Database Users

[Q] Gaming on the transformer

I have a little question:
Is it possible to play games on the transformer through a remote-desktop app such as teamviewer? And with possible I mean is the quality acceptable, is it fluent, is the keyboard-dock usable etc. and with games I mean stuff like Call of Duty, World of Warcraft etc.
So, anyone has an answer to this...?

it is if your connection is good enough. Screen is sort of small though.

Pretty sure you're gonna end up padding someone's k/d ratio if you try to play CoD this way, as well as failing miserably in arena/raiding. Questing and instances should be ok though, but its not going to be nearly as good via a remote client as it would be if you were right there. Also, i havent tried to reconfigure it, if its even possible, but in android the there is no right click so the RDP/VNC clients all interpret right clicks as the back button, so good luck trying to ADS in CoD using right click...but i guess you can work around it by mapping it to a key instead.
I hope it works out for you better than it did me =P
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk

Could be neat to try the onlive gaming service lol

So what I understand from here is that you have tried but the biggest problem is not being able to right-click? Also I'm aware that the quality will not be as good as on your normal pc would be, but I just wanted to know if it's playable.
Does anyone know a remote-desktop app that let's you configure the right-click key? I know it's probably possible since teamviewer let's you use some other keys like ins and home that your Android device normally doesn't have, but I haven't found an option for right-clicking yet.
Edit: by the way, I don't have a transformer (yet) that's why I can't test it out myself. One of the things that will decide whether or not I'm getting one is this factor, so I hope you guys can help me .

yes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cdfsf0BSGA

That's just what I've been wanting to see, thanks!
I'm sure that's laggy in real life, and I'm sure it's not ideal, but at least we know it's possible, and not just a slideshow.

This made me smile...
Thanks!

Anyone gotten the scuum emulator to work on it yet?

RiffyDivine said:
Anyone gotten the scuum emulator to work on it yet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure....I've managed to get monkey island 1 and 2, sam and max and broken sword all working pretty well. Just have to download the relevant plug ins from the market and providing you have the necessary files from the original games you're good to go.

Still one question... Is it possible to configure an easy right-click button?? (Most ideal would be the possibility to actually right-click with an external mouse instead of going back)

Perhaps I'm missing something, but does anyone know how to get input from the keyboard dock to go to a game via Splashtop, or if it's possible? Every game I've tried will take touchpad/mouse input, but nothing on the keyboard.

I just got confirmation from someone that my idea does work and it's playable without any noticeable lag.
There are 2 problems though:
1. Full-screen doesn't work, so you have to find a way to play it in window-mode
2. The mouse input isn't complete. What I understand is that in the game Duke Nukem Forever you can't move the screen with your mouse, what makes the game rather useless on the transformer. However, I have seen some videos of call of duty where the mouse input does work, so I'm not sure what's the problem here.
Anyone has a solution for this? Maybe something for a transformer dev?

dr0ne57 said:
Perhaps I'm missing something, but does anyone know how to get input from the keyboard dock to go to a game via Splashtop, or if it's possible? Every game I've tried will take touchpad/mouse input, but nothing on the keyboard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I definitely played just a little bit of Transformers War for Cybertron and was able to use the keyboard!

I have had mixed results with trying to play games. Some games work in fullscreen, even though it says they can't (I was able to play Guild Wars this way). Unreal Tournament 3 and Sacred 2 were a no go though. It would just stop streaming when I launched them.
There is some slight lag no matter what, even on the desktop, and that is with me sitting 10 feet from my router and my PC wired, not wireless, to help reduce lag. Some say it is indiscernible, but I definitely notice. Overall I find this setup to be playable for MMO games like Aion, Guild Wars, etc, but not instant action games where the half a second ping can miss you a shot. Just my opinion.
P.S. I love playing games using my PS3 controller in bluetooth mode with the PC in the other room! (I'm using MotioninJoy on my PC so I can play Gamecube games on my Transformer)

@ryukeima
You're the first person I heard complaining about lang, so maybe it's your Internet connection?
Anyone here plays the game league of legende? I want to know some more about that game on the transformer .

I've played Civ 5 and The Witcher on my tablet using the included Splashtop. It wasn't too bad, but I don't know that I would do it on a regular basis. The play experience was good enough for me to believe that if someone came out with remote desktop software with this use in mind it would be very playable (Hey, if the Wii U can do it, I should be able to pull it off with my monster gaming PC and the Transformer, which has to be better than the tablet Nintendo is using).
Splashtop's user interface is a little weird which causes issues. I think I am going to try the Citrix ZenDesktop and see if it works out better.
AS A SIDE NOTE, I looked at PocketCloud remote desktop software for this use as well, but only the RDP protocol on PocketCloud supports sound and if you are running Windows Home edition (even Premium) you don't have an RDP server. The VNC protocol in PocketCloud does not support sound.

Is something like this hard to make? If not, then xda could maybe start developing their own remote desktop app with this idea in mind...?

bluejay2345 said:
I've played Civ 5 and The Witcher on my tablet using the included Splashtop. It wasn't too bad, but I don't know that I would do it on a regular basis. The play experience was good enough for me to believe that if someone came out with remote desktop software with this use in mind it would be very playable (Hey, if the Wii U can do it, I should be able to pull it off with my monster gaming PC and the Transformer, which has to be better than the tablet Nintendo is using).
Splashtop's user interface is a little weird which causes issues. I think I am going to try the Citrix ZenDesktop and see if it works out better.
AS A SIDE NOTE, I looked at PocketCloud remote desktop software for this use as well, but only the RDP protocol on PocketCloud supports sound and if you are running Windows Home edition (even Premium) you don't have an RDP server. The VNC protocol in PocketCloud does not support sound.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As far as I could see, RDP dosen't do DirecX, so no games at all. At least on XP.
Anyway... it seems to me that Splashtop uses the same idea behind Sony's Remote Play! It's essentially an audio/video stream with inputs going the other way.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk

[Random Guide] Hulu & Netflix on your Transformer (or on your big screen)

First off let me go ahead and say most of you probably already know that you can do this but I'm just trying to be safe and letting everyone know how easily it can be done (No rooting needed either for those of you that care). I just do it this way myself because I haven't really gotten around to downgrading and rooting yet and needed a way to watch hulu on my couch last night. Now back to the point.
Things that are needed:
1 MINI HDMI/HDMI cable (Only if you want to watch it on your tv like I did)
A PC or MAC (No linux support yet that I know of sorry) with decent hardware (gig of ram and a dual core should work fine =P)
Splashtop remote installed on your PC you will be using!!!! (GOOGLE IT)
A decent wifi connection (G works fine)
Now all that you have to do is go to the mycloud application, click my desktop and go to whatever your streaming site of choice is (say netflix since no one has it on here yet) and fire up whatever video your heart desires. Obviously if you want it on your TV you'll need the MINI HDMI/HDMI cable mentioned above and I recommend if you get a low framerate on the video you disconnect from your PC/MAC and set it to a lower resolution in the mycloud app on the tablet (click the edit button beside the computer of choice and its the bottom option).
My personal setup also involved a BT mouse so I didn't have to hold the tablet while changing videos and such and it worked quite nicely. All questions are welcome and please if anyone finds out a way to fix the cut out pixels on each side when using HDMI tell me via this thread or PM, Its driving me insane!

Sorry but remote desktop is not really a true method and has been mentioned before.
Sent from my Transformer TF101

So you are streaming the screen of your PC while the PC streams the netflix video? Know a way to do this without needing another PC on in the house?

4dthinker said:
So you are streaming the screen of your PC while the PC streams the netflix video? Know a way to do this without needing another PC on in the house?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah all you are doing basically is mirroring your computer screen. Sadly there isn't another way to do this that I know of. We will just have to use this method until Netflix decides that Honeycomb tablets deserves their app it seems.

Not a very good guide since this doesn't work if the PC and tablet aren't on the same network, and if I am at home anyways why not just watch it on my TV?

seshmaru said:
Not a very good guide since this doesn't work if the PC and tablet aren't on the same network, and if I am at home anyways why not just watch it on my TV?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Considering you can watch it if you aren't on the same network with a little bit of setup (google splashtop port forwarding) and the TV setup part was mainly for Hulu as most devices require hulu+ to watch on the TV
Also, if you don't want to work through the port forwarding guides that are out there (idk why you wouldn't if its that big of a deal) splashtop has said they are working on getting it on the android side (its already on the iphone/ipad app). I wouldn't hold my breath though unless you want to actually pay for the splashtop app in the market.

frosty5689 said:
Sorry but remote desktop is not really a true method and has been mentioned before.
Sent from my Transformer TF101
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then don't use this and just wait for the Netflix app for Netflix? Enjoy waiting on that one though.

I use Play On.
If you have the time to config your computer and internet settings i would just use play on temporary until an app comes out for netflix.
However things you would need is
- PC (has to be on)
- You can either use it at home only or set your internet to allow outside connection then you can connect anywhere
- Play on Mobile App on Android
- Play on Desktop (PC)
http://www.playon.tv/playon
However, you can test it out as there is a 30 day trial premium .
But you would've to pay for the program license after the 30 days, which is the bad part.
However you can link netflix, hulu, pandora, mtv, comedy central, cartoon network, etc.
Something to check out if you are interested.

trancemode said:
I use Play On.
If you have the time to config your computer and internet settings i would just use play on temporary until an app comes out for netflix.
However things you would need is
- PC (has to be on)
- You can either use it at home only or set your internet to allow outside connection then you can connect anywhere
- Play on Mobile App on Android
- Play on Desktop (PC)
http://www.playon.tv/playon
However, you can test it out as there is a 30 day trial premium .
But you would've to pay for the program license after the 30 days, which is the bad part.
However you can link netflix, hulu, pandora, mtv, comedy central, cartoon network, etc.
Something to check out if you are interested.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had forgotten about playon actually sadly I would rather not pay for something I already pay for (when it comes to the netflix) and on the Hulu side I'll just use a hacked flash apk. Thanks for the suggestion though.

My Kindle Fire Review (after 12 hours usage)

My experience: I have an iPad1, iPad2, HP Touchpad, and three Archos 5" Android tablets... So not too much of a n00b.
Keyboard: The keyboard doesn’t always work for me.. When I first got it, every time I hit the spacebar, it would automatically go down two lines.. And when I hit the delete button, it would go back one space, then it would stop deleting and just repeat the same letter over and over.. While testing this, the Fire crashed.. and when it reset, the keyboard worked better without these issues.. but I still had a lot of typing mistakes as it would be too sensitive.. (kinda crazy that the Fire crashed in the first hour I opened it while typing up an email)
Video: Playing videos from Amazon Prime was fast and sweet! Amazon made it very easy to watch their videos on the Fire. I have not tested MP4 videos I have made for my iPad yet.. Because of size restrictions, I may not do this.
Home screen: Why can you not change the "last viewed" stuff on the top of the Fire.. this is horrible.. I came to work today and of course everyone wants to play with my new Fire.. so they could all see every single website, book, PDF, movie, etc I had viewed last night.. and now because they played with it, I have all the stuff they viewed there as well now.. There should be some sort of incognito mode.. I know this is a personal tablet, but whether someone is behind me when I am in the home screen or someone picks up my tablet at my apartment.. I don't need them seeing what I have been looking at.
Apps: There are a nice amount of apps available already for the Fire.. BUT.. why can’t I remove the apps that the Fire came with? Also, the PDF viewer that comes with the tablet is no good. I side loaded some PDF magazines into the Fire, and they were unreadable on the screen (all jaggy). I then installed the Adobe PDF viewer from the Amazon Market, and the text is much better.. but zooming in and out on a 7” tablet does not make for smooth reading. And why don’t the PDF thumbnail the first page images? The iPad does this right away… all you see on the Fire is the text name of the PDF written over a white sheet. Lastly, I installed Touchdown for the Fire (as the built in email does not include MS Exchange support).. and it works well..except that the client does NOT sync while it is not open.. What the heck is that??
Web: Loading pages like Gizmodo.com was quick.. but it was another issue reading the site.. scrolling down was very jerky and slow.. I know the page is long, but most tech blogs are.. and that is what I would like to read in the back of a cab.
Misc: I wish there were hardware sound control… It would make playing videos/music easier to control, as well as offering page up/page down control for reading. The Fire is a bit heavy and thick.. but for $200, u can’t complain.. I will probably keep using my iPad for reading websites and PDFs… and using the Fire for books and Amazon prime videos.
If anyone knows how to fix the issues above, please let me know.. I know that there is a root out now for the Fire, but I am hoping that there are faster/smoother solutions.

I was able to side load a .m4v file on the Fire, but it wouldn't play until I renamed it .mp4.
The videos were HQ rips for my iPad so that worked great.
I agree on the last item viewed being on the shelf. Wish there was a way clearing that.

EvanWasHere said:
I wish there were hardware sound control… It would make playing videos/music easier to control
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On my Nexus I use Mobiplayer and I can control volume by swiping on the screen. I wonder if you load (or sideload) Mobi or a similar video player if you can get this. Anyone know or can anyone check?

Thanks for the review!

the source code will save us!!!

esoh said:
On my Nexus I use Mobiplayer and I can control volume by swiping on the screen. I wonder if you load (or sideload) Mobi or a similar video player if you can get this. Anyone know or can anyone check?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I sideloaded Mobiplayer and the soft volume swiping does work for the Fire. So at least for video playback I can live without a hardware key. Btw I need to enable software decoding by default or some files won't play... maybe I needed to install a Mobi codec but I don't know which one works. Maybe someone can point me to the right direction...
Cheers,
W.

Agree with you. I'm facing same problem.

I installed Swiftkey and feel it is much better than the Amazon default keyboard.
You can remove the items from the Carosel. Refer to instructions at http://mazurk.net/KindleFire.htm

It's a fun toy and I'm glad I didn't pay anything for it (won it at an office raffle) but I'm still kind of lost as to what I'm gonna use it for as I have an iPad 2. Still, I'm having a blast trying to mess with it and hopefully gonna get TWRP installed here soon.

Popcorn Time

Anyone tried Popcorn Time on the FireTV? I just did and other than needing a keyboard it was a pretty flawless experience. This must have Hollywood needing a new pair of boxers!
http://www.time4popcorn.eu/android.html

jocala said:
Anyone tried Popcorn Time on the FireTV? I just did and other than needing a keyboard it was a pretty flawless experience. This must have Hollywood needing a new pair of boxers!
http://www.time4popcorn.eu/android.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not a big fan of it since it's just a glorified BitTorrent client - warning, you should be aware of the implications.
Good read:
http://www.reddit.com/r/cordcutters/comments/2dta6a/rank_these_media_options_from_safest_to_least/

MovieTube 4.2 also works fine on the FireTV.
I wear my tin foil hat when watching movies with it too.

It's sketchy because users end up breaking the law by "sharing" files because torrents seed automatically at the same time that you're downloading, newbies could be susceptible to breaking the law without realizing.

TV ADDONS said:
It's sketchy because users end up breaking the law by "sharing" files because torrents seed automatically at the same time that you're downloading, newbies could be susceptible to breaking the law without realizing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
download the 990.ro add on for kodi.
Might not be as good as popcorn time (haven't gotten one to work for me), but at least I can actually watch stuff.

I've sideloaded the app but you can't use the Remote to navigate at all. I just use my bluetooth mouse/keyboard to simulate tapping on movie titles. It works just fine so far.

Go to the Input devices menu and turn on "Remote control sends keyboard presses" within the System settings.

TV ADDONS said:
Go to the Input devices menu and turn on "Remote control sends keyboard presses" within the System settings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What setting are you talking about? XBMC? Popcorn time is android app and not xbmc addon.

@rog1121 was asking about XBMC in the post right before mine @gerikss

TV ADDONS said:
@rog1121 was asking about XBMC in the post right before mine @gerikss
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No I wasn't, I was talking about the popcorn time app

jocala said:
Anyone tried Popcorn Time on the FireTV? I just did and other than needing a keyboard it was a pretty flawless experience. This must have Hollywood needing a new pair of boxers!
http://www.time4popcorn.eu/android.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of all the PopcornTime branches. The Time4Popcorn is one of the most sketchy. Not truly open-source. And it's better to supply your own VPN too. http://www.vpntips.com/fire-tv-vpn-install/
This is the better of the lot: https://popcorntime.io/
kable said:
MovieTube 4.2 also works fine on the FireTV.
I wear my tin foil hat when watching movies with it too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Using a VPN is like wearing 4 tin foil hats at the same time... And CyberGhost is always giving away 12 month special edition or 6 month full server keys every few weeks. The 6 month giveaways are the best since you get access to all servers for free. http://slickdeals.net/newsearch.php?54&q=CyberGhost&firstonly=1
You can still get a 6 month all servers key thru this promotion (It's mislabeled as Special Edition) http://slickdeals.net/f/7236580-cyberghost-5-vpn-special-edition-free-quick?v=1
TV ADDONS said:
It's sketchy because users end up breaking the law by "sharing" files because torrents seed automatically at the same time that you're downloading, newbies could be susceptible to breaking the law without realizing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah.. VPN is a must. The key is to find one you trust enough (Thru TOS faith) & that gives you enough speed to enjoy the streams... XBMC & other streaming is much better but options is access. I myself have never used any popcorntime, yet.

How to install popcorn time?
So does popcorn time work perfectly on the fire tv? What are the steps to get it installed and working properly?
1- sideload popcorn time apk?
2- Does it need a mouse and keyboard or will the remote work?
3- Does it need external storage for the cache?
Thanks!

What about the addon xbmc torrent, isn't that essentially the same thing?

Fire TV hands on - dismal experience with great potential

Hello guys
EDIT: I have to mention that for some reason it seems Amazon has managed to bypass whatever cleverness Genesis Addon uses to give access to all the movies you want to see... so for people wanting to use FireTV as an XBMC box to watch movies (illegally) you will have big challenges. They have locked it down... so you'd have to try use proxy servers, virtual networks etc to get around that... but it is nowhere near as easy to use as a good Android TV box like the Tronsmart s89.
Having used it for about two hours, I've concluded the device is great if all you want to do is to watch Amazon prime video or netflix... but to run most other android apps, it is simply an awful experience. , these are a few of my least favourite things:
1/ Apps you sideload are not visible on the home screen. It takes you 19 (NINETEEN!!!) clicks to get from HOME to the list of apps you can "manage". From there you click more to scroll down to your app of choice and click to select it then click to load it.
2/ you cannot use the remote for inputting text via voice within an app, so in XBMC if you want to enter "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", you cannot do a voice search, so all input is very clunky.
3/ if you use a usb wireless keyboard/trackpad like the Logitech k400r (superb on an android box) you are limited to what keyboard commands the amazon stranglehold will allow
4/ xbmc is not listed as a recent app. If you press HOME by mistake, it is approximately 35 (THIRTY FIVE) clicks to get back to xbmc (more if you have sideloaded more than 13 apps... which makes me hesitant to sideload any more!) Alt-TAB works on the wireless keyboard to get back to the last app, but XBMC is not listed there - as it is on generic android tv boxes.
5/ on spotify, you cannot use just the remote, pressing Down does not take you to the next song, left and right do not navigate menus etc... so you have to use another device... the Logitech k400r is great, but again, you cannot do everything with that even... down arrow does not move to next songs, there are no keyboard shortcuts to move to the next song etc.
6/ TennisTV android app does not work at all... works on all my android phones, devices, tablets. This seems to be a common theme, extremely poor app support.
7/ apps added to your apps on Amazon.co.uk online do not (mostly) show up on your device after you have "synced amazon content" . Looking for apps on the device in the amazon store is a mystery, voice search does not work... so is one expected to BROWSE the whole library with the remote to find apps you want? Wow.
7/ Go online to get apps for Fire TV and Amazon says: no TED no IMDB no Wikipedia no ES File explorer no Facebook no Ebay no Google apps of any kind, no Dolphin or Chrome, no Box, no Dropbox, no Evernote no BBC Sport, no TVCatchup... the list goes on and on... pretty dismal IMO.
There is probably a LOT more, but Amazon have successfully strangled and suffocated a very nice bit of hardware. The interface is good, the fluidity is excellent... and for xbmc it is great but also censored by Amazon... but if you are used to a generic android tv box like the tronsmart vega s89, the FireTV does not come close, because what you can do with it is extremely limited. The cheap chinese android tv boxes in my lounge and bedroom are going to stay put, I cannot live with this FireTV. Buy this unit if you want a very good Amazon Prime Video / netflix box for £80... but if you want more than that, stay away.
Mark.

fredphoesh said:
Hello guys
Having used it for about two hours, I've concluded the device is great as an XBMC-only box an/or if you watch Amazon prime video or netflix... but to run most other android apps, it is simply an awful experience. , these are a few of my least favourite things:
1/ Apps you sideload are not visible on the home screen. It takes you 19 (NINETEEN!!!) clicks to get from HOME to the list of apps you can "manage". From there you click more to scroll down to your app of choice and click to select it then click to load it.
2/ you cannot use the remote for inputting text via voice within an app, so in XBMC if you want to enter "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", you cannot do a voice search, so all input is very clunky.
3/ if you use a usb wireless keyboard/trackpad like the Logitech k400r (superb on an android box) you are limited to what keyboard commands the amazon stranglehold will allow
4/ xbmc is not listed as a recent app. If you press HOME by mistake, it is approximately 35 (THIRTY FIVE) clicks to get back to xbmc (more if you have sideloaded more than 13 apps... which makes me hesitant to sideload any more!) Alt-TAB works on the wireless keyboard to get back to the last app, but XBMC is not listed there - as it is on generic android tv boxes.
5/ on spotify, you cannot use just the remote, pressing Down does not take you to the next song, left and right do not navigate menus etc... so you have to use another device... the Logitech k400r is great, but again, you cannot do everything with that even... down arrow does not move to next songs, there are no keyboard shortcuts to move to the next song etc.
6/ TennisTV android app does not work at all... works on all my android phones, devices, tablets. This seems to be a common theme, extremely poor app support.
7/ apps added to your apps on Amazon.co.uk online do not (mostly) show up on your device after you have "synced amazon content" . Looking for apps on the device in the amazon store is a mystery, voice search does not work... so is one expected to BROWSE the whole library with the remote to find apps you want? Wow.
7/ Go online to get apps for Fire TV and Amazon says: no TED no IMDB no Wikipedia no ES File explorer no Facebook no Ebay no Google apps of any kind, no Dolphin or Chrome, no Box, no Dropbox, no Evernote no BBC Sport, no TVCatchup... the list goes on and on... pretty dismal IMO.
There is probably a LOT more, but Amazon have successfully strangled and suffocated a very nice bit of hardware. The interface is good, the fluidity is excellent... and for xbmc it is great... but if you are used to a generic android tv box like the tronsmart vega s89, this does not come close, because what you can do with it is extremely limited. The cheap chinese android tv boxes in my lounge and bedroom are going to stay put, I cannot live with this FireTV. Buy this unit if you want a very good xbmc box for £80... but if you want more than that, stay away.
Mark.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i picked one up last night, my impressions:
the UI is horrendous. ever review i read complimented the UI, but, nothing i want to use (plex) is easy to get to from the homescreen. have to scroll down, then over, etc. finding new apps, movies and tv shows is also difficult. i wish amazon allowed us to alter the homescreen to customize it to how we want it.
plex on firetv, again, the ui is just... just... i don't know, i don't use on deck, or que, or whatever. i have to scroll over, then down to get to what i want. again, i wish plex gave us more opportunity to customize how our splash screen is setup.
otherwise, i like the prime video on demand. this is the first time we have subscribed to an on demand stream service, having the content there, my kids like that there's spongebob and other nick shows. otherwise, our last 3 years of cord cutting has been handled through a rather extensive HTPC that i built running XBMC, sickbeard, couch potato and plex. i picked up the firetv to replace this unit because i'm tired of maintaining it.

fredphoesh said:
Hello guys
Having used it for about two hours, I've concluded the device is great as an XBMC-only box an/or if you watch Amazon prime video or netflix... but to run most other android apps, it is simply an awful experience. , these are a few of my least favourite things:
1/ Apps you sideload are not visible on the home screen. It takes you 19 (NINETEEN!!!) clicks to get from HOME to the list of apps you can "manage". From there you click more to scroll down to your app of choice and click to select it then click to load it.
2/ you cannot use the remote for inputting text via voice within an app, so in XBMC if you want to enter "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", you cannot do a voice search, so all input is very clunky.
3/ if you use a usb wireless keyboard/trackpad like the Logitech k400r (superb on an android box) you are limited to what keyboard commands the amazon stranglehold will allow
4/ xbmc is not listed as a recent app. If you press HOME by mistake, it is approximately 35 (THIRTY FIVE) clicks to get back to xbmc (more if you have sideloaded more than 13 apps... which makes me hesitant to sideload any more!) Alt-TAB works on the wireless keyboard to get back to the last app, but XBMC is not listed there - as it is on generic android tv boxes.
5/ on spotify, you cannot use just the remote, pressing Down does not take you to the next song, left and right do not navigate menus etc... so you have to use another device... the Logitech k400r is great, but again, you cannot do everything with that even... down arrow does not move to next songs, there are no keyboard shortcuts to move to the next song etc.
6/ TennisTV android app does not work at all... works on all my android phones, devices, tablets. This seems to be a common theme, extremely poor app support.
7/ apps added to your apps on Amazon.co.uk online do not (mostly) show up on your device after you have "synced amazon content" . Looking for apps on the device in the amazon store is a mystery, voice search does not work... so is one expected to BROWSE the whole library with the remote to find apps you want? Wow.
7/ Go online to get apps for Fire TV and Amazon says: no TED no IMDB no Wikipedia no ES File explorer no Facebook no Ebay no Google apps of any kind, no Dolphin or Chrome, no Box, no Dropbox, no Evernote no BBC Sport, no TVCatchup... the list goes on and on... pretty dismal IMO.
There is probably a LOT more, but Amazon have successfully strangled and suffocated a very nice bit of hardware. The interface is good, the fluidity is excellent... and for xbmc it is great... but if you are used to a generic android tv box like the tronsmart vega s89, this does not come close, because what you can do with it is extremely limited. The cheap chinese android tv boxes in my lounge and bedroom are going to stay put, I cannot live with this FireTV. Buy this unit if you want a very good xbmc box for £80... but if you want more than that, stay away.
Mark.
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You can use something called llama to create a shortcut to the homescreen (so to speak) of all side loaded apps and this is well documented on these forums.
Got my FTV at work so will give it a go when I get home to see if the list of apps is as bad as you say and if so will just use an amazon USA account.

Has anyone tried sideloading the prime video app on one of the tron boxes? They're interesting looking boxes.
As far as the UI goes: if you're able to root your system, you can set it to use xbmc as the launcher and only drop into the Amazon side when you want to watch prime video.
I don't mind the UI too much, either in xbmc or from Amazon, as I have low expectations for what a UI for a TV should be.
It's nice to see that if this dies, there may be other fairly competitive boxes which I can get Netflix and Prime on as well as xbmc.

roustabout said:
Has anyone tried sideloading the prime video app on one of the tron boxes? They're interesting looking boxes..
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Hi
Actually there was a recent change by Amazon, making the Prime Video app (supposedly) work with Android, but AFAIK it has not been achieved yet. When I tried last a couple of months ago, it would look like it was going to play, then crash. See the thread on Freaktab:
http://www.freaktab.com/showthread.php?17026-Amazon-Instant-Video
Mark.

fredphoesh said:
Hi
Actually there was a recent change by Amazon, making the Prime Video app (supposedly) work with Android, but AFAIK it has not been achieved yet. When I tried last a couple of months ago, it would look like it was going to play, then crash. See the thread on Freaktab:
http://www.freaktab.com/showthread.php?17026-Amazon-Instant-Video
Mark.
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Amazon video works on my phone and tablet pretty well. I did need to sideload the app from my phone to my tablet, but once I did so it was good.
I wonder if some of the issue being described in the thread above is like the one that some folks have with xbmc on the fire: XBMC won't 'let go' of the video hardware easily, so launching a video app from within the Android Apps menu of XBMC results in video not playing. I deal with it by killing XBMC once firetv launcher or netflix are running.

fredphoesh couldn*t summarize it any better. The hardware is great but the software does indeed cripple and limit the use beyong anything. This device is entirely made to only exist in the Amazon world and makes you buy Apps from their own App store and pay for instant video. Nothing else should and could be done with it flawless. See how hard the locked it. Unfortunately there are some more examples of locked down hardware in past time: Apple TV 3rd gen, Surface RT & 2 etc.
Thats why I put this useless brick on ebay as long as people go crazy for it - for whatever reason I don't know. For the same money you can get a very decent Android Box without and restrictions and full root access!

sebr said:
Thats why I put this useless brick on ebay as long as people go crazy for it - for whatever reason I don't know. For the same money you can get a very decent Android Box without and restrictions and full root access!
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The problem that a decent Android box alternative, with the possible exception being the new Android TV, is they do not get Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu type apps to go along with XBMC. This is the very reason why people are going crazy for it. It is nice to have everything I need and that Amazon provides it all in one OTT box.

Might take a bit of effort but if you set it up right the fire TV can work very well. Mine is being used not only as an XBMC box but also as my download center and NAS. Couldn't be happier with it.

Nedle said:
Might take a bit of effort but if you set it up right the fire TV can work very well. Mine is being used not only as an XBMC box but also as my download center and NAS. Couldn't be happier with it.
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I am guessing rooted. The problems is that the folks doing the reviews now have never had the option to root. UK & GER shipped with rooting blocked.

Clearly out of the box the AFTV is not the most open/flexible experience. It is really easy to mod though. Root, install custom recovery, flash latest rooted rom, install Xposed (Fire TV Mods), alternate launcher, Google framework/play store and it's a completely different experience.
It is fine to complain, or give a bad review about a stock interface, but not here. XDA is a modding/tweaking community, I don't know why you are giving a review on a stock rom's nearly out of the box interface. A bit of work and most (if not all) of your complains are moot.
At least look around first to see if there are solutions to your complaints before just whining about them. :laugh:

Don't count this box out yet...now that someone has the ability to write custom kernels and we have a custom recovery I can only hope someone brings out an amazing AOSP build for the box or someone is quick to port over Android TV to it. Unfortunately I am not one of those capable of but would donate

goggles99 said:
Clearly out of the box the AFTV is not the most open/flexible experience. It is really easy to mod though. Root, install custom recovery, flash latest rooted rom, install Xposed (Fire TV Mods), alternate launcher, Google framework/play store and it's a completely different experience.
It is fine to complain, or give a bad review about a stock interface, but not here. XDA is a modding/tweaking community, I don't know why you are giving a review on a stock rom's nearly out of the box interface. A bit of work and most (if not all) of your complains are moot.
At least look around first to see if there are solutions to your complaints before just whining about them. :laugh:
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Perhaps you have not read much of what's being said about the newest Firetv boxes... Unrootable and heavily censored blocking movie streaming sites on xbmc, and dismally poor app support too.
As it is now, it is useful for two things only, Amazon prime video and netflix... Neither of which I want or need.

fredphoesh said:
Perhaps you have not read much of what's being said about the newest Firetv boxes... Unrootable and heavily censored blocking movie streaming sites on xbmc, and dismally poor app support too.
As it is now, it is useful for two things only, Amazon prime video and netflix... Neither of which I want or need.
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Was this confirmed outside of just one person's experience?
Also, devices get updates that prevent root all the time. Often, the devs figure out a way to root them. I'm waiting on my Fire TV I ordered from eBay, hoping it's rootable. But even if not XBMC and Netflix is all I really wanted it for anyway (and not to use the crappy streaming add-ons but my own collection)
If Android TV is somehow ported to the Fire, then this box will become a great device. Right now it's worth the 100 bux alone just to play around with imo.

fredphoesh said:
Perhaps you have not read much of what's being said about the newest Firetv boxes... Unrootable and heavily censored blocking movie streaming sites on xbmc, and dismally poor app support too.
As it is now, it is useful for two things only, Amazon prime video and netflix... Neither of which I want or need.
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i think your having more of an "operator error" than anything.. amazon isnt messing with xbmc. The fireTV has been working fine for everyone else for like 6 months now. if you dont like it send it backm sucks theres no root for UK people yet.. but no need to whine about it on here..

From a new UK Fire TV user - I totally agree "DISMAL EXPERIANCE" :¬(
Spent a lot of money on Plex only to find it has to use fire tv sdk and so no 5.1 DD surround sound over HDMI - if you have MKV content :¬(
I can sideload xbmc which works! and is the reason why it cant be on the amazon store - But I cant find a skin that is nearly as nice as plex)
Blocking root is way annoying too
I sideload'ed chrome and firefox and they seem to have patched it so that the remote does not work - nice one fire tv peeps (the browser in ES file manager works better - grr)
Sometimes I think they try to PISS people off on purpose
guess it makes them chuckle all the way to bank
at least it only cost 49£ so im going to ritually destroy it and jump up and down on it till I get blisters
AND also bye bye amazon prime!

Did anybody do any research before pre-ordering & before & after the German launch (around 9/16/2014) to know what to expect. The majority if not all of this "issues" where known weeks or a month ago.... And some of this are not real issues at all. Like demanding not promise features. Or "operator error" issues... There is usually a FW update shortly after a launch to deal with true issues that arise from it. So be on the lookout for one.

fredphoesh said:
Perhaps you have not read much of what's being said about the newest Firetv boxes... Unrootable and heavily censored blocking movie streaming sites on xbmc, and dismally poor app support too.
As it is now, it is useful for two things only, Amazon prime video and netflix... Neither of which I want or need.
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As far as I can see, you are the only one to have experienced this. Perhaps the dns servers for these sites are being recently blocked by your UK ISP (Your other devices may have the dns entries cached for a while). In any case, one person having this problem is not much proof of this, thus is hearsay.
Why go on a long tirade when your real complaint is that you cannot obtain root? Why post a non-modded devices shortcomings on a modding site that has solutions to all but one of your problems? join one of the other "rant because I can't root" threads.

goggles99 said:
Why go on a long tirade when your real complaint is that you cannot obtain root? Why post a non-modded devices shortcomings on a modding site that has solutions to all but one of your problems? join one of the other "rant because I can't root" threads.
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actually i dont care about root
i want to have the apps I can have on my android tv working on this box.
they dont
it is a giant fail largely due to facist isp's in the UK and control freakery by amazon.

fredphoesh said:
actually i dont care about root
i want to have the apps I can have on my android tv working on this box.
they dont.
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They do for me
fredphoesh said:
it is a giant fail largely due to facist isp's in the UK and control freakery by amazon.
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Wrong forum/web site then. This is what I have been saying all along.