Hi,
First time on this forum and am looking for some advice if possible? I am looking at getting an Nvidia Shield TV (either for Christmas if a relative is feeling generous, or if not will buy one after) Ideally, I want it to replace all the kit I've got and make it my main TV box, but the important thing is it's good (and easy) enough for the kids and wife to use without getting angry at me
Currently I have a Now TV box, Youview box, DVR box, and DVD player, with a Soundbar (I'm based in the UK, so in case there is any confusion, Now TV is a Sky over network offering, and YouView is BT's set top box) So loads of different remotes, I do have a Logitech Harmony, but think the Shield will be a very good option for me.
Now I know, that I can't get it replace everything, but if I can get it close enough, and have gaming capability too, I'll be very happy. So, questions are as follows-
1. Live TV -
I have looked through the forums, and see that there are some USB tuners that work with it, as well as this -
Not allowed to post the link, as it's my first post, it's a HD homerun, available on Amazon. If anyone knows of a cheaper alternative, that would be great.
Which all look good, but I need to be able to record and have good EPG functionality. Has anyone tried these, is recording possible, to either a networked server, or an external USB 3 drive?
2. Now TV- Is there an app available for this, or are you able to Googlecast it from Ipad, Android phone, etc?
3. BT sport App- anyone been able to cast BT sport to it?
4. Gaming- I will probably sign up to the Nvidia streaming service, as my home desktop is not particularly powerful. However, I would like the flexibility of using my home PC as a game streamer. Does anyone know the minimum specs needed to successfully use a PC to stream games to the Shield? Does anyone have a preference Nvidia streaming, or home network gaming?
5. Would like to install Kodi on it for media streaming? Anyone have experience of this, does this work well?
6. This is certainly not a deal breaker, but anyone know if it can integrate with Philips Hue Lights, and Nest thermostat?
I know there's a lot of questions here, I have trawled through the forums and found a few answers, just need to get it all clear in my head, so any advice/info gratefully received.
Thanks
Dan
Hi, I'm from the UK too. Most of your questions are about paid streaming services which I don't use, so I can't help you there. As for minimum streaming PC requirements, I bought a GeForce laptop, which is more than capable of playing the games which I want to play. However I later found out that GameStream is restricted to GTX cards only (even the oldest GTX cards, but not even the latest non-GTX). Nvidia kept that quiet. I completely regret spending the extra money on what I thought was a GameStream ticket. There are alternative game streaming services which do work without GTX (even without Nvidia graphics at all) but they're quite buggy and not very polished.
I haven't used it extensively but Kodi runs as smoothly as you would expect on the hardware (exceptionally smoothly). As for replacing your current setup, I've heard that you can hook up a USB optical drive and play DVDs (but not Blu-Rays) through KODI. However it lacks many UK streaming services, like Channel 4, Channel 5 and ITV. So you might want to keep the Now TV box around for a little while.
BenjiHansell said:
Hi, I'm from the UK too. Most of your questions are about paid streaming services which I don't use, so I can't help you there. As for minimum streaming PC requirements, I bought a GeForce laptop, which is more than capable of playing the games which I want to play. However I later found out that GameStream is restricted to GTX cards only (even the oldest GTX cards, but not even the latest non-GTX). Nvidia kept that quiet. I completely regret spending the extra money on what I thought was a GameStream ticket. There are alternative game streaming services which do work without GTX (even without Nvidia graphics at all) but they're quite buggy and not very polished.
I haven't used it extensively but Kodi runs as smoothly as you would expect on the hardware (exceptionally smoothly). As for replacing your current setup, I've heard that you can hook up a USB optical drive and play DVDs (but not Blu-Rays) through KODI. However it lacks many UK streaming services, like Channel 4, Channel 5 and ITV. So you might want to keep the Now TV box around for a little while.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great, that's very helpful. Thanks. I plan to integrate it slowly, so that might work well. Is there another game stream service you can recommend?
hdhomerun can that run sky services?
kyrusdemnati said:
hdhomerun can that run sky services?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not as far as I'm aware, but I could be wrong
i dont think it does... after research on sat forums
soo ive been crying since day one when i found out i couldnt play NOVA 3 on my newly bought shield, i thought about using a custom firmware but didnt want to lose functionality, i ended up adapting my 4tb hdd as internal memory so once i did that for me there was no goong back lol, so ive been trying to find a way to map controls and thought of everything and nothing seemed to work. sixaxis controller app didnt work when i tried a few times a year back but there has since been an update and now i can map the touch controls for nova and play perfectly so im guessing that opens up a lot more apps and games that require touch we couldnt use before but prob can now. For me this is the best early christmas present i could have asked for. Thought id let you lot know just in case ya didnt.
if you play Modern Combat 5, NOVA 3 or are generally into android online gaming, anything to do with Nvidia Shield, Kodi or Plex - join us https://discord.gg/XsMz44k http://droidshield.boards.net
I use Zulu full Android with game controller2touch it does wonders
Also I noticed we have good fps' for android and most of these games have no chat support which is odd. I play modern combat 5 a lot and have now made a server where we can use any windows, android or iOS device to use voice chat while in game. so download 'discord' free from play store, app store, website etc and join us here. Http://discord.gg/ThWtash. If you want to join our MC5 clan just ask.
Hi! Just bought this phone because it's just too cheap and has decent specs. Actually, bought 2 of them, they were about 70$ each, with some 15$ extra headphones bonus
Phone came with Fire OS 4.6.3. Managed to install Google services and store, Google now launcher and make default with Home Switcher(listed as "incompatible" in Play store, had to sideload it...many other apps are "incompatible"). That was problem number one...
After that, installed Youtube app, which works, but 360p only and no cardboard option(360 vr videos). Installed iYTBP(modded youtube app) and videos work at higher resolution(720p default) but still no VR. Also default app player doesn't work well.
Installed Facebook and seemed ok, but videos open in browser and don't autoplay in app. I understand whatsupp has problems playing videos...
All these seem to happen because phone is not really known to the apps and they run in "simple" mode.
Is there any way to make apps think it is another phone that they "know" has enough hardware to run them fully? Because it really has...the soc is still strong enough and gyro is there. I will try my best to keep it as stock as possible for warranty reasons(2 years...)
Stumbled across some post where someone said you have to modify build.prop, I think, but can't find it anywhere. Of course, I would need to root it first...
Any more tips welcome, this is best buy for 70$ + bonus and it's really selling well around Romania right now, it seems.
As a side note, battery life seems ok, I got around 5h SOT without sim first day of use, gestures and sensors enabled and Google launcher.
For those other newbs, this site is useful to a point: http://spinyourfire.com/. Home switcher app is attached here, as it does not show up in Google play for this phone.
Google now works fine for me, including wallpapers and widgets and seems to have full functionality.
Thanks!
Hey everyone, so I know many people have been disappointed(and angry), including myself, that Google has discontinued daydream. However, after a week of tinkering with stuff, I finally was able to get it working on my rooted Pixel 6 Pro! Albeit, it's buggy, and most apps don't even work anymore. But overall, it runs good considering it's not even suppose to be running on Android 12, let alone the Pixel 6. Below I will outline steps in order to get it to work on your rooted Pixel 6 pro(and I assume on the Pixel 6 as well). And I'll list a few apps I found that still work properly.
--------------------------------------------------------
Daydream Pixel 6 workaround-
Install this Magisk module and activate.
Install the Daydream and Daydream keyboard apks.
Install this modified VR services apk.
Go to the Daydream app, and go through the setup process 1.
Uninstall the Daydream app, and install this older Daydream apk 2
Everything should be setup at this point. It might not load the first couple times you try it, but if you exit out, and restart it, it should work.
1 Sometimes when you try to connect your controller, it won't connect the first time(might be due to it being a Bluetooth low energy device. So if it doesn't, connect it to the charger, and hold the two bottom buttons for about 5 seconds. Hit "Try again" on the screen, push the daydream button, and it should successfully connect.)
2 For some reason, you must install the most recent version of the Daydream app first to set it up. If you try to install an older version first, the app will try to connect to Google, and it will give an error message. The most recent version of Daydream actually does work though, but the screen will be distorted, and that's why I installed a previous version, with will give you a correct aspect ratio.
--------------------------------------------------------
Now for apps. First, the google play store will not work through the daydream headset. You will have to download apps by either browsing through the daydream app, or searching on the google play store. As I stated above, you unfortunately won't find many apps that work, and many developers have pulled their VR versions of their apps off the store(so you may have to download apks if you want to test to see if an app works). With that being said, here are a few apps I found that still successfully work.
Firefox Reality Browser-
The only browser I could find that still works. And it works pretty damn well. Plus the user interface is awesome. You can watch some streaming services too! From the ones I tested, you can watch HBO Max, Hulu, and Amazon Prime. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get Netflix or Disney Plus running, but you might find others that work. You can download the apk here(this is the only version that works)
Netflix VR-
Surprisingly this is still listed on the google play store. And that's the one you can download; no need to install an older version. And it works perfectly!
VRTV Video Player-
This has been my go-to video player since I first bought my daydream. And it still works. You're able to play mostly any VR videos that you have stored on your device, or stream mostly any VR videos by pasting the streaming link in the app. You can download in the google play store.
Youtube VR-
Surprised Google hasn't delisted this app yet from the google play store. Again, no need to download an older version. This version works perfectly!
Rez Infinite-
Haven't tested many games yet, but this one still works. And it's still listed in the google play store. It's playable, but it may crash occasionally while you're playing it.
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Some apps I tested that didn't work-
PlexVR
Google Chrome
DeoVR
SkyboxVR
Google Street Maps VR
Expeditions
Fulldive VR
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Feel free to comment below on any apps you have found to still work. And feel free to test different versions of non-working apps I listed above, to see if any do work(I didn't have the time/patient to go through every one). If you have any questions, feel free to message, and I'll try to answer to the best of my technical ability. Have fun!
Awesome, how is the playback on this phone my pixel 4xl has frame syncing issues, making it uncomfortable to use?
danw_oz said:
Awesome, how is the playback on this phone my pixel 4xl has frame syncing issues, making it uncomfortable to use?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually it works pretty damn well. I haven't run across any frame syncing issues during video playback.. Also, I had daydream on my pixel 4xl as well, and really didn't run into issues on there either.
crisco654 said:
Hey everyone, so I know many people have been disappointed(and angry), including myself, that Google has discontinued daydream. However, after a week of tinkering with stuff, I finally was able to get it working on my rooted Pixel 6 Pro! Albeit, it's buggy, and most apps don't even work anymore. But overall, it runs good considering it's not even suppose to be running on Android 12, let alone the Pixel 6. Below I will outline steps in order to get it to work on your rooted Pixel 6 pro(and I assume on the Pixel 6 as well). And I'll list a few apps I found that still work properly.
--------------------------------------------------------
Daydream Pixel 6 workaround-
Install this Magisk module and activate.
Install the Daydream and Daydream keyboard apks.
Install this modified VR services apk.
Go to the Daydream app, and go through the setup process 1.
Uninstall the Daydream app, and install this older Daydream apk 2
Everything should be setup at this point. It might not load the first couple times you try it, but if you exit out, and restart it, it should work.
1 Sometimes when you try to connect your controller, it won't connect the first time(might be due to it being a Bluetooth low energy device. So if it doesn't, connect it to the charger, and hold the two bottom buttons for about 5 seconds. Hit "Try again" on the screen, push the daydream button, and it should successfully connect.)
2 For some reason, you must install the most recent version of the Daydream app first to set it up. If you try to install an older version first, the app will try to connect to Google, and it will give an error message. The most recent version of Daydream actually does work though, but the screen will be distorted, and that's why I installed a previous version, with will give you a correct aspect ratio.
--------------------------------------------------------
Now for apps. First, the google play store will not work through the daydream headset. You will have to download apps by either browsing through the daydream app, or searching on the google play store. As I stated above, you unfortunately won't find many apps that work, and many developers have pulled their VR versions of their apps off the store(so you may have to download apks if you want to test to see if an app works). With that being said, here are a few apps I found that still successfully work.
Firefox Reality Browser-
The only browser I could find that still works. And it works pretty damn well. Plus the user interface is awesome. You can watch some streaming services too! From the ones I tested, you can watch HBO Max, Hulu, and Amazon Prime. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get Netflix or Disney Plus running, but you might find others that work. You can download the apk here(this is the only version that works)
Netflix VR-
Surprisingly this is still listed on the google play store. And that's the one you can download; no need to install an older version. And it works perfectly!
VRTV Video Player-
This has been my go-to video player since I first bought my daydream. And it still works. You're able to play mostly any VR videos that you have stored on your device, or stream mostly any VR videos by pasting the streaming link in the app. You can download in the google play store.
Youtube VR-
Surprised Google hasn't delisted this app yet from the google play store. Again, no need to download an older version. This version works perfectly!
Rez Infinite-
Haven't tested many games yet, but this one still works. And it's still listed in the google play store. It's playable, but it may crash occasionally while you're playing it.
--------------------------------------------------------
Some apps I tested that didn't work-
PlexVR
Google Chrome
DeoVR
SkyboxVR
Google Street Maps VR
Expeditions
Fulldive VR
--------------------------------------------------------
Feel free to comment below on any apps you have found to still work. And feel free to test different versions of non-working apps I listed above, to see if any do work(I didn't have the time/patient to go through every one). If you have any questions, feel free to message, and I'll try to answer to the best of my technical ability. Have fun!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm on OnePlus 9 Pro and my favorite game need for speed vr on playstore says, not compatible with your device. I hope I can figure a way to download. This is one of the best games on daydream in my opinion. Edit- I installed vendor magisk module which allowed me to install. I never got to test though unfortunately, and now am on Cheetah .
Samuel Holland said:
I'm on OnePlus 9 Pro and my favorite game need for speed vr on playstore says, not compatible with your device. I hope I can figure a way to download. This is one of the best games on daydream in my opinion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I just downloaded it from an apk site and installed it successfully, but unfortunately it doesn't run. It came out back in 2016, and only had one update, so probably too old to even work now unfortunately.
Works with Android 13？
Works well with Android 13, except some apps.
1.Google photo doesn't appear in the Main interface of daydream.（maybe the app Remove it）
2.plex vr shows no vr interface.
3.Karts Sprint shows no vr interface.
4.skybox shows not the compatible device.
5.cinver shows the black screen.
-----All apps mentioned above works well with pixel 4 xl which is also modified daydream----
Anyway, thanks for bringing this to pixel 6 pro！
I have the app working on the Pixel 6 (Android 13)but the only version of the Daydream app that the aspect ratio seems correct to me is 1.13.180130063, the last ones are always too zoomed out and sideways. Any solution for the newer versions of the app?
Awesome guide, thanks! Worked great to get Daydream installed and running on my Xiaomi 13 Ultra. I'm having zero luck with the controller though ... when I pop the phone into the headset it says to 'put it in the headset' (you know what it does and what I'm talking about), and when I close it up and put it on it says to press and hold the button on my controller to connect it ... I do, and it connects, and everything seems happy - but then the 2D "put your phone in your headset" screen comes up again for a couple seconds, then it registers that it's in one, and brings the main Daydream landing area back up again, where I stay, but with zero controller :-( ... I tried the plugging it in and resetting it and reconnecting, nothing ... tried killing BT for a couple minutes then turning it back on and reconnecting, nothing ... tried unpairing, and then it just brings me through pairing again, and then does the same loop, insert in headset, connect controller, insert in headset, no controller to be found (but also not prompting about it oddly) ...
Anyone seen similar and know a solution? I tried with both Daydream versions above (which both have correct aspect ratio for me) but I have the controller problem with both :-(
Ok, well, as what is clearly the last surviving human trying to use Daydream, I took it upon myself to update the Magisk module to work with Android 13/Magisk 25 (not sure which part was the problem tbh) -
Release v0.1 · hyacin75/Magisk-Daydream
Initial release
github.com
I now get the required overlays in /system/etc (forgoing the need for a modified VR services as far as I can tell) and then when I pop my Xiaomi 13 Ultra into my Daydream 2017 it lets me download VR Services.
Taking it out and putting it back in after that, it brings me to the store page for Daydream, but it says it's not compatible - so I installed the versions from this thread, which enabled me to do the setup at least.
From there I had the previously described aspect ratio issue, so I uninstalled Daydream and installed the older version, also as described in this thread.
From there, I am able to launch Daydream, have a working controller, and am able to see the landing environment and (eventually) menu.
Trying to start SkyboxVR results in a 'This can only be run on Daydream compatible devices'.
Trying to launch something in VR from Chrome (we ALL know what I'm talking about), results in Daydream launching, but it just leaves me at the landing environment with the menu ... I never get the full screen VR browser that I do with my Pixel 2 XL when I launch the same VR site from Chrome.
Firefox Reality (also from this thread I believe) does work, but I can't launch the VR version of that same website from it. When I click the VR button it brings me to a page listing supported devices, and when I click the link anyway to go to vr.youknowwhatsiteI'mtalkingabout it loads the page but the "Launch VR" button is just a loading spiral forever.
SO... progress, but, nothing of use yet sadly.
I'm trying really hard to get this working as my P2XL is sluggish and just overheats within just a few minutes of starting VR... and I'm trying REALLY hard to resist the urge to purchase a newly discounted Quest 2 as I'd like to wait for a Quest 3 in the fall! So, I'll keep at it, and keep updating here in case anyone else ever finds themselves in the same boat trying to get Daydream working with a much newer device than it was intended for.
Hyacin said:
Ok, well, as what is clearly the last surviving human trying to use Daydream, I took it upon myself to update the Magisk module to work with Android 13/Magisk 25 (not sure which part was the problem tbh) -
Release v0.1 · hyacin75/Magisk-Daydream
Initial release
github.com
I now get the required overlays in /system/etc (forgoing the need for a modified VR services as far as I can tell) and then when I pop my Xiaomi 13 Ultra into my Daydream 2017 it lets me download VR Services.
Taking it out and putting it back in after that, it brings me to the store page for Daydream, but it says it's not compatible - so I installed the versions from this thread, which enabled me to do the setup at least.
From there I had the previously described aspect ratio issue, so I uninstalled Daydream and installed the older version, also as described in this thread.
From there, I am able to launch Daydream, have a working controller, and am able to see the landing environment and (eventually) menu.
Trying to start SkyboxVR results in a 'This can only be run on Daydream compatible devices'.
Trying to launch something in VR from Chrome (we ALL know what I'm talking about), results in Daydream launching, but it just leaves me at the landing environment with the menu ... I never get the full screen VR browser that I do with my Pixel 2 XL when I launch the same VR site from Chrome.
Firefox Reality (also from this thread I believe) does work, but I can't launch the VR version of that same website from it. When I click the VR button it brings me to a page listing supported devices, and when I click the link anyway to go to vr.youknowwhatsiteI'mtalkingabout it loads the page but the "Launch VR" button is just a loading spiral forever.
SO... progress, but, nothing of use yet sadly.
I'm trying really hard to get this working as my P2XL is sluggish and just overheats within just a few minutes of starting VR... and I'm trying REALLY hard to resist the urge to purchase a newly discounted Quest 2 as I'd like to wait for a Quest 3 in the fall! So, I'll keep at it, and keep updating here in case anyone else ever finds themselves in the same boat trying to get Daydream working with a much newer device than it was intended for.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm on Android 13 on my Pixel 6 with the updated magisk, and still using the modified magisk module I made, and daydream still works
I'm on Android 13 on my Pixel 6 with the updated magisk, and still using the modified magisk module I made, and daydream still works
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think there are two versions? And I think I had the old one ... I saw that there was a new one after just making my own