Is it possible I just got a bad unit? Samsung Galaxy Tab 4, SM-T230NU. - Galaxy Tab 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I got a Galaxy Tab 4 for Christmas, bought from Amazon for $119.00. Chromecast and OK Google both seem to not be working and I've done some extensive trouble shooting.
With Chromecast, I have a Sony XBR850C with built in AndroidTV and the tablet makes a connection and then immediately ends when casting. I've tried it with the Chrome browser on my Mac and it works flawlessly so I'm ruling out the TV as the cause.
With OK Google it doesn't allow me to train the voice model, it just sits at "Listening" when it asks me day OK Google 3 times. If I chose "finish Later" it takes me to the Google Now screen, I type the mic button and it hears me fine. I've tried uninstalling the updates and everything else I found online that is supposed to help but nothing did.
That's two of Google's core services that won't work on the phone. Everything else seems to be copacetic but I need those two things to work. I got the tablet to serve as a "living room device." It's basically a remote for my entertainment system and home automation devices but I'm a cord cutter so sometimes I'll need to cast from it.
Any thoughts on why these two features won't work? Do they share a common function that could be defective? Maybe the hardware is bad? Orr maybe there's something I'm not doing right but I don't think that's it.

My tab 4's OK google doesn't work also. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. My chromecast is fine. If you are using a automation app and it is set to turn off WiFi once screen is off (for battery savings), that could end the connection. Sorry if I'm not of much help, I am still a great noob

Related

[Q] Widi/Miracast working with Note 3?

I was just wondering if anyone used Widi/miracast with Note 3. I have LG TV with built in Widi, and its very neat, works really well with my laptop. I remember reading few months ago that we use that with Galaxy S4. So I assume it should be working with Note 3 but none of the reviews mention that.
Has anyone tried using it with Note 3? Does it work? If yes, how do we set this up?
note3or2 said:
I was just wondering if anyone used Widi/miracast with Note 3. I have LG TV with built in Widi, and its very neat, works really well with my laptop. I remember reading few months ago that we use that with Galaxy S4. So I assume it should be working with Note 3 but none of the reviews mention that.
Has anyone tried using it with Note 3? Does it work? If yes, how do we set this up?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If no one else lets you know n the meantime I will have a chance to test this tomorrow.
The builtin screen mirroring in the system setting doesn't work? It needs allshare cast?
In using allShare cast dongle from Sammy and Is Working fine With the screen mirroring
Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk 4
sohebq said:
The builtin screen mirroring in the system setting doesn't work? It needs allshare cast?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Last Android phone I used was Galaxy S3 and that was on 4.1 (widi/miracast was included after 4.2 in android) so I personally have not tried it but I saw a video on youtube where he used S4 with netgear dongle and it worked. By that logic it should work with any widi enabled devise, but can't be sure untill someone tries it.
note3or2 said:
Last Android phone I used was Galaxy S3 and that was on 4.1 (widi/miracast was included after 4.2 in android) so I personally have not tried it but I saw a video on youtube where he used S4 with netgear dongle and it worked. By that logic it should work with any widi enabled devise, but can't be sure untill someone tries it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've used my Netgear one with my S4, expect it works here, but will confirm when I have a chance.
NZtechfreak said:
If no one else lets you know n the meantime I will have a chance to test this tomorrow.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks buddy, Waiting for your test result. Hopefully it will work and I wont have to buy Dongle from Samsung.
screencast works perfectly with my note3 and my belkin screencast hdmi-adapter!
the important trick is:
you have to long-click on the screencast device in in the screencast settings, then the option "connect with PIN" appears! with the PIN displayed on the TV you are now able to connect!
Sent from my SM-N9005 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
n3 sd800 Works with my p2tv 3000
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
TML1504 said:
screencast works perfectly with my note3 and my belkin screencast hdmi-adapter!
the important trick is:
you have to long-click on the screencast device in in the screencast settings, then the option "connect with PIN" appears! with the PIN displayed on the TV you are now able to connect!
Sent from my SM-N9005 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is amazing, this is one killer feature for me. Thank you guys for confirming.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free
Not working for me.
TML1504 said:
screencast works perfectly with my note3 and my belkin screencast hdmi-adapter!
the important trick is:
you have to long-click on the screencast device in in the screencast settings, then the option "connect with PIN" appears! with the PIN displayed on the TV you are now able to connect!
Sent from my SM-N9005 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you list versions for me? I can't seem to get mine working.
I have Note 3 on US Cellular, Belkin Screencast A100 with firmware 3.5.28.0, and I've tried both the updated AllShare Cast Dongle S/W Update v1.2.2829 and the previous version (not sure what number though).
The adapter receives the pin request and displays a pin, and the phone asks for the pin and attempts to connect, but fails every time. I don't want to have to buy a new adapter as I use my Belkin for both my laptops and kinda doubt the Samsung model would be as compatible (although shouldn't they all be if they are all using the same standard? But whatever....). Any thoughts?
I have several miracast devices and receivers and note 3 and S4 and nexus 7 2013 work fine with net gear ptv 3000, lg bdp 3000 bluray player, Panasonic miracast streamer with usb port that supports 1tb hard disk etc. See proof in my YouTube uploads where I have several miracast uploads for note 3, s4, nexus 7, s3, Sony xperia zl, Intel widi laptop etc in my YouTube uploads. See my tag line below for more links than posted here or see some links here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0MikjCGq_I
Miracast works fine with screen mirroring toggle no need for allshare. Works fine in 1080p dolby sound. Works great on the s4 too for everything. See video proof in my YouTube upload called miracast better than chromecast on s4 where I show streaming gaming music etc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxSJ57Q3zak
Widi laptop should work with same dongles http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZaDe-P_74s
psp1024 said:
The adapter receives the pin request and displays a pin, and the phone asks for the pin and attempts to connect, but fails every time. I don't want to have to buy a new adapter as I use my Belkin for both my laptops and kinda doubt the Samsung model would be as compatible (although shouldn't they all be if they are all using the same standard? But whatever....). Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought a Belkin Screencast about a year ago when I got my Sony Laptop which had Widi. I could make a connection, but it would disconnect every few minutes. It was useless. I ended up buying a long HDMI cable to connect my laptop to my TV. I never knew if the problem was with the Belkin or my Sony.
Forward one year.....
I found my new Nexus 7 has Miracast. Earlier today, I took my Belkin Screencast out of the closet and tried to connect it to my Nexus without any success. I then connected it to my computer and updated it's firmware from 2.9 to 3.5. After the update, my laptop wouldn't connect. It took lots of tries and may reboots until it finally connected. Then I tried my Nexus. Like you, I got to the security screen and entered the code, but it wouldn't go any further. Once again, after many reboots of both the Nexus and the Belkin, I finally connected! Mirroring worked great. I didn't have time to test thoroughly to see if it would disconnect, but it worked flawlessly for 5-10 minutes.
Don't know why making the initial connection was so difficult. I need to do further tests. Not sure if it's just the Belkin that's the problem. Sorry for butting in on this Note3 thread, but just wanted to share my Belkin Screencast experience with you since you have a similar problem.
howardv said:
I bought a Belkin Screencast about a year ago when I got my Sony Laptop which had Widi. I could make a connection, but it would disconnect every few minutes. It was useless. I ended up buying a long HDMI cable to connect my laptop to my TV. I never knew if the problem was with the Belkin or my Sony.
Forward one year.....
I found my new Nexus 7 has Miracast. Earlier today, I took my Belkin Screencast out of the closet and tried to connect it to my Nexus without any success. I then connected it to my computer and updated it's firmware from 2.9 to 3.5. After the update, my laptop wouldn't connect. It took lots of tries and may reboots until it finally connected. Then I tried my Nexus. Like you, I got to the security screen and entered the code, but it wouldn't go any further. Once again, after many reboots of both the Nexus and the Belkin, I finally connected! Mirroring worked great. I didn't have time to test thoroughly to see if it would disconnect, but it worked flawlessly for 5-10 minutes.
Don't know why making the initial connection was so difficult. I need to do further tests. Not sure if it's just the Belkin that's the problem. Sorry for butting in on this Note3 thread, but just wanted to share my Belkin Screencast experience with you since you have a similar problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By all means, just happy to hear more info about the Screencast being used with Miracast. Thanks for the post.
psp1024 said:
By all means, just happy to hear more info about the Screencast being used with Miracast. Thanks for the post.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've done some further testing. The Belkin Screencast is going back in the closet as it's very unstable and unusable. Making the initial connection every time takes several attempts and reboots. Once connected, it loses connection every few minutes. It's just not worth it. The firmware upgrade hasn't made it any better. It performed the same with my Nexus 7 (2013) using Miracast and my Sony laptop using Widi.
Over the weekend I went to Best Buy and purchased the Rocketfish Miracast and the Netgear PTV3000. The Rocketfish looks like a Chromecast dongle. Both the Rocketfish and the Netgear performed very well as they would connect at the first attempt and did not lose the signal. Personally, I think the Netgear performed a little better than the Rocketfish and is a few dollars cheaper.
However, both the Rocketfish and the Netgear would stutter for a second or two every few minutes while watching streaming video and listening to audio. I watched a movie on Netflix using the Netgear and just stopped after 30 minutes as the stuttering gets bothersome. Also, after 30 minutes, a lip-synch error had occurred and seemed like it got worse with time. These tests were done with my 2013 Nexus 7. To test further, I used my Sony laptop (widi) to make the connection. The connection was smooth and there was no more stuttering every few minutes. So the stuttering issues may be a Nexus problem and this may perform very well with your Note3.
In my opinion, both the Rocketfish and the Netgear are great for mirroring. It's perfect for showing pictures, presentations, browsing the web, etc. But not the best for streaming audio/video. Of course, nothing is as dependable and reliable as the good old cable (slimport, MHL, or micro HDMI - whichever your device uses), but that means you have to run a cable across the room.
For streaming Netflix, Youtube, Google Music, Pandora, and Hulu, Chromecast leads the way. No stuttering or lip-synch issues at all. It also allows multi-tasking - such as watching a Netflix movie and checking your e-mail on your tablet/phone without interrupting the movie. It also saves the battery life since you can put your phone/tablet in sleep mode and continue to watch the movie. Another plus is how the Chromecast dongle gets the movie directly from your router than your phone/tablet (hence why you can multi-task, save battery life, etc.). In my book, these are a huge plus for Chromecast, even making it better than a direct cable connection. But of course the big downside is that you need specific apps and mirroring is not an option.
It's sad that you really need two devices to become whole! I would keep both the Chromecast and the Netgear to have all bases covered.
howardv said:
I've done some further testing. The Belkin Screencast is going back in the closet as it's very unstable and unusable. Making the initial connection every time takes several attempts and reboots. Once connected, it loses connection every few minutes. It's just not worth it. The firmware upgrade hasn't made it any better. It performed the same with my Nexus 7 (2013) using Miracast and my Sony laptop using Widi.
Over the weekend I went to Best Buy and purchased the Rocketfish Miracast and the Netgear PTV3000. The Rocketfish looks like a Chromecast dongle. Both the Rocketfish and the Netgear performed very well as they would connect at the first attempt and did not lose the signal. Personally, I think the Netgear performed a little better than the Rocketfish and is a few dollars cheaper.
However, both the Rocketfish and the Netgear would stutter for a second or two every few minutes while watching streaming video and listening to audio. I watched a movie on Netflix using the Netgear and just stopped after 30 minutes as the stuttering gets bothersome. Also, after 30 minutes, a lip-synch error had occurred and seemed like it got worse with time. These tests were done with my 2013 Nexus 7. To test further, I used my Sony laptop (widi) to make the connection. The connection was smooth and there was no more stuttering every few minutes. So the stuttering issues may be a Nexus problem and this may perform very well with your Note3.
In my opinion, both the Rocketfish and the Netgear are great for mirroring. It's perfect for showing pictures, presentations, browsing the web, etc. But not the best for streaming audio/video. Of course, nothing is as dependable and reliable as the good old cable (slimport, MHL, or micro HDMI - whichever your device uses), but that means you have to run a cable across the room.
For streaming Netflix, Youtube, Google Music, Pandora, and Hulu, Chromecast leads the way. No stuttering or lip-synch issues at all. It also allows multi-tasking - such as watching a Netflix movie and checking your e-mail on your tablet/phone without interrupting the movie. It also saves the battery life since you can put your phone/tablet in sleep mode and continue to watch the movie. Another plus is how the Chromecast dongle gets the movie directly from your router than your phone/tablet (hence why you can multi-task, save battery life, etc.). In my book, these are a huge plus for Chromecast, even making it better than a direct cable connection. But of course the big downside is that you need specific apps and mirroring is not an option.
It's sad that you really need two devices to become whole! I would keep both the Chromecast and the Netgear to have all bases covered.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wasn't aware Chromecast supported Netflix... interesting, I just may have to get that $35 dongle then.
My Belkin Screencast has worked flawlessly with my two Lenovo's, x230t and w530. I can watch full screen youtube/netflix on my computer while running a VM, movie or even some full screen games on my laptop's screen (Doesn't play well with DirectX full screen, or so it seems... I forget the specific name for that....)
psp1024 said:
My Belkin Screencast has worked flawlessly with my two Lenovo's, x230t and w530. I can watch full screen youtube/netflix on my computer while running a VM, movie or even some full screen games on my laptop's screen
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It could be my Belkin is just a bad unit. But since it's been over a year since my purchase, I'm out of luck.
i have two dongles, Samsung allsharecast dongle and a dongle from Taiwan.
my old S4 i9500 on 4.2.2 connected on both and performance was very smooth on the Taiwanese dongle but there was lag on the Samsung dongle and sometimes audio and video are not in sync (if didn't use the default video player)
after updating to 4.3 performance degraded on both dongles and the phone automatically switches off the power saving mode (which didn't happen on 4.2.2)
i noticed that when you move further away from the dongle or cover the phone with your hand the playback gets choppy and sometimes disconnects (didn't happen on 4.2.2)
with note 3 n9005 i can't connect to the Taiwanese dongle (tried to connect daily for two weeks and only got it to connect 2 or 3 times) . only Samsung's dongle is working and it has the same issues of the s4 running 4.3
friend's s3 i9300 connected to both dongles but didn't have a chance to test performance
"device status has to be official, if you are rooted you can use wanam xposed to fake system status to official"
update:
note 3 connecting after update to 4.4.2, maybe my 4.3 had a bug
samsung allshare cast dongle is laggy
other miracast adaptors are fine
i ordered a measy A2W dongle and it is on the way
Hi all,
I have a Smart TV Panasonic DT60 series, but I'm no able to connect using my Note3.
Any one have successful connected the Panasonic SmartTV with the Note3 and miracast?
Thanks
Samsung All-Share Cast Hub
Just wanted to update everyone that I also tried the OFFICIAL miracast device by Samsung, the All-Share Cast Hub, and it didn't even work well. It did connect I'll give it that, but whenever I tried playing video (via youtube or video player app) it would play the audio but both screens would just be black, and there was an incredibly noticable delay in sound compared to the video stream. Netflix showed the video just fine, but it was out of sync by several seconds.
Needless to say, the hub was returned.

Another working keyboard and touchpad - FTV stick

VG-KBD2000
It could be great. It isn't . But the bang for the buck is definitely there.
Wish it would do more. But it wasn't designed for this .
It would be great if I could figure out how to reconfigure some of the non working buttons for specific functions. Maybe some one else can or knows of an app for that.
I posted this info below as a reply in another thread.
I picked this up for my Samsung TV ( doesn't work with mine - no Bluetooth )
But, it works with my Sony GoogleTv and my FTV stick with settings apk side-loaded
the nice thing with this keyboard is that you can pair it with 3 different devices.
It has a selector button on the top to choose which one.
I haven't played with it very long and am trying to figure out what works and what doesn't
To use the touch-pad a switch on the bottom needs to be slid to "mouse mode"
I can't use the TV specific buttons on the right side of the keyboard. Wish i knew how to get them to work with the GoogleTv - it has an Ir blaster built in and will control volume,channel,etc
It will power my TV on and off - it has an Ir transmitter. But, that is all that does - strange
They are marked down to $39 at Best Buy and there are usually many open boxed ones to be had for less. Original price was about $100
But, they are mostly useless for the Samsung Tvs that they do work on - Most of apps do not support the keyboard or so I have read.
Wish the was some sort of unifying remote that I could connect to it and then plug into my TV though.
If you get one, the touchpad goes into a sleep mode after 30 seconds or so. I've read that hitting any button will wake it up. I didn't know that at first and was pairing it , unpairing it and powering it off.
If anyone else picks one of these up, Please post your findings
Hi,
I'm thinking about buying this because it will work with my TV and it will work with the Fire Stick.
Since you've had a chance to use it a bit, is it still a good keyboard to use? I would be using this to control the Xfinity app.
Thanks!
sorry for the late reply, I still use the keyboard every time I use the stick.
I still try using other controllers (and wukong app). But, after getting frustrated use the samsung keyboard. If it would work on the tv for volume and other functions, I'd retire my sony google tv. My family uses the google tv every day . My son prefers the older netflix app on it and the controller works for him. He is 5 years old.
This keyboard works on very few samsung models.

[Official] Fire TV 2 / Fire OS 5 (Fire TV 1) Tips & Complaints Thread

WORK IN PROGRESS: UPDATING
STOP PRESS: FIRESTARTER 3.0 RELEASED. SANITY RESTORED.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/fire-tv/themes-apps/app-root-home-launcher-replacement-app-t3118135
Before sending your Fire TV/Stick back to Amazon in disgust, beware of its limitations, and try these tips.
Bottom line is it's going to be a solid step up from Fire TV 1. But right now, it has a few issues.
Let's talk about the elephant in the room: the angry reviews. Almost all the complaints are about the glitchy remote (we have a fix), battery cover (sometimes the customer isn't always right), audio issues (Amazon is patching, stay tuned). No question, it's got some bugs out of the gate, but Amazon has responded and hopefully all will be resolved shortly . Enjoy:
http://www.amazon.com/Amazon-DV83YW-Fire-TV/product-reviews/B00U3FPN4U/
Fire TV 2: hardware shortcomings by design that many regard as substandard.
If these are important, you might need to look elsewhere.
1. USB 2.0 not even USB 3.0. USB-C is the new standard appearing on phones and laptops.
2. Ethernet 10/100 not GB.
3. No optical port. Possible solution: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B010JQMHNW/?
4. HDMI 1.4, not HDMI 2.0, limited to 4K at 30fps.
Software bugs and annoyances, most probably due to OS 5, but yet to be confirmed.
Could be fixed either by Amazon or developers.
1. Audio limited to stereo other than for Amazon Prime. Quiet audio.
As promised, Amazon has released a patch (extremely quickly):
“By this coming Monday, October 12th, you will receive an automatic software update that enables Dolby Digital Plus for customers who have a Dolby Digital Plus system (including support for Netflix and Amazon Video). An update for older Dolby Digital systems (not Dolby Digital Plus) will be distributed on November 30th.” -Amazon
Update from AFTVNews:
One of the new device’s largest complaints, a lack of Dolby Digital surround sound support, which has been partially fixed already, stems from changes made to support Netflix. I’m told by my source at Amazon that Netflix gave the Fire TV engineering team a new version of their software at the last minute which required changes to the Fire TV’s software to work correctly. Those changes conflicted with Dolby Digital surround sound support. With not enough time to fix support for both, Amazon was faced with the decision to ship without Netflix or without Dolby Digital surround sound. They chose the latter which, in my opinion, was the right choice.
http://www.aftvnews.com/amazon-is-d...-internal-testing-pool-for-bug-fixing-effort/
2. Fire TV 2 WiFi Remote drops out, glitchy, lags, etc.
Do this when setting up if you're connecting via Ethernet: disconnect your LAN cable, connect to WiFi, reconnect your network cable.
And then do this anytime if your remote becomes laggy: disconnect Ethernet cable, reconnect Ethernet cable.
That should fix it. Really, it's usually that simple.
If not, there could be interference, you could try changing channels or frequency on your router or restrict the available protocols (just N or AC, for example). Let us know if you're still having problems.
3. Highly inconvenient to launch Kodi and other sideloaded apps.
Long story, somewhat shortened: The Fire OS only shows icons for apps obtained from Amazon's App Store. That, unfortunately, doesn't include Kodi, everyone's favourite media player, and about 99% of the reason the AFTV has a cult following. There have been two popular ways to get around Amazon's belligerence: by having Kodi launch as proxy of another app (usually Ikono TV) using Llama; or by employing Firestarter to bind it to the Home button.
Both can be loaded via ADFire.
Unfortunately, Llama no longer works (for this purpose) in OS5/AFTV2, so skip that route and install FireStarter:
ADBFire : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2786505
FireStarter http://forum.xda-developers.com/fire-tv/themes-apps/app-root-home-launcher-replacement-app-t3118135
Kodi: http://kodi.tv
I recommend mapping the Home Button single click to Kodi, and the Home button double-click to Amazon Home. Or if you'd prefer to use Firestarter as your home screen, then map it to the double-click. The added bonus to this setup is every time you're in Kodi and hit the Home button inadvertently, instead of losing your **** yet again, it'll just flash in and out of the app and then pause whatever you're watching.
Here's a guide on sideloading to the Fire. Again, I strongly recommend ADBFire:
http://www.aftvnews.com/sideload/
If you have an Android tablet or phone, there are several apps that can push apps across to the Fire, such as Apps2Fire. That way you can download your apps direct from the official Google Play Store. Don't forget they won't automatically update. You'll need to push those updates across as well.
4. Can't connect via ADB to sideload using ADBFire etc since using FireStarter
First up: make sure you have ADB enabled. Settings>System>Developer Options> Both ADB Debugging and Apps from Unknown Sources need to be On.
FireStarter has two methods of intercepting Home button presses: one using ADB, and one not using ADB. The issue that's arisen since the introduction of Fire OS 5 is that the operating system no longer permits parallel ADB connections, so if FireStarter is using it to intercept Home button presses, you won't be able to connect to the Fire TV using ADB, and thus you won't be able to sideload apps and files using ADBFire.
We now have two options:
Option 1 (Firestarter won't use ADB): Open FireStarter, under Settings, uncheck "Home Detection via ADB."
Advantage: You only need ADB enabled to connect with ADBFire. No need to touch FireStarter.
Disadvantage: Only detects your customized Home button choices within the Fire TV's home screen, and not within apps. Pressing Home within Kodi, for example, will return you to the Home screen. Pressing it again will send you back to Kodi (or whatever action you've chosen. A potential advantage is this now gives you three variants of the Home button: a single and double-click from the Home screen; and the traditional Fire TV Home shortcut from within any app.
Option 2: (FireStarter uses ADB): Open FireStarter, check "Home Detection via ADB"
Advantage: FireStarter will now obey your Home button choices (single and double-click) from anywhere.
Disadvantage: You will either need to kill FireStarter (see below) or temporarily revert to Option 1 in order to do your ADB stuff. Note: there's now a handy shortcut direct to the ADB Debugging toggle within FireStarter.
Tip: If you go with Option 2, you can quickly kill FireStarter's grip on ADB by going: Settings>Manage Applications>FireStarter and Force Stop. And then restarting FireStarter or the Device once you've finished your ADB business.
5. External storage limited to disks formatted in FAT32.
There's no reason why Amazon couldn't enable other formats, but there's little incentive to bother. Even Macs don't support NTFS out of the box. Either format your drives in FAT32 (and split larger files if necessary) or move them to a network share. Not hard to work around. Here's a tip:
http://www.aftvnews.com/how-to-play...b-off-the-fire-tvs-fat32-usb-storage-in-kodi/
6. Difficult to remove battery cover?
No it's not. Slide it back then lift it up. Dead easy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3t1GOCzjzY&
7. Can't move Kodi to external storage.
http://www.aftvnews.com/some-apps-like-kodi-cannot-write-to-external-storage-yet-on-fire-os-5/
Upgrade to Jarvis (still in alpha but perfectly acceptable).
8. LED only glowing when it detects a remote button press
Either a bug or a new way of doing things. Either way, it's not ideal.
9. Can't Chromecast from Android device to Fire TV
Yes, you can cast from Youtube, but nothing else (that I can find). Blame Google for that:
http://www.aftvnews.com/google-has-chromecast-receiver-app-pulled-from-fire-tv-appstore/
You can, however, Airplay to it. Via Kodi is one method, that usually works, but can be flaky sometimes. There are a bunch of apps you can try. Some work better than others. I picked up this one when it was free, it works:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/x9F99-x65B9-x513F-AirReceiver/dp/B00L5HQRGS/
And for those of you with other Amazon devices, there's always Fling:
https://developer.amazon.com/public...g/docs/understanding-the-amazon-fling-service
How about Bluetooth controller frequently loses connection to the AFTV? Mine drops it's connection probably 2 or 3 times every hour.
sudman said:
How about Bluetooth controller frequently loses connection to the AFTV? Mine drops it's connection probably 2 or 3 times every hour.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Isn't the AFTV2 remote Wi-Fi?
I will be watching this thread closely. Thank you for posting.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Free mobile app
list additions
I would add to the list:
Issues with day 1 software update, (several resets, issues to get working)
Wifi remote constantly cuts on/off (taking out batteries seems like temp fix)
Stutters in apps like WatchESPN
Second the dropping of lama/kodi icon support
Despite better hardware, little change in actual performance (yet to be fully seen)
Claude Koch said:
Isn't the AFTV2 remote Wi-Fi?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was under the impression that it was BT same as the original but cant find a definitive answer eitherway. Eitherway the damn thing keeps discontecting!!!! Will be sending mine back if things dont improve fast.
sudman said:
I was under the impression that it was BT same as the original but cant find a definitive answer eitherway. Eitherway the damn thing keeps discontecting!!!! Will be sending mine back if things dont improve fast.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.aftvnews.com/list-of-all-fire-tv-and-fire-tv-stick-remote-and-game-controller-specs/
Claude Koch said:
About time we compiled a tally of what's broken, missing or just plain annoying on the new Fire TV, and what's (about to be) broken by the official release of OS 5 on the old Fire TV.
4. More to come.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for this. I was criticized elsewhere for bringing up some shortcomings of 2. I am very interested in the gizmo you linked that breaks off the 5.1 via Optical and 2ch mini-jack from the HDMI stream. The product dates back to 2013 which makes me skeptical. I've bought a few of these that did not work. I have 4 port Monoprice HDMI switch that has the 5.1 and 2ch breakout. It disappoints as it is 5.1 OR 2ch, not both. The one's I have had tried similar to your post would pass sound to all six speakers but it was in reality Stereo which will fool some people. The clue for me is, does the blue Dolby light come on? A quick test for DD Plus handling is "House of Cards". If you get a blue light viewing that, it's good to go. It's been almost a year since I last fooled with them so maybe there is something that is NEW and works.
I am still looking for one that really works. The only thing I know that splits off 5.1, for real, is 1's Optical connector.
What's funny is that I pitched my Roku3 over the DD+ impasse. Now Roku4 is coming out and it HAS an optical connector.
I have an Echo/Alexa too and waiting to see how all that works out with my 1 if it does at all. I'm rooted so unless Rbox comes through, I'm out of luck. Right now my Echo is pretty much a party novelty but it can now control my Nest and Insteon devices. Just found the most useful feature is using it as a meat timer.
It's a shame 2 isn't all of 1 but better and more.
I had problems with the connection with my remote too.
Are you used ethernet at the first start to connect with your router? Never set up wifi connection?
Try this
1. disconnect fire tv from ethernet
2. connect fire tv to wifi
3. reconnect the remote to fire tv
4. connect fire tv to ethernet again
for me i think it works... I am not 100% sure because the connection lost was very rare before. but give it a try.. :laugh:
There are huge issues with the WiFi the gain on the 5GHz 802.11ac is terrible in addition to issues above. I sent two of them back. Returning all of them is the only way Amazon will fix this!
I hate to say it, but it's looking like a lemon.
Edit: things are looking much better today.
What is an "Accessory Port". On my 1 I use a little dongle called Flirc to allow my Logitech Harmony One unified remote to control it. Needed it to feed the "Menu" command to 1. I now have a Harmony Ultimate with Hub and just imported the same settings.
I wonder if 2's "Accessory port" will allow a Flirc dongle to support unified IR remotes. Also wonder if it is even necessary with the 2. The Ultimate remote is still totally IR but the Hub is WiFi allowing it to talk to some smart devices. Guess I could test but hate to fix something that ain't broke. That's the main reason I'm afraid of 2. See no benefit except for 4K and I don't have that. My 1 setup works pretty well.
What I want to do is ditch my $160/mo DirecTV bill and replace it with another DVR option. SBC (aka AT&T) ate them and nothing good will come from that. "Repeating" myself, the Tivo Bolt is intriguing. Would replace FireTV and DirecTV. On the other hand, my rooted 1 with Nova Launcher and a Logitech K400 KB is a pretty nice little big screen Android box.
Nothing is just right.
sudman said:
How about Bluetooth controller frequently loses connection to the AFTV? Mine drops it's connection probably 2 or 3 times every hour.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's an abomination. Seems like the wifi keeps dropping out.
Edit: fixed.
Claude Koch said:
It's an abomination. Seems like the wifi keeps dropping out.
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Click to collapse
But it's ON SALE. hurry while the supply lasts. Pulling 2 1/2 Stars. Not good.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00U3FPN4U/?tag=aftvndeal-20
The Main Reason AFTV 2 Is Not For Me
Root and Nova Launcher
Claude Koch said:
It's an abomination. Seems like the wifi keeps dropping out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A page back i posted a method to fix that if you are used ethernet cable at the first start o AFTV2.
Try this
1. disconnect fire tv from ethernet
2. connect fire tv to wifi
3. reconnect the remote to fire tv
4. connect fire tv to ethernet again
For me no connection losts between remote control and AFTV2 after a couple of hours.
I know the Apple TV was looming, but I don't get why Amazon felt the need to rush this out so fast. There just really isn't a reason to refresh a video streaming device annually. I understand they wanted to beat Apple to 4K, but looks like it cost them this time. I am sure updates will make it better, but this box might be the dud when we look back and the history of these things. I just hope it doesn't flop so bad they stop future revisions.
MajorWinters said:
A page back i posted a method to fix that if you are used ethernet cable at the first start o AFTV2.
Try this
1. disconnect fire tv from ethernet
2. connect fire tv to wifi
3. reconnect the remote to fire tv
4. connect fire tv to ethernet again
For me no connection losts between remote control and AFTV2 after a couple of hours.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the tip. I'm going to let it be for a couple of days, then try your fix. Otherwise, I won't know it it helped.
Been trying to get it to detect the bluetooth remote from my other Fire TV but not having any luck.
EDIT: Great tip, seems to have done the trick! Added to list.
I sent mine back. I can't believe that the newer Fire TV performs much worse than my 1st Gen Fire TV. Here is what I find annoying.
Remote cover is very hard to open. Broke my nail and it took me nearly a half hour to get it open. Once it is open it is much easier after.
Remote freezes and stops responding. Have to take out batteries and put them back in. At first I though the unit froze but my BT keyboard works fine. Had to use that quite often.
Netflix no 5.1 surround sound. Also it takes much longer to get up to 1080p. On my old Fire TV 1080p instantly and if not just restart the stream. On the 2nd gen Fire TV mud quality sub 480p which can take up to 40 seconds or longer to get to 1080p unless I fast forward and rewind the stream but then it ends up ruining what I am watching when there are spoilers in the beginning of the program.
Other third party apps actually run worse. They stutter and skip frames like trying to watch a HD video on a Celeron PC from 2008.
The external storage option is a joke. First thing is they should have included more than 8gb of internal storage because the external microSD is useless. I moved all the apps and games I can to the external storage however most apps and some games still store at least half the data on internal storage so even then I was already running low on space while my 64gb microSD barely used any space.
Box runs much warmer than before and I have it on a cooling pad.
To me the picture quality seems worse. I don't have a 4k TV just 1080p but the picture is much darker and reds look more pixelated.
That is what I can think of off the bat but in the end I ended up sending it back like many others and I see a recall soon from Amazon. They should have never released this thing as the 1st Gen Fire TV was pretty much perfect. Yes it had issues when it first came out mainly the once outdated Netflix app and having to occasionally clear the Amazon video data app when it would not play but otherwise it performed much better than this new thing does.
It's looking like under OS5, external storage is sandboxed as read-only to Kodi. The same seems true of Android TV (Nvidia Shield), so I suppose it's a Lollipop security issue. If I'm right, this means no moving Kodi data/thumbnails to external storage and using the /sdcard/xbmc_env.properties to redirect. Can anyone confirm/disprove this?

Casting troubles

I got in on the $50 NP deals a little bit ago. It's been a neat little device aside from a couple issues. First, nothing can cast to it. Various phones, tablets try to connect then give up with a "Unable to connect to device" error. I have Chromecasts and they work flawlessly. I have done a factory reset or two without any improvement. Another oddity is that from my desktop computers, most of the time the device doesn't even get listed from the Chromecast icon (No cast devices found). One exception seems to be Youtube. There it shows the device, but still never sends anything to the Player.
The other issue I've had is that Netflix plays 1-5 seconds of a show before popping up it's aip-703. Netflix's web site gives a few suggestions, remove and readd account and the like, but that hasn't helped.
The only other thing I can think of is that the upgrade to Marshmallow might magically fix things, but I'm not holding out much hope. Any other suggestions?
I bet the casting problems you're getting are due to the NP's dodgy wi-fi connectivity. It's got compatibility issues with loads of different routers. I for example have a dual band router and since I moved the NP over to the router's 2.4GHz band, I have been able to cast without issues. And this sucks since I prefer it to connect to the 5GHz band for throughput and interference reasons. If you get any chance to try this with a different router you'll most likely see that those issues go away...
I was wondering that too, so I picked up an OTG cable and connected my Wii's ethernet adapter. Devices still aren't able to connect to the NP's casting receiver. So much for that...
In dealing with the Netflix thing, I decided to give their support a try. Surprisingly, they were very easy to deal with as far as tech support phone lines are. We tried a few things, but weren't able to settle on anything more than maybe it's the ISP's fault (Comcast). One interesting thing was they were able to pull up a demo movie that displays the current bitrate that you're getting. It was only pulling 1700kbps before getting the error. At other devices I get a similar rate, up to 3000kbps. I don't see how if Comcast were throttling Netflix connections, it should fail on any device rather than just this one (phones, tablets, computers, Chromecast, GoogleTV work just fine).
I've been able to cast on both NP I have without an issue. They were both running 5.1.1 and connected through 5Ghz wifi. I updated one to 6.0 and now I have the high brightness issue.
Both the casting and Netflix app got updated yesterday. Hopefully that will fix your problems
Casting no longer powers on TV via HDMI
Has anyone else experienced that casting no longer wakes up a powered-off TV?
Since I got my NP, starting to cast (with the TV off) would power on the TV and set it to the correct input (via HDMI commands sent from the Nexus Player). But, since yesterday (6.0 upgrade and new Cast Receiver - not sure which is to blame) this no longer happens. Is this now a configurable setting somewhere? I do observe that I can still use my TV remote's d-pad to control the Nexus Player, so believe HDMI-CEC is still active and configured correctly on the TV.
I loved this feature (prevented me from needing my TV remote!) and sad that it's now broken.

Any ideas on how I can get my Galaxy Tab 4 to mirror?

Here's the equipment I'm working with:
Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 SM T230NU on 4.4.2 with KingRoot (for now).
Sony XBR850C with built in Android.
AppleTV 4th Gen.
I have tried several solutions and nothing works. The TV has Chromecast built in (called GoogleCast) but it connects very briefly and then I get a message on the tablet stating "Casting to the XBR850C has ended"
I've used several different apps including ScreenStream, MirrorBeta, MiraCast Shortcut, etc... and tweaks like MirrorcastEnabler.
I am looking for a system-wide mirroring solution, I want the TV screen to reflect whatever's on my tablet screen whether I'm in an app like TBS or HBOGo or on the Setting screen.
Honestly, I'm floored that it's been this complicated and challenging. I have an iPhone and this feature is built in and works flawlessly.

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