Related
I noticed that Netflix only shows Stereo audio options on movies that offer 5.1 DD+. Does this mean that the Nexus Player cannot passthrough DD+ because my receiver supports it. I see no audio options in the player's settings either.
According to Netflix, 5.1 is supported on the Nexus Player (https://help.netflix.com/en/node/23004).
So, I'm not sure why it's not working, either. Still researching.
Android TV doesn't have any type of audio passthrough. Google is working on it though. But it can decode 5.1 to multichannel PCM... it's just netflix hasn't updated their app to take advantage of anything new in Android TV - doesn't use the voice search api, the api that adds suggestions to your home page, ect, ect.
well, according to netflix, the app on the nexus player works too.. which it obviously doesn't for half the users... so I'm not exactly inclined to trust them
Luxferro said:
Android TV doesn't have any type of audio passthrough. Google is working on it though. But it can decode 5.1 to multichannel PCM... it's just netflix hasn't updated their app to take advantage of anything new in Android TV - doesn't use the voice search api, the api that adds suggestions to your home page, ect, ect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Passthrough does work. I have kodi(xbmc) installed and it is passing through dd dd+ dts. My receiver changes to the corresponding mode and the audio is as it should. So this means the android os can pass through. The problem it's not Google. It's the app manufacturers.
pchtc said:
Passthrough does work. I have kodi(xbmc) installed and it is passing through dd dd+ dts. My receiver changes to the corresponding mode and the audio is as it should. So this means the android os can pass through. The problem it's not Google. It's the app manufacturers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wrong.
There is no passthrough in the default media player in Android TV (exoplayer)... yet (they are supposedly working on adding AC3 passthrough). XBMC (kodi) doesn't use androids stock media player for playback, it uses it's own that is built into the app... which is why passthrough works in that case.
Luxferro said:
Wrong.
There is no passthrough in the default media player in Android TV (exoplayer)... yet (they are supposedly working on adding AC3 passthrough). XBMC (kodi) doesn't use androids stock media player for playback, it uses it's own that is built into the app... which is why passthrough works in that case.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not Wrong
Im well aware of that. My comment was specifically to point out that the issue is not hardware and not the android OS. Which you have just agreed with by starting that the issue is the native player not outputting in passthrough.
pchtc said:
Not Wrong
Im well aware of that. My comment was specifically to point out that the issue is not hardware and not the android OS. Which you have just agreed with by starting that the issue is the native player not outputting in passthrough.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is almost never a problem at the hardware level for android devices. It's always at the OS level, and starts with the built in media player most apps use. This applies to the ADT-1, Nexus Player, even the Fire TV. Android has never had passthrough built in at the OS level, unless it was added by a device manufacture w/ their customized version of Android. Take for example Sony GTV devices, the Vizio Co-Star. Those only had it because they had customize builds of Android. The Nexus Player runs stock Android, which lacks passthrough at this time.
---------- Post added at 02:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:57 PM ----------
melophat said:
well, according to netflix, the app on the nexus player works too.. which it obviously doesn't for half the users... so I'm not exactly inclined to trust them
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're having problems launching Netflix on Android TV, clear the app data. The app is very buggy on Android TV. Mine craps out constantly with login errors. Only workaround is to clear data and retype all your login info.
How the **** can they release a MEDIA Player without passthrough? I don't care if it can be accomplished with 3d party app like Kodi. This should be done with native player no questions asked. This is in my opinion a big fail.
Also the lack of hardware support for anything else than h264 is quite disappointing. ?
Johan1976 said:
How the **** can they release a MEDIA Player without passthrough? I don't care if it can be accomplished with 3d party app like Kodi. This should be done with native player no questions asked. This is in my opinion a big fail.
Also the lack of hardware support for anything else than h264 is quite disappointing. ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree, lack of native surround passthrough is really an embarrassment on Google's part. It really shows the lack of practical testing this device went through (if any at all). How did someone not say "wait a minute...you think we should enable surround sound passthrough? It is 2014 after all".
Johan1976 said:
How the **** can they release a MEDIA Player without passthrough? I don't care if it can be accomplished with 3d party app like Kodi. This should be done with native player no questions asked. This is in my opinion a big fail.
Also the lack of hardware support for anything else than h264 is quite disappointing. ��
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Google fails at seeing the big picture. People who invest in surround systems don't want audio decoded on the device to PCM, they want their expensive receivers to do the decoding. They should also be including mpeg2 hw decoding in all android tv devices if they intended these devices to do anything with live TV in the united states.
I'm hoping they turn things around, but remain skeptical considering the failures so far. Sony's 2015 line of smart tv's are supposed to be all Android TV... I hope they get it right...
Those TV's better have passthrough, better be able to pass 5.1 over ARC back to a receiver, and better have mpeg2 hw decoding. Do it right, or don't do it at all. People don't want half baked crap in their home theater systems.
Well...putting the Android media player aside and focusing back on Netflix. I'm trying to get in touch with them regarding the 5.1 audio. I sent their developer e-mail a message asking about it. Any other ideas? I sent the e-mail to [email protected], but maybe there's a different place. The only other options I could find would be to call or chat with them.
Hello,
I'm using the Netflix Android App on a Nexus Player running the most recent Android version and firmware (Android 5.0, Nexus Player firmware LRX21V). I noticed that when I watch movies that normally have a 5.1 surround audio option on other devices (such as the Windows 8 app), the same movies DO NOT have that option on the Nexus Player.
According to the weblink below from Netflix's help center, the Nexus Player suggests that there should be an option for 5.1 surround sound ("Learn how to enable subtitles, closed captions, and alternate audio (including 5.1 surround sound..."). https://help.netflix.com/en/node/23004
Is there any chance that this feature isn't working properly on the Nexus Player? Or is it supposed to be coming in the near future? It would be nice if we could have that option.
Thanks for the help!
Best regards,
David
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
YouTube is stereo only as well
What is somewhat infuriating is that this netflix app looks to be the exact same as the firetv stick's netflix and the firetv streams DD+
Well this is a bummer...
Sounds like they just haven't added it yet. No word (at least from the chat people on an update). Wish there was something we could do to push them along.
Netflix Marian
It's just what you were thinking too... The app on the Nexus player does not support the 5.1 at the moment.
You
Understood. Any word if there might be an update in the future?
Netflix Marian
I'm checking but I am not seeing anything here but no worries, once there is an update available it will be sent through to Google so that they can push it to the device... We are always making improvements to our service and features offered to our customers so I will keep my fingers crossed for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not only that but I have alot of Google Play movies, and quite a few are in stereo...including fellowship of the Ring. Its not offered in DD+ or the like.. bizzare. But at least the Big movie with Tom Hanks is....grrr
volwrath said:
Not only that but I have alot of Google Play movies, and quite a few are in stereo...including fellowship of the Ring. Its not offered in DD+ or the like.. bizzare. But at least the Big movie with Tom Hanks is....grrr
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It amazes me the amount of movies on Google Play that are offered in Stereo only. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out why I was not getting 5.1 with no success (assuming it was a hardware/setup issue). I decided to check the store and noticed 90% of the movies are only available in 2.0 stereo. This is truly disappointing. I can't remember the last movie I got from iTunes that was stereo only. I cannot understand why Google offers mostly in stereo...makes no sense to me.
To clarify, the hardware supports passthrough, it's just the apps that are not implementing it for whatever reason.
We'll just have to wait until the devs get off their asses and add support. Sigh.
Have to say, for something that people were so excited about, Google has really sh*t the bed with this one. Little to no support and no real info from Google support either. Piss poor. I find myself using my FireTV stick more often than the Nexus Player, as much as I'd much prefer to use the latter.
I do actually get Dolby Digital 5.1 out of Netflix on chromecast. Casting to nexus player is definitely different, though. It actually launches the Netflix app when you cast instead of regular casting. Not sure if this is this is android TV issue or if Netflix is accessing with how casting works.
Even after updating to android 5.1 still cannot get multichannel surround. Dont get it ! It would be expected to get at least similar multichannel audio compared to chromecast. When using hbo go or netflix through the player's google cast functionality I can only get stereo. What are we missing here.
Hey guys, I just pulled the trigger and bought a Nexus Player, currently im a kernel developer for the Nexus 4/5/7, will be checking into optimizing it and adding some features, but first I got a question. I know plex only works with plex pass customers, can you sideload the plex app? Looking to save some money, already bought the plex app for android and have an insanely large collection running on a Plex media server, is there any DLNA apps that are Android TV Sexy as an alternative? Getting mine in next week, can't wait
Thanks
defcon
Yes you can side load it with sideload launcher. But as far as the sexiness I would imagine its less than stellar. I've noticed most apps run great that are side loaded but the screen resolution for the apps are not optimized for the player. Meaning some apps will cut off the sides or top of the screen.
However on the plus side...
The plexpass app for the player looks and functions beautifully.
Super easy and fast to navigate.
I was very impressed with the plexpass app.
Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk
defconoi said:
Hey guys, I just pulled the trigger and bought a Nexus Player, currently im a kernel developer for the Nexus 4/5/7, will be checking into optimizing it and adding some features, but first I got a question. I know plex only works with plex pass customers, can you sideload the plex app? Looking to save some money, already bought the plex app for android and have an insanely large collection running on a Plex media server, is there any DLNA apps that are Android TV Sexy as an alternative? Getting mine in next week, can't wait
Thanks
defcon
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What he said. The sideload version *works*, but the official version is so much better. SIdeload one doesn't show on homescreen, no 5.1 surround, no display of movies on home screen, no searchability. Official does 5.1 passthrough, can be searched from the menu, and is aesthetically perfect for the Nexus Player.
Historically, plex pass-only features make their way to the regular app after a month or two. In this case, at least for me, I am absolutely fine with paying $4 or $8 for such an amazing UI. Oh, and it does all kinds of neat category sections when browsing - "Top movies by Ivan Reitman" or "Top unwatched Comedy" if you watch a lot of comedies. It's almost netflix-like...but even better looking.
Also, if you're gonna use it...get a USB NIC adapter. Even over AC, HD streaming is laggy. Having a solid LAN connection will always trump wifi in my mind.
digitalhigh said:
What he said. The sideload version *works*, but the official version is so much better. SIdeload one doesn't show on homescreen, no 5.1 surround, no display of movies on home screen, no searchability. Official does 5.1 passthrough, can be searched from the menu, and is aesthetically perfect for the Nexus Player.
Historically, plex pass-only features make their way to the regular app after a month or two. In this case, at least for me, I am absolutely fine with paying $4 or $8 for such an amazing UI. Oh, and it does all kinds of neat category sections when browsing - "Top movies by Ivan Reitman" or "Top unwatched Comedy" if you watch a lot of comedies. It's almost netflix-like...but even better looking.
Also, if you're gonna use it...get a USB NIC adapter. Even over AC, HD streaming is laggy. Having a solid LAN connection will always trump wifi in my mind.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you recommend a NIC adapter? I bought one on Amazon and it doesn't work with the Nexus Player. It's supposed to be pretty much automatic once connected, right?
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KBZF20W/ref=pe_385040_121528360_TE_dp_1
defconoi said:
Hey guys, I just pulled the trigger and bought a Nexus Player, currently im a kernel developer for the Nexus 4/5/7, will be checking into optimizing it and adding some features, but first I got a question. I know plex only works with plex pass customers, can you sideload the plex app? Looking to save some money, already bought the plex app for android and have an insanely large collection running on a Plex media server, is there any DLNA apps that are Android TV Sexy as an alternative? Getting mine in next week, can't wait
Thanks
defcon
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I disagree with the others... I sideloaded and bought the plex pass.. IMHO, not worth the extra money... Sideloaded version works just fine.. I personally dont need the bells and whistles of searching for movies or seeing suggestions from the home screen.
You can easily see the app via Sideload Launcher... Plex works perfectly on both the sideloaded and the plex pass version.
defconoi said:
Hey guys, I just pulled the trigger and bought a Nexus Player, currently im a kernel developer for the Nexus 4/5/7, will be checking into optimizing it and adding some features, but first I got a question. I know plex only works with plex pass customers, can you sideload the plex app? Looking to save some money, already bought the plex app for android and have an insanely large collection running on a Plex media server, is there any DLNA apps that are Android TV Sexy as an alternative? Getting mine in next week, can't wait
Thanks
defcon
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I side loaded Plex for android but it pretty much unusable for me. Any of my files with DTS audio will not play with sound when forcing direct play (no transcoding). Basically audio pass through for all 5.1 formats is broke.
Kodi/xbmc works as it supposed to but that is not how I want my player to function I feel like I'm booting into another os to play my media. I want the full integration with the launcher and search. Kodi does not do this.
Lastly I have a HD homerun prime that will stream my Comcast cable to my network devices. They are working on a app but from what I have been reading there is no MPEG2 hardware decoding. Seems Asus or google didn't license the codec. Huge fail for me and has got me contemplating on retuning it. A question for you could this codec be added with a custom kernel or rom? Or is this entirely at the mercy of Asus or google? If this won't be implemented im sending it back.
I love the player interface because of it simplicity my family immediately picked it up and figured it out unlike my kodi/xbmc setups. So if I can get the updated interface Plex app with out paying a monthly subscription and mpeg2 hardware decoding support I will purchase one for every TV. Until then this device isn't cutting it for me.
Guys with Plex pass....is direct play and audio pass through for DTS working for you?
WhiteWidows said:
I side loaded Plex for android but it pretty much unusable for me. Any of my files with DTS audio will not play with sound when forcing direct play (no transcoding). Basically audio pass through for all 5.1 formats is broke.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you install Plex For Android, I recommend changing the layout to tv rather than mobile, then set the Device Media Profile to "External Player." If you pair that with a good video player app, you can play almost anything (even with dts) stutter-free without needing to transcode. I use MX Player with the x86 version of DTS custom codec, and all hardware decoding options enabled; works perfectly so far. Hopefully the officially supported Plex app will re-add some of these features in time; I don't understand why the ui was completely changed and most of the advanced features/options removed to "best support" the Nexus Player, when the ui of Plex For Android is working lightning fast with no major issues so far.
Ok audio passthrough works for both dts and dd?
What about direct playable video codecs? Is it like chromecast x264 only or does it support other codecs as well. I wish it played video as good as on my Samsung. Then it's a good option to our bedroom TV.
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MX Player? I have it working, but no 5.1 options.. I used the custom codec, and can play DTS, etc - but its all 2.0 - Are there no 5.1 pass through options that work? Does anything besides Netflix and Google Play even have any kind of 5.1 support?
biosystemics said:
If you install Plex For Android, I recommend changing the layout to tv rather than mobile, then set the Device Media Profile to "External Player." If you pair that with a good video player app, you can play almost anything (even with dts) stutter-free without needing to transcode. I use MX Player with the x86 version of DTS custom codec, and all hardware decoding options enabled; works perfectly so far. Hopefully the officially supported Plex app will re-add some of these features in time; I don't understand why the ui was completely changed and most of the advanced features/options removed to "best support" the Nexus Player, when the ui of Plex For Android is working lightning fast with no major issues so far.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didnt know the tv layout setting existed, thanks for that suggestion!
I have a plex server and I havent been able to get 5.1 to work with plex on the NP at all yet. Things I have tried:
-Plex for Android app
-Plex for Android app + MX Player as external player, with the custom codec pack
-Plex for PlexPass Users
XBMC Gotham does work like a charm for 5.1 audio. I connected it up to my media share, enabled Passthrough and Dolby Digital (AC3) capable receiver (Settings -Advanced Settings Level- > System > Audio)
I was not using any addons, btw.
I still have not tried XBMC Helix.
I prefer Plex's Interface and the Plex Server over XBMC's setup... So has anyone else figured out 5.1 audio for Plex on the Nexus Player? For me it really is not that big of an issue, the NP will be the entertainment box for the kid's tv (no surround system) upstairs, so I dont really require 5.1 audio... but I would still like it to work, and would consider it for my main system if it did.
---------- Post added at 12:13 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:10 AM ----------
d2globalinc said:
MX Player? I have it working, but no 5.1 options.. I used the custom codec, and can play DTS, etc - but its all 2.0 - Are there no 5.1 pass through options that work? Does anything besides Netflix and Google Play even have any kind of 5.1 support?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sideloaded XBMC, with passthrough enabled in settings
ok just got the NP all hooked up, its badass, much better than roku/samsung smart bluray, I sideloaded plex but pulled the trigger on one month of plexpass, I hope they make it free/integrate it into the android app but I have a feeling they will change for the nexus player app seperately or require plexpass for good... Its really nice for now though. Sideloaded Kodi and that works great too.
Does sideload launcher show the sideloaded Plex app?
For some reason that is the only app that doesnt show in the sideload launcher for me.
psychicsword said:
Does sideload launcher show the sideloaded Plex app?
For some reason that is the only app that doesnt show in the sideload launcher for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope gotta launch it from app settings
defconoi said:
ok just got the NP all hooked up, its badass, much better than roku/samsung smart bluray, I sideloaded plex but pulled the trigger on one month of plexpass, I hope they make it free/integrate it into the android app but I have a feeling they will change for the nexus player app seperately or require plexpass for good... Its really nice for now though. Sideloaded Kodi and that works great too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad you like it, as do I, I love the interface and voice search capabilities, but as everyone is saying its not a finished product. All I want to work right now is Plex 5.1 audio with no trans-coding, and MPEG2 hardware decoding. Then it will be perfect for my living room.
I see you said your a kernel dev, well im looking for some collaborators to get mpeg2 hw decoding working on this device. I opened a dev thread and have been trying to build ffmpeg into android x86 hoping this will enable it. So far my builds have been failing. If you can help me out drop me a pm.
Ive been going off this documentation.
https://software.intel.com/en-us/android/blogs/2013/12/06/building-ffmpeg-for-android-on-x86
Also have you herd any chatter on anyone working on a custom recover for the NP?
I have been using Kodi (formerly known as XBMC) and it works like a charm. I'm running the latest beta 2 version, so I experience a crash or two from time to time, but other than that it works wonderfully. 720p content scales up very nicely to my hd screen (even 480p). I have no issues streaming 1080p content from my NAS to the box. I have a 802.11ac network, and I have not tested it with a n network, though.
Wondering if anyone else is experimenting with this...
I have a fire tv stick and i downloaded some apps that are exclusive to that platform. I did an ADB pull from the fire tv system and installed them on my Nexus Player.
Including the Slingplayer app and some other video apps.
Most of the apps start just fine but fail when trying to start the video. Has me thinking there is some kind of framework that the fire tv has that renders these apps useless on other android devices.
Also may have to do with the fact that it is an Intel chip inside of the Nexus player and Apps coded to work solely on the fire tv devices wont work right since they are coded from snapdragon chips
Anyone know of a way to circumvent these blocks? Any info would be helpful
I've actually been wanting to experiment with this but I don't have a FireTV stick.
I did try to pull some video apps (i.e.-History, A&E, Amazon Instant Video) from my phone. They all installed correctly but, like your issue, they crashed. Makes me think its a library thing or certain missing files as most of those apps work on Lollirock.
Hmm interesting. I don't really want to use lollirock because I really like the UI currently. I can post the Amazon apps here atleast the free ones to see what's different about them.
Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk
I agree with you. I actually like the ability to navigate with the remote only. The one app I wish we could find a way to make work in our factory rom is Amazon Instant. It's definitely possible because it works in lollirock.
Sorry folks, but Nexus Player is an intel atom x86 based architecture while the FireTV (and Stick) are ARM based. That means unless the .apk's ship the correct bits for both architectures, you're not going to get the Fire TV apps running on Nexus Player (for example in the case of Sling Player, there are libraries specific to ARM that are included in the .apk on the Fire TV store, but they don't include the x86 version).
I'd love this to work, but in most cases I highly doubt it will.
Redth said:
Sorry folks, but Nexus Player is an intel atom x86 based architecture while the FireTV (and Stick) are ARM based. That means unless the .apk's ship the correct bits for both architectures, you're not going to get the Fire TV apps running on Nexus Player (for example in the case of Sling Player, there are libraries specific to ARM that are included in the .apk on the Fire TV store, but they don't include the x86 version).
I'd love this to work, but in most cases I highly doubt it will.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Redth, although x86 can be a limiting factor, you have to keep in mind that we have "houdini" translator code built into our Nexus Player. Think of houdini as an arm translator to let us run most arm apps on our device. That is why we can successfully sideload so many apps (minus the fact we have to use a keyboard & mouse to operate it). For instance, I have successfully gotten new recently released apps like the Sling TV apk to work that was originally designed for the FireTV. I also have apps like WatchESPN, & USA Network working successfully.
Also, you have to keep in mind that Amazon instant Video is also working on Lollirock, so it definitely is possible & functioning on our device. It just looks like we are missing certain libraries.
@xaudiblex then perhaps the limiting factor is the required libs that the arm built executable uses. I don't remember the exact libs from the FireTV Slingplayer apk, but there were what looked like some .so files built with c/c++ that were linked in and accessed over JNI. I'm guessing the translator can't handle those, and that may be why Slingplayer in particular doesn't work.
It's a shame, I'd love to get slingplayer working!
Redth said:
@xaudiblex then perhaps the limiting factor is the required libs that the arm built executable uses. I don't remember the exact libs from the FireTV Slingplayer apk, but there were what looked like some .so files built with c/c++ that were linked in and accessed over JNI. I'm guessing the translator can't handle those, and that may be why Slingplayer in particular doesn't work.
It's a shame, I'd love to get slingplayer working!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, I had to uninstall Lollirock. If I ever get a chance, I want to check out the differences in the files between stock rom & lollirock. Maybe if we can determine what extra libraries exist that allow those extra apps to work on Lollirock, maybe can transplant those files onto our nexus player.
Where can I find the sling TV .apk from the Fire Tv? I been trying to find it via Google with no luck and I cannot get from the Amazon store because none of my devices are compatible. Thanks!
matb321 said:
Where can I find the sling TV .apk from the Fire Tv? I been trying to find it via Google with no luck and I cannot get from the Amazon store because none of my devices are compatible. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://webapp.movetv.com/player/firetv/sling.apk
Works great on our nexus player too.
Great! Thank you so much! I hope it is better than the generic Android.apk I have side loaded!
matb321 said:
Great! Thank you so much! I hope it is better than the generic Android.apk I have side loaded!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It definitely does. That is the official APK from their website. The remote actually works on it too! If you know how to decompile apks, you can add leanback code to it as well.
Did you ever get the Fire TV Slingplayer app to work? If not does it load and just crash when you try to do something? That is seriously the only thing I need for the Nexus Player for it to be perfect. I have the tablet Slingplayer app but without a mouse it is pretty much good for turning on and turning off not able to change channels with it.
flixster
anybody know where to find the fire tv flixster apk? i cant seem to find it anywhere.
For me at least, the Amazon Fire Sling TV app has worked perfectly. I had it crash on me once several days back but that was it. I have been watching it all day today without any hiccups. The quality of the video has generally been solid.
nksetr said:
anybody know where to find the fire tv flixster apk? i cant seem to find it anywhere.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I pulled the APK from my FireTV & installed it on the Nexus Player (also tried watch ESPN since it works with remotes). The app starts up fine but it crashes anytime you try to play a video.
xaudiblex said:
I pulled the APK from my FireTV & installed it on the Nexus Player (also tried watch ESPN since it works with remotes). The app starts up fine but it crashes anytime you try to play a video.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the problem with most amazon fire only video apps. There is something in the code that causes them to crash or just simply fail to play video when used on anything else. Atleast the sling.tv app works fine
Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk
jerflash said:
That's the problem with most amazon fire only video apps. There is something in the code that causes them to crash or just simply fail to play video when used on anything else. Atleast the sling.tv app works fine
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried to compare the Fire TV APK & Google Play APK of WatchESPN (as an example) to see if there is much difference. The structure of the files are substantially different.
xaudiblex said:
For me at least, the Amazon Fire Sling TV app has worked perfectly. I had it crash on me once several days back but that was it. I have been watching it all day today without any hiccups. The quality of the video has generally been solid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you happen to have the apk that works for you?
whyteboyello said:
Do you happen to have the apk that works for you?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After the addition of the new channels (History, H2, & etc), the FireTV apk I was using from Amazon kept on crashing. I ended up downloading the apk (downloaded from Google Play store) from my phone & sideloaded it to my Nexus Player. Remote works perfectly fine with it.
Hi everyone, just got done setting up my new Shield TV with Kodi to stream media files from my unRaid NAS! I purchased the Shield because my old WDTV Live was dying and there did not appear to be many options for media boxes that could stream network content without transcoding with Plex or similar. My unRaid server uses a very old Atom CPU and doesn't have the horsepower to transcode 720p video or above.
Setting up Kodi was pretty easy, although it wasn't able to install it from the Play store. I had to go the route of loading the APK from a USB stick. All of my networked media seems to play flawlessly!
So now onto my question, what is everyone using their Shield for? I've got mine in the bedroom and I'm curious to see what else I can do with it. Out of all my Android games (I have a lot because I've gone through 3 android phones and 2 android tablets) only Wayward Souls was available for Android TV. I some experience with PS1 and SNES emulators from my tablet, but it seems the Shield is much more capable.
My general household includes 2 android phones, an android tablet, a gaming PC with an nvidia graphics card, the unraid server, and an HTPC in the living room. Solid AC Wifi connection between the Shield and the rest of the network.
Throw some ideas at me - what else should I do with the Shield?
Welcome.
I'm using my Shield as a main media center hooked up to my TV in the living room.
I do some android gaming sometimes, but there aren't enough titles i like (hoping this will change)
once nop releases the NTFS and samba kernel, i'm planning to use it as a NAS with a 2.5" usb 3.0 hdd connected to it.
RetroboxTV is pretty sweet for game emulation.
We use our Shield as our primary media device. It does everything we want minus native WatchESPN. We have an hdhomerun prime that we use with the Live Channels app for live TV.
We have a 2 TB external HDD hooked up with movies and TV shows that we watch through Kodi.
What else are you looking for?
Sent from my XT1096 using Tapatalk
Get sideload launcher, it will give you a wider range of apps you can run. You can also install amazon underground (first download and install the Chrome .apk to browse to it). IMO, ES file explorer provides a lot of the network search functions that I used to use Kodi for, so that removes some software layers. MXPLayer seems to be the most capable video player I've tested.
Mount as fileshare
xd4d3v said:
Welcome.
I'm using my Shield as a main media center hooked up to my TV in the living room.
I do some android gaming sometimes, but there aren't enough titles i like (hoping this will change)
once nop releases the NTFS and samba kernel, i'm planning to use it as a NAS with a 2.5" usb 3.0 hdd connected to it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey can you help me out? I cannot figure out how to mount a network share into the filesystem.. ive tried using cifsmanager and tutorials but to no avail. can you please help?
just ordered my Shield TV
Relatively new here, roamed forums and maybe posted once or twice. Just ordered my NVidia shield tv and cant wait to get my hands on it! One question that I have yet to get a concrete answer to is can you run amazon prime video on it? Currently have an AFTV second gen and love it but always wanted more power out of it. Think im good with the shield tv but I do need to have prime video. Can someone give me a concrete answer? I've read through tons of threads out there and seems some people say you can while I've read others who say its a no go. HELP PLEASE!!!
P.S. thank you in advance!!!!
v-ince said:
Relatively new here, roamed forums and maybe posted once or twice. Just ordered my NVidia shield tv and cant wait to get my hands on it! One question that I have yet to get a concrete answer to is can you run amazon prime video on it? Currently have an AFTV second gen and love it but always wanted more power out of it. Think im good with the shield tv but I do need to have prime video. Can someone give me a concrete answer? I've read through tons of threads out there and seems some people say you can while I've read others who say its a no go. HELP PLEASE!!!
P.S. thank you in advance!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You CAN run prime video. However, the current workaround will not give you you 1080p (or 4K). You'll be limited to 720p. http://forum.xda-developers.com/shield-tv/development/amazon-prime-video-demand-android-tv-t3278778
OK everyone so I've been using my Shield for a bit now and here are my quick thoughts. I haven't rooted or installed ROMs or done anything else. The most complicated thing I've done is put APKs on a flash drive and clicked "OK" in ES File Explorer to install them. I've also had to use a computer with the Play store to install a few games/apps.
1) ES File Explorer is OK but the user interface is very difficult to navigate (not intuitive)
2) Getting a PS1 and SNES emulator up and running were easy
3) Netflix, PBS, and CBS Sports are the only native video streaming apps I can get to work because I have Comcast/Xfinity and they hate Android TV. However, CBS Sports is only clips, not full programming, I find that pretty useless.
4) HBO Go and Showtime Anytime work with built in app casting functionality from my Android phone
5) Fox Sports Go works by casting my phone through Android (not within the app)
6) There are very few games in the Play store that seem to support Shield TV. So far I've only got Wayward Souls and Reaper.
Questions:
1) I've got Retro Arch and Arc Browser installed because I read about them a lot. However, I can't figure out what to actually do with either of those apps.
2) What other Android/play store games?
3) What other video streaming services (I have Comcast/Xfinity)
4) What emulator next? I'm thinking PSP would be good... anything else?
5) Any other apps or cool uses I should look at?
u.of.ipod said:
OK everyone so I've been using my Shield for a bit now and here are my quick thoughts. I haven't rooted or installed ROMs or done anything else. The most complicated thing I've done is put APKs on a flash drive and clicked "OK" in ES File Explorer to install them. I've also had to use a computer with the Play store to install a few games/apps.
1) ES File Explorer is OK but the user interface is very difficult to navigate (not intuitive)
2) Getting a PS1 and SNES emulator up and running were easy
3) Netflix, PBS, and CBS Sports are the only native video streaming apps I can get to work because I have Comcast/Xfinity and they hate Android TV. However, CBS Sports is only clips, not full programming, I find that pretty useless.
4) HBO Go and Showtime Anytime work with built in app casting functionality from my Android phone
5) Fox Sports Go works by casting my phone through Android (not within the app)
6) There are very few games in the Play store that seem to support Shield TV. So far I've only got Wayward Souls and Reaper.
Questions:
1) I've got Retro Arch and Arc Browser installed because I read about them a lot. However, I can't figure out what to actually do with either of those apps.
2) What other Android/play store games?
3) What other video streaming services (I have Comcast/Xfinity)
4) What emulator next? I'm thinking PSP would be good... anything else?
5) Any other apps or cool uses I should look at?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) There is a touchpad on the bottom of the game controller. It's hidden, but if you run your finger over the gray area above the volume control it should respond as a mouse pointer. That should help you navigate some apps easier.
2) Implosion (play store), Sonic CD & Goat Simulator (Chrome.apk -> Amazon underground -> amazon Apps), and some of the more ambitious MMO like War Thunder and Vendetta should work well.
3) HBOGo should work from your phone by casting, as will a lot of other video apps. FoxNow, WatchESPN, NBC, xfinity TV Go are some others I've tested successfully.
4)
5) sideload launcher if you don't already have it. Kodi is good for live TV from external devices (i.e. HDHomeRun Connect), but I've always found its navigation to be more complicated than it needs to be.
I really like the Nexus Player but I need to be able to use Vudu. I have over 200 movies and if I can't use Vudu then it is not worth it for me.
That being said I have tried sideloading the latest APK from apkmirror.com and it keeps says I need to restart the app 20 seconds into every movie.
Can someone help me find a solution?
Thanks!
Are you downloading the Android TV version from apkmirror? I haven't tried in a while, but I was using the sideloaded apk from my MiBox on my Nexus Player and it was running fine. It also runs fine on the Fire TV. If you can't get it working, there's always casting. Vudu can be cast to the Nexus Player as if it were a chromecast.
Y2Bogus said:
Are you downloading the Android TV version from apkmirror? I haven't tried in a while, but I was using the sideloaded apk from my MiBox on my Nexus Player and it was running fine. It also runs fine on the Fire TV. If you can't get it working, there's always casting. Vudu can be cast to the Nexus Player as if it were a chromecast.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After checking again, I can confirm that the most recent vudu for Android TV app crashes about 10 seconds into video on the NP. That's terribly disappointing. The fact that the crash occurs so consistently in the exact same spot leads me to wonder if this isn't an intentional check in the app that causes it to halt on the NP.
I wonder if anyone can look into the app and see what exactly is happening.
Y2Bogus said:
Are you downloading the Android TV version from apkmirror? I haven't tried in a while, but I was using the sideloaded apk from my MiBox on my Nexus Player and it was running fine. It also runs fine on the Fire TV. If you can't get it working, there's always casting. Vudu can be cast to the Nexus Player as if it were a chromecast.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What version of the Vudu app did you have on your NP that works? I tried several with no success (see below).
Y2Bogus said:
After checking again, I can confirm that the most recent vudu for Android TV app crashes about 10 seconds into video on the NP. That's terribly disappointing. The fact that the crash occurs so consistently in the exact same spot leads me to wonder if this isn't an intentional check in the app that causes it to halt on the NP.
I wonder if anyone can look into the app and see what exactly is happening.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am seeing the same thing. I went back and installed older versions of the app and it did the same, crashed after a few seconds. Going further back (4.1.10 and 4.1.7) and the app wouldn't even open. Though I never tried before now I thought Vudu did work on the NP at some point (pretty sure someone told me 4.1.7 did).
I guess I have to stick with my Roku for Vudu.
bru20 said:
What version of the Vudu app did you have on your NP that works? I tried several with no success (see below).
I am seeing the same thing. I went back and installed older versions of the app and it did the same, crashed after a few seconds. Going further back (4.1.10 and 4.1.7) and the app wouldn't even open. Though I never tried before now I thought Vudu did work on the NP at some point (pretty sure someone told me 4.1.7 did).
I guess I have to stick with my Roku for Vudu.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was able to install the APK without any issues on my NP and it showed up as a app on home screen, but I was not able to log in, though I tried several times and was certain I made no mistakes entering my password.
CEG3rd said:
I was able to install the APK without any issues on my NP and it showed up as a app on home screen, but I was not able to log in, though I tried several times and was certain I made no mistakes entering my password.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Recently with the current version? When I did it a few days ago I could log in fine. Just couldn't play anything without it crashing.
Very frustrating that the same apk works on the Amazon Fire TV, Shield, Mii Box and probably many others. But not on Google's own Android TV player. Someone said it was a licensing issue, with Vudu not wanting Google to have it. Didn't make sense to me. If that's the case why would they allow Amazon?
bru20 said:
Recently with the current version? When I did it a few days ago I could log in fine. Just couldn't play anything without it crashing.
Very frustrating that the same apk works on the Amazon Fire TV, Shield, Mii Box and probably many others. But not on Google's own Android TV player. Someone said it was a licensing issue, with Vudu not wanting Google to have it. Didn't make sense to me. If that's the case why would they allow Amazon?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sure it's the latest Android TV version. VUDU comes installed on Mi Box and works perfectly. I think I tried installing it on a fire TV box a while back and it failed. , though in my experience Shield, which I can't afford, aside fire TV is the most complete streamer I've used. I have a Roku Ultra and a 1st and 2nd gen fire TV boxes and my first choice is the gen 1 box, because it has optical out. I'm enjoying playing with my NP, but fire TV is reliable and dependable. I tried the Mi Box and at first I thought it might be superior to the NP, but after a few days I decided it is not, except of course for VUDU.
CEG3rd said:
I'm sure it's the latest Android TV version. VUDU comes installed on Mi Box and works perfectly. I think I tried installing it on a fire TV box a while back and it failed. , though in my experience Shield, which I can't afford, aside fire TV is the most complete streamer I've used. I have a Roku Ultra and a 1st and 2nd gen fire TV boxes and my first choice is the gen 1 box, because it has optical out. I'm enjoying playing with my NP, but fire TV is reliable and dependable. I tried the Mi Box and at first I thought it might be superior to the NP, but after a few days I decided it is not, except of course for VUDU.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The current Vudu apk works fine on his Amazon Fire according to a friend but I'm not sure which gen he has. Even though its useless I still have it on the NP and I just logged in fine. Love the irony of the message: "Success! You're now ready to enjoy VUDU on your Android TV device. blah, blah". No I'm not. "Encountered problems during playback. Please restart VUDU and try again."
bru20 said:
The current Vudu apk works fine on his Amazon Fire according to a friend but I'm not sure which gen he has. Even though its useless I still have it on the NP and I just logged in fine. Love the irony of the message: "Success! You're now ready to enjoy VUDU on your Android TV device. blah, blah". No I'm not. "Encountered problems during playback. Please restart VUDU and try again."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting and thanks for the tip. I just used the same APK 4.1.20.46605 to install VUDU on a fire TV and it worked perfectly. Maybe I used the wrong form of APK before.
And ...... was just able to log into VUDU on my NP for some dang reason, but I ran into the same issue of not being to really use it. On both of my fire TV's it works as it should.
I've tested using versions 4.1.13, 4.1.15 and 4.1.20. All install, log in and open fine. I get that same error reported above when I try to stream in HDX quality. However, switching the stream quality to SD works perfectly. Not ideal, but it does work. Does anyone know if perhaps VUDU's HDX quality stream contains a codec or something that's incompatible with the Nexus Player?
Side note, 4.1.20 seems to be a bit glitchy (artifacts during playback), but the previous two mentioned seem to operate perfectly stable (aside from the HDX crash).
Can also confirm every VUDU Android TV .apk version from 4.1.13 and up work fine on my Fire TV Stick 2nd Gen; HDX streams and all.
EDIT: Could it perhaps be that the VUDU Android TV app only comes in an ARM version and may not be optimized for x86 architecture?
Kaiyo Droid said:
I've tested using versions 4.1.13, 4.1.15 and 4.1.20. All install, log in and open fine. I get that same error reported above when I try to stream in HDX quality. However, switching the stream quality to SD works perfectly. Not ideal, but it does work. Does anyone know if perhaps VUDU's HDX quality stream contains a codec or something that's incompatible with the Nexus Player?
Side note, 4.1.20 seems to be a bit glitchy (artifacts during playback), but the previous two mentioned seem to operate perfectly stable (aside from the HDX crash).
Can also confirm every VUDU Android TV .apk version from 4.1.13 and up work fine on my Fire TV Stick 2nd Gen; HDX streams and all.
EDIT: Could it perhaps be that the VUDU Android TV app only comes in an ARM version and may not be optimized for x86 architecture?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just about gave up on this but just installed the latest Vudu Android TV app (4.1.21.51938) and it appears to work on the Nexus Player.
lmk if you or anyone else finds the same.
I'm guessing no one is even interested in this anymore? I didn't use Vudu on the NP in ages but it did previously work with the version above. Unfortunately I had to update and now its back to not working, encounters a problem during playback. Can't even get it to play in SD as it force closes too fast. Sucks that Vudu works on Amazon Fire, Nvidia, etc but not on Nexus Player.
Had to update again (4.45) and now I can't even log in. Such a shame that people can sideload the same apk on Fire TV and it works fine.
The Oct 1st version is working on my NP.
jblaylock said:
The Oct 1st version is working on my NP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
4.2.53.116291? Not for me. Same issue as always, try to play an HDX video and it "encounters problems during playback" and kicks me out. SD appears to play fine, as it previously did. But like before I can only play SD if I own it in SD. Anything HDX theres no way to switch to SD (Watch HDX is the only option). And I wouldn't want to watch in SD anyway.
Do you get HDX to play? If so did you do anything special? So stupid how so many apps don't work on the NP. And now with people's getting bricked for no reason this thing is really useless.
bru20 said:
4.2.53.116291? Not for me. Same issue as always, try to play an HDX video and it "encounters problems during playback" and kicks me out. SD appears to play fine, as it previously did. But like before I can only play SD if I own it in SD. Anything HDX theres no way to switch to SD (Watch HDX is the only option). And I wouldn't want to watch in SD anyway.
Do you get HDX to play? If so did you do anything special? So stupid how so many apps don't work on the NP. And now with people's getting bricked for no reason this thing is really useless.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't try any HDX, I'll try that tonight.
Yeah, I hate that Google has abandoned it. I also have a Mi Box and the newer Mi Box S. Those are working great, and I may be replacing the NP soon.
jblaylock said:
I didn't try any HDX, I'll try that tonight.
Yeah, I hate that Google has abandoned it. I also have a Mi Box and the newer Mi Box S. Those are working great, and I may be replacing the NP soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll bet you can't get HDX to work, but lmk either way please.
As for the NP itself I'll pass along what everyone tells me when I say no apps work, "It's not Google's fault, its the app developer's fault, they gave up on it." Whatever the reason, its disappointing.