LockedMi Box S beta program

For those waiting for a webcast receive device to replace notebook PC's for the receive sites, the church has a solution in beta test right now with with a couple hundred stakes. The stakes were selected by the church, so I don't think there's anyway to currently sign up for the program. BTW, I received permission to post information about the box, so we'll try to keep you informed of our findings.

The church selected the Mi Box S to use. It's an Android-based streaming receiver capable of 4K HDR that typically sells for $60 to $70 from places like Walmart and Amazon. It's similar to a Roku or Apple TV device, for people familiar with those. Don't go out and buy one, as these have to be custom programmed by the church for this task.

The devices have been sent to stakes in "Restricted" mode, meaning they will only run the church's app. They plan to give out the unlock code once the beta testing has completed. Keeping them locked is an STS option for ease of use in the stake. It's normally setup for WiFi only, but the church includes an adapter giving it the ability to connect via an ethernet cable. It has an HDMI video and 3.5mm audio jacks that can connect directly to a projector or TV and the building's audio system via a crab box (or equivalent).

Operating it is very easy with the included remote. You plug it in and using a monitor or projector select the only app available, which is "Webcast Beta", and enter the event code for an upcoming webcast. This will link the device to your stake and list it as a receiver in TM. After the initial linking, upcoming events for your stake will automatically show up in the church's app and you just select the one you want using the remote. Prior to the event starting, it will initially have a canned video playing from the church, but will automatically switch to your webcast once it detects a valid upload. If the upload transmission gets disconnected it will go back to the canned video with a nice message on the screen stating there's a transmission problem. It will automatically resume the webcast once the problem has been resolved.

So far, it appears to be a very straightforward, cost effective solution that the church has come up with for a webcast receive site. Hopefully we'll have more info on it as other beta testers post their findings.

Nice summery. I haven't gotten that far, but I did unbox it and connect it to a monitor to see how it fires up.

A few niggles:
It needs a bigger box. I found it difficult to re-pack in the original box and there's no room for any additional things that might need to be kept with it. This will probably up the ward/stake to provide.

I'm leery of battery remotes. They tend to be stored with the batteries in them. Even if the battery doesn't leak and damage the remote, a dead battery is still a problem. It's another point of failure since the device is useless without it's remote as there are no on-device controls. For the want of a battery, a webcast fails. It's possible you could plug a keyboard into the USB port, but that port is needed for the Ethernet dongle.

I'd like to see an audio cable that connects to a microphone input. Yes, the crab box work great (at least the black one), but I've gone on too many scavenger hunts looking for it. (And the audio quality of the gray one leaves something to be desired.) A cable that could be kept with the receiver along with a network cable would be ideal. (Webcast in a box - just add projector)

This shouldn't been seen as a knock on what's being done. The church is not inventor of technology, but an adopter/adapter. I really like what I've seen so far. It just that stakes would be wise to consider what should be done before turning the devices over to the wards to make sure the program remains successful in the long term.

russellhltn wrote:I'm leery of battery remotes. They tend to be stored with the batteries in them. Even if the battery doesn't leak and damage the remote, a dead battery is still a problem. It's another point of failure since the device is useless without it's remote as there are no on-device controls. For the want of a battery, a webcast fails. It's possible you could plug a keyboard into the USB port, but that port is needed for the Ethernet dongle.

Yes, a keyboard/mouse can be plugged into the USB port. I was successful in using a Logitech RF dongle with a remote keyboard/mouse. BlueTooth is also an option if you want to pair a keyboard and/or mouse to it. (Of course, most of these devices need batteries also. [sigh])

The mouse works, but it's a little wonky. If you hover over a selection with text, the pointer turns into the text editing "capital I" symbol. When this happens, it won't accept mouse clicks. For it to accept your selection, you have to move off the text slightly to turn the mouse pointer back to an arrow. This might have to do with the Mi Box S/Android TV OS rather than the church's app.

There are apps in the Google Play store that allow you to control the Mi Box S with your smartphone or tablet. When I tried this, my phone would see the device as "MiBox4", but wouldn't connect. I think this has to do with having it in restricted mode because I read that it has to be running a certain app also.

Mikerowaved wrote:...and enter the event code for an upcoming webcast. This will link the device to your stake and list it as a receiver in TM.

Oops, not exactly correct. You need to enter the stake "Registration Code" found at the top of the Dashboard on the Meetinghouse Webcast page. Also, it doesn't show up im TM (those receivers are your satellite ones), but it will in the Meetinghouse Webcast Dashboard when you click on "Playback Devices". (It shows up as "MiBox4".) It can be easily unlinked using either the Mi Box S or the Meetinghouse Webcast Dashboard.

Something else I'd suggest is labeling the device and the remote. You never know but what the device or remote will end up in a loose pile in the library. And then you get a new librarian that wants to clean house.

(Aside: My day job also involves deployed systems. We've sold quite a few power packs because the customer managed to misplace the power supply for the laptop or it's peripheral. We've gone to labeling them, but it still keeps happening.)

It probably wouldn't hurt to melt the name of the church into the plastic to keep it from walking away.

Thanks for keeping us posted, I wish I was on the list of beta testers!

I forgot to mention, the remote is BlueTooth so it doesn't have to be in line of sight or pointed at the box to work. In fact, I don't think the box even has an IR receiver. The church paired the remote with the box before it was shipped out.

Mikerowaved wrote:The church paired the remote with the box before it was shipped out.

I wonder if the pairing is lost if the batteries are removed for an extended period. It seems like most of the stuff I've played with in the past is paired out of the box and doesn't have a problem.

Does it have the ability to also play General Conference? That would make it twice as useful as we get much better quality video from the internet than the satellite.

Good question. I don't know. When you fire up the app, you're given a choice (generally a choice of one) of what to watch. It's possible that had I fired it up during GC, I would have had the option to stream a live session.

they007 wrote:Does it have the ability to also play General Conference? That would make it twice as useful as we get much better quality video from the internet than the satellite.

I don't think it does, but that would be a good feedback suggestion to send, for those of you in the beta!

The boxes provided for beta testing are locked to stake webcasts only. Following the test(s), the church said they would issue an unlock code. Only then will we see if it can stream places like YouTube, BYU, and others that might carry general conference.

Currently, it's locked to a specific app (Webcast Beta app). The app appears to have the ability to select streams (although in most situations, there's just one stream/icon to select from such that that screen is a gratuitous "press enter" situation). So, this looks to be a feature that could be added to the app. In fact, it might be more of a backend/server fix so that the app can see those options.

I'm sure if it was unlocked, then other apps become available, but I don't think it's unreasonable to have the final webcast app be able to stream general conference live - or any of the other satellite broadcasts that are also streamed. (YA Devotionals, etc.)

With additional programming, they might be able to turn on reception for a limited set of boxes for things like a regional conference, not unlike how they currently limit satellite reception to a select number of receivers. I guess we'll have to wait and see what's in store.

I just received a survey from the church asking questions about the use of and potential removal of satellite systems. In my experience the satellite doesn't provide a good image and is often in need of repair. I would be happy to see it replaced with streaming devices that could be used for global broadcasts and local webcasts. I'd also like to see them rip out the "blonder tongue" RF modulators and wire the buildings for HDMI over ethernet (I saw a neighboring stake center get this treatment) but we do already have ethernet connections near all of our pulpits so we could hook up a streaming box for general conference projection with only the cost of the streaming box.

Mikerowaved wrote:With additional programming, they might be able to turn on reception for a limited set of boxes for things like a regional conference, not unlike how they currently limit satellite reception to a select number of receivers. I guess we'll have to wait and see what's in store.

One of the surprises I had was the registration code. I thought I'd have to put it in each time I ran a test. Nope. Once I entered it, the device remembered it. And that code was static for all my tests, even on different days. Once set up, all I had to do was connect the device, enter the app, and then I had a screen showing me the one broadcast available.

Obviously, I can't tell what the back end is like, but the UI certainly seems set up for doing things beyond just stake webcasting. What I'm seeing looks like something that could replace satellite systems. The only things I didn't see was language/ASL options, or options that looked like it supported time-shifting.

We are a beta site. It worked so well we used it for Stake Conference last weekend and it was flawless. It is very easy to use - the app displays the events currently scheduled in your stake, you click on it and that's it. Dead simple to use. It has an HDMI output (which includes audio) and a separate 1/8" audio output jack. The audio was clear - no fighting hum and noise issues like I sometimes see with laptops connected to the sound system. Video was great. No problems. I don't know how it will be rolled out, but the beta included the Mi Box S device plus a 3rd party network dongle (USB to RJ45 jack) which adds another $30. For about $90 this is a great deal. As soon as they roll it out for general use we plan to get one for every receiving site.

rknelson wrote:We are a beta site. It worked so well we used it for Stake Conference last weekend and it was flawless. It is very easy to use - the app displays the events currently scheduled in your stake, you click on it and that's it. Dead simple to use.

After lots of testing at home, then a true building to building trial run during the Sat evening session of our stake conference, we decided to use it for the general session on Sunday. The feedback I got from the tech at the receive building was very similar to your remarks above. Very easy to use and nice audio/video. Our stake center's sound system has an unfortunate hum with occasional crackling that got transmitted over the webcast, but it wasn't too objectionable. If FM can't fix it before the next conference, I plan to install either a 60 Hz notch filter or a 150 Hz high-pass filter at the stake center and any building still hearing a hum.

rknelson wrote:As soon as they roll it out for general use we plan to get one for every receiving site.

Agreed. I'm hoping their app will be available from the Android app store so we can buy one or two devices from Walmart or Amazon and simply install their app. I'm also hoping that the app can be run on other Android TV devices. The MiBox S runs Android TV 8.1, while other similarly prices boxes are running 9.0 and have a wired LAN jack already available. Time will tell how this all plays out. Kudos to whoever came up with the idea in the first place!

My only negative with the current beta version (1.0) is you can't easily identify, or select, which receive site it's located at. Not a problem with one device, but getting 2 or more might raise an issue when trying to read the stats of the webcast. I'm sure this will be addressed in later versions.

Mikerowaved wrote:My only negative with the current beta version (1.0) is you can't easily identify, or select, which receive site it's located at.

Assuming the device stays at one building, I think that's a one-time setup issue.

It is fantastic to see a dedicated streaming box for remote locations! Android boxes are becoming more abundant and looking at the specs on the MiBox it looks like this is one of the newer generation, so we can certainly expect more reliability and performance.

We've found a couple things using the Roku box. The first is to make sure the network connection is wired. This eliminates traffic and delay issues on wifi. We typically turn off wifi at send and receive locations to avoid traffic/bandwidth issues. The second thing was to run HDMI to the projector and take the audio from the projector. We bought inline impedance matching transformers dedicated to this function so we did not have to hunt down the crab box every time. These are cheap. We control the audio volume with the projector remote as it makes it very easy for the operator to adjust for proper sound level, something that most streaming boxes don't allow.

Just one question: why is this not just an app that installs on any android box? Would seem pretty simple to do that and distribute for side loading.

But overall, this is HUGE step forward in the reliability of webcasts. We've talked a ton about the issues with the PC in the middle and it's great to see this happening! Not only is reliability massively increased, but ease of setup and use is substantially improved.

Our Stake conducted a stake conference today. The main event was held in the local tabernacle and webcast to our stake center for the overflow attendees. The webcast was received using the Mi Box S. It worked flawlessly. The video and sound was fed into the building system to three projectors and two TVs. Since the building has no way of receiving HDMI, a converter was used to convert the video to composite and the sound was fed into the building directly from the audio jack on the Mi Box. Both the sound and video were of as good or better quality as previous webcasts using a PC to receive the broadcast. The big advantages are the simplicity using Webcast 3.0 and the Mi Box's ability to log into the webcast automatically, not requiring a URL. P Shumway

randysteck wrote:Just one question: why is this not just an app that installs on any android box? Would seem pretty simple to do that and distribute for side loading.

I think it's because it's still in beta testing. CHQ bought the first units, did the side loading, paired the remote, added some extras - like a wired LAN dongle, then sent the boxes to select stakes for testing. I would hope that when it's fully released it will be available from the Google Play Store. They may have a short list of hardware that the software is compatible with until more testing can be done, but I can live with that.

randysteck wrote:Just one question: why is this not just an app that installs on any android box? Would seem pretty simple to do that and distribute for side loading.

We don't know what the plan is. This is clearly a beta app.

I'd think the developers would want to limit the hardware to a minimum number of models. Android has a real problem with the amount of variation. Trying to support everything made could be a real headache for the developers and reduce reliability.

This solution looks very appealing. Some things I'd like to see in the final version of the app and solution:
- An app that can be downloaded or side loaded to android TV devices (but with recommended hardware)
- Ability to change the URL - or Site the device is receiving for
- For example if used to checkout and set for nursing homes and such would make these sites easier to support and setup, and prep for that site, a setting that allowed us to update this in the app would be perfect.
- Ability to remotely unregister within the web interface a device (in case they happen to fall into the wrong hands)
- Ability to connect to a regional/General conference or even another Stakes for special meetings (avoid STS having to make up workarounds)

Overall while I have not personally been involved in this beta, I think this will save over finding a Quadcore laptop for each site, and simplify supporting the receiving sites, especially when you have more than 2 remote sites.

For Audio Output to XLR:

Rapco Horizon LTIGLBLOX Laptop Interface With Ground lift about $55.86 plus tax, If the ground lift is not needed about $44.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003MLBEYK/?c ... _lig_dp_it

Newer buildings do not need these adapters, as they are built into the wall now, but for most of us, pairing these with our receiving kits might be a good idea rather than relying on the library crab box.

One more final note, if we have sit-ins that regularly view conference, it might be nice to have a device approved device we can either checkout or give a code to use for sit-in members. Again to simplify support where the member is more then willing to check it out or even purchase the device for this use. We have a lot of members that can't physically come to church and when authorized Stake and General Conference is the only time they feel really part of our services. We have been very successful in getting by with existing devices, but have found that some are just not great at streaming.

Be sure to send all of your great feedback through the regular beta feedback channels (in addition to sharing thoughts here on the forum). That's the best way to make sure it's seen.

pcardelli wrote:- Ability to remotely unregister within the web interface a device (in case they happen to fall into the wrong hands)

The MiBox can be unregistered to a stake using either it's internal configuration or an STS can do it from the church's portal dashboard. Either way is very easy. BTW, no web interface. Everything is done via on-screen menus and either the included Bluetooth remote or a mouse/keyboard.

pcardelli wrote:- Ability to connect to a regional/General conference or even another Stakes for special meetings (avoid STS having to make up workarounds)

Unregistering from a home stake and registering temporarily to a different one is not difficult if you know the other stake's registration code. We'll have to wait and see about regional and/or general conferences.

they007 wrote:...we get much better quality video from the internet than the satellite.

For what it's worth, the Church upgraded the satellite frame last year to 1080i. Huge improvement in picture quality. You just have to find a way to get that signal from the satellite receiver/rack to your projector--that's the rub.

I'm finding what appears to be the weak point - trying to get the church's web pages to play on it. So far, I've tried 3 different web browsers. None of them are doing the job.

russellhltn wrote:I'm finding what appears to be the weak point - trying to get the church's web pages to play on it. So far, I've tried 3 different web browsers. None of them are doing the job.

I thought they were locked down in the beta program so that you could only stream a stake conference.

lajackson wrote:I thought they were locked down in the beta program so that you could only stream a stake conference.

Yes.

But it wasn't intended to be locked down permanently. And in this case, I'm trying to use it for a regional webcast that appears to be using Brightcove, not Azure. I've had one such broadcast last month and two more are scheduled in the next couple of weeks. Hopefully they'll be on the satellite as well as that's far easier for me. But for some reason the only thing being communicated is the web link.

Maybe someone with experience in Android TV can chime in with suggestions. Evidently, it's not "just Android" like you find on a phone.

russellhltn wrote:I'm trying to use it for a regional webcast that appears to be using Brightcove, not Azure. I've had one such broadcast last month and two more are scheduled in the next couple of weeks.

Perhaps since the regional folks are not playing by the rues, a call into the beta test office would result in the code to break out of the beta and try again.

Or have you already done that and are now having this new problem?

lajackson wrote:Or have you already done that and are now having this new problem?

Correct. The beta app only works with the system provided to the stakes (Azure). It doesn't work with the system used by the church's Publishing Services Department who works with the local tech folks doing "high profile" webcasts. (Such as members of the church presidency doing regional webcasts.)

In a email conversation I had with the product manager, it was indicated that we could load a web browser on the device for things like General Conference. However, I'm finding that to be more challenging than expected.

I believe the device is excellent for stake webcasts, but at the moment, it doesn't appear to terribly usable for other church broadcasts. Something I hope will be addressed.

After we tested them they provided the unlock code. The test was just receiving from a remote location, so that was a pretty quick test. I think the goal of testing was to try it in a bunch of different environments.

I got it because I asked. I'm not sure when they were planning on sending it out in our round.

Has there been any mention of how soon they plan to roll it out to more locations? We could still use it for our stake conference webcasts.

lajackson wrote:Has there been any mention of how soon they plan to roll it out to more locations?

No. Nor have I heard how the roll-out is planned - if this will be something we get from the church or if we buy it on our own and install the app.

russellhltn wrote:I'm finding what appears to be the weak point - trying to get the church's web pages to play on it. So far, I've tried 3 different web browsers. None of them are doing the job.

I suggest giving the Puffin browser a try. Works with church websites and SSO. Not sure about Brightcove, but YouTube works well through it, including unlisted videos. Makes using the Mi Box S as a streaming receiver for a YouTube Live webcast a bit closer.

Mikerowaved wrote:I suggest giving the Puffin browser a try.

It dies trying to start.

I am able to ping Puffin's servers from the meetinghouse, so I'm not sure what's going on. I guess I need to find a file browser to open the log file.

russellhltn wrote:It dies trying to start.

Interesting. Haven't tried it behind a church firewall, just at home.

I have one of these boxes from the beta test. Do i buy my own if i want more and get the app from somewhere are are they purchased through the Church?

kmoser82 wrote:I have one of these boxes from the beta test. Do i buy my own if i want more and get the app from somewhere are are they purchased through the Church?

We're still waiting to hear how the church plans on rolling it out. They probably would like to avoid having to program each and every box, so my guess is we'll soon be able to buy our own - either from the church store or commercially somewhere - and get the needed program from the app store. I wouldn't buy anything yet until we get the official word.

We aren’t on this particular beta test, but have been on other beta tests in the past. The devices aren’t always successful, so I wouldn’t spend any money until the box has been proved viable, by the church.

We haven't heard. Those in the beta just got an email on how to update the system, which includes a factory reset and reinstall of the app. It also indicate the project is out of beta and in production. But nothing has been said about how to get more boxes.

It does indicate that you need Gmail account that can be shared.

russellhltn wrote:Those in the beta just got an email on how to update the system, which includes a factory reset and reinstall of the app.

Really? I didn't see anything like that.

Playing with the MiBox S just now I was prompted to update it to Android 9.0, so I did. The beta app still worked OK (no surprise). I then went to the app store and lo and behold, a search turned up the "Meetinghouse Webcast" app. I updated the beta app with the newer one and I'm now running Version 1.0.0 (10052.3) which is apparently their first full release. I had to re-register it by entering our stake code, but that was it.

It looks like if a stake wants to jump the release announcement they can buy a MiBox S from Amazon (currently $62.68), or Walmart (currently $59.89) and search/install "Meetinghouse Webcast" from the app store. The only other recommended item would be a USB-to Ethernet dongle. The church sent this Startech USB 3.0 to Gigabit Ethernet dongle with the MiBox to the beta sites, but I'm sure any $10 USB 2.0 to 10/100 Mb dongle would also work perfectly fine.

Mikerowaved wrote:

russellhltn wrote:Those in the beta just got an email on how to update the system, which includes a factory reset and reinstall of the app.

Really? I didn't see anything like that.

Landed in my mailbox a bit after noon MST today. It's probably coming.

So for a travel case, maybe something like like a BUMB Universal travel cable organizer.

Like this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078M ... UTF8&psc=1

I picked a couple sizes up on prime day to test out for organizing adapters for the libraries, but found they can hold external hard drives and likely these small andriod tv players. I just ordered a couple Mi Box S for our Stake Conference coming up this month, and let you know how they fit. I'm pretty sure there are some hard cover versions for those concerned of a little church loving of our technology items.

pcardelli wrote:I just ordered a couple Mi Box S for our Stake Conference coming up this month, and let you know how they fit.

Let us know. It will need to hold:

• Mi Box S
• Power Adapter
• Remote
• Ethernet dongle
• Ethernet cable
• HDMI cable
• Audio cable

Good Morning. We just received instructions on how to update our Mi Box S. After downloading the update and clicking the "Restart Now" button, the screen went black and there it sits. Anyone have a fix for this problem?
Thanks for your time.

I had a similar experience, wondered if I had done something wrong, waited a while, swapped the HDMI cable, then finally power cycled it and it came up fine.

Thanks for your reply. I finally tried power cycling it but no joy. I'll try it again next time I'm at the stake center.

I did have a problem with my Mi Box S and had to use another cable. Later, I came back and used the same "broken" cable, so I'm not sure what happened.

Yes, this computer stuff seldom works "as advertised" does it? Good suggestion though - I'll try a different cable and see if that makes a difference. Thanks for the comment.

Hey guys, you are lifesavers. I just went over to the stake center, swapped out the HDMI cable and the Mi Box came to life. What a simple fix. Thanks very much for your suggestion.

Interesting comments, I'm trying to be a bit more organized, as you know it makes our calling a little easier when things are packaged together in kits.

For a case I might recommend a simple shoe box 6 quart storage container or maybe a little larger. For me It depends on the building:

First building has almost a stake center like feel to it, even has its own satellite
- I leave a MiBox hooked up to a HDMI Splitter the Tech room, that feeds a J-Tech Digital Transmitter to Ethernet and to the local display. I feed the audio directly to the rack.
- I have 4 J-Tech Digital HDMI receiver I hook up in the Chapel, RS, Primary, and one other room. Only the Chapel uses the Rack audio, the others have to use the audio off the HDMI feed

So only 4 HDMI & 4 Ethernet Cables 4 Receiver Boxes and 4 Small Power cables. That fit in a nice in a simple 6 Quart Storage Box.

Second Building Is a little older, still not our oldest. (Similar setup but without the dedicated tech room or mounted screen)
- Chapel, 2 Ethernet Cables 25 Foot Bound together with wire loom tubing for easier handling less tangling for storage, 1 30 ft XLR cable, 1 XLR to 3.5mm laptop interface, USB to Ethernet adapter, J-Tech Digital HDMI Receiver, HDMI Splitter, MiBox, Remote, and the stake provides the projector for this building.

3 J-Tech Digital receivers in the RS, Primary, and one other Room.

All might fit in one, 6 quart box, minus the 25 foot cable that might fit in an extra amazon box Cause we have plenty of those.

Third Building is our Oldest Building, and smallest.
- If we build a kit it would just be the MiBox and no Video Distribution as there is no wired Ethernet network in that building.
- 50 foot Ethernet cable 40 foot velcro cable cover, Mibox, 30ft XLR cable XLR to 3.5 laptop interface cable, usb to ethernet, remote

This might need the larger box because of the 50 foot Ethernet cable, if I can get an Ethernet drop into the chapel near the rostrum I can probably get it all to fit. Maybe for larger cables hanging them on hooks on walls for easy access, and everything else in the smaller boxes. Oh yeah don't forget the extension cords We all need power.

Thanks for all your great remarks and insight. Since the MiBox S is out of Beta, I'm going to lock this thread. Feel free to start a new topic if you have other input or questions regarding the MiBox S.