Develop Bugs

[Q] Porting Android TV to Amazon Fire TV

Does anyone know how this can be done?

Not yet. AFAIK android tv isn't released.
The fact of the custom recovery doesn't get around the locked bootloader, either. There are approaches to the problem which have been used on other devices, but last I looked this device was rootable (in its early generation) but not yet upgradeable.

roustabout said:
Not yet. AFAIK android tv isn't released.
The fact of the custom recovery doesn't get around the locked bootloader, either. There are approaches to the problem which have been used on other devices, but last I looked this device was rootable (in its early generation) but not yet upgradeable.
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its just getting someone with the know how and want to take it on. Someone has ported it to the ouya.. the port uses cm11 as a base then u flash the android tv package over top, i read its buggy as heck tho and a wip to get things functioning.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/ouya/general/rom-android-tv-ouya-t2895293

nhumber said:
its just getting someone with the know how and want to take it on. Someone has ported it to the ouya.. the port uses cm11 as a base then u flash the android tv package over top, i read its buggy as heck tho and a wip to get things functioning.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/ouya/general/rom-android-tv-ouya-t2895293
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I did try a quick and dirty port of ADT-1 and it was a massive failure. I may take a look at this at some point.

nhumber said:
its just getting someone with the know how and want to take it on. Someone has ported it to the ouya.. the port uses cm11 as a base then u flash the android tv package over top, i read its buggy as heck tho and a wip to get things functioning.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/ouya/general/rom-android-tv-ouya-t2895293
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buggy as heck and wip - and on a device with an unlockable bootloader and a lot of folks who bought via kickstarter intending to mod it.
no disrespect to the folks who are working their butts off on the ftv, but you rarely
get a solid cm11 daily driver even with an unlocked device right away, with only one dev working - and that's with cm, where there are a lot of good build guides and a userbase ready to help test and get logs.
with the ftv, look at the number of folks complaining about xbmc on the box.
xbmc works extremely well and with root makes a viable launcher replacement. its my launcher on the system, and I'm beyond pleased with it, given that the system is completely different in use than what the vendor intended.
does it get stuck now and again? yep.
I paid how much for xbmc? for root?
some of the tone here would be fine in a vendor's support forums, but posting about how there's trial and error and glitches in a dev forum?
now, think how much fun it'd be to have a wip rom posted here and need to patiently wade through folks acting like they were entitled to bug-free consumer grade software at no cost and with zero elbow grease involved in setting it up...

No tones or complaining here.. Just was answering the question. Is it possible? Yes. How? I stated how it was done on the ouya. The unlocked bootloader is irrelevant since we have a workaround from rbox, who I'm greatly appreciative of.

Confused

so am i right in thinkink there is nothing i can do to root my fire tv ? thanks in advance for the replies guys as this question has probably been asked tons of times
software version 51.1.4.0_user_514006420
if root is not possible at the moment does anyone know if it will be in the future, also should i update the firmware to the latest version or block it and wait for a root fix, would updating it to the latest version be a bad idea

Guide to all your questions
aftvnews.com/start/ (sorry not able to post links yet)
Go here. It will have a step by step guide on how to start the setup process and see if you have a rootable version.

amazon angy
looks like i don't have a rootable version which blows, will be getting sent right back, why would amazon go backwards doing everything they can to stop people rooting the device and literally making it 10x what it is without being rooted, so its basically still there equipment even though i payed for it and i own it but yet they can still do what they please via ota updates ie, bricking the device if root detected, bunch of plebs, makes me so mad... f-u amazon

noobftw said:
looks like i don't have a rootable version which blows, will be getting sent right back, why would amazon go backwards doing everything they can to stop people rooting the device and literally making it 10x what it is without being rooted, so its basically still there equipment even though i payed for it and i own it but yet they can still do what they please via ota updates ie, bricking the device if root detected, bunch of plebs, makes me so mad... f-u amazon
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You must block updates at the time you unbox your FireTV. If you set it up without blocking updates it will update to unRootable FW..

My unit came with an ''at this moment in time" an unrootable firmware version

noobftw said:
My unit came with an ''at this moment in time" an unrootable firmware version
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Where did you buy/receive it from ? Only UK/GER FTV's are shipping like that. That we know off... Did you block IP's at time of setup ?

noobftw said:
...why would amazon go backwards doing everything they can to stop people rooting the device and literally making it 10x what it is without being rooted, so its basically still there equipment even though i payed for it and i own it but yet they can still do what they please via ota updates ie, bricking the device if root detected, bunch of plebs, makes me so mad... f-u amazon
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They do it because too many noobs are trying to root it and actually brick it, then they return it saying it doesn't work only to turn around and attempt it again. Of course, I don't mean anyone here.

Blocked it via my Asus router before I even turned it on and I purchased it of Amazon buddy, it would of been awesome with xbmc on it to

Some 1 will find a fix for getting the new firmware rooted, a lot of clever peeps out there, I'm not 1 of them lol

noobftw said:
Blocked it via my Asus router before I even turned it on and I purchased it of Amazon buddy, it would of been awesome with xbmc on it to
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You can install xbmc without it having root...

noobftw said:
Blocked it via my Asus router before I even turned it on and I purchased it of Amazon buddy, it would of been awesome with xbmc on it to
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Easy fix if you have all the packaging... Buy one from BestBuy or Staples. Make sure it's Rootable. Return the one you got from amazon to the local store. Or just order another one from Amazon before the current price which Ends December 28. And then send back the unRootable one. Done.

whats the best version of xbmc to install as there is a new version juts release called kodi 14.0 helix?
can i install google play store without root ? thanks all
im new to xbmc, can some1 help me out on streaming content from my windows 7 computer to xbmc on the fire tv, not sure which method to use or of which i can use, upnp, nfs or smb, would like all meta data and movie tv show description if possible, thanks inm advance

noobftw said:
why would amazon go backwards doing everything they can to stop people rooting the device and literally making it 10x what it is without being rooted
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Quite possibly because it takes about $93 USD to manufacture & assemble an AFTB. They are dependant upon sales of services/software/goods to make it profitable. A strategy not unlike what they (and others) have done with other hardware....Sony PS3 was a prime example of this strategy where the company actually accepted a loss on all early model sales.
If/when users root and install Google Play related services (or really ANY alternative to their offerings) Amazon's chances of any financial gain are drastically reduced. Not to say root is necessary to install Play Store & whatnot, more so custom roms that don't market amazon products do require it.
Imagine if retailers were allowed to do that....just lock you in or hijack your browser. Not allowing you to shop at their competition. Guess they just figure indentured customers are better than no customers.

[Q] Any new roots?

I was curious to know if there were any new roots for the FireTV? I'm running 51.1.4.3 and from what it says on aftvnews, this version cannot be rooted. With that said, any version higher than 51.1.2.0 can't be rooted.
Any ideas on to why this is? And if there are alternatives to their method? Or, can I down grade to the supported software to allow a root?
Thank you!

No we cannot root newer firmwares.No you cannot downgrade unless you are already rooted. I think our best chance of finding root for the Fire TV is by upgrading the Android version to 4.4 or higher. I would love for Amazon to upgrade our firmware to Android 4.4+ for app compatibility issues, but I also think that it gives us a better chance of achieving root on newer firmwares. Amazon has Android 4.2.2 locked down and it would probably take a miracle to find an exploit for rooting. They have been using 4.2.2 for awhile and they have basically secured it from being rooted.

porkenhimer said:
No we cannot root newer firmwares.No you cannot downgrade unless you are already rooted. I think our best chance of finding root for the Fire TV is by upgrading the Android version to 4.4 or higher. I would love for Amazon to upgrade our firmware to Android 4.4+ for app compatibility issues, but I also think that it gives us a better chance of achieving root on newer firmwares. Amazon has Android 4.2.2 locked down and it would probably take a miracle to find an exploit for rooting. They have been using 4.2.2 for awhile and they have basically secured it from being rooted.
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Shoot, that's unfortunate to hear! I'll be keeping my fingers crossed hoping that they switch to 4.4+

Muscle Nerd said:
Shoot, that's unfortunate to hear! I'll be keeping my fingers crossed hoping that they switch to 4.4+
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i was thinking the same as your orignal post but for the TV STICK.
im tempted to try eroot's latest version. i know they have been able to exploit Lollipop recently but i read that the issue exists on previous versions too somewhere on xda. PingPong root for the samsung galaxy S6 uses this exploit too.
also as a company that doesn't rely on the google ecosystem, what advantage will they have by moving to a newer OS? for them, they are happy with their build. it does everything they want it to do and as the previous user said... they've got most of the exploits out

El_Nino9 said:
i was thinking the same as your orignal post but for the TV STICK.
im tempted to try eroot's latest version. i know they have been able to exploit Lollipop recently but i read that the issue exists on previous versions too somewhere on xda. PingPong root for the samsung galaxy S6 uses this exploit too.
also as a company that doesn't rely on the google ecosystem, what advantage will they have by moving to a newer OS? for them, they are happy with their build. it does everything they want it to do and as the previous user said... they've got most of the exploits out
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Exactly. I can't think of an argument for amazon wanting to upgrade the OS. Theres actually a very small fraction of users that buy these products and modify them. There's maybe an argument that newer set top boxes will compete with aftv (well that's a given) But IMO its likely they'd address that with a second generation unit. I haven't heard anything regarding this but sure its coming. Apple is about to release #4 which is their fourth box in what? --8 years? There are several roku boxes and aftv is over a year old. So it just seems logical we'll see a new aftv running a newer OS than we will see this console upgrade.
But obviously I hope I'm seeing this wrong.

KLit75 said:
Exactly. I can't think of an argument for amazon wanting to upgrade the OS. Theres actually a very small fraction of users that buy these products and modify them. There's maybe an argument that newer set top boxes will compete with aftv (well that's a given) But IMO its likely they'd address that with a second generation unit. I haven't heard anything regarding this but sure its coming. Apple is about to release #4 which is their fourth box in what? --8 years? There are several roku boxes and aftv is over a year old. So it just seems logical we'll see a new aftv running a newer OS than we will see this console upgrade.
But obviously I hope I'm seeing this wrong.
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There are several reason why they should upgrade to 4.4 or higher, Its real simple, when the apps that Amazon are using as their default Fire TV apps start to require Android 4.4 to install them, then they are no longer default Fire TV apps. It has already happened with several Fire TV apps. Wait til some of the big name apps that a lot of people use requires Android 4.4 and Amazon will have no choice to upgrade to 4.4+. If some of the developers of the more popular apps start requiring android 4.4 then amazon will upgrade quickly. Its gonna happen, cause never since I have been using Android has so many app developers required such a new version of Android to install so many apps. Just in the past couple months I have lost 20+ apps because they started requiring Android 4.4. The only thing I can figure out is that all the app companies are getting ready for Android M, cause there is a rumor that the apps for Android M will not be compatible with other versions of Android. There is also a rumor that Android M is going to let you choose which services you will let each app use when you install apps. Like if you were installing Facebook and no longer wanted facebook to have control of your contacts of location services, then you can just uncheck those option when you install the app. Who knows if the rumors are true, but if they are then Amazon will have to do something in terms of an upgrade. Its not unheard of for an OS to drop support on devices. Even Apple quits supporting their own devices rather quickly. Like if you take an old iphone or ipad and open the app store it will tell you no apps are compatibble because your version of ios is not new enough, and nothing can be installed because there is no newer updates from Apple. The same thing is gonna happen to the Fire TV if its not upgraded. Wait and see.

porkenhimer said:
There are several reason why they should upgrade to 4.4 or higher, Its real simple, when the apps that Amazon are using as their default Fire TV apps start to require Android 4.4 to install them, then they are no longer default Fire TV apps. It has already happened with several Fire TV apps. Wait til some of the big name apps that a lot of people use requires Android 4.4 and Amazon will have no choice to upgrade to 4.4+. If some of the developers of the more popular apps start requiring android 4.4 then amazon will upgrade quickly. Its gonna happen, cause never since I have been using Android has so many app developers required such a new version of Android to install so many apps. Just in the past couple months I have lost 20+ apps because they started requiring Android 4.4. The only thing I can figure out is that all the app companies are getting ready for Android M, cause there is a rumor that the apps for Android M will not be compatible with other versions of Android. There is also a rumor that Android M is going to let you choose which services you will let each app use when you install apps. Like if you were installing Facebook and no longer wanted facebook to have control of your contacts of location services, then you can just uncheck those option when you install the app. Who knows if the rumors are true, but if they are then Amazon will have to do something in terms of an upgrade. Its not unheard of for an OS to drop support on devices. Even Apple quits supporting their own devices rather quickly. Like if you take an old iphone or ipad and open the app store it will tell you no apps are compatibble because your version of ios is not new enough, and nothing can be installed because there is no newer updates from Apple. The same thing is gonna happen to the Fire TV if its not upgraded. Wait and see.
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That's a good point. I didn't consider the fact the aftv would become obsolete by not keeping up with the software. I was focusing on the hardware getting beaten by competition which might happen sooner given the boxes on the horizon. A year ago, you really didn't have many other affordable options to run kodi and apps like netflix in HD. Now you've got a few and more to come. I think a lot will have to do with timing. Amazon seems to listen to their customer base (not us in particular) but if the public embraces 4k more and the newer boxes start to take a bigger piece of the market...I'm just saying it'll be interesting.
It depends on Amazon's view from a business point--why do the customer's buy the product? Will Netflix be affected by running an older OS? (btw--to me the answer to that is it already is! I've been doing netflix instant streaming since it first started the service and i ran it solely on my laptop. AFTV to this day has the most netflix bugs out of all the devices I've ever used.) Amazon has the money to make a better box and make it cheaper than any other company I think. Apple seems to get it finally, but I doubt I'd be interested in that--if you complain about amazon's controlled ecosystem, they have nothing on apple. Doesn't matter because people buy apple and that only helps further the advancement of android tv type boxes.
Don't get me wrong. I hope you're 100% right and the OS gets upgraded ASAP but even if that's inevitable, I'm not certain AFTV will be the box to own at that point, if say it happens around Xmas--when others have been running Lollipop.

KLit75 said:
That's a good point. I didn't consider the fact the aftv would become obsolete by not keeping up with the software. I was focusing on the hardware getting beaten by competfn which might happen sooner given the boxes on the horizon. A year ago, you really didn't have many other affordable options to run kodi and apps like netflix in HD. Now you've got a few and more to come. I think a lot will have to do with timing. Amazon seems to listen to their customer base (not us in particular) but if the public embraces 4k more and the newer boxes start to take a bigger piece of the market...I'm just saying it'll be interesting.
It depends on Amazon's view from a business point--why do the customer's buy the product? Will Netflix be affected by running an older OS? (btw--to me the answer to that is it already is! I've been doing netflix instant streaming since it first started the service and i ran it solely on my laptop. AFTV to this day has the most netflix bugs out of all the devices I've ever used.) Amazon has the money to make a better box and make it cheaper than any other company I think. Apple seems to get it finally, but I doubt I'd be interested in that--if you complain about amazon's controlled ecosystem, they have nothing on apple. Doesn't matter because people buy apple and that only helps further the advancement of android tv type boxes.
Don't get me wrong. I hope you're 100% right and the OS gets upgraded ASAP but even if that's inevitable, I'm not certain AFTV will be the box to own at that point, if say it happens around Xmas--when others have been running Lollipop.
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I think the Fire TV can last for years, but first we have to get newer firmwares rooted. Then we need to get another system running on the Fire TV. I would like to see something happen with the Fire TV like what happened with windows mobile, running two and three OS at a time. I used to run windows mobile and Android on my old tilt 2 and that was 6 years ago. All you had to do was put the android system on an SDCard and boot into it. I would like to see that happen with the Fire TV, where we can put other systems on an external drive and boot into them.
The hardware is fine on the Fire TV, and specs are not everything. Just because specs are great on paper does not mean you will get better performance in all areas. I think HTPCs have proven that specs mean much less than companies lead you to believe. The Raspberry Pi is a clear example that a low cost low powered device is more than enough to make use of. I am still running an Apple TV 1 with 256mb of ram and 1ghz which is under clocked by Apple to run at 600mhz, and it performs very well. The Fire TV can run for five or more years as long as Amazon keeps updating it, or developers find a way to get a new OS on to it.
Software is way more important, cause as soon as Amazon, Windows, Apple etc stop updating devices you either have to put a different system on it or get something else. So like I said, as soon as more apps require a ewer version of Android, Amazon can either upgrade to a newer version of Android or let the Fire TV become obsolete. I for one hope they upgrade. I know some people have said Amazon has no need to upgrade to a newer version, but if they don't the Fire TV will be useless, and that's a fact.

Fire TV OS installed on a non-amazon box?

Hey guys,
I've been searching around for a little while to see if this is possible, but so far haven't yet found anything.
Essentially, my parents bought an android TV box, and it's absolutely rubbish, so I thought about flashing it to have a cleaner, more usable Android distribution on there. I may stick the Android TV OS on there..
But I was curious about putting Fire TV OS on it (not sure if it is possible OR legal.. though I imagine it would be possible as it's essentially just an android distribution with some Amazon mods on top..), but as a matter of interest has anybody tried to do it before?
Cheers!

What do you think of Android TV-Box Formuler?

Hello everybody,
I wanted to know what you think of the Android TV boxes of the brand Formuler if you have already tried them. (Formuler Z7, Z8 etc...)
Don't you find that they are way too expensive ? Do you think it is possible to do the same with other boxes much cheaper? How do you explain that they are considered by many people to be the best?
It amazes me that so many websites recommend these TV boxes ........

No one ?

Two plus years late but i searched XDA for Formuler since i bought one. I was looking for custom firmware or similar. To be fair, the box is speedy has had several updates and security patches from google and mine is running Android 10 which is not bad.
The interface is Android but not a full distro. More like Android Tv. It comes with Miracast, it's own market store and play store as well. Honestly.... i would recommend it.