Can these Formuler boxes play your MP4 collection from local storage?

Forgive me for putting my first post in the wrong place(?), the posting instructions for newbies suggested there was a Miscellaneous forum (shown on the instructions screenshots!) but there doesn't appear to be one? And all of the forums that do exist appear to be very specific!!

I have a simple need: over time we have accumulated a number of MP4 videos that we'd like at times to be able to easily enjoy on our (smart) TV, without playing them from a laptop temporarily plugged into the TV! I have a top-of-the-range Panasonic Blu-ray player that you can plug an external HDD into to watch content from there, but it doesn't recognise many drives, and even if it does the interface is pretty basic/rubbish and difficult to use. That's all that I want to do: put all our MP4s onto an external drive and plug it into an intelligent box that can them allow us to view what's there - well-presented, ideally not just one long list of files! - and easily select something to play.

So over the Black Friday weekend I started searching on Amazon for "MP4 media player" as that's basically what I want to do; this came up with a vast range of cheap Chinese boxes that perhaps would do the job, but again I got the sense that the UI was going to be pretty basic and clunky. I'm not short of money and want to buy something that's premium quality, with a premium remote; to me it's worth the money! In the Amazon reviews for one of these boxes, somebody mentioned Formuler, and that's what brought me here! (Incidentally, a note to Formuler staff, now I've found the name, I see your boxes or at least some of them are sold on Amazon, but you're not coming up in searches such as mine? I can't be the only one looking for such a solution??)

So my main question is, do these Formuler boxes provide such functionality? I'd like a great UI to present me with a list of our MP4s which I'll sort into folders on the external HDD, to search for and select one to play.

One review also mentioned an app called Kodi, is this a good way to organise and present on-screen my mp4 content, to select and play something? Would I be able to add an app like this to a Formuler box?

I want the highest quality and really don't mind buying the most expensive Formuler box. The other things that these boxes can do, will it give us much additional functionality above what our Sony smart TV can deliver? Or perhaps better quality video and/or sound? Oh and is there a comparison tool on this site that compares and contrasts what you get with each different box?

I'm originally from an IT background so very comfortable with learning about tech, but stumbling across the Formuler website for the first time, my impression is that it's for those "already in the know" in this quite specific world? What appears to be missing - and do correct me if I'm wrong! - is a starting from basics overviews of all the things these boxes can do, why they exist in the first place - and what they give you above and beyond what you get with a typical smart TV? Even things like explaining what's meant by "Android OTT" would help the uninitiated who want to learn!

Please forgive me if I've committed any 'sins' by this post, in the wrong place or whatever, it's certainly not my intent, I just found it very hard to know where to post a general question like this...

Big thank you in advance for any guidance anyone can offer!

Quote from Belgiumuser

A simple question I thought 🤔, but what followed is a whole book so at the end of reading I am so confused that I don't know what I should answer . Maybe SAM do have an answer.

Awww thanks for trying Belgiumuser! You know, I have never tried posting in a forum before, all so new to me!!!

I'm glad you thought it should be a simple question!! I agree, it should be?? Am I the only one out there who has a smart TV and a separate DVR and a nice Blu-ray player too but the one thing missing is an easy way to view stuff I've recorded (unless it's TVs shows recorded on my DVR box). My MP4s fall into two main categories: stuff I've recorded on my phone (quite a few concerts we'd like to occasionally enjoy again) and more recently, I bought a box that can capture favourite TV series before they disappear from catch-up services, mostly BBC iPlayer in our case given that we live in the UK - so that we can also rewatch these in the future!

So if the 'whole book' remark was a comment on the length of my post, I'm sorry, please forgive this newbie!!

My key question is are these Formuler boxes a good way to access, view and play your MP4 collection on your TV? And I guess the secondary question is, if I bought one what else useful would it add to my home setup?

Quote from SAM

To be honest, i like very much People with clear words, no matter if short or very long text but with clear words and coming always to the point. Such postings are always welcome, because you described everything

My answer will not be so long but very direct and on point.

1. Buy Z12

2. Buy bigger SSD and TB you will need, with external case. Format the ssd to one partition with NTFS and copy all your videos onto your ssd.

3. Install latest Kodi on your Z12 ( chose settings expert in Kodi) and set all what you need (this will take some time to have everything perfect), install also needed addons to kodi like Cover downloads, posters etc. etc. Set on Kodi the path to your videos and let Kodi initialise.

Now you can start to watch, all done.

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Thanks very much Sam for your help and kind words too You've confirmed what I suspected from my reading of the Formuler website but I wanted to be sure before I purchased; here in the UK we have the right to return any online purchase, but of course not once you've tried/used it!

Yes I was planning to use a nice large external HDD, I might even use a traditional disk one rather than an SSD, you get more Tb for your money and its speed will be more than adequate. I'd noted somewhere in the FAQs that there is no limit on size of disk, that's nice, many of the cheap Chinese media players do appear to have a size restriction! And yes, that it needed to be one partition/NTFS.

Thanks also for the pointers on Kodi

My finally point, if anyone from Formuler ever sees this post, I'd suggest the site really could do with a page that actually starts from basics and lays out what these boxes can do, each major area of functionality, aimed at someone who's quite tech savvy with a smart TV, used DVRs and a Roku, Fire stick or similar but that's as far as they've got! These boxes seem to be a big leap further, and although they will meet my need to organise and play my own collection of MP4s, I'm still a little hazy over what other added value (over the type of setup I've just described) one of these boxes will provide. And also demystify/explain terminology such as Android OTT which will be opaque to people who are uninitiated in this world!!