Database Users

Fire TV hands on - dismal experience with great potential

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Heavily Customized Fire TV Overview (With Video)

I was lucky enough to purchase a rootable Amazon Fire TV and have customized it to be quite the awesome device, thanks in part to the wonderful XDA community for providing all sorts of hacks. I wanted to show off what this little device can do so here is a video showing my setup, including the hardware I use and all the customizations I've done.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1nf2ffZT3s
HARDWARE
-----------------------------------
First off, I want to discuss hardware. Here is what I have connected to my FTV.
Insignia Powered USB HUB
(http://www.insigniaproducts.com/products/computer-speakers-accessories/NS-PCH5431.html) - Without a powered USB, I wouldn't be able to do much. This one was cheap at Best Buy and is working flawlessly.
Logitech K700 Wireless Keyboard (http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Wireless-Keyboard-Controller-Google/dp/B004VD4F1W) - I bought this several years ago to use with my old HTPC. It works well with the FTV, but not all the buttons function as it was designed for the Google TV. The keyboard itself works great, as does the trackpad and the navigation controls. This does function in CWM to, so I don't need a wired keyboard.
Motorola Bluetooth Mouse - Just a simple BT mouse that works.
Logitech F710 Game Controller (http://gaming.logitech.com/en-us/product/f710-wireless-gamepad) - I've had this for use on my PC games, but it works well for the FTV. More about game controllers below.
Ouya Game Controller (http://shop.ouya.tv/products/ouya-controller) - This works well with the FTV, both as a controller and as a touchpad. More about game controllers below.
MODIFICATIONS
-----------------------------------
I followed many guides on http://www.aftvnews.com/ to modify my FTV and get it to do what I wanted. Here are a few. I won't go into details about them, you can get that on AFTVNews. But I wanted to list what I've done.
Root (http://www.aftvnews.com/how-to-root-the-amazon-fire-tv/)
Custom Boot Menu (http://www.aftvnews.com/how-to-install-a-kernel-boot-menu-on-the-amazon-fire-tv/)
ClockworkMod (http://www.aftvnews.com/recovery/)
Pre-Rooted Stock Update (http://www.aftvnews.com/roms/)
Customized Menu Items (http://www.aftvnews.com/menu-item-remover-mod-updated-with-51-1-4-0-compatibility/)
Mount System and Data to USB Drive (http://www.aftvnews.com/how-to-use-a-usb-drive-as-the-fire-tvs-internal-storage/) - This was a must for me. Once I was able to have virtually unlimited memory, it allowed all the customizations and extras to happen.
APPLICATIONS
-----------------------------------
SPMC [XBMC/KODI] (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.semperpax.spmc&hl=en) - An awesome media player with tons of addons. There is plenty of discussion over this on the XDA forums.
Google Play Store Install (http://www.aftvnews.com/how-to-install-the-google-play-store-on-the-amazon-fire-tv/)
Google Plays All Apps! (http://www.aftvnews.com/how-to-trick-google-play-store-into-allowing-all-apps/) - Make the FTV more compatible with apps on Google Play
OUYA Framework (http://www.reddit.com/r/ouya/comments/2d6byk/turn_any_device_into_an_ouya_tutorial/) - Turn your FTV into an OUYA.... sort of. Once installed, this sort of messes up the home button, taking you to a messed up OUYA system screen instead of the Amazon Launcher. I found a work around to allow the OUYA games to still function, but not mess up the system. Install this alternative OUYA launcher then disable the OUYA Launcher using Titanum Backup. (http://ouyaforum.com/showthread.php?4436-BAXY-Custom-Launcher).
NOVA Launcher (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.teslacoilsw.launcher&hl=en) - My launcher of choice. It works well with the remote.
Wallpaper (http://forum.xda-developers.com/fire-tv/themes-apps/background-t3029985) - The FTV has system wallpaper turned off, making most custom launchers only have a black background. This hack turns it on.
ISSUES
-----------------------------------
Game controllers - The short, not all controllers work with all games. This is a hit or miss area with some buttons not working on certain games. One issue I did find was that having my keyboard connected seems to mess up certain games. For example, Shadowngun. When it's connected, the L2 and R2 buttons do not work on either of my controllers. I do not know if this would be the same with the Amazon Controller. If I unplug it and reboot, the L2 and R2 works. My suggestion, if you have a wireless keyboard, test games without it plugged in first. A BT keyboard might not have this issue though.
OUYA - Having the OUYA framework is wonderful for increasing the available games. It's downfall is that it screws up the home button functionality. A work around is to disable the OUYA Launcher using Titanium Backup, and have the alternative OUYA Launcher (BAXY) installed. This gives games access to the OUYA framework without screwing with the default launcher.
I hope this helps people see the capabilities of the Fire TV and unlocks it for those lucky enough to have a rootable FTV. My future goals are to mess with the game controllers to see if I can figure out why some games work and others don't. I want to get an Amazon controller and see how that works with the OUYA framework. unfortunately they're on backorder at the moment.

Lots of useless junk too. You even point to the fact that a lot of the games you have installed do not work, so why not uninstall them? It just seems like your setup is over doing it. Not tryin to be rude just stating my opinion. The thread is good and I like that you would point people to where they can find tweaks, but the video is horrible.

xm41907 said:
I was lucky enough to purchase a rootable Amazon Fire TV and have customized it to be quite the awesome device, thanks in part to the wonderful XDA community for providing all sorts of hacks. I wanted to show off what this little device can do so here is a video showing my setup, including the hardware I use and all the customizations I've done.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1nf2ffZT3s
HARDWARE
-----------------------------------
First off, I want to discuss hardware. Here is what I have connected to my FTV.
Insignia Powered USB HUB
(http://www.insigniaproducts.com/products/computer-speakers-accessories/NS-PCH5431.html) - Without a powered USB, I wouldn't be able to do much. This one was cheap at Best Buy and is working flawlessly.
Logitech K700 Wireless Keyboard (http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Wireless-Keyboard-Controller-Google/dp/B004VD4F1W) - I bought this several years ago to use with my old HTPC. It works well with the FTV, but not all the buttons function as it was designed for the Google TV. The keyboard itself works great, as does the trackpad and the navigation controls. This does function in CWM to, so I don't need a wired keyboard.
Motorola Bluetooth Mouse - Just a simple BT mouse that works.
Logitech F710 Game Controller (http://gaming.logitech.com/en-us/product/f710-wireless-gamepad) - I've had this for use on my PC games, but it works well for the FTV. More about game controllers below.
Ouya Game Controller (http://shop.ouya.tv/products/ouya-controller) - This works well with the FTV, both as a controller and as a touchpad. More about game controllers below.
MODIFICATIONS
-----------------------------------
I followed many guides on http://www.aftvnews.com/ to modify my FTV and get it to do what I wanted. Here are a few. I won't go into details about them, you can get that on AFTVNews. But I wanted to list what I've done.
Root (http://www.aftvnews.com/how-to-root-the-amazon-fire-tv/)
Custom Boot Menu (http://www.aftvnews.com/how-to-install-a-kernel-boot-menu-on-the-amazon-fire-tv/)
ClockworkMod (http://www.aftvnews.com/recovery/)
Pre-Rooted Stock Update (http://www.aftvnews.com/roms/)
Customized Menu Items (http://www.aftvnews.com/menu-item-remover-mod-updated-with-51-1-4-0-compatibility/)
Mount System and Data to USB Drive (http://www.aftvnews.com/how-to-use-a-usb-drive-as-the-fire-tvs-internal-storage/) - This was a must for me. Once I was able to have virtually unlimited memory, it allowed all the customizations and extras to happen.
APPLICATIONS
-----------------------------------
SPMC [XBMC/KODI] (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.semperpax.spmc&hl=en) - An awesome media player with tons of addons. There is plenty of discussion over this on the XDA forums.
Google Play Store Install (http://www.aftvnews.com/how-to-install-the-google-play-store-on-the-amazon-fire-tv/)
Google Plays All Apps! (http://www.aftvnews.com/how-to-trick-google-play-store-into-allowing-all-apps/) - Make the FTV more compatible with apps on Google Play
OUYA Framework (http://www.reddit.com/r/ouya/comments/2d6byk/turn_any_device_into_an_ouya_tutorial/) - Turn your FTV into an OUYA.... sort of. Once installed, this sort of messes up the home button, taking you to a messed up OUYA system screen instead of the Amazon Launcher. I found a work around to allow the OUYA games to still function, but not mess up the system. Install this alternative OUYA launcher then disable the OUYA Launcher using Titanum Backup. (http://ouyaforum.com/showthread.php?4436-BAXY-Custom-Launcher).
NOVA Launcher (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.teslacoilsw.launcher&hl=en) - My launcher of choice. It works well with the remote.
Wallpaper (http://forum.xda-developers.com/fire-tv/themes-apps/background-t3029985) - The FTV has system wallpaper turned off, making most custom launchers only have a black background. This hack turns it on.
ISSUES
-----------------------------------
Game controllers - The short, not all controllers work with all games. This is a hit or miss area with some buttons not working on certain games. One issue I did find was that having my keyboard connected seems to mess up certain games. For example, Shadowngun. When it's connected, the L2 and R2 buttons do not work on either of my controllers. I do not know if this would be the same with the Amazon Controller. If I unplug it and reboot, the L2 and R2 works. My suggestion, if you have a wireless keyboard, test games without it plugged in first. A BT keyboard might not have this issue though.
OUYA - Having the OUYA framework is wonderful for increasing the available games. It's downfall is that it screws up the home button functionality. A work around is to disable the OUYA Launcher using Titanium Backup, and have the alternative OUYA Launcher (BAXY) installed. This gives games access to the OUYA framework without screwing with the default launcher.
I hope this helps people see the capabilities of the Fire TV and unlocks it for those lucky enough to have a rootable FTV. My future goals are to mess with the game controllers to see if I can figure out why some games work and others don't. I want to get an Amazon controller and see how that works with the OUYA framework. unfortunately they're on backorder at the moment.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I really liked it and I envy that screen! It looks pretty clear even from the camera.
Just 2 random things I noticed...I used nova launcher with xposed but probably wouldn't have reverted back if I got it looking the way you did. I played around with it on my phone awhile until I tried Google now with a few exposed tweaks. But I'm always on the lookout for a good launcher. Lots of people using nova but haven't found many good tutorials.
The other was fast reboot. I had this installed but the one persistent bug I have dealing with cec wasn't fixed by fast reboot. It needed an actual reboot. Then I read that those types of apps aren't always good for android. They included other "memory boosting" type apps as well. It didn't scare me but since it didn't help much I just uninstalled it. Then again, at the time I wasn't using a launcher so getting to the app was too tedious to make it worthwhile. Do you have any thoughts on that? Heard it might not be good for the device?
I enjoyed the video. Very impressive setup! Thanks for sharing!

porkenhimer said:
Lots of useless junk too. You even point to the fact that a lot of the games you have installed do not work, so why not uninstall them? It just seems like your setup is over doing it. Not tryin to be rude just stating my opinion. The thread is good and I like that you would point people to where they can find tweaks, but the video is horrible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is because many of them I have not tested out yet to see which work well and which do not. Sort of a mass install of games over the last two weeks and I've not had the time to sort through them all. Many will be uninstalled I'm sure, but frankly, that doesn't concern me at this point. They don't take up resources beyond hard drive space and I have 320 gigs worth. I've not even touched 10% of available space yet. The point of the video is to show what the FTV is capable of, not to show a well polished and final system.
The video isn't great because I'm on a projector, lighting is difficult. Too much light and the screen is washed out. Too little and the camera sensor suffers.

KLit75 said:
Well I really liked it and I envy that screen! It looks pretty clear even from the camera.
Just 2 random things I noticed...I used nova launcher with xposed but probably wouldn't have reverted back if I got it looking the way you did. I played around with it on my phone awhile until I tried Google now with a few exposed tweaks. But I'm always on the lookout for a good launcher. Lots of people using nova but haven't found many good tutorials.
The other was fast reboot. I had this installed but the one persistent bug I have dealing with cec wasn't fixed by fast reboot. It needed an actual reboot. Then I read that those types of apps aren't always good for android. They included other "memory boosting" type apps as well. It didn't scare me but since it didn't help much I just uninstalled it. Then again, at the time I wasn't using a launcher so getting to the app was too tedious to make it worthwhile. Do you have any thoughts on that? Heard it might not be good for the device?
I enjoyed the video. Very impressive setup! Thanks for sharing!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the support. I've been using both NOVA Launcher and Fast Reboot for about three years now and on multiple devices. I like how simple NOVA can be, yet is very customizable. Having it work well with the FTV remote was a big reason I went with it though. A more graphically pleasing look would be nice, but this does what I want it to do. I've read up a lot on the various memory clearing apps. Fast Reboot is simple and doesn't muck around in the weeds. I've been nothing short of happy with using it for several years now. It doesn't fall into the "memory boosting" apps, that try to tweak the system. Simply a quick way to clear memory cache.

xm41907 said:
That is because many of them I have not tested out yet to see which work well and which do not. Sort of a mass install of games over the last two weeks and I've not had the time to sort through them all. Many will be uninstalled I'm sure, but frankly, that doesn't concern me at this point. They don't take up resources beyond hard drive space and I have 320 gigs worth. I've not even touched 10% of available space yet. The point of the video is to show what the FTV is capable of, not to show a well polished and final system.
The video isn't great because I'm on a projector, lighting is difficult. Too much light and the screen is washed out. Too little and the camera sensor suffers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was not talking about the quality of the video, I meant that the video in general was horrible. The video capures what a lot of people do wrong when they post video of their devices. For one, you have too much going on in the video. If you wanna show us your setup, fine, but why do you have to show us every gadget you have? I for one think people that post videos about their device and for no reason show us 20 other devices are laughable. It takes away from what you are supposed to be showing us. Plus you have a lot of apps that you make no mention of. Like when you open up your utilities folder, you show the folder and do not say the names of any apps inside or what you have them installled for. I am not trying to say you did a bad job, cause like I said, the thread is nice, maybe you could go through your apps and tell us what they are and why you have them. You opened some games and showed off your launchers, but you should have gave us some more info on what your installed apps are. I will use the utilities folder as an example again, I like utility apps so I am sure others do too, but you have an awful lot of utility apps to not give us a simple rundown of what some of them are. Its different if you have a folder full of games that we can identify by looking at the icon, but when you have a folder full of apps that we cannot recognise then you should give us some input. Also, not everyone uses their Fire TV to play games or play with XBMC, so maybe you could show us something else besides launchers, SPMC and gaming. You have the important stuff listed on this thread, which is awesome, so you probably could have just made a video sayin to visit your thread for all info on the mods you have installed, maybe even showed them off a little, then got to the other less graphical non cool type of apps you have installed. Like I said its just an opinion, but the video really did seem like it was for show and nothing technical. Maybe you can make a part two and show us some of the other apps you have, and tell us what they do. People are into discovering new apps so maybe you can help someone discover something new besides something media or graphic driven. The video kinda reminds me of the unboxing videos where someone spends more time focusing on the cool accesories they have rather than the device itself.

porkenhimer said:
For one, you have too much going on in the video. If you wanna show us your setup, fine, but why do you have to show us every gadget you have? I for one think people that post videos about their device and for no reason show us 20 other devices are laughable. It takes away from what you are supposed to be showing us. Plus you have a lot of apps that you make no mention of. Like when you open up your utilities folder, you show the folder and do not say the names of any apps inside or what you have them installled for
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I humbly disagree with your take on my video. My intention was to show you what modifications I have done with my system and I did just that. The specific devices I have are key to these modifications. I will give you that showing both a bluetooth mouse and a wireless keyboard/trackpad are slightly redundant, but if you're going to nitpick something like that, then just move on. I did not show every installed app, because again, it was to show you what modifications I have done, not to show you recommended apps I have installed. I believe you have completely missed the spirit of my post.
porkenhimer said:
You opened some games and showed off your launchers, but you should have gave us some more info on what your installed apps are. I will use the utilities folder as an example again, I like utility apps so I am sure others do too, but you have an awful lot of utility apps to not give us a simple rundown of what some of them are.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The vast majority of apps in my Utility folder are stock apps on the FTV that I put into the folder because I have no need for them. Such as the Game Circle, Superuser, etc. If you want a video of me explaining what apps I have, I can do that, but that does not fall in the spirit of my post. The apps I mentioned were the key apps necessary for my mods. Others are insignificant to the modifications.
porkenhimer said:
not everyone uses their Fire TV to play games or play with XBMC, so maybe you could show us something else besides launchers, SPMC and gaming.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Again, I did not post this for people to copy my setup, but to show functionality of mods.
porkenhimer said:
but the video really did seem like it was for show and nothing technical.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct. If I were making a tutorial video on how to accomplish these mods, then it would have been a totally different type of video. It was simply to show some of the mods that can be used on the FTV with a little bit of personal experience using them.
porkenhimer said:
Maybe you can make a part two and show us some of the other apps you have, and tell us what they do. People are into discovering new apps so maybe you can help someone discover something new besides something media or graphic driven. The video kinda reminds me of the unboxing videos where someone spends more time focusing on the cool accesories they have rather than the device itself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did spend a fair amount of time today weeding through the apps I have installed and maybe I will do an app video to accompany my setup. In a sense, you are right that this video is more of a unboxing video. My intention was to provide a glimpse into the modifications available for the FTV. A "modifications of" type of of unboxing video. I provided the links to many of the various modifications so that if someone wanted to achieve a function that I have, they would have the means to follow the tutorials that I followed.

Your setup is soooooo decent...thanks for the share!
Do I install Titanium and kill the AFTV launcher to use Nova as my main launcher? how do you go from Nova to Aftv back to Nova so easy? Now that i can do backgrounds I'll certainly like to use Nova instead of another custom one i'm using

nickyb003 said:
Your setup is soooooo decent...thanks for the share!
Do I install Titanium and kill the AFTV launcher to use Nova as my main launcher? how do you go from Nova to Aftv back to Nova so easy? Now that i can do backgrounds I'll certainly like to use Nova instead of another custom one i'm using
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly, it's been a little while so I don't recall exactly how I got it functioning. I was toying around with lots of things and stumbled upon getting it working. Here's what I believe got it to work right. There isn't a function to set NOVA as the default launcher like on most android devices. Instead, you have to do some fiddling. Here is basically what I did.
Installed FiredTV Launcher - I used this for awhile before using the Llama app
Installed Nova Launcher - Froze KFTV Launcher using TB. This worked but I lost Amazon movies
Froze FiredTV Launcher and unfroze KFTV. This seemed to do the trick. I also have the Ouya framework installed, but with the Ouya launcher frozen or else it takes over.

Thanks for the video. I had given up on FiredTV and never got any launcher working right but you showed it could be done, so I went looking and found my answer.
Through the Xposed framework, I loaded a module which intercepts the "home" key and lets you define a launcher. I still use the fire tv stock launcher when absolutely required, but I launch it from within nova and when I press Home, I'm back to Nova.
I wanted to ask you about the USB drive. I had a flash drive and used the hack to mount data (or whatever it was) to the flash drive. Everything was SLOW -- unbearably so. I have a USB hard drive coming, so wanted to ask if you find the speed acceptable with the hard drive. I believe some of the tweaks from tvaddons.ag for xbmc were actually part of the problem. I ended up just starting over at one point.

ractar28 said:
Thanks for the video. I had given up on FiredTV and never got any launcher working right but you showed it could be done, so I went looking and found my answer.
Through the Xposed framework, I loaded a module which intercepts the "home" key and lets you define a launcher. I still use the fire tv stock launcher when absolutely required, but I launch it from within nova and when I press Home, I'm back to Nova.
I wanted to ask you about the USB drive. I had a flash drive and used the hack to mount data (or whatever it was) to the flash drive. Everything was SLOW -- unbearably so. I have a USB hard drive coming, so wanted to ask if you find the speed acceptable with the hard drive. I believe some of the tweaks from tvaddons.ag for xbmc were actually part of the problem. I ended up just starting over at one point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're welcome! That is why I wanted to post a video and provide links. Are you refering to Rbox's Xposed module? I installed that too, but completely forgot about having it.
As for the flash drive, I tried one at first, it was horribly slow. Many others have had similar experiences. It's reference in one of the guides I posted. After switching to my external hard drive, it was just about as fast as stock. I was actually surprised, because my drive is a WD Passport, no external power supply. I simply used a powered hub and it works great. I would like an SSD, but not going to spend the money on one now.
The tweaks from tvaddons would only affect XBMC. They shouldn't have any affect on the FTV itself.

Yes, the addons only impacted kodi, BUT, kodi was the app I used the most at the time. I know kodi has a pretty small footprint for an android app, so for it to become painstakingly slow, pretty much ruined my fire tv experience. Of course, I was also using gotham "customizations" on kodi, which was also possibly a contributing factor.
Is a powered hub required for an external hard drive? I had purchased one powered hub and tried it with fire tv and it could no longer see my flash drive through the powered hub. With a powered hub, can the fire tv (via stickmount) see multiple storage devices?

ractar28 said:
Yes, the addons only impacted kodi, BUT, kodi was the app I used the most at the time. I know kodi has a pretty small footprint for an android app, so for it to become painstakingly slow, pretty much ruined my fire tv experience. Of course, I was also using gotham "customizations" on kodi, which was also possibly a contributing factor.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I still doubt it was anything with kodi. FLash drives are known to be very slow for this.
ractar28 said:
Is a powered hub required for an external hard drive? I had purchased one powered hub and tried it with fire tv and it could no longer see my flash drive through the powered hub. With a powered hub, can the fire tv (via stickmount) see multiple storage devices?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I first tried using it without a hub and the FTV didn't even register it was connected. Once I got a powered hub, all was well with the world. I just picked one up at Best Buy.

xm41907 said:
I was lucky enough to purchase a rootable Amazon Fire TV and have customized it to be quite the awesome device, thanks in part to the wonderful XDA community for providing all sorts of hacks. I wanted to show off what this little device can do so here is a video showing my setup, including the hardware I use and all the customizations I've done.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1nf2ffZT3s
I hope this helps people see the capabilities of the Fire TV and unlocks it for those lucky enough to have a rootable FTV. My future goals are to mess with the game controllers to see if I can figure out why some games work and others don't. I want to get an Amazon controller and see how that works with the OUYA framework. unfortunately they're on backorder at the moment.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
im glad to see two of the modifications that i posted to good use. The Ouya Framework that i pulled from my madcatz mojo and freezing kftv launcher using titaniumbackup. the way that i got ouya to boot was i used autopilot to launch it at startup and when i need to exit i would simply hit the home button.

mejdam said:
im glad to see two of the modifications that i posted to good use. The Ouya Framework that i pulled from my madcatz mojo and freezing kftv launcher using titaniumbackup. the way that i got ouya to boot was i used autopilot to launch it at startup and when i need to exit i would simply hit the home button.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you looked into the BAXY launcher for OUYA? Withe the normal OUYA launcher, it was hijacking my home button. I couldn't play the OUYA games unless it was active, but freezing it and running BAXY worked.

xm41907 said:
Have you looked into the BAXY launcher for OUYA? Withe the normal OUYA launcher, it was hijacking my home button. I couldn't play the OUYA games unless it was active, but freezing it and running BAXY worked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have not used baxy, matter of fact i only own one fire tv left, i mostly changed to nexus player and im slowing getting rid of all my legacy boxes and making room for the razer forge tv.
i loaded the tv launcher so once autopilot booted into the ouya launcher i would install all the ouya apps and just go back to the tv launcher and launch the apps from that screen instead. im not really a gamer so all this was more for a proof of concept.
BTW, have you seen my thread of configuring IPTV on your fire tv? if not i would really look into it.

mejdam said:
i loaded the tv launcher so once autopilot booted into the ouya launcher i would install all the ouya apps and just go back to the tv launcher and launch the apps from that screen instead. im not really a gamer so all this was more for a prove of concept.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That works too, but the OUYA framework would still hijack my home button at times, no matter what launcher I was using. Perhaps I might be able to keep that from happening with autopilot. I've just not taken the time to bother with OUYA stuff much once, games are installed, I haven't needed to go into the OUYA menus.
mejdam said:
BTW, have you seen my thread of configuring IPTV on your fire tv? if not i would really look into it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I played with it and have it working some. I have been really busy with a different project, until last Saturday. Now I've got some free time to fiddle more. I have some controller things I'm going to fiddle with first.

Awesome customization.. but wud be great if you could post some instructions to newbs like me on how to setup the NovaLauncher/Live Wallpaper and the external
HD for storage. I know it's a long list but hoping you could put some instructions down. (Or) @aftVNEWS if you happen to look at this post please try to put something if you can.
Cheers !

ncube2 said:
Awesome customization.. but wud be great if you could post some instructions to newbs like me on how to setup the NovaLauncher/Live Wallpaper and the external
HD for storage. I know it's a long list but hoping you could put some instructions down. (Or) @aftVNEWS if you happen to look at this post please try to put something if you can.
Cheers !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. Did you not see all the links I posted below the video? They're there. Well, minus the Nova Launcher setup, but look at post #9.

Nice video, thanks for the info, checking out setting up the live wallpapers & nova launcher.
I have an Amazon Game Controller for the AFTV and I don't have a problem with compatibility with any games like I did using my Xbox 360 controller & a PS3 controller i have. Glad I picked one up.
Shadowgun HD 2.5 is what I have and it works great with the AGC. You can program which keys are what and it works with the shoulder buttons (tops ones, didn't try the bottom ones).
I do want to point out that the 2 shoulder bottom buttons don't work with many games unless they are program to use an analog steer & analog break (or at least something like that, forget what the games that see them call it).
And as for loading up a ton of games to check out later, I'm down. I've done the same thing. Most are crap or the ones the would be fun just don't work, but you know, it's the journey, right?

[Q] - Best setup for NP using KODI??

I am setting up a media streaming device for someone who isn't tech savvy but wants to use NP for movies/tv/Netflix.. What are the best basic settings/config for using NP with Kodi and Netflix? They may or may not use external usb or mouse/keyboard.
5.1.1? Android M preview 3?
Rooted?
TWRP?
Custom Rom? CM12 / other??
**UPDATE**
Here is what I did which seems to work great:
- Unlocked Bootloader
- Flashed TWRP
- Flashed 6.0 firmware (fugu) from Google's site
- Kodi installed from google play.
- Used “http://fusion.tvaddons.ag” addon to help with installing/updating streams. Selected "hubwizard" and "addoninstaller" under "start-here" directory to get basic addons/content/features working.
- Saw an issue with constant buffering. Used: Programs > Maintenance Tool > System Tweaks > Zero Cache (Yes when menu popped up). This expands the space where the download is stored, allowing a longer buffer than default. So you can pause a slow loading tv show/movie and let it load so you dont have viewing issues.
- Enabled Autoplay option on Genesis settings which is easier than searching thru the links provided.
- Added the xml file shown here so that I could use the Play/Pause button as a "right-click" option when content isn't playing.
Let me know if there is anything else I can change to make things run smoother. Otherwise, I'm pretty happy with the set up.

didn't see any response so I kept digging and came up with this...
- Using stock 5.1.1 from the standard update. Waiting until M preview is in a more final state.
- Kodi installed from google play.
- Installed “http://fusion.tvaddons.ag” addon to help with installing/updating streams. Help link here.
- Installed Genesis and Phoenix right away for basic content.
- Saw an issue with constant buffering. Used the TV Addon program to "Clear Cache" and enabled "Zero Cache". This expands the space where the download is stored, allowing a longer buffer than default. So you can pause a slow loading tv show/movie and let it load so you dont have viewing issues.
This seemed to get content streaming pretty good, but I could use any additional tips to make it better.

mmgill said:
didn't see any response so I kept digging and came up with this...
- Using stock 5.1.1 from the standard update. Waiting until M preview is in a more final state.
- Kodi installed from google play.
- Installed “http://fusion.tvaddons.ag” addon to help with installing/updating streams. Help link here.
- Installed Genesis and Phoenix right away for basic content.
- Saw an issue with constant buffering. Used the TV Addon program to "Clear Cache" and enabled "Zero Cache". This expands the space where the download is stored, allowing a longer buffer than default. So you can pause a slow loading tv show/movie and let it load so you dont have viewing issues.
This seemed to get content streaming pretty good, but I could use any additional tips to make it better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm currently searching for some options as well. I will let you know what I find.
Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

I used TVAddons for a long time, on Ouya, an HTPC, and the Nexus Player. But I have recently been using The Beast by Chris B http://chrisbkodi.uk
I installed on my NP with this method: Install Kodi from the Play Store. Go to System>File Manager>Add Source type http://spartanpixel.net/repo click OK
Go to System>Addons>Install From Zip , select repo as the source, then select the zip and click OK. Wait about 10-15 seconds, you should see a message that the wizard has been installed.
Go to Programs, and select the config wizard. You should see the option of installing two different builds: The Beast or Spartan. I have tried both, I don't know what the major differences are other than the skin for Spartan is pretty cool. It's going to take a few minutes to install, so don't worry if it's slow and you will see another install progress bar after the first one finishes. After the entire process is done, you will get a message saying that installation is complete. So click OK, now THIS part is VERY important: The next message will say that you need to force shutdown Kodi, DO NOT click the button saying to go ahead and shut down. You will need to actually pull the power cord out from the back of the Nexus Player, and then plug it back in. Wait for it to boot up, go to Kodi and you should now see The Beast splash video. Everything will be configured for you, but you may want to go in and disable the adult stuff if you dont want it, and get rid of anything else that you dont want. I find some of the IPTV stuff is a little difficult to work with so I dont use much of it.
The only other thing I have done is go into Video settings, and set it to sync to my display refresh rate. You will also want to use ES File Explorer to upload a keymapping xml for the remote. https://www.dropbox.com/s/c1r944j93oj8sq6/nexus_remote.xml?dl=0

mmgill said:
didn't see any response so I kept digging and came up with this...
- Using stock 5.1.1 from the standard update. Waiting until M preview is in a more final state.
- Kodi installed from google play.
- Installed “http://fusion.tvaddons.ag” addon to help with installing/updating streams. Help link here.
- Installed Genesis and Phoenix right away for basic content.
- Saw an issue with constant buffering. Used the TV Addon program to "Clear Cache" and enabled "Zero Cache". This expands the space where the download is stored, allowing a longer buffer than default. So you can pause a slow loading tv show/movie and let it load so you dont have viewing issues.
This seemed to get content streaming pretty good, but I could use any additional tips to make it better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Guys, I follows this and went with the xbmc repo, a lot of the channels are dead.
How do I install Genesis?
Also, how do I undo what I did? Uninstall fusion and start from scratch. I'd like to try some other builds above.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

mmgill said:
I am setting up a media streaming device for someone who isn't tech savvy but wants to use NP for movies/tv/Netflix.. What are the best basic settings/config for using NP with Kodi and Netflix? They may or may not use external usb or mouse/keyboard.
5.1.1? Android M preview 3?
Rooted?
TWRP?
Custom Rom? CM12 / other??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mmgill said:
didn't see any response so I kept digging and came up with this...
- Using stock 5.1.1 from the standard update. Waiting until M preview is in a more final state.
- Kodi installed from google play.
- Installed “http://fusion.tvaddons.ag” addon to help with installing/updating streams. Help link here.
- Installed Genesis and Phoenix right away for basic content.
- Saw an issue with constant buffering. Used the TV Addon program to "Clear Cache" and enabled "Zero Cache". This expands the space where the download is stored, allowing a longer buffer than default. So you can pause a slow loading tv show/movie and let it load so you dont have viewing issues.
This seemed to get content streaming pretty good, but I could use any additional tips to make it better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
cadillax02 said:
I'm currently searching for some options as well. I will let you know what I find.
Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wendellc said:
Guys, I follows this and went with the xbmc repo, a lot of the channels are dead.
How do I install Genesis?
Also, how do I undo what I did? Uninstall fusion and start from scratch. I'd like to try some other builds above.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go to your Programs section in Kodi, there is a Fresh Start option that the fusion installer should have added. Run that and it should put you back to vanilla Kodi.
If you are able to side load, and you want the TV Addons build, maybe try side loading TVMC you should be able to put the APK on a thumb drive and access via ES File Explorer, be sure to enable Unknown Sources in Android.
One combo that worked well for me was side loading SPMC and then running the fusion installer.

wendellc said:
How do I install Genesis?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Follow the instructions above for Fusion.
Select Lambda repo zip for Genesis
Select XBMChub zip for TVAddons (Phoenix)

Setting up the pirate side of Kodi for somebody else with no knowledge of the world you are getting them into is a bad deal for you. These pirate addons are not for the uninitiated. They are unreliable at best. Make sure you are willing to be their continual tech support. In the past 45 days or so everything mentioned in the thread have undergone some catastrophic failure or complete relaunch. Make sure you teach your friend how this stuff works so there are no unrealistic expectations of availability or reliability.

pawdog said:
Setting up the pirate side of Kodi for somebody else with no knowledge of the world you are getting them into is a bad deal for you. These pirate addons are not for the uninitiated. They are unreliable at best. Make sure you are willing to be their continual tech support. In the past 45 days or so everything mentioned in the thread have undergone some catastrophic failure or complete relaunch. Make sure you teach your friend how this stuff works so there are no unrealistic expectations of availability or reliability.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe with the Live TV feeds they are. But Genesis is fairly rock solid. I can do without the others (for the most part).
Loaded THE BEAST.
I really like the interface (large fonts; cool backdrop images) for KODI.
I just had to turn off every other section but the main MOVIES/SPORTS/LIVE TV sections though because it's so laden with adult content links.
I wish it would come more like stock (without all the adult) and a wizard to add on the adult stuff if people desire.
Otherwise, it has been stable.
The LIVE TV links are still very hit and miss with THE BEAST.

S4F4M said:
Maybe with the Live TV feeds they are. But Genesis is fairly rock solid. I can do without the others (for the most part).
Loaded THE BEAST.
I really like the interface (large fonts; cool backdrop images) for KODI.
I just had to turn off every other section but the main MOVIES/SPORTS/LIVE TV sections though because it's so laden with adult content links.
I wish it would come more like stock (without all the adult) and a wizard to add on the adult stuff if people desire.
Otherwise, it has been stable.
The LIVE TV links are still very hit and miss with THE BEAST.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
still debating on rooting the nexus player, I downloaded the kodi app, and installed kodimaster? (not sure of exact repo) but I did read about the the beast repo being pretty solid as well. I think for the most part I'm happy with the nexus player at $24.98 and the kodi app does pretty much everything I need it to do with movies & shows. I still have more to learn with live tv, nfl network, and what else itll provide

osugsxr said:
still debating on rooting the nexus player, I downloaded the kodi app, and installed kodimaster? (not sure of exact repo) but I did read about the the beast repo being pretty solid as well. I think for the most part I'm happy with the nexus player at $24.98 and the kodi app does pretty much everything I need it to do with movies & shows. I still have more to learn with live tv, nfl network, and what else itll provide
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rooting is a toss-up.
If you want to keep 5.0, then you need to root.
If you want Marshmallow, then do not root right now.
Root and flashing to older images (if needed for whatever reason) is pretty straight-forward.
Tons of guides on the internet/Youtube.
Live TV is hit or miss.
With movies and shows on Genesis, play is fine unless I pick a bad stream. Then, the data feed is too slow to keep up and the show/movie pauses/buffers.
Last night, though, I wanted to check the score of the game, so I loaded ESPN from cCloudTV. It was buffering every 5 seconds. Basically unwatchable.
Not sure if it was due to the stream (# of people streaming = low data feed) and/or my connection speed (20 mbps). But live TV does not really "buffer" like movies/shows as it is not a DVR, so when it buffers, the live action wants to catch up, so you get skips/stutters, etc.
Likewise, I do not know if I'm missing addons or the streams are not reliable, but channel surfing is not really reliable. I get error messages that I need to check the log.

I got Kodi setup with all the 'free' stuff = thanks to this thread.
I am trying to add my own local content, but when I go to add the SMB share, I can see all the computers on my network, I can select my home server (windows 8.1), but after I select it, I get an error and I cannot connect to the share.
My windows based Kodi setup finds my server just fine and I can add the seperate shares with no issues. Anyone else experience this issue on the NP?

i definitely need to do the play/pause right click mod

I was able to setup a SQL server and one HTPC a firetv and my new nexus player are able to connect. no issues.

I gave up on garbage Kodi, everyone tells me how great it is well, if you mean about 30 minutes searching through dozens and dozens of stupid streams to get one that will actually play and not buffer, then yeah works great. I was told, use autoplay then you won't have that issue, well, I turned on autoplay and stupid POS still didn't work, either the video wouldn't play/buffer/stutter, or it just wouldn't load any streams at all. Also kept getting cache was full errors constantly so I gave up and went back to simple easier torrents.

S4F4M said:
Maybe with the Live TV feeds they are. But Genesis is fairly rock solid. I can do without the others (for the most part).
Loaded THE BEAST.
I really like the interface (large fonts; cool backdrop images) for KODI.
I just had to turn off every other section but the main MOVIES/SPORTS/LIVE TV sections though because it's so laden with adult content links.
I wish it would come more like stock (without all the adult) and a wizard to add on the adult stuff if people desire.
Otherwise, it has been stable.
The LIVE TV links are still very hit and miss with THE BEAST.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Start out with a fresh copy of Kodi 15.2 then add all the sources for repos(srp.nu, tvaddons.ag, etc.). Then install all the repos. And Then install all the add-ons from the repos you just installed. Then load elmerohueso' s repo from fusion so you can use his helix ++ skin (it allows you to use "any" 7 icons under "any" of the main screen sections (pictures,videos,music,..etc). This way you have access to all the addons add-ons you want without any of the stuff you don't.
S4F4M said:
Rooting is a toss-up.
If you want to keep 5.0, then you need to root.
If you want Marshmallow, then do not root right now.
Root and flashing to older images (if needed for whatever reason) is pretty straight-forward.
Tons of guides on the internet/Youtube.
Live TV is hit or miss.
With movies and shows on Genesis, play is fine unless I pick a bad stream. Then, the data feed is too slow to keep up and the show/movie pauses/buffers.
Last night, though, I wanted to check the score of the game, so I loaded ESPN from cCloudTV. It was buffering every 5 seconds. Basically unwatchable.
Not sure if it was due to the stream (# of people streaming = low data feed) and/or my connection speed (20 mbps). But live TV does not really "buffer" like movies/shows as it is not a DVR, so when it buffers, the live action wants to catch up, so you get skips/stutters, etc.
Likewise, I do not know if I'm missing addons or the streams are not reliable, but channel surfing is not really reliable. I get error messages that I need to check the log.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alternatives to ccloud: You need to install dextertv(plays live tv really well even on 3mbs time warner connection but you need to sign in with a valid email- I just use a temp email generator easily found on google search), and UFO stalker clone(youtube kraz inabox) or i4ATV which are both stalker clones and play over 800 channels really well without buffering. Google search, DexterTV, Kraz inabox, newtechevotution, Joenobody010101, husham memar, soloman for awesome turorials on the latest greatest add-ons
Shftup said:
I got Kodi setup with all the 'free' stuff = thanks to this thread.
I am trying to add my own local content, but when I go to add the SMB share, I can see all the computers on my network, I can select my home server (windows 8.1), but after I select it, I get an error and I cannot connect to the share.
My windows based Kodi setup finds my server just fine and I can add the seperate shares with no issues. Anyone else experience this issue on the NP?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Get a micro usb to regular usb hub and insert a zip drive with the content you want and then transfer it from the zip drive to kodi by using file explorer you can download from the play store. With the hub you can also install a keyboard/track pad combo like the logitect k400 keyboard (ususally on sale for 19.99) and its makes using/navigating kodi or the nexus player much easier.
ninerpride said:
I gave up on garbage Kodi, everyone tells me how great it is well, if you mean about 30 minutes searching through dozens and dozens of stupid streams to get one that will actually play and not buffer, then yeah works great. I was told, use autoplay then you won't have that issue, well, I turned on autoplay and stupid POS still didn't work, either the video wouldn't play/buffer/stutter, or it just wouldn't load any streams at all. Also kept getting cache was full errors constantly so I gave up and went back to simple easier torrents.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I disagree about kodi being garbage. It's awesome software. If you were Genesis...make sure to clear cache and sources from within genesis tools section. Autoplay does work but you need to configure the streams you prefer from the information section of genesis. Also make sure you're on version 5.1.4. Some of rhe other great add-ons: phoenix, primewire/one channel, SALTS, projectfreetv, navix, movie night, movied hd, ...etc. With a decent connection all of these addons feature great content and have search functiions to find whatever you're looking for. STAY away from torrents. They provide way less anonymity than you might think...

ninerpride said:
I gave up on garbage Kodi, everyone tells me how great it is well, if you mean about 30 minutes searching through dozens and dozens of stupid streams to get one that will actually play and not buffer, then yeah works great. I was told, use autoplay then you won't have that issue, well, I turned on autoplay and stupid POS still didn't work, either the video wouldn't play/buffer/stutter, or it just wouldn't load any streams at all. Also kept getting cache was full errors constantly so I gave up and went back to simple easier torrents.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't despair. I've some good news for you. Unlike cable companies, which you are obliged to subscribe to if you live in a certain area (Laissez-faire at its best), no one has to use the POS called Kodi. And no one will do bad things to you if you don't. You always have the choice of forking out a hundred bucks or more a month for the rubbish that would stream flawlessly on your tv (Freedom at its best - where you consistently get 15 minutes of consumerism-driven "information" out of a 25-minute program) if you can't stand the minimal work one has to put in for the stuff you get for free and whose content you totally control.
I'm sure the people who designed the POS (your opinion) did the best they could, and do not get justly compensated for it. What you said don't sound really appreciative of it to me.

Maybe can help
I using this ROM pure nexus 6.0 from dhacker29 http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-player/development/rom-pure-nexus-t3260232
As well after all done, download kodi from the play store and them follow this threat http://www.geek.com.do/mejores-fuentes-repositorios-kodi-xbmc/ ah sorry its is Spanish, use Google translate

I just did the whole Kodi install thing with the repos that the kids are selling these days on Ebay for like $80+ installed on a Amazon Firestick. Pretty funny that they are making money off of doing that. I only found out about that from my friend who actually paid $$ for one of those and decided to research it and attempted to do it on my NPlayer.
I agree with @ninerpride somewhat. While I don't think it's Kodi that is "garbage", its more the streams fault. It DOES get annoying attempting to go down the list to try and find a stream that actually plays. @graphdarnell, I concur with you, my Time Warner cable bill is over $100 USD and I get nothing for it. I'm always looking for ways to cut the cord and get out of this because the bill just keeps going up every year.
I heard that Genesis, etc is no longer being supported because the DEV found out about the "hacker kids" selling his work on Ebay pre-loaded onto those Amazon Firesticks. Anyone hear the same? Someone suggested to instead install "SALTS" but while it's much better, it's still annoying trying to find a stream that works.

Using the BEAST build installed from AresWizard.cok.uk/zip and it's been great so far. Phoenix based and most of the content is decent. Live TV is pretty good. Best I've used for KODI so far

How to Get Xfinity TV (X1 app not TV to GO) to not close back to home screen

has anyone figured out why the Xfinity TV app closes or how to fix this I have the newest version installed on my nvidia shield and the app closes after about 10 minutes of watching a live or on demand show and goes back to the Home screen? On my fire stick the app doesn't close but I get other playback error on live channels. The TV to Go app works 100% on my correctly it never closes but it lacks a channel guide and DVR abilities so I would rather use the X1 TV app instead. any suggestions on how to get the app to stop closing back to the home screen?

I can't even get it to authorize my device. I put in my info and it just gives me a retry error.

davidreyes13 said:
I can't even get it to authorize my device. I put in my info and it just gives me a retry error.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it did that for me too at first I had to call Comcast and tell them I to activate my account to use the X1 TV app they did something on their end and I was able to login and add my device to the system. . I wasn't able to use the app on any device though so that may have been something different

jlennonfan said:
has anyone figured out why the Xfinity TV app closes or how to fix this I have the newest version installed on my nvidia shield and the app closes after about 10 minutes of watching a live or on demand show and goes back to the Home screen? On my fire stick the app doesn't close but I get other playback error on live channels. The TV to Go app works 100% on my correctly it never closes but it lacks a channel guide and DVR abilities so I would rather use the X1 TV app instead. any suggestions on how to get the app to stop closing back to the home screen?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same issue, want to get it working on the Shield. any fixes?

Have you tried this modded apk? It's been floating around and hasn't given me any issues. It even opens right to the live tv channel selection. I also created a banner so it shows up in the Android TV leanback launcher.
http://www.filedropper.com/xfinitytvgopackage

disregard, i just realized your post said not TV GO...

The reason xfinity tv app was closing was due to the blue tooth keyboard turning off after not being used got a WiFi one solved the problem or now just using the game pad right control stick. New issue is the newest version won't play content I have to use the old version of the app. Anyone have any ideas?

BUMP, we really need to figure this out! I was really enjoying the TV GO app working on Shield, now that it is retired we really need to focus on getting the replacement Xfinity TV app working!

Yes, mine does the same and won't work. Now it looks like it is dead and they have stopped the server. I have tried all different solutions. Is there a modded apk or a fix yet? I used to use the Xfinity TV Go and now it won't work. Xfinity TV won't even open.

I can confirm that the Xfinity GO app no longer works on the Shield TV and that the current Xfinity TV app crashes/closes after launch. My guess is that the app checks the type of device that the app is installed on and if it detects that it's an Android TV OS it automatically closes. I wonder if there's a way to modify the APK to either trick the device into thinking it is running on stock Android or remove the check altogether?

Homestar9 said:
I can confirm that the Xfinity GO app no longer works on the Shield TV and that the current Xfinity TV app crashes/closes after launch. My guess is that the app checks the type of device that the app is installed on and if it detects that it's an Android TV OS it automatically closes. I wonder if there's a way to modify the APK to either trick the device into thinking it is running on stock Android or remove the check altogether?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I rooted one of my shields so it is running full android OS 6.0 and in about devices it declares it's self as a Tablet thinking the same line of thought you are presenting. No dice. Downloaded the Tvgo app and it did just about the same thing. The app loaded and I got all excited then I selected some content I had recorded and live tv and both times it came up with something to the effect that your carrier does not support releasing DRM content to this device crap.. Ultimately they want you to rent one of their POS boxes. The silly thing is if that is what they are so worried about, losing that revenue stream, then why allow anything but their devices to run their content? Can still run on laptop or pc no problem. Apparently they are not aware of casting? It's all the same big corporation trying to hold onto market share by force instead of placing that energy into developing things people want along with the evolving tech. They will have to evolve or go the way of Block Buster video. LOL.

Hi Guys,
Been looking at this for a while. I have a Nexbox A95x Aml based Android box. The latest version of the Xfinity TV App (3.10.0.016) refuses to work . But... I have managed to find a earlier version that does. I can only presume after this version (3.2.1.028) they added the DRM type check , to check for either root or a "non approved" device.
I have tested this quite a bit and it does live TV and also you can even download (the holy grail lol) and watch shows offline. To do this,the app MUST be left on internal storage and not moved to the SD card.
The bad news is that at some point I bet Xfinity will force a update ie make this older version non working. But hopefully , someone here will be able to turn that off.
Dont forget to go to the Google apps store and disable Auto updates on this app ,otherwise your device wil just Auto install the newer version.
Hopefully , someone (much more skilled than me lol) may be able to compare this older version with the new one and disable DRM check for a newer version.
I have uploaded the version that works for me here:
h t t p://bit.ly/2gQn3eR
Sorry for the funny url , but XDA will not let me post urls until I have ten posts..

Any updates on making the official XFinity TV app work now that XFinity TV Go has been shut down?

I am also looking for someone who can mod the new Xfinity app (remove the HDMI check.......I think) to get it to work on the fire stick. The new version loads but will not open. The screen automatically goes blank and closes down.

I just wanted to let everyone here know that if you upgrade your shield to Nougat the Xfinity TV even older versions of the software that would work on prior to the new 7.0 firmware release now won't work at all so if this is something you want I would hold off on doing the 7.0 Nougat update to your shield I plan on reverting back my shield to regain the ability to use the Xfinity TV app.

jlennonfan said:
I just wanted to let everyone here know that if you upgrade your shield to Nougat the Xfinity TV even older versions of the software that would work on prior to the new 7.0 firmware release now won't work at all so if this is something you want I would hold off on doing the 7.0 Nougat update to your shield I plan on reverting back my shield to regain the ability to use the Xfinity TV app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for that information. Sucks for us Nougat upgraders though.

hey guys
I've got some pretty good news for those with the new Nvidia shield or have updated the old one to Nougat already and lost the ability to load the Xfinity TV app. I have found an alternative way to watch Xfinity on the shield Tv it is not an ideal way to watch and may not work for everyone's needs. I found that if I launch a game stream game on the Shield and Minimize the Game window before the game starts up or goes full screen, you will get a remote desktop like session which can be controlled with the the joystick on the gamepad. open a web browser and go to Xfinity and it works there is no lag or out of sync audio, it works pretty good, the Quality is better than casting a chrome browser tab from the PC, I also found controlling youtube from this remote desktop method is a far better interface than the Android TV app since you get the full website version of youtube instead of the slimmed down tv app. I should point out this nvidia Gamestream Remote environment is different than using a typical remote desktop client like the Microsoft Remote desktop client, most remote desktop clients don't offer the refresh rates needed to stream HD video without lags or audio syncing issues however the Nvidia Gamestream app does. I am sure there are other apps that can deliver a RDP session with the high refresh rates needed for viewing 1080p video over and RDP connection, I just haven't found one that works that will do this job. If anyone is aware of another app than can do this let me know I'd like to try it out.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/hc652xc2bq8yrfa/AAAkahHih0lzdxbJN4uPL8Rla?dl=0&lst=

usmcnyc said:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/hc652xc2bq8yrfa/AAAkahHih0lzdxbJN4uPL8Rla?dl=0&lst=
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are these files modified?

OM619 said:
Are these files modified?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We confirm these work

Element E4STA5517 55" 4K Android TV [TU43GDX] upgrade os?

Hi all, wondering if anyone has attempted messing with this unit - found nothing on Google/duckduckgo.
Had it 2ish years, been a glitchy little monster and apps like Hulu show incompatibility (though they are 'preloaded' and on the menu). So far as I can tell the system OS has never been updated and am curious what might be done to refresh it?

TheDrake2k said:
Hi all, wondering if anyone has attempted messing with this unit - found nothing on Google/duckduckgo.
Had it 2ish years, been a glitchy little monster and apps like Hulu show incompatibility (though they are 'preloaded' and on the menu). So far as I can tell the system OS has never been updated and am curious what might be done to refresh it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately most android TV's don't get updates because the manufacturer doesn't take the time or resources to make an update and push it to the TV's.
As for glitches and apps I would try expanding it's memory using a flash drive and moving apps to it and letting the device use it as internal storage. And I'd use a PC or laptop and download the free program called "adb app control" and use the debloat option and clean some stuff off it. I'd also suggest getting a lighter launcher than the default one. There's a few options here -> Link but I like one called dashboard from the playstore. Also install a launcher manager and/or button mapper (both are free). Hopefully some or all of this helps make your tv a little snappier. I have a fairly new Hisense android tv and I did all this and it feels a lot better than stock.