2017 HD8 vs 2013 Nexus 7 and casting - Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

How do the tablets compare?
With prime day it is at a decent price and my poor Nexus took a trip down some stairs.
Can the HD8 cast to chromecast?
Can the ads be removed without paying?

Just bought one today. The price was finally right for the hardware, went on a group buy with some coworkers and got a 3 pack of 32 GB HD8's for $210. We'll see what can be done with it. As to the ads, i doubt we'll be able to do anything about that without rooting it, but I also doubt it'll take long before it's exploited.

Gamma Ray said:
How do the tablets compare?
With prime day it is at a decent price and my poor Nexus took a trip down some stairs.
Can the HD8 cast to chromecast?
Can the ads be removed without paying?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got my Fire 8 HD today and I can now confirm that YouTube, VICELAND, Google Play Music, and my random 3rd party podcast app (AntennaPod) all are casting perfectly to my Chromecast. Also casting perfectly to my Google Home as a speaker for the audio apps.
Unfortunately I don't currently have a Hulu or HBO account to test with.
But Netflix... I am very confused about Netflix. So I tapped the Chromecast button in the Google Play version of the app, and it gave me the option to cast... to the Roku Stick in my bedroom? Huh? That will be useful no doubt, but I was trying to send to the Chromecast in my living room. My Chromecast unit is not showing at all in the Netflix options, despite it showing for all the other apps mentioned above.
For the ads, nothing was showing when I first booted the device, but it soon installed a system update after which some obnoxious ads started showing as the lockscreen. I think only money or root will get rid of them.

Yep, I'm not able to cast Netflix either to my Android TV. YouTube casting works fine. Also, to get rid of the ads, just start a chat with Amazon, they'll probably disable it. Ask nicely.

Related

well this is just sad

dont' think i've ever had a device so locked down that wasn't a total dog with this little talk going on. Bravo amazon... you broke XDA
Someone had to say it
I keep telling myself not to regret this purchase yet....just wait a little longer, but the lack of talk going on in the HDX forum is quite depressing and far from reassuring
Am I the only one who likes the tablet as-is without any modifications? The app selection leaves a bit to be desired but all the major media apps are represented (Spotify, Rdio, Hulu, Netflix, etc...) and there are plenty of games available. The only thing that irks me is not being able to play content I already purchased on Google Play, but it's not enough to kill the device for me.
I used to feel myself regretful until I have discovered 1mobile market. Now, beside I cannot change wallpaper, I have decent launcher and a market that is comparable to the Google play. Ok root and custom rooms would be nice, also do I enjoy using HDX. Even, I could choice one more time, I would still (wait ) take HDX because it's specs and weight.
Before buying the HDX I've tried high end Asus and Samsung devices, which were really of poor quality and performance (user experience, not synthesized benchmarks).
I don't think this is over yet....
I do not think it's impossible to root Amazon Kindle HDX, as long as there is developers who keeps this project alive, there is still hope! Why is it so hard to root the last update! Wouldn't it be good to discuss this at a thread in the forum? How far have you come? Where in the process is it impossible to reach further? Then we could help each other! Will Amazon really emerge victorious out of this battle? I think not!
raptir said:
Am I the only one who likes the tablet as-is without any modifications? The app selection leaves a bit to be desired but all the major media apps are represented (Spotify, Rdio, Hulu, Netflix, etc...) and there are plenty of games available. The only thing that irks me is not being able to play content I already purchased on Google Play, but it's not enough to kill the device for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Had I done more proper research, I would have gone with the Nexus 7 to be honest. I'm not a fan of this device in it's default form. I know I made the mistake of jumping in based on specs and a sale that was going on at the time, but I wish it were more Android through and through. I'm not a fan of the Amazon Fire OS GUI, and not being able to get Gapps by default was a serious oversight on my part....that's my main regret. The device performs just fine and the specs don't disappoint. I simply should have done more research on the rooting and unlocking bootloader side
dimi5 said:
I used to feel myself regretful until I have discovered 1mobile market. Now, beside I cannot change wallpaper, I have decent launcher and a market that is comparable to the Google play. Ok root and custom rooms would be nice, also do I enjoy using HDX. Even, I could choice one more time, I would still (wait ) take HDX because it's specs and weight.
Before buying the HDX I've tried high end Asus and Samsung devices, which were really of poor quality and performance (user experience, not synthesized benchmarks).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Atise said:
I do not think it's impossible to root Amazon Kindle HDX, as long as there is developers who keeps this project alive, there is still hope! Why is it so hard to root the last update! Wouldn't it be good to discuss this at a thread in the forum? How far have you come? Where in the process is it impossible to reach further? Then we could help each other! Will Amazon really emerge victorious out of this battle? I think not!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess I should add that I am still one of the lucky ones. I do have root still and as long as I keep playing it safe, I don't see me ever losing root. With that said, I guess my depressed and non-reassuring comment is a bit more selfish and on the getting an unlocked bootloader side of things. Of course, I definitely don't see that happening until a new root is found to get everyone back at the same place with root access.
icedtrip said:
Had I done more proper research, I would have gone with the Nexus 7 to be honest. I'm not a fan of this device in it's default form. I know I made the mistake of jumping in based on specs and a sale that was going on at the time, but I wish it were more Android through and through. I'm not a fan of the Amazon Fire OS GUI, and not being able to get Gapps by default was a serious oversight on my part....that's my main regret. The device performs just fine and the specs don't disappoint. I simply should have done more research on the rooting and unlocking bootloader side
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a first-gen Nexus 7 and was considering the 2013 model but decided on the Kindle Fire HDX even knowing that it couldn't be rooted. My usage of the Nexus 7 was mostly reading (through the Kindle app) and watching videos (Hulu, Netflix). I played a few games on it but I'm fine with Amazon's selection. I went with the Kindle HDX because I could get 64GB of storage for only slightly more than the 32GB Nexus 7 and also gain support for Prime Instant Video.
Edit: I will say, I like being able to tinker with my Nexus 5 but I feel that the enhancements that come with custom ROMs are more important to me on a phone rather than a tablet. With a tablet I typically open a single app and use that for a prolonged period of time so I don't see much of the interface.
Yep. I agree with raptir. It was fun while it lasted but I notice now, I don't even need custom ROM. As long as I have my prime and xbmc, life is good.
Sent from my LG-D800 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
I am doing the exact same thing I did with my 16GB Nook Tablet noneHD version when I had it for 2 years. I upgraded to the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 for the larger screen and newer hardware for movie playback across the network via DLNA. I also use it for reading and have finished several books on it and the Nook alike. Nook was running CM 10 but I felt like I could have just kept the basic B&N OS around for what I did with it. I still feel the same way about the Kindle Fire HDX. Stock handles everything I throw at it and I can keep my apps updated thanks to 1mobile. Things like Skifta and MX player along with Cool Reader for epub and mobi formatted books that I have had forever and did not get through amazon. For me the kindle/nook are Media consumption devices and they fill that roll pretty nicely with stock. The kindle more so becuase of the updated OS and larger screen along with newer hardware that is capible of 1080p playback via network unlike the nook where it would struggle with 720p playback for me.
IMHO, it's a fine MEDIA device, but not so much a regular tablet.
kschang said:
IMHO, it's a fine MEDIA device, but not so much a regular tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pay attention. The Tech Geeks have decreed that this tablet must die. It must fail simply because Amazon has decided to be douchy about it. It must no be rooted and it must not be recommend. Amazon worked very hard to get this. I for one am going to do all I can to give them what they want. Kindle needs to go the way of the Nook which actually was better than kindle but not as popular imho lol. Regardless, Death to the kindle line.
kschang said:
IMHO, it's a fine MEDIA device, but not so much a regular tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i agree... however if i didnt' have amazon instant i wouldnt' even like it for that. my feedly crashes constantly, and i get way too many random reboots on this thing.
HOWEVER its become my treadmill partner thanks to the ability to download amazon instant
Pay attention. This thing is hard to hack, therefore it must die.
Listen to yourself saying that, 100 times.
kschang said:
IMHO, it's a fine MEDIA device, but not so much a regular tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess that's where my opinion may differ from others'. To me, a tablet is primarily a media device. Movies, TV shows, books, games, news, etc... which all work great on the Fire. Productivity is the one place that it really falls short, but even with my Nexus 7 I still prefer my laptop for productivity.
just keep it offline for the next few months...an exploit is going to be found and published, it's happened with the previous firmware versions...
raptir said:
I guess that's where my opinion may differ from others'. To me, a tablet is primarily a media device. Movies, TV shows, books, games, news, etc... which all work great on the Fire. Productivity is the one place that it really falls short, but even with my Nexus 7 I still prefer my laptop for productivity.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depends on the media content. You can mostly work.around the YouTube issues with Google services, but that is a disadvantage other tablets don't have. I watch a lot of flash content on streaming movie sites and have found some ways to work around nuisances on most sites as well but without a good rooted pop-up blocker it is a disadvantage . It streams Amazon content fairly well but I learned how to do that long ago on a regular tablet. The screen is very nice and smooth though.
To the other guy. It isnt that the tablet must die because it's hard to hack. The tablet must die to teach corporations that they either give the public what they want or they lose. Simple pleasures I enjoy every day on normal tablets are either un attainable on the hdx or difficult at best, even if the build quality is excellent, and the hardware is outstanding Amazon needs an attitude adjustment.
FireOS is NOT Android. Never claimed to be. The current result is quite workable dual-use. I can use Unbeloved Host and/or AdAway and/or Chrome to block most ads. Amazon never designed an Android tablet. Amazon designed an AMAZON tablet (which happens to run an Android Fork).
Your "boycott" of Kindle HDX line is not going to have ANY effect on Amazon except deprive yourself, but then, you already own one. At best it's a mixed message. And you show a distinct lack of faith on ingenuity of the XDA Developer Community.
I have both Google Play services running fine along side Amazon services. I Chromecasted a bunch of cat videos to my TV today (there are two cats in the house). I download from both app stores, sometimes simultaneously. I am rooted and Xposed and Safestrapped and so on and so forth.
In other words, it's basically what you're willing to live with. Your have a different tolerance point than I do. The difference is you want Amazon to go against its nature and give you what you want, whereas I decided that the current HDX (well, technically last year's HDX) is quite usable as is with a few hacks.
Just because people aren't talking doesn't mean they aren't trying to work on it. Things come to those that are patient.
kschang said:
FireOS is NOT Android. Never claimed to be. The current result is quite workable dual-use. I can use Unbeloved Host and/or AdAway and/or Chrome to block most ads. Amazon never designed an Android tablet. Amazon designed an AMAZON tablet (which happens to run an Android Fork).
Your "boycott" of Kindle HDX line is not going to have ANY effect on Amazon except deprive yourself, but then, you already own one. At best it's a mixed message. And you show a distinct lack of faith on ingenuity of the XDA Developer Community.
I have both Google Play services running fine along side Amazon services. I Chromecasted a bunch of cat videos to my TV today (there are two cats in the house). I download from both app stores, sometimes simultaneously. I am rooted and Xposed and Safestrapped and so on and so forth.
In other words, it's basically what you're willing to live with. Your have a different tolerance point than I do. The difference is you want Amazon to go against its nature and give you what you want, whereas I decided that the current HDX (well, technically last year's HDX) is quite usable as is with a few hacks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not depriving myself in any way. I own literally dozens of tablets. I never claimed kindle as an android tablet. I claim it as an inferior product because it's OS holds it back since it is limited in many aspects that both Apple and Android have excelled in. Your argument is fragmented and invalid. You had to root in order to achieve your results. Asking for simple things such as a keyboard that half works or some control over turning off double space to period, simple things like widgets, well if that is against Amazon's nature then yes I am quite against Amazon tablets lol.

Native screen casting to Chromecast

Just found out that I can cast my screen to Chromecast without the need for any third party apps. This is super exciting because now I can easily watch my hockey games through NHL Gamecenter Live. I don't know if this is new or not as the last Nexus device I had was the Galaxy Nexus.
djsiva said:
Just found out that I can cast my screen to Chromecast without the need for any third party apps. This is super exciting because now I can easily watch my hockey games through NHL Gamecenter Live. I don't know if this is new or not as the last Nexus device I had was the Galaxy Nexus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its a nice feature. Those with the Nexus 5 on KitKat had the same feature for the last few months. I love my Chromecast
It is not something new, and also not exclusive to the Nexus devices. Have been able to do this on S5, M7, and M8 for a while now (I know about these personally). I'm sure it must be an Android 4.0+ thing added in an update at some point.
So does that mean you could watch anything that is displayed on your device? I've heard slimport is not compatible with the N6. This is great news if indeed you can watch anything displayed on the phone.
Yes anything. I played games, navigated around the phone, and played a hockey game on there.

[Q] General Question - Opinions Wanted

I currently have the FireTV (have a few days left before 30 day window is up) and just purchased the Nexus Player to see how it compares. I much prefer the Nexus Player UI and love android, but trying to see if all the extra work is worth having the Nexus Player. I haven't had a chance to mess around with it too much, but did notice a severely limited number of apps available through play store. I knew this was going to be an issue - but still surprised me. First I will outline what type of user I am and then I am curious your thoughts on Fire vs NP
User:
Pretty basic user. I will use my box for Kodi and then a few apps such as HBO, Showtime, Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Youtube, etc. I do like the idea of this being android and another option for casting from my phone. I am a entrenched with the google suite of products so I see this as a plus as well. I am able to do some basic operations such as sideloading and such, but typically have to follow a step-by-step process. I loaded Kodi.TV just fine on my FireTV.
I am looking for a somewhat simple solution, but am willing do a small amount of work if the UX/UI is definitely better. I guess I am starting to wonder if a NP is going to be a constant fight and worth it to considering I won't be gaming, or other things that may be great on the NP.
What is everyone's thoughts? Feel free to ask me questions as well and thank you in advance for your help.
I own and use both(different rooms) and the firetv does amazon instant where the nexus player doesn't(kodi addon is hit or miss). I have also had less issues with kodi on the firetv. I had to disable sleep to get kodi to work right on the nexus. I have not seen an hbogo app on the nexus player where the firetv has that. The plus side to the player is it is easy to do what u want on it.
With as much as I like the firetv once my prime is up I'm getting rid of it for another nexus player as amazon has **** customer service when it comes to the firetv devices. I had a tv stick I used that died and after fighting with their cs for a few hours I hung up and went and bought the nexus. Also the fire devices are Android they are just not stock. Sideloading on both devices is the same process(adb or a file explorer).
With HBO and Amazon Prime aren't I able to sideload those apps on the the Nexus Player? If so how do most popular side loaded apps perform?
u can use the normal amazon prime app but u need a mouse to nav it, same with the habogo. there was an androidtv amazon app from a sony tv but amazon blocked it from working on anything but the sony tv. if the app doesnt work well with the remote(most dont) u need a mouse

Netflix and Hulu issues

Anyone else still having issues with Netflix or Hulu? We just get errors saying things like trouble with playback at this time from both apps. Switch over to our Fire TV and don't have a single issue.
Wife wonders why the hell we even fool around with the NP. Can't really argue with her, but I want to believe in Android TV.
Sent from my XT1096 using Tapatalk
Yep been having the same issues. Really wish I would've just got a chromecast for my room now. Off subject but how's the fire tv compared to the nexus player
Asadullah said:
Yep been having the same issues. Really wish I would've just got a chromecast for my room now. Off subject but how's the fire tv compared to the nexus player
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fire TV is IMO the best streaming device on the market. You could make an argument for Roku, but I like the Fire TV because it can run Kodi. The only pros the NP has over the Fire TV are mpeg2 hardware deciding, Leanback Launcher, and built in Google cast. You can install an app on the FTV that allows casting for most all apps though.
The FTV just works. Never an issue with any apps like we see with the NP. I like the look and feel of Android TV better so I'm hoping they get these things straightened out.
Sent from my XT1096 using Tapatalk
bradwatson said:
Fire TV is IMO the best streaming device on the market. You could make an argument for Roku, but I like the Fire TV because it can run Kodi. The only pros the NP has over the Fire TV are mpeg2 hardware deciding, Leanback Launcher, and built in Google cast. You can install an app on the FTV that allows casting for most all apps though.
The FTV just works. Never an issue with any apps like we see with the NP. I like the look and feel of Android TV better so I'm hoping they get these things straightened out.
Sent from my XT1096 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for the input. based on your experience I'm going to sell my NP and get a Fire TV. Streaming (including Prime video) and Kodi are what I care about most. I have a Fire TV stick, but it has poor wifi and the remote sometimes lags. I guess the regular Fire TV shouldn't have those problems.
HKSpeed said:
thanks for the input. based on your experience I'm going to sell my NP and get a Fire TV. Streaming (including Prime video) and Kodi are what I care about most. I have a Fire TV stick, but it has poor wifi and the remote sometimes lags. I guess the regular Fire TV shouldn't have those problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm primarily using Ethernet, but I've used WiFi some with the FTV and never had an issue. No controller lag either. The FTV is wife proof. It's a great device.
Sent from my XT1096 using Tapatalk
bradwatson said:
The FTV is wife proof. It's a great device.
Sent from my XT1096 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
is it surrounded in bullet proof glass? LOL!!!! I kid i kid.
Although I really don't think I'll buy another android box (ouya nexus player owner) I think I'd go for the amazon tv I don't need monthly updates
I've been feeling the same. I live in an apartment and with multiple using netflix on the old chromecast we never had an issue, now only the logged in netflix account has streaming capabilities, and even then rarely it will work, wishing I went with chromecast 2.
magestic1995 said:
I've been feeling the same. I live in an apartment and with multiple using netflix on the old chromecast we never had an issue, now only the logged in netflix account has streaming capabilities, and even then rarely it will work, wishing I went with chromecast 2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you ever want to get really really angry call netflix and ask them about this. I promise you you'll wanna cancel your netflix subcription
Asadullah said:
If you ever want to get really really angry call netflix and ask them about this. I promise you you'll wanna cancel your netflix subcription
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What did they say in response to this?
magestic1995 said:
What did they say in response to this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After an hour of uninstalls resign ins and strange questions. They told me I need to reset my chromecast. After a 30 second pause I said, "huh"? Do you know what we're talking about here? I've got hulu so I cancelled my service.
Damn, I read this thread and am thankful I have not had an issue with netfix or the player. As someone who ones a fire tv, fire tv stick, and a nexus player. I have to say I like the player the most. If your net goes out the fire devices don't even load the menu. With the player I don't need to use another app to get kodi to launch from the main screen. I will say even with its issues the fire tv box does work really well. I notice the same remote lag on the box as I did the stick and I think its just the remote waking from sleep. It only lags if you have not used the remote in a while. I use the stick remote on my nexus player and it does the same thing. I don't like the players remote as it lacks a menu button. I do wish the player had ethernet.

UHD section on Amazon disappears after few seconds in Germany. Any Ideas?

Hello everybody,
I bought the SHIELD 2017 one week ago and am still not able to stream UHD on the included Amazon-App. I am living in Germany and am having a German Amazon account.
The strange part is, that the UHD section in the App is visible for a few seconds after the App starts, but when I start moving through the menu it disappears.
As if it would check for something and then reload the menu structure. I already wiped the app data and logged in again, but the behavior stays.
Of course I am a Prime customer and have no troubles to use UHD on a Smart-App of my LG UHD screen, although it is a very slow and sluggish experience.
My SHIELD is not modified in any way. Just HumbleBundle app was sideloaded.
Has anyone noticed something like that happen to them? Any ideas what might cause it?
The whole point of my SHIELD purchase was to have UHD streaming, duh...
Well I haven't got an Amazon Prime Sub, but I do have an Amazon account, and a 4k TV. The only oddity I ran into after yesterday's Update was that everything was locked into a FastForward Mode. Apparently a known Bug on non-Fire Devices. (e.g. the PS4), the trick it seemed was to do a hard reset. (i.e. Cycling the Power), afterwards it was working just fine.
Just outta interest how fast is your Line? UHD likely, wants a real phat Pipe even my 5Mb Down 1Mb Up just feels just capable of it, with the intermittent drop, or skip. So if you had anything slower than that, it could explain why it's disappearing for you.
I've 64 Mbit down and 5 Mbit up. Enough for everything I was throwing at it. Streaming games with Nvidia Now in full quality runs very smooth, even when I am using the connection simultaneously for other things.
So I talked to the German Amazon support...
The friendly lady assured me that Amazon Germany is not streaming UHD on other Devices than:
Amazon Fire TV (2. Gen)
Samsung Ultra HD-TVs starting from 2014
Sony Ultra HD-TVs starting from 2014
LG Ultra HD-TVs starting from 2014
Sadly German Amazon is slow to implement features of its bigger brother on the other side.
Am I the only one in Germany who bought it?

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