Currently I have DVBViewer running on my main PC and stream that to my cheap Chinese Android smartphone via an app on the phone. (DVBViewer Controller)

Problems: Screen size (5.5 inch) too small) and sound too quiet.

So I'm looking for a VERY cheap (the cheapest - No big name needed) Tablet that will only ever be needed for this one function. So must have WIFI, reasonable sound level (Not looking for Hi-Fi sound, just loud enough to hear over running taps and boiling pots) and the biggest screen I can get for my bucks. (10 inch ?)

On the 23rd I get paid and from 3:30pm I'll be in town with some hard cash to burn: Have you heard of any Xmas bargains that may be around / likely to be sold off cheap?

Thanks for any help and advice you can give.

Contradictory expectation ie cheapest device but largest screen.

How much are you wiling to spend eg for £50 you can buy a kindle fire 7, and with a bit of work set it up to run any android app. You can buy windows tablets like Linx8 or Linx 1010 that will play any windows prpgrams in the £ 100-130 range etc.

Re sound, most small devices have a limited volume range.

Why not buy some bluetooth headphones or a cheap bluetooth receiver that you can plug earphones in etc.

You could buy a chromecast audio dongle and cast sound to a stereo system, or pligbin amplified speakers etc.

I mean the cheapest within any given screen size. As my 5.5 inch mobile is too small and a 7 inch tablet being not much bigger, I was thinking around about 10 inch for the screen size.

Bluetooth is a great idea but with my phone, using WiFi steaming and Bluetooth at the same time doesn't get good results. (Maybe the phone can't handle it or the WI-FI and Bluetooth signals don't like each other?) Add in the microwave being started and Bluetooth is a no go. (Just got the microwave not interfering with the streaming by changing WiFi channels)

I would have thought that with a tablet being bigger than a mobile then the speaker would also be slightly bigger? (Especially in a 10 inch size)

Got to be Android as I don't know if the App (DVBViewer Controller) is available in other O/S.

If you're going for a 10" Android tablet the Lenovo Yoga 2 tablet is what I recommend, having bought one for myself recently. 32 GB storage plus expandable by another 64 GB internal storage, superb stereo sound for the cost, retractable kickstand, good processor, etc.

Just upgrade it to lollipop asap (in settings) after buying as it improves the interface, and performance.

Still on sale in John Lewis at £159.95 until the 31/12, but keeps going in and out of stock, as there is a newer more expensive model available. I think this is unbeatable for the cost!

http://www.johnlewis.com/lenovo-yoga...=c&tmcampid=73

Edit: Forgot to add, most importantly has full HD screen, perfect for movies.

Thanks! Sounds nice. I will look into it further.

EDIT: Nice design with the stand and all. would look nice in the kitchen.

I have the Linx 1010 and it's great, but the speakers are really not that powerful. And they're stereo but arranged to be stereo in portrait mode which makes no sense to me. When watching a movie they're both on the right hand side.

This is where the Yoga shines. I previously had to use a speaker desk for my netbook before buying this tablet, although have a fire hdx 7. The screen definition, plus size, superb clear/loud? sound make it a perfect multimedia piece, which has all but surpassed my kindle (although prefer hdx for screen quality slightly especially for books). Battery life is superb too.

Have you considered an Android TV Box? Or are you wanting to use the tablet for reason like portability?

You can get cheap Android TV Boxes on eBay, Amazon, Aliexpress. You will be able to install your DVBViewer Controller app on it and watch it on the big TV screen rather than a small tablet.

Well the portability would be a plus point even it it's just moving it from the cooking side of the kitchen to the washing up side. But it would mostly spend it's life in the kitchen just performing this one function of streaming DVBViewer from my main HTPC down to the kitchen. But if say I was ill in bed then it could also be used to watch TV in the bedroom as well.

As for size, I think that whilst 7 inch isn't much bigger than my mobile I'm currently employing for the job, a 10 inch one would be more than big enough. It's mainly so I don't miss an afternoon quiz show whilst making dinner or washing up afterwards. I don't plan on sitting in the kitchen watching the latest blockbuster on it.

How about a second hand Surface RT? Stereo speakers and quite a good sound, far more powerful than the Linx, and the kickstand means it happily stands up by itself. One of the cool features the RT had was that in the Recipe app you could follow a recipe by waving your hand past the camera to turn the page, so no greasy fingerprints on the screen.

Surface RT... researching....

Thanks!

Biggest downside to the RT was it can only run apps, and the MS app store is nowhere near as big as the Apple or Android ecosystem. There are still lots of good apps, but because it can't run Windows programs you can't install Chrome, Firefox etc. The only one I missed was Sky Go won't work on it as they use Silverlight.
No iPlayer app but the iPlayer website works perfectly. The default video player is good and there are several alternative apps. There are also unofficial Youtube apps that are better than the official app since they allow you to download and save videos and play them offline. The official app I have on Android will not play even saved videos without a network, like on a plane, and will insert adverts. The Surface apps will play videos without adverts. The RT also includes as standard full versions of Word, Excel, Powerpoint and OneNote, not the cut down Mobile App versions.

MS did promise some sort of update for the RT when W10 came out but I haven't seen anything. I still happily use my RT but in functionality the Linx 1010 with W10 is miles better. Just lacking in speaker volume and placement, especially compared to the Surface.

The replacement to the RT, the Surface 3, runs full Windows 10 and will run any Windows programs, but it's £400....

The way this thread has deviated from original question (cheapest option) reminds me of the old company slogan

"When you are up to your ass in alligators, you forget the original objective was to drain the swamp!"

To be fair the whole of that post was about the RT, which can be bought cheaply on ebay and would suit the OP perfectly. The very last line was a throwaway comment about the Surface 3 and why it was not suitable.

Sure - was just joking (emoticon was a clue ----> ).

I went with this in the end. Looks great in the kitchen and after spending all yesterday playing and beating it into submission, it's now streaming just fine.

The stand is a good design and the sound plenty loud enough.

That's for the recommendation!