So I'm on my pc & just out of curiosity I type the ip address & port of my Fire TV Stick into my web browsers address bar & I'm presented with this screen:
The only thing that works is the on-screen remote but nothing else does. Has or does anyone know what (if anything) else the screen might let me do? If it serves any other purpose?
Is a remote for xbmc. The other tabs should allow you to see your media and start them directly. Similar to using the yatse remote for an android phone.
collindv said:
Is a remote for xbmc. The other tabs should allow you to see your media and start them directly. Similar to using the yatse remote for an android phone.
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That's the thing it only brings up the screen for the remote, the other tabs (Movies, TV Shows & Music) show nothing.
My guess is that something will only show if the media is downloaded and not pulling from a streaming source (i.e a link on the Kodi menu). It works more as a file manager as opposed to a mirroring of Kodi itself.
EL TEJANO said:
That's the thing it only brings up the screen for the remote, the other tabs (Movies, TV Shows & Music) show nothing.
My guess is that something will only show if the media is downloaded and not pulling from a streaming source (i.e a link on the Kodi menu). It works more as a file manager as opposed to a mirroring of Kodi itself.
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Yes, it will only show things in your local (movie, tv, music) libraries
Related
Not really a GPad specific question but i would like to try and use the GPad to stream mp3's from my computer to the TV.
I have had very limited success so far. Airstream gives me access to my computers files, twonky lets me beam my videos to my tv, but i cant seem to beam mp3's, they just play on the tablet. There is no option to send to the tv like with mp4's.
Also tried bubblepnp and air droid without success.
Anybody have it working, any better apps?
bry5o said:
Not really a GPad specific question but i would like to try and use the GPad to stream mp3's from my computer to the TV.
I have had very limited success so far. Airstream gives me access to my computers files, twonky lets me beam my videos to my tv, but i cant seem to beam mp3's, they just play on the tablet. There is no option to send to the tv like with mp4's.
Also tried bubblepnp and air droid without success.
Anybody have it working, any better apps?
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It might help if you told us what TV you have and what options it has. If you TV is DLNA then any of the upnp apps should let you play music to the TV. If your TV has Bluetooth you can send using that. If you have a chromecast you can cast from Google Play Music.
Sorry its a Panasonic and it has dlna but not bluetooth or miracast.
Like I first said suggested but did not perhaps make clear the problem is not so much sharing content, twonky gives me the option to beam videos but not mp3's. Its almost like the default player takes preference over all over software. I wonder if I can cancel any associations so that when I next select an mp3 I am asked which program to open it with and twonky will be in the list.
bry5o said:
Sorry its a Panasonic and it has dlna but not bluetooth or miracast.
Like I first said suggested but did not perhaps make clear the problem is not so much sharing content, twonky gives me the option to beam videos but not mp3's. Its almost like the default player takes preference over all over software. I wonder if I can cancel any associations so that when I next select an mp3 I am asked which program to open it with and twonky will be in the list.
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BubbleUpnp should do what you want. In the Devices section, select your TV as the renderer, and you should be able to stream content from your tablet or any DLNA server on your network to the TV.
So I just noticed that my chromecast option in you tube, chrome browser, Netflix, etc no longer appears for me to cast the video to my TV. The chromecast app itself is still there though... any ideas?
GReddySetGO said:
So I just noticed that my chromecast option in you tube, chrome browser, Netflix, etc no longer appears for me to cast the video to my TV. The chromecast app itself is still there though... any ideas?
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Did you happen to disable any apps? Either through the application manager or block them through adb from the guide in the other sections?
I had the caller name ID app disabled. Could that be causing it? I re-enabled it and still no luck
Are you able to open the Chromecast app and does it find your Chromecast? If the Chromecast app does not find it, it may be more of an issue with your Chromecast losing connection to your wireless network.
If Chromecast does not open, uninstall and reinstall the app from the Play Store.
If it still doesn't work after that, report back and we'll look deeper.
Yes, the app finds my chromecast and I can connect to it. I tried uninstalling and reinstalling the chromecast app with no luck.
The problem I am having is the cast icon is not appearing in my other apps like Netflix and you tube, etc.
Might take a look here; specifically post 83 and 84, however the entire page is regarding a disappearing chromecast icon.
Also, here.
Why don't you just mirror the phone to the tv. That what I do then I run whatever app I want on phone while mirroring on tv.
Then run YouTube or Netflix on phone and it plays on tv.
Same thing happened to me today. I couldn't get the icon on the Avia app. It does however show up when I go to Youtube. Weird.
Reinaldo33897 said:
Why don't you just mirror the phone to the tv. That what I do then I run whatever app I want on phone while mirroring on tv.
Then run YouTube or Netflix on phone and it plays on tv.
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Don't you lose the second screen experience by doing that since you're basically just mirroring what's on your phone to the TV? One of the best things about Chromecast is that you cast the video to your TV, then you can use your phone as a second screen, like adding Youtube videos to a queue (a playlist of sorts).
It don't bother me not like I'm in a rush to see next video. Just another option till issue is resolved.
I know the unit wasn't designed for this, but in theory can a Fire TV or even Fire TV Stick be used to just play back locally stored content?
I'm on the fence to get one of these for my home use (especially seeing it run Kodi/XMBC), but if I could use it for work presentations or backyard projectors, I'd be sold in a heartbeat! To be clear, these are situations in which there is no WiFi signal or device streaming to it... rather, I'd like to have locally stored media that it can play back in either Kodi or the Android version of VLC. Having a nice little device and remote seems far simpler and enjoyable versus hooking up my honking laptop to do those things.
Thoughts?
I was going to just pick up a Stick today for the $24 sale price and figure it out myself, but it appears I was too late. Am I better off with something else?
It should work as a local player with apps like MX Player, Kodi and VLC. Just that the stick has a few gbs of storage that can be used to store movies and to add movies you need to do it wirelessly or through adbfire. The Fire TV box can use HDs which can help with having the movies there. But if a portable player is what you want just use your phone with movies in a microsd, install mx player or Kodi and use a HDMI to microusb cable. That way you always have your player with you and only need that 6 dlls cable.
solorzano_felipe said:
It should work as a local player with apps like MX Player, Kodi and VLC. Just that the stick has a few gbs of storage that can be used to store movies and to add movies you need to do it wirelessly or through adbfire. The Fire TV box can use HDs which can help with having the movies there. But if a portable player is what you want just use your phone with movies in a microsd, install mx player or Kodi and use a HDMI to microusb cable. That way you always have your player with you and only need that 6 dlls cable.
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Might want to double check that.... In theory you are correct, but in personal experience no internet means no loading of the home menu, meaning can't run anything at all. This may have changed or there may be a way around it, not 100% sure.
Solorzano, the idea is to have a dedicated player, not use my phone. That's why I originally dismissed the idea of a Chromecast... Sometimes I set up these boxes at fundraising events and hand all the hardware over to someone else to project. I'm often handling other technicalities of the event, or not even on location once they play it! I've been using my laptop to feed the presentation until now, but I'd rather not dedicate my laptop to the cause each time.
I'm actually leaning more towards one of those Kit-Kat quad core media boxes from china for this reason. They have USB ports (multiple ones!) and are much faster than the Fire TV Stick, maybe even faster than the Fire TV Box, for half the price. Only catch is that I won't be able to stream Amazon content if I ever wanted to do that at home (looking to make this a dual-purpose work and home purchase), but I think its a better suited device for everything else I want to do.
Thanks guys!
I posted a similar question elsewhere here, one responder stated that if you have Firestarter installed then you can go to that home screen and use apps, even though you can't go to the standard FireTV home screen. I haven't tried it yet, I'm not home where my Stick is.
Regarding a "standard" Android box, I have a Matricom G-box Q, I can watch Amazon videos with it using the Amazon Instant app. It basically takes you to the Amazon Instant home page (I have this defaulted to use Chrome), then when you select a video just choose the Amazon Instant app for playback. I seem to remember it was a little weird to install, something like: I installed it, I ran it, and then during the first run it asks if you want to install the app again, if you do it seems to work.
Terry T, yes with firestarter you can get to kodi. You can also go to the settings manage apps way of launching provided parental control is not on. The pin is verified on Amazons server. However, assuming you at least have wifi with an internet outtage you can also launch Kodi with firestarter, wukong remote or Apps Shortcut for FireTV. These methods bypass the parental PIN number
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Thanks guys! Next question: If I go with the Stick version, which lacks expandable storage or USB storage, is there a relatively easy way to load files onto the internal memory? For example, if I need to play a specific mp4 file at an event, can I sideload it over Wifi at home first, then show up the event and play it with kodi?
Yes, sideload ES File Explorer. You can cut or copy (long press, then the file is selected and options are at the bottom of the screen) from either a shared drive on your network or from a cloud source like Dropbox to the Stick. You will have to tell Kodi or whatever video player you are using where you saved the file.
Hi folks. So I went ahead and side loaded my first app no problem, Xfinity TV Go. Works great except I can't choose any of the menu selections or get the main menu at the top to reappear after it disappears. Buttons do nothing after the menu fades out the first time. Is this normal for sideloaded apps? Do some not function at all? Version issue? Thanks.
It's normal. Most non-FireTV-specific apps are looking for touch-screen inputs, so to use them you need some kind of mouse/air-mouse/touchpad device.
Okay that's what I was thinking. I knew it was too good to be true. What's the attraction for sideloading then? Thanks for the reply.
Mostly Kodi (or whatever version you want to use), as you're all-in-one media center for your local media as well as a huge number of streaming sources: it's 100% functional with the FireTV remote. The only other side-loaded app I've found (mostly checking media streamer apps) that doesn't need an air-mouse is Crunchyroll. ES File Explorer used to work with the FireTV remote, but this was broken in an update about a week ago.
With an air-mouse, most Android apps will work: if it's not designed for Android TV, it will probably function.
Check out Firestarter (http://forum.xda-developers.com/fire-tv/themes-apps/app-root-home-launcher-replacement-app-t3118135) if you want to easily access side-loaded apps, it's excellent.
I forgot to block OTA updates so I'm on the latest firmware (5.2.6.3). From the many hours of googling I've done it seems it can't be rooted right now. I'm hoping somebody tells me I'm wrong there. I fudged some stuff up so I did a factory reset so I'm working from a pretty much clean install.
My main complaint really is that I hate the launcher and the UI. It's soooooo slow and clunky from the get go. I saw ways of uninstalling bloat ware and using a different launcher, but they were only for older firmware or other FTV devices. I'm totally fine with losing any Amazon apps. Nothing against Amazon I just don't need those apps.
I looked into casting instead because I saw how awesomely smooth and easy the Chromecast is to use and I really regret not getting a Chromecast. I feel like I've tried every casting receiver on the play store, and a few that weren't, with very little success. I can really only cast YouTube with AirScreen.
The Netflix app on my phone acts like it can cast to the firestick right out of the package. But when I hit the cast button on my phone it opens Netflix and loads the user selection screen. Then I have to use the remote to pick the user and the thing I wanted to watch. Defeating the purpose. It's pretty much the same story for every app that that allows me to cast to the firestick.
Sorry for writing a novel full of dumb rookie questions. I've spent a lot of time trying a lot of stuff with no success at all. I just want this thing to work better somehow. Right now I kinda wanna just install Kodi and sell it as jailbroken so I can get a Chromecast.
To cast YouTube use this app
YouTube App
Goto YouTube settings on both fire tv app & your YouTube app on phone & select watch on TV & choose to link to TV via code
Enter the code on your phone that the fire app gives you & then you can cast (the fire app must be open for the cast icon to appear)
You can cast Spotify easily by using the Spotify TV version of the app on the firestick
You can cast any video/audio/picture on your phone using allcast (playstore) and also installing the receiver app on the firestick
You can cast any video/audio from your media server (pc/laptop/nas drive) using bubbleupnp
There's no such thing as a "jailbroken" firestick
Kodi is just a media player - what you use it for is your choice - for example you can use it with bubbleupnp to create a media server on your pc to cast all videos on your pc to the firestick
TheFixItMan said:
To cast YouTube use this app
YouTube App
Goto YouTube settings on both fire tv app & your YouTube app on phone & select watch on TV & choose to link to TV via code
Enter the code on your phone that the fire app gives you & then you can cast (the fire app must be open for the cast icon to appear)
You can cast Spotify easily by using the Spotify TV version of the app on the firestick
You can cast any video/audio/picture on your phone using allcast (playstore) and also installing the receiver app on the firestick
You can cast any video/audio from your media server (pc/laptop/nas drive) using bubbleupnp
There's no such thing as a "jailbroken" firestick
Kodi is just a media player - what you use it for is your choice - for example you can use it with bubbleupnp to create a media server on your pc to cast all videos on your pc to the firestick
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YouTube, music and videos files I own are the only things I don't need help casting. But thank you for your quick reply. They make it crazy easy to stream files from your phone/pc. I just don't have any movies or TV shows downloaded on any of my devices. I forgot to mention I have been able to stream music I have on my phone/pc no problem. And the music apps casting sends to work pretty decently.
I know there's no such thing as a jailbroken firestick. But most people think a firestick with Kodi installed is a jailbroken firestick and will pay you $10 to $20 more for it :laugh: