Emporium

You can use aptoid like nbs has mentioned above... However you can also easily download the APK from their web page, put it on USB stick and install it using app installer, or one of the file manager/explorers. https://surfshark.com/download/android Just click on the "download apk" button The reason it probably says it is not compatible is because unlike other boxes that use regular android os, the 5 series of buzz boxes uses a native AndroidTV OS, which is different. So if the author of the App has not tagged or built the app with the proper properties to identify that is it androidTV compatible, it will not show up in play store for the device. Does not mean however that it won't work. I typically keep all the usual apps that I install, as apk on a usb stick and I just install them one after the other, without ever using my google account on the box.

How old is that info ? I did not bother to check YT. The P6 has been getting all sorts of fixes, since it was introduced last year. Sure when it was first introduced, like any modern device it had a few bugs. But if you take some time, you can read the release notes of the various updates and you will see there were many audio bugs fixed, including for Bitstream audio, passthrough codecs etc... Even updated HW Codec libraries not long ago to fix rare but potential glitches with some types of streams. Example of one from August 2024 where amongst other things, they addressed the following: If you have a receiver, you will most probably enable passthrough and let the receiver handle the decoding. There was an issue with some passthrough, but they have been addressed over the number of updates.

When he says "manual" update, it is from the Settings screen (from home screen), where it has the option to check for updates don the list. Not using a file physically to update manually.

There is no manual update. I typically leave the box on for a few hours (sometimes overnight) at the main screen.. And after that, I do an actual reboot of the box, and it typically finds it within 2 or 3 minutes after the reboot.

Do you have Max volume enabled ? Disable max volume and you can then control the variable volume of the box with the remote. I typically keep the TV volume at about 60% or 70%, and then use the variable volume on the box. Also, the BT250 has 4 button (on the top surrounded by blue line), which are IR learning buttons. So you can even have the remote memorize some of the buttons from your TV (but keep in mind that is IR only, not bluetooth obviously). So those 4 buttons can mimic any 4 buttons of your TV. most people will use them for power, input select, and TV volume +/-, but you can really use them for anything you want. Since in my case, I don't use any other input, I had mapped the "input" button to be the "sleep" button from my TV remote. If you want to program the 4 buttons, you can check out the instructions in the manual: https://buzztv.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/BT-250_Manual_V1.1.pdf

Since it is a new box, you can try just doing a factory reset and let it try to download the update again. Here is procedure for the 4500, but procedure is the same https://stbtalk.com/topic/300-factory-reset-hard-reset-xr4500-xrs4500/

Are you 100% sure that there are no accidental spaces in the m3u link when you type it in ? Sometimes the Android keyboard can have a tendency of adding a space after every "." which if you are not looking at the entry field it is easy to miss. Have you tried using the BuzzTV 5 app to see if it works ? The BuzzTV 5 app was added there to give users a choice using the previous version of BuzzTV, since when the P6 came out originally, BuzzTV 6 was still missing a few features. You have nothing to lose by trying it with BuzzTV 5, just to see if it works. I have not used IPTV Editor, but I do have a bunch of my own M3U lists, which I host on my pastebin account and I have no issues with any of those. And XC definitely works, since my main server uses XC and I have zero issues with it.

Like NBS mentioned, turn max volume off, and that will allow you to control the volume using the Buzz remote. If you already have it off, continue reading below. What is your setup ? just basic sound from TV speakers, or a basic soundbar.. OR full blown surround sound, etc.. ? If you are only using stereo you can try the following it should disable the auto detection of some 5.1 streams which can cause controls to be a little unpredictable. If your setup does not support 5.1 audio, try disabling the auto detection.. From Home screen, Settings (Gear icon)->Device preferences->Display and Sound->Advance sound settings->Select formats (and select "none: never use surround sound").

The T2 may be allocating a slightly larger cache on it's internal player, which will just mask network glitches and be a little more immune to freezing because of that. But still doesn't change the underlying issue. The fact that the T2 freezes also, tells me there is either some issue with your internet, or something with the servers.

Have you tried rebooting your modem and router ? OK, I know it sounds like a long shot, but it has happened to me on at least 3 different occasions, so I will put it out there. Do you have any Dlink switches (or router) on your network. If so, do you have alternatives to replace them ? In at least 3 cases I had, myself and at 2 buddies places, simply the existence of a DLINK switch on our network cause all sorts of strange behaviors which I could not explain. Even if it had nothing else connected to it, when they start to fail, they seem to create chaos on a network even on devices not directly connected to these switches. Swapped out all dlink equipment (with netgear or even tplink) and all the problems went away. In one of my buddies cases, it was a brand new dlink router he had purchased (we swapped it with an old asus one and issues solved). Don't know what the dlink equipment was doing or what would trigger it, but I have since promised myself that no more dlink junk in any of my installations. In my case, the dlink switch was on my test bench (where I often build/test machines), with no machines connected to it, just the main network line coming from the main switch. Since it had no devices connected to it, I completely discounted it initially, and took me quite a while to diagnose the issue. Actually took a few days - until I decided to go down to basics and disconnect all devices and run single line only direct from buzz box to router - and then work my way back up.

Like nbs said. If the catchup server from the provider goes down, then it does NOT record the streams, so you will get an error when you try to access them. In my years of experience, catch-up is a hit & miss on most servers. There will be times where it is rock solid and always works. And there are other periods of time, where it will be an exercise of patience and frustration. I am lucky enough that the main service I use is pretty quick in updating their TV Series section with episodes typically withing an hour or two after it airs. So often I will not use Catchup, but rather go to the TV Series section, find the show I want and most often, the episode is already online. Also the fact that I am on the east coast (North America), I often catch shows I miss, by using the network local channels from the central and west coast feeds (this is where having a full program guide even for local stations [like 50+ CBS, ABC, NBC channels, etc..] is critical). Obviously this option does not work well for "live" events, typically sports. It can happen with the best of servers out there. At the price many of these services cost, I tell people that they should probably get more than one decent service if they can't deal with occasional glitches and downtime. This will ensure that if one service is down, hopefully the other service is up. There is no Service Level Agreement, like you would get with a cable company. Also, keep in mind that Buzz does not provide support for any specific service. They provide the boxes and software and do NOT sell or recommend any services themselves. Buzz TV themselves will never sell you any box with a service preinstalled. So this type of issue, should be addressed with your service provider typically.

What type of Subscription do you have ? XC based (URL, username/password) ? Or does your provider just provide the boxes preconfigured without giving you details ? I'd say, that if you are using an XC based subscription, you can try loading up other 3rd party software (like "smarters") and see if it does the exact same thing. If it does, then the problem would be on the server side, not the box itself. That is how I usually confirm if the catchup server on my service is down or not.

oops.. dbl post

If you are going to exchange the box, why not try a hard factory reset first ? Different box, same procedure: https://stbtalk.com/topic/300-factory-reset-hard-reset-xr4500-xrs4500/ You'll need to re-setup the box after you reset it obviously. PS: Don't forget, if you have a lot of favorites configured, you can use the backup option that is under menu->settings->Configure but make sure to do the backup to a USB stick, so you don't lose the backup after a reset.

No way and even that would be depending on 3rd party (like imdb/tbdb for VOD/TV Series). And on LiveTV, there is no real rating included for the content. But what I had done when my nephews were younger was create a separate server entry. This server entry would use the same server as my main entry, BUT I had created a single favorites category and had added all the children's channels I approved of. And to be on the safe side, I had hidden all the other categories. So even if the press "OK" and back on the dpad, there was only a single category (since all the rest are hidden). Depending on your provider, you can also probably hide a bunch of categories from the VOD/TV Series section also, just in case. Keep in mind, this is simple a server entry. So when the kids are gone, you can just reselect your main server entry, which has all you normal unrestricted categories. BTW: Don't try to change server entry in front of the kids, do it ideally before they show up They are pretty quick and pick up on how to switch back and forth pretty quick.