A "beginner's" app list. Could be helpful to someone just getting into Android TV.

by switch_laser

These are the apps I'm currently using on my Mi box that are found in the ridiculously skimpy Android TV play store and some that aren't. These few apps should get a beginner up and running for an enjoyable experience straight out of the box. With little to no effort or "fiddling" required by some streaming apps.

If there are better ones please add to the list or make suggestions.

TV stuff....... Pluto TV (ok movies and TV shows), Haystack TV (news feed), Youtube, ABC app(this one seems to be the most polished off the major network apps)

Weather apps.... Weather nation The Weather Network

File transfer and management.... TV file commander

Media players... MX player, Yes player(comes packaged with Terrarium TV),

Side loads.... Terrarium TV (similar to Kodi just WAY less involved), Mobdro(out of the box tv streaming with occasionally a hiccup or two),

Games....gamepad required. Implosion, Alto's adventure, Modern combat 5, Asphalt Xtreme, Assassin's Creed identity(loaded from the play store website)

Music.... Pandora, Google play music

blobby5

For TV stuff try PuppetMaster.TV with the REKODI repo. Exposes lots of channels to Live Channels and has catchup as well.

hotlinessigns

PLEX if you don’t already have ot

LiquidPoint

As a non-US user the following are my basics, without getting into local or paid apps or what you already mentioned.

For TV stuff:

  • PuppetMaster.TV - this gives me HD quality streams from services that I'm not geo-blocked from using (it offers an integrated VPN, if you want to un-geoblock something, but you're free to disable teleporting, if you either don't want it, or you have your own VPN/SmartDNS service set up. Very well integrated with AndroidTV.
  • Mobdro (sideloaded) - this gives me a plain and easy access to medium-low quality streams from around the world, I mostly use it for reaching US news channels, where picture quality isn't a priority. This app works with d-pad but doesn't integrate very much of the AndroidTV stuff.
  • Zattoo (sideloaded) - With a SmartDNS service that gives me the swiss version of this service, I get a bunch of SD channels I could also catch FTA with a dish in HD quality. They have an AndroidTV version too, but it's quite limited to non-paying users, so I've sideloaded the handheld version.

Media player:

  • VLC - mostly because we have a small collection of kids videos locally stored in the tragic event that the internet is down and our daughter throws a tantrum. And I know VLC from the PC.

For sideloaded apps:

  • Aptoide TV - because Google Play is so limited.
  • Shafa Market - because my wife is Chinese.

Finally I'd say that most of the games we have are either impulse purchases, when they've been on offer in Play store, or retro/emulated, also often paid apps, and often requires configuration or additional files. But if one wants one recommendation to start with, try Snes9x EX+ although it still requires you to obtain the ROMs yourself.

BTW: do you have the link to the TV file commander you mention?