OpenTivi on This Device: What It Needs
- A MAG 3xx, 4xx or 5xx, or a Formuler Z8, Z10 or Z11
- The MAC address on the label underneath the box
- The portal URL we send once you have given us that MAC
No credentials yet? A 24-hour trial costs nothing and proves this hardware works before you commit, or go straight to the plans.
The steps, in order
Read the MAC off the label
Turn the box over, or open Settings then About device. MAG hardware always begins 00:1A:79. Photograph the label rather than transcribing it and send the picture on WhatsApp: a mistyped character here is the single commonest cause of a box that will not activate, and a photograph eliminates it entirely.
Wait for confirmation before touching anything
Nothing below works until the portal is live against that MAC at our end. Attempting the next steps early produces an error that looks like a configuration problem and is not, which sends people round in circles.
MAG: enter the portal address
Settings, System settings, Servers, Portals. Portal 1 takes any name you like; beneath it goes the address we sent. Save, then reboot the box properly. It will not load before that reboot, and skipping it is the second commonest support message about this hardware.
Formuler: use MyTVOnline
Open MyTVOnline 2 or 3, choose Add Portal, and supply a name and the address. Alternatively the same screen offers Xtream Codes and the ordinary three-value login works there. A Formuler is Android underneath, so TiViMate is also available if you would rather have its guide.
Set the time zone and build favourites
After the restart the box loads the full list with its built-in guide. Set the time zone in the box settings, then use the coloured remote buttons to build a favourites list. These remotes are pleasant to press and tedious to scroll, so that list pays for itself in the first week.
Choose between the portal and an Xtream login
A MAG understands only the portal, so there is no decision to make. A Formuler accepts either, and the choice has consequences: the portal is bound to that box's MAC and follows the hardware, while an Xtream login through MyTVOnline or TiViMate is portable and can be moved to another device in a minute. If you expect to keep this box for years, take the portal. If you are the sort of household that changes hardware, take the Xtream route on the Formuler and keep your options open.
What usually goes wrong on this device
The portal shows "STB blocked" or a blank screen
Either activation has not completed, or a character went astray. Send a photograph of the label rather than retyping the MAC. That clears it within minutes in nearly every case and avoids a long exchange about whether a character was a zero or a letter O.
It stopped working after a firmware update
MAG firmware updates occasionally clear the stored portal. Your account is untouched. Re-enter the portal address under Settings, System settings, Servers, Portals and restart, and it returns as it was.
The channels play but the guide is empty
Portal guide data loads separately from the channel list and can take up to a day to populate on a first run. Leave the box powered on overnight before reporting it. If it is still bare, ask support to rebuild the guide against your MAC.
It worked at the old address and not at the new one
The portal is bound to the MAC rather than to a location, so the box itself is fine. What changed is the network, and some internet providers block the port the portal uses. Tell support where you are now and they will move you to an alternative address.
Whether this hardware is the right purchase at all
These boxes cost three to five times what a stick does, so the decision deserves a moment. They are worth it in one situation: the television somebody watches every day, in a household that wants the thing to work without anybody thinking about it. The remote has buttons meant for a channel list, the guide redraws quickly because the box is doing one job, and nothing is ever sideloaded or updated by hand. They are not worth it on a second television, in a short tenancy, or for anybody who changes hardware often, because the portal is bound to the box and moving means a message to support each time. If you are unsure, buy the $40 stick first. It will tell you within a fortnight whether the guide speed and the remote are things you actually care about, and if they are, the box is still there to buy afterwards.
The player to run on this hardware
TiViMate
Setting up TiViMate on Android TV, a Firestick or an Android box, why Premium is bought in a separate phone app, and what the free tier already covers.
Every device we cover
Thirteen walkthroughs, one per piece of hardware or player.
Put 25,000+ channels on that MAG and Formuler box
From $15 a month, no extra hardware, and the credentials back on WhatsApp within under 15 minutes.
Asked about the MAG and Formuler box
Is it worth $120 to $180 over a $40 stick?
On the television somebody watches every day, generally yes: a better remote, a faster guide and nothing ever to sideload. Anywhere else in the house, no, and the stick is better value. We would rather you spent the difference on an Ethernet adapter and kept the change.
What happens if I replace the box?
The new one has a different MAC and needs the portal re-issued against it, which is a message to support and a few minutes. Keep the old MAC photograph until the new box is working, because it makes the handover quicker.
Can it do 4K?
On the 4K-capable models, with a panel that can display it and about 25 Mbps steady. The advantage of these boxes on demanding content is consistency rather than raw power: they are doing one job and nothing else is running in the background.
Why does the guide feel faster on these?
Because the box is doing one job. A streaming stick is running an operating system, a store and several background services while it plays; a MAG is running a portal and nothing else. On a list of this size that difference is exactly what you paid for, and it is most obvious when scrolling.
MAG or Formuler, if I am buying one?
A Formuler for most people, because it runs Android underneath, so you can use MyTVOnline or install TiViMate and get multi-view. A MAG is simpler and extremely stable, and simplicity has real value in a household where nobody wants to configure anything.
How long do these boxes last?
Longer than a streaming stick, because they do less. A MAG or Formuler bought today should still be serving the same job in five years, provided the firmware keeps receiving portal updates. That longevity is part of what the higher price buys, and it is worth weighing against a stick you might replace twice in the same period.