sounds like we have a common mindset. However, from being in the CE business for quite a while, I’ve come to realize that a “good deal” is usually based on the “buyers’ response to the product and if “they” feel they received what they paid for. Thank you for looking out for us.
Why can no one articulate coherent sentences here? I don’t own a StreamSmart but am doing a little research on it because I have talked to a few people that have gotten them and they are absolutely thrilled with them. The problem is, I don’t know which side people are arguing half the time because their posts seem to be written by a 3rd grader walking into Grammar 101 for the first time. Tim, you are coherent enough and Jay seems to have a good grasp of the English language, but that is about it. Charles, I really want to buy one of these boxes but your obnoxious rambling and constant use of Caps Lock makes me want to bang my head against a wall and never think of a StreamSmart box again.
You’re wearing a shirt and tie in your picture. Makes me think you have some kind of ability to communicate in the real world but I suppose that could all be a farce. Bottom line, I am not a techy person by any stretch of the imagination, and was looking to gain a little insight into this product after hearing about it for the first time three days ago. After deciphering as much as I could out of these posts, it seems like most people that have purchased the StreamSmart have been very happy with them and its performance.
As all of us in here, I am sick of paying the cable company outrageous prices every month for less content than what seems like the StreamSmart can provide. The REAL PROBLEM (shout out Charles) is that the English language seems to be dying a slow and painful death. I’m not even a language or grammar enthusiast.
I’m just trying to make sense of some comments in a forum. Good luck to all and happy viewing. All streamsmart boxes are made in china. Go to ali express order a top of the line android box. Cost about $50. Make sure it has kodi 16.1, dual wifi and 2gb rom 16 gb ram and dual antenna, and android 5.1. When you get the box hook it to the net connection.
Open kodi which is on every chinese made box. Add the ares wizard. Then, in ares wizard, go to builds and add pulse ccm build. Booooooooooooom you now have every channel in hd that is on a top of the line streamsmart box. Your new box will update everyday. Boooooooooooooooom you just saved about $400. Turns out i have an older TV that does not accept a.
I tried using the av wires since there are jacks for them on the box. The picture that came up was so jumpy I could not even see what the picture was. Next I tried it on a newer TV with the HDMI cable. The picture that came up was not what was shown in the how to videos. I finally did get a TV channel with a good picture but it kept buffering.
It would play for about 8 seconds then freeze and buffer for about 10 seconds. This continued for about thirty minutes until I stopped it and continued trying to get it set up correctly. After working with it for about 3 hours I gave up. Next morning I watched the instructional videos again an continued trying for several hours I guess it is just too smart for me. To the author, what is your top recommendation for the best, most legal way to use a box to watch live tv/sports? Keep in mind I am in no way, shape or form computer literate and the idea of building anything is simply not an option.
I need a plug and play device that is simply a sit down, turn it on, search for the show/game I want to watch, select it and watch type thing. I’m looking for something as simple as satellite, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu without spending $150 a month.
Does that device exist? Where I live I cannot get live tv through antenna, so I have to have some sort of device just to watch my local news/weather. Something that gets you satellite, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu for less than $150? To replace Satellite Cable: Sling TV ($20, $25 or $45 depending on what package) per month Netflix: 4 screens, 4K content $12.99 per month Amazon Prime: $8.25 per month, but I wouldn’t even count it because of all the free shipping that you’re going to get Hulu: $8, I think, per month (I don’t use Hulu) NEver having to look over your shoulder for legal notices: Priceless 🙂 Total: $66 for a complete, legal, cable replacement that ALWAYS works. I dropped my $180/month cable habit in November 2015 after i purchased a Smartstrem S4 box.
Yup, the box included a remote and a keyboard, and cost me $430 direct from San Diego. Then I hired a company to install a TV antenna on my roof, to the tune of $540. So i ended up spending almost a grand to make sure I had all my bases covered. I figured if the S4 would last 6 months i would be ahead of the game. And now 18 months later I’m close to $2500 ahead of the game!
Much better return on investment than most of my investments. Speed and quick performance are not always the most desireable traits — think sex. So what benefit did I get for buying such an expensive Andoid box? I got a box that worked with all its goodies already loaded up, I didn’t have to waste my time trackimg down and installing a myriad of software, And then hope and pray my kluge would work.
I wanted technical support for BOTH the hardware and software from one vendor. And for me I liked the fact that the company was in my county — no language issues, and a strong customer support, including a Facebook page. This was more important to me than a clock speed difference of 2.4 vs.
2.8, or whatever. There’s such a thimg of optimum vs. Maximum, I prefer the former. My box delivers on its promise — and in the end that’s all I wanted. You really stirred the pot up. I left a lengthy post 6 weeks ago or so. Thank you for the respectful comment.
Quick reminder, I’ve been in this business for a few years now and know the inner workings of Streamsmarts product and business plan. First, you are right about the hardware. It’s a little outdated now and you can buy close to equal from China for less than $100 shipped.
However, I can’t stress enough that these Android TV boxes, no matter how great the hardware, are only as good as the content they can deliver. As long as the box is capable of delivering media without buffering, crashing, etc. Then it’s doing it’s job. As I mentioned in my previous post, the value is absolutely in the content.
By the way, I recently tested and dissected the Streamsmart firmware. It’s no joke. You can’t just take the logins and use them with the same addons on other boxes. They’ve gone above and beyond to protect the premium addon. I think it’s overkill personally but hey, it works. Also, they haven’t skipped a beat as far as premium content.
I kinda wish you were right as far as it being a bad purchase. I felt like that as well for the same reasons, but I’m telling you, once you experience every channel and every event in HD, never buffering. There’s just no way to deny the value.
At some point you have to accept the overwhelming truth. A closing thought. $500K per mo., not by gouging, but by meeting the demand of people that had a choice. Keep up the good work. Great post/thread by the way. I literally, never leave comments.
I complement you on a job well done. Streamsmart Is just like a mechanic on your car or a gardner. Sure we may be able to do these things ourselves but some people would rather not bother wasting time doing it when someone can do it for them.
Some people also drive KIA’s some drive Cadillacs, Mercedes BMW they all get you from point A to B right? But there is little extras in the luxury cars same with streamsmart. Yes, there is other boxes out there and yes they may have similiar qualities but I prefer having peace of mind that if an add on (app) goes down streamsmart already has in place something to replace that bad add on. That’s what Streamsmart bring to the table they add more and more programming as it becomes available no need for you to go out and find someone to reprogram your box or you going online to download the latest version of a certain add on or try to find the latest and greatest add on. I have no time to be dicking around in the computer! Time is money id rather leave it to someone to do that for me.
So in a nutshell $60 to $150 boxes you are comparing are not apples to apple to a Streamsmart Box. LOL you worship the Chinese manufacturers who are actually providing all the support and updates (the same ones you could buy directly from) I used to say all StreamSmart does (or any other premium box) is put a sticker on a box and sell it at an upgraded price. However, that is even giving them too much credit they don’t even put the sticker on the box that’s done at the manufacturer too. Save yourself some money next time and don’t spend a couple of hundred bucks to join an unhelpful FB group (which is really all you are paying for).
Just get one on Alibaba (and still get all the warranty, support, and upgrades) for far less. You can find the streamsmart box for about $250 if you know what you’re doing.
Sure the $50 box will get the job done and I wouldn’t even tell you not to get one. It’s the premium add ons that make all the difference for me. They stay on top of making sure access to live tv and sports is always available with good picture quality. The TV guide features are awesome when watching live tv. I can watch every baseball game in HD and never have a problem. I’ve probly played around with 5 other boxes and streamsmart is the smoothest based on the premiums making all the difference.
StreamSmart is pure shit! Although I am a software developer and understand these boxes, I bought at KAT-TV and TigerStream during one of their deep discount sales (which was still a bit overpriced) as I have a multitude of other projects going on and needed something quickly that the rest of family could use (so in fairness, there is a niche).
That being said, one look on Alibaba and you can find better boxes, with better specs, that already come preloaded with custom android and media player (essentially the open source kodi slightly modified), OTA updates, add-on wizards, etc. They will even stamp your own logo and customize the packaging for you for anywhere from $1-$65 (depending on the quantity ordered). The manufacturer offers the one year warranty.
So basically, the guys at streamdumb don’t do shit! So if I bought a KAT-TV and TigerStream what does that have to do with StreamSmart? Well when it comes to TigerStream nothing essentially the same box with the exact same premium add-ons, for the exact same price.
Only difference there is that they offer better customer service than StreamSmart. How do I know KAT-TV went belly up and transferred to StreamSmart (basically downloading the streamsmart android/kodi onto the KAT-TV box). That being said, I wanted to order an updated remote for my KAT-TV and received a totally rude an unprofessional answer from streamsmart chat. When I posted my question on the KAT-TV forum (before it was set to close), somebody responded with go to the streamsmart website you can get it there. When I explained that they were rude and unhelpful, someone using the KAT Streams user account started berating me (like a 2 year old) offering me a tissue and whatnot. You go into a furniture store.
There is a “flat-pack” table for $10 – assembly required; the same table assembled is $35 and the “pro” version of the table is $40 which comes with grey black screws and a collectors edition napkin. Knowing that the table has 100 parts and NO instructions, some people choose the pre-assembled one as they are not as good at building a working table from parts, some choose the PRO version ‘cus they like the collectors napkin and have tons of money, a few take the time to look at the assembled version, read up on it, take some notes and just put it together themselves. Anyway you look at it, a table is a table no matter how much you pay. For some buying a pre-configured box is worth the money.
Me, I would rather UNDERSTAND how its put together, know everything about the hardware, software, who made it, and be in full control of my device and pay less. When my $20 TV box gets outdated or breaks, I toss it and load my new and improved box for another $20. Dragon/Stream box or whatever name you call it is a questionable business model for people selling or buying (reminds me of the Speaker Van Scam). Notice how none of these companies give props to the people who spent their time and efforts to code KODI / XBMC originally?
I don’t see them “giving back” to the people that enabled them to make some $$$. I personally like to keep an eye on things I put on my network as I value my privacy and security and don’t like to get the attention of ISP, popo, cops, feds, etc Its like the electronic version of letting a crackhead stay in your houseyes, chances are it might be OK, but are you really willing to risk it?
Just my thought, thank you for the article and EVERYONE’S responses to it! You know I was sooo torn.
I am divorced. Yes I drive a cadillac. Hav nice things.
But I also just unclogged my own drain line 4 days ago by pulling my own toilet and renting a heavy duty snake. It easily saved me $450. The point is I like VALUE for my money. And while I was once married to a programmer, I am 55 yrs old and technology is the one glaring challenge in my life. (I now know how my grandmother felt with the microwave oven. With that said.
I will express the to the one poster who made the table analogy that its not a difference between $20 and $40. For some people that $450 is a chunk. And while I might spend money on a 1990 premier cru chateau margaux, and it might seem like a waste to some. It is not for me. Thusly, spending money on technology is easy.
I just dont want to ~waste~ it. If the difference between $20 and $400 is worth it to some. But for some, like myself, even though I am technically challenged in the wording and nomenclature. With a little research. I usually figure it out. The biggest help has been right here. (yes really) after strenuously reading about so many types, terms, etc I didnt know what to think and didnt hav anyone to ask!
(they will all giv the ‘sales pitch’ for their line, type, model of course.) one thing I did notice predominantly, and that is just about Every. Techhie here, every Programmer, recommended Against the purchase of the SmartStream. I understand programs get antiquated very quickly, but for what you are getting, I hear a strong, solid, united. Its not the system. Its the VALUE. Its just not there. I am Not buying a SmartStream.
AND I am further going to tell my Listening Audience of my experience as well. Lastly, let me say Thank You! To the man who had the courage to start, and Maintain this review and comment thread. I realllly appreciate your dedication to this.
And by the looks of the comments here (nd yes, we know. Some hav been seeded by the SS company Im sure. But even us ‘tech challenged’ people see thru that) but it does seem that many hav reaped the same benefit as well. Thank you thank you for making the Truth available.! ~ sorry for any typos.
I am typing on my ph nd speak much more eloquently. (except when snaking a drain line. Then I even dropped the ‘f’ bomb. Lol) but I digress.! Pls pls keep my info private.? That was very entertaining lol I have zero patience, I hate buffering and I’m cheap so what to buy? For now I’m going to stick with my Amazon firestick and Ares Wizard on Kodi.
It can be a pain in the butt from time to time because of buffering and finding a quality stream to watch sports or live T.V. Is like arguing with my wife (pointless) but it’s good for streaming movies. Come football season I’ll be forced to upgrade because I refuse to give my hard earned money to Direct TV. The $250 I’d spend on NFL sunday ticket I could invest into a streaming device I just don’t want to drop a couple hundred and get a box that buffers. I truly enjoyed reading everybody’s comments but like I said I’m cheap so I’ll continue to research to find the best quality and value. I think regardless of what “Stream” device you use, buffering is always going to come up. It’s internet based and unless you have T1 or some ungodly internet service you will always encounter buffering with internet based streaming.
But on that note, I’m not here to blast cable TV, because it does give you the best quality, but I personally have a StreamSmart box because financially it was just a better deal than the $290.00 I pay monthly to Xfinity. They are killing me and my wallet is screaming. I’ve had my box for a short time but recently saw the advantage with watching UFC 213 & 214 within the last 4 weeks in 1080P (no buffering) and my box is 3/4 of the way paid on that alone. If I’m able to get NFL Pass to work then mission complete. The box offers more than I anticipated and I can’t imagine being without it, honestly. Some day big brother may come down hard and shut them down, but I will still feel it was a good purchase for what I have already experienced and saved financially. Good luck on your search.
There very well may be better options. But I spent $350 and bought the new PRO from a direct seller and the very first night I had it I streamed UFC 214 in HD for free! No skipping, no lagging or buffering between NFL Gamepass and 1 PPV UFC fight it paid for itself already!
Sooo like I said, there could be better cheaper stuff out there but this has already saved me money and I’ve had it for a weekend lol. I also have a jailbroken firestick with Kodi that gives me pretty much everything. But I can’t get the premium apps like NFL Ticket or PPV like I can with StreamSmart. I don’t sell it so I couldn’t care less if you guys get it just thought I’d add my 2cents:). Yup, I’m right there with you.
I’ve had my StreamSmart Pro for 6 weeks and watched UFC 213 & 214 with no issues in 1080P. This box does wonders.
It pays for itself in a very short time. Even if you were to have issues with a program, you can find the exact same program on another app. The box has a ton of options. I pay $290.00 in Comcast per month and it’s killing me over the years.
It’s been 6 weeks and the wife and I have yet to buy a pay-per-view movie. And to watch movies in theater is just plain crazy. Is this going to be the do-all-end-all? Probably not. I’ll have my buffing issues here and there, but they are so far apart you never really think about it. This box is truly a blessing. Even if big brother comes down on them I still feel it was worth the price.
All I can say is I have truly enjoyed my StreamSmart Pro for awhile now. I see tons and tons of negative reviews and I’m trying to be opened minded but I still have had no seroious issues with my StreamSmart Pro. Just watched UFC 213 & 214 within the last 4 weeks for FREE and I’m basically getting over like a fat rat. Yes, it cost a pretty penny just to purchase the box, but the truth is, if it last a simple year it’s still better than paying the $290.00 per month I pay in cable with XFinity with all the Pay-Per-View movies and what not.
Yes, I’m sure it has its negative side, but just like everything else, it’s not perfect. Considering what my cable bill is every month, this is turning into a bargain, regardless of minor issues. This last week was a true test for the Streamsmart boxes. I have friends who got different Android boxes cause they were cheaper and said I was stupid to of paid the 300 for my S4. Well my box is still going while all of theirs are down because of some change to Android system.
They all paid around 150 to 175 or so for their boxes and now being told they need another box or need the box upgraded to the new Android sytem for a cost between 100 and 150 dollars. Now they have paid as much as I have and I haven’t been down a single day. Support is always on top of things as always helping people, upgrades and such. They say you pay for what you get well now some of my friends are going to just get a streamsmart and others are going to take the chance of getting a new box.
If you only new what these streamsmart boxes can do. I have every generation and I’ve put them against every other box out there. As a matter of fact I have a collection of other boxes that customers have given me after I installed there boxes properly. To use the box properly you need a strong consistent wifi signal. I use a nighthawk router and I run 4 boxes in my home via WiFi with not any issues at all. And that having a PlayStation,custom gaming PC and also Mac book and 3 iPhones all on wifi.
These boxes do much more then play movies and sports. I’m in a wheelchair 24/7 so I have time to tinker around. I have got deep into the interworkings of these boxes and what I’ve found is incredible and I would buy them just for the extras. These are not normal boxes, I’ve used all and none even come close to the streamsmarts.
Do you research with the box and not from what others say nor from others sites. I’m not a reseller I just help people out. I can give you fifty names of people that will tell you the same. If you install properly they work the way they say and the way you want.
People don’t ask questions so they won’t get answers.who’s your cable /wifi Company and what service are you paying for how many mps comes into your house. What kind of router do you have. Those are questions I ask and those are questions the buyer needs to know before purchasing a box. I won’t sell to anybody who doesn’t get at least 2 to 300mps specially if they have children that have gaming consoles or cell phones. I have 3 boxes on 1 tv and I can do things that would blow your minds I watch movies from my phone anywhere I want via my box I pay nothing. Hope this opens eyes and if not I enjoyed writing it anyway.
Ok, I’ve now read the entire comment thread. Im not likely to order the $40 version and try to figure out which apps and programs I need to download and install to get all the HD and premium channels.
I just want a box at a fair price, with a remote etc, that is a true “Plug n Play” option for a almost non-tech person. Please suggest some alternatives that offer all/most of the Streamsmart content, at a much lower price that is a true plug n play option without having to install and redesign the box to get it to work. I’m all ears as to product names, avg prices and where to get them! Well that took almost an hour reading everyone’s comments and trying to see everyone’s points of view. For me, I love my streamsmart box and don’t really care about the over charge( if there ever was one) I think the price is spot on and not having to pay anything after buying the box, I think it’s a pretty damn awesome. I use it every day and I got some family members to buy it too and they love it as well.
It’s a choice to spend your money how you want. And to give it a bad review is pretty shitty, that’s just my opinion. I have two boxes, an S4, and a pro. The first was a gift. I admit that the ‘genius’ was that everything was pre-installed, and auto updated. Then the channelup faded away, and support got weak. You can’t even post on their forum, (the facebook group, which was convenient and helpful, (except for a few admins (ST) that were pricks) closed abruptly).
I regrettably recommended that a friend who was somewhat computer illiterate get one. She did, and was not happy with the product. I get constant buffering now.
I have a Roku, and a google nexus player with kodi, neither buffers. I would not recommend the box to anyone.
I have owned my streamsmart PRO for 13 months. I researched ALL streaming devices prior to my purchase. ALL the current options are inferior, period. I have saved $101.36 per month for 13 months. This will continue for all the months I have my Pro box.
I don’t have any problems at all. By the way, I paid only $349 for mine.
I came by this site by accident. For very successful people such as myself time really is money.
It really is a shame that people like you have violated the freedom of speech clause. So many people that use this site are being fed a line of feces and other lies. For those of you with eyes to see, do your own due diligence.I know you will choose STREAMSMART for your streaming needs. Just to let you know.
I am NOT a re-seller, just a very happy customer. Thanks for the comment.
People are normally passionate about this box one way or the other so it’s nice to actually get to debate someone on it. Let me talk to your three appeals individually. 1) Ease of setup/maintenance. I will give you this one.
There’s a benefit (and a dollar value) to having something maintained for you. That’s one of the reasons I like both. They have a simple setup to get you whatever addons are hot right now, but they use that as a way to differentiate themselves from the competition – not as an excuse to charge more. Don’t get me wrongI AM OK WITH CHARGING FOR A VALUABLE SERVICE.
(sorry for the caps, but I wan’t to make that part very clear). I just don’t think the $300 is providing enough value for that kind of price tag. 2) Lots of available content. But doesn’t any Kodi build have that? And they’re all free? 3) Paying itself off due to “free” content.
OK.somewhat fair. But they don’t own the content or the rights to distribute that content. Not getting on a soapbox here, btw. I could care less if someone pirates content or doesn’t. But, if the main benefit for a product is to give access to something that is illegal at worst, or shady at best, that’s where I have a problem.
Ask yourself this honestly: How long will it be before these pirate streams get shut down? Then what happens? Is the value still there? Let me give you a scenario that is not only possible, but pretty gosh darned likely. Sooner or later the hammer drops and the entire Kodi craze comes crashing down. We’ll always find something else and some other way to pirate. That’s not the problem.
The problem is when the law (or lawsuits) starts going after the companies that provide the boxes and the illegal content, I have concerns. If you bought something from a company, then your info is in that company’s records. If that company gets busted or sued, then all of it’s data can be seized.
Then the law (or lawsuits) can start coming after individual users. We’re seeing something like this in the UK now, and we’ve seen it before in the US with torrented mp3’s.
I worry about the future and my readers who are opening themselves up to legal trouble while trying to make streaming simple. I think there’s a better way to spend a fraction of what you’re currently spending on cable and keep yourself safe in the long term.
I think that anyone who is being really honest about this would have to agree that it isn’t so much the idea that one box gets more programming than another box. When it comes to “Free Add Ons” everyone gets the same thing. Exodus, Covenant, etc.
The problem is when those free third party add-ons stop working properly. If you’re a tech like me, you know what you need to do. Make sure you’re up to date, check the Repo, and find out if the app is down. Then recommend an alternative Add-on until the original gets fixed or replaced. There are lots of movements going on out there in the Add-on realm that effect when or how long these add-ons are going to be available. So it’s in the owner’s best interest to have someone looking out for them and making sure that their box doesn’t turn into a paperweight (i.e. Boxes with android 4.4).
The premium boxes being discussed in this thread provide the customers with the added assurance that not only will the boxes work when they receive them, but they will continue to work after they buy them. They provide online support. Some provide help videos.
Others provide frequent updates. I know this because I work for such a company. $400 + for a box seem like a lot up front, but people don’t seem to have any problem at all paying well over $700 a year for cable that doesn’t provide as much content. Not by a long shot. Premium boxes are out there and people really enjoy using them.
There is no perfect box, and I have learned that in this business the one thing you can be certain of is change. So if it’s your wish to own one of these boxes, whether you pay $65 or $465, you better be sure that when those changes happen, you have someone who is going to stand behind their product and provide the updates you need to keep working. My roommate bought a SS box a year and half a ago, he paid a good penny. I decided to wait, I purchased an Android box (much cheaper) and I’m watching everything I need (like him) and no subscriptions. My roommate tells me, that his box seems slow now but for him it was easier to buy it. He is not tech savvy at all lol, I just couldn’t see paying so much money. But if it works for some people to have everything done for them so be it, I feel the same way that there is no perfect box.
But I prefer to do everything myself and we are both happy we cut the cord (cable tv) a year ago.