Emporium

Stop spreading misinformation. The 4900 is alive and well, and actually presently gets more updates that any of their other boxes. In fact it is the one that get's most buzztv 5 updates before they are even transferred to their newer boxes. You CHOOSE not to provide something as simple as you MAC address or serial number to Buzz themselves (who made the unit - and already have it in their general database). The beta software club is not any elite secret society. IT is just a different list for OTA updates. The general list will only get the updates once Buzz deems fit that the fixes they have implemented are fit for the general public. You are paranoid about some data privacy, yet you gladly provide your MAC to your service provider who is selling you some really legit streams, and obviously more trustworthy Your MAC is already stored in you service providers database, along with your IP, and other information about you. And those servers are so insecure, that it doesn't take a rocket scientist to dumb these databases and post them public. If you think it is so hard, think about this... Buzz could easily get your IP from these forums. Then they can easily check their regular OTA check logs for all boxes and match up your public IP to your MAC if they really wanted to track your box down. You don't want to provide the info, that is your choice (no one can force you). But saying that boxes are left behind since new boxes are being released, is just pure BS.

Can't comment on the 4000 since I don't have one. but for the 4500 and both of my 4900 do not exhibit this issue. One of my 4900 is on latest public release, and the other is on latest beta. What version of BuzzTV 5 are you running no your 4900 ? Hit Menu and version is at the bottom. In your post on Aug 5, you state that a friends 4500 does not do that. Are you both using the same service (just thinking out lout if this may be specific to the streams of a specific service) ? Since you are within 10 ft away of your router, I am assuming that as a test, you can try the same but with a cable connected (instead of just WiFi) ?

You need to give it your MAC to your service provider to activate your box on their server anyhow (assuming MAC sub). This is the same. You need to give your MAC to Buzz, for them to add you to a list of boxes that agree to take a beta software (with the understanding that they Install and use at their own risk and Software cannot be rolled back after installation). But some people don't get it and are masters at conspiracy theories Don't want to provide MAC to the company that makes them, then just wait for next public release. Only reason you even have 5.0.653, is because it is probably the version that is include in V20220106 which is posted in the file section here. The file section is not intended for providing latest beta copies. it is just a service to help anyone who may have had a glitched update/brick of device and needs to reload something that works. And if you are on update OTA list, after loading that file, you would get the latest version pushed anyhow. If you are not on the beta list, then you get stuck at the version included in that file, until next public release. Simple.

Most people have NO clue how to install an update manually. Hence, it is as simple as sending a PM with your MAC to go onto the list of boxes which will receive the beta updates. Not asking you to post your MAC publicly. If you are worried about someone getting your MAC and using it on your provider, then I suggest you get a service which uses XC API instead and not tied to your MAC. MAC connection/servers are leaked by the 1000s every day. It's not by giving it to someone at Buzz, that you will get your box/service hacked. You don't want beta updates, it's simple. Stick with latest public release, until the new software is deemed ready for everyone. Truth is, I have many Buzz boxes. And most are on beta. But my main 4900 (which the wife uses also) is still on latest public release, since she is not tech savvy and has no tolerance for regular updates and possible new glitches every so often. And that is fine. The latest public release is very useable. May have a few glitches, but you get used to them and typically there are simple workarounds.

When you say you software is up to date, is it latest beta, or latest public release ? From Menu, on the bottom, what version of software are you running ? Also, as nbs has posted in order threads, this might help for users running buzz 5 and android 9 https://www.mediafire.com/file/epmf5i0suejl6rj/com_buzz.services.pvr_33_5056428e-2cad-4bbe-9a31-4e13bdb55857.apk/file I typically record on my 4900, and haven't done much recording on my 4500, but when I had tried it in the past it was perfectly fine. Are you recording to an external USB drive ? If you are, just for a test, can you change the destination to the internal storage and try a small recording to that ?

Hi @TimothyJ First rule, is we do not mention specific servers in these forums, since we do not promote any particular server. Not sure this specific server even offers MAC or M3U/XC api login. If it is the one I think it is, from their FAQ, they say: "No, we do not [support 3rd party apps, like smarters, or anything else]. Our app is built from scratch. We do not support 3rd Party apps. You can use the service with xxxx Streaming app only". Which means the only option they give you, is to download their app, and use that on an android box. Which means you would NOT be using the BuzzTV5 app for this service. You can install the app on the Buzz box and use it, but you will not benefit from any BuzzTV 5 app features. Typically It all depends if you have a MAC based subscription, or an username/password type subscription. If you have a MAC type subscription, you need to give your "SERVER ID" [00:1A:79....] to your reseller, and they need to ensure that that is the MAC address associated to your subscription. In that case, you would need to create a new MAC server, and all you need to do is enter the portal URL you were given by your reseller. If you have a username/password type, odds are you have an XC api type login, so you would create an XC code server, then enter the portal URL you were given by your reseller, and then the username/password you were given or chose. Many/most services will offer MAC or XC api type logins.

I haven't checked today, but I don't have the latest firmware, since my X5 has the 20220624 firmware, which will be released shortly for these units. (unless it was done yesterday or today, which I have not checked). However the issue was fixed pretty quickly on one of the updates that I got on my xrs4900 (actually it was fixed pretty quickly). I had the same issue on my xrs4900 and one of the older updates fixed it. I managed to record 4 streams at the same time, while watching one of them with no issues. I did not test it on the X5 since there was a small glitch with the OTA update. But if the OTA update is available for your unit, I would recommend to get it, since it does include the latest BuzzTV 5, which will include the fix.

Same here. Happens many times I get reminder, and I just dismiss it since I am already into something else. It's not hard to just hit "OK" if you want to switch. At least if you are at the end of something you can hold off for a minute or two before hitting OK to switch.

The U5 has as similar housing as the XRS4900 with the distinctive honeycomb pattern on the top cover. The guts are similar to the X5 (except for the internal storage which is 32GB), and features the Amlogic S905X4 chipset. This Quad-core Arm Cortex-A55 processor with ARM-G31 MP2 GPU support up to 4K with the various profiles listed below in the specs. U5 TV Box runs on Android 11 OS with preinstalled BuzzTV 5 app/launcher with quick access to Live TV, PVR+, VOD, and other features. Like the xrs4900 is also has a 2.5-inch SSD / HDD SATA bay for use with PVR, TimeShift or download from VOD. Specifications (taken from Buzz web site) Processing: Operating System : Android OS 11 CPU : Amlogic S905X4 Quad-core 64bit Cortex-A55 GPU : Mali-G31 MP2 RAM : 4GB DDR4 Storage : 32GB eMMC Connectivity: WIFI : 2T/2R Dual Band LAN : 100/1000M BT : 5.0 USB2.0 : 2 USB3.0 : 1 Type C : Data Only MicroSD : 1 Optical Audio : 1 Power Interface : 1 HDMI 2.1 (CEC) : 1 SATA Internal HDD : 1 Slot Video: Output Resolution : 4K (3840 x 2160) Video Decoder : H.265 4K MP-10@L5.1 75fps , AV1 , VP9 4K profile 2 60fps, , H.264 4K HP@L5.1 30fps (AVC) 60fps (MVC) Video Format : TS , MKV , FLV , MOV , AVI , RM , MP4 Audio Format : MPEG-1 Layer 1,2 , AAC-LC , HE AAC V1/V2 Image Decoder : JPG , BMP , GIF , PNG Dimensions: Height : 3 cm Length : 12 cm Width : 12 cm Package Contents: U5 Device BT-400 Remote Control HDMI Cable North American Power Supply 2 x AAA Premium Batteries Quick Start Card And another nice pic I found on another web site: Looks like Buzz will also be releasing an Essentials E5 (E Series) and Basic B5 (B Series) device in the near future. Not sure what the release dates are for these devices, but I guess we will soon find out.

Thank you. The other theme (which is actually the default - not just named Default - since I never manually changed themes) was getting buggy. Had lost the "heart" icon for when you say thanks on the right side (it was a grey circle). And today I had noticed the "search" menu dropdown which was pinned to the top. Everything worked fine before, but sometimes early last week I lost the heart/like icon (figured it was something being blocked by my new firewall rules - so I ignored it - since I had no time to play with them). And this morning the pinned menu. changing theme works..

I typically used to go to home screen before clicking on LiveTV, but I just tried it and reproduced it consistently with 758 also. However I did notice one interesting thing.. If I go to VOD and then select "resume" on something I was watching, instead of "Play" to start over, then the error does not occur when switching back to LiveTV. But if I select "Play" (could be on same title), then after a few second switch back to LiveTV it will always give me this error. I tried with at least 3 different channels set on my LiveTV to see if it was specific channel initialization which caused it, and didn't make a difference on which channel I was tuned to on LiveTV when it switched back.

You sure about that ? Even in your post above you stated "with 2 connections you use both while recording the channel you're watching" and this is what I recall when running a few tests back then.

YES, that is exactly what he is referring to. Some suppliers offer multiple connections (2, 3, 4 or more). This will allow you to do multiple recording in parallel. Just keep in mind that each recording is a fork and creates another connection to the server. So watching live TV is one connection and then every simultaneous recording (even if it is the same channel you are watching) is another connection.

Have you sent a message to allaboutbuzz with the details on which service you are using (don't post publicly - since we don't promote any specific service here)? Maybe it is service specific. I've been running tests on my 4500 for the last 2 days with subscribed and public server lists and no issues on at least the 4 of them that I tried.

Pretty sure the issue was fixed on the 4900 shortly after I posted here. I will check again tomorrow, but I do vaguely recall one of the updates fixed it. I do recall having done 4 simultaneous recordings (all launched via single button record) and all worked smoothly. As soon as the update situation get's sorted out on the X5, and the next update goes out, I am sure the fix will be included.

I always do shutdown nowadays. I recall on my 4900 when I first got it, after 2 or 3 suspends, my network would continuously cycle in and out (and I am always wired). I went to shutdown, and never had an issue again. So I continue to always use shutdown. Actually even on PCs, I have always disabled hibernate and suspend options. Especially with windows 7 and below, it was a hit and miss all the time. I have to admit, windows 10 is not as bad (I use suspend on my surface pro and it is stable overall - but then again, if it doesn't work well on a Microsoft hardware and software combination, there is a serious issue). However I still do shutdowns on my business laptop and workstation PC. Last thing I need is for MS Teams to start acting funky in the middle of a business meeting. It can do that on it's own already without any help, so trying to keep the odds in my favor

Try both http://some name here.icu:8080/ and if that fails try http://some name here.icu It can vary from provider to provider. Often you need the port (if provider uses one), but takes a few seconds to try both if one doesn't work, so why not. For the versions, reason I ask, is because latest public release is 4.0.549, but latest beta is 5.0.756 so just want to make sure we know what we are dealing with here. Keep us posted.

I use at least 3 different M3U lists on my 4900 (with both the latest public release on one of my 4900 and with the latest beta on my other 4900) and have no issues with any of them. Is it possible your provider locks to some metadata, like user agent, etc.. and may not like this "new unknown" one ? Did you try setting it up as an XC portal ? Use the base URL as the portal, then enter your username/password. From Live TV, if you hit "menu", what is the version number you are using (on the bottom of the menu).

What is your powerkey definition set to ? Suspend or Power off ? In the past on some of the older boxes, I used to find that if you used suspend, then you would eventually find yourself with strange behaviors like many channels not streaming. On those older devices, I had switched the powerkey definition to power off (or shutdown). Yes it takes an extra minute to boot the machine, but at least I had less issues since it was a clean boot all the time. I got so used to that, that I even do the same on my new boxes. And I find depending on the service, some seem to behave better with the Default player, and other on the Secondary player. Too bad there is no "one" universal players that works well for all streams. But can't blame Buzz for that. I've had similar issues using a variety of external players with other apps (VLC, MXPlayer, Titan, EXO, etc..) and they all glitch on certain types of media. Not saying I don't get any "media not supported" or other similar messages on occasion, but the few times it happens, I just flashback to previous channel, and come back, and it's ok. And it does very strongly recommend on the service itself. On some services it was ridiculous (I no longer use them), and on others it is quite rare.

I hear you, and I know everyone is different. They are great boxes overall (and trust me, I have tried my share also). It is just a shame to see that people feel they need to customize it to the point that they don't use the main reason for a buzzTV box, which is the IPTV app. Same here. Other than testing some friends MAC subs from time to time (which I use STBEmu for that), I have not seen any reason to use any other app for IPTV. I have switched to XC api shortly after I upgraded from my xpl3000 also. In my case, I came from a bunch of Xiaomi MiiBox 3 units which I had for many years, and they had native AndroidTV on them (it was the only box other than the Shield at the time). And surprisingly, it was actually pushed 3 major Android TV versions OTA over it's lifetime. Which is pretty impressive for a pretty cheap box. If I did not have the advantage of the BuzzTV apps, I would have probably stuck with my MiiBox or upgraded to newer Nvidia Shield Pro boxes and just installed Tivimate. At those also have all the required DRM for the 4k streaming of many of the services who require it.

If you are going to change the launcher. and not use the included BuzzTV applications, then what is the point of buying a Buzz box in the first place ? If you are going to use a generic 3rd party launcher, and then use Tivimate or STBEmu as your primary IPTV app, then you can use any generic Android box. If you only have one box, then a MAC based sub should not be an issue. Just ask your supplier to switch your account to your new server ID. If you have more than one box, then you are better off with an XC type login. Don't get me wrong, I would have loved to be able to change MAC on these boxes also in some cases (when I want to test something for a friend or family member). But that has been taken off the table since the 4000 series was introduced. The last buzz boxes that I know that supported that was the xpl3000 which I had. Not sure, but possibly the xpl3900 also (but I never had one of those - so can't confirm).

I hear you. I used to use an MX3 type remote (airmouse and backlit keyboard) also, and it was great when I was doing a lot of typing and stuff, and using 3rd party apps. Nowadays however I find I do primarily basic liveTV viewing, and watching some pinned tv series on my vod, so don't really use the airmouse or keyboard features much. The X5 remote is still a lot better than any remote delivered with chinese junk boxes which you need to be 5ft away pointed directly at them (at no shrp angle) to even get them to change channel

I tried with 2 of my service and had no issue searching VOD or TV series titles on my 4900 or my 4500. So could be something very specific with your service. Have you tried using the same service with something like Smarters, Tivimate or even STBEmu if using Mac sub ? 61GB after formatting ? Sorry dude, but what kind of USB stick you using ? Last time I had that issue was with a stick that a buddy of mine brought back from China. Said it was a 64GB stick, came in genuine looking SONY packaging, yet reality was, internally it was just an 8GB stick, with some funky custom firmware, that made it look like 64GB. You write to it and you could seem to fit up to 64GB of data, until you tried to read it back Like I said, to rule out usb stick, remove the stick, change pvr option to store internally, and then do a small test, using the internal storage. I know it is not a permanent solution, but this is to rule out media issues. Earlier this evening I recorded one of the xmen movies that was playing on CTV Sci-Fi and it worked perfectly fine on both machines. On my 4900 I have a 240GB SSD installed in the unit, and on the 4500 I have a 32GB USB stick. I recorded from one service on one box and from the other service on the other box, and both play back perfectly fine. Personally, I don't use PVR much other than testing. For anything other than some very rare live broadcasts, pretty much every episode of most shows I watch are on my VOD/TvSeries list the very next day. Actually some shows are even available before they even air on the networks, since some streaming services have the episodes available to stream from the beginning of the day (like CBS all access), and my iptv service has it available even before it airs in some cases (worst case, next day). But what shows up in the VOD/TV Series section is purely dependant on your IPTV service provider. Not on the box. It does not have some miracle DB to provide you shows that your provider does not have on their sever yet.

The remotes that come with these recent boxes are pretty decent, so no real need for a different remote. I have the BT100, BT200, and BT400 with various boxes and they all work pretty well. Having said that, even the IR100 was pretty impressive for an IR remote. Did not have to go up to the box or within 5 feet like some crappy remotes I've seen with other boxes. Back when bluetooth remotes was not a thing, these RF/WiFi remotes were something great and in some cases needed (since the cheap IR remotes some of the crappy android box vendors included were pure junk. I used to have a few different one, from name brands and some cheap Chinese knockoffs of the MX3 style remotes (airmouse, 2.4Ghz Wifi, backlighting, etc..). Most worked well considering the alternatives at the time. Now if you have some apps which were never designed for proper remotes/TV and expect a mouse, then sure, an air mouse remote is needed (or at least makes your life easier). But most of the apps I use are Android (many even AndroidTV) designed, so work pretty well with regular remotes. And if you are using these boxes for just IPTV (without any other 3rd party apps - like many of my friends), then for sure there is no need for another remote.

Oh ya, and if you are configured to record to external USB stick, just try to change and change, and select internal just for a test, and then schedule a small recording. This will at least confirm if the external storage is causing an issue. Ideally the stick should have been formatted on the buzz box, as "portable storage".