Database Users

[Q] What can you do with the USB port?

Is there any way to use the full size USB port to copy files from an android phone or digital camera to the tablet? I've plugged in my G2 with CM7 and put it into mass storage mode but I don't seem to be able to access files on the phone through Astro.
I know the port can charge my phone and if you format a jump drive or external hard drive in FAT32 it will connect to that but its frustrating that the one think I would realistically use it for most often doesn't work.

Buddy of mine plugged his portable external drive to it that was full of movies to watch. And the Media Player found them all. Make great for trips if you wanna watch movies and such on it.

I'd love to eventually plug my HP TV tuner in there...

accesory successes, failures and weirdnesses

most of you probably already know these things. but still nice to collect anecdata...
first off, usb absolutely refused to work at all no matter what device I tried, hub or no hub.
eventually after the large-ish 12/5 update, and then what looked like another update so brief I almost missed it, things started working. or maybe it was me turning off "usb debugging" that helped? not really willing to mess with it, now that usb generally works.
- generic usb hub, yep. powered or unpowered, good either way. but you all already knew that.
- 'das keyboard' with built in 2-port hub. keyboard works, hub works with flash drives, mice and kbds.
- logitech marble mouse - works, quelle surprise. via hub too.
- amazon brand cheapie keyboard - works. via hub too.
- iogear generic sd/microsd reader - works. via hub too.
- 2 different cameras of generic UVC 1.00 class - work fine with 3rd party software (search for "usb camera" on google play e.g. snapexwebcam). via hub too.
- SATA dock with built in usb hub (SD slot and 2 usb ports) - this thing sometimes worked but more often froze the ouya and had to reboot.
- cmedia hs100 usb soundcard - microphone input + stereo headphone output. this is a super generic chipset supported quite well by linux. dmesg showed it as recognized, but sound output did not automagically switch over to it. probably could be made to work with some hacking around.
most of the time, if I unmounted my usb flash drive from the storage menu, I could remove and then put it back and it would automagically show up under /mnt/usbdrive. again and again.
hotplugging card readers, usb drives etc. there are some nice free 3rd party userland mounters I can personally recommend:
usb otg helper (don't let the "otg" fool you, although it does that too if a device's kernel supports otg. it will mount ALL supported partitions (ext, fat, ntfs) on a flash drive, not just the 1st partition)
play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.shajul.usbotg
paragon exfat/ntfs/hfs (not sure if it does ext too)
play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.paragon.mounter

Thanks for the information!
Nothing special to add, my western digital 2Tb energy conserving drive works great (no problem with the lag as it spins up). My cheap $10 Walmart keyboard is fine as well.
I have not tired any hubs, or anything else for that matter. A hub is on the list though as some extra flash storage would be nice.
I'm surprised to hear the cameras were working. Google has been blank as far as getting cameras recognized so I wasn't sure if it had been made to work yet. Any luck getting apps such as Skype to recognize the camera? How about that USB microphone? Any thoughts on how it might work for voice-to-text or as a 'generic' input device for voice control (utter!, Autovoice, Tasker).?

Generic USB hub - working
Sandisk microSD adapter - working
Logitech wireless USB keyboard - working
Retrolink USB N64 controller - not working
Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk

haven't tried skype for ideological reasons, sorry.
I have tried linphone-video, loading it thru both f-droid and google play store. in both cases it immediately force-quits.
(I have this problem with more than a few apps, I really need to put in some time to check catlog/logcat...)
csipsimple works, but none of the settings let me choose audio i/o devices. (and csip doesn't support video)
the c-media hs100 usb doodad is definitely supported - I tried "usb audio tester" (also "usb audio tester root") and it worked just fine there (ext mic to ext speaker - I heard myself talking definitely). but no way to select it in the Settings UI. whereas my bluetooth speaker and bluetooth headset both work/switchover fine, but that is sort of standard switching built into most android devices.

one stop thread for problems that most people encountered. Please share your solution

Instead of new comers squandering around looking for solutions to set up the nexus player for gaming and media streaming. Lets simplify things a bit to see what accessories to get and what software to use to get our nexus player to its maximum capability.
Lollirock 1.5 rom (OTG micro usb cable and a usb mouse or keyboard are required during first bootup. It will not detect nexus remote during first bootup)
Stick mount pro(Play Store) Make sure it's the pro version or else it won't work!-
- A must have for external storage. This app enables storage drives to mount into a specific location using symbolic link option which isn't included in the free version. By default, it will mount storage devices under sdcard/usb folder instead of usb:// mount location (apps like emulators or xbmc that uses file explore do not search to this location usb://)
- I have tested it on xbmc, my boy, fpse, and ppsspp.
Known issue: external storage formatted under ntfs will not mount properly. Files will not show up under mount folder.
I'm currently using exFAT format and it seem to work fine so far.
For those who uses stock Nexus Player rom, you have to download stick mount pro from a third party site since the license won't transfer(I'm assuming that you paid for it)
Sixaxis controller(Play Store)
- Can pair up to 2 controllers for two players games. There's also a setting to set dual shock 3 or 4 to run as native android controller, so you don't have to deal with mapping everything manually.
My suggestion
Accessories : Rii 8 wireless touchpad keyboard(Amazon) mini keypad with track pad and qwerty keyboard.
Logitech keyboard k700
Ps4 controller
Inateck card reading+Hub(Amazon) -
- It very important to choose the right otg micro usb cable because it can effect read/write speed for external storage drives, including low power consumption drives such as usb flash drives and sd cards. This hub can run with or without a secondary power source.
I thought something like a flash drive with a low power consumption didn't require a decent otg cable, but it does. I was testing a psp rom off my usb storage with a much simpler micro usb otg cable and the frame rate wasn't that great also the loading time. Transfer files were also very slow. So keep that in mind, make sure to get a decent micro usb otg hub or card reader. At least get one that you can supply power to from an outlet.
For those who are looking to run Amazon prime video, download Kodi (xbmc) and Amazon prime video add-on zip.
-Amazon instant video app is crappy on android to begin with compare to IOS version which has a more user friendly UI similar to Netflix. Kodi improves that with cover arts and tv-friendly user interface.

I couldn't get sixaxis to pair my stupid ps3 controls I don't know what I did wrong...
Sent from my Nexus 6

trvbone said:
I couldn't get sixaxis to pair my stupid ps3 controls I don't know what I did wrong...
Sent from my Nexus 6
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you used sixaxis before? I'm just wondering., so I can help you figure out the issue.

I have but I think the problem is I didn't see a Bluetooth address when I set it up on the Nexus player maybe I have to fix the zoom setting in the overscan setting on my Nexus player to see it
Sent from my Nexus 6

After the Update - My thoughts

I received the update on my Amazon TV a couple of hours ago.
My thoughts:
Kodi and all other third party apps WORK PERFECTLY.
I paired my Parrot Zik Bluetooth headphones. What I noticed is that there was a lug between the controllers moves and the click sound you usually get. When I started KODI, and streamed a movie or an episode, I had to adjust the sound offset to +1.175 secs in order for the sound to match the lips of the actors. This was also mentioned by other users that had installed a third party .apk settings file that could connect to other Bluetooth devices.
Having said that, I noticed something else. The lug of a second USB might cause a few problems if people are using a USB mouse/keyboard. I guess we could try pairing a Bluetooth keyboard but I haven't seen a Bluetooth airmouse. It remains to be seen.
Overall, I can say go ahead and upgrade

athosk said:
I received the update on my Amazon TV a couple of hours ago.
My thoughts:
Kodi and all other third party apps WORK PERFECTLY.
I paired my Parrot Zik Bluetooth headphones. What I noticed is that there was a lug between the controllers moves and the click sound you usually get. When I started KODI, and streamed a movie or an episode, I had to adjust the sound offset to +1.175 secs in order for the sound to match the lips of the actors. This was also mentioned by other users that had installed a third party .apk settings file that could connect to other Bluetooth devices.
Having said that, I noticed something else. The lug of a second USB might cause a few problems if people are using a USB mouse/keyboard. I guess we could try pairing a Bluetooth keyboard but I haven't seen a Bluetooth airmouse. It remains to be seen.
Overall, I can say go ahead and upgrade
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the feedback hopefully my fire tv will get the update today and I can test these new features.

athosk said:
The lug of a second USB might cause a few problems if people are using a USB mouse/keyboard. I guess we could try pairing a Bluetooth keyboard but I haven't seen a Bluetooth airmouse. It remains to be seen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried a USB hub?

tech3475 said:
Have you tried a USB hub?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thought about that but didn't get the chance to do that..it will be too many parts hanging around it

athosk said:
Thought about that but didn't get the chance to do that..it will be too many parts hanging around it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might be able to use a USB extension cable to hide it somewhere or have a hub somewhere more preferable.

did a factory restore,many reboots , flash drives formatted to fat32. Any tips on how to get it to work? cheers
UPDATE: the update somehow broke my USB port does not work at all no mouse no nothing.

I have the Blueooth delay also with Headset but with Plesk, I don't have an option to adjust the delay

guessing there's no changes to surround support. haven't been pushed the update yet

Updates
I think that the devices from the US are the first ones to get the updates. I own a device from the US and one from the UK. The US received its update the day I posted the post. The other devices, including my friends' deveices which were also bought in the UK, have not received anything yet..

Further Findings
USB drives connected to the Fire TV are, according to Amazon, to be used for storing apps and games. This feature was added to the Fire TV so that you can store more apps than the internal 8GB storage allows. There is, however, a huge disappointing shortfall with this new feature. You can only move an app’s main files to USB storage. An app’s “data” files must remain on the Fire TV’s internal storage. Many popular large games like GTA: San Andreas and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic store the vast majority of the game’s files as “data”. This means these games essentially cannot be moved to USB storage.
To get an idea of how much of an app can be moved to USB storage, look at the app’s “Size” value listed on the app’s detail/product page. The amount listed is usually how much can be moved to USB storage. For example, GTA: San Andreas lists a size of 77.2MB, which means the majority of the game will remain on the Fire TV’s internal storage. NBA 2K15, on the other hand, lists a file size of 1.8GB so you can be pretty sure that most of the app can be moved to USB storage.
As for other uses of USB storage, Amazon explicitly states that “you cannot access any media that you side-loaded onto the USB device.” The good news is that Amazon is not going out of their way to block apps from accessing USB external storage. Apps like Kodi and VLC can play media stored on an attached external drive without any issues. Files stored on a USB drive attached to the Fire TV can be found under the directory: /storage/extUsb/ source: www.aftvnews.com

Further Findings
USB hubs work with the Fire TV and external USB storage. Since the Fire TV only has one USB port, you can use a USB hub to connect both a USB drive and other USB devices like a FLIRC, mice, and keyboards simultaneously. You cannot use a USB hub to mount two USB drives. The Fire TV will only mount the first USB drive it detects.
Both powered and unpowered USB hubs work with the Fire TV. Some powered USB hubs will cause the Fire TV to freeze on the white Amazon logo during boot up. This is due to the Fire TV detecting power coming into its USB port which makes the Fire TV think it’s plugged into a computer which causes it to enter fastboot mode. If your powered USB hub does this, then you will need to unplug or power down the powered USB hub every time you reboot your Fire TV and then plug it back in once the Fire TV has booted.
source: www.aftvnews.com

athosk said:
USB drives connected to the Fire TV are, according to Amazon, to be used for storing apps and games. This feature was added to the Fire TV so that you can store more apps than the internal 8GB storage allows. There is, however, a huge disappointing shortfall with this new feature. You can only move an app’s main files to USB storage. An app’s “data” files must remain on the Fire TV’s internal storage. Many popular large games like GTA: San Andreas and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic store the vast majority of the game’s files as “data”. This means these games essentially cannot be moved to USB storage.
To get an idea of how much of an app can be moved to USB storage, look at the app’s “Size” value listed on the app’s detail/product page. The amount listed is usually how much can be moved to USB storage. For example, GTA: San Andreas lists a size of 77.2MB, which means the majority of the game will remain on the Fire TV’s internal storage. NBA 2K15, on the other hand, lists a file size of 1.8GB so you can be pretty sure that most of the app can be moved to USB storage.
As for other uses of USB storage, Amazon explicitly states that “you cannot access any media that you side-loaded onto the USB device.” The good news is that Amazon is not going out of their way to block apps from accessing USB external storage. Apps like Kodi and VLC can play media stored on an attached external drive without any issues. Files stored on a USB drive attached to the Fire TV can be found under the directory: /storage/extUsb/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
athosk said:
USB hubs work with the Fire TV and external USB storage. Since the Fire TV only has one USB port, you can use a USB hub to connect both a USB drive and other USB devices like a FLIRC, mice, and keyboards simultaneously. You cannot use a USB hub to mount two USB drives. The Fire TV will only mount the first USB drive it detects.
Both powered and unpowered USB hubs work with the Fire TV. Some powered USB hubs will cause the Fire TV to freeze on the white Amazon logo during boot up. This is due to the Fire TV detecting power coming into its USB port which makes the Fire TV think it’s plugged into a computer which causes it to enter fastboot mode. If your powered USB hub does this, then you will need to unplug or power down the powered USB hub every time you reboot your Fire TV and then plug it back in once the Fire TV has booted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why not just providing a link to AFTNews ?

AFTV NEWS
I did provide the link www.aftvnews.com in a previous post so i guessed my readers would know about it
I want to add this though.....I did try a USB hub and connected the MINIX air mouse and keyboard on it. Unfortunately no connection. So i am not so sure if the HUB will work as mentioned by AFTV news or which kind of HUB would be best to connect both the drive and the mouse

External optical drive - Android Yoga Book

Has anyone ever managed to get an external dvd drive working on an Android Yoga Book? I would have thought hooking it up with an OTG connector and a Y cable also going into a power bank to give the drive some juice would work. Would be great to hear if anyone has got it to work.

Risico said:
Has anyone ever managed to get an external dvd drive working on an Android Yoga Book? I would have thought hooking it up with an OTG connector and a Y cable also going into a power bank to give the drive some juice would work. Would be great to hear if anyone has got it to work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was try. DVD drive was recognized but cd accelerated and stops, accelerated and stops... I think energy is too low...

Android Verizon works (With Drawbacks) Windows Verizon should work with a powered hub
Risico said:
Has anyone ever managed to get an external dvd drive working on an Android Yoga Book? I would have thought hooking it up with an OTG connector and a Y cable also going into a power bank to give the drive some juice would work. Would be great to hear if anyone has got it to work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, for the android version most portable DVD drives that have AV mode will work.
however, there are some serious drawbacks.
1. you need a powered OTG hub as every drive I've tried, even the low powered portable ones need too much power, it often looks like its working but will have issues spinning or turn off randomly. there may be lower powered ones now but I havent found one with low enough draw not to need a powered hub.
2. its not great for movies. it only works with DVDs that are not encrypted (a lot of low budget or independent DVDs are unencrypted) or data discs with your own video files on them. (if you try to play an encrypted video it will either error out or will play the video but it will look scrambled and will blank out a lot.)
3. even if you do find an unencrypted DVD its not really straightforward to play. without a proper DVD software for android you need an app that at least will play the DVD files (MX player worked for me, I suspect VLC would work as well) the DVD basically opens like a data disk with a bunch of oddly named files, you just have to dig through and find the largest file and that's usually the main video.
as far as I can find there do not seem to be any video players for android that can decrypt a DVD (regular DVD players have built in decryption and PCs use software so its not something you generally think about until it doesn't work)
all this being said, for anyone with the windows version ignore everything above and you will probably be ok with a powered USB hub and some DVD software.
**Edit, I cant change the title now but I typed Verizon instead of Version by mistake. Sorry about that***