Database Users

Android on a Stick HDMI USB

Has anyone had a chance to try out these new Android Micro/Mini computers yet?
First impressions?
Would you use as your main media centre now XBMC is Android compatible?
They are the size of a USB stick usually with integrated wifi, USB port and HDMI port as well as a micro SD expansion slot. Looks cool.
http://youtu.be/akp2hYE1dZ0
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/pro...-Processor-Media-Center/803232_550274999.html
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/mini-a...r-w-wi-fi-hdmi-usb-micro-usb-black-4gb-141171

It looks nice but a x86 one would be better. I suggest you wait a little. Also I think this should be in android general
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

sounds cool

coooool

Answer to the ques
Yh I know what you're taking about , the USB drives are trending nowadays but I hardly can figure out a reason for them with 1.0 Ghz and 512 ddr2 ram which I believe is the maximum specifacion those USB form factor can go. They’re limited to arm instruction set , which means arm software and not x86
so nothing will work instead of android , however I have heard of Ubuntu ARM port.But I believe installing Ubuntu or any other Linux on that USB will be hard to implement
and I think after you install ubuntu you can customize it to make it more like XBMC

They come in much better flavours than those posted above. I like this one:
http://www.hardkernel.com/renewal_2011/products/prdt_info.php?g_code=G133999328931
It is basically the Galaxy S3 board with extra peripherals, more than enough for a decent low-powered htpc imo. Runs ubuntu pretty well considering there are no open source Mali drivers.......yet

awesome
brutoid said:
They come in much better flavours than those posted above. I like this one:
It is basically the Galaxy S3 board with extra peripherals, more than enough for a decent low-powered htpc imo. Runs ubuntu pretty well considering there are no open source Mali drivers.......yet
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's awesome, might have to pick one up. Especially with XBMC and VLC for android this would make an incredible media solution.

brutoid said:
They come in much better flavours than those posted above. I like this one:
http://www.hardkernel.com/renewal_2011/products/prdt_info.php?g_code=G133999328931
It is basically the Galaxy S3 board with extra peripherals, more than enough for a decent low-powered htpc imo. Runs ubuntu pretty well considering there are no open source Mali drivers.......yet
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Still not a bad choice but I want a S4 with Adreno 320
Sent from my GT-I9100 running CM10

Any1 bought it ?
Its chinese....
it can blow right on my face

Im just gonna wait a little and see what else comes along, see room for improvement
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda app-developers app

I think it looks awesome even compared with the $25 Raspberry Pi's out there. I'd like to get one, but then again I can use my GS2 for just about everything I need and it'll have more power. It'd be good to have one of these little guys in case I went to someone's house for a weekend or on vacation and needed a basic PC to browse internet, etc.
Good find none-the-less.

I've been following these a lot and so far have been pretty disappointed.
There are a few different ones, the best specs-wise being the cStick.
Always Innovating HDMI dongle (only selling to vendors I believe)
http://www.cnx-software.com/2012/01...eils-open-source-android-4-0-hdmi-dongle-stb/
Mini X Plus and/or Mk802 (my problem with this company is I was reading on their forums reports of both overheating and 512MB models being sold as 1GB).
https://www.miniand.com/products/Mini Xplus TV Box H24
Apparently the Roku streaming stick requires MHL-enabled televisions.
And the best I've seen the cStick has been delayed time and time again and so far haven't updated their status in months.
http://www.fxitech.com/products/
If anyone knows about any more let me know!

JasonD416 said:
I've been following these a lot and so far have been pretty disappointed.
There are a few different ones, the best specs-wise being the cStick.
Always Innovating HDMI dongle (only selling to vendors I believe)
Mini X Plus and/or Mk802 (my problem with this company is I was reading on their forums reports of both overheating and 512MB models being sold as 1GB).
Apparently the Roku streaming stick requires MHL-enabled televisions.
And the best I've seen the cStick has been delayed time and time again and so far haven't updated their status in months.
If anyone knows about any more let me know!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have been looking at cstick as well, but the lack of information makes me consider it a dead project.
I have ordered a Tizzbird N1, which is more focused on being a media player but will have Google Market (with custom firmware) and the possibility to run apps.
Code:
w w w.cnx-software.com/2012/03/08/valueplus-tizzbird-stick-n1-android-ics-hdmiusb-dongle-media-player/
They are claiming that they will start deliver in Sweden the 27th of August (postponed from 8th of August)

Similar
That reminds me of the Raspberry Pi, might have to pick one of these up!

I have had a mk802 for a month or more. Its OK not great. Recently it doesn't want to grab wifi which makes it almost useless. Its laggy and for sale.
Sent from my SGH-I897 using xda app-developers app

i'm also using the mk802.. had it for about 2 weeks now. didn't do much with it other then install XBMC for android on it. and a few pluging to stream my movies and shows. it gets laggy at times

i'm also using the mk802. und Raspberry Pi
both with xbmc
The Raspberry is for Pro Users the MK802 run without knowledge.

WOW
I think that is really really cool. i could make my desktop and laptop pc an android and get rid of everything windows... hmmmm
---------- Post added at 01:06 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:00 AM ----------
another thing, I have a XBMC on my original xbox, so your saying i could hook it up to that and browse internet thru the TV? i am sure i could do it with the 360 i have as well..

Quite slick. I found this one on Amazon; definitely added to my wishlist to go with a shiny new HDTV for my living room.

I'm also considering to buy one, but don't you think it can very easily overheat?

opinions on MK888 / T-R42 Rockchip based Android TV boxes

Hi,
I'm interested in getting one of these newer quadcore Android TV boxes for media center. Mostly for use as XBMC and Netflix watching. This model looks good, but I can't get a straight answer from the web about whether it supports XBMC well enough for smooth video playback (avi's, mkv's, xvids...nothing big, about 5GB files).
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/HKPo...RAM-8G-ROM-Android-4-2-2-Quad/1064048320.html
http://www.geekbuying.com/item/T-R4...a-with-IR-Remote-Controller-Black-317424.html
I've heard that some people are using external players with XBMC because there's no support for hardware acceleration with these rockchip devices.
How is Netflix for these?
Thanks for any info.

coachclass said:
Hi,
I'm interested in getting one of these newer quadcore Android TV boxes for media center. Mostly for use as XBMC and Netflix watching. This model looks good, but I can't get a straight answer from the web about whether it supports XBMC well enough for smooth video playback (avi's, mkv's, xvids...nothing big, about 5GB files).
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/HKPo...RAM-8G-ROM-Android-4-2-2-Quad/1064048320.html
http://www.geekbuying.com/item/T-R4...a-with-IR-Remote-Controller-Black-317424.html
I've heard that some people are using external players with XBMC because there's no support for hardware acceleration with these rockchip devices.
How is Netflix for these?
Thanks for any info.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any updates if this works now?

Can't answer for the KR-42 boxes, but on my X7, the video works fine in xbmc (with an advancedsettings.xml) Hardware acceleration is built into all xbmc android after Sept 1 (actually earlier don't know the exact date)... but you still need xbmc to enforce it.. look on freaktab.com for more on specific mini pcs if you are interested.. the price is right for what you get, if you ask me.

coachclass said:
Hi,
I've heard that some people are using external players with XBMC because there's no support for hardware acceleration with these rockchip devices.
How is Netflix for these?
Thanks for any info.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Netflix and 1080/720p are playing fine on T-R42. XBMC v13 gotham version 6 beta is working great with few bugs since it's a beta and it's hardware decoding, no external player required.:good:

fingers crossed for good luck
I ordered a T-R42 for $87 USD from Amazon and hope it's all good without annoying flaws. Geekbuying supports it on their blog, and Freaktab forums show a custom rom by "wasser". I'll update this thread once I get it. Cheers.
*EDIT* wasser custom rom newer thread here, his/her 1.2.4 release is there so far. Also found out that some devices now may have and in the future will have a low-end RK3188-T chip running at 1.4Ghz or slower. Here is a "black list" I found on freaktab forums, and it's forum thread here.
*EDIT* I received my T-R42 from Amazon, two days ago. The stock rom works fine with Ethernet, Wifi, Bluetooth playing videos, XBMC ( latest monthly or nightly from http://mirrors.xbmc.org ), MX Player and simple games. There was no root, so I had to install Moborobo phone tools to make adb work for rooting and followed a guide on Geekbuying blog. Wifi signal is good, just as strong and stable as a modern smartphone. (be sure to configure your wifi router to a channel between 1 and 11). I wanted to add some tweaks, so I got a "wasser" custom rom from freaktab. Some usb webcams work such as Creative VF0610 (tested myself) and Logitech C170 (not tested, but Geekbuying reports it works), but you need a good powered usb hub. Those webcams are maybe $10 USD on ebay or amazon. Wasser rom 1.2.4 did not work well. You're device may be better off. So I then tried 1.2.3, and I'm glad the this 1.2.3 rom works nicely with my T-R42. This rom appears to have a 720p kernel so 1920x1080 output is really 1280x672 (status/navigation bar at bottom takes 48 px). My circuit board is B351_V1.0 in this photo http://i.imgur.com/DavJg4P.jpg. I have read in freaktab forums there are at least three identifiable versions of the circuit board in the T-R42 device. One is V1.0, another V2.0 and the other V3.5. Howver, circuit boards with completely different markings or serial numbers are sometimes in these CS918/CS968/T-R42 box devices. Whatever board you may get in your box, I'm sure some someboy in freaktab forums can help or has already solved an issue. I recommend this device, only if like "tv boxes".
kadooosh said:
Any updates if this works now? (hardware acceleration)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes. H/W acceleration using GPU does work. Check this XBMC thread for support. and download a monthly or nightly XBMC build from http://mirrors.xbmc.org (be sure to choose the right cpu architecture, "arm"). The latest monthly snapshot should work well http://mirrors.xbmc.org/snapshots/android/arm/
*EDIT* I will return my t-r42 to Amazon soon. I prefer a portable battery powered device with HDMI such as JXD gaming tablets http://www.jxd.hk yay! ^_^
My JXD s7800B gaming tablet works nicely with different games. Here's a demo of Dead Trigger 1 (youtube).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fc9oDNduzN4

Android tv box strictly for XBMC

Hello everyone,
I want to buy an android TV box and am planning to use it strictly for XBMC.
I have been reading quite a lot on these devices over the past weeks, but I would still like to get some advice.
The CS968 seems like a nice solution, but I think it does not support hardware acceleration at the moment (RK chipset).
Is it better to take a quad core without h/a to run xbmc or a dual core with supported h/a.
Which one would you recommend me? 720p streaming, maybe 1080 in the future and I just want a smooth XBMC experience and a good wifi signal offcourse.

This is the 1.000.000 USD question, which one to buy for media streaming and use of XBMC.
This is mostly due to 2 things, first is that these boxes are still not 1080p approved (you will need to experiment with several kernels that claim to have this output), and second is related to their power. They cannot play 1080p content, not even 720p content without the H/W acceleration.
What does this mean in practice? Well first is that even if you have a flawless version of Android (stable and 1080p content on it), you still need XBMC (in this case) to be able to H/W decode the content, or else you are unable to use it properly for any HD content.
The good news is that XBMC is about to release a stable version with the promised H/W acceleration, however its not out yet.
Now for the options: If you want good streaming, you need a reliable network connection, and unless your router is just next to the Android TV stick, you'll need a wired connection. This is not normally a problem, just be sure to get a true 100Mbit USB adapter (if it is not already built in), as some of them are only 10Mbit which is a bit slow for HD.
I myself bought a Tronsmart T428, as it has both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz wifi module. However the available ROM's are not that many and I still can't use it as a daily driver for my media needs.
Another thing that you might consider is how to control it. A good remote will make or break the deal, as it's not easy to navigate android without the touch input. I sometimes us a mouse and keyboard (and it works quite well), but for HTPC purposes it's not the best. I also have a Mele F10 which is not bad, but the new version is well worth the extra (Mele F10 pro).
Good luck with your quest. If I were you I would wait a little bit until the new XBMC stable version gets out (12.3) and then see what others are using.
Hope it was helpful.

Lewy20041 is doing great work on these relatively cheap devices.
Take a look at the link below and if you haven't already head over to the FreakTab forums.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2494284

rayill said:
Hello everyone,
I want to buy an android TV box and am planning to use it strictly for XBMC.
I have been reading quite a lot on these devices over the past weeks, but I would still like to get some advice.
The CS968 seems like a nice solution, but I think it does not support hardware acceleration at the moment (RK chipset).
Is it better to take a quad core without h/a to run xbmc or a dual core with supported h/a.
Which one would you recommend me? 720p streaming, maybe 1080 in the future and I just want a smooth XBMC experience and a good wifi signal offcourse.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are talking about XBMC and let alone other things, the Matricom GBox MX2 is a fantastic Android TV Box, at least for me. It has HWA out of the box and I am able to play 1080p very smoothly.
There is a review online you can watch:
hxxp://liliputing.com/2013/05/g-box-midnight-mx2-tv-dual-core-tv-box-is-made-for-android-xbmc.html
Having said that, the GBox MX2 doesn't have the best specs in comparison with other Android TV Boxes out there but if you are looking for a smooth XBMC experience, this is the box for you (IMO). (Or... look for a MX2 clone).

dookie23 said:
If you are talking about XBMC and let alone other things, the Matricom GBox MX2 is a fantastic Android TV Box, at least for me. It has HWA out of the box and I am able to play 1080p very smoothly.
There is a review online you can watch:
hxxp://liliputing.com/2013/05/g-box-midnight-mx2-tv-dual-core-tv-box-is-made-for-android-xbmc.html
Having said that, the GBox MX2 doesn't have the best specs in comparison with other Android TV Boxes out there but if you are looking for a smooth XBMC experience, this is the box for you (IMO). (Or... look for a MX2 clone).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a couple of Android boxes. The ones based on rockchips are not the best in XBMC as there is no hardware decoding. There are some builds out there that that have been hacked to make a callout to play media in MX player. My rockchip box sit in the cupboard. I have a couple that have the Amlogic M3(single core ATV510b) that can run Android XBMC but there is also a linux-xbmc distro for it. Great for a pure XBMC experiance. It will run 1080p no prob. Ive also got a ATV520(M6 dual core) but only runs android. Both can do hardware decoding in XBMC and play 1080p. Both are great little boxs.
I would rather a dual or even a single that has h/a than a quad that cant do h/a. A friend got a quad rockchip and it cant play 1080p. he hates it. Cant play crap in XBMC. It needs hardware
the gBox uses the same chip as the ATV520. There is also the ATV1200 has the same hardware as the ATV520 but more connections and external aerial. imports if you going to wifi.
hope this helps.
cheers

rayill said:
Hello everyone, I want to buy an android TV box and am planning to use it strictly for XBMC.
I have been reading quite a lot on these devices over the past weeks, but I would still like to get some advice.
The CS968 seems like a nice solution, but I think it does not support hardware acceleration at the moment (RK chipset).
Is it better to take a quad core without h/a to run xbmc or a dual core with supported h/a.
Which one would you recommend me? 720p streaming, maybe 1080 in the future and I just want a smooth XBMC experience and a good wifi signal offcourse.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Take a look at these, and possibly go for the device with the highest # cores, highest android version (4.2.2+), highest RAM (2GB+), and one or two external antennae. The devices with Android 4.2.x + can be setup for multiple users {see this post}. Analog video/audio out is a plus, especially for direct hookup to speakers or old television. Some have quad-core Rockchip, which xbmc should support as of version 13 (Gotham) as mentioned in xbmc wiki, but not necessarily. NOTE: Some do not have bluetooth whatsoever (and probably no support for USB bluetooth dongle) such as the Ugoos UT1 box :
Ugoos boxes and sticks:
UM2 stick and UM1 box look good.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2424451
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2373469
http://blog.geekbuying.com/?s=ugoos
http://www.apad.tv/apadforum/forumdisplay.php?64-Ugoos-Android-Mini-PC-and-TV-Box-Tech-Support
I think most Ugoos' are around $100 USD or less with stock parts/accessories on Amazon.com as of this writing.
MINIX boxes:
NEO X7 looks good. Quad core CPU and GPU!
http://www.minix.com.hk/
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2440708
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2439433
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2494284
MINIX X7 should be $120 USD or more, but the other models might be okay too.
Satechi tv box seems good too.
on Amazon
Matricom Gbox .
Midnight MX2 looks good. These can do OTA update.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2002758
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1835588
http://matricom.net/
Mele boxes
Some can do OTA updates.
http://en.mele.cn/ (English)
http://mele.cn/products/3.htm (Chinese)
http://forum.mele.cn:81/viewforum.php?f=14
MyGica (Geniatech) boxes and sticks.
Their latest ATV1800 is awesome! All should do OTA update.
http://www.geniatech.com/pa/android-tv.asp
http://www.mygica.com/products.asp
... and the list goes on and on wow
- Measy
- Unuiga
- Jesurun
- ...
Also: native Linux on these boxes:
RK3188 based: link to thread
AML8726 based: link to thread
but you gotta do loads of research to make'em work!
I tested XBMC "gotham 13 alpha 10" monthly release {see post here} on my phone and it works quite well, even playing 1080p movies with 2 or 3 gigs file sizes.
*I say all that above, but honestly, I am just listing devices for others to see. Since you may want to connect a wired/wireless USB-based mouse and/or keyboard and want to play tons of 1080p videos and do many different things over time, then I think a small laptop or netbook with HDMI and hardware-acceleration running linux or windowz and XBMC desktop version will be much much better. Albeit the higher price, this kind of laptop can handle more and do more, thus more usable & valuable, especially under constant/heavy usage. Note that the $99 devices may be like $0.99 food = looks good, but tastes bad and is unhealthy for you.

rayill said:
Hello everyone,
I want to buy an android TV box and am planning to use it strictly for XBMC.
I have been reading quite a lot on these devices over the past weeks, but I would still like to get some advice.
The CS968 seems like a nice solution, but I think it does not support hardware acceleration at the moment (RK chipset).
Is it better to take a quad core without h/a to run xbmc or a dual core with supported h/a.
Which one would you recommend me? 720p streaming, maybe 1080 in the future and I just want a smooth XBMC experience and a good wifi signal offcourse.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The team ATV xbmchub are recommending ouya
Everything I have read indicates a very capable device, if you want arm
It uses a modified version of xbmc (stock version still a bit iffy on android) that's apparently very good

I used a MyGica ATV120 and found that works nicely for XBMC and video was super smooth.
Sent from my CM11 Samsung Galaxy S4

Any boxes that have a linux build.
Sumvision Cyclone Nano
Gbox MX2
pivos xios
generic MX G18REF based boxes - these can be found on ebay for under £50
These boxes are all... pretty much the same thing, the use AML8726 and the same gpu, and under their linux builds have hardware decoding.
The build I use on my generic MX box is MX Linux from croniccorey
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2418029
The ui closely matches the desktop experience and video does match it.
I've tested it with 55Mbps mkvs and it's played them fine.
Ofcourse the problem with linux builds is... bugs, the builds for all these mx devies, even from sumvision and pivos, have some bugs but they run XBMC much better than it will run under ever the most powerful android device

And all Geniatech ATV400/ATV520/ATV1200/ATV3200
wason92 said:
Any boxes that have a linux build.
Sumvision Cyclone Nano
Gbox MX2
pivos xios
generic MX G18REF based boxes - these can be found on ebay for under £50
These boxes are all... pretty much the same thing, the use AML8726 and the same gpu, and under their linux builds have hardware decoding.
The build I use on my generic MX box is MX Linux from croniccorey
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2418029
The ui closely matches the desktop experience and video does match it.
I've tested it with 55Mbps mkvs and it's played them fine.
Ofcourse the problem with linux builds is... bugs, the builds for all these mx devies, even from sumvision and pivos, have some bugs but they run XBMC much better than it will run under ever the most powerful android device
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They are all based on Aml8726-MX

Android and XBMX
Tried a lot out and found this OTT TV Box to work great with hardware decoding and XBMC. It comes rooted based on the Amlogic 8726 chip. Has integrated camera and mic for video chat. The XBMC version comes fully loaded so you just plug and play, even 2 skins are pre-set. Believe me I've spent nights with boxes and sticks and always something did not work. Audio and video out of sync and so on. I think everybody went through those issue. Give it a try it has great Wifi connectivity due to the external antenna and comes with a simple remote, looks pretty cool as well. I think it's fairly priced and the support is great. This is my personal experience.
wwwdotamazondotcom/gp/aw/d/B00IXQTFDQ

Ive just bought the Justop K10A and it is amazing. You can control it as well with a proprietry rockchip app using your android phone or tablet.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda app-developers app

How does those TV box go with the newest version XBMC 14.1 ?

Tronfy said:
How does those TV box go with the newest version XBMC 14.1 ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
14.2

Best Android Tv Box
Got this as a Christmas gift from my aunt. I can watch movies in Full HD now. This android TV box is awesome. This is fast and runs full hd without any issues. I am very happy to have it. A must need device if you love to watch movies.

What is the name of your android box?
Sam787 said:
Got this as a Christmas gift from my aunt. I can watch movies in Full HD now. This android TV box is awesome. This is fast and runs full hd without any issues. I am very happy to have it. A must need device if you love to watch movies.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You did not mention any name or brand for your android tv box??

Really satisfied from my new Android box TV
I recently bought My Matrix TV and if you are interested in anything ask me. I have been using it intensively for the last two months and I can answer any questions related to it. It is the first Android Box TV that I own and after I bought it it my only source of streaming media.

NVIDIA SHIELD CONSOLE? Android TV SuperComputer Cloud Gaming? WOW

EDIT: Can everyone who visits this thread please take the time to do a official request for adding the SHIELD Console forums? Just visit the below thread and put in your request please. Thanks
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1660354
ORIGINAL POST:
Is this a new device coming out this Summer? I don't even see a section at XDA for it, or any mention of it here in these Shield threads, yet its based on Android TV and the Tegra X1, with the below specs. I'm in the market for a Android TV, so this interests me.
http://shield.nvidia.com/
http://shield.nvidia.com/console
Specifications:
Processor NVIDIA® Tegra® X1 processor
256-core Maxwell™ GPU with 3GB RAM
Video Features 4K Ultra-HD ready with 4K playback and capture up to 60 fps (VP9, H265, H264)
Audio 7.1 and 5.1 surround sound pass through over HDMI
High-resolution audio playback up to 24-bit/192 kHz over HDMI and USB
High-resolution audio up-sample to 24-bit/192 kHz over USB
Storage* 16 GB
Wireless 802.11ac 2x2 MIMO 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi
Bluetooth 4.1/BLE
Interfaces Gigabit Ethernet
HDMI 2.0
Two USB 3.0 (Type A)
Micro-USB 2.0
MicroSD slot
IR Receiver (compatible with Logitech Harmony)
Software Updates SHIELD software upgrades directly from NVIDIA
Gaming Features NVIDIA GRID™ game streaming service
NVIDIA Share
NVIDIA GameStream™
Power 40 W power adapter
Weight and Size Weight: 23 oz / 654 g
Height: 5.1 in / 130 mm
Width: 8.3 in / 210 mm
Depth: 1.0 in / 25 mm
Operating System Android TV™, Google Cast™ Ready
Included Apps = PLEX

It is a new android TV console made by Nvidia. The Cpu/GPU is the latest tegra X1 that is insanely fast! Much faster than Snapdragon 810 and Exynos 7.
Release date is in may and will cost 199$

Just saw some games that will be released like Metal Gear rising? will those be on the cloud or it will run natively on the shield it self? if its only on the cloud the this is not a console its just a streaming device that requires very fast internet which not all countries have specially here in the Philippines

RollWii said:
Just saw some games that will be released like Metal Gear rising? will those be on the cloud or it will run natively on the shield it self? if its only on the cloud the this is not a console its just a streaming device that requires very fast internet which not all countries have specially here in the Philippines
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Games like Crysis 3 will run natively on it (not in the cloud).
(Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong)

Correct, there are a few big-name games being modded/re-written to run natively on the platform. Of them, "Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel" , "Doom 3: BFG Edition" , and "Crysis 3". They demoed all of these. Doom3 and Crysis looked like they ran pretty well. Borderlands ran like a slug and obviously needed a lot more optimization.
That being said, they were really pushing the GRID services heavily, and a number of the announced launch titles were actually GRID games (AKA, PC games virtualized in a server center and streamed to your natively like OnLive or Gaikai/PS-Now, but with the improvements that nVidia has learned from the virtualization and distributed/parallel computing sectors). Anybody who has a current SHIELD device (portable or Tablet) and is within the USA should try it on their current devices at least a few times before it goes subscription model. It is currently in beta and free for all Shield devices, but the servers are in the USA, and the lag times may be unacceptable for some games if you are overseas or just have a laggy connection in general. It will officially come out of beta at the time when the Shield Console goes on sale, which will end the year-plus free ride so far.

ryocoon said:
Correct, there are a few big-name games being modded/re-written to run natively on the platform. Of them, "Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel" , "Doom 3: BFG Edition" , and "Crysis 3". They demoed all of these. Doom3 and Crysis looked like they ran pretty well. Borderlands ran like a slug and obviously needed a lot more optimization.
That being said, they were really pushing the GRID services heavily, and a number of the announced launch titles were actually GRID games (AKA, PC games virtualized in a server center and streamed to your natively like OnLive or Gaikai/PS-Now, but with the improvements that nVidia has learned from the virtualization and distributed/parallel computing sectors). Anybody who has a current SHIELD device (portable or Tablet) and is within the USA should try it on their current devices at least a few times before it goes subscription model. It is currently in beta and free for all Shield devices, but the servers are in the USA, and the lag times may be unacceptable for some games if you are overseas or just have a laggy connection in general. It will officially come out of beta at the time when the Shield Console goes on sale, which will end the year-plus free ride so far.
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I'm more interested what it will eventually do for media myself. And it MUST be rootable for me to even consider it as an option. The specs, at least for the Android world are nothing short of brilliant. However, again I want media apps mainly, such as Kodi, Plex, Netflix playback and casting to be flawless. For now the Nexus Player still turns me on more even with it being wifi only. However, If the NVIDIA Console becomes rootable with FULL custom Android ROM's I am going to change my mind in a heartbeat though, haha.

Considering that all of the nVidia devices to date have been extremely easy to unlock and root, I'm going to say that, yeah, it is mostly likely going to be root-able. Whether it can handle Kodi/Plex/Netflix/Etc at 4K is up to those developers. I know NetFlix has 4K content, but I'm not sure how they differentiate and enable it to be honest.
I have the Nexus Player, and I honestly feel a bit like a chump for getting it and so soon this device is announced. I can always use it in another room or something though.
The big rub with Android TV so far is that the default UI, the LeanBack Launcher, will not display some apps unless they declare themselves as leanback capable (which includes some XML, an art asset or two for different shape/size icons, navigation by controller/keys, and search-ability in some cases). This is a problem I've run into on my Nexus Player. Now, nVidia may snub the LeanBack launcher and may integrate some LeanBack function into their nVidia Hub (like on the Shield Tablet and Shield Portable) which recognizes dozens of media apps, games, and some other things and has a launcher in its own UI. However, if apps make themselves noted for LeanBack, they show up fine on the normal AndroidTV interface. What is better, if they include search, then you can voice search for titles in media apps, and if it includes some sort of rating or recommendation feature (like Hulu or YouTube) they can integrate that and you can get recommendations of what to watch directly in your launcher UI on the top row. Less important for games, maybe important for Game discovery, but definitely an interesting thing for the media watchers amongst us. I doubt recommendation would work on something like Plex, and KODI is its own UI entirely, skipping LeanBack or even nVidia hub (to be honest, I've never been a fan of XBMC's UI, and Kodi hasn't won me over yet either... too fidgety and I can't trust a 'normal' person to be able to understand and operate it). Like I stated above, the machine has the horsepower, but it will be up to app developers to show up with a "flawless" app that will work on it well.
Casting works pretty damn well on my Nexus Player, so I bet with MIMO capable AC spec WiFi, and also ethernet inclusion, you will get pretty damn good casting from Chromecast apps, as that is built into AndroidTV's OS.
Mind you a lot of this is based upon speculation on specs, existing hardware, and my knowledge of the AndroidTV OS and how it functions. Your mileage may vary, terms and conditions subject to actual reality upon device launch.

Yeah chances are my mileage will most likely vary, unless for some odd reason I am forced to run the stock Android TV experience. Since 2010 I have not ran anything stock, so not even sure what that is like, and pretty sure I don't want to know, lol. I was thinking about a full rom flashed on it immediately out of the box, installing Nova Launcher, my Planets live wallpaper, throwing up all the streaming apps onto the home screen, and hoping it just works like it did for the Nexus Player user on Youtube. I want to setup my own media streamer home page and experience. 4K would be future proof, but I have no plans to get rid of the 1080p TV that this device will be attached to, not before it naturally dies on me. I still like the Nexus Player as it will fit right in with all my other Nexus devices. I just need to see more development work taking place on it.

SkOrPn said:
Yeah chances are my mileage will most likely vary, unless for some odd reason I am forced to run the stock Android TV experience. Since 2010 I have not ran anything stock, so not even sure what that is like, and pretty sure I don't want to know, lol. I was thinking about a full rom flashed on it immediately out of the box, installing Nova Launcher, my Planets live wallpaper, throwing up all the streaming apps onto the home screen, and hoping it just works like it did for the Nexus Player user on Youtube. I want to setup my own media streamer home page and experience. 4K would be future proof, but I have no plans to get rid of the 1080p TV that this device will be attached to, not before it naturally dies on me. I still like the Nexus Player as it will fit right in with all my other Nexus devices. I just need to see more development work taking place on it.
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I'm still waiting for this device. Hopefully it's better than the garbage that the Razer Forge TV was. The mods and such at the nVidia forums still say it's coming out in may. The Forge didn't release with Netflix, and there might be a chance the same will happen with the Nvidia Shield Android TV, but I'd be ok with Nvidia as they're going to have 4k display support for netflix.
https://forums.geforce.com/default/...blet/nvidia-shield-tv-console-release-date/2/

I just got an email from NVIDIA saying its almost here. It starts out saying the wait is over, but then goes on to say its still not available and that they are giving away one Shield Console everyday until it is available to the public. I hate emails that start off telling you the wait is over but then asks you to wait some more, lol...

Its out!
Although only can see USA and Canada
$199.99 for 16GB
$299.99 for 500GB
http://shield.nvidia.com/android-tv

I'm not personally too interested in the gaming aspects but that amount of GPU power will prove very, very interesting. My main hope is that somebody can produce a minimal linux install for HTPC with Kodi and mpv builds, or perhaps just a release of Debian.
This device is the perfect low-cost HTPC. It should have more than sufficient CPU power for 10-bit h.264 and h.265 decode as well as sufficient compute power on the GPU side for EWA-type resamplers for chroma and image. I'm given to understand the X1 has full desktop opengl compatibility so it ought to be fully compatible with mpv (though I'm unsure of the state of the ARM builds).
The denver CPU should be more than enough to handle metadata crawling and the likes via Kodi in a non-sluggish fashion too. Christ, this device needs more videophile attention...

Just ordered mine on Amazon. It'll be here Sunday.
XDA needs a forum for it. This old shield handheld forum is for a completely different device.

Just ordered mine from Amazon US to be delivered to the UK next week by expedited delivery. What an absolute beast of a machine.

skrowl said:
Just ordered mine on Amazon. It'll be here Sunday.
XDA needs a forum for it. This old shield handheld forum is for a completely different device.
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me too!
returning my fire tv to them for a full refund, and getting this
this will be great to stream my pc to the tv so i can play games like witcher 3 in full 4k 50" vs 1080p 24"
and all the other stuff it does

Full review
http://www.anandtech.com/show/9289/the-nvidia-shield-android-tv-review

Shield Console Rooting Experience Thus Far...
Got mine this afternoon and after futzing a bit, tried to root it. It came with developer mode already enabled, one hassle for me is that rebooting to fastboot makes the screen blank so I had to fly blind to oem unlock. So, I've got an unlocked system at the moment, but Super SU is still not working because their is no su on the device. Anyone make it any further than me? I also went ahead and cracked it open to see if there were obvious serial port connection points. Looks like there's a nice spot for a laptop hard drive that is probably populated in the Pro model.
I'm going to look into building my own kernel + ramdisk to try and get the necessary tools in place so SuperSU can work, but I'm a bit worried that the screen isn't going to work and so I'll essentially be flying blind through the whole process.

ericvh said:
Looks like there's a nice spot for a laptop hard drive that is probably populated in the Pro model.
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Does that that mean there is an internal SATA connector or not?

A.N.Droid said:
Does that that mean there is an internal SATA connector or not?
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Yeah no SATA connector but there is an option in the settings to install all apps to an external hdd or micro sd card anyways
PS. Anyone know if this will be getting a dedicated XDA Forum? I'll probably be picking one up soon

A.N.Droid said:
Does that that mean there is an internal SATA connector or not?
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Hard to tell for sure, looks like there might be solder points for it, but no header. I've got the 500GB on order, will post the diffs when it arrives.

should i buy the mojo

Looking for a Kodi box plus emulation
Can the box run Dreamcast/PS1/PSP /N64 games well?
Should I chose the new firebox or an Intel atom cherry trail small media center

All I can say to this is I absolutely love my MOJO and would not replace it. But (there's always a but!) it can be a tough console to love and requires a bit of effort to get what you want from it. That said I would not change it and have even considered buying another as a back up.
Ultimately it does depend on what you want from it.
For me it's a brilliant one-stop place for my movies and games. I use KODI but I don't stream with it (though I am led to believe the box does this well) but instead have my personal media on an external drive along with my retro games. I flashed the console with UJD's Cyanogenmod 12.1 and have tailored it further still with the Top TV Launcher from the Play store. There have been some minor bumps along the way but I have resolved everything that I had problems with.
I would recommend not paying too much for one now if it can be avoided. I paid £60 brand new for mine and that is about right considering the required effort needed to get it running sweetly. I certainly wouldn't pay over £100 that some are trying to charge on eBay for second hand units.
As for emulation it is imho the best box I have bought for it. Some of the emus need a bit of work but they won't suffer because of anything the MOJO does wrong. N64 runs extremely well on both Retroarch and Mupen FZ Edition. I also recently installed Drastic which is amazing too. Dreamcast emulation is very old but still runs OK via Reicast. PSX is spot on, though I haven't tried PSP. The only downside with emulation here is the D-pad on the CTRLR. It is very stiff. I've gotten used to it but occasionally on fighting games it drives me nuts!

Wow fantastic response they are going for £60 ATM
Roughly same as fire box TV ,
Also could add extra and get a Intel atom cherry trail for £80
Nvidia shield is the bee knees but is around 150 which I don't have.

I'd say no, support for it is pretty much dead and current custom roms are fairly buggy.

I've had no issues with CM 12.1 personally. It has been extremely stable and problem free for me. The only thing I've heard is Netflix doesn't work, but I don't need that myself. If you do use it, you may wish to consider something else. Similarly, I don't have a 4K set, just a fairly standard 1080p TV. I don't know how the MOJO works with 4K, and I suspect you'd need to look elsewhere for that.
I came to this box from the OUYA, the Raspberry Pi (3), and I also had a Minix Neo U1. They are all compromises one way or the other. Even the Nvidia Shield is in some ways. Stuff may work on one but not the other, options may be available on that box but not on the other box. The compromises with the MOJO worked out better for me than the compromises the other boxes offered.
I'm not trying to convince you to buy one. If you have the money I'd say get the Shield as people seem to love it, and the MOJO is not a Shield replacement. What it is to me is a great game console and media player that I have tailored to suit me over time, and at this point I would not swap it out for anything else.

Just got the mojo on ebay for 35 delivered
So looks like it should be coming Tuesday.
Cm12 best option

CM 12.1 I would say personally, but you might want to try them all and see which works best for you. You can't really brick the MOJO once the recovery is installed. The files you'll need are around the forums somewhere. You might like the stock OS, who knows?
£35 all in? That's absolutely excellent. Even if you don't like it, for that price you can sell it on again and not lose anything.
I personally followed this guide to install the OS. It says it's for Remix but it helps with all of them. If you have any trouble I'm sure a good search around here will set you on your path. Chances are someone else will have experienced the same problem and posted here.
Once it's installed, first thing I would do is install a shutdown button as otherwise you'll just be unplugging to switch it off. I hate that myself, it can't be any good for the system. I use Quick Reboot Pro, but I think there's a free version. Also as I mentioned before I would try Top TV Launcher too. Many people do not like the stock Android interface on their TV's. I don't either tbh but I could cope with it, but Top TV Launcher is much better and nicely customisable once you know how it works. If you do decide to use CM 12.1, root is in the developer options.

K-Project said:
CM 12.1 I would say personally, but you might want to try them all and see which works best for you. You can't really brick the MOJO once the recovery is installed. The files you'll need are around the forums somewhere. You might like the stock OS, who knows?
£35 all in? That's absolutely excellent. Even if you don't like it, for that price you can sell it on again and not lose anything.
I personally followed this guide to install the OS. It says it's for Remix but it helps with all of them. If you have any trouble I'm sure a good search around here will set you on your path. Chances are someone else will have experienced the same problem and posted here.
Once it's installed, first thing I would do is install a shutdown button as otherwise you'll just be unplugging to switch it off. I hate that myself, it can't be any good for the system. I use Quick Reboot Pro, but I think there's a free version. Also as I mentioned before I would try Top TV Launcher too. Many people do not like the stock Android interface on their TV's. I don't either tbh but I could cope with it, but Top TV Launcher is much better and nicely customisable once you know how it works. If you do decide to use CM 12.1, root is in the developer options.
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Yes £25 pound won the bid but a tenner postage and packaging.
Thank you for the tips
Is it easy enough to add extra controllers i.e Xbox pad (i have adapter) and Bluetooth pads
Looking forward to Mario kart and fzero

You can add other pads for two player but to be honest you'll be using the CTRLR as the main controller for the system. You'll likely be better off with Bluetooth pads for multi player gaming (though the only one of those I've tried is the retail CTRLR) as the stock pad included uses up one of the two USB ports provided. This can be a pain if you use the other USB for storage, so you'll have to use a Bluetooth pad as a second controller rather than a wired one. Also I would note that the SD card slot is only really useful for installing OS's. If you try to use it when your new OS is installed it will mess up your wifi (i.e - it won't work). Just reserve the SD card slot for installation purposes only and don't use it as storage. It's a shame but there it is. Unless you stick with the stock OS where I believe it works fine.

Thanks for the heads up so if i want to add external storage another usb way is the way forward.

Yes that would be my recommendation. On mine I have the stock CTRLR in one USB (the 3.0 one) and my external 2Tb hard drive in the other. I've recently started using my retail CTRLR and this does not require a dongle. It's freed up a USB port but I don't really have anything to plug into it anyway beyond a wired pad for two player games.
I hope you enjoy it tbh, but I know people have been this way before and really disliked it. A lot of this was to do with the stock Android OS on a big TV, which is why I recommended the TV launcher above. But also a lot of folks just didn't like having to deal with it in such a manual way. Like I say I paid £60 for mine so could afford to be philosophical about it, as can you I suppose at £30. I suppose those who paid £200 upwards won't be as forgiving, and I would not have been either all told.

Well maybe i have bought a dud my own fault for not reading listing ,
As it was sold as used and not for spares or repairs
Unable to copy and paste but basically the seller maybe from here as apprantly he's gone to flash android tv and basically the unit goes into some sort of boot loop , he mentions 4 coloured balls.
Can I recover this ?

sutty86 said:
Well maybe i have bought a dud my own fault for not reading listing ,
As it was sold as used and not for spares or repairs
Unable to copy and paste but basically the seller maybe from here as apprantly he's gone to flash android tv and basically the unit goes into some sort of boot loop , he mentions 4 coloured balls.
Can I recover this ?
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You most likely can recover this, unless it's a hardware issue. Search through the forums, there is a key combo to get into the recovery menu from boot up... it's something like CTRL-ALT-PRNT SCREEN-I. Failing that there is also the USB AtoA cable which will put you into fastboot mode on bootup, from there you can flash it with whatever you like.
Personally i like the Remix OS image... very stable, everything works including Netflix... I use my MOJO as a Moonlight streaming device that i stream all my Steam games to my TV with, then play from the comfort of my couch :victory:
Enjoy!

sutty86 said:
Well maybe i have bought a dud my own fault for not reading listing ,
As it was sold as used and not for spares or repairs
Unable to copy and paste but basically the seller maybe from here as apprantly he's gone to flash android tv and basically the unit goes into some sort of boot loop , he mentions 4 coloured balls.
Can I recover this ?
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Click to collapse
AH! This may be the same listing I was following for a short time. Yes the owner had tried to flash it himself but got stuck with it and didn't know what to do next. I was going to buy it as a backup (I've always got my eye out for a backup!).
It could be a hardware fault but personally I'll be amazed if you can't rescue it one way or the other. The MOJO is incredibly friendly to users and is (I'm told) difficult to actually brick. Unless it is a hardware issue, I don't think you'll have any bother installing TWRP recovery and then installing your chosen OS. There are more than enough quality guides on this site as long as you follow them closely.
I did try Remix myself and loved it. I would have stuck with it, but unfortunately it did not play nicely with my NTFS formatted 2Tb external drive. I had to install Paragon NTFS, but even then when playing back my media files using KODI the playback was a mess of jitter and stutter. No such issue with CM 12.1 - it recognises the drive no problem and playback is silky smooth. YMMV.