Develop Bugs

[Q] Amazon (Prime) Instant Video

Has anyone experimented with using Amazon Instant Video (from the Kindle Fire) to get Prime videos, etc working? I did give it a run. It looks like you need to have Flash installed, and use OTA rootkeeper to temporarily hide root while you use the Instant Video app. I was having problems logging in, plus when I tried to load a video, it would just black screen, then FC.

I've watched Prime movies on my E4GT using Dolphin HD browser (use desktop mode) in the past and it worked with out hiding root. Although I'm told some need to hide it.

leaderbuilder said:
I've watched Prime movies on my E4GT using Dolphin HD browser (use desktop mode) in the past and it worked with out hiding root. Although I'm told some need to hide it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm yes you're right, I've done similar with the ICS browser +, and that worked also. It's useful if you know what you want to watch, but it's not easy to navigate. I think a native app would be pretty awesome. I've looked in forums for other devices, but haven't found anyone trying to do this on other devices.

[Q] hbogo native resolution on fire tv?

Hey guys-
As good as the google play store integration was to the aftv, I have an issue with the resolution of these apps- specifically, hbogo and the mx player app. Although it is offered, the movies and shows I watch from it are quite worse than the resolution of the shows natively installed in the aftv, such as netflix. Same issue for the case of mx player. As a result, I find that I tend to not really use either of them.
The reason why I want to use hbogo instead of the hbo shows offered in the amazon aftv is because I have a subscription to hbogo, and it offers shows and movies that the amazon hbo shows don't offer.
I presume this problem is unsolvable, since the sole reason why we can run the google apps is because it is using market helper to spoof the aftv to act as a nexus 7, a smaller tablet. This part is also curious though, since the nexus 7 that it is spoofing is known to support 720p resoution.
Is my settings wrong, or is this a known issue that users are coping with?
I am aware that aftv is in constant development with new apps and features, so I will definitely be patient. I just wanted to make sure.
Appreciate the help in advance!!
gomavs123

bump.. i think this problem will extend not only to hbogo but to all other of the apps involving google play+ market helper.

gomavs123 said:
bump.. i think this problem will extend not only to hbogo but to all other of the apps involving google play+ market helper.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you install the HBO go app?
I side loaded it onto mine without play store access. the app starts up fine but I don't have a keyboard yet so I can't get further to see what the video resolution looks like. I'm not sure the play store spoof would affect it.... maybe there is some sort of config file that needs to be modified
Sent from my LG-VS980 using Tapatalk

thanks for the reply. I thought hbogo can only be installed through google play? if i can just sideload it, maybe that can provide better resolution.. where can i find the actual apk for the fire tv?
thanks in advance!

Do you have an android phone or tablet with root access? If you install the hbogo app on it you should be able to pull the apk off the file system
Sent from my LG-VS980 using Tapatalk

I was able to use the side loaded app last night
I agree the resolution doesn't look perfect but I can't figure out why. It wasnt horrible but on a large screen I could see what you are saying
I suppose it could be hard coded into the app but I don't know how to tell what the native output resolution is
Sent from my LG-VS980 using Tapatalk

chrisexv6 said:
I was able to use the side loaded app last night
I agree the resolution doesn't look perfect but I can't figure out why. It wasnt horrible but on a large screen I could see what you are saying
I suppose it could be hard coded into the app but I don't know how to tell what the native output resolution is
Sent from my LG-VS980 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for the reply. Upon looking things up in the past xda forums, it seems the hbogo apk of the kindle fire version is hd. Unfortunately, I do not have any android phones or tablets.
If somebody can help me locate the HD kindle fire version of the hbogo apk, I can try sideloading it.
thanks in advance!

gomavs123 said:
thanks for the reply. Upon looking things up in the past xda forums, it seems the hbogo apk of the kindle fire version is hd. Unfortunately, I do not have any android phones or tablets.
If somebody can help me locate the HD kindle fire version of the hbogo apk, I can try sideloading it.
thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Would love to see the Kindle Fire apk of HBO Go as well. For the time being, I can use the Xfinity app to stream HBO content at full resolution, though it's less than ideal. The HBO Go app quality is crap.

[Q] Buying First Ever Tablet - General & galaxy tab & note 10" questions

Hi there! I'm an old-fashioned windows 7 pc user with NO smart phone or android experience. I've never had a touch screen device besides a nintendo DS! However, now that I'm thinking of taking vacations & loving watching more tv and media, I'm in the market for a portable media-consumption device that can cooperate with my existing media library on my windows 7 desktop and external HDD's.
Now, the market is flooded, black friday is upon us, and I'm LOST in a sea of devices and options. Please help me figure out what I need to look for.
I have a budget of about $500 (+/-) and want a ~10in tablet with a full HD or greater display that is ideal for viewing HD media either indoors or out and fair battery life. Decent keyboard and gamepad peripheral options are also somewhat important.
The main problems I am facing are doubts about connectivity and compatibility. I have hundreds of GB of HD video (mpeg4/h264 in .mkv files) including many subtitled files, and mp3 music stored on my wireless-g networked home pc & external hard disk drives (one with its own power source and once toshiba canvio that just plugs in via USB) that I wish to have accessible for playback on my mobile device. When at home I would like to play videos that are already on my networked PC or its harddrives through the network, or at least the ability to play external files on drives via usb. When travelling, I would like to bring either an microsdhc (the highest capacity available, 128gb?) or my 1tb canvio portabl HDD.
I've done some research on video playback and windows network filesharing, but without any android experience feel very lost. What are my options (Both tablet models and apps/software/accessories that work well) for playback of media at home, when my tablet is connected to the same wifi as my PC? (e.g. watching tv in bed) Conversely, what are my options for portable entertainment and storage?
I'd prefer not to have to root, as this will be a heavy investment in my first portable device - but if I must, I will - but keep in mind I am an absolute novice.
secondary considerations to viewing my existing library of media files are gamepad and keyboard peripherals - ease of connectivity and availability/best models.
Finally, I have read a variety of reviews and narrowed my choices to the galaxy tab S 10.1, note 10.1, asus transformer pad line, or sony xperia latest gen. However, this was just a overview of existing 2013/2014 models and as I have never owned older tablets or android devices, really I am more concerned with how to achieve my aforementioned goals on any device, and then picking the best device for my needs.
Thank you!!

For videos the screen of the tab s makes a huge difference. But you'll need someone to help for debloating and some android tricks to get this device to its full potential. Video codecs or connectivity won't be an issue.

Also you might have some SD card problems because of kitkat. Root can fix that. The tab s can break really easy if dropped and is expensive to replace.

Hmm - can anyone please share specifics as to how I could access media on my windows pc (on the same wifi network) on a tablet? I saw info about an app called splashtop... would this be the way to go? If not, what is? AFAIK android doesn't have CIFS support...
I don't want to buy any tablet at all if I can't connect to view HD media that is already on my pc. connecting a harddrive via usb would be OK, but cumbersome for bed-viewing, etc. And, the Tab S only has the micro usb port. Halp?

As far as your concerns with playing media spend 5 bucks on the google play store and get Mx Player Pro it literally plays everything and plays it so beautifully on a tab s screen which is the absolute best screen on a tablet. Also I saw a thread something about staples you can get the tab s 10 inch for 300 bucks which is a steal since it's normally 500 bucks. Think it's in the general tab. Cheers.

Thanks CCieslin, I was already planning on getting mxplayer as I heard good things about it.
My real question is, how do I get it to play media that exists on my home pc, not my tablet's internal memory or SD card?

my 10.5 is arriving tomorrow. this will be my first tablet and first samsung device.
i am having a good read on things as I have absolutely no experience on a sammy device.

Emirena said:
Hmm - can anyone please share specifics as to how I could access media on my windows pc (on the same wifi network) on a tablet? I saw info about an app called splashtop... would this be the way to go? If not, what is? AFAIK android doesn't have CIFS support...
I don't want to buy any tablet at all if I can't connect to view HD media that is already on my pc. connecting a harddrive via usb would be OK, but cumbersome for bed-viewing, etc. And, the Tab S only has the micro usb port. Halp?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Install Plex on the PC. Then you can use the client on the tablet. Plex is about the best for media servers. You can choose to sync the content to the tablet (that may still be a pay feature) or stream it. You can also set it up to stream outside your network.

nicholb said:
Install Plex on the PC. Then you can use the client on the tablet. Plex is about the best for media servers. You can choose to sync the content to the tablet (that may still be a pay feature) or stream it. You can also set it up to stream outside your network.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! I found a review of "top free DLNA media center apps" on a blog that led me in this direction!
I hate to say, Ccieslin, that staples was a bunch of a-holes and refused to give me the $299 price - it was either price match the online price (they lowered it to $399 too) or get $100 off the STORE price (which is still $499!! WTF!) and the argued with me and insisted that the staples.com website prices have NOTHING to do with in-store prices and the website and stores are "separate operations" despite having store info, in stock searches, and coupons for in-store use. They claim the coupon was mis-printed and that it was meant to say "$100 off tablets at normal price of $400+" not "normally priced $400+" what a disaster.
We ended up getting it, but elsewhere.
Now, people mention removing bloat - where to start? Rooting, obviously - something I've never done - and I assume installing some different UI or ROM? And, will an OTG cable alone enable external NTFS storage, or am I stuck with the microsd unless I hax?
Thanks for all the help.

Emirena said:
Thanks! I found a review of "top free DLNA media center apps" on a blog that led me in this direction!
I hate to say, Ccieslin, that staples was a bunch of a-holes and refused to give me the $299 price - it was either price match the online price (they lowered it to $399 too) or get $100 off the STORE price (which is still $499!! WTF!) and the argued with me and insisted that the staples.com website prices have NOTHING to do with in-store prices and the website and stores are "separate operations" despite having store info, in stock searches, and coupons for in-store use. They claim the coupon was mis-printed and that it was meant to say "$100 off tablets at normal price of $400+" not "normally priced $400+" what a disaster.
We ended up getting it, but elsewhere.
Now, people mention removing bloat - where to start? Rooting, obviously - something I've never done - and I assume installing some different UI or ROM? And, will an OTG cable alone enable external NTFS storage, or am I stuck with the microsd unless I hax?
Thanks for all the help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For rooting there's a thread in the android development. Rooting just installs root and doesn't wipe everything. You can install a custom recovery to install a custom ROM like cm11. Idk about otg as I never owned one. To remove bloat just root and download an app called system app remover and pick the stuffmyou don't need. Hope this helps!

Emirena said:
Hmm - can anyone please share specifics as to how I could access media on my windows pc (on the same wifi network) on a tablet? I saw info about an app called splashtop... would this be the way to go? If not, what is? AFAIK android doesn't have CIFS support...
I don't want to buy any tablet at all if I can't connect to view HD media that is already on my pc. connecting a harddrive via usb would be OK, but cumbersome for bed-viewing, etc. And, the Tab S only has the micro usb port. Halp?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can definitely play streaming media:
- from pc or device shared in pc
- from other device as note 3 or galaxy s4 s5
- from an hd connected on a router (if your router has that feature)
- from a pendrive or hd connected on note/s (ntfs will require paragon ntfs or other)
- from a cloud
to:
- your tab screen or
- smart tv on same network
you can even play through tab a video located on your note3 to your smart tv. works like a charm.
no need for root or any special sw. I just use es file manager free and a secondary free video player to handle some formats not supported by stock player as flv .
the native file manager can not stream movies over ftp an not handle lan setup. es file mgr can. shame on you samsung! ?
hope this helps you to clarify the possibilities.
use any cheap wifi router to put everybody at same lan and you'll succeed. works over wan too.
cheers
ss of network panel es file mgr set lans ftps clouds .....
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Sent from my SM-T805M using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

aldrighi said:
You can definitely play streaming media:
- from pc or device shared in pc
- from other device as note 3 or galaxy s4 s5
- from an hd connected on a router (if your router has that feature)
- from a pendrive or hd connected on note/s (ntfs will require paragon ntfs or other)
- from a cloud
to:
- your tab screen or
- smart tv on same network
you can even play through tab a video located on your note3 to your smart tv. works like a charm.
no need for root or any special sw. I just use es file manager free and a secondary free video player to handle some formats not supported by stock player as flv .
the native file manager can not stream movies over ftp an not handle lan setup. es file mgr can. shame on you samsung! ?
hope this helps you to clarify the possibilities.
use any cheap wifi router to put everybody at same lan and you'll succeed. works over wan too.
cheers
ss of network panel es file mgr set lans ftps clouds .....
Sent from my SM-T805M using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
DUHAsianSKILLZ said:
For rooting there's a thread in the android development. Rooting just installs root and doesn't wipe everything. You can install a custom recovery to install a custom ROM like cm11. Idk about otg as I never owned one. To remove bloat just root and download an app called system app remover and pick the stuffmyou don't need. Hope this helps!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! both of you helped a lot. @duhasianSKILLS:I found some info on the odin root program for the galaxy tab S 10.5 . I'll look into custom recovery and ROM's - any recommendations for a noob who doesn't know what a custom recovery even is? So, to clarify, the majority of the lag/bloat on the 10.5 is due to programs apps and features you can just disable once you've got a custom ROM installed? Seems simple enough to clean up, then.
@aldrighi: awesome - so esfilemanager is an alternative to DLNA media server programs like PLEX? I read into plex a bit and was surprised that it sounded like proper filenaming and tagging was required to stream files - I have a lot of obscure or custom videos and a huge library - I really don't want to have to go through and rename hundreds upon hundreds of files just to play them!
great advice. I'm currently purchasing a case (the samsung book cover is sold out on amazon atm - only alternative is keyboard case - might just grab the keyboard while I'm at it, seems useful!) , OTG cable, Ps4 controller, and microSDHC 128gb

Emirena said:
Thanks! both of you helped a lot. @duhasianSKILLS:I found some info on the odin root program for the galaxy tab S 10.5 . I'll look into custom recovery and ROM's - any recommendations for a noob who doesn't know what a custom recovery even is? So, to clarify, the majority of the lag/bloat on the 10.5 is due to programs apps and features you can just disable once you've got a custom ROM installed? Seems simple enough to clean up, then.
@aldrighi: awesome - so esfilemanager is an alternative to DLNA media server programs like PLEX? I read into plex a bit and was surprised that it sounded like proper filenaming and tagging was required to stream files - I have a lot of obscure or custom videos and a huge library - I really don't want to have to go through and rename hundreds upon hundreds of files just to play them!
great advice. I'm currently purchasing a case (the samsung book cover is sold out on amazon atm - only alternative is keyboard case - might just grab the keyboard while I'm at it, seems useful!) , OTG cable, Ps4 controller, and microSDHC 128gb
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes the lag will be gone if you install a custom rom. Right now I'm on stock rooted and run in gym a custom kernel. You won't really need a custom kernel since custom kernels are mostly for tweaking CPU, Gpu etc. If you root then you can disable apps like Knox, screen saver etc. So stock Rom with root is your best bet. That's how I started out. Custom recoveries is a recovery with a better UI and more features than stock. And it can also save you from bricking your tablet. They are easy to install (automated for you!) and just requires root.
Knox is an app/feature that's supposed to protect you from stuff. It's really useless and drains battery. As long you install apps from the play store and safe ones from the browser, there's no need for it. That's why custom roms don't have Knox. Google already has strengen security on kitkat and lollipop so there's no need for Knox.
As for custom roms they are developed for customization and better performance. Cm11 is a good one if you like skins and a better UI. Hope this helps!
BTW you get 8 hours of screen time if you leave it on constantly. Very great battery life!
Sent from SMT800 using Tapatalk.
-Helper around Tab S forums√
Active Everyday√

A Simple and Quick just get DLNA playing my net Videos
Emirena said:
Hi there! I'm an old-fashioned windows 7 pc user with NO smart phone or android experience. I've never had a touch screen device besides a nintendo DS! However, now that I'm thinking of taking vacations & loving watching more tv and media, I'm in the market for a portable media-consumption device that can cooperate with my existing media library on my windows 7 desktop and external HDD's.
...
Thank you!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just picked up my 11th Android tablet (Tab S 8.4) since 2008 so figured I'd try to play the NOOB and just start with getting it to Play from my Lan's Mediaserver as easily as possible... I've used multiple 'Favorite' Players and DLNA Client/Servers over the years but will just note the 2 I would suggest to anyone wanting to unbox and be watching a movie in first 30 min... ( I did cheat and use Odin to root in 10min. first but these apps don't require it!)...
I loaded ''MX Player Pro" (well worth a donation) from the Play store as my 'Strongly' suggested player of choice... and also installed the ' BubbleUPnP' DLNA client/server from the Play store... configuration of the DLNA client is very intuitive, and then choose something to Play and when it asked what player to use select 'MX Player' and click Always.... ten minutes start to finish and watching my movie!

Be aware that if you root your tab it will void the warranty. Samsung will know that you rooted it because there's a trip wire they can check. Knox isn't there to protect YOU, it's to protect THEM!

jtbnet said:
I just picked up my 11th Android tablet (Tab S 8.4) since 2008 so figured I'd try to play the NOOB and just start with getting it to Play from my Lan's Mediaserver as easily as possible... I've used multiple 'Favorite' Players and DLNA Client/Servers over the years but will just note the 2 I would suggest to anyone wanting to unbox and be watching a movie in first 30 min... ( I did cheat and use Odin to root in 10min. first but these apps don't require it!)...
I loaded ''MX Player Pro" (well worth a donation) from the Play store as my 'Strongly' suggested player of choice... and also installed the ' BubbleUPnP' DLNA client/server from the Play store... configuration of the DLNA client is very intuitive, and then choose something to Play and when it asked what player to use select 'MX Player' and click Always.... ten minutes start to finish and watching my movie!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this is super helpful, thank you a million!
BubbleUPnP, huh? I just looked at the link about the server app - does this handle all local media hosting/directory sharing? I don't have a "server" per se, just my personal computer with win 7, which supports DLNA through OS, right? I assume this eliminates the need for windows fileshares that android doesn't support, anyway.
It mentions foobar 2000 - have you used bubbleupnp in conjunction with foobar? Is it required? I use winamp to play my music on windows, due to the more minimal UI, but would be interested in sharing my music dir to my tablet as well. The reduced bandwidth bulletpoint is below the foobar heading, sounds useful! If you have any tips or shortcuts, feel free to shrea. :highfive:

Review of Shield Android TV after 2 days...

After two days with an Nvidia Shield Android TV , there are many pluses and minuses, but over all, it has BY FAR the best hardware of any android based box on the market... no question at all about that, and here are what I think are the biggest pluses and minuses.
PLUSES
- amazing smoothness in interface - no jerky, delays etc at all
- superb playback of all media, smoother than any box I have seen
- 192khz 24 bit audio output (kodi and mxplayer but I am not sure if they are able to output at that HD rate)
- very well built, sexy touch activated standby button
- very easy to get up and running with controller etc
- shield game streaming service is flawless, fast, smooth, HD
- gaming controller is high quality, has a microphone for voice input and a headphone socket, which work well.
- Voice search within Play Music for artist or track works very well, extremely fast.
- playing Flash-based websites like TennisTV.com etc on Dolphin in Desktop mode is way better than any other box I have tried (and I have tried MANY)
MINUSES
- have to sideload many apps you may want, like TED, BBC iPlayer, IMDB, Spotify, Movie Mate etc.. even Chrome Browser - but relatively easy to work around using APK Extractor to get APK's from your phone, and Chainfire's sideload launcher.
- no up front display of non-Android TV specific apps
- no recent apps
- no way to get to "now playing" with some apps like Spotify if you had returned home, unless its a leanback app
- no notifications
- no mouse on desktop, backpace key on keyboard not working as backspace but as left mouse click
- Keyboard is USA only, so UK users have to know, for example, that " and @ have swopped places
- voice search from the home screen does not find music artists on google play music or spotify, but only youtube... so "play van morrison" will play a track from youtube, and not from the 25 van morrison albums I have already uploaded to Play Music.
- my tv keeps on cropping a lot off the screen, there is no way to adjust the screen crop size, to reduce size so it fits better on my screen... I can adjust my screen but that is a hassle.
- very little customisation, settings limited too.
There is at least one NON-Android TV ROM for this device, so you can fix almost all of those Minuses, and you can run it using Squarehome or NovaLauncher or whatever you like, but I am not sure I actually NEED to customise the box. Personally I use it for Kodi, Spotify, Play Music, TuneIn Radio, Youtube, Movie Mate, all of which works fine... so for the moment, I am not rooting the box, and am adjusting my expectations and enjoying what works fantastically well, pretty much everything.
This is FAR and away the best box I have ever had, goodbye Tronsmart Drako, Minix Neo X8H+ etc, this is WAY beyond. At some point I may change to plain android, but so far I am fine with a couple of extra steps to be able to enjoy the voice input and superb power and playback capabilities.
Mark.

Hi. I'm located in Ireland and looking for android TV box for my FHD projector. I'm considering MINIX Neo X8H+ or Nvidia Shield TV box (not yet available). What advantages of one over the other would you point? Thanks!
The Answer to The Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything is: CLEAN FLASH.

Natakranta said:
Hi. I'm located in Ireland and looking for android TV box for my FHD projector. I'm considering MINIX Neo X8H+ or Nvidia Shield TV box (not yet available). What advantages of one over the other would you point? Thanks!
The Answer to The Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything is: CLEAN FLASH.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Minix Neo offers access to almost all the play store apps without needing to sideload, with the Shield you need to sideload some apps, which isnt hard. The Shield has far better hardware, so you will get smoother HD playback, no question. If playing video is your main think, then the Shield's faster graphics, faster processor is the way to go. They are both good boxes, but my Minix Neo x8hplus is currently UNPLUGGED!

fredphoesh said:
Minix Neo offers access to almost all the play store apps without needing to sideload, with the Shield you need to sideload some apps, which isnt hard. The Shield has far better hardware, so you will get smoother HD playback, no question. If playing video is your main think, then the Shield's faster graphics, faster processor is the way to go. They are both good boxes, but my Minix Neo x8hplus is currently UNPLUGGED!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd like to connect external 2GB HDD USB 3 to the box. Make it media storage to play on the connected to the box projector and available for all devices in home through my local WiFi.
How could I remotely control the box to manage utorrent on it from my phone, at home thorough local WiFi or externally when I'm away. Possible?
The Answer to The Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything is: CLEAN FLASH.

Natakranta said:
I'd like to connect external 2GB HDD USB 3 to the box. Make it media storage to play on the connected to the box projector and available for all devices in home through my local WiFi.
How could I remotely control the box to manage utorrent on it from my phone, at home thorough local WiFi or externally when I'm away. Possible?
The Answer to The Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything is: CLEAN FLASH.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, sorry, no idea, I use it for streaming...
Sent from my SM-N910F using Tapatalk

fredphoesh said:
MINUSES
- no up front display of non-Android TV specific apps
- no recent apps
- no way to get to "now playing" with some apps like Spotify if you had returned home, unless its a leanback app
- very little customisation, settings limited too.
Mark.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Mark! For your minuses mentioned above, you might want to consider HALauncher found in the Play Store. I'm using this on my Nvidia Shield Console/TV and it looks and works better than the default Android TV "Home" launcher. This apps allows you to create your own Home screen with rows of your customized apps. For example, I have a row for my Emulators, Racing Games, Space Shooters, Sports Games, TV apps, etc. You can arrange these rows and apps anyway you want. You can also use your own background image. You can also rename the apps to your liking and edit the icons for higher quality 320x180 images. Everything looks great now. This is what Android TV home launcher should be like. The only thing that is missing now is a button for rebooting the system, and another one for shutting it down!
Check out the images below to see what HALauncher can do:
http://postimg.org/image/kuncrk5tf/
http://postimg.org/image/57w3e6s1f/
http://postimg.org/image/fkie09lkj
http://postimg.org/image/mjwfzmlir/
-- Manny

funtasticguy said:
Hi Mark! For your minuses mentioned above, you might want to consider HALauncher found in the Play Store. I'm using this on my Nvidia Shield Console/TV and it looks and works better than the default Android TV "Home" launcher. This apps allows you to create your own Home screen with rows of your customized apps. For example, I have a row for my Emulators, Racing Games, Space Shooters, Sports Games, TV apps, etc. You can arrange these rows and apps anyway you want. You can also use your own background image. You can also rename the apps to your liking and edit the icons for higher quality 320x180 images. Everything looks great now. This is what Android TV home launcher should be like. The only thing that is missing now is a button for rebooting the system, and another one for shutting it down!
Check out the images below to see what HALauncher can do:
http://postimg.org/image/kuncrk5tf/
http://postimg.org/image/57w3e6s1f/
http://postimg.org/image/fkie09lkj
http://postimg.org/image/mjwfzmlir/
-- Manny
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Manny,
Yep, I've been using it for a few days and like it a lot.
My gripes are that the voice search doesn't work properly and always shows empty results, and there is no "now playing" function... and the lack of a power button. For some reason ALT-Tab doesn't show recent apps. Oh, there is no ALL APPS function either, so new apps are invisible till you edit the home screen. But yeah, the best home screen for the SATV for sure.
Cheers,
Mark
Sent from my SM-N910F using Tapatalk

I agree with pretty much everything you said, I've had mine for two weeks and I love it. I have Kodi running to play local media, plex to stream stuff from friends servers, Netflix (which really upped their game since the last time I subscribed a year or two ago), along with tons of games. This will only get better over time, its still a relatively new product. I'm still debating on whether or not to root it, I think I'm going to but will be keeping the stock launcher because I like it, despite the lack of "recent apps" which I still don't understand why they didn't include it. The only reason I want to root it is so that I can install the Xinstaller module from Xposed so all my apps will install to my sdcard and not the internal memory.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

I have had mine a few weeks and it is definitely a really nice device and it is crazy fast!
Really the only gripe I have is 4K support but that isn't Nvidia's fault. Basically because I am running through a processor (more or less an AVR without an amp) and HDMI 2.0 standard is not used on them, Netflix won't show 4K content on the device unless I am directly connected to the TV.
Fortunately Ultraflix works at 4K and everything else does as well.

brando56894 said:
I agree with pretty much everything you said, I've had mine for two weeks and I love it. I have Kodi running to play local media, plex to stream stuff from friends servers, Netflix (which really upped their game since the last time I subscribed a year or two ago), along with tons of games. This will only get better over time, its still a relatively new product. I'm still debating on whether or not to root it, I think I'm going to but will be keeping the stock launcher because I like it, despite the lack of "recent apps" which I still don't understand why they didn't include it. The only reason I want to root it is so that I can install the Xinstaller module from Xposed so all my apps will install to my sdcard and not the internal memory.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try HALauncher, it is good enough for me to not install a custom rom and root... So far! Also once you root you'll have to manually install rom updates and reinstall apps etc... Also you can move most apps to sd card. DON'T set to Automatically Move apps to SD card, that doesn't work. Install to system then move them to SD card in app settings after player no the game once.
Sent from my SM-N910F using Tapatalk

Had mine for about a week and like it an awful lot.
As someone who bought an Ouya, I must say focusing on the media services first THEN worrying about gaming made this a MUCH BETTER product.
I am a bit disappointed I can't have my HBO Go on it, there's currently no Amazon Video and the Netflix app needs better voice options, but I'm really digging the Gamestream from my PC upstairs to the downstairs TV, It works most of the time without a hitch. The only time it doesn't is when I'm playing my Steam games and the Ubisoft games try to go through Uplay and Uplay crashes or its a game I've never ran before and Steam itself crashes because it doesn't seem to like running a game in Big Picture mode if it has never been opened and ran at least once on my PC in normal Steam mode first, and those are client problems, not Nvidia issues so can't fault them there.
Yes, having to install some of my apps from the PC through the Play Store is a bit of a pain, but it also keeps the kids from loading it up with a bunch of useless crap, so I'd say its a fair trade.

tobalaz said:
Had mine for about a week and like it an awful lot.
As someone who bought an Ouya, I must say focusing on the media services first THEN worrying about gaming made this a MUCH BETTER product.
I am a bit disappointed I can't have my HBO Go on it, there's currently no Amazon Video and the Netflix app needs better voice options, but I'm really digging the Gamestream from my PC upstairs to the downstairs TV, It works most of the time without a hitch. The only time it doesn't is when I'm playing my Steam games and the Ubisoft games try to go through Uplay and Uplay crashes or its a game I've never ran before and Steam itself crashes because it doesn't seem to like running a game in Big Picture mode if it has never been opened and ran at least once on my PC in normal Steam mode first, and those are client problems, not Nvidia issues so can't fault them there.
Yes, having to install some of my apps from the PC through the Play Store is a bit of a pain, but it also keeps the kids from loading it up with a bunch of useless crap, so I'd say its a fair trade.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh yes, speaking of Gamestream, what does everyone think of the quality?
I tried it both before and after the update that was supposed to improve the quality and have not been that impressed. The bitrate seems somewhat low and I get random stutter and both the PC and Shield are wired gigabit.

Well as far as Gamestream goes for me, I've got my win7 gaming rig w/ an i5, 12gb ram and gtx 750ti hardwired to my Buffalo AC1750 and the Shield on 5g to a 42" 1080p TV and I've no problems with it, everything runs smoothly, well, smoothly when Uplay isn't f*cking everything up...
I had issues initially so I had to go into my router and change the settings for my 5ghz channel.

OK interesting, maybe it is is an issue with SLI since I am running 3 Titan Xs, i7, 32GB RAM, etc through an Asus RT-AC3200. I will try disabling SLI and see if that helps.

mutelight said:
OK interesting, maybe it is is an issue with SLI since I am running 3 Titan Xs, i7, 32GB RAM, etc through an Asus RT-AC3200. I will try disabling SLI and see if that helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You've really peaked my interest here, was the SLI making it not work correctly? Like maybe the video encoding being slit amongst the cards wasn't working too well?
I'm about to upgrade my 750ti so it'd be nice to know if it was SLI or just isn't playing nice with your Titan.

tobalaz said:
You've really peaked my interest here, was the SLI making it not work correctly? Like maybe the video encoding being slit amongst the cards wasn't working too well?
I'm about to upgrade my 750ti so it'd be nice to know if it was SLI or just isn't playing nice with your Titan.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is honestly hard to say, I still need to try disabling SLI to see if it helps. Also I should mention I have been running Windows 10 for a couple months now there have been a few driver updates for it since I tried it last.

Video calling only available for the Shield ATV
One unique feature on the Shield ATV is the camera support.
Just plug a camera and it works! I've been checking out other Android SmartTV's and set-top-boxes, but yet couldn't find any other device having this support.
And, there is already a video calling android tv app on google play called "Tellybean - Easy video calling". It works perfectly on the Shield ATV.

furkna said:
One unique feature on the Shield ATV is the camera support.
Just plug a camera and it works! I've been checking out other Android SmartTV's and set-top-boxes, but yet couldn't find any other device having this support.
And, there is already a video calling android tv app on google play called "Tellybean - Easy video calling". It works perfectly on the Shield ATV.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice, but surely Hangouts works just fine, and even Skype?

fredphoesh said:
Nice, but surely Hangouts works just fine, and even Skype?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your right. Since shield has camera support basically any video calling app might work. But I don't believe they work as smooth as Tellybean. Skype and hangout does not have Android TV apps (not gonna have one any time soon). They don't exist on google play for Android TV. You need to sideload their default android app.
Also, their UX is fine for a mobile app but not so much for a TV app. They don't really fit into the leanback UI. Not so usable if you are sitting on the couch and just want to have a video call. I use hangouts and skype on my smartphone and laptop but Tellybean on my TV
Tellybean is an Android TV app, shows up on Leanback launcher and it works smoothly on the shield ATV.

tobalaz said:
Well as far as Gamestream goes for me, I've got my win7 gaming rig w/ an i5, 12gb ram and gtx 750ti hardwired to my Buffalo AC1750 and the Shield on 5g to a 42" 1080p TV and I've no problems with it, everything runs smoothly, well, smoothly when Uplay isn't f*cking everything up...
I had issues initially so I had to go into my router and change the settings for my 5ghz channel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello! From Italy here! 10 days I have a 16Gb unit I struggle with Ethernet AND wifi 5Gb connection! Wifi N working about fine. Netgear R7000 and Fastweb FTTS connection 85MBps! I only get 10 MBps at most, and this is the only device that gets this low! Need to solve this or ask for replacement the soonest! Any help much appreciated.
Regards
Alessandro

Youtube android app without root

Is there a solution to run youtube android app on Fire TV (without root)?
I tried this https://www.androidsage.com/2016/04...tore-on-the-amazon-fire-devices-without-root/ and sideloaded latest youtube apk but i get rh-01 connection problem with playstore.

What's wrong with the FTV version of Youtube?

sneezing_corgi said:
What's wrong with the FTV version of Youtube?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I find that fire tv stick version is very choppy and audio comes in and out of sync alot, not so much on the fire tv 4k it seems OK with that.

sconnyuk said:
I find that fire tv stick version is very choppy and audio comes in and out of sync alot, not so much on the fire tv 4k it seems OK with that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
try and get the android tv version, will probably have more success with that.
And you probably won't every get playstore to fully work but all you really want is for it to register so play services will work and thus youtube and playmusic apps will work.

nujackk said:
try and get the android tv version, will probably have more success with that.
And you probably won't every get playstore to fully work but all you really want is for it to register so play services will work and thus youtube and playmusic apps will work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for reply, I have actually sorted my issues completely now, I have stopped all unnecessary amazon stuff running, huge list by the way, and have Google play all configured with android youtube and all my Google paid apps fully configured and recognising I'm signed in. Xposed setup, custom recovery, six axis with ps3 pads connected, USB OTG configured on boot with mele pro airmouse/keyboard/remote combo ? An to top it off no amazon home stuff at all, I have a launcher installed (was going to use official leaseback launcher but found it rubbish) the one I'm using is called Top TV Launcher 2.97. Very customisable and good on the eyes. Firestick is much more responsive the way it's setup now.

Nice,... I'll have to check out that launcher