Related
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.
Hi,
Wondering if anybody has an idea on how apps will work outside US?
For example, I have Amazon Fire TV between Brasil and other Latam countries while traveling. I see different content on netflix. Lately Netflix is uninstalled even while on Brasil...sucks...but using my XPeria Z seems have no problem or while using my PC...
So would this box also be a pain in the ass if I am traveler? I can handle the limitation of some content but not the exclusion at all. Now I have a FireTV ready to go to trash can...don't wanna waste money again.
Thanks!
Limitations
Yes. House of cards is not available in Austria. Just as an example.
cavagnaro said:
Hi,
Wondering if anybody has an idea on how apps will work outside US?
For example, I have Amazon Fire TV between Brasil and other Latam countries while traveling. I see different content on netflix. Lately Netflix is uninstalled even while on Brasil...sucks...but using my XPeria Z seems have no problem or while using my PC...
So would this box also be a pain in the ass if I am traveler? I can handle the limitation of some content but not the exclusion at all. Now I have a FireTV ready to go to trash can...don't wanna waste money again.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
dukekox said:
Yes. House of cards is not available in Austria. Just as an example.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, I know the limitation of content, but not whole app. I mean, the apk can't be installed on my device with current address of Brazil, if I change to US then yes it installs...
I assume it'll be no different than the Chromecast, Roku3, etc. If you subscribe to a DNS service that provides US termination (unblock US, adfreetime, etc) and put those provided DNS addresses either in the Nexus Player (if that'll be an option, we'll have to wait and see) or directly in your router, you'll be able to receive US content. The Roku3 doesn't support changing its DNS server addresses but using the router to do so works a treat. Even better, if you have a higher end router with custom firmware you can redirect only specific web services to use those US DNS services via dnsmasq, such as netflix, hulu plus, cbs, etc, while keeping the majority of your DNS traffic with your normal local ISP or public DNS anonymizing services.
The issue that I have seen is that you can no longer get the US version of google play. It seems like they use multiple things now to determine which version of the play store you will get. Shipping address on your wallet account. Country of the credit card you use with google wallet. Your phone location, etc... It doesn't even matter if you opened your google account in the USA and then moved elsewhere (like I did) you will still get your own countries play store. I can't even get to the USA google play over VPN.
This is one thread where I found some people talking about it: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2169261
Basically, your experience outside of the USA won't be great. I have a NP living outside of the USA and I don't see many apps at all on the play store. Obviously, apps like netflix, hulu, and vevo aren't there. I have sideloaded netflix and that is working, but now I will have to rely on someone to post the apk file when there is an app update. Personally, I would like to see the apps available in any version of the play store. You still need some sort of DNS service that will give you access to things like netflix and hulu. I suppose this is what they are trying to prevent by making certain apps region based on google play.
The main reason I bought NP was because of Plex. While I do like my roku 3 I prefer the plex interface on NP.
Overall, I would say not to bother with NP. It's a VERY unfinished piece of kit. Typical of google to release a beta product as "final". I haven't even been able to connect to 5.0ghz on wi-fi even though it sees that radio on my router just fine. Wi-fi drops out occasionally on 2.4ghz even though the NP sits right next to the router. Recommendations are a mess. Voice search is pretty cool (especially nice to use in Plex!)
If I compare the NP to roku 3. I would say go with the roku. The only drawback on roku is the outdated UI. Other than that it is a much more solid device when compared to NP.
I will be keeping my NP and hoping that they can solve some of the issues it has via software updates, but I suspect that I will wind up getting some other android TV device as better ones come out.
I have NP outside US in Central Europe and here are my experience after a week
when I use my local google account, I dont see netflix/hulu etc in store so I had to create new US google account. It is easy to add/remove accounts in NP so I put there my US account, install netflix app and then switched back to my europe account. With US DNS I can use US services and I have US content there.
So there is no problem to get apps allowed only for US market, but may be a issue with their content.
cavagnaro said:
Hi,
Wondering if anybody has an idea on how apps will work outside US?
For example, I have Amazon Fire TV between Brasil and other Latam countries while traveling. I see different content on netflix. Lately Netflix is uninstalled even while on Brasil...sucks...but using my XPeria Z seems have no problem or while using my PC...
So would this box also be a pain in the ass if I am traveler? I can handle the limitation of some content but not the exclusion at all. Now I have a FireTV ready to go to trash can...don't wanna waste money again.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm using it in a country where Netflix is available (France), the app does appear in the Play Store, I can install it and view content available in my country.
Bejbe01 said:
I have NP outside US in Central Europe and here are my experience after a week
when I use my local google account, I dont see netflix/hulu etc in store so I had to create new US google account. It is easy to add/remove accounts in NP so I put there my US account, install netflix app and then switched back to my europe account. With US DNS I can use US services and I have US content there.
So there is no problem to get apps allowed only for US market, but may be a issue with their content.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you create a US google account exactly? I am asking because I am from the USA, but living in another country and even when I log into the NP with my "alternate" google account that has a US address I am still not given access to the US play store on the NP.
I just login to US vpn, open gmail and create new account...there select US country and thats all
I'm planning to buy nexus player while I'm in U.S.
Can I access it in India? Or is there any limitation on it??
Sent from my D5322 using XDA Free mobile app
I feel like this product wasn't thought out well. As in you have to link it to your Google account and then you have YouTube spitting out very strange recommendations to watch things that you have never even looked at on YouTube.
So what I'm asking is if there is some way to have a family profile on the NP that is separate from your own Google data?
I would *love* a way to block some stuff from being blasted into my kid's eyeballs just by turning on the TV. I plugged this thing in, turned it on, and boom. Sons of Anarchy and American Horror Story's covers will now give my 4 year old nightmares. Great. And I've never seen the shows.
Now, I don't want to report things as "inappropriate" though, because... well, they're not. I just don't want them on my screen... Now, before I get flamed with comments like "be a good parent" and "you shouldn't let your kids watch that stuff anyway" - that's exactly what I'm saying. I just didn't know that I was going to be blasted with the stuff as soon as I turned it on.
The good news is that as soon as I launched the PBS Kids app, most of the stuff I don't want to see was pushed off the screen by Wild Kratts and Curious George... But really - what if Google decides that I should watch a Victoria's Secret fashion show? WTH?
Have you tried enabling content filtering in the Play store? I would think that it should remove any suggestions from the Play store above a certain rating. Have not tried it myself but I guess I could give it a test later. I was looking to put 2 of these in my kids rooms but hadn't really thought that part out.
There are also restricted profiles... Might be better for your case.
I guess my point was more along the same lines as the poster above. I look at some comedy videos and stuff on YT. My GF came in the other day like what's this college sex prank video recommendation on the NP (from some channel I never watched)
It's very embarrassing. I don't need a restrictive profile. There are no kids involved, but I would like the NP not to show recommendations like that. In the meantime I turned off YT recommendations, but I would like to see some sort of profile separation where you can have a family profile that doesn't pull from your own recommendations.
I had this exact same problem with questionable recommendations from Google Play Movies and YouTube and it turns out you CAN remove them by disabling notifications for the app.
Just got to: Settings --> App --> App Name and change notifications from On to Off.
PhyerFly said:
I had this exact same problem with questionable recommendations from Google Play Movies and YouTube and it turns out you CAN remove them by disabling notifications for the app.
Just got to: Settings --> App --> App Name and change notifications from On to Off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, I did that already. I would like to see a different profile for the TV though so you aren't getting strange recommendations. Turning off recommendations completely defeats the purpose of even having them...
EcPercy said:
Yea, I did that already. I would like to see a different profile for the TV though so you aren't getting strange recommendations. Turning off recommendations completely defeats the purpose of even having them...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't imagine how complex the controls would need to be in order to be able to be able to screen every possible type of recommendation from every app ever, especially when we're talking about a single google account associated with the history it's built based on your usage.
I feel your concern and I think Android TV and Google's apps have already done some damage in terms of what they surface on my TV (ex. the Google Music app shows a full-screen background of Mariah Carey with her tits falling out of a dress when I play her Christmas songs), but realistically I don't know how else I'd weed out everything unless they had some kind of rating system that all apps respected
My thought was a separate profile that isn't pulling from your email account. I suppose the other option would be to just make a new gmail account and sign the NP into that.
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
I am, so far, enjoying the tablet with the rooted version.
However there are a lot of things that don't work well. I will post in here as I come across them, but, one that I can spell out quickly is that the streaming on American Airlines doesn't work.
It uses the Gogo App or the AA app.
Every time I pick a movie, it calls one of the apps. The streaming starts and suddenly stops. The app gives an error saying the title is not available. You do the same operation with a OOTB Samsung tablet or an iPhone and it works normally.
Any ideas? I would be happy to help to troubleshoot as I travel every week and I can try to debug, but need instructions on how to do it.
My Android Auto it's work om Fire HD 8:2018 (No root)
See screenshot below
Do you have an unrooted Fire tablet that you could try? There may be something that detects root and prevents playback to prevent certain sneaky people from leaking unreleased movies that are available on airlines. Or it might rely on SafetyNet which other Android tablets should pass.
I have 2 rooted samsung tabs and no problem with AA streaming, so I don't think rooting is the problem. Maybe try a third party browser. Also, try chrome with the the user agent app to simulate different devices.
What I've noticed before is the Amazon intent handler on my 2017 HD8 was failing to launch the GoGo/AA entertainment activity, so it looked like it was just completely broken. I intend on trying the method in the Intent thread if it still happens on my 2018 HD8
Jazzy Josh said:
What I've noticed before is the Amazon intent handler on my 2017 HD8 was failing to launch the GoGo/AA entertainment activity, so it looked like it was just completely broken. I intend on trying the method in the Intent thread if it still happens on my 2018 HD8
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are using the TMO free GoGo it will only work with a phone. If you have a subscription, then try a browser with user agent and set it to iphone or even desktop.