Related
Hello guys
EDIT: I have to mention that for some reason it seems Amazon has managed to bypass whatever cleverness Genesis Addon uses to give access to all the movies you want to see... so for people wanting to use FireTV as an XBMC box to watch movies (illegally) you will have big challenges. They have locked it down... so you'd have to try use proxy servers, virtual networks etc to get around that... but it is nowhere near as easy to use as a good Android TV box like the Tronsmart s89.
Having used it for about two hours, I've concluded the device is great if all you want to do is to watch Amazon prime video or netflix... but to run most other android apps, it is simply an awful experience. , these are a few of my least favourite things:
1/ Apps you sideload are not visible on the home screen. It takes you 19 (NINETEEN!!!) clicks to get from HOME to the list of apps you can "manage". From there you click more to scroll down to your app of choice and click to select it then click to load it.
2/ you cannot use the remote for inputting text via voice within an app, so in XBMC if you want to enter "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", you cannot do a voice search, so all input is very clunky.
3/ if you use a usb wireless keyboard/trackpad like the Logitech k400r (superb on an android box) you are limited to what keyboard commands the amazon stranglehold will allow
4/ xbmc is not listed as a recent app. If you press HOME by mistake, it is approximately 35 (THIRTY FIVE) clicks to get back to xbmc (more if you have sideloaded more than 13 apps... which makes me hesitant to sideload any more!) Alt-TAB works on the wireless keyboard to get back to the last app, but XBMC is not listed there - as it is on generic android tv boxes.
5/ on spotify, you cannot use just the remote, pressing Down does not take you to the next song, left and right do not navigate menus etc... so you have to use another device... the Logitech k400r is great, but again, you cannot do everything with that even... down arrow does not move to next songs, there are no keyboard shortcuts to move to the next song etc.
6/ TennisTV android app does not work at all... works on all my android phones, devices, tablets. This seems to be a common theme, extremely poor app support.
7/ apps added to your apps on Amazon.co.uk online do not (mostly) show up on your device after you have "synced amazon content" . Looking for apps on the device in the amazon store is a mystery, voice search does not work... so is one expected to BROWSE the whole library with the remote to find apps you want? Wow.
7/ Go online to get apps for Fire TV and Amazon says: no TED no IMDB no Wikipedia no ES File explorer no Facebook no Ebay no Google apps of any kind, no Dolphin or Chrome, no Box, no Dropbox, no Evernote no BBC Sport, no TVCatchup... the list goes on and on... pretty dismal IMO.
There is probably a LOT more, but Amazon have successfully strangled and suffocated a very nice bit of hardware. The interface is good, the fluidity is excellent... and for xbmc it is great but also censored by Amazon... but if you are used to a generic android tv box like the tronsmart vega s89, the FireTV does not come close, because what you can do with it is extremely limited. The cheap chinese android tv boxes in my lounge and bedroom are going to stay put, I cannot live with this FireTV. Buy this unit if you want a very good Amazon Prime Video / netflix box for £80... but if you want more than that, stay away.
Mark.
fredphoesh said:
Hello guys
Having used it for about two hours, I've concluded the device is great as an XBMC-only box an/or if you watch Amazon prime video or netflix... but to run most other android apps, it is simply an awful experience. , these are a few of my least favourite things:
1/ Apps you sideload are not visible on the home screen. It takes you 19 (NINETEEN!!!) clicks to get from HOME to the list of apps you can "manage". From there you click more to scroll down to your app of choice and click to select it then click to load it.
2/ you cannot use the remote for inputting text via voice within an app, so in XBMC if you want to enter "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", you cannot do a voice search, so all input is very clunky.
3/ if you use a usb wireless keyboard/trackpad like the Logitech k400r (superb on an android box) you are limited to what keyboard commands the amazon stranglehold will allow
4/ xbmc is not listed as a recent app. If you press HOME by mistake, it is approximately 35 (THIRTY FIVE) clicks to get back to xbmc (more if you have sideloaded more than 13 apps... which makes me hesitant to sideload any more!) Alt-TAB works on the wireless keyboard to get back to the last app, but XBMC is not listed there - as it is on generic android tv boxes.
5/ on spotify, you cannot use just the remote, pressing Down does not take you to the next song, left and right do not navigate menus etc... so you have to use another device... the Logitech k400r is great, but again, you cannot do everything with that even... down arrow does not move to next songs, there are no keyboard shortcuts to move to the next song etc.
6/ TennisTV android app does not work at all... works on all my android phones, devices, tablets. This seems to be a common theme, extremely poor app support.
7/ apps added to your apps on Amazon.co.uk online do not (mostly) show up on your device after you have "synced amazon content" . Looking for apps on the device in the amazon store is a mystery, voice search does not work... so is one expected to BROWSE the whole library with the remote to find apps you want? Wow.
7/ Go online to get apps for Fire TV and Amazon says: no TED no IMDB no Wikipedia no ES File explorer no Facebook no Ebay no Google apps of any kind, no Dolphin or Chrome, no Box, no Dropbox, no Evernote no BBC Sport, no TVCatchup... the list goes on and on... pretty dismal IMO.
There is probably a LOT more, but Amazon have successfully strangled and suffocated a very nice bit of hardware. The interface is good, the fluidity is excellent... and for xbmc it is great... but if you are used to a generic android tv box like the tronsmart vega s89, this does not come close, because what you can do with it is extremely limited. The cheap chinese android tv boxes in my lounge and bedroom are going to stay put, I cannot live with this FireTV. Buy this unit if you want a very good xbmc box for £80... but if you want more than that, stay away.
Mark.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i picked one up last night, my impressions:
the UI is horrendous. ever review i read complimented the UI, but, nothing i want to use (plex) is easy to get to from the homescreen. have to scroll down, then over, etc. finding new apps, movies and tv shows is also difficult. i wish amazon allowed us to alter the homescreen to customize it to how we want it.
plex on firetv, again, the ui is just... just... i don't know, i don't use on deck, or que, or whatever. i have to scroll over, then down to get to what i want. again, i wish plex gave us more opportunity to customize how our splash screen is setup.
otherwise, i like the prime video on demand. this is the first time we have subscribed to an on demand stream service, having the content there, my kids like that there's spongebob and other nick shows. otherwise, our last 3 years of cord cutting has been handled through a rather extensive HTPC that i built running XBMC, sickbeard, couch potato and plex. i picked up the firetv to replace this unit because i'm tired of maintaining it.
fredphoesh said:
Hello guys
Having used it for about two hours, I've concluded the device is great as an XBMC-only box an/or if you watch Amazon prime video or netflix... but to run most other android apps, it is simply an awful experience. , these are a few of my least favourite things:
1/ Apps you sideload are not visible on the home screen. It takes you 19 (NINETEEN!!!) clicks to get from HOME to the list of apps you can "manage". From there you click more to scroll down to your app of choice and click to select it then click to load it.
2/ you cannot use the remote for inputting text via voice within an app, so in XBMC if you want to enter "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", you cannot do a voice search, so all input is very clunky.
3/ if you use a usb wireless keyboard/trackpad like the Logitech k400r (superb on an android box) you are limited to what keyboard commands the amazon stranglehold will allow
4/ xbmc is not listed as a recent app. If you press HOME by mistake, it is approximately 35 (THIRTY FIVE) clicks to get back to xbmc (more if you have sideloaded more than 13 apps... which makes me hesitant to sideload any more!) Alt-TAB works on the wireless keyboard to get back to the last app, but XBMC is not listed there - as it is on generic android tv boxes.
5/ on spotify, you cannot use just the remote, pressing Down does not take you to the next song, left and right do not navigate menus etc... so you have to use another device... the Logitech k400r is great, but again, you cannot do everything with that even... down arrow does not move to next songs, there are no keyboard shortcuts to move to the next song etc.
6/ TennisTV android app does not work at all... works on all my android phones, devices, tablets. This seems to be a common theme, extremely poor app support.
7/ apps added to your apps on Amazon.co.uk online do not (mostly) show up on your device after you have "synced amazon content" . Looking for apps on the device in the amazon store is a mystery, voice search does not work... so is one expected to BROWSE the whole library with the remote to find apps you want? Wow.
7/ Go online to get apps for Fire TV and Amazon says: no TED no IMDB no Wikipedia no ES File explorer no Facebook no Ebay no Google apps of any kind, no Dolphin or Chrome, no Box, no Dropbox, no Evernote no BBC Sport, no TVCatchup... the list goes on and on... pretty dismal IMO.
There is probably a LOT more, but Amazon have successfully strangled and suffocated a very nice bit of hardware. The interface is good, the fluidity is excellent... and for xbmc it is great... but if you are used to a generic android tv box like the tronsmart vega s89, this does not come close, because what you can do with it is extremely limited. The cheap chinese android tv boxes in my lounge and bedroom are going to stay put, I cannot live with this FireTV. Buy this unit if you want a very good xbmc box for £80... but if you want more than that, stay away.
Mark.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can use something called llama to create a shortcut to the homescreen (so to speak) of all side loaded apps and this is well documented on these forums.
Got my FTV at work so will give it a go when I get home to see if the list of apps is as bad as you say and if so will just use an amazon USA account.
Has anyone tried sideloading the prime video app on one of the tron boxes? They're interesting looking boxes.
As far as the UI goes: if you're able to root your system, you can set it to use xbmc as the launcher and only drop into the Amazon side when you want to watch prime video.
I don't mind the UI too much, either in xbmc or from Amazon, as I have low expectations for what a UI for a TV should be.
It's nice to see that if this dies, there may be other fairly competitive boxes which I can get Netflix and Prime on as well as xbmc.
roustabout said:
Has anyone tried sideloading the prime video app on one of the tron boxes? They're interesting looking boxes..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi
Actually there was a recent change by Amazon, making the Prime Video app (supposedly) work with Android, but AFAIK it has not been achieved yet. When I tried last a couple of months ago, it would look like it was going to play, then crash. See the thread on Freaktab:
http://www.freaktab.com/showthread.php?17026-Amazon-Instant-Video
Mark.
fredphoesh said:
Hi
Actually there was a recent change by Amazon, making the Prime Video app (supposedly) work with Android, but AFAIK it has not been achieved yet. When I tried last a couple of months ago, it would look like it was going to play, then crash. See the thread on Freaktab:
http://www.freaktab.com/showthread.php?17026-Amazon-Instant-Video
Mark.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Amazon video works on my phone and tablet pretty well. I did need to sideload the app from my phone to my tablet, but once I did so it was good.
I wonder if some of the issue being described in the thread above is like the one that some folks have with xbmc on the fire: XBMC won't 'let go' of the video hardware easily, so launching a video app from within the Android Apps menu of XBMC results in video not playing. I deal with it by killing XBMC once firetv launcher or netflix are running.
fredphoesh couldn*t summarize it any better. The hardware is great but the software does indeed cripple and limit the use beyong anything. This device is entirely made to only exist in the Amazon world and makes you buy Apps from their own App store and pay for instant video. Nothing else should and could be done with it flawless. See how hard the locked it. Unfortunately there are some more examples of locked down hardware in past time: Apple TV 3rd gen, Surface RT & 2 etc.
Thats why I put this useless brick on ebay as long as people go crazy for it - for whatever reason I don't know. For the same money you can get a very decent Android Box without and restrictions and full root access!
sebr said:
Thats why I put this useless brick on ebay as long as people go crazy for it - for whatever reason I don't know. For the same money you can get a very decent Android Box without and restrictions and full root access!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem that a decent Android box alternative, with the possible exception being the new Android TV, is they do not get Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu type apps to go along with XBMC. This is the very reason why people are going crazy for it. It is nice to have everything I need and that Amazon provides it all in one OTT box.
Might take a bit of effort but if you set it up right the fire TV can work very well. Mine is being used not only as an XBMC box but also as my download center and NAS. Couldn't be happier with it.
Nedle said:
Might take a bit of effort but if you set it up right the fire TV can work very well. Mine is being used not only as an XBMC box but also as my download center and NAS. Couldn't be happier with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am guessing rooted. The problems is that the folks doing the reviews now have never had the option to root. UK & GER shipped with rooting blocked.
Clearly out of the box the AFTV is not the most open/flexible experience. It is really easy to mod though. Root, install custom recovery, flash latest rooted rom, install Xposed (Fire TV Mods), alternate launcher, Google framework/play store and it's a completely different experience.
It is fine to complain, or give a bad review about a stock interface, but not here. XDA is a modding/tweaking community, I don't know why you are giving a review on a stock rom's nearly out of the box interface. A bit of work and most (if not all) of your complains are moot.
At least look around first to see if there are solutions to your complaints before just whining about them. :laugh:
Don't count this box out yet...now that someone has the ability to write custom kernels and we have a custom recovery I can only hope someone brings out an amazing AOSP build for the box or someone is quick to port over Android TV to it. Unfortunately I am not one of those capable of but would donate
goggles99 said:
Clearly out of the box the AFTV is not the most open/flexible experience. It is really easy to mod though. Root, install custom recovery, flash latest rooted rom, install Xposed (Fire TV Mods), alternate launcher, Google framework/play store and it's a completely different experience.
It is fine to complain, or give a bad review about a stock interface, but not here. XDA is a modding/tweaking community, I don't know why you are giving a review on a stock rom's nearly out of the box interface. A bit of work and most (if not all) of your complains are moot.
At least look around first to see if there are solutions to your complaints before just whining about them. :laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Perhaps you have not read much of what's being said about the newest Firetv boxes... Unrootable and heavily censored blocking movie streaming sites on xbmc, and dismally poor app support too.
As it is now, it is useful for two things only, Amazon prime video and netflix... Neither of which I want or need.
fredphoesh said:
Perhaps you have not read much of what's being said about the newest Firetv boxes... Unrootable and heavily censored blocking movie streaming sites on xbmc, and dismally poor app support too.
As it is now, it is useful for two things only, Amazon prime video and netflix... Neither of which I want or need.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Was this confirmed outside of just one person's experience?
Also, devices get updates that prevent root all the time. Often, the devs figure out a way to root them. I'm waiting on my Fire TV I ordered from eBay, hoping it's rootable. But even if not XBMC and Netflix is all I really wanted it for anyway (and not to use the crappy streaming add-ons but my own collection)
If Android TV is somehow ported to the Fire, then this box will become a great device. Right now it's worth the 100 bux alone just to play around with imo.
fredphoesh said:
Perhaps you have not read much of what's being said about the newest Firetv boxes... Unrootable and heavily censored blocking movie streaming sites on xbmc, and dismally poor app support too.
As it is now, it is useful for two things only, Amazon prime video and netflix... Neither of which I want or need.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i think your having more of an "operator error" than anything.. amazon isnt messing with xbmc. The fireTV has been working fine for everyone else for like 6 months now. if you dont like it send it backm sucks theres no root for UK people yet.. but no need to whine about it on here..
From a new UK Fire TV user - I totally agree "DISMAL EXPERIANCE" :¬(
Spent a lot of money on Plex only to find it has to use fire tv sdk and so no 5.1 DD surround sound over HDMI - if you have MKV content :¬(
I can sideload xbmc which works! and is the reason why it cant be on the amazon store - But I cant find a skin that is nearly as nice as plex)
Blocking root is way annoying too
I sideload'ed chrome and firefox and they seem to have patched it so that the remote does not work - nice one fire tv peeps (the browser in ES file manager works better - grr)
Sometimes I think they try to PISS people off on purpose
guess it makes them chuckle all the way to bank
at least it only cost 49£ so im going to ritually destroy it and jump up and down on it till I get blisters
AND also bye bye amazon prime!
Did anybody do any research before pre-ordering & before & after the German launch (around 9/16/2014) to know what to expect. The majority if not all of this "issues" where known weeks or a month ago.... And some of this are not real issues at all. Like demanding not promise features. Or "operator error" issues... There is usually a FW update shortly after a launch to deal with true issues that arise from it. So be on the lookout for one.
fredphoesh said:
Perhaps you have not read much of what's being said about the newest Firetv boxes... Unrootable and heavily censored blocking movie streaming sites on xbmc, and dismally poor app support too.
As it is now, it is useful for two things only, Amazon prime video and netflix... Neither of which I want or need.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As far as I can see, you are the only one to have experienced this. Perhaps the dns servers for these sites are being recently blocked by your UK ISP (Your other devices may have the dns entries cached for a while). In any case, one person having this problem is not much proof of this, thus is hearsay.
Why go on a long tirade when your real complaint is that you cannot obtain root? Why post a non-modded devices shortcomings on a modding site that has solutions to all but one of your problems? join one of the other "rant because I can't root" threads.
goggles99 said:
Why go on a long tirade when your real complaint is that you cannot obtain root? Why post a non-modded devices shortcomings on a modding site that has solutions to all but one of your problems? join one of the other "rant because I can't root" threads.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
actually i dont care about root
i want to have the apps I can have on my android tv working on this box.
they dont
it is a giant fail largely due to facist isp's in the UK and control freakery by amazon.
fredphoesh said:
actually i dont care about root
i want to have the apps I can have on my android tv working on this box.
they dont.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They do for me
fredphoesh said:
it is a giant fail largely due to facist isp's in the UK and control freakery by amazon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wrong forum/web site then. This is what I have been saying all along.
has anyone figured out why the Xfinity TV app closes or how to fix this I have the newest version installed on my nvidia shield and the app closes after about 10 minutes of watching a live or on demand show and goes back to the Home screen? On my fire stick the app doesn't close but I get other playback error on live channels. The TV to Go app works 100% on my correctly it never closes but it lacks a channel guide and DVR abilities so I would rather use the X1 TV app instead. any suggestions on how to get the app to stop closing back to the home screen?
I can't even get it to authorize my device. I put in my info and it just gives me a retry error.
davidreyes13 said:
I can't even get it to authorize my device. I put in my info and it just gives me a retry error.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it did that for me too at first I had to call Comcast and tell them I to activate my account to use the X1 TV app they did something on their end and I was able to login and add my device to the system. . I wasn't able to use the app on any device though so that may have been something different
jlennonfan said:
has anyone figured out why the Xfinity TV app closes or how to fix this I have the newest version installed on my nvidia shield and the app closes after about 10 minutes of watching a live or on demand show and goes back to the Home screen? On my fire stick the app doesn't close but I get other playback error on live channels. The TV to Go app works 100% on my correctly it never closes but it lacks a channel guide and DVR abilities so I would rather use the X1 TV app instead. any suggestions on how to get the app to stop closing back to the home screen?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same issue, want to get it working on the Shield. any fixes?
Have you tried this modded apk? It's been floating around and hasn't given me any issues. It even opens right to the live tv channel selection. I also created a banner so it shows up in the Android TV leanback launcher.
http://www.filedropper.com/xfinitytvgopackage
disregard, i just realized your post said not TV GO...
The reason xfinity tv app was closing was due to the blue tooth keyboard turning off after not being used got a WiFi one solved the problem or now just using the game pad right control stick. New issue is the newest version won't play content I have to use the old version of the app. Anyone have any ideas?
BUMP, we really need to figure this out! I was really enjoying the TV GO app working on Shield, now that it is retired we really need to focus on getting the replacement Xfinity TV app working!
Yes, mine does the same and won't work. Now it looks like it is dead and they have stopped the server. I have tried all different solutions. Is there a modded apk or a fix yet? I used to use the Xfinity TV Go and now it won't work. Xfinity TV won't even open.
I can confirm that the Xfinity GO app no longer works on the Shield TV and that the current Xfinity TV app crashes/closes after launch. My guess is that the app checks the type of device that the app is installed on and if it detects that it's an Android TV OS it automatically closes. I wonder if there's a way to modify the APK to either trick the device into thinking it is running on stock Android or remove the check altogether?
Homestar9 said:
I can confirm that the Xfinity GO app no longer works on the Shield TV and that the current Xfinity TV app crashes/closes after launch. My guess is that the app checks the type of device that the app is installed on and if it detects that it's an Android TV OS it automatically closes. I wonder if there's a way to modify the APK to either trick the device into thinking it is running on stock Android or remove the check altogether?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I rooted one of my shields so it is running full android OS 6.0 and in about devices it declares it's self as a Tablet thinking the same line of thought you are presenting. No dice. Downloaded the Tvgo app and it did just about the same thing. The app loaded and I got all excited then I selected some content I had recorded and live tv and both times it came up with something to the effect that your carrier does not support releasing DRM content to this device crap.. Ultimately they want you to rent one of their POS boxes. The silly thing is if that is what they are so worried about, losing that revenue stream, then why allow anything but their devices to run their content? Can still run on laptop or pc no problem. Apparently they are not aware of casting? It's all the same big corporation trying to hold onto market share by force instead of placing that energy into developing things people want along with the evolving tech. They will have to evolve or go the way of Block Buster video. LOL.
Hi Guys,
Been looking at this for a while. I have a Nexbox A95x Aml based Android box. The latest version of the Xfinity TV App (3.10.0.016) refuses to work . But... I have managed to find a earlier version that does. I can only presume after this version (3.2.1.028) they added the DRM type check , to check for either root or a "non approved" device.
I have tested this quite a bit and it does live TV and also you can even download (the holy grail lol) and watch shows offline. To do this,the app MUST be left on internal storage and not moved to the SD card.
The bad news is that at some point I bet Xfinity will force a update ie make this older version non working. But hopefully , someone here will be able to turn that off.
Dont forget to go to the Google apps store and disable Auto updates on this app ,otherwise your device wil just Auto install the newer version.
Hopefully , someone (much more skilled than me lol) may be able to compare this older version with the new one and disable DRM check for a newer version.
I have uploaded the version that works for me here:
h t t p://bit.ly/2gQn3eR
Sorry for the funny url , but XDA will not let me post urls until I have ten posts..
Any updates on making the official XFinity TV app work now that XFinity TV Go has been shut down?
I am also looking for someone who can mod the new Xfinity app (remove the HDMI check.......I think) to get it to work on the fire stick. The new version loads but will not open. The screen automatically goes blank and closes down.
I just wanted to let everyone here know that if you upgrade your shield to Nougat the Xfinity TV even older versions of the software that would work on prior to the new 7.0 firmware release now won't work at all so if this is something you want I would hold off on doing the 7.0 Nougat update to your shield I plan on reverting back my shield to regain the ability to use the Xfinity TV app.
jlennonfan said:
I just wanted to let everyone here know that if you upgrade your shield to Nougat the Xfinity TV even older versions of the software that would work on prior to the new 7.0 firmware release now won't work at all so if this is something you want I would hold off on doing the 7.0 Nougat update to your shield I plan on reverting back my shield to regain the ability to use the Xfinity TV app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for that information. Sucks for us Nougat upgraders though.
hey guys
I've got some pretty good news for those with the new Nvidia shield or have updated the old one to Nougat already and lost the ability to load the Xfinity TV app. I have found an alternative way to watch Xfinity on the shield Tv it is not an ideal way to watch and may not work for everyone's needs. I found that if I launch a game stream game on the Shield and Minimize the Game window before the game starts up or goes full screen, you will get a remote desktop like session which can be controlled with the the joystick on the gamepad. open a web browser and go to Xfinity and it works there is no lag or out of sync audio, it works pretty good, the Quality is better than casting a chrome browser tab from the PC, I also found controlling youtube from this remote desktop method is a far better interface than the Android TV app since you get the full website version of youtube instead of the slimmed down tv app. I should point out this nvidia Gamestream Remote environment is different than using a typical remote desktop client like the Microsoft Remote desktop client, most remote desktop clients don't offer the refresh rates needed to stream HD video without lags or audio syncing issues however the Nvidia Gamestream app does. I am sure there are other apps that can deliver a RDP session with the high refresh rates needed for viewing 1080p video over and RDP connection, I just haven't found one that works that will do this job. If anyone is aware of another app than can do this let me know I'd like to try it out.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/hc652xc2bq8yrfa/AAAkahHih0lzdxbJN4uPL8Rla?dl=0&lst=
usmcnyc said:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/hc652xc2bq8yrfa/AAAkahHih0lzdxbJN4uPL8Rla?dl=0&lst=
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are these files modified?
OM619 said:
Are these files modified?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We confirm these work
It's been about three weeks since I got my Shield TV. Everything's running as expected except Kodi.
There hasn't been a single day where I used it without crashing for once - more like freezing I had to force stop. But I force stop Kodi once and if it freezes the second time, I have to restart the whole system since force stop is not available...
Bottomline is that Kodi is glitchy af when played around via Nvidia Shiled android TV. Am I the only one with this opinion?
I play with Lodi a little but always go back to Plex. Plex is awesome especially with the plug in called SS-Plex
Sent from my LG-H810 using Tapatalk
I haven't had any problems running Kodi on my Shield TV.
My guess would be that it's not Kodi per se that is causing the freezes and the reboots.. It's likely one of the addons you installed that is the culprit.
Kodi takes a lot of unwarranted crap for 3rd party addons that are not officially supported by them that causes problems for the end user. If all the addons are officially support by the Kodi team then I would goto their site and describe your problem... If not, then start by removing them one at a time to see if the problems persist.
Also, Are you rooted ? Using custom rom ? Using alpha v17 of Kodi ?.. Hard to offer more advise w/o more info.
You might try a different version of Kodi, I am running 16 with no problems.
Also you can install SPMC as another install of "Kodi", they co-exist without any problems. So you will have two installs to play with, try different setups.
The person who is developing SPMC, uses a NSTV for the development.
SPMC is much better
I agree with burkett375. SPMC is much better. It's actually created by the lead Kodi android developer that has left Kodi. It's more optimized for Android Tv' devices and the latest version 16.2 has integrated voice search for SPMC. http://spmc.semperpax.com/
In general with KODI / SPMC you need to clear you cache and purge packages. Uninstall any addons or repos that not longer work to keep your system clean. I hear some people have issues with kodi downloaded directly from the playstore so it may be a good idea to download from the website and transfer it to your device.
First thing I did when I got my shield was to upgrade the Kodi( I believe it was 15 version at the time) , this was prior to the shield update.
I then used the Chris B wizard the beast ..check it out on youtube and I have not looked back, it is very smooth and has never crashed for me...hope it helps
Tool to clear cache and purge packages;
https://www.tvaddons.ag/maintenance-tool-kodi/
Interesting... I use Kodi pretty much everyday, on many different devices (Windows, Samsung Android tablet, kid's amazon fire tablets, Shield TV, iMac, iPad, MX2 boxes...) and never have any single issue with it. Never force close, never crashes, always plays anything I throw at it. This is I think the most accomplished open source software that exists. I have used it for many years, went through many versions, and absolutely love that piece of software. Just saying "Kodi on Nvidia Shield Android TV sucks" without any detail of what you are trying to do with Kodi when it crashes is an insult to those developers who put so much of their personal time aside for us to freely download and enjoy their work.
Please take a look at this post from their website concerning non-official Kodi addons:
https://kodi.tv/the-piracy-box-sellers-and-youtube-promoters-are-killing-kodi/
For those who have mentioned SPMC, thank you, I never heard of it before!! Being developed by their original Android lead developer seems legit enough for me to test it out!
There's some strife with the lead developer of SPMC and the Kodi foundation. That's why he left but it works to our advantage as he's implementing things the regular version of kodi doesn't have. He left Kodi as he didn't like the direction it's going and those who follow the community know the deal.
As far as third party addons go for the most part they're fine just because "kodi" hasn't supported or endorsed them doesn't mean much. They are trying to protect themselves. We all know that the "kodi" endorsed addons don't really offer much. Furthermore TVaddons is not KODI there a development team ( that also have a fork of kodi TVMC) and there developers also create their own addons that you probably use but don't release it.
I experience the same problem with Force close not being available all the time when i need it. that pisses me off. also my sheild randomly exits back to the home screen whenever i am using the remote instead of controller.. I found a thread about a lot of others with the same problem.
anyone who's having problems with Kodi: step 1) go to settings from the main leanback launcher , and go to apps and delete KODI's data / cache etc... then after that delete the app. Go to Kodi's website, download their latest version of Jarvis , as an APK , transfer it using your prefered method ( I use ES File explorer and go to network > Remote manager, turn it on, and access the FTP server from a computer or whatever, send files that way) ... and open it in ES file explorer or whatever... then you should have a working KODI that is more stable. Add your addons you wish, you'll find it SHOULD be tons more stable. I've had problems with the KODI from the playstore.
Umisguy said:
anyone who's having problems with Kodi: step 1) go to settings from the main leanback launcher , and go to apps and delete KODI's data / cache etc... then after that delete the app. Go to Kodi's website, download their latest version of Jarvis , as an APK , transfer it using your prefered method ( I use ES File explorer and go to network > Remote manager, turn it on, and access the FTP server from a computer or whatever, send files that way) ... and open it in ES file explorer or whatever... then you should have a working KODI that is more stable. Add your addons you wish, you'll find it SHOULD be tons more stable. I've had problems with the KODI from the playstore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I'll try that. I have to agree with OP. Kodi Jarvis on Shield Marshmallow sucks! Scrolling is extremely choppy! Exiting Kodi takes FOREVER!
I came here to ask if anyone else has had issues with Kodi Jarvis, I'm glad I'm not the only one.
This looks pretty cool: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVyNISBZvfA <---- No longer works!
But we shouldn't have to mod Kodi just to get it to work the way it should in the first place!
Kodi 16 is working perfectly on my NSTV, but I am on [ROM][Full Android Marshmallow for Shield TV][v.1.2]
It is slow to close after using for awhile, but no big deal, when you accept that as normal close behavior.
Miamijerry said:
Kodi 16 is working perfectly on my NSTV, but I am on [ROM][Full Android Marshmallow for Shield TV][v.1.2]
It is slow to close after using for awhile, but no big deal, when you accept that as normal close behavior.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's not normal behavior. SPMC exits fast.
Neo3D said:
That's not normal behavior. SPMC exits fast.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are issue's with Kodi not closing quickly. If you go in the forums it comes up alot. On my mac it never closes properly sometimes I have to force close it.
sumer1 said:
There are issue's with Kodi not closing quickly. If you go in the forums it comes up alot. On my mac it never closes properly sometimes I have to force close it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should try SPMC! Let me know how fast it exits for you.
Neo3D said:
That's not normal behavior. SPMC exits fast.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just tried closing SPMC, It takes about half the time of Kodi.
Kodi was fast at closing when it was first installed., but over time it has gotten longer...
Neo3D said:
You should try SPMC! Let me know how fast it exits for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use SPMC it's fine. It's KODi that has the issue. The dev of SPMC removed alot of useless code that's why it's faster
Cheers
Noobs and nerds community portal doesn't allow you to install builds on SPMC. So I have kodi for community builds and Schism for SPMC.
Sent from my stang5litre Edition 5.0 using XDA-Developers mobile app
Hi ,
I have amazon Fire Tv2 with updated Fire Os 5.2.4. I just want to flash the custom kernel images into the fire tv 2, for that i need to root the device.
How to root the amazon fire tv2 with 5.2.4 version. I found methods for Fire OS 5.2.1 and lower versions, does those methods work for 5.2.4 version ?
Is it possible to root Fire Os 5.2.4 Version ?
Please direct me to the rooting methods links.
Thanks in advance.
rtfm
There is no known root method for 5.2.4.0, I wish there was
Sent from my KFFOWI using Tapatalk
No, it is not possible to root 5.2.4.0 on any device yet. I track all rooting methods for all Fire TV and Fire TV Stick models here: http://www.aftvnews.com/root
This is showing like this person found root...
I believe the hardware mod works. A bit of a nuisance.
JeffDC said:
I believe the hardware mod works. A bit of a nuisance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello Team,
i want to root my new firetv, using emmc connecting method. i ordered the maximus low-volt adaptor and the transcent sd adapter.
i soldered the low-volt adapter ( really...really. small parts ! a very hard job....blue led is working )
then i opened the firetv and i am was wondering about the pcb layout .. it is completely different like on the pics in the net
.does anybody have the solder points for this ( Firetv Board DV83YW )
i am too new here for posting pictures links , sorry ..
greets
mike
Hello Mike,
i was surprised too when i take a look inside the new firetv2 box
I uploaded some pictures on gdrive.
can anyone help?
hppts..//drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BylaEM6wx1JOUjVVeGN3MWU5TDA
Same here. Waiting to see if anyone know of the new layout pins (if they are still exposed).
Here is my PCB....
AFTVnews.com said:
No, it is not possible to root 5.2.4.0 on any device yet. I track all rooting methods for all Fire TV and Fire TV Stick models here: http://www.aftvnews.com/root
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Love your site bro, thanks for all the great info!
anthonykash said:
Love your site bro, thanks for all the great info!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're welcome and thanks!
@AFTVnews.com
Also love your site. I have a question you could probably quickly answer:
I need to get stock amazon app "freetime" running on my firetv (box, not stick). I confirmed with Amazon that the freetime app is disabled from running on the current Fire TV firmware version (they couldn't confirm which version actually disabled it, just that it is a feature they have sunset on fire tv). I have the app installed, but it is not visible from app searches and not launchable from the "manage applications" menu in settings. (only force stop)
My current firmware is the latest version (Oct 19th, 5.2.something) and not rootable, but I don't have the skills to experiment with a new device anyway. (I've rooted my XT897 and SM-950F, but can barely handle that).
Let me know if you think it's possible:
1. That amazon's server side would allow freetime to function on a fire TV, despite amazon sunsetting the feature, assuming I could get the app to run locally.
Assuming #1, then
2. To sideload, modify, or otherwise get freetime working on my current Fire TV.
or
3. Downgrade my current firmware to a previous version that would run freetime.
or
4. To find for purchase a fire TV with a different firmware that would allow running freetime.
Thanks in advance. The motivation is that freetime lets me allow my young kids the ability to choose from a pre-selected library of videos and otherwise locks-down our TV for their safety etc.
scuba1999 said:
@AFTVnews.com
Also love your site. I have a question you could probably quickly answer:
I need to get stock amazon app "freetime" running on my firetv (box, not stick). I confirmed with Amazon that the freetime app is disabled from running on the current Fire TV firmware version (they couldn't confirm which version actually disabled it, just that it is a feature they have sunset on fire tv). I have the app installed, but it is not visible from app searches and not launchable from the "manage applications" menu in settings. (only force stop)
My current firmware is the latest version (Oct 19th, 5.2.something) and not rootable, but I don't have the skills to experiment with a new device anyway. (I've rooted my XT897 and SM-950F, but can barely handle that).
Let me know if you think it's possible:
1. That amazon's server side would allow freetime to function on a fire TV, despite amazon sunsetting the feature, assuming I could get the app to run locally.
Assuming #1, then
2. To sideload, modify, or otherwise get freetime working on my current Fire TV.
or
3. Downgrade my current firmware to a previous version that would run freetime.
or
4. To find for purchase a fire TV with a different firmware that would allow running freetime.
Thanks in advance. The motivation is that freetime lets me allow my young kids the ability to choose from a pre-selected library of videos and otherwise locks-down our TV for their safety etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I knew the newer devices didn't have Freetime, but I had no idea older devices/software disabled it also. I'll need to look into this further to fully undestand what is going on.
As for your questions, I doubt Freetime will work locally without Amazon's backend support. That's because the feature is reliant on child profiles created and stored on Amazon's servers. However, just because they say they have sunset the feature on Fire TV, that doesn't necessarily mean their servers are no longer replying to the requests from the Fire TV. So if you could get the app to run, I expect it would still work, but again, I need to look into it further.
There is no way to downgrade your firmware unless you root the device. Once rooted, it's simply a matter of selecting the pre-rooted version you want to use and installing it through TWRP.
I'll try to find time to test older firmware on a rooted device to see if Freetime works on it. That will tell us if finding a Fire TV running an older version will work for you.
AFTVnews.com said:
I knew the newer devices didn't have Freetime, but I had no idea older devices/software disabled it also. I'll need to look into this further to fully undestand what is going on.
As for your questions, I doubt Freetime will work locally without Amazon's backend support. That's because the feature is reliant on child profiles created and stored on Amazon's servers. However, just because they say they have sunset the feature on Fire TV, that doesn't necessarily mean their servers are no longer replying to the requests from the Fire TV. So if you could get the app to run, I expect it would still work, but again, I need to look into it further.
There is no way to downgrade your firmware unless you root the device. Once rooted, it's simply a matter of selecting the pre-rooted version you want to use and installing it through TWRP.
I'll try to find time to test older firmware on a rooted device to see if Freetime works on it. That will tell us if finding a Fire TV running an older version will work for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot. Let me know. And yes, by 'locally' I just meant 'assuming I could get the client app running' that the amazon servers would still talk to it and feed it the content I choose for the kids profile, etc.. I am hopeful on that front because freetime seems to be popular and remain supported on the fire tablet devices, so maybe the server side will remain device agnostic. Thanks in advance for your time in testing.
I was just curious if this is something that could be added via root or mods.
Seems like even low end devices are able to cast to Miracast so the missing feature from the Fire tablets seems like a push to get people to buy the Fire TV sticks or whatever.
Would be nice to cast to my projector which has Miracast built in when I am feeling lazy and don't want to power on the PC for proper viewing.
What say you guys?
autobulb said:
I was just curious if this is something that could be added via root or mods.
Seems like even low end devices are able to cast to Miracast so the missing feature from the Fire tablets seems like a push to get people to buy the Fire TV sticks or whatever.
Would be nice to cast to my projector which has Miracast built in when I am feeling lazy and don't want to power on the PC for proper viewing.
What say you guys?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think @DragonFire1024 is working on it too. :laugh:
Here's the deal. I've studied this pretty closely and have a good grasp on how to make this work, at least until it comes to one configuration: wifi_display. It may not seem like much, but it means everything in terms of whether the original miracast works, or doesn't. There are 2 important settings that need to be enabled; config_enableWifiDisplay in framework-res needs to be set to true; FireTabletSettings.apk needs to have wifi_display in set in res/values/public and I have yet to come across a settings APK with that value present.
Solutions: 1) push Java code to the public class of the apk (I don't know enough about Java to do so). The code can be found on the Android Open Source Project website, if you know how to navigate it. 2) direct edit of the smali code of the apk. I have studied a bit of how to do this but still don't grasp the ability. Every decompiler is different and one never says the same from the other. (Yes smali is that difficult).
The best chance is through smali, it's the easiest method imho. Until that can be achieved, the original miracast is lost. I've tried other work arounds including the famous kensuke research on GitHub, and have come up with a brick each time. So you are left with no options really, because we can't use Chromecast on these devices because we're considered uncertified, even when rooted. I'll continue my work on it, but until I can figure it out, you can bring up the UI and watch compatible devices come into and out of range, but I have yet to get any to connect. WiFi P2P works perfectly in terms of connection, but I haven't used it for anything else and still won't connect via cast screen aka miracast.
Sent from my Moto E4 using XDA Labs
Also just a heads up. The HD 8 appears to fully support Miracast, at least in the 2016 device. The build.prop is set up 100% right, MTK actually supports WFD in this device according to the actual ProjectConfig.mk, including both sink and source. I believe the only thing preventing it from working is rooting the device to perform the modification to the framework. If I am not mistaken, that would enable wifi_display in the public.xml because the sink and source are already supported pieces of hardware directly through MTK. Whereas in the HD 10, none of it is supported by MTK. In other words Amazon didn't include support in the build they ordered from MTK for the HD 10. So this requires more jerry rigging unfortunately. If root is ever gotten for the HD 8, it may make this a lot easier.
@DragonFire1024
I am on an hd 10 2017 os version 5610 (retyre xposed and rooted version). I know this is a thread started about miracast but I saw this comment:
So you are left with no options really, because we can't use Chromecast on these devices because we're considered uncertified, even when rooted
I am able to cast to both my chromecast's (one gen one and one gen 2) older non hd ones, without an issue. So far have cast from the discovery go app, science go app, history app, plex and netflix... all downloaded from google playstore (maybe i got netflix from amazon). For some reason HBO Go doesn't show a cast icon so couldn't test that but at least for me chromecast functionality is definitely there and working 100%
Would be happy to test any other apps people might be interested in but sounds like others had no functionality at all not that we had an app compatibility issue.
adm1jtg said:
@DragonFire1024
I am on an hd 10 2017 os version 5610 (retyre xposed and rooted version). I know this is a thread started about miracast but I saw this comment:
So you are left with no options really, because we can't use Chromecast on these devices because we're considered uncertified, even when rooted
I am able to cast to both my chromecast's (one gen one and one gen 2) older non hd ones, without an issue. So far have cast from the discovery go app, science go app, history app, plex and netflix... all downloaded from google playstore (maybe i got netflix from amazon). For some reason HBO Go doesn't show a cast icon so couldn't test that but at least for me chromecast functionality is definitely there and working 100%
Would be happy to test any other apps people might be interested in but sounds like others had no functionality at all not that we had an app compatibility issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Chromecast might be a fluke. I've not been able to get it to work, but I'm not so much interested in it. The equivalent of the original miracast, remodroid worked on all my tablets, but haven't tried it on my HD 10.
Sent from my Moto E4 using XDA Labs
DragonFire1024 said:
Chromecast might be a fluke. I've not been able to get it to work, but I'm not so much interested in it. The equivalent of the original miracast, remodroid worked on all my tablets, but haven't tried it on my HD 10.
Sent from my Moto E4 using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are correct, I downloaded remodroid onto my hd 10 and it didn't find any devices. My roku in screen mirroring mode (auto allow) I am told should be seen as a miracast device, but the program didn't find any devices, even when I tried to connect directly to the ip address.
adm1jtg said:
You are correct, I downloaded remodroid onto my hd 10 and it didn't find any devices. My roku in screen mirroring mode (auto allow) I am told should be seen as a miracast device, but the program didn't find any devices, even when I tried to connect directly to the ip address.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are a few factors on the HD 10 which ultimately prevent screen mirroring from working. At least what we know as Miracast. I'm going to have to do some more research on how to edit smali code that would allow for the wi-fi display to be active. But Amazon doesn't include it in the public class of their Java code so I have to do it manually and I'm not sure how to do so.
Sent from my Moto E4 using XDA Labs