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Has anyone had issues with their player randomly dropping connection to WiFi?
I only noticed this because I use Plex a lot. And after a few days it would stop playback and tell me it couldn't find the server. So naturally I though it was either an issue with my server (never had problems in the past) or the app.
Recently I noticed when I scroll through the apps the WiFi logo at the bottom shows its not connected.
I scrolled through setting to try and see if there's any advance settings I could tweak but there's not.
I will reset my netgear router when I get home. But has anyone experienced this yet??
Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk
Haven't had any issues staying connected to my AC68U over the past three days. Family streamed a few movies yesterday and last night and been playing music quite a bit without any problems. Hopefully resetting your router will fix your issue. Good luck.
I have also been having wifi issues on the nexus player. I have not updated to the recent image that was posted and was hoping that would fix the issue. I also have a usb ethernet adapter on the way. Not really impressed with the devices so far, am still using my mk808 primarily which the nexus player was supposed to replace
Edit: update by flashing the latest system.IMG and have not had WiFi drop out yet.
Elrondolio said:
Haven't had any issues staying connected to my AC68U over the past three days. Family streamed a few movies yesterday and last night and been playing music quite a bit without any problems. Hopefully resetting your router will fix your issue. Good luck.
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I believe I got it acting right now. I saw in another thread issues with the player dropping 5ghz signal. It was suggested to just use 2.4 band instead. When I got home this morning I set up a separate network for the player to connect to with the player as the highest priority and it seems to be jam up.
Only other issue I'm seeing is my mkv blurays will only play for a few minutes then stop. They're huge files so I'm thinking this has something to do with it. Other than that I'm happy for now!
Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk
same problem. Fix?
I have had the exact same problem. If it isn't too much trouble, would you mind explaining how you did this? I am not too versed in network technology. I am guessing this is something I do on the d-link page? Is that correct?
Thanks so much.
codygs83 said:
I believe I got it acting right now. I saw in another thread issues with the player dropping 5ghz signal. It was suggested to just use 2.4 band instead. When I got home this morning I set up a separate network for the player to connect to with the player as the highest priority and it seems to be jam up.
Only other issue I'm seeing is my mkv blurays will only play for a few minutes then stop. They're huge files so I'm thinking this has something to do with it. Other than that I'm happy for now!
Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk
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markculton said:
I have had the exact same problem. If it isn't too much trouble, would you mind explaining how you did this? I am not too versed in network technology. I am guessing this is something I do on the d-link page? Is that correct?
Thanks so much.
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I've been using Plex for 4 years or so.. In my experience, nothing beats using Ethernet instead of Wifi...
I use TP Link Powerline extender to connect the Nexus Player (i also have a Roku next to it)... My plex media server is on a laptop connected directly to the router... I have tried everything and this set up is the fastest and the best resolution. NEVER buffers and i watch everything in 1080p.
Stop wasting time figuring out the wifi and go ethernet. You wont regret it.
Wifi needs to be better.
spyderman33 said:
I use TP Link Powerline extender to connect the Nexus Player
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spyderman33 said:
Stop wasting time figuring out the wifi and go ethernet. You wont regret it.
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How, precisely, do you have it connected? There is no Ethernet port on the Nexus Player--do you have a USB to Ethernet adapter that works? There is no arguing that Ethernet is the way to go with Plex and high bitrate; however, I rarely ever have any issues playing my 1080p stuff over Chromecast (which is 2.4Ghz N wifi only) and I have this device connected using 5Ghz 802.11ac so there should be no issues.
Sadly, mine will not stay connected to my 5Ghz 802.11ac network, it does seem to stay connected to my 5Ghz 802.11n access point a little better. I am pretty certain the Nexus Player has some wifi bugs that need to be worked out, ASAP! It's frustrating that Ethernet is not an option by default.
innoman said:
How, precisely, do you have it connected? There is no Ethernet port on the Nexus Player--do you have a USB to Ethernet adapter that works? There is no arguing that Ethernet is the way to go with Plex and high bitrate; however, I rarely ever have any issues playing my 1080p stuff over Chromecast (which is 2.4Ghz N wifi only) and I have this device connected using 5Ghz 802.11ac so there should be no issues.
Sadly, mine will not stay connected to my 5Ghz 802.11ac network, it does seem to stay connected to my 5Ghz 802.11n access point a little better. I am pretty certain the Nexus Player has some wifi bugs that need to be worked out, ASAP! It's frustrating that Ethernet is not an option by default.
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Correct, I am using an MIcro USB to USB OTG Cable http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D8YZ2SA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I am sure the bugs will get sorted out but until then, this is the best solution...
innoman said:
How, precisely, do you have it connected? There is no Ethernet port on the Nexus Player--do you have a USB to Ethernet adapter that works? There is no arguing that Ethernet is the way to go with Plex and high bitrate; however, I rarely ever have any issues playing my 1080p stuff over Chromecast (which is 2.4Ghz N wifi only) and I have this device connected using 5Ghz 802.11ac so there should be no issues.
Sadly, mine will not stay connected to my 5Ghz 802.11ac network, it does seem to stay connected to my 5Ghz 802.11n access point a little better. I am pretty certain the Nexus Player has some wifi bugs that need to be worked out, ASAP! It's frustrating that Ethernet is not an option by default.
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i could argue that ethernet is not the way to go. FireTv/Ouya/Mojo Madcatz only have a fast ethernet port (100mbps max) and ac can go close to gigabit speeds. I get 833mbps on my Netgear r8000 on ac. I can easily play 20GB+ files without any drops. I even played REMUX blurays (as long as they arent VC1, which the firetv doesnt support either) and those files played just fine too. So unless you get a true gigabit port (which i know of no Android box having) 802.11ac is the ideal option for the Nexus Player. Dont waste your money with a gigabit to USB adapter because the NExus PLayer has a USB 2.0 which can only give you a max of 480mbps.
My suggestion is save some of that money you're saving from your cable bill, sell your current router and keep that $20 you would be spending on a USB to Ethernet adapter and invest in a wireless AC router, you can get a decent Route for $100.
http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-Arche...F8&qid=1416715312&sr=8-1&keywords=wireless+ac
Also what AC ROuter do you have? if its an ASUS than im sorry, i had a ASUS 87u and changed it for a Netgear r8000 because i had constant drops with ASUS, if you turn off Beamforming it will fix your wireless AC drops. at least it did for me.
---------- Post added at 08:08 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:52 PM ----------
markculton said:
I have had the exact same problem. If it isn't too much trouble, would you mind explaining how you did this? I am not too versed in network technology. I am guessing this is something I do on the d-link page? Is that correct?
Thanks so much.
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what kind of router do you have?
mejdam said:
i could argue that ethernet is not the way to go. Fire Tv only has a fast ethernet port (100mbps max) and ac can go close to gigabit speeds.
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100Mbps is more than the device would likely ever need to stream any type of media one would stream on the Fire TV and it will get 100% of that bandwidth between the Fire TV and the switch (assuming you don't have a faulty cable, obviously) 100% of the time--regardless of what other devices on your network or your neighbors networks are doing. Sure, 802.11ac permits better than gigabit speeds... but that doesn't guarantee them. Also, there is the issue of signal degradation when you're further away from your router, the fact that it's shared bandwidth, etc. You could argue both ways but wired is definitely the more reliable option in most cases. The FireTV has either Fast Ethernet OR 802.11n, no gigabit speeds either way.
Sadly, the fire TV has issues with several audio codecs and just isn't what it should be (yet, at least). I'm kinda over the fact that I have to use an external player to play DD 5.1--which is part of the reason I decided to give the Nexus Player a try... that and I wanted to see what google could do this time around.
I have the Buffalo WZR-D1800H--It was an earlier model and not the greatest but it's worked flawlessly and lets me transfer at 40+MB/s on a different floor. I get around 12MB/s using my 802.11n 5Ghz AP upstairs (3 floors with the ac router on the first). If I got the Ethernet cable thing, I'd spend $10 on the 10/100Mbps since it would be sufficient but I shouldn't have to do that. All the other devices in my place do fine even on N, the Nexus Player should be working awesomely on ac... It just isn't and it has issues on N and G--I honestly think it may partly be a Plex issue. I think there are also some deeper wifi connectivity issues.
spyderman33 said:
Correct, I am using an MIcro USB to USB OTG Cable http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D8YZ2SA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1.
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Cool, what are you using for USB to Ethernet? I have a few USB OTG cables (I got them pretty cheap when I got my first Nexus) and I might as well put them to some good use... I'd like for my Nexus Player to actually play my Plex media without all the issues! Would something like this work?: http://smile.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-Ethernet-Adapter-Black/dp/B00ET4KHJ2
****
I should also add that my NAS & Plex Server (PC, used for several things) are all wired over Gigabit. My wireless router doesn't have to do that much, generally, except connect my phone, Mac Book Pro, Chromecast in bedroom, SqueezeBox and a few other little things that don't use much data.
innoman said:
100Mbps is more than the device would likely ever need to stream any type of media one would stream on the Fire TV and it will get 100% of that bandwidth between the Fire TV and the switch (assuming you don't have a faulty cable, obviously) 100% of the time--regardless of what other devices on your network or your neighbors networks are doing. Sure, 802.11ac permits better than gigabit speeds... but that doesn't guarantee them. Also, there is the issue of signal degradation when you're further away from your router, the fact that it's shared bandwidth, etc. You could argue both ways but wired is definitely the more reliable option in most cases. The FireTV has either Fast Ethernet OR 802.11n, no gigabit speeds either way.
Sadly, the fire TV has issues with several audio codecs and just isn't what it should be (yet, at least). I'm kinda over the fact that I have to use an external player to play DD 5.1--which is part of the reason I decided to give the Nexus Player a try... that and I wanted to see what google could do this time around.
Cool, what are you using for USB to Ethernet? I have a few USB OTG cables (I got them pretty cheap when I got my first Nexus) and I might as well put them to some good use... I'd like for my Nexus Player to actually play my Plex media without all the issues! Would something like this work?: http://smile.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-Ethernet-Adapter-Black/dp/B00ET4KHJ2
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yes my ac band of 833mbps is shared, so even if i have 8 constant devices on that band it still would be faster than a 100mbps wired connection. I own a firetv and have no issues with DD5.1 files from my Synology 1812+, by any chance are you using Samba shares from a windows box? if so thats your problem, switch to NFS shares. also wired connections are shared unless you run a router directly to your setup box without going through a switch. you didnt answer my question though, what ac router do you have that you're having issues with.
mejdam said:
by any chance are you using Samba shares from a windows box? if so thats your problem, switch to NFS shares. also wired connections are shared unless you run a router directly to your setup box without going through a switch. you didnt answer my question though, what ac router do you have that you're having issues with.
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I added in, it may not have posted until you already started your reply. I accidentally posted before I added it in--I needed to check on the model.
The Ethernet connection is only shared if you are using a hub. A switch (I have a 16 port Gigabit switch that connects to my router) provides dedicated bandwidth to each available port--up to 2Gbps/port (1 up and 1 down, concurrently). My specific switch with 16 1Gbps ports can handle up to ~32Gbps worth of traffic at once. My Plex server is connected directly to the switch as is my NAS. The only way I'd have to worry about saturating the PC (Plex Server) to switch link is if I am transferring large amounts of data between the PC and my NAS and that's not common--and definitely not the cause of my issue. It's actually never caused me an issue. The link between the Fire TV and switch is always 100Mbps (assuming there isn't any broadcast traffic or that sort of thing, which isn't likely).
I do use NFS with everything except the media shares from my NAS, sadly. It is a goal but I am going to have to install the Enterprise version of Windows on my PC--Microsoft doesn't appear to support NFS (client) on Windows 8.x unless you have Enterprise and I have Pro. I guess that's what I get for actually paying for it? I am going to put Enterprise on my PC at some point but it's not a priority. Over Gigabit, SMB is sufficient for my use--the overhead isn't an issue right now. That said, I do use Plex so the media share between the Fire TV and my Server is Plex.
If you have your Plex server on let's say port 3 and multiple devices are talking to the Plex server than that line is being shared, which was my point. Again it would take over 8 devices on my ac band before its the speed of your single 100mbps line.
Over gigabit smb is sufficient? You just said you needed to connect a hard drive to your firetv to correctly play ac3 files. Clearly smb is your problem and you don't need to pay for NFS shares, there are free alternatives. Also the speed of your "network" might be gigabit but your speed to your firetv is truly only 100mbps because that's the max the Ethernet port can go. I'm not trying to pick a fight, I'm just saying that with the nexus player 802.11ac gives you the fastest speeds. Sure wred gigabit could be faster but there's one problem, there's no gigabit port or even fastethernet port.
mejdam said:
If you have your Plex server on let's say port 3 and multiple devices are talking to the Plex server than that line is being shared, which was my point. Again it would take over 8 devices on my ac band before its the speed of your single 100mbps line.
Over gigabit smb is sufficient? You just said you needed to connect a hard drive to your firetv to correctly play ac3 files. Clearly smb is your problem and you don't need to pay for NFS shares, there are free alternatives. Also the speed of your "network" might be gigabit but your speed to your firetv is truly only 100mbps because that's the max the Ethernet port can go. I'm not trying to pick a fight, I'm just saying that with the nexus player 802.11ac gives you the fastest speeds. Sure wred gigabit could be faster but there's one problem, there's no gigabit port or even fastethernet port.
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I think there is a little bit of confusion. My Plex Server/PC are on say port 1 of my 16 port gigabit switch and is communicating with the switch at ~1Gbps. My NAS is on ports 2/3 and both ports are at a Gigabit (each NAS port has it's own IP--one is just used for my Mac and phone backups, the other is predominately used by my PC for Plex shares and whatever other files I put on there) and my FireTV is on port 4 at 100Mbps (limited by the FireTV). (I do not connect a hard drive to my Fire TV, I think someone else said that). I can stream to 3 different TVs (using a mix of a google TV (wired), Chromecast (wifi) and Fire TV (wired or wifi--same results either way) without any issues, buffering or otherwise, at full 1080p with ~12GB files all using Plex. It works near flawlessly most of the time. The only issue is that the Fire TV doesn't stream 5.1 audio (most of my content is AC3) UNLESS I use an external player (XBMC, etc...)--lots of info about this in the Plex forums.
The Fire TV does not have 802.11ac, it has 802.11n. Having it connected to an 802.11ac access point doesn't offer any real benefit other than they tend to do 802.11n slightly better than most 802.11n routers, presumably because they tend to be more powerful. There is no benefit for putting my FireTV on wifi over Ethernet--none what-so-ever since there is already an Ethernet port right next to it--because it will only add traffic to my wireless network. Putting it on wifi isn't going to give it much more bandwidth than having it connected Ethernet with the distance it is away from my 5Ghz router/AP (each is on a different floor) and the level of congestion around me on 2.4Ghz, which is on the same floor (I live in a Condo Complex in uptown Dallas, lots of other wifi routers). The connection between my Fire TV and my switch is ~100Mbps and the connection between my Plex Server is ~1Gbps. I can be moving files betwen my Plex Server and NAS at around 700-800Mbps and still play video on my FireTV from my Plex Server without any issues at it's max bitrate.
SMB is not my problem, I've been using it for a while. The Fire TV has some audio codec/passthrough issues with it's native player. If I switch to SPMC or XBMC and PlexBMC, I can play AC3 5.1 fine straight from my Plex server. I can also select External Player within Plex and play media through any external player such as XBMC without any issues with audio. The problem is that it's a pain to do it that way and it doesn't keep up with watched history, etc. like it should. You also have to manually choose the external player you want to use each time and there are issues with exiting some of them, FF/Rew, etc. The Nexus seems to be able to play my media fine with full AC3 5.1 surround... except it chokes randomly, freezes, etc. and that appears to be related to the wifi. I never said I would be paying for NFS! I will most definitely not be giving Microsoft more of my money to get a simple feature that should have been available in the pro version. As for the free options, I've tried several and they are flaky--so annoying. There is a good NFS server for Windows (Hanewin or something like that) that I've used (and actually run on my moms setup) but I need a client because my NAS does NFS. The free clients I've tried just aren't what they should be, many are dated. The good clients want money.
Ultimately, the fact that the Ethernet port on the FireTV isn't really relevant because that's all that specific port needs to be, I don't have any media with anywhere near a 100Mbps bitrate. Using a switch means that port gets 100% of its bandwidth 100% of the time regardless of what else my network is doing. A lot of people think a switch and a hub are the same thing because they look the same and kind of function the same, but they are quite different. A switch is able to provide each port it's dedicated bandwidth to each other port (traffic is only sent to the port it's designated for) and a hub is totally shared across all ports (traffic from every port is seen by every port). (I'm not suggesting you don't already know this, please don't take offense.) Sorry, I know that's a lot of info, I just want to try to clarify. It's so much easier with a whiteboard! The end result, however, is that something is not right with either the Nexus Player or Plex--I think there are issues with both considering my Nexus Player has issues connecting to my router and both access points and loses connection randomly and that when it is connected, YouTube/Hulu/Netflix all play pretty well. I, also, am not trying to argue--I'm just trying to clarify my situation.
Also, you mention if I have my Plex server on port 3 and multiple clients talking to that port... it's shared. True, but it's a gigabit connection being shared. Unless there are a whole lot of clients communicating with that Plex Server, it's not going to saturate so there should still be plenty of bandwidth for any other Plex client I might have on other ports. It would take 10 Fire TVs each playing close to a 100Mbps (bitrate) media clip to saturate my Plex Server connection (assuming there is nothing else communicating with my Plex server).
"Cool, what are you using for USB to Ethernet? I have a few USB OTG cables (I got them pretty cheap when I got my first Nexus) and I might as well put them to some good use... I'd like for my Nexus Player to actually play my Plex media without all the issues! Would something like this work?: http://smile.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-Ethernet-Adapter-Black/dp/B00ET4KHJ2"
I am actually using an Apple USB to Ethernet adapter that I had lying around and never use... Its exactly like this one.
http://www.amazon.com/Apple-MB442-U...1416754525&sr=8-1&keywords=apple+usb+ethernet
I think you can use any generic one really..
It was plug and play, didnt ask for anything, it just said it was connected to Ethernet when I checked.
If anyone else is having connection issues check you Date and Time. My Nexus Player was connected but but none of the apps could connect to anything. Upon checking dmesg I saw a lot of these error exceptions
Code:
Caused by: com.android.org.bouncycastle.jce.exception.ExtCertPathValidatorException: Could not validate certificate: Certificate not valid until Fri Apr 05 09:15:55 MDT 2013 (compared to Fri Dec 31 19:41:48 MST 1999)
Turns out all the Google apps use SSL and since my date was set to 1999 the certs showed up as invalid, I have automatic time turned on.
So for now just set your date manually and don't use Automatic Date&Time.
My NP is only able to connect to 2.4Ghz wireless. I have 2 different SSID's (2.4 and 5.0) and NP can see the 5.0, but gives an error that it can't find the network after you enter the password and try to connect.
The NP also keeps on dropping the 2.4Ghz Wi-Fi connection. I have many wireless devices on this network on both 2.4 and 5.0 Ghz working just fine so I know that the router is not the issue. (Asus RT-N66U)
I'm seeing similar issues, problems with 2.4ghz and worse with 5ghz. I'm using a USB to ethernet adapter and it was working pretty well when I was home. I left for the weekend so I only got a few hours to play with it but no issues
I too had trouble connecting to 5Ghz until I manually set the channel to 48 in my ASUS DSL-AC68U router. It won't connect to any 3 digit 5Ghz channels like 149 etc.
I am having issues with most 1080p content, even over Ethernet. There are just issues with the device and with Plex that need to be worked out. Google needs to get to work on it now!
Has anyone used the Limelight app? I've got my PC which is wired into a Airport Extreme and then of course the Nexus Player is connected over N my router doesn't do AC. If I do the Nvidia Utility to optimize games and then run at 720p everything runs perfect but if I up it to 1080p it lags not really bad but bad enough that it annoys you. I know it is not the PC because it can run with everything maxed out no problem. I'm assuming it is a bandwidth issue getting to the nexus player. Would it be best to maybe get a USB ethernet adapter or a AC router. I have no problem running the ethernet cable actually already have one ran for my Roku 3.
jtboyz01 said:
Has anyone used the Limelight app? I've got my PC which is wired into a Airport Extreme and then of course the Nexus Player is connected over N my router doesn't do AC. If I do the Nvidia Utility to optimize games and then run at 720p everything runs perfect but if I up it to 1080p it lags not really bad but bad enough that it annoys you. I know it is not the PC because it can run with everything maxed out no problem. I'm assuming it is a bandwidth issue getting to the nexus player. Would it be best to maybe get a USB ethernet adapter or a AC router. I have no problem running the ethernet cable actually already have one ran for my Roku 3.
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mine operates 1080p fine
the only problem I have is sometimes when I load a game directly it is black screen, so I just load it through the steam dashboard.
Streaming from the nvidia tools, the picture is not great but I believe it's due to compression and not resolution. Also there's a bit of input lag, which appears to be due to streaming and not input communication (near instant response on the broadcasting PC).
Gave it my first shot tonight.
I'm using the Nexus Player over LAN via USB OTG and a StarTech (see: cheap-ass) USB 2.0 HUB. I set connection to 1080p 60FPS, and 100MB connection. I'm using a Netgear R6250 AC router. I was able to play Steam Big Picture without any noticeable input lag. I tested several different games: BioShock Infinite (the final checkpoint to the ending), Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky (much higher than 60FPS), Final Fantasy XIII (about 1 hour of gameplay), and Brutal Legend (played about 20 minutes of gameplay, hated it). The main point is: I was taken back. I didn't expect this to work so well, and I don't regret my Nexus Player purchase anymore, even if Google were to abandon the project as it stands now (lets be real, this project needs a lot of work).
If there's anything else you'd like to know, I'd be happy to provide the information. Oh, while I'm mentioning what I played, I'm running a fairly decent rig, an i5 4670k, with 8GB Corsiar RAM, and an EVGA GeForce 660Ti. Nothing is currently overclocked.
khoooool
SoundMage said:
Gave it my first shot tonight.
I'm using the Nexus Player over LAN via USB OTG and a StarTech (see: cheap-ass) USB 2.0 HUB. I set connection to 1080p 60FPS, and 100MB connection. I'm using a Netgear R6250 AC router. I was able to play Steam Big Picture without any noticeable input lag. I tested several different games: BioShock Infinite (the final checkpoint to the ending), Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky (much higher than 60FPS), Final Fantasy XIII (about 1 hour of gameplay), and Brutal Legend (played about 20 minutes of gameplay, hated it). The main point is: I was taken back. I didn't expect this to work so well, and I don't regret my Nexus Player purchase anymore, even if Google were to abandon the project as it stands now (lets be real, this project needs a lot of work).
If there's anything else you'd like to know, I'd be happy to provide the information. Oh, while I'm mentioning what I played, I'm running a fairly decent rig, an i5 4670k, with 8GB Corsiar RAM, and an EVGA GeForce 660Ti. Nothing is currently overclocked.
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What controller did you use? And was there any issue with button mapping?
SoundMage said:
Gave it my first shot tonight.
I'm using the Nexus Player over LAN via USB OTG and a StarTech (see: cheap-ass) USB 2.0 HUB. I set connection to 1080p 60FPS, and 100MB connection. I'm using a Netgear R6250 AC router. I was able to play Steam Big Picture without any noticeable input lag. I tested several different games: BioShock Infinite (the final checkpoint to the ending), Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky (much higher than 60FPS), Final Fantasy XIII (about 1 hour of gameplay), and Brutal Legend (played about 20 minutes of gameplay, hated it). The main point is: I was taken back. I didn't expect this to work so well, and I don't regret my Nexus Player purchase anymore, even if Google were to abandon the project as it stands now (lets be real, this project needs a lot of work).
If there's anything else you'd like to know, I'd be happy to provide the information. Oh, while I'm mentioning what I played, I'm running a fairly decent rig, an i5 4670k, with 8GB Corsiar RAM, and an EVGA GeForce 660Ti. Nothing is currently overclocked.
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Hmm sounds like it must be a bandwidth issue for me since the Nexus Player is using wireless N and the host is wired. Time to buy a adapter and get a wired connection. Just for curiosity can you try using your AC wireless and see the performance please.
jtboyz01 said:
Hmm sounds like it must be a bandwidth issue for me since the Nexus Player is using wireless N and the host is wired. Time to buy a adapter and get a wired connection. Just for curiosity can you try using your AC wireless and see the performance please.
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I would think in the case of streaming, it would always be better to try to go LAN. I know it's certainly possible to not use WiFi, as I also own an Nvidia Shield Tablet and I play remotely every day (Wifi N,) but certainly preferable to be hard-wired in whenever possible. The Nexus Player automatically switches to LAN when it's connected and settings become available once plugged in. A shame so many things are needed to make that happen though.
I would like to play Grim Fandango Remastered on NP, is it possible via Limelight?
http://grimremastered.com/
Already run an Asus AC68u router (before owning the NP) so I've been playing limelight over ac WiFi. I also have a gtx660ti in my gaming computer. Extremely impressed by nvidia and the folks at limelight who REd the game stream protocol. Truly great experience for me, but I'm not an fps multiplayer fanatic. I just like playing campaign, adventure, hack n slash games on the big screen. My input lag and decode lag was 9ms. I honestly don't know if that's good or bad but it's the numbers I remember from playing Arkham Origins last night. I don't notice any performance hit with that lag. Everything feels real time to me, but I'm probably not very sensitive to that like some real avid gamers may be. Never tried Lan
Everything in my stream library has worked so far. I use the dual shock controller with the sixaxis apk (sideloaded). That screws up the remote but I use my tv remote through HDMI cec anyway, along with the ds3 controller I don't miss the standard controller. The sixaxis apk has a nifty trick that has helped me a few times. In preferences you can toggle "mouse" support with any button. I choose the PS-power button on the ds3. I can't recall which but one of my stream games just sits there asking me to press start, and I can toggle the mouse mode to press it. Most games that ask that (even without game pad support) usually go straight to the game as if limelight is helping you along by providing the start click or something
No problems with Limelght stremaing on mine.. 1080p/60fps, over ac wifi using an AC68u router. I've tested it with about a dozen games at this point, most only briefly.
Latency reported varied from 6 to 10ms, with the median probably falling about 9ms. Feel wise, it was barely perceptible, and didn't have any effect on gameplay in any games tested. I did not test with any shooters, other than Defiance, which is toward the slow end anyway as shooters go. I probably ran about 1hr of Guild Wars 2 through it without any problems - no disconnecting, crashing ,or other wonkyness. Once or twice I'd notice compression artifacts but they would clear up in under about 1/4th of a second.
On the gamepad side of things, I played Assassin's Creed: Black Flag a bit, using a 360 wireless gamepad and the MS usb receiver for it. Here's an interesting tidbit - the game popped into gamepad mode, even though there wasn't a gamepad hooked up to the PC itself.
The gamepad mappings were correct/all buttons worked the same within the game as they do when the gamepad is hooked directly to the PC. I'm not 100% sure that's an out of the box thing though, because I have been messing with the keymap file for the 360 controller to get it's d-pad working in general. I'll have to do a little more testing in that respect when I get a chance.
Overall the experience was great though, and really opens up some interesting possibilities.
I wish my Limelight would work but i think its a problem with my PC and Nvidia Experience sins i cant even get the program to open on my PC, just errors every time i try top open Nvidia Experience, and i tried to connect to my PC from the app and i got prompted with a box to enter the pin and managed to start a game from steam but it didnt work so good, the game started but suddenly i lost the ability to stear and the app kicked me and it takes 10 tried to get it to start just to play 1 minute...
So i tried Splashtop THD and Splashtop 2 but those where unuseable sins the screen was all green and flickery so i have to settle with Kainy HD that works fairly good...
DarkShadowSwE said:
I wish my Limelight would work but i think its a problem with my PC and Nvidia Experience sins i cant even get the program to open on my PC, just errors every time i try top open Nvidia Experience, and i tried to connect to my PC from the app and i got prompted with a box to enter the pin and managed to start a game from steam but it didnt work so good, the game started but suddenly i lost the ability to stear and the app kicked me and it takes 10 tried to get it to start just to play 1 minute...
So i tried Splashtop THD and Splashtop 2 but those where unuseable sins the screen was all green and flickery so i have to settle with Kainy HD that works fairly good...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which nvidia GPU are you running?
I remember hearing about something similar called kino console but I've never tried it
darker_slayer said:
Which nvidia GPU are you running?
I remember hearing about something similar called kino console but I've never tried it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well damn, that worked a lot better, might even pay the ~10$ sins it worked way better than my ~20$+ Splashtop THD.
i got a 970 GTX so should be no problem, but my Nvidia Experience wont even start and seems just buggy as hell, so Kino was a good alternative, low latency and smooth gameplay with the default remote.
Too bad. My 660 does great with limelight. Did you enable gamestream and tell it where to scan your game libraries?
It can also work well just staying inside steam, but on your steam-server you need to go to big picture mode and enable hardware accelerated encoding. HW decoding was enabled by default I believe, but encoding was not. Without it steam IHS will suck through steam and consequently through limelight
darker_slayer said:
Too bad. My 660 does great with limelight. Did you enable gamestream and tell it where to scan your game libraries?
It can also work well just staying inside steam, but on your steam-server you need to go to big picture mode and enable hardware accelerated encoding. HW decoding was enabled by default I believe, but encoding was not. Without it steam IHS will suck through steam and consequently through limelight
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ah, yes, the streaming was enabled and last time i used it i managed to laung borderlands but it soon stoped working and i allways have connection issues and gets disconnected soon after i connect.
the hardware encoding was not tho..., gonna give it one more go with it enabled when my kid goes to bed tonight, cheers again,
darker_slayer said:
Too bad. My 660 does great with limelight. Did you enable gamestream and tell it where to scan your game libraries?
It can also work well just staying inside steam, but on your steam-server you need to go to big picture mode and enable hardware accelerated encoding. HW decoding was enabled by default I believe, but encoding was not. Without it steam IHS will suck through steam and consequently through limelight
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I never knew this was an option . i shall be testing this too thanks
might explain why sometimes i a SLOW ENCODE message on the bottom left , im not using limelight however i have another pc i was just curious about limelight so took a gander in here , glad i did!
WORK IN PROGRESS: UPDATING
STOP PRESS: FIRESTARTER 3.0 RELEASED. SANITY RESTORED.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/fire-tv/themes-apps/app-root-home-launcher-replacement-app-t3118135
Before sending your Fire TV/Stick back to Amazon in disgust, beware of its limitations, and try these tips.
Bottom line is it's going to be a solid step up from Fire TV 1. But right now, it has a few issues.
Let's talk about the elephant in the room: the angry reviews. Almost all the complaints are about the glitchy remote (we have a fix), battery cover (sometimes the customer isn't always right), audio issues (Amazon is patching, stay tuned). No question, it's got some bugs out of the gate, but Amazon has responded and hopefully all will be resolved shortly . Enjoy:
http://www.amazon.com/Amazon-DV83YW-Fire-TV/product-reviews/B00U3FPN4U/
Fire TV 2: hardware shortcomings by design that many regard as substandard.
If these are important, you might need to look elsewhere.
1. USB 2.0 not even USB 3.0. USB-C is the new standard appearing on phones and laptops.
2. Ethernet 10/100 not GB.
3. No optical port. Possible solution: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B010JQMHNW/?
4. HDMI 1.4, not HDMI 2.0, limited to 4K at 30fps.
Software bugs and annoyances, most probably due to OS 5, but yet to be confirmed.
Could be fixed either by Amazon or developers.
1. Audio limited to stereo other than for Amazon Prime. Quiet audio.
As promised, Amazon has released a patch (extremely quickly):
“By this coming Monday, October 12th, you will receive an automatic software update that enables Dolby Digital Plus for customers who have a Dolby Digital Plus system (including support for Netflix and Amazon Video). An update for older Dolby Digital systems (not Dolby Digital Plus) will be distributed on November 30th.” -Amazon
Update from AFTVNews:
One of the new device’s largest complaints, a lack of Dolby Digital surround sound support, which has been partially fixed already, stems from changes made to support Netflix. I’m told by my source at Amazon that Netflix gave the Fire TV engineering team a new version of their software at the last minute which required changes to the Fire TV’s software to work correctly. Those changes conflicted with Dolby Digital surround sound support. With not enough time to fix support for both, Amazon was faced with the decision to ship without Netflix or without Dolby Digital surround sound. They chose the latter which, in my opinion, was the right choice.
http://www.aftvnews.com/amazon-is-d...-internal-testing-pool-for-bug-fixing-effort/
2. Fire TV 2 WiFi Remote drops out, glitchy, lags, etc.
Do this when setting up if you're connecting via Ethernet: disconnect your LAN cable, connect to WiFi, reconnect your network cable.
And then do this anytime if your remote becomes laggy: disconnect Ethernet cable, reconnect Ethernet cable.
That should fix it. Really, it's usually that simple.
If not, there could be interference, you could try changing channels or frequency on your router or restrict the available protocols (just N or AC, for example). Let us know if you're still having problems.
3. Highly inconvenient to launch Kodi and other sideloaded apps.
Long story, somewhat shortened: The Fire OS only shows icons for apps obtained from Amazon's App Store. That, unfortunately, doesn't include Kodi, everyone's favourite media player, and about 99% of the reason the AFTV has a cult following. There have been two popular ways to get around Amazon's belligerence: by having Kodi launch as proxy of another app (usually Ikono TV) using Llama; or by employing Firestarter to bind it to the Home button.
Both can be loaded via ADFire.
Unfortunately, Llama no longer works (for this purpose) in OS5/AFTV2, so skip that route and install FireStarter:
ADBFire : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2786505
FireStarter http://forum.xda-developers.com/fire-tv/themes-apps/app-root-home-launcher-replacement-app-t3118135
Kodi: http://kodi.tv
I recommend mapping the Home Button single click to Kodi, and the Home button double-click to Amazon Home. Or if you'd prefer to use Firestarter as your home screen, then map it to the double-click. The added bonus to this setup is every time you're in Kodi and hit the Home button inadvertently, instead of losing your **** yet again, it'll just flash in and out of the app and then pause whatever you're watching.
Here's a guide on sideloading to the Fire. Again, I strongly recommend ADBFire:
http://www.aftvnews.com/sideload/
If you have an Android tablet or phone, there are several apps that can push apps across to the Fire, such as Apps2Fire. That way you can download your apps direct from the official Google Play Store. Don't forget they won't automatically update. You'll need to push those updates across as well.
4. Can't connect via ADB to sideload using ADBFire etc since using FireStarter
First up: make sure you have ADB enabled. Settings>System>Developer Options> Both ADB Debugging and Apps from Unknown Sources need to be On.
FireStarter has two methods of intercepting Home button presses: one using ADB, and one not using ADB. The issue that's arisen since the introduction of Fire OS 5 is that the operating system no longer permits parallel ADB connections, so if FireStarter is using it to intercept Home button presses, you won't be able to connect to the Fire TV using ADB, and thus you won't be able to sideload apps and files using ADBFire.
We now have two options:
Option 1 (Firestarter won't use ADB): Open FireStarter, under Settings, uncheck "Home Detection via ADB."
Advantage: You only need ADB enabled to connect with ADBFire. No need to touch FireStarter.
Disadvantage: Only detects your customized Home button choices within the Fire TV's home screen, and not within apps. Pressing Home within Kodi, for example, will return you to the Home screen. Pressing it again will send you back to Kodi (or whatever action you've chosen. A potential advantage is this now gives you three variants of the Home button: a single and double-click from the Home screen; and the traditional Fire TV Home shortcut from within any app.
Option 2: (FireStarter uses ADB): Open FireStarter, check "Home Detection via ADB"
Advantage: FireStarter will now obey your Home button choices (single and double-click) from anywhere.
Disadvantage: You will either need to kill FireStarter (see below) or temporarily revert to Option 1 in order to do your ADB stuff. Note: there's now a handy shortcut direct to the ADB Debugging toggle within FireStarter.
Tip: If you go with Option 2, you can quickly kill FireStarter's grip on ADB by going: Settings>Manage Applications>FireStarter and Force Stop. And then restarting FireStarter or the Device once you've finished your ADB business.
5. External storage limited to disks formatted in FAT32.
There's no reason why Amazon couldn't enable other formats, but there's little incentive to bother. Even Macs don't support NTFS out of the box. Either format your drives in FAT32 (and split larger files if necessary) or move them to a network share. Not hard to work around. Here's a tip:
http://www.aftvnews.com/how-to-play...b-off-the-fire-tvs-fat32-usb-storage-in-kodi/
6. Difficult to remove battery cover?
No it's not. Slide it back then lift it up. Dead easy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3t1GOCzjzY&
7. Can't move Kodi to external storage.
http://www.aftvnews.com/some-apps-like-kodi-cannot-write-to-external-storage-yet-on-fire-os-5/
Upgrade to Jarvis (still in alpha but perfectly acceptable).
8. LED only glowing when it detects a remote button press
Either a bug or a new way of doing things. Either way, it's not ideal.
9. Can't Chromecast from Android device to Fire TV
Yes, you can cast from Youtube, but nothing else (that I can find). Blame Google for that:
http://www.aftvnews.com/google-has-chromecast-receiver-app-pulled-from-fire-tv-appstore/
You can, however, Airplay to it. Via Kodi is one method, that usually works, but can be flaky sometimes. There are a bunch of apps you can try. Some work better than others. I picked up this one when it was free, it works:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/x9F99-x65B9-x513F-AirReceiver/dp/B00L5HQRGS/
And for those of you with other Amazon devices, there's always Fling:
https://developer.amazon.com/public...g/docs/understanding-the-amazon-fling-service
How about Bluetooth controller frequently loses connection to the AFTV? Mine drops it's connection probably 2 or 3 times every hour.
sudman said:
How about Bluetooth controller frequently loses connection to the AFTV? Mine drops it's connection probably 2 or 3 times every hour.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Isn't the AFTV2 remote Wi-Fi?
I will be watching this thread closely. Thank you for posting.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Free mobile app
list additions
I would add to the list:
Issues with day 1 software update, (several resets, issues to get working)
Wifi remote constantly cuts on/off (taking out batteries seems like temp fix)
Stutters in apps like WatchESPN
Second the dropping of lama/kodi icon support
Despite better hardware, little change in actual performance (yet to be fully seen)
Claude Koch said:
Isn't the AFTV2 remote Wi-Fi?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was under the impression that it was BT same as the original but cant find a definitive answer eitherway. Eitherway the damn thing keeps discontecting!!!! Will be sending mine back if things dont improve fast.
sudman said:
I was under the impression that it was BT same as the original but cant find a definitive answer eitherway. Eitherway the damn thing keeps discontecting!!!! Will be sending mine back if things dont improve fast.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.aftvnews.com/list-of-all-fire-tv-and-fire-tv-stick-remote-and-game-controller-specs/
Claude Koch said:
About time we compiled a tally of what's broken, missing or just plain annoying on the new Fire TV, and what's (about to be) broken by the official release of OS 5 on the old Fire TV.
4. More to come.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for this. I was criticized elsewhere for bringing up some shortcomings of 2. I am very interested in the gizmo you linked that breaks off the 5.1 via Optical and 2ch mini-jack from the HDMI stream. The product dates back to 2013 which makes me skeptical. I've bought a few of these that did not work. I have 4 port Monoprice HDMI switch that has the 5.1 and 2ch breakout. It disappoints as it is 5.1 OR 2ch, not both. The one's I have had tried similar to your post would pass sound to all six speakers but it was in reality Stereo which will fool some people. The clue for me is, does the blue Dolby light come on? A quick test for DD Plus handling is "House of Cards". If you get a blue light viewing that, it's good to go. It's been almost a year since I last fooled with them so maybe there is something that is NEW and works.
I am still looking for one that really works. The only thing I know that splits off 5.1, for real, is 1's Optical connector.
What's funny is that I pitched my Roku3 over the DD+ impasse. Now Roku4 is coming out and it HAS an optical connector.
I have an Echo/Alexa too and waiting to see how all that works out with my 1 if it does at all. I'm rooted so unless Rbox comes through, I'm out of luck. Right now my Echo is pretty much a party novelty but it can now control my Nest and Insteon devices. Just found the most useful feature is using it as a meat timer.
It's a shame 2 isn't all of 1 but better and more.
I had problems with the connection with my remote too.
Are you used ethernet at the first start to connect with your router? Never set up wifi connection?
Try this
1. disconnect fire tv from ethernet
2. connect fire tv to wifi
3. reconnect the remote to fire tv
4. connect fire tv to ethernet again
for me i think it works... I am not 100% sure because the connection lost was very rare before. but give it a try.. :laugh:
There are huge issues with the WiFi the gain on the 5GHz 802.11ac is terrible in addition to issues above. I sent two of them back. Returning all of them is the only way Amazon will fix this!
I hate to say it, but it's looking like a lemon.
Edit: things are looking much better today.
What is an "Accessory Port". On my 1 I use a little dongle called Flirc to allow my Logitech Harmony One unified remote to control it. Needed it to feed the "Menu" command to 1. I now have a Harmony Ultimate with Hub and just imported the same settings.
I wonder if 2's "Accessory port" will allow a Flirc dongle to support unified IR remotes. Also wonder if it is even necessary with the 2. The Ultimate remote is still totally IR but the Hub is WiFi allowing it to talk to some smart devices. Guess I could test but hate to fix something that ain't broke. That's the main reason I'm afraid of 2. See no benefit except for 4K and I don't have that. My 1 setup works pretty well.
What I want to do is ditch my $160/mo DirecTV bill and replace it with another DVR option. SBC (aka AT&T) ate them and nothing good will come from that. "Repeating" myself, the Tivo Bolt is intriguing. Would replace FireTV and DirecTV. On the other hand, my rooted 1 with Nova Launcher and a Logitech K400 KB is a pretty nice little big screen Android box.
Nothing is just right.
sudman said:
How about Bluetooth controller frequently loses connection to the AFTV? Mine drops it's connection probably 2 or 3 times every hour.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's an abomination. Seems like the wifi keeps dropping out.
Edit: fixed.
Claude Koch said:
It's an abomination. Seems like the wifi keeps dropping out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But it's ON SALE. hurry while the supply lasts. Pulling 2 1/2 Stars. Not good.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00U3FPN4U/?tag=aftvndeal-20
The Main Reason AFTV 2 Is Not For Me
Root and Nova Launcher
Claude Koch said:
It's an abomination. Seems like the wifi keeps dropping out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A page back i posted a method to fix that if you are used ethernet cable at the first start o AFTV2.
Try this
1. disconnect fire tv from ethernet
2. connect fire tv to wifi
3. reconnect the remote to fire tv
4. connect fire tv to ethernet again
For me no connection losts between remote control and AFTV2 after a couple of hours.
I know the Apple TV was looming, but I don't get why Amazon felt the need to rush this out so fast. There just really isn't a reason to refresh a video streaming device annually. I understand they wanted to beat Apple to 4K, but looks like it cost them this time. I am sure updates will make it better, but this box might be the dud when we look back and the history of these things. I just hope it doesn't flop so bad they stop future revisions.
MajorWinters said:
A page back i posted a method to fix that if you are used ethernet cable at the first start o AFTV2.
Try this
1. disconnect fire tv from ethernet
2. connect fire tv to wifi
3. reconnect the remote to fire tv
4. connect fire tv to ethernet again
For me no connection losts between remote control and AFTV2 after a couple of hours.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the tip. I'm going to let it be for a couple of days, then try your fix. Otherwise, I won't know it it helped.
Been trying to get it to detect the bluetooth remote from my other Fire TV but not having any luck.
EDIT: Great tip, seems to have done the trick! Added to list.
I sent mine back. I can't believe that the newer Fire TV performs much worse than my 1st Gen Fire TV. Here is what I find annoying.
Remote cover is very hard to open. Broke my nail and it took me nearly a half hour to get it open. Once it is open it is much easier after.
Remote freezes and stops responding. Have to take out batteries and put them back in. At first I though the unit froze but my BT keyboard works fine. Had to use that quite often.
Netflix no 5.1 surround sound. Also it takes much longer to get up to 1080p. On my old Fire TV 1080p instantly and if not just restart the stream. On the 2nd gen Fire TV mud quality sub 480p which can take up to 40 seconds or longer to get to 1080p unless I fast forward and rewind the stream but then it ends up ruining what I am watching when there are spoilers in the beginning of the program.
Other third party apps actually run worse. They stutter and skip frames like trying to watch a HD video on a Celeron PC from 2008.
The external storage option is a joke. First thing is they should have included more than 8gb of internal storage because the external microSD is useless. I moved all the apps and games I can to the external storage however most apps and some games still store at least half the data on internal storage so even then I was already running low on space while my 64gb microSD barely used any space.
Box runs much warmer than before and I have it on a cooling pad.
To me the picture quality seems worse. I don't have a 4k TV just 1080p but the picture is much darker and reds look more pixelated.
That is what I can think of off the bat but in the end I ended up sending it back like many others and I see a recall soon from Amazon. They should have never released this thing as the 1st Gen Fire TV was pretty much perfect. Yes it had issues when it first came out mainly the once outdated Netflix app and having to occasionally clear the Amazon video data app when it would not play but otherwise it performed much better than this new thing does.
It's looking like under OS5, external storage is sandboxed as read-only to Kodi. The same seems true of Android TV (Nvidia Shield), so I suppose it's a Lollipop security issue. If I'm right, this means no moving Kodi data/thumbnails to external storage and using the /sdcard/xbmc_env.properties to redirect. Can anyone confirm/disprove this?
Hello
Does the nexus player have all Chromecast features? I mean can i stream my files from my phone to the nexus player? The new Chromecast had improvements in streaming speed, so which device is faster?
Sorry for my english
I've used both. On WiFi they are the same speed, however both work faster when plugged into Ethernet.
For the price, nexus player has many many more features, well worth the additional $15
Markolc said:
I've used both. On WiFi they are the same speed, however both work faster when plugged into Ethernet.
For the price, nexus player has many many more features, well worth the additional $15
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you recommend an ethernet adapter that works well with the NP? TIA!
This will work fine
Can't get much simpler and reviews are good enough.
Get A 5 Port Ethernet Adapter Always
qualitymove13 said:
Can you recommend an ethernet adapter that works well with the NP? TIA!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here you go
guy, the beast, always get a 5 port Ethernet adapter, also you will need a OTG cable http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D8K3GGO?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00 !
qualitymove13 said:
Can you recommend an ethernet adapter that works well with the NP? TIA!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is the one I bought. Works fine for me!
http://www.amazon.com/Inateck-Gigabit-Ethernet-Converter-Network/dp/B00IJU0K2Q
I like my NP, but I think it's unfair to simply assert that NP wins because "it does everything that Chromecast does." The NP has great features that the Chromecast doesn't (onscreen UI, remote, gaming, etc.) have; if you want those features, the NP is great (but probably not as good as other products on the market with bigger app ecosystems, like Fire TV or Roku). If casting video content is your top priority, it's worth noting that the NP does not perform as well as Chromecast as a Google Cast device. The two main issues are:
1. My NP (on my main TC) doesn't always show up as a castable device, even when my Chromecast (bedroom TV) appears without issue.
2. It turns out that some Chromecast-compatible apps do NOT support Google Cast on the NP, as was the case with the HBO Now app that was released a couple of months ago. This is pretty rare, and basically every other cast-enabled app I've used seems to support both Chromecast and the NP, but the HBO Now debacle (when combined with #1) clearly suggests that the Google Cast implementation on the NP differs from what we see on Chromecast.
In addition to Cast issues, I've experienced a lot of bugs/crashes/etc. with my NP. Things on my NP seem to be stabilizing, but it's clear to me that Chromecast is a more mature and stable product at the moment. Given that so many more people own Chromecasts than NPs, updating Chromecast will probably remain Google's higher priority.
Overall, I'm still happy with my NP, but it's still a work in progress. I'm not sure that I'd recommend it over Roku or Fire TV (or even Apple TV) for people looking to add smart features/apps to their TV... and if you're looking for a cheap way to watch Netflix on your TV, you can't really beat Chromecast.
whmaurer said:
I like my NP, but I think it's unfair to simply assert that NP wins because "it does everything that Chromecast does." The NP has great features that the Chromecast doesn't (onscreen UI, remote, gaming, etc.) have; if you want those features, the NP is great (but probably not as good as other products on the market with bigger app ecosystems, like Fire TV or Roku). If casting video content is your top priority, it's worth noting that the NP does not perform as well as Chromecast as a Google Cast device. The two main issues are:
1. My NP (on my main TC) doesn't always show up as a castable device, even when my Chromecast (bedroom TV) appears without issue.
2. It turns out that some Chromecast-compatible apps do NOT support Google Cast on the NP, as was the case with the HBO Now app that was released a couple of months ago. This is pretty rare, and basically every other cast-enabled app I've used seems to support both Chromecast and the NP, but the HBO Now debacle (when combined with #1) clearly suggests that the Google Cast implementation on the NP differs from what we see on Chromecast.
In addition to Cast issues, I've experienced a lot of bugs/crashes/etc. with my NP. Things on my NP seem to be stabilizing, but it's clear to me that Chromecast is a more mature and stable product at the moment. Given that so many more people own Chromecasts than NPs, updating Chromecast will probably remain Google's higher priority.
Overall, I'm still happy with my NP, but it's still a work in progress. I'm not sure that I'd recommend it over Roku or Fire TV (or even Apple TV) for people looking to add smart features/apps to their TV... and if you're looking for a cheap way to watch Netflix on your TV, you can't really beat Chromecast.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The thing about it is, a new Chromecast is $35, though I've seen it for $30 on sale recently. I've seen the nexus player on sale for $40 at a few places. For the extra $10, the nexus player does much more than the Chromecast, and can function essentially the same as a Chromecast, save for the HBO now app.
Also I perceive casting to the NP is much quicker than my Chromecast on wifi. It's a stronger machine.
For those of you suggesting the RJ45 + USB3.0 hubs, isnt the microUSB port on the back of the NP just a usb2.0 connection? Does adding a USB3.0 hub for expanded memory actually do anything since it should be throttled down to 2.0 speeds at the back of the NP? Or should we just look at getting a 2.0 hub and save a few extra $$$?
Im asking because Im currently looking into my options to expand my memory now that Android6.0 has hit our devices.
Correct, its only 2.0 speed. Save some money. No reason the adapter should cost more than the NP.
whmaurer said:
I like my NP, but I think it's unfair to simply assert that NP wins because "it does everything that Chromecast does." The NP has great features that the Chromecast doesn't (onscreen UI, remote, gaming, etc.) have; if you want those features, the NP is great (but probably not as good as other products on the market with bigger app ecosystems, like Fire TV or Roku). If casting video content is your top priority, it's worth noting that the NP does not perform as well as Chromecast as a Google Cast device. The two main issues are:
1. My NP (on my main TC) doesn't always show up as a castable device, even when my Chromecast (bedroom TV) appears without issue.
2. It turns out that some Chromecast-compatible apps do NOT support Google Cast on the NP, as was the case with the HBO Now app that was released a couple of months ago. This is pretty rare, and basically every other cast-enabled app I've used seems to support both Chromecast and the NP, but the HBO Now debacle (when combined with #1) clearly suggests that the Google Cast implementation on the NP differs from what we see on Chromecast.
In addition to Cast issues, I've experienced a lot of bugs/crashes/etc. with my NP. Things on my NP seem to be stabilizing, but it's clear to me that Chromecast is a more mature and stable product at the moment. Given that so many more people own Chromecasts than NPs, updating Chromecast will probably remain Google's higher priority.
Overall, I'm still happy with my NP, but it's still a work in progress. I'm not sure that I'd recommend it over Roku or Fire TV (or even Apple TV) for people looking to add smart features/apps to their TV... and if you're looking for a cheap way to watch Netflix on your TV, you can't really beat Chromecast.
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Click to collapse
I would've said the same, prior to the Marshmallow upgrade; whether the Cast icon would appear in Cast enabled apps was a matter of pure luck, as well as the "cast screen to" feature on Android devices. I got a lot of Cast connection losses as well, while the content was then still playing on the TV, without any possibility to control it (other than stopping it via the Nexus Player remote).
But all of those issues are fixed now with the Marshmallow upgrade (and I guess the various Google Cast Receiver app updates, that have been released since then).
The one thing that I find absolutely unacceptable is the following fact which you have mentioned as well: That the Nexus Player seems to be a 2nd class Google Cast device, which is e.g. not supported by Spotify, while working perfectly fine on Chromecasts. Google is allowing fragmentation of their Cast ecosystem because of this and this might be the beginning of the end of its acceptance, especially when it comes to Smart TVs that are shipped with Android TV and for which all companies involved are especially advertising the Cast functionality.
To the user who mentioned that both, the Nexus Player and the Chromecast are loading/streaming faster over Ethernet than over Wi-Fi: I strongly doubt that this is the case, especially since, as mentioned above, the available Ethernet adapters are only USB 2.0 capable. If you're talking about an Nvidia Shield TV I'd believe you, since that one supports Gigabit Ethernet natively, but regarding Chromecasts and Nexus Players... maybe if your wi-fi is horrible or you're using 2.4GHz wi-fi only... otherwise...no, not at all.
Anyway, since the original question was something like "Chromecast vs. Nexus Player": I have both, and I fully replaced my Chromecast with my Nexus Player since I have found that it makes the Chromecast redundant.
Some advantages of the Chromecast that should be considered:
-It's perfectly suited for taking it with you when traveling, while the Nexus Player is more of a fixed device that you set up once, connect it to your TV and leave it there.
- The Chromecast might reboot a couple of seconds faster than the Nexus Player, in case you shut off your devices often.
- The Chromecast allows you to adjust the backdrop e.g. with weather data and specific background images; the similar looking stock-backdrop of the Nexus Player cannot be modified at all.
- The Nexus Player wants you to sign into a specific Google account, whereas the Chromecast only requires you to set up a wi-fi.
- Chromecast doesn't need a wall socket and can be powered by your TV's USB port (even though using a real power adapter is recommended due to stability reasons).
- As mentioned, Chromecast isn't treated as a 2nd class Cast device by e.g. HBO (lol) and Spotify.
- You won't have to deal with yet another remote control in addition to your TV's, your audio system's and what-not remote controls, if using a Chromecast
- Google so far hasn't dared to release a firmware upgrade for the Chromecast which increases the brightness to a bazillion % and causes all blacks to look washed-out as hell.
I'm not gonna mention any advantages of the Nexus Player here as I've already said that I, personally, prefer the Nexus Player; I think it comes down to personal preferences regarding the above-points. Some things might be more important to some people, while others aren't, the same goes for what compromises are acceptable to the specific user.
Markolc said:
Correct, its only 2.0 speed. Save some money. No reason the adapter should cost more than the NP.
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Click to collapse
Only problem is there are no USB 2.0 ethernet adapters that also have USB passthrough.
priddyma said:
Only problem is there are no USB 2.0 ethernet adapters that also have USB passthrough.
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Click to collapse
I don't quite know what you mean? I have a 2.0 USB hub\ethernet hybrid plugged into my nexus players. It gives me 3 full size USB ports and Ethernet.
Anywhere I have searched didn't have a plethora of USB 2.0 hubs with ethernet that were that much cheaper than the 3.0 models.
I don't see the point of an ethernet adapter for the Nexus Player any way, the theoretical speed limit of USB 2.0 is 480mbps which equal 60MBps meaning that you are throttling yourself compared to your WiFi speed.
priddyma said:
Anywhere I have searched didn't have a plethora of USB 2.0 hubs with ethernet that were that much cheaper than the 3.0 models.
I don't see the point of an ethernet adapter for the Nexus Player any way, the theoretical speed limit of USB 2.0 is 480mbps which equal 60MBps meaning that you are throttling yourself compared to your WiFi speed.
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Click to collapse
And realistically you would be lucky to get even half that 60 MBps speeds on the 2.0 port. Chances are your only seeing about 25-30, and a Ethernet port adapter has to share the data with all the other devices you may have plugged into the hub as well. The WiFi AC is every bit 5-10 faster than the USB port on this device. The Ethernet adapter idea is only reasonable if that is all you have for a connection. Otherwise your 5ghz N or AC will blow away the USB port, depending on your network and internet speeds of course.
SkOrPn said:
And realistically you would be lucky to get even half that 60 MBps speeds on the 2.0 port. Chances are your only seeing about 25-30, and a Ethernet port adapter has to share the data with all the other devices you may have plugged into the hub as well. The WiFi AC is every bit 5-10 faster than the USB port on this device. The Ethernet adapter idea is only reasonable if that is all you have for a connection. Otherwise your 5ghz N or AC will blow away the USB port, depending on your network and internet speeds of course.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All I can tell you is this. On my 5ghz WiFi, nighthawk ac1900 router, I will get occasional drops and hiccups streaming my uncompressed bluray rips, and on occasion streaming from my HDHomerun Prime. When over WiFi, I get none of those issues ever. It's just a more reliable connection. Downloading from the Play store, the WiFi wins, however streaming a 2 hour movie (30gigs), the hard wire connection will give me a flawless performance. It just takes a few seconds of WiFi interference to interrupt a movie or good football game on TV.
Markolc said:
All I can tell you is this. On my 5ghz WiFi, nighthawk ac1900 router, I will get occasional drops and hiccups streaming my uncompressed bluray rips, and on occasion streaming from my HDHomerun Prime. When over WiFi, I get none of those issues ever. It's just a more reliable connection. Downloading from the Play store, the WiFi wins, however streaming a 2 hour movie (30gigs), the hard wire connection will give me a flawless performance. It just takes a few seconds of WiFi interference to interrupt a movie or good football game on TV.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your WiFi should have big enough buffer to handle a few seconds of WiFi interference... Never had a single problem on a Chromecast wireless in a highly congested 2.4GHz area....
The Chromecast app from Google in the Google PlayStore doesn't even detect my Google Nexus Player (on the same wifi network).
The "Video & TV Cast | Nexus Player" app does. The developer for that app has a separate version for Nexus Player, Chromecast device, Samsung TV, etc.
Nate2 said:
The Chromecast app from Google in the Google PlayStore doesn't even detect my Google Nexus Player (on the same wifi network).
The "Video & TV Cast | Nexus Player" app does. The developer for that app has a separate version for Nexus Player, Chromecast device, Samsung TV, etc.
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Click to collapse
I'm not sure why the Chromecast app would ever need to detect your NP. It's not like you could use that app to configure it.
Maybe it was just my assumption that the Google Nexus Player (which supports casting) would use the Chromecast protocol(?) from Google.
Apparently, there is also a Googlecast protocol that is different from Chromecast?
My Samsung phone has it's own casting protocol that works great with my Samsung HDTV.
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Hello there peeps!
Im thinking of getting rid of my old laptop as my torrentbox/Kodi and fileserver. Its noisy, draws lots of power and it can barely handle 1080p HEVC movies. So Im really longing to buy a Nvidia Shield TV 16GB
Im thinking of buying the 16GB version, putting a 128GB micro-sd card in it and use a powered usb3.0 HUB to connect my current 3 external HDDs to it.
My plans is to let the 128GB micro-sd card act as the torrent partition and storage for the games and apps. When the apps are finished Im moving the stuff to the three external NTFS HDDs and store it on them. All this would be nice to be able to manage with my Android phone. Im thinking that it might be hard on the unit to handle torrents at the same time we watch movies or play games. Is there an app to paus the torrents if the rest needs more resources, or make some kind of script?
Will all this work? Ive read that the Shield TV cant handle more than two external USBs thanks to the limitatons of Android but this can be fixed by rooting it. Is it correct?
You need to get a SMB server app working on it. Google: Funkyfresh Samba
uTorrent has an Android version.
I think Android can handle more than two ext HDD's. My sister has 4-5 HDD's connected to her AFTV, same with my cousin. Try StickMount.
I don't know but I think it's going to be hard to do what you want. I'd buy an Asus ChromeBox, put Win10 on it and use that for Kodi MySQL server, torrent, media, etc.
Ive been curious about this, when you say your sister had 4-5 HDDs connected to AFTV, im assuming she has them connected via some sort of usb hub?
I wouldn't use an SD card for long-term torrenting as they're not very good at handling frequent writing.
hobs0n said:
Hello there peeps!
Im thinking of getting rid of my old laptop as my torrentbox/Kodi and fileserver. Its noisy, draws lots of power and it can barely handle 1080p HEVC movies. So Im really longing to buy a Nvidia Shield TV 16GB
Im thinking of buying the 16GB version, putting a 128GB micro-sd card in it and use a powered usb3.0 HUB to connect my current 3 external HDDs to it.
My plans is to let the 128GB micro-sd card act as the torrent partition and storage for the games and apps. When the apps are finished Im moving the stuff to the three external NTFS HDDs and store it on them. All this would be nice to be able to manage with my Android phone. Im thinking that it might be hard on the unit to handle torrents at the same time we watch movies or play games. Is there an app to paus the torrents if the rest needs more resources, or make some kind of script?
Will all this work? Ive read that the Shield TV cant handle more than two external USBs thanks to the limitatons of Android but this can be fixed by rooting it. Is it correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So heres my experience so far: Currently I have 1 external usb 3.0 HDD connected to my shield tv. using an android app called servers ultimate pro, I was able to create multiple file servers. The nice thing is that shield tv is already low powered, but can even go into sleep mode and still run the server (i have a feeling sleep mode just turns off the screen). with servers ultimate, you can get lots of configuration options, limiting the amount of users, ip addresses that can access, you can set up basic rules, and notifications for things like if the server stops or starts, to email, text, pop up a notification, etc. Its pretty nice.
But heres the catch: I've been searching for a solution for over a month now, but transfer rates are slow im getting 5-10MBps on average, but i know the network is capable of more. after searching, it seems to be a limitation of either android, or the protocols the app is using. Another user on here pointed out to me that the SMB protocol for instance, seems to be running SMB v1 (which is already up to like V3- or V4, which are more feature rich and capable of much faster speeds)
then theres the issue of what devices will be accessing it. So far, ive tried my android phone, my windows 10 PC, and an iphone. the android phone can see the servers just fine when configured properly, iphone didn't seem to want to work without any sort of specialized app (which honestly i didn't even try after that point), and windows 10 works, but if you want to map a network drive, your going to need the SMB protocol, and even then it took several weeks of google searching until several tweaks, registry settings, etc finally allowed windows 10 to see my server.
I don't torrent, so unfortunately can't help you on that front, but like another user pointed out, using the sd card will just wear out the amount of times it can read/write. if it does work out for your needs, why not just save directly to the external HDDs?
For the record, I was able to stream using things like kodi or another media player, but i do notice that any initial loading takes several seconds. for example, initial playback will take several seconds to load, but once the video plays, it plays smooth and doesnt stutter or pause, UNLESS i were to try fast forwarding or skipping to another section, then the video takes several seconds again. this all works for my personal needs (for now) but other users might want more demand.
hope any of this helps.
unvaluablespace said:
Ive been curious about this, when you say your sister had 4-5 HDDs connected to AFTV, im assuming she has them connected via some sort of usb hub?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, both my sister and cousin have the 10 port USB 2.0 hub from Amazon working fine on their Amazon Fire TV's.
Cool, thats good to know. I've been kind of curious about this for in the future (i don't see myself using more than 4 HDD's for whatever server setup i use) Hopefully the shield wont have an issue with this, either. Now just trying to figure out my transfer speed issue. lol
Thank you very much for the experience and help!
This certainly learned me very valuable points
what is the point of putting a server on shield tv?
can you download torrents directly to the shield (hd)?
and would plex be able to see these files?
I have personally done exactly what you are looking for with one of my shield boxes. I installed a Linux chroot on my shield tv (I ended up flashing foll android as it was easier), installed transmission-cli in there, and ran kodi on top then enabled media sharing, and put an ssh server on the machine. Works fantastically.
what does this all enable to do?
This is pretty close to my plans, minus the torrent box and fileserver.
my plan is to load up my new external drive and copy everything from my laptop and existing externals into one location (so I can eliminate duplicates) and then move it to the SHIELD TV and setup KODI so it sees all my files and use it for playback (I can always routinely plan file transfers to it manually thru the USB and computer when I need to add new content), but it would be nice to be able to access the external over the network if possible.
kdb424 said:
I have personally done exactly what you are looking for with one of my shield boxes. I installed a Linux chroot on my shield tv (I ended up flashing foll android as it was easier), installed transmission-cli in there, and ran kodi on top then enabled media sharing, and put an ssh server on the machine. Works fantastically.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Uhm so you are running some kind of Linux or what is foll Android?
unvaluablespace said:
So heres my experience so far: Currently I have 1 external usb 3.0 HDD connected to my shield tv. using an android app called servers ultimate pro, I was able to create multiple file servers. The nice thing is that shield tv is already low powered, but can even go into sleep mode and still run the server (i have a feeling sleep mode just turns off the screen). with servers ultimate, you can get lots of configuration options, limiting the amount of users, ip addresses that can access, you can set up basic rules, and notifications for things like if the server stops or starts, to email, text, pop up a notification, etc. Its pretty nice.
But heres the catch: I've been searching for a solution for over a month now, but transfer rates are slow im getting 5-10MBps on average, but i know the network is capable of more. after searching, it seems to be a limitation of either android, or the protocols the app is using. Another user on here pointed out to me that the SMB protocol for instance, seems to be running SMB v1 (which is already up to like V3- or V4, which are more feature rich and capable of much faster speeds)
then theres the issue of what devices will be accessing it. So far, ive tried my android phone, my windows 10 PC, and an iphone. the android phone can see the servers just fine when configured properly, iphone didn't seem to want to work without any sort of specialized app (which honestly i didn't even try after that point), and windows 10 works, but if you want to map a network drive, your going to need the SMB protocol, and even then it took several weeks of google searching until several tweaks, registry settings, etc finally allowed windows 10 to see my server.
I don't torrent, so unfortunately can't help you on that front, but like another user pointed out, using the sd card will just wear out the amount of times it can read/write. if it does work out for your needs, why not just save directly to the external HDDs?
For the record, I was able to stream using things like kodi or another media player, but i do notice that any initial loading takes several seconds. for example, initial playback will take several seconds to load, but once the video plays, it plays smooth and doesnt stutter or pause, UNLESS i were to try fast forwarding or skipping to another section, then the video takes several seconds again. this all works for my personal needs (for now) but other users might want more demand.
hope any of this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the all the valuable info!
Using the Shield TV as a torrentbox/fileserver/NAS is only temporary until I can afford a real NAS, or preferably get a mini Linux box running as a VPN server and router but that's in the future, in fact Shield tv is also in the future since I can't afford it now =)
But back to your comments, I checked out Ultimate Pro and it seems it's dead but maybe some of its servers works good Regarding SMB I'm thinking of getting another app for SMB sharing.
Another thing I'm wondering is the multitasking abilities of the Shield TV, sure it's by far the most powerful Android TV box but how can it handle torrenting, SMB sharing, running Kodi at the same time? Or do you have to manually manage it? Or get some apps that let you set up certain priorities? And will it be able to game on the Shield while Kodi/SMB/torrents running in the background?
hobs0n said:
Thanks for the all the valuable info!
Using the Shield TV as a torrentbox/fileserver/NAS is only temporary until I can afford a real NAS, or preferably get a mini Linux box running as a VPN server and router but that's in the future, in fact Shield tv is also in the future since I can't afford it now =)
But back to your comments, I checked out Ultimate Pro and it seems it's dead but maybe some of its servers works good Regarding SMB I'm thinking of getting another app for SMB sharing.
Another thing I'm wondering is the multitasking abilities of the Shield TV, sure it's by far the most powerful Android TV box but how can it handle torrenting, SMB sharing, running Kodi at the same time? Or do you have to manually manage it? Or get some apps that let you set up certain priorities? And will it be able to game on the Shield while Kodi/SMB/torrents running in the background?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't torrent, so unfortunately I can't help you there, but I have tried using my file server in multiple ways: file transfers & streaming video, while running another app, even streaming games. Here are a few examples of things i've tried:
file transferring a big file to my pc, while gamestreaming on the nvidia shield tv at the same time (worked great. I saw no issues during this time)
file transferring a big file to my pc, while running a local app such as netflix, emulators, youtube, (as you can see i tried both maximizing bandwidth, while even testing lag with cpu intensive tasks. again, worked great)
streaming a 1080p movie from the shield tv, to my pc, while gamestreaming from the same pc, back to the shield tv (seemed to work fine. honestly didnt test this for extended period.)
streaming a 1080p movie from the shield tv to my pc, while running local apps on shield tv such as netflix, emulators, youtube, etc (once again, seemed to work fine)
So as you can see, the shield tv seemed to handle everything i threw at it rather well. i even tried multiple apps for multitasking on the shield and i just honestly did not see any performance hints with the media server, aside from anything youd normally expect on the shield tv. keep in mind i am running on a gigabit ethernet network, wired on both ends, from the shield tv to the router, and router to the pc.
my only issue with it all is as mentioned before: transfer speeds are just barely fast enough, even though i know my network and the device is capable of much faster speeds, but the cpu and ram on the shield tv seemed to handle everything i tried rather well.
as for your comment about trying other smb apps, ive gone through several, and the ones i was able to manage to get working, all ended up with the same speeds as with ultimate servers pro. :\ If you can find something that gives you faster speeds, i would love to hear about it so i can try it. i tried ftp server, smb server, webdav server, etc and all seem to max out at about the same speed.
Thanks for your reply!
It really seems the Shield is awesome and powerful to handle multitasking! I'm longing to get my own!
Crappy about the SMB speeds, let's find solutions to that problems
Hm I havent found any real data on the speed between a computer and an Android device when it comes to SMB...
When I transfer between my old gaming laptop from the external usb2.0 HDDs to my Xperia Z3, I get between 700KB/s to 1100KB/s.
The laptop is connected with Ethernet cable to the Netgear CG3799 router and the Z3 is connected with full connection on 802.11N 5Ghz. Altho the laptop is pretty sweaty atm, its converting old DVDs to HEVC and downloading around 15 torrents
Ill compare speeds later when the laptop isnt as busy
What kind of speeds do you peeps get when transfering between Android devices other devices?
Which Samba app are you using?
Hey folks,
I'm trying the same now. Had an Odroid XU4 as file and MySQL Server and try to replace it for an all in one Shield TV Solution.
I'm running a rooted Shield with SambaDroid for the SMB Share which works fine. And KSWEB Server for MySQL and ftp.
Sometimes it seems like the apps are closing in the background, I don't know why, seems to be a android multitadking problem to free up RAM.
But my biggest problem is the transfer speeds. No matter what protocoll (smb/ftp) I'm not getting more then 8 MB/s read out of the box. I tried to read from internal memory, sdcard and my external HDD. All came out with the same speed connected over GBit LAN to my PC.
Write side it much faster with 20 MB/s what I do not really understand but you need root to write to external memory like sdcard or usb.
So far it works, but it is less then optimal compared to my Ordoid XU4 what did 80MB/s but has no HDMI 2.0 output :/
Maybe Android 6.0 brings more speed for the network because It has to be bottlenecked somewhere in the OS, FTP and SMB showing the same speeds.
What's funny is I was actually doing the reverse of what you're doing. I got my Shield as an Android media center device since my Odroid U2 never seemed up to my standards with Kodi. When HardKernel came out with the XU4 I scooped it up and made it my webserver, after seeing an Android TV rom out for it, I flashed it and now Kodi's UI will lag like crazy after about a half hour of usage.
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