Hi all.
I've played with XBMC a little in the past but nothing too in depth. When I saw the Fire TV come out I ordered day one. My main goal is to completely replace all my Windows Media Center machines and switch to XBMC + Fire TV for each location in my house. The reason for this change is I believe that it will be easier to add-on a few features i've been missing with my WMC setup.
So far ive loaded XBMC and configured it. I repurposed a WMC to be my TV/DVR server in the basement using PVR.WMC. I found a few tricks and this is now functioning as my whole house DVR.
My main issues that need addressing are as follows:
Add "Fire TV" apps to XBMC main menu (Amazon Prime movies, Netflix, and Pandora)
Remote Music Channels from the PVR menu in PVC.WMC
BluRay playback
I have all my DVDs/BRs stored in ISO format on a NAS in my basement. DVDs are fine. BR is a challenge. Am I better off converting to MKV? Does anyone know a way to make a library that is also shared with PLEX?
According to this wiki
http://wiki.xbmc.org/index.php?title=Amazon_Fire_TV
It is possible to add android apps to the xbmc menu if you are using Gotham. I tried doing it and as soon as I went to android application xbmc 13 final just crashes to the fire TV main menu.
nba1341 said:
According to this wiki
http://wiki.xbmc.org/index.php?title=Amazon_Fire_TV
It is possible to add android apps to the xbmc menu if you are using Gotham. I tried doing it and as soon as I went to android application xbmc 13 final just crashes to the fire TV main menu.
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im having the same issue. it would be a perfect box for me iff i can load the streaming services that are built in (netflix, amazon prime, hulu, pandora) from XBMC.
personally i can skip the entire Fire TV menu and live in XBMC if i can load the very nice a pretty customized fire tv apps from XBMC. kinda like using XBMC as a launcher
KCHASE731 said:
im having the same issue. it would be a perfect box for me iff i can load the streaming services that are built in (netflix, amazon prime, hulu, pandora) from XBMC.
personally i can skip the entire Fire TV menu and live in XBMC if i can load the very nice a pretty customized fire tv apps from XBMC. kinda like using XBMC as a launcher
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Wonder if it's just a problem with the final version. I am running a older version and I am able to load android apps just fine.
ahoslc said:
Wonder if it's just a problem with the final version. I am running a older version and I am able to load android apps just fine.
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What version are you running? are you able to load the Fire TV versions of the apps from XBMC?
ahoslc said:
Wonder if it's just a problem with the final version. I am running a older version and I am able to load android apps just fine.
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I will have to check when I go home it's like a week or 2 old. I can launch all the apps except for Amazon Prime.
What's up with Netflix on the FTV? I can't select genres, new releases, etc. Did Amazon put a dumbed-down version on FTV to drive users to Prime? Is there any way to put a different version of Netflix on FTV?
KindofBlues71 said:
Mods: I thought I posted this in Fire TV Q&A, please move it there. Thanks!
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You can sideload the standard app from the play store.. but imho the one inluded is superior in that it delivers HD video (i have even got some 1080p movies recently) and DD5.1 sound which no other android app does.
mastafunk said:
You can sideload the standard app from the play store.. but imho the one inluded is superior in that it delivers HD video (i have even got some 1080p movies recently) and DD5.1 sound which no other android app does.
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Exactly.. It does full hd videos at 5800kbps & 5.1 sound. Other android Netflix apps won't be able to do it (not to my knowledge at least). Also, its the same version which goes on other media players & blu-ray players.
I personally like Roku 3 Netflix interface better, looks very polished IMHO but it lacks few features which this one has like Play from beginning
The app on FTV is the same interface as on my Sony Bravia TV.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk
Does Netflix stream in HD on the Fire HD and HDX?
The version on my Kindle Fires have genres listed in a menu, so I guess I'll just have to navigate with my HDX first.
The Netflix interface on my Vizio TV has a menu listing my queue, New Releases, Newly Added, Genres and Search.
ok i had the fire tv first gen which i sold, the issue i had was that bbc iplayer and other apps would freeze/not buffer until i disconneced kodi/plex often i had to restart for it to work. is this still the case with fire tv 2?
can i put kodi on the homescreen??? ive read that llama doesnt work?
can the amazon fire tv be rooted/jailbroken, any benefits of this
does amazon fire tv 2 have infrared?
can amazon fire tv 2 autoboot to kodi? and if i want to go back to normal apps is that possible i.e. bbc iplayer
i dont use amazon content at all!!
thank you
You can autoboot to Kodi or even better launch it with the home button courtesy of Firestarter. Forget about Llama.
Get this app first:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2786505
And load this:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/fire-tv/themes-apps/app-root-home-launcher-replacement-app-t3118135
Then get Kodi:
http://kodi.tv
I recommend going straight to the 16 Alpha:
http://kodi.tv/kodi-16-0-alpha-4-jarvis-nearing-completion/
It's all very straight forward.
what about any other issues? is playback smooth faster then the original
kyrusdemnati said:
what about any other issues? is playback smooth faster then the original
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It's much improved. Plays everything I've thrown at it.
Navigation is slightly slower with the new remote. There are some outstanding surround sound issues that Amazon has promised to fix.
thanks guys
still waiting delivery i hope there is no buffering/freezing issue if i open two video apps
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?
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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.
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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.
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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
A while back, if I recall correctly, at one time the Flixster app allowed us to watch movies in our UltraViolet collection, albeit in a lower resolution, but later the app was changed and didn't play movies back...
While I don't have many Ultraviolet movies, I have a few, so I was disappointed not having a way to play them back on my Fire TVs.
I haven't seen it mentioned, but I can confirm that sideloading the "Vudu Movies & TV (Android TV) 4.1.15.40985" app from apkmirror DOES work on my Fire TV 2nd Gens to access and play my Ultraviolet movie collection. http://www.apkmirror.com/apk/vudu/v...du-movies-tv-android-tv-4-1-15-40985-release/
The playback shows HDX (on the screen). The box in my living room (connected to 10+ year old Pioneer Elite VSX-21 receiver... HDMI audio is split to optical via a box from Monoprice) gives me DD5.1 per the Pioneer. For the box in my bedroom, which is connected via HDMI directly to my Sony XBR-43X800D, when I hit the INFO button on the TV's remote, the TV says Dolby Digital Plus. (I don't have a DD+ capable receiver)
The app itself shows under "my apps" or when you hold the home button down and get to your apps. I haven't seen it pop up to the "recent" section yet.
Unfortunately this seems to only work on my 2nd Gen Fire TV Boxes, not my first gen boxes....
My 1st gen with OS 5.2.4.1, the app installs, shows under the "manage applications" list, but not on the normal menus, or the apps list when you hold the home button on the remote. You can launch it from "manage applications" It runs, I can sign in, and start a movie. Unfortunately it says "SD" but I never see video, and only hear audio.
My other 1st gen box didn't get 5.2.4.1 OS update yet. The Vudu app doesn't show under "manage applications" nor does it show on the menus. I have Appstarter installed on that box. IT does show the Vudu app. Just like the 1st gen box with 5.2.4.1, it seems to indicate only "SD" video, and attempts to play result in audio only, no video.
So it looks like this doesn't work on my 1st gen boxes, only my 2nd gen boxes.
Well, one of my 1st gen sticks is on 5.0.5 with the Android TV play store installed. From there, I installed the Vudu Movies & TV app. This showed up alongside the rest of the apps in the different menus, FireStarter (except for recents). Only have one movie on there so far, but I think that purchase was in "SD" anyway. Seems to play back as expected. Guess I would assume this to work on the 1st gen box the same way, unless something odd is going on with the newer Fire OS versions or root access?
EDIT: Seems to work fine after all.
This is an awesome development. Has anyone tried this with a second gen Fire Stick? First gen apparently doesn't work.
Thanks for this!
Confirmed working on a 2nd gen fire TV, with no issues that I can see.
I tried installing this on my new Fire TV (non-Stick) and I keep getting an error when trying to install. Can anyone provide assistance on getting this up and running? I find it odd there isn't an official Vudu app for Fire TV.
New update for Vudu?
In was able to run the side loaded app on my Fire tv box for a few months perfectly. Now, the app tells me I'm using an old version and to update. But if I try to update in the app it states it is trying to open a link to an external market that is not available on the device and if want to go to the app store instead, which fails.
Is there a new version that works I can side load? The newest versions on apkmirror all fail installation.
Thank you!
September 2017 Fix for Vudu on Fire TV
Hey all,
After getting the message that I was running an old version of Vudu, needing to reinstall it, I uninstalled my Vudu app, went back into ES File Explorer and couldn't open Dropbox for some reason. Weird. Searched for a new version of Vudu on my phone and found it at apkmirror. Look for this file version of Vudu. 4.1.21.51938
I uploaded it using One drive because it didn't give me an error like Dropbox did on the Fire TV ES File Explorer. Download and installed the file from the One drive section of ES File Explorer under the Network--Cloud tab. Vudu is super fast now. Love it. Trust me, it works.
Good luck!
Thanks for the update! After a bit of dorking around, installing a new transfer and install app, I finally got the new version on and working.
Thanks!
Vudu not sideloading 2nd gen FireTV
I tried all the apk listed above and they are not working. I am getting an error on install. I can use app2fire to install app from my android, but its unusable, every is squished. i have attached the error
You dont need VUDU app if you use the MOVIES ANYWHERE app that can link to your VUDU account and play all the movies. The only catch is that you can not download your movies to your FIRE TV with MOVIES ANYWHERE, as it can play the stream only.
Movies anywhere won't play all your movies. At least not yet. A couple of pretty big studios, MGM, Lionsgate, don't support it, so their movies don't show up in the app. And likewise, no TV show support in the movies anywhere system either. There is no Vudu substitute period. But the Android TV app does work, near flawlessly on the second and third gen fire TV devices. You just have to make sure you have the newest version installed at all times. For some reason Vudu kills access to their service for older versions of the app.
Just some follow up since I've been away from this thread for a while...
1. I've seen a few posts mentioning to just use MoviesAnywhere (MA). Keep in mind, this thread was started BEFORE MoviesAnywhere, back when it was still DISNEY Movies Anywhere which only supported Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars movies, and linking your Disney library to iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, or Google Play.
2. With the advent of MA, while it connects to UltraViolet (UV) compatible services like Vudu, MA only supports 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures, Disney and Warner Bros. It does not support Paramount, MGM, Lionsgate and possibly others. MA it does NOT support UV directly.
3. The only UV movies that will show in MA are those that are marked as both UV and MA compatible... For example, visit Vudu and look at the listings for Terminator: Genisys or Transformers: Age of Extinction.. they are marked UV, but not MA. Movies like this do NOT show in MA, nor across the linked services like Amazon, Google Play, iTunes, etc. for playback, and therefore a UV compatible app/service like Vudu or FandangoNOW must be used to play them. As a result, I have quite a few UV movies that I could not play without Vudu or FandangoNow apps on my Fire TV. Compare that to the Vudu listing of Ready Player One, where you'll see both the UV and MA markings. Movies marked like this ARE available across services. They can be watched in any service linked to MA such as Vudu, iTunes, Google Play, Amazon, FandangoNow, etc.
4. The Android TV Vudu app works to watch any UV or MA movie in your linked libraries, even the UV only titles that are not available via MA.
5. Since the initial post, Vudu still doesn't show under Recent Apps on my FireTV's menu... But it continues to show under Apps & Channels, and you can move its icon anywhere. I moved it to my 2nd app, so its the main Fire TV home screen.
As mentioned in the OP, I have two different 2nd Gen Fire TV boxes. Here are the versions of the Vudu app I've been using on them.
On my 2nd Gen Fire TV Box connected to 1080p TV... this newer version of Vudu works fine for SD/HDX (UHD is not an option due to the TV) and also provides 5.1 audio per my Pioneer Elite VSX-21 receiver (see OP)
air.com.vudu.air.DownloaderTablet_4.1.45.96620-1236620_minAPI21(armeabi-v7a)(nodpi)_apkmirror.com.apk
https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/vudu/...android-tv-4-1-45-96620-android-apk-download/
On my 2nd Gen Fire TV Box connected to UHD TV... this version works and also plays UHD/4K movies... (as mentioned in the OP, this box is only connected to the TV, and its info display says Dolby Digital Plus)
air.com.vudu.air.DownloaderTablet_4.1.23.60526-1200526_minAPI21(armeabi-v7a)(nodpi)_apkmirror.com.apk
https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/vudu/...android-tv-4-1-23-60526-android-apk-download/
NOTE: when I tried 4.1.45.96620-1236620 on my 2nd Gen Fire TV connected to UHD TV, it failed to play UHD movies. They looked like they were starting to play, but they immediately exited back to the previous menu. So I rolled back to 4.1.23.60526-1200526 which still works for SD/HDX/UHD movies. I have not tried any other more recent versions, and likely wont until 4.1.23.60526-1200526 stops working.
I have not done any further testing on my Gen 1 Fire TV boxes.
zhzaen said:
I tried all the apk listed above and they are not working. I am getting an error on install. I can use app2fire to install app from my android, but its unusable, every is squished. i have attached the error
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I don't know if you ever got this fixed... but I'm using ADB from my PC to push the APK to my Fire TV's. I haven't tried pushing from my Android Phone.
Another update... So I got a FireTV Cube recently... and loaded up air.com.vudu.air.DownloaderTablet_4.2.52.110309-1250309_minAPI21(armeabi-v7a)(nodpi)_apkmirror.com.apk
From -> https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/vudu/...ndroid-tv-4-2-52-110309-android-apk-download/
VUDU app reports 4K UHD HDR10 and ATMOS on most/all of my 4K movies I stream. My Pioneer VSX LX103 receiver reports the video signal input is 4K(3840x2160)59hz YCbCr420 30bit while the movies are playing. The cube is set for Auto up to 4K, Frame Rate matching on, Color Depth up to 12bit, and Color format as YCbCr
KidJoe said:
Another update... So I got a FireTV Cube recently... and loaded up air.com.vudu.air.DownloaderTablet_4.2.52.110309-1250309_minAPI21(armeabi-v7a)(nodpi)_apkmirror.com.apk
From -> https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/vudu/...ndroid-tv-4-2-52-110309-android-apk-download/
VUDU app reports 4K UHD HDR10 and ATMOS on most/all of my 4K movies I stream. My Pioneer VSX LX103 receiver reports the video signal input is 4K(3840x2160)59hz YCbCr420 30bit while the movies are playing. The cube is set for Auto up to 4K, Frame Rate matching on, Color Depth up to 12bit, and Color format as YCbCr
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Tried the latest version that I have installed on my phone 5.5 something and it was pretty hard trying to get logged in. Ended up loading the above version on my fire tv cube and it worked right away.
Update on the new 4K Fire TV stick w/HDR and DV support...
With the new 4K Fire TV stick connected to my (new) Sony XBR65X900F TV (the TV supports 4K, HDR and DV), Vudu can be sideloaded and work, but it also seems I need to be using a wired ethernet adapter or I get errors when trying to start playing a movie.
I'm using 4.1.23.60526.... It DOES do DV/ATMOS/UHD when the 4K Stick is connected to my Sony XRB65X900F in the family room. If I then move the stick (with that same Vudu installed) to my Sony XBR43X800D in the bedroom which supports 4K and HDR, but NOT DV, the Vudu app shows 4K/HDR/ATMOS for movies.
The stick is set for resolution Auto up to 4K, Frame Rate matching on, Color Depth up to 12bit, Color format as YCbCr, and Dynamic Range as Adaptive.
air.com.vudu.air.DownloaderTablet_4.1.23.60526-1200526_minAPI21(armeabi-v7a)(nodpi)_apkmirror.com.apk
https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/vudu/...android-tv-4-1-23-60526-android-apk-download/