Max[x] Your Life

The TV stations were generally so-o-o-o bad, I hardly have any of them ON any more. The TV set is mainly used to watch DVDs that I often buy and often download.

There are, of course, places like Laraib here that do give me fairly new DVDs, dowloaded from the same sites that I could, too, if I had the time. In fact, now that I am older, I do have the time, so I download movies and documentaries and music stuff every day. Going to Laraib has now remained only when a friend from Bangladesh drops in and he goes to buy his selections. I buy a piece or two, myself, then.

There are so many great TV Channels round the world that we can't see, regardless of the various 'blackboxes' that we may get from one company to the next. 'Get a 100 channels in our box', says the company and you can get about 60 that are of no use, about 10 that are repeats, and the few that are left are ok-ish (though the language is wrong during the long advertisements in some).

I keep missing BBC … no, not the one we see here but BBC 1, BBC 2, BBC 3, BBC 4 , BBC 5 that I'd see in the UK. I miss ITV, entirely. And the lovely USA channels. And the beautiful Classical Music channels from around the world.

What about Netflix? What about the superb Video Series that are so much fun to watch? And what about the latest episodes of Scandal, Quantico, Downtown Abbey, and a zillion more. One has to download them after they've been released, cause Laraib will fill up a whole DVD before it releases it.

Then there's Radio. Of course we can get many channels on iTunes, but there are a hundred more. Pandora is brilliant, whether you are into Western or Eastern Music. I am into both ... but am in love with Pandora's Eastern Classical sets. Name an artist. Drop in the name. Listen to him or her. Wow! But what do I do in Pakistan? Its for outside this country so far.

There is, of course, the most wonderful YouTube that is also not allowed here. Oh to be able to see it on my larger TV station.

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Ta-daa …

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A few months ago, struggling with this problem, I bumped into a small shop that had the answer. The manager sold me a little Black Box for Rs 25,000 after I stayed with him and learnt everything about it in every way I could. He was not just wonderful, he was brilliant. So I got it and came home and plugged it in. And Voila!

Oh, once you've bought it, you never pay another amount to him.

Or to anyone.

Anytime.

Rs 25k gets you everything you want.

A small blackbox that has a light in front to say its ON. You put in a little dongle he gives you into the USB socket at the back. You plug it into the HDMI socket on your TV set. (If you don't have an HDMI socket you can use the RGB three socket, too - but its best to ask him. Some models have removed that now.) There's another USB socket at the back and you can add a USB or other Hard Disk there if its got movies and watch that, too. You connect the power supply. Switch on the box … and you are nearly on.

If you have an Internet WiFi, that's fine. Use it. But if you can actually get a cable from your Modem to physically get into the Ethernet port on this blackbox, its even slightly better.

Once you start, it warms up and then you have to set up the internet name and the password and wait. When you see Kodi on the screen, double click it (yes they give you a remote, too). It will get there and after a while it will read up and start adding stuff and connecting to the various things. You'll see that on your TV. Once that it done, you are on!

Click the TV settings and there are hosts of channels waiting for you. Over a thousand so far and more being added. Choose one and watch them LIVE. Yes LIVE. wherever they are.

Select a Movie/TV-Video link, like Genesis, and go …

Find a film. Millions of them there. I watched 1918 Silent Film there yesterday. Click the name ≥ but a choice is that when a whole list of channel names drop down choose item 4 or 5 first. All the top ones are generally busy if its a new film. The film loads. Go ahead and watch it.

Find A TV Serial, say Law and Order : Special Victims Unit. All 17 seasons are there. Choose one. Choose an episode. Click. Then choose the 4th or 5th item. Go!

Looking for the latest? Like you've just missed Martian that was in our Cinemas, recently. It's there. 

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Get a YouTube channel on the list and use a free proxy. Watch anything you want on your TV from that channel. There's Vimeo and more, too.

Radio? Tons to choose from. SoundCloud and more. No limits. Add Google. Can be useful. Google Maps also make sense on a large screen. And the Weather on the top left tells you what its like outside your air-conditioned room.

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Here's an idea of some things you can see on the box.

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OK ... I don't know if what I've said makes sense to you, but here's a number: +92-300-297-9065; call him. Tell him you'd like to see and buy SatMaxx if you find its worth it. He'll give you his shop's address. Go there. Come back smiling. And never ever miss anything from now. 

Mention my blog, if you like,

and he will take a little extra care!

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If you have a 3D TV there are loads of movies for you to see. And, as I said earlier, there are many other movie sites that are also visible. Nothing is banned. The chwais is yours …

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Good viewing!

:)