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I'm interested in getting one of the Android PC sticks to use in my kitchen for basic web surfing and email use, as well as a little but of miscellaneous stuff. I'm wondering how much different the experience is, if any, between different makes/models. If this were a traditional PC (Windows, Linux, etc) I would normally run the screen resolution as high as possible, and make what ever other adjustment were available, to minimize on screen elements like title bars, tool bars, browser tabs, etc. They just (sometimes) seem to get in the way, and reduce the amount of area available to show the body of a document, or contents of a web page. So, is there any difference between different Android PC sticks?
Thanks,
Jon
jdnandroid said:
I'm interested in getting one of the Android PC sticks to use in my kitchen for basic web surfing and email use, as well as a little but of miscellaneous stuff. I'm wondering how much different the experience is, if any, between different makes/models. If this were a traditional PC (Windows, Linux, etc) I would normally run the screen resolution as high as possible, and make what ever other adjustment were available, to minimize on screen elements like title bars, tool bars, browser tabs, etc. They just (sometimes) seem to get in the way, and reduce the amount of area available to show the body of a document, or contents of a web page. So, is there any difference between different Android PC sticks?
Thanks,
Jon
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There are screen adjustments built into the android o/s but differ from manufacturer as to the extent. Basically what you can do is utilize the on device adjustments and then go to the play store for any others you might need. For example there is a (free) app called full screen that may do all you are requiring. Different browsers also have different features you may be looking for. Android can be customized more than windows but with all the options available comes a bit of a learning curve. I recommend diving in, you will not be disappointed!!!
GigaRack said:
There are screen adjustments built into the android o/s but differ from manufacturer as to the extent. Basically what you can do is utilize the on device adjustments and then go to the play store for any others you might need. For example there is a (free) app called full screen that may do all you are requiring. Different browsers also have different features you may be looking for. Android can be customized more than windows but with all the options available comes a bit of a learning curve. I recommend diving in, you will not be disappointed!!!
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Thanks GigaRack. So it sounds like I don't have to be concerned which stick I get, I will have about the same ability to adjust things with all of them. That makes it a little easier. Now all I have to do is figure out which stick will work best for me .
Jon
For the kind of basic use you describe, I'd say you want a cheap, well-supported rk3066 stick. Resolution is usually hard-coded in the kernel for Android sticks, but the most common rk3066 sticks have custom ROMs (which usually have automatic fullscreen for apps) and kernels (720 and 1080). The mk808 (~$42) is probably a good choice.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
ragesoss said:
For the kind of basic use you describe, I'd say you want a cheap, well-supported rk3066 stick. Resolution is usually hard-coded in the kernel for Android sticks, but the most common rk3066 sticks have custom ROMs (which usually have automatic fullscreen for apps) and kernels (720 and 1080). The mk808 (~$42) is probably a good choice.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
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I have been debating on just what approach to take, something like what you mentioned above are go for a 'higher' end device (like the IMITO QX1 (at least I think it's supposed to be somewhat better than average reliability)). My concern is a) wifi, and b) general device reliability. Both of which sound like they can be pretty iffy on some of these sticks. I will need good wifi since this will be on my kitchen counter and there is no way I'm running an ethernet cable there .
I do want a well supported stick also, with good custom rom support (I rooted and put custom roms on my old Droid Incredible before, so I'm at least familiar with the basic idea). I understand it can be better to stick with Rockchip processor's rather than Allwinner as far as having lot's of custom roms available, is this true?
Thanks,
Jon
So I've discovered that a simple terminal command fixes the black bars on the left and right when outputting through HDMI. It's caused by the tablet outputting a 1280x800 display to a 1280x720 signal. This is easily fixed by changing the device's resolution with the following command:
wm size 720x1280
To revert to the tablet's original resolution, use:
wm size reset
You may need to run the "su" command first for these commands to work, and you do need to be rooted in order for it to work. This will cause some things to get wonky, like the nav buttons disappearing in landscape orientation or the status bar being hard to pull down (perhaps solvable with a change to the DPI), but if you're planning to use this trick for gaming (which was my reason), using something like Smart Launcher 2 with a controller makes this a non-issue. If you want a quick and easy way to switch back and forth, try QuickTerminal on the Play Store and set up both terminal commands as "Quick Commands", or at least that's how I've done it. Now, the picture on your TV will fill the screen. This is as close to Console Mode as we'll probably ever see on this device, so I thought this might help a few people out!
rchrdcrg said:
So I've discovered that a simple terminal command fixes the black bars on the left and right when outputting through HDMI. It's caused by the tablet outputting a 1280x800 display to a 1280x720 signal. This is easily fixed by changing the device's resolution with the following command:
wm size 720x1280
To revert to the tablet's original resolution, use:
wm size reset
You may need to run the "su" command first for these commands to work, and you do need to be rooted in order for it to work. This will cause some things to get wonky, like the nav buttons disappearing in landscape orientation or the status bar being hard to pull down (perhaps solvable with a change to the DPI), but if you're planning to use this trick for gaming (which was my reason), using something like Smart Launcher 2 with a controller makes this a non-issue. If you want a quick and easy way to switch back and forth, try QuickTerminal on the Play Store and set up both terminal commands as "Quick Commands", or at least that's how I've done it. Now, the picture on your TV will fill the screen. This is as close to Console Mode as we'll probably ever see on this device, so I thought this might help a few people out!
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I've been doing something similar with the NOM Resolution Changer app but I can't get the DPI settings right to match the 720x1280 res. It gets a bit tricky getting back into settings etc after changing the res as my app drawer is inaccessible after doing so. I always just resort back to default with the fail safe timer, I really don't want to get stuck in a resolution which i can't get back out of.
Andy4Shurr said:
I've been doing something similar with the NOM Resolution Changer app but I can't get the DPI settings right to match the 720x1280 res. It gets a bit tricky getting back into settings etc after changing the res as my app drawer is inaccessible after doing so. I always just resort back to default with the fail safe timer, I really don't want to get stuck in a resolution which i can't get back out of.
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I haven't had that probably making the change manually, and I do believe I tried the app you mention and had the same issue, so you might wanna try testing the terminal command out; if it messes up, you can always reboot the tablet and everything will properly reformat for the lower resolution and then you should be able to change it back with "wm size reset".
rchrdcrg said:
I haven't had that probably making the change manually, and I do believe I tried the app you mention and had the same issue, so you might wanna try testing the terminal command out; if it messes up, you can always reboot the tablet and everything will properly reformat for the lower resolution and then you should be able to change it back with "wm size reset".
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Thanks rchrdcrg, yeah I'll give it a whirl that way. It is really annoying having those black end sections on the output!!
I've got a chromecast and been trying to get the 'cast screen' option to work using r3pwn's method here http://forum.xda-developers.com/hardware-hacking/chromecast/experimental-enable-mirroring-device-t2812193/page167#post55119152
I thought that might be worth a shot to see if the output res remains at 1200 x 800 for the mirror but I can't get a picture to display, only sound, when it connects and tries to cast screen. I'm thinking it probably won't make a difference though as I have just bought a miracast ezcast m2 dongle too and that still displays at the 1200 x 800 resolution when miracast is used. It probably is just a rom limitation at the moment.
Andy4Shurr said:
Thanks rchrdcrg, yeah I'll give it a whirl that way. It is really annoying having those black end sections on the output!!
I've got a chromecast and been trying to get the 'cast screen' option to work using r3pwn's method here http://forum.xda-developers.com/hardware-hacking/chromecast/experimental-enable-mirroring-device-t2812193/page167#post55119152
I thought that might be worth a shot to see if the output res remains at 1200 x 800 for the mirror but I can't get a picture to display, only sound, when it connects and tries to cast screen. I'm thinking it probably won't make a difference though as I have just bought a miracast ezcast m2 dongle too and that still displays at the 1200 x 800 resolution when miracast is used. It probably is just a rom limitation at the moment.
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Yeah, I "borrowed" a Chromecast from Best Buy and could never get screen casting to work. You might want to see if changing the resolution fixes this issue with Miracast as well... I have a suspicion it will, and that might be useful to some folks. I sure wish I knew how to force the HDMI output to 1080p; it switches over when playing a 1080p video, so I know it's possible, but I don't know enough about development stuff to know how it's doing that, and forcing the resolution to 1080x1920 with the "wm size" command just displays a 1080p picture downscaled to 720p.
try vlc beta off the play store
here's a sort of rant and with a video playback only solution. Not sure how to hide the rant part. I don't forum anything much.
I bought a Belkin miracast adapter off amazon, and have had trouble getting videos playing properly in full screen. It would mirror the 1280x800 with videos played with regular video apps ( MX player, Archos player, stock) which would be 16:10, and would have those bars on either side on both my 1080p insignia tv and our pseudo 720p panasonic (actual res was 1024x768, but at 16:9, which should be illegal to market as a hdtv). I know from previous experience with my galaxy s4, which the samsung video app would mirror only the video at the correct tv resolution, leaving the phone as the remote. You could also use other apps while any video was playing through the samsung watchon (video) app. So randomly downloaded the vlc beta off the play store. It works for the tegra note 7 the same way samsung set up theirs, minus the multitasking(so far). It took me weeks on and off being frustrated with apps that wouldn't recognise that mirroring was enabled to take advantage of the external display. It's kinda whatever now seeing how much time I spent trying to get the video to play properly by itself, for my s4 I tried mhl cables, chromecast, dlna. this works a lot better
So if you just want videos to play, use the vlc player beta. you can use miracast or hdmi. works the same with both. Only if I could miracast surround sound. that would be nice.
I've just started using my tablet and a HDMI cable to run XBMC. This tip has saved me much frustration.
I already use Tasker which can send terminal commands as an action to make it easier. Tasker does have a HDMI plugged state which should allow this to be automated but for some reason tasker doesn't seem to detect it, not sure why yet.
So I've been fiddling a bit more to optimiser the HDMI experience. I've discovered an app called second screen that let's you sert display profiles and launch then the HDMI is plugged in. Thee app sets the size, resolution, dims the screen and force closes the UI to make sure the new settings actually come into effect. It will also revert the changes when the cable is removed. Does need to run on a rooted device but mine is already.
Seems like nexus player supports only RGB limited. Since my HDMI port (which is shared by other sources) is configured for full RGB this results in poor blacks when I switch to nexus player. Anybody knows if it can be switched by to full RGB or even better to YCbCr? Since its a dedicated player I am thinking this should be a must. Even chromecast behaves better in that department.
Are you me? I've had the same issue, and asked on the Nexus help forum about it. "Paul from Google" says that there's no way to get RGB Full.
I'm pretty sure it could be done with a custom kernel though.
http://referencehometheater.com/2014/commentary/rgb-full-vs-limited/ - here is some explanation. I have my TV set on Auto and have never noticed any problems. Will have to check if it is able to display <16 black and white above 235 - by the way limited RGB is almost as stupid as overscan in TVs. What were they thinking limiting the colors like that?
Exactly !!! If a company expects to win the home theater section of any house and gain respect with the videophiles these details are elementary. Even if for whatever reason they decide to keep this behavior as a default, just add a video section in settings where the user can configure the way he/she wants.
Did a test with a black clipping pattern and the Chromecast is able to show 1-16 but the Nexus Player does not unfortunately.
If a TV's brightness is calibrated so that 16 is reference black though, does it matter I wonder that the Nexus Player can't show 1-16 with the assumption that Shows and Movies from the Google Play store are all 16-235 anyways (is that a correct assumption)?
looking over the kernel code it seems that the hardware will support these color ranges, lots of code to dig through, right now im looking through:
https://github.com/ion-storm/nexusplayer/tree/dev/drivers/external_drivers/intel_media which contains the hdmi video drivers, right now I cant seem to find where I can enable the option, lots of code to look though.
I believe that google support guy meant that there is no ui toggle to switch between these ranges, but what we can do is force detection/color ranges within the kernel if the hardware supports it, this is new code here so if anyone can find any references on enabling this, I'll be happy to look it over.
Is there any way to resize the screen very annoying that most apps stretch out of the screen..Not real Impressed with Google TV.Lacking a ton of features.Lack of Apps is total Garbage..
It sounds like you are asking if there are any options to compensate for the overscan your TV is applying.
You should have an option on your display to ensure the image is 1:1.
I will have to check..I noticed a lot of apps everything is stretched out past the screen very annoying..
your tv is doing that.
Had the same issues. LG TV by chance?
Go in and change the HDMI profile for your Shield on the TV. I had mine set for 16x9, but there was an option called "variable" or "fit" or something like that. Once I changed to that? Shield TV displays perfectly.
It's called overscan. This should allow you to fix the overscan issues of your TV, and the DPI issues to show more.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/android/apps-games/app-screen-shift-change-screen-t3138718
While we are talking about display issues does anyone know how to change the Shield TV to 3440*1440. I have a 34" LG 21:9 monitor wall mounted in my office but it will only output 1080p on it.
Pilz said:
While we are talking about display issues does anyone know how to change the Shield TV to 3440*1440. I have a 34" LG 21:9 monitor wall mounted in my office but it will only output 1080p on it.
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http://www.addictivetips.com/android/resolution-changer-for-android/
Android doesn't support 21:9, but that should get you a few more options.
kdb424 said:
http://www.addictivetips.com/android/resolution-changer-for-android/
Android doesn't support 21:9, but that should get you a few more options.
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I though about that but I wasn't sure what dpi I should use plus my Shield TV won't flash SuperSU when I try in TWRP. Once I root it I'll give it a go
First you have to unlock the device with fastboot. It may erase all of your userdata when you do that. I suggest backing it up with TWRP before you unlock to an external SD or USB drive. I personally run anywhere between 160 and 200 depending on the application and screen size. I use an xposed module for per app dpi, though my global is 180 right now (the build.prop edit method). You can expariment with them depending on your screen. It's all up to you what you want.
I mean you are asking how you can resize your screen .plz clear your demand.
mohinipollob said:
I mean you are asking how you can resize your screen .plz clear your demand.
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If you mean to make things display larger or smaller, like bigger or smaller text and icons, that's DPI settings.
If you mean things are shown off the screen, that's called overscan. Both were discussed here.
kdb424 said:
http://www.addictivetips.com/android/resolution-changer-for-android/
Android doesn't support 21:9, but that should get you a few more options.
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How do we install that from Play since Play only shows Android TV apps?
Can somebody please tell me whether it is possible to use the yotaphone 2's EPD as a (small) display to do some basic word processing outdoor out in the sun? I.e. to attach a keyboard/mouse to it (e.g. via bluetooth), to open some simple word processing app or even sthg like google docs, and then to just start working.
I have actually been looking for quite some time for some way to do this and I can't for the life of me understand why there aren't better solutions out there. I am always pleasantly surprised when I type notes on my Kindle Paperwhite. Of course it's a lot slower than on an LCD, but I am not a fast typer anyway, and I could live with some lag - if that's the price I'd have to pay to finally be able to work outside. I have thought of the Raspberry Pi x Kindle solution (but you can only type on sthg like vim); of ebook readers with an open OS that you can attach a keaboard/mouse to (like Onyx Boox that runs on Android 4.0 - and I'm still thinking about that); or of an e ink monitor (too expensive). But it is time for me to change phones, and if this works, I might actually consider it.
If anybody has any experiences or thoughts or - better yet - videos to share on this, I'd be very grateful... Thanks!
-Stephan
I haven't tried this personally, but I am fairly certain that this would work. Android supports bluetooth keyboards. The only limitation would be that you have to use mirrored mode, because there are no proper word processing apps made native for the EPD. Plus the system might not enable external keyboard for EPD apps only. Not sure on the latter though, I don't have any bluetooth keyboard/mouse to test this with.
Jeopardy said:
I haven't tried this personally, but I am fairly certain that this would work. Android supports bluetooth keyboards. The only limitation would be that you have to use mirrored mode, because there are no proper word processing apps made native for the EPD. Plus the system might not enable external keyboard for EPD apps only. Not sure on the latter though, I don't have any bluetooth keyboard/mouse to test this with.
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Thanks Jeopardy. Can you (or anybody else) tell me whether there is an active developer community working on those EPD apps? And also - if you have to use mirrored mode, does this mean you have to open the phone and the AMOLED screen has to be 'on'? On can all of this just stay in the 'background'? And does mirroring to an additional lag beyond the usual - and much slower - e-ink refresh rate? If anybody has any first-hand experience with this, I'd really be curious... Thanks!
sdspieg said:
Thanks Jeopardy. Can you (or anybody else) tell me whether there is an active developer community working on those EPD apps? And also - if you have to use mirrored mode, does this mean you have to open the phone and the AMOLED screen has to be 'on'? On can all of this just stay in the 'background'? And does mirroring to an additional lag beyond the usual - and much slower - e-ink refresh rate? If anybody has any first-hand experience with this, I'd really be curious... Thanks!
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Well there are some developers, myself included, working on EPD applications. But not a lot. There should be more once Yota releases the device in USA around mid-August.
Mirrored mode does not need the color screen to be turned on. Of course behind the scenes it will wake up the system to similar state as if the AMOLED screen was on, but that's handled automatically. This means more battery use, but you should get a lot more out of it than using the color screen, especially on static apps like word processors which don't update often.
You can handle everything from the EPD. You can, for example, create a shortcut on the EPD for a word processing app, which will automatically enable mirroring and open that application. The lag on EPD when mirroring should be about the same as on native EPD applications, but of course you will notice it more because you can easily compare it to the non-laggy color side. There's only a few extra algorithms for turning the color image to nice greyscale, and some logic for creating additional "flashes" to fix ghosting when switching between apps etc. Should be fine for word processing, especially on external keyboard, provided you can write without constantly checking which letter you just pressed. The refresh rate on the EPD is about 8 frames per second, or one frame every 0.12s.
If you're seious about outdoor word processing may I suggest a rooted Nook Simple touch? It is small and light and a fraction of the price of a Yotaphone... as well as having a much bigger screen! You can pick these up for around 40GBP in good/new condition and although it will be a fair bit of messing around with rooting you are unlikely to come totally unstuck, and there is a lot of support on XDA to get you help if you do. With the NST device, you use the OTG USB mode to attach a bluetooth dongle, hard wired full sized keyboard or whatever to your desire. Pop over to the NST forum and there are many threads on this topic, but to whet your appetite here's someone who is doing that with a solar panel to power the setup!
http://forum.xda-developers.com/nook-touch/general/nook-simple-touch-solar-power-t3068849