Related
Hi all
I'm an avid XBMC user who has been using xbmc on a variety of Android TV boxes, these being the Pivos XIOS DS, OUYA and now the Fire TV which I have had imported from the US (to the UK where I live). As you can see, my choice of Android boxes has been influenced only be the Android devices that xbmc actually sponsor, I haven;t tried to use any other Android box other than those enforced by the xbmc org themselves.
In essence I have been looking for an Android TV box that will replace my two sluggish Apple TV2's.
I've had mixed luck with the Pivos and OUYA namely because of the poor remote controls. My family have never really taken to these two boxes and thus we keep reverting to the ATV2's despite the slow performance.
Having seen fire TV I immediately ordered one from the USA, learned how to install XBMC via adb commands and I must say I'm impressed. To the point where I'm almost ready to get rid of all my current TV boxes (including the ATV2's) and replace them all with Fire TVs.
Moving on, XBMC's internal Airplay server does not work with Android devices, this is the one thing stopping me from getting rid of my ATV2's.... I need Airplay!
I have been reading around the XBMC official forum and some other users are in the same boat as me and they have actually managed to install an Airplay server App to the Fire TV, rather than waiting for XBMC to resolve their broken Android Airplay feature. If I could achieve this I'd be happily slinging my ATV2's out of the window! The app that has reportedly been installed (sideloaded) on to the Fire TV is called AirPlay/DLNA Receiver (PRO) which is a paid app.
Actual question:
I have purchased and installed the aforementioned app onto my (rooted) Galaxy S4, I have no intention whatsoever of actually using the app on my S4, I did this SOLELY to extract the app and install on the Fire TV. I have successfully found the APK file using ES File Explorer and copied it to my PC. However when trying to install the APK to the Fire TV using adb command it fails, with error message:
[INSTALL_PARSE_FAILED_NO_CERTIFICATES]
I'm guessing this is because I am trying to install the app onto a device for which it was not purchased through. Can anyone please help me overcome this problems, I'm really now desperate to have the Fire TV replace all of my current TV boxes, and I've spent a lot of time looking for the ideal device for XBMC + AIrplay. It looks like I'm very close to achieving my goal and just need some help from some of the experts on there to overcome the final hurdle (Airplay). I've messaged the guy on the XBMC forum that has claimed to have installed this app on his FIRE TV but he has not replied to me. I can;t really post this question oin the xbmc forums becuase I'm not asking for support for xbmc's Airplay server, I'm asking a question more related to sideloading an app with missing certificate that I've actually paid (albeit on a another device).
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
Adit - XDA newbie.
I do not know how to fix your certificate error, but a new app released yesterday for the Fire TV claims to do AirPlay. Here is the app.
If that doesn't work and you can't figure out how to fix the certificate issue, you can try installing the Google Play Store onto the Fire TV and see if you can download the app directly.
fireTVnews.com said:
I do not know how to fix your certificate error, but a new app released yesterday for the Fire TV claims to do AirPlay.
If that doesn't work and you can't figure out how to fix the certificate issue, you can try installing the Google Play Store onto the Fire TV and see if you can download the app directly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Many thanks for the reply here. Many apps 'claim' to facilitate Airplay but if I'm going to pay for one I'd rather it be one that has been tested successfully on the Fire TV, and that's the reason why I went for AirPlay/DLNA Receiver (PRO).
Moving on I have the following questions relating to your Google Play Store. I believe one of the prerequisites of installing Google Pay Store is that the Fire TV must be rooted, correct? Whilst I don't have any personal issue with rooting (after all I just rooted my Galaxy S4 earlier today) my concern is that once I root and install the Play Store and sign into it that the following will happen:
- I'll have to pay for the AirPlay/DLNA Receiver (PRO) again?
- Upon a new firmware update the root will be gone and the app will no longer work?
..
Adit18 said:
Many thanks for the reply here. Many apps 'claim' to facilitate Airplay but if I'm going to pay for one I'd rather it be one that has been tested successfully on the Fire TV, and that's the reason why I went for AirPlay/DLNA Receiver (PRO).
Moving on I have the following questions relating to your Google Play Store. I believe one of the prerequisites of installing Google Pay Store is that the Fire TV must be rooted, correct? Whilst I don't have any personal issue with rooting (after all I just rooted my Galaxy S4 earlier today) my concern is that once I root and install the Play Store and sign into it that the following will happen:
- I'll have to pay for the AirPlay/DLNA Receiver (PRO) again?
- Upon a new firmware update the root will be gone and the app will no longer work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since AirPlay/DLNA Receiver (PRO) itself does not require root, you would still be able to use the app even if a future update removed root. Your only issue would be if a future update disabled root and you, for whatever reason, needed to factory reset the Fire TV. The reset would remove the app and you wouldn't be able to reinstall it because you could no longer gain root.
@ JJ-KwiK
@ fireTVnews.com
Many thanks again for your suggestions, thanks has been added to you both. I'm reluctant to root the Fire TV to install the Play Store for reasons of sustainability. Exactly as stated if an update removes the root and for any reason a factory reset was required then I'd be stuck. Before I reluctantly embark on the mission to root the Fire TV and take on your suggestions I'd like to be a little cheeky and ask a few more questions to you both or anyone else out there who can answer:
1. Instead of rooting and installing Play store, if I wish to instead install and try the new Airplay app that member 'fireTVnews.com' mentions how would I do this? I appreciate you're thinking this is a ridiculous question but I can't see the link between the amazon site and my Fire TV. Maybe once I purchase the app on Amazon site will automatically push the app to my Fire TV? Also I'm in the Uk where a lot of the content is blocked (because the Fire TV hasn't been released here yet), will this cause an issue?
2. If I have success with the new Airplay app from the amazon site does anyone know if I can get a refund for the Airplay PRO app, because it will never even get used if the other app does work? I don;t know much about this because although I have an S4 it's purchase was recent and I'm still new to the world of Play Store. In fact the Airplay PRO app is the first app that I've ever purchased through the Play store and I'm kinda left feeling a little stung. Fair enough if I was going to use the app but a complete waste if I don't.
3. One thing that would solve all of this quite easily is if there is a way to install the certificates for the Airplay PRO app that I've purchased, then install it onto the Fire TV. I don't want to be breaking any forum rules here but I have paid for the app so if anyone could give me any clues / hints I'd be very grateful. Have done the usual googling but with the amount of confusing info out there I don't fancy doing several all-nighters to learn how to do it myself from scratch.
..
I had some free coins I used for the AiPlay Receiver app. I tried a couple of 30 seconds home video clips from my wife's iphone and they worked fine.
Home made videos from my Android phone don't work. It says 'can't play this video'
JJ-KwiK said:
1- I'm in Canada, and I'm still able to download and use apps from the firetv store. I just have to change my address to a fictitious US address and the store will allow me to download apps. This doesn't work for prime video's etc... though. When I'm done downloading what I want, I just change my address back to Canada. All this is done on Amazon's website.
2- Google Play only offers refunds to app users for 15 minutes after the app was purchased I believe. So you're probably out of luck there. You could always try emailing the app developer...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well this is a turn out for the books. I have just purchased the new AirReceiver app from the Amazon website without changing my address, I figured that if it doesn't work I'll demand a refund from Amazon. The Amazon website allowed me to make the purchase without even changing my address. Next I checked on my Fire TV and the app was showing as available to be downloaded and synced, so I did this.... and it works!
Airplay is seems to be working from my ios7 iPad. I haven;t done any exhaustive testing yet and I hope the app auto-starts when the Fire TV does and stays running in the background, rather than having to manually activate the app before airplaying something.
Now the interesting this is, this app looks exactly like 'AirReceiver' by 'felix.long' which is available in the Google Pay Store. In fact I'm certain it's the same app and it definitely hasn't been developed exclusively for Fire TV. This is obvious as the app doesn't even fit on to the screen (neither do most apps which are optimised for mobile phone displays rather than Android TV boxes). Funnily enough, this app was next on my list to try out after the Airplay (PRO) app which I purchased last night, it's a funny old world! Now I just need to email the developer of Airplay (PRO) and see if he will consider giving me a refund. After all, I have actually tested his app on my S4 and whilst Airplay for photos is ok, Airplay for videos from my iPad doesn't even work!
Once again JJ-KwiK and fireTVnews.com thank you both very much for your help. I do have a couple of minor questions tho which you'll probably know the answers to:
1. If this new AirReceiver app is updated, will I automatically be able to install the updated version? Seeing as I've purchased it I would imagine so.
2. Is there any way of getting the app to show properly on the screen? Presumably if Amazon are charging for this app exclusively for Fire TV they should at least have checked that it fits on to the screen. Any novice would be pulling his hair out trying to work out what each of the options are because so much of the text is off the screen. I'm used to this off-the-screen lark with my OUYA and Pivos but even I couldn;t figure out what some of the options say is far too much of the text has disappeared off the screen on the left-hand side. Perhaps there is a way to rectify this on the Fire Tv, which I don;t know about?
3. Lastly, if.... (as of 30 mins ago) I mean WHEN i purchase my next Fire TV, will I have to purchase the app again or can I simply log into the new Fore TV and sync apps again and, in effect get it for free on my 2nd / 3rd Fire TV?
About the app not fitting on the screen, you need to go into the FTV settings-->system-->display-->calibrate display. I had to scale mine to 3%. Now the app fits in the screen perfectly.
z31fanatic said:
About the app not fitting on the screen, you need to go into the FTV settings-->system-->display-->calibrate display. I had to scale mine to 3%. Now the app fits in the screen perfectly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok thanks, will try this. Adoes this adjustment have any adverse effect on other apps or even the main operating system display? What I mean is when you make this adjustment does it screw up anything else?
I haven't noticed it problems with other apps.
Adit18 said:
Well this is a turn out for the books. I have just purchased the new AirReceiver app from the Amazon website without changing my address, I figured that if it doesn't work I'll demand a refund from Amazon. The Amazon website allowed me to make the purchase without even changing my address. Next I checked on my Fire TV and the app was showing as available to be downloaded and synced, so I did this.... and it works!
Airplay is seems to be working from my ios7 iPad. I haven;t done any exhaustive testing yet and I hope the app auto-starts when the Fire TV does and stays running in the background, rather than having to manually activate the app before airplaying something.
Now the interesting this is, this app looks exactly like 'AirReceiver' by 'felix.long' which is available in the Google Pay Store. In fact I'm certain it's the same app and it definitely hasn't been developed exclusively for Fire TV. This is obvious as the app doesn't even fit on to the screen (neither do most apps which are optimised for mobile phone displays rather than Android TV boxes). Funnily enough, this app was next on my list to try out after the Airplay (PRO) app which I purchased last night, it's a funny old world! Now I just need to email the developer of Airplay (PRO) and see if he will consider giving me a refund. After all, I have actually tested his app on my S4 and whilst Airplay for photos is ok, Airplay for videos from my iPad doesn't even work!
Once again JJ-KwiK and fireTVnews.com thank you both very much for your help. I do have a couple of minor questions tho which you'll probably know the answers to:
1. If this new AirReceiver app is updated, will I automatically be able to install the updated version? Seeing as I've purchased it I would imagine so.
2. Is there any way of getting the app to show properly on the screen? Presumably if Amazon are charging for this app exclusively for Fire TV they should at least have checked that it fits on to the screen. Any novice would be pulling his hair out trying to work out what each of the options are because so much of the text is off the screen. I'm used to this off-the-screen lark with my OUYA and Pivos but even I couldn;t figure out what some of the options say is far too much of the text has disappeared off the screen on the left-hand side. Perhaps there is a way to rectify this on the Fire Tv, which I don;t know about?
3. Lastly, if.... (as of 30 mins ago) I mean WHEN i purchase my next Fire TV, will I have to purchase the app again or can I simply log into the new Fore TV and sync apps again and, in effect get it for free on my 2nd / 3rd Fire TV?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Yes, since you download it from Amazon
2. No idea. Use the screen setting calibrate option.
3. All purchase from Amazon store grants access to all your Amazon devices (Kindle, Kindle Fire, Fire TV etc...) The next part is how many Amazon devices do you have right now or you plan to purchase in the future. For Google Play, iOS, Amazon, I think you can install a purchased app up 5 devices, some even more. This varied depend on developer and app. You are best asking the developer, but it is guarantee that you have access up to 5 devices.
Last, I am not sure about your obsession with Airplay. Since the Fire TV allows installation of XBMC, there are tons of option you can use to stream movies, photos, music over to XBMC. When I means options, I mean network protocol such as FTP, SMB, zeroconf which is designed and supported across all platforms. Airplay is an offspring of iOS system design mostly to work within the iOS ecosystem. The reason why it might not work well with Android apps or other platform is because it is not Apple's intention to bring it to other platforms. It is just because too many people have iOS devices that other 3rd parties try to bring it to other platform, albeit bugs and problems sometimes.
Adit18 said:
Hi all
I'm an avid XBMC user who has been using xbmc on a variety of Android TV boxes, these being the Pivos XIOS DS, OUYA and now the Fire TV which I have had imported from the US (to the UK where I live). As you can see, my choice of Android boxes has been influenced only be the Android devices that xbmc actually sponsor, I haven;t tried to use any other Android box other than those enforced by the xbmc org themselves.
In essence I have been looking for an Android TV box that will replace my two sluggish Apple TV2's.
I've had mixed luck with the Pivos and OUYA namely because of the poor remote controls. My family have never really taken to these two boxes and thus we keep reverting to the ATV2's despite the slow performance.
Having seen fire TV I immediately ordered one from the USA, learned how to install XBMC via adb commands and I must say I'm impressed. To the point where I'm almost ready to get rid of all my current TV boxes (including the ATV2's) and replace them all with Fire TVs.
Moving on, XBMC's internal Airplay server does not work with Android devices, this is the one thing stopping me from getting rid of my ATV2's.... I need Airplay!
I have been reading around the XBMC official forum and some other users are in the same boat as me and they have actually managed to install an Airplay server App to the Fire TV, rather than waiting for XBMC to resolve their broken Android Airplay feature. If I could achieve this I'd be happily slinging my ATV2's out of the window! The app that has reportedly been installed (sideloaded) on to the Fire TV is called AirPlay/DLNA Receiver (PRO) which is a paid app.
Actual question:
I have purchased and installed the aforementioned app onto my (rooted) Galaxy S4, I have no intention whatsoever of actually using the app on my S4, I did this SOLELY to extract the app and install on the Fire TV. I have successfully found the APK file using ES File Explorer and copied it to my PC. However when trying to install the APK to the Fire TV using adb command it fails, with error message:
[INSTALL_PARSE_FAILED_NO_CERTIFICATES]
I'm guessing this is because I am trying to install the app onto a device for which it was not purchased through. Can anyone please help me overcome this problems, I'm really now desperate to have the Fire TV replace all of my current TV boxes, and I've spent a lot of time looking for the ideal device for XBMC + AIrplay. It looks like I'm very close to achieving my goal and just need some help from some of the experts on there to overcome the final hurdle (Airplay). I've messaged the guy on the XBMC forum that has claimed to have installed this app on his FIRE TV but he has not replied to me. I can;t really post this question oin the xbmc forums becuase I'm not asking for support for xbmc's Airplay server, I'm asking a question more related to sideloading an app with missing certificate that I've actually paid (albeit on a another device).
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
Adit - XDA newbie.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had this exact problem with the same app. If you root your device, you can enable installing from unknown sources. From there you can just push the apk to your fire tv, and install it manually, bypassing the certificate error. This method worked for me, however after using the app for a few minutes, you will get a pop up saying that the app was not purchased on the device and it stops working. As a last resort, I emailed the creator of the app, and within 24 hours, he was able to activate the app using your MAC address. You just have to show him proof of purchase. Of course this was before I got the google play store installed on the FTV, which would have saved me a lot of time.
@z31fanatic - Thanks, the video calibration tool worked a treat 2% for me. Now all apps show properly on the screen. I've had to stretch XBMC calibration out a bit as a result but that's fine. Thanks very much to you, thanks added.
@vi6s - Thanks for the replies, good to know the app will be auto updated if and when the original developer releases an update. I reckon I'll need to use the app on around 4-5 devices eventually, so a 5 device limit should do me just about ok.
Regarding Airplay, there isn't an obsession, just a need for non tech-savvy people in the home (wife and kids) to be easily able to beam photos and home-made videos to the big screen. Airplay hands down the easiest way to to do this I'm sure you'd agree.
@Hrodriguez77 - It is excellent that you had the idea to contact the developer in this way. I did the same but sadly just to request a refund. I didn't think the developer would be interested in what I was trying to achieve (extracting his file to use on another device). However it seems the developer is good guy (and indeed this is the case as he has refunded me). Once question though, how is your video streaming working? Meaning videos that you've shot on your phone / tablet, if you beam those videos to the Fire TV how does it cope?
Install blackmart.apk and you can get those apps no cost. Haven't tried it yet on the fire tv but it works on everything else no problem.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
moeduss said:
Install blackmart.apk and you can get those apps no cost. Haven't tried it yet on the fire tv but it works on everything else no problem.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lets try not promote piracy.
Ok sorry didn't think about that, won't happen again.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
Voice from the Developer
Dear all,
I am the developer of Airplay/DLNA receiver. I am sorry to see the terrible experience of side loading our app on your Fire TV.I have submitted my app to Amazon app store now. It is still under review. Several days will be gone before you can see it on Amazon app store.Before that I will provide a simpler way to try our app for 3 days.
You can download our latest apk from here: h t t p://download.waxrain.com/AirPlayer_Signed_PRO/AirPin_PRO.apk
and you can directly install it on your Fire TV .
You can try it for 3 days. 3 days later it will pop out the message of "unauthorized".
If you want to purchase it, you can find an android phone to purchase our app from Google Play ,and tell us the order number and the mac address of your fire TV(which can be found in the "about the app" part of setting in our apk)to authorize. (email: [email protected]) Or you can purchase it on Amazon app store in the future.
I am new on the forum, the real link format is not supported to paste.Please adjust by yourselves. Sorry.
WaxRain said:
Dear all,
I am the developer of Airplay/DLNA receiver. I am sorry to see the terrible experience of side loading our app on your Fire TV.I have submitted my app to Amazon app store now. It is still under review. Several days will be gone before you can see it on Amazon app store.Before that I will provide a simpler way to try our app for 3 days.
You can download our latest apk from here: h t t p://download.waxrain.com/AirPlayer_Signed_PRO/AirPin_PRO.apk
and you can directly install it on your Fire TV .
You can try it for 3 days. 3 days later it will pop out the message of "unauthorized".
If you want to purchase it, you can find an android phone to purchase our app from Google Play ,and tell us the order number and the mac address of your fire TV(which can be found in the "about the app" part of setting in our apk)to authorize. (email: [email protected]) Or you can purchase it on Amazon app store in the future.
I am new on the forum, the real link format is not supported to paste.Please adjust by yourselves. Sorry.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have installed the play store on firetv and purchased your app. It works well for airplay mirroring but when I try to airplay videos from my iPhone 5s it buffers constantly even though my internet speed is up to 50 Mbps. What do you suggest?
I get its like Roku, but even.. what does it do? Can you stream local stuff or just things that are offered on the fire platform? Reason Im asking, is that my father is thinking about dumping FIOS. As he never watches "season style shows" He just turns it on to watch something when bored. So something like Fire Tv I think will be cool for him... He wont be playing games, just watching random broadcasts.. He said he liked the Roku and like the 99 cent movie channel.. Does the Fire TV have the same setup as the Roku?
Thanks guys!
Of course, Id be rooting it and downloading that XBMC that I seen. Again I dont know much about it, but it seems like most recommend to do that and root the unit. I seen an OTA blocker too... thanks agian.
mroneeyedboh said:
I get its like Roku, but even.. what does it do? Can you stream local stuff or just things that are offered on the fire platform? Reason Im asking, is that my father is thinking about dumping FIOS. As he never watches "season style shows" He just turns it on to watch something when bored. So something like Fire Tv I think will be cool for him... He wont be playing games, just watching random broadcasts.. He said he liked the Roku and like the 99 cent movie channel.. Does the Fire TV have the same setup as the Roku?
Thanks guys!
Of course, Id be rooting it and downloading that XBMC that I seen. Again I dont know much about it, but it seems like most recommend to do that and root the unit. I seen an OTA blocker too... thanks agian.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Fire TV is primarily a video streaming device. Meaning, it plays videos from the internet. The videos it streams can come from several different sources. Some are free, some cost money per video, and some require a paid monthly subscription which lets you play any videos in the library at no additional cost.
Here are some of the most popular video sources used on the FIre TV:
Amazon Prime Instant Video: This costs $99 a year and allows you to view any number of movies and TV shows in their library. This also comes with other perks from Amazon, like free 2 day shipping on most orders.
Amazon Instant Video: This is Amazon's movie and TV show purchase and rental service. You can buy movies or TV shows individually. Once purchased, you can play them as many times as you want. This it the digital equivalent to buying a DVD/Bluray and putting it on your shelf. This service also allows you to rent movies and TV shows. Renting gives you limited access to a movie or TV show; essentially enough access to watch the video once.
Netflix: For a monthly subscription, you get to watch any and all of the movies and TV shows in their library. The selection is better than Amazon Prime Instant Videos, but it's also more expensive considering there are no additional perks. It's strictly a video streaming service.
Hulu Plus: For a monthly subscription, you get access to their library of TV shows. Generally, TV shows will be available on Hulu Plus before they become available on other services.
Netflix and Hulu require that you install a free app on the Fire TV in order to access their videos. Where as, for Amazon Videos, you have direct access to them form the Fire TV's home screen.
You also have several free video options. These all require individual apps. These are services like YouTube, Pluto.tv, iFood.tv, Smithsonian Channel, Tubi, etc...
Lastly, you can play local videos stored on a PC in the house. This is what XBMC and Plex iare primarily used for.
Thanks. I already have Amazon Prime, so I can tag my dad on to that..
And thanks for the description.
mroneeyedboh said:
Thanks. I already have Amazon Prime, so I can tag my dad on to that..
And thanks for the description.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're welcome. If you already have Amazon Prime, then it seems like the Fire TV is a good option for your dad.
If your dad is not technologically savvy, or you're worried he may be confused with which videos are free (via Prime) and which ones have to be purchased, I would suggest installing rbox's mod which allows you to hide certain menu options. I have a guide here. This will allow you to hide the "Movies" and "TV" sections (where most of the content is not included free with Amazon Prime) and keep the "Prime Video" section (where all of the content is included free with Amazon Prime). You can also hide all the other sections (like, apps, games, photos, etc..) which it sounds like he will never use.
To install rbox's menu hidding mod, you have to be rooted, so be sure not to accidentaly block rooting during the inital setup process of the Fire TV.
Thanks again. If you dont mind, what all would you suggest to do to it when I receive it? Should I install Llama and that XBMC?
Also seems that Roku has more "misc" movie channels for free versus the Amazon Fire.. no?
Awesome summary from AFTVNews....
Want to add a few things:
-- Amazon prime videos (movies/tv shows) load way faster on FTV than on any other platform. I have PS3, Samsung Smart TV and Wii. It is a no contest when it comes to speed. So, if you are going to watch prime content, FTV is a much better option, just for this reason and even if you don't root it or load anything else like XBMC.
-- As mentioned before, you can buy/rent content from Amazon. Do keep in mind that even if you buy, you will only able to watch it as long as your Amazon account is in good standing, as in forever. If Amazon bars your account for any reason, all your buys will go poof.
-- FTV has a voice enabled search and works reasonably well.
-- If you have your cable subscription through a vendor that allows you to stream WatchESPN, you can download the app and watch all content on it through FTV (along with any other ESPN channels you subscribe to). This was the main and only reason I bought FTV (but now I know better to be happy with just ESPN, LOL)
---------- Post added at 11:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:01 PM ----------
mroneeyedboh said:
Thanks again. If you dont mind, what all would you suggest to do to it when I receive it? Should I install Llama and that XBMC?
Also seems that Roku has more "misc" movie channels for free versus the Amazon Fire.. no?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can get all the "free" movie content if you install and use XBMC. Roku might have way higher number of gross apps/feed, but if you are not going to use it, why buy it? And FTV has so much more superior hardware.
---------- Post added at 11:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:03 PM ----------
mroneeyedboh said:
Thanks again. If you dont mind, what all would you suggest to do to it when I receive it? Should I install Llama and that XBMC?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As a personal preference, the least modifications you do on FTV, the less the chances of wrecking your FTV. I have accepted the trade off of a few more clicks to run XBMC over changing the launching behavior of my FTV. Just an opinion.
mroneeyedboh said:
Thanks again. If you dont mind, what all would you suggest to do to it when I receive it? Should I install Llama and that XBMC?
Also seems that Roku has more "misc" movie channels for free versus the Amazon Fire.. no?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@dbdoshi added some great points. If you, or a family member has a cable subscription, your content selection increases because of apps like WatchESPN that let you watch for free if you already have a cable subscription with one of their participating providers.
Llama is primarily only used to reduce the number of clicks needed to get to sideloaded apps. I agree with dbdoshi and feel it's not worth the extra complexity just to save a few clicks.
XBMC is primarily useful for local videos on a hard drive or PC. There are some extensions for XBMC which let you stream more content for free, but most people install it to play their own collection of videos.
Lastly, yes, I agree that Roku has a wider selection of content sources than the Fire TV. I don't have much experience with Roku's, so I can't comment about the quality of their selection but it does seem larger.
Let me add a couple points here. First, you can't share Amazon Prime videos, the family share thing only covers the free 2-day shipping. This doesn't mean you can't give out your Amazon login/password, but if that person starts buying movies and such.... Roku has a boatload more apps, something like 1,700, but unless you are looking for some odd niche there really isn't much on Roku that you can't get on FTV. HBOGo being the biggie if you subscribe to HBO. Side-loading XBMC works great, plus gives you access to all the legal and questionable plug-ins. Between the XBMC plugins and the native FTV apps, I doubt there is anything available online you can't get.
I didn't bother rooting my FTV, and for a casual user I wouldn't recommend it. Sure, you can do nice things like change the launcher, customize the menus, or enable USB storage (something I hope Amazon does in a future update), and other things, but you don't need root to side load apps such as XBMC. I'd rather stay current with Amazon's updates and improvements than worry about blocking them or getting caught up in a cat & mouse game of root exploits.
I currently use plex for my media management solution, which is fantastic. I have a quad processor server with 18TB of storage, 12TB usable as its configured for Raid6. I chose plex due to the fact that plexapps are available for my Samsung smart tvs, and for simplicity with my chromecast.
The wife knows my love of tinkering and that I've been eyeballing the AFTV for a while now. Can anyone provide some insight? I'm looking to further enhance my cord-cutting future as we are moving to South Korea next year and will need to rely on my server as well as streaming content for entertainment.
I'm tired of horrible firstrow streams for my football games, as well as UFC matches and indycar/rally races. Are there "alternatives" available with much improved quality?
Anything I should do first to the AFTV? How can I integrate it into my existing content delivery system?
Thanks in advance!
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app
cliff p said:
Anything I should do first to the AFTV? How can I integrate it into my existing content delivery system?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Might want to see if you can root the Fire TV before you ever hook it up. This allows for harnessing the power of the device with XBMC and the addons that are available. The How to setup a new Fire TV without blocking Root guide is a great starting point. Otherwise, the Fire TV will primarily be an Amazon centric box. And where is the fun in that?
That was generally the idea (to root the device first before doing anything else with it).
When I first started looking into Media Servers, I worked very little with XBMC. A few friends with Plex suggested it to me, and it seems to fit the bill more for me. With that being said, can XBMC be integrated or coexist with PMS?
EDIT: Disregard the XBMC question, I did a quick search and found that I can install PlexBMC that will work with the PMS backend.
So I've rooted the AFTV, Installed BB and SuperSU, and XBMC. Added a few "add-ons" like 1Chan and some others. Pretty cool little device! Kinda wishing there were more HD capable streams for certain programs, since there isn't much difference streaming the actual website steam via my laptop to my TV via HDMI.
I may put it in my VPN route and see if I can get my NFL games in HD at least.
Quite honestly wondering if it was worth installing Plex on, since my Samsung TV already has Plex and is a bit more seamless. I may use the device in place of the Chromecast dongle I have in the bedroom, though.
Can anyone point me in the right direction for some higher quality feeds, etc?
Almost forgot: Themes for the XBMC? Is it more worthwhile to have XBMC autostart on boot? I don't have a subscription for Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu, etc. I use Plex, and use it heavily with Sickbeard/Couchpotato/Headphones/Etc.
THX.
Take a look at the [LAUNCHER] XBMC for Fire TV (Root). This XBMC launcher replaces the Fire TV launcher and at the same time allows access to it if you were to have Amazon content.
mjbxx said:
Take a look at the [LAUNCHER] XBMC for Fire TV (Root). This XBMC launcher replaces the Fire TV launcher and at the same time allows access to it if you were to have Amazon content.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Works great! Thanks!
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app
Hi all,
I am glad I found this great forum and I hope I am posting on the correct subforum.
I am considering getting a Fire TV. It is currently at a great price on Amazon.de (84 euro), but since I want to replace my WD Live that i currently use, I want to have xbmc on it. On ebay there are many pre-rooted Fire TV with xbmc and add ons. but at an average of about 150 euro, I think it is stupid to buy them now if I can do it myself and if I can avoid rooting even better.
My main needs for the Fire TV (in priority irder) are :
1. SInce I am a Prime User of Amazon, I want to use Instant Video of Amazon
2. Stream HD video from my libraries from NAS drives
3. Other streaming add ons on xbmv like xStream, Navi-X, Sportsdevil
4. Web browsing, emulators, amazon apps
So my questions are ;
1. If I buy right now a new Fire TV, can I install xbmc using one of the guides without rooting it ? Are there sepcific models/versions of Fire TV that won't allow it ?
2. Can I use the streaming and other add ons of xbmc without rooting , or are there specific ones that require root ?
3. Do any of the streaming add ons using Bittorent ? In Germany while you currently have no issues with streaming or download , using torrents will get you quick and easy problems with the law. Feedback of german members is highly appreciated here.
Sorry for a very long first post, I hope the questions are clear and easy to answer. Please feel free to add anything you think it might be helpful in my case.
Many thanks and cheers !
Nf13 said:
Hi all,
I am glad I found this great forum and I hope I am posting on the correct subforum.
I am considering getting a Fire TV. It is currently at a great price on Amazon.de (84 euro), but since I want to replace my WD Live that i currently use, I want to have xbmc on it. On ebay there are many pre-rooted Fire TV with xbmc and add ons. but at an average of about 150 euro, I think it is stupid to buy them now if I can do it myself and if I can avoid rooting even better.
My main needs for the Fire TV (in priority irder) are :
1. SInce I am a Prime User of Amazon, I want to use Instant Video of Amazon
2. Stream HD video from my libraries from NAS drives
3. Other streaming add ons on xbmv like xStream, Navi-X, Sportsdevil
4. Web browsing, emulators, amazon apps
So my questions are ;
1. If I buy right now a new Fire TV, can I install xbmc using one of the guides without rooting it ? Are there sepcific models/versions of Fire TV that won't allow it ?
2. Can I use the streaming and other add ons of xbmc without rooting , or are there specific ones that require root ?
3. Do any of the streaming add ons using Bittorent ? In Germany while you currently have no issues with streaming or download , using torrents will get you quick and easy problems with the law. Feedback of german members is highly appreciated here.
Sorry for a very long first post, I hope the questions are clear and easy to answer. Please feel free to add anything you think it might be helpful in my case.
Many thanks and cheers !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1/ No, you can install without need for root.
2/ No, addons install in XBMC does not require root.
3/ No, streaming protocol is different from bit torrent. You can choose to install an addon that acts as a bit torren client to download files and watch it, but it is your choice. No addons in XBMC will trick you into using bit torrent without your acknowledgment. If you are worry about piracy,you are better off paying for Hulu and such since using primewire or 1channel is the same as illegal torrenting.
vi6s said:
1/ No, you can install without need for root.
2/ No, addons install in XBMC does not require root.
3/ No, streaming protocol is different from bit torrent. You can choose to install an addon that acts as a bit torren client to download files and watch it, but it is your choice. No addons in XBMC will trick you into using bit torrent without your acknowledgment. If you are worry about piracy,you are better off paying for Hulu and such since using primewire or 1channel is the same as illegal torrenting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Many thanks for your answer :good:
Ordered it today, still at the same good price, but I have to wait a week for delivery as the demand was probably high (until 2 days ago it was next day delivery). They also had the Logitech K400 keyboard at a reduced price today so I added this as well, from what I read through the forum it is well supported. I have to search a bit more about game controller though.
I downloaded ADB, xbmc Gotham 13.2, copied all video files from various HDD to the NAS drives, and now we wait....
You are going to love it. I was using a WD Live TV unit previously as well. It did not have support for Amazon Prime and it was very slow when loading directories with a lot of files. The Fire TV with XBMC/Kodi loaded is a great replacement!
jpage101 said:
You are going to love it. I was using a WD Live TV unit previously as well. It did not have support for Amazon Prime and it was very slow when loading directories with a lot of files. The Fire TV with XBMC/Kodi loaded is a great replacement!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am quite excited to be honest, amazon also send me an email that it will arrive today instead of Monday as originally planned (so now I have to find somewhere to send my wife and the kids until I set everything up , a day pass at theme park probably )
The lack of Amazon Video and the speed was the main reason for me too. Especially after the root on WD to use Movie Sheets for the movies it became slower that death ...
As I am not familiar with xbmc, if I have a movie file , named after the movie (as it appears on imdb), is there an add on that creates a movie sheet (info, thumbnail, etc) or do I have to create them manually ? Any link will also help.
Cheers
Really enjoying it so far !
Everything runs smooth and I found the answer for anything xbmc related in the xbmc forums.
Sideloading apps was extremely easy following one of the guides found, the only issue (if you can call it "issue") was the command :
adb install blahblah.apk
it failed because of multiple devices. I run adb devices and it was an emulator-5554. Did some research you can either kill it or use this command :
adb -s <Fire TV IP: Port> install blahblah.apk instead and it works like a charm.
Hope it helps if someone faces this issue.
Cheers !
jpage101 said:
You are going to love it. I was using a WD Live TV unit previously as well. It did not have support for Amazon Prime and it was very slow when loading directories with a lot of files. The Fire TV with XBMC/Kodi loaded is a great replacement!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Curious how you use this as a replacement local streamer over WD TV Live.
I have WD, it's UI is terrible, BUT. I need full non transcoded blu-ray video(H.264,VC-1), 7.1 DTS-MA and True-HD sound. Am I missing something or is none of this really possible with Fire?
Not trying to be a jerk, but want to make sure I am not missing something about the Fire. If so PLEASE fill me in.
gottahavit said:
Curious how you use this as a replacement local streamer over WD TV Live.
I have WD, it's UI is terrible, BUT. I need full non transcoded blu-ray video(H.264,VC-1), 7.1 DTS-MA and True-HD sound. Am I missing something or is none of this really possible with Fire?
Not trying to be a jerk, but want to make sure I am not missing something about the Fire. If so PLEASE fill me in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As local streamer, I use xbmc and NAS drives and it works perfectly. I don't have the same needs in sound, so I am more than ok with the formats supported. H.264, VC-1 is supported afaik.
Cheers
Nf13 said:
As local streamer, I use xbmc and NAS drives and it works perfectly. I don't have the same needs in sound, so I am more than ok with the formats supported. H.264, VC-1 is supported afaik.
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting specs say vc1 but ...
according to this http://kodi.wiki/view/Amazon_Fire_TV it dont work nor does dtsma passthrough. Too bad.
Hi,
I'm having a FireTV1. My main goal is to install something with that multiple smartphones can be used to control youtube streaming on the firetv.
Important is that it should work without having to login to a youtube account on the firetv. Because eg my wife and me having different youtube accounts, both active on the smartphone.
As both of us should be able to stream youtube content to firetv directly, it would be bad if the firetv has to be logged in to one of the accounts. As in this case only one of our smartphones could take control of the firetv.
If there is some app, but that requires installing custom systems like kodi, that would be fine.
I'm a bit lost in the possibilities and would be happy for any advise how to achieve that.
Thanks!
membersound said:
Hi,
I'm having a FireTV1. My main goal is to install something with that multiple smartphones can be used to control youtube streaming on the firetv.
Important is that it should work without having to login to a youtube account on the firetv. Because eg my wife and me having different youtube accounts, both active on the smartphone.
As both of us should be able to stream youtube content to firetv directly, it would be bad if the firetv has to be logged in to one of the accounts. As in this case only one of our smartphones could take control of the firetv.
If there is some app, but that requires installing custom systems like kodi, that would be fine.
I'm a bit lost in the possibilities and would be happy for any advise how to achieve that.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your first issue is there is no YouTube app for FireTV. You can thank the Amazon vs Google war for that. You can only screen mirror Amazon devices to Fire TV devices.
Secondly, what you’re describing would function best using a Google Chromecast, that way anyone on your WiFi, can cast YouTube and many other apps, from their phone to the Chromecast device.
Ok I see. Though our primary use is amazon prime video. So I hoped for having just one player...
So there is no way throwing videos on firetv in any case?
(I'd like to avoid screen mirroring. I tried that multiple times without satisfying results).
membersound said:
Ok I see. Though our primary use is amazon prime video. So I hoped for having just one player...
So there is no way throwing videos on firetv in any case?
(I'd like to avoid screen mirroring. I tried that multiple times without satisfying results).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can have just one player, but the Fire tv devices are cheaply made. I’ve not had great success with them.
Now I’m using Roku, which still will let me do Amazon video. Not sure on screen mirroring but it does have a YouTube app. I’ll have to check if it will support multiple accounts in the app.
Without doing mirroring, I’m not sure what you mean by “throwing” videos on the screen.
You can cast YouTube to the fire stick pretty easily. I followed this guide to set it up. https://youtu.be/Fpjaqw7CAMg
@Jeffro2700 great, thanks! that worked.
so the only tradeoff is that I first have to start the youtube firefox/silk browser page before I can send videos from my phone to firetv, correct?
If you're a Kodi user with an Android phone, I highly recommend installing the youtube addon for kodi, and installing the yatse remote for kodi app. Once you've done that you can use Share > Play on Media Server (an option enabled with a Yatse installation), and it will cast it to the Kodi system the yatse app is currently controlling. Those are the broad strokes. If you want more info, like how to enable youtube videos > 720P/30 in Kodi, let me know.
Alternatively, you could try sideloading the Smart YouTube TV app from here: https://smartyoutubetv.github.io