I wanted to post here since this is the "Apps" category for Fire TV...
By following the XBMC wiki for FIre TV, I got XBMC running in just 3 minutes.
> Wiki info page- http://wiki.xbmc.org/index.php?title=Amazon_Fire_TV
My SMB share was discoverable and my library was populated just a few minutes later.
I've verified good video and audio playback on SD, 720p, 1080p videos. Scanning and skipping works well in video playback too.
The only thing I continue to stumble with is that pressing the "Home" button returns you to the Fire TV homescreen, backgrounding XBMC.
I haven't yet found a way to create a homescreen or "Recents" shortcut for XBMC, so it's a chore to open it every time by navitgating to Settings > Applications...
If anyone knows how to get the PleXBMC add-on working within XBMC, I'd love to know how. I tried it and get a script load error every time I try to launch the add-on.
Other than that, do you know have any other add-on recommendations to make XBMC even better for the Fire TV?
archa1c said:
I wanted to post here since this is the "Apps" category for Fire TV...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
good, thank you! with hope, people will write about xbmc/spmc in this thread, instead of random other threads, or, even worse, that unholy "amazon fire tv" proto-thread that refuses to die.
archa1c said:
I've verified good video and audio playback on SD, 720p, 1080p videos. Scanning and skipping works well in video playback too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I prefer gotham, it was great on ouya. but on firetv I had to switch to spmc (12.4.2 as of koying's latest recommendation).
even the "master" and "amazonfiretv" nightlies and test-builds of gotham, give me a headache - it's weird and I can't describe it too well - pulling up the info overlay by pressing 'o' on the keyboard, I see that there are zero skipped frames and zero dropped frames. but ?something? is still screwy with motion blur - no artifacts or anything. but there is this jerkiness, or something, that hurts my eyes and the lasagna in my brainpan...?
my only complaint of spmc is that it breaks most of the 360 controller (a "ok/enter" and b "cancel/back" still work, but not the sticks or dpad). I still can't figure out how - neither xbmc nor spmc come with any keymap files, not under system/keymaps and not under userdata/keymaps. I have tried 360 keymap xml files from various github sources, both spmc and xbmc, no dice.
my only complaint of **MC in general is not being able to mess with network buffer sizes in the UI (yes I am that lazy) - usually don't have a problem with 720p mp4/mkv, and this is on wireless, even. but sometimes my landlord uses netflix over wireless and that kills everything else.
archa1c said:
The only thing I continue to stumble with is that pressing the "Home" button returns you to the Fire TV homescreen, backgrounding XBMC. I haven't yet found a way to create a homescreen or "Recents" shortcut for XBMC, so it's a chore to open it every time by navitgating to Settings > Applications...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
alt-tab isn't bad if you're already into using a keyboard...
I haven't tried it yet but people using alternate launchers have reported using Llama they can make it jump to their preferred launcher after pressing the home button. it might work equally well setting it to jump to xbmc rather than a launcher? hm I may have to try that...
I actually quite like the native Fire TV UI and would be happy with a hacky way to add a shortcut for side-loaded apps to the native menus.
I'm sure it's possible, so I'll be patient and wait for it to happen ?
I don't have any control issues because I'm using the fore TV remote, but I will be plugging in my Windows MCE remote USB IR receiver to see if I can get my Logitech harmony remote working on the fire tv.
The only other thing I would like is a mapping of the back button to "stop" when playing video in XBMC. the default xbmc behavior for the "back" action is to keep playing the current file in the background while displaying the last screen.its a very odd behavior IMO, and with no "stop" button on the fire TV remote, the only workaround is to pause the video when you want to go "back".
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app
archa1c said:
I actually quite like the native Fire TV UI and would be happy with a hacky way to add a shortcut for side-loaded apps to the native menus.
I'm sure it's possible, so I'll be patient and wait for it to happen ?
I don't have any control issues because I'm using the fore TV remote, but I will be plugging in my Windows MCE remote USB IR receiver to see if I can get my Logitech harmony remote working on the fire tv.
The only other thing I would like is a mapping of the back button to "stop" when playing video in XBMC. the default xbmc behavior for the "back" action is to keep playing the current file in the background while displaying the last screen.its a very odd behavior IMO, and with no "stop" button on the fire TV remote, the only workaround is to pause the video when you want to go "back".
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These are the steps that the user over on the XBMC forums posted to help us out with llama:
Event 1:
When phone starts up - set Llama variable 'startup' to 'true'
Event 2:
When the current app is XBMC on Ouya - set Llama variable 'starup' to 'false'
Event 3:
(Use the AND option) {when the current app is KFTV Launcher and when 'startup' has a value of 'false'} - run XBMC on Ouya.
However, you don't have to set KFTV Launcher as the trigger. I just picked a random app I didn't want to use as a jump pad. I installed the smithsonian app and put it in place of the launcher. Now when I open the smithsonian app, it flips back to XBMC. Not efficient, but works better than digging through the settings.
You can re-map buttons in XBMC with an add-on called keymap editor available in the programs menu>program add-ons>get more>key_map editor.
You can also just hit "Select" on the FTV remote and that will bring up the OSD. Then you can just d-pad to the stop button when you want to exit a movie.
v13 gotham beta4 release just came out (ok 2 days ago, I wasn't paying attention I guess). all my complaints about weird undescribable video motion are gone!
and that is even with turning off mediacodec and only having libstagefright turned on! yay!!!
http://xbmc.org/xbmc-13-0-gotham-beta-4/
http://mirrors.xbmc.org/releases/android/arm/
the beta4 announcement also said force update your repositories if you're having problems such as they're no longer staying up to date, or they're suddenly empty, etc.
http://wiki.xbmc.org/index.php?title=Add-on_manager#Force_refresh
they recommended this if you are coming from xbmc v12 (not spmc, it has its own separate file tree) or even if you are coming from earlier betas of v13.
tarvoke said:
v13 gotham beta4 release just came out (ok 2 days ago, I wasn't paying attention I guess). all my complaints about weird undescribable video motion are gone!
and that is even with turning off mediacodec and only having libstagefright turned on! yay!!!
http://xbmc.org/xbmc-13-0-gotham-beta-4/
http://mirrors.xbmc.org/releases/android/arm/
the beta4 announcement also said force update your repositories if you're having problems such as they're no longer staying up to date, or they're suddenly empty, etc.
http://wiki.xbmc.org/index.php?title=Add-on_manager#Force_refresh
they recommended this if you are coming from xbmc v12 (not spmc, it has its own separate file tree) or even if you are coming from earlier betas of v13.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also read that you can install SPMC and XBMC side-by-side due to the unique installation paths and libraries. I may try out the latest Gotham release, but I've been very happy with the performance of SPMC so far.
I really just need the ability to add a shortcut to the main menu, in either "Recent" or "Apps" etc for it to be convenient to access.
archa1c said:
I also read that you can install SPMC and XBMC side-by-side due to the unique installation paths and libraries. I may try out the latest Gotham release, but I've been very happy with the performance of SPMC so far.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you got it, they won't step on each other because all the resources and binaries are separated into com.semperax.spmc and org.xmbc.xbmc. which is also a nice way to keep testing v12 vs v13 simultaneously...
although now that the motion-blur-weirdness-but-thats-not-exactly-it, is gone from gotham beta4, I am done with spmc (I could still never figure out why it broke so many buttons of the 360 controller, and I spent hours with keymap xmls and junk, ugh. whereas gotham always worked 100% fine. they both must have built-in keymaps you don't even see in their filetrees, or something)
archa1c said:
I really just need the ability to add a shortcut to the main menu, in either "Recent" or "Apps" etc for it to be convenient to access.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah it doesn't bother me enough to reinstall nova launcher and mess with Llama.
but, recent, man that would be perfect. until now I was not a big fan of recent-type-behavior (sure, sometimes in the start menu in linux or windows, ok...) - but now with firetv it is awesome.
like, my watchlist menu is turning into some huge unholy mess. but the recent menu is serene and shows me exactly what I was doing: "why yes, sir, latest indications show that you were halfway through season 4 of sg1, and you were also using Plex around the same time".
of course they also jam those stupid semi-ads in the recent menu, so for that, screw 'em.
Something you can try is using the app "llama" to start XBMC whenever a certain program is lauched. For me, I have XBMC start whenever I open the app "Tubi TV". I just chose an app on the store that had an icon I could remember and set it up.
Works very well for me.
Nick0742 said:
Something you can try is using the app "llama" to start XBMC whenever a certain program is lauched. For me, I have XBMC start whenever I open the app "Tubi TV". I just chose an app on the store that had an icon I could remember and set it up.
Works very well for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Would you be open to sharing exactly how you set this up?
What I can't figure out is how to use the library plugins to index both movies and shows. I have my entire collection in a single folder. Right now I can only enable either one or the other in XBMC. Is there a way to do both at the same time?
Try just adding the same path a second time, except denote it as a different media type the second type.
Not sure if XBMC will reject that or not since you've already added it once as a different content type (TV, movies etc)
Sent from my unknown using Tapatalk 2
solo said:
What I can't figure out is how to use the library plugins to index both movies and shows. I have my entire collection in a single folder. Right now I can only enable either one or the other in XBMC. Is there a way to do both at the same time?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just verified that you can add the same path twice.
The first time, select a "TV Shows" scraper to have it scan TV show content for your library.
The second time, select the 'Movies" scraper to scrape and add Movie content from that directory to your library.
You will likely have some issues with some shows importing to your movie library, and some movies importing to your tv shows due to common names between both (example- Transformers movies will probably get scanner by the TV scraper and add the Transformers tv show series to your TV library).
Aside from these unavoidable duplicate scraping issues, all of your content should load.
I recommend braking our your library into separate directories for "TV Shows" and "Movies".
An easy way to do this is to install Sickbeard to automatically scan and move your TV Shows to a new directory, leaving just movies in your current media directory.
archa1c said:
I just verified that you can add the same path twice.
The first time, select a "TV Shows" scraper to have it scan TV show content for your library.
The second time, select the 'Movies" scraper to scrape and add Movie content from that directory to your library.
You will likely have some issues with some shows importing to your movie library, and some movies importing to your tv shows due to common names between both (example- Transformers movies will probably get scanner by the TV scraper and add the Transformers tv show series to your TV library).
Aside from these unavoidable duplicate scraping issues, all of your content should load.
I recommend braking our your library into separate directories for "TV Shows" and "Movies".
An easy way to do this is to install Sickbeard to automatically scan and move your TV Shows to a new directory, leaving just movies in your current media directory.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually tried that same tactic before and it didn't work (Frodo). I am going to install Gotham today anyway, will try again.
My setup is that I download via utorrent and when completed, the files are moved to a single folder storage drive mounted on my RT-N66U. XBMC then reads the files from there... I'll look into sickbeard, thanks!
Has anybody tried LiveTV with tvheadend? It does work for me, but I am only able to use the channel that is already tuned. As soon as I try to switch to a different channel then XBMC crashes. It works fine on my Android phone, therefore it must be something with it running on the FireTV.
Gesendet von meinem Nexus 5 mit Tapatalk
Maybe a dumb question but how do i install .zip plugins downloaded from my computer?
NVM reading is my friend...
vogli said:
Has anybody tried LiveTV with tvheadend? It does work for me, but I am only able to use the channel that is already tuned. As soon as I try to switch to a different channel then XBMC crashes. It works fine on my Android phone, therefore it must be something with it running on the FireTV.
Gesendet von meinem Nexus 5 mit Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Am testing with TVH.
Opening a channel is ok, HD or SD (h264 1080i without deinterlace).
Zapping is an issue, no crash but video gets very choppy like 4fps sounds is ok. Stop and Play fixes the issue.
Is the XBMC Ouya still the best xbmc for fire tv atm ?
c0mm0n said:
Is the XBMC Ouya still the best xbmc for fire tv atm ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, the full 13.1 release for Android ARM from the main is best.
Thx !
Any special tip/setup on hw decoding ?
So bare with me here....
I ordered one and it should be getting here Thursday.
Just want to get the apps ready to sideload.
Not sure what apps to get other than the basics.
Also want to make sure they work on the fire tv stick.
I have: Dramafever,VIKI,XMBC(KODI) ready to be sent via Fire TV utility.
Don't own an android phone, so not too sure what I need to side-load and what is easily available.
The main reason for buying it is: 1. cancelling cable 2. no dramafever app on my windows phone.
So, please post whatever apps you deem useful below.(to use on fire tv/stick)
side note: Is xmbc hard to use? Heard I need to jump through hoops for some addons/channels to install.
jms_209 said:
So bare with me here....
I ordered one and it should be getting here Thursday.
Just want to get the apps ready to sideload.
Not sure what apps to get other than the basics.
Also want to make sure they work on the fire tv stick.
I have: Dramafever,VIKI,XMBC(KODI) ready to be sent via Fire TV utility.
Don't own an android phone, so not too sure what I need to side-load and what is easily available.
The main reason for buying it is: 1. cancelling cable 2. no dramafever app on my windows phone.
So, please post whatever apps you deem useful below.(to use on fire tv/stick)
side note: Is xmbc hard to use? Heard I need to jump through hoops for some addons/channels to install.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no jumping through hoops with XBMC/Kodi. Everything installs perfectly, and all addons and repos install the same way. You can either manually install through zip files or by looking through the addon list from repos, but everything installs, and there is not one addon that installs a different way than the next addon. Its the same process for everything. The difficulty level of using XBMC/Kodi is extremely low. Unless you were cancelling your cable to begin with, XBMC is not a replacement for cable or sat service. Do not believe all the people selling android systems that say its like having cable, cause its not. Xbmc is more like bootleg cable service. You can watch just about anything, but do not expect to watch all your favorite live channels, cause its not gonna happen. In the past few years I have actually started watching mostly russian channels with english audio, cause they are much easier to find and way more stable then american channels are using XBMC. Basically ilive is the best thing going for american live tv and they are trying to force everyone to pay, so using XBMC for ilive is basically useless now since they started blocking IPs. So waching everything is possible, but usually only if you do not plan on catching it live, usless its a sporting event then you can always watch them live with XBMC. Essentail apps are really what you want. Viki and Dramafever do work with the Fire TV.
KOdi with Genesis plugin (add shows to library and turn on auto mode)
AEON Nox skin for xbmc. - looks soo much nicer than confluence (defualt)
Retroboxtv - Multi game system emulator with on demand ~640 game rom library built in.
Popcorntime - they assured me the next release should have remote support
playboxhd -just like popcorntime but using streams instead of torrents. - also waiting on proper remote support. most works now but need mouse to enable fullscreen.
STB emulator - Mag250 IPTV emulator with nfps server (think FTA Satellite without the dish)
FiredTV- Alternate app launcher for sideloaded apps.
AFTlauncherhelper - remaps the home button to whatever app you want.
Llama - used to hijack icons in the AFTV menu to run sideloaded apps.
blapktmarket - alternate app store (with paid apps for free)
adbfire - app for your pc/mac to aid in sideloading and performing multiple other tweaks
If getting a game controller, go for the nyko playpad pro. it can switch between gamepad and mouse mode.. and can be found for as little as 16 bux on amazon
Thanks for the input!
Which emulators are working on fire TV stick. GBA is what I'll likely play.
I will mostly be watching WWE and sports(NBA,NFL).
Might get the $20 a month Sling TV. Which has TNT and ESPN for games.
Just need a reliable way to watch at-least wwe programming.
I don't need it live, since I usually record it, then watch it.
Any channels/addons that are specific for wrestling shows?
I found this guide online. It's a step by step guide on how to install Kodi with addons pre-installed. It comes with all the important addons. Takes around 25 minutes to install. Hope it helps. It's compiled in a 400mb rar folder. Feel free to share. Apparently it was on sale somewhere but Kodi is free and no one should pay for this as a service.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/z6o6yxdmlb0tpzg/Amazon Fire TV Kodi Setup.rar?dl=0
Also CartoonHd, Showbox and PopcornTime. I personally hate kodi but people seem to love it. I use these apps for my content, plus amazon prime, Netflix, hulu and xfinity.
Sent from my SPH-L600 using XDA Free mobile app
porkenhimer said:
There is no jumping through hoops with XBMC/Kodi. Everything installs perfectly, and all addons and repos install the same way. You can either manually install through zip files or by looking through the addon list from repos, but everything installs, and there is not one addon that installs a different way than the next addon. Its the same process for everything. The difficulty level of using XBMC/Kodi is extremely low. Unless you were cancelling your cable to begin with, XBMC is not a replacement for cable or sat service. Do not believe all the people selling android systems that say its like having cable, cause its not. Xbmc is more like bootleg cable service. You can watch just about anything, but do not expect to watch all your favorite live channels, cause its not gonna happen. In the past few years I have actually started watching mostly russian channels with english audio, cause they are much easier to find and way more stable then american channels are using XBMC. Basically ilive is the best thing going for american live tv and they are trying to force everyone to pay, so using XBMC for ilive is basically useless now since they started blocking IPs. So waching everything is possible, but usually only if you do not plan on catching it live, usless its a sporting event then you can always watch them live with XBMC. Essentail apps are really what you want. Viki and Dramafever do work with the Fire TV.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its just like cable to me since i got xfinity log in which I get live channels on...
But your right it isnt like cable, its BETTER then cable!
---------- Post added at 08:50 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:45 PM ----------
psycon said:
KOdi with Genesis plugin (add shows to library and turn on auto mode)
AEON Nox skin for xbmc. - looks soo much nicer than confluence (defualt)
Retroboxtv - Multi game system emulator with on demand ~640 game rom library built in.
Popcorntime - they assured me the next release should have remote support
playboxhd -just like popcorntime but using streams instead of torrents. - also waiting on proper remote support. most works now but need mouse to enable fullscreen.
STB emulator - Mag250 IPTV emulator with nfps server (think FTA Satellite without the dish)
FiredTV- Alternate app launcher for sideloaded apps.
AFTlauncherhelper - remaps the home button to whatever app you want.
Llama - used to hijack icons in the AFTV menu to run sideloaded apps.
blapktmarket - alternate app store (with paid apps for free)
adbfire - app for your pc/mac to aid in sideloading and performing multiple other tweaks
If getting a game controller, go for the nyko playpad pro. it can switch between gamepad and mouse mode.. and can be found for as little as 16 bux on amazon
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do you enable full screen within playboxhd.. I have it installed but its sideways
psycon said:
KOdi with Genesis plugin (add shows to library and turn on auto mode)
AEON Nox skin for xbmc. - looks soo much nicer than confluence (defualt)
Retroboxtv - Multi game system emulator with on demand ~640 game rom library built in.
Popcorntime - they assured me the next release should have remote support
playboxhd -just like popcorntime but using streams instead of torrents. - also waiting on proper remote support. most works now but need mouse to enable fullscreen.
STB emulator - Mag250 IPTV emulator with nfps server (think FTA Satellite without the dish)
FiredTV- Alternate app launcher for sideloaded apps.
AFTlauncherhelper - remaps the home button to whatever app you want.
Llama - used to hijack icons in the AFTV menu to run sideloaded apps.
blapktmarket - alternate app store (with paid apps for free)
adbfire - app for your pc/mac to aid in sideloading and performing multiple other tweaks
If getting a game controller, go for the nyko playpad pro. it can switch between gamepad and mouse mode.. and can be found for as little as 16 bux on amazon
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any more info in the STB emulator? How do i set this up?
sandstorm77 said:
Any more info in the STB emulator? How do i set this up?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
read this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/fire-tv/general/configure-iptv-fire-tv-watch-live-tv-t3025765
cpugeeker said:
Its just like cable to me since i got xfinity log in which I get live channels on...
But your right it isnt like cable, its BETTER then cable!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What app/addon are you using to access Xfinity?
xm41907 said:
What app/addon are you using to access Xfinity?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sideloaded android Xfinity app. You got to have a subscription to xfinity or know somebody that has it
Hi all
What is auto mode on genesis? I've got to manually update genesis folders for new tv episodes to show. How can I change this?
Thanks
i still seem to have to manually update my library as well.. auto mode is in genesis >tools > General i think (im at work)... it does not auto-update the library , what it does it remove the source selection screen and instead plays you whichever stream works.... when youdo this and map the genesis library to your xbmc library, this makes all your streams appear to work as if they were local content...
in genesis >tools. look which folders genesis is using for TV and movies. and write them down.. then in XBMC go to video >add folder.. and type those folders in word for word. one for movies, one for tv. and set up your scrapers accordingly.
Ah ok thanks for that.
Does anyone know how we can get the genesis folders to update automatically
cpugeeker said:
Sideloaded android Xfinity app. You got to have a subscription to xfinity or know somebody that has it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The official Xfinity TV Go app?
xm41907 said:
The official Xfinity TV Go app?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes
i just brought this thing just for youtube tv and i cant seem to find the app to watch tv ... any way get this to work before i return it ?
basically, i want it to work like it was a tablet so i can use the remote to switch over the channels
If the app is not available in the Play Store of Android TV then you can download it from:
http://www.apkmirror.com/?post_type=app_release&searchtype=apk&s=youtube+tv
sideload it and install it. You must enable Unknown Sources.
There are many videos that shows you how to do that and install sideloaded apps.
However, once done it could or not work properly, the service and app are very new.
Sent from my Tapatalk beta Hub
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Doesn't work right
The app runs in portrait mode, and only accepts the left/right directional keys. This means you can't actually watch any channels or recordings.