Related
I plan on primarily using it for XBMC. The support looks good, along with the price and specs. What do you guys think?
I think it depends on how you plan to access your media. If you plan to use a NAS, you might be alright; if you were planning to use an external drive from the USB port, you need to wait for the OUYA team to fix the problem with detection of the hard drive. Also, you may find yourself needing to use the gamepad to control the interface--if that's a deal breaker you need to plan accordingly.
Also, bear in mind that the XBMC for Android is still in early alpha!
Sent from my Nook HD+ using Tapatalk HD
As someone who had never used XBMC or Plex (or anything else like that for that matter) prior to this past month, I am so excited about how well XBMC works with the OUYA!
You sound like someone who has used it before. If you're familiar with the basics then getting the OUYA to run XBMC in (almost) flawless 1080p is...well...easy! With the release of an official version of XBMCHUB last week, I don't think I'll ever hook my laptop up to my TV again.
Going into the OUYA, I had no idea of it's potential as a do-all media center. I was hoping it'd have Netflix and flash content, but that's about as far as I had hoped, so I'm very excited about all of this.
At only $99, I've been hearing people say there is no better box for XBMC, but maybe other, more experienced people could chime in.
EDIT/ADDITION:
bornagainpenguin said:
I think it depends on how you plan to access your media. If you plan to use a NAS, you might be alright; if you were planning to use an external drive from the USB port, you need to wait for the OUYA team to fix the problem with detection of the hard drive. Also, you may find yourself needing to use the gamepad to control the interface--if that's a deal breaker you need to plan accordingly.
Also, bear in mind that the XBMC for Android is still in early alpha!
Sent from my Nook HD+ using Tapatalk HD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure what USB port problem you mean? I am using a 1TB WD USB HDD and have no problems with read.
I personally bought the ouya strictly for XBMC. I've used xbmc streaming from smb shares since original Xbox and it was called Xbox media center. I still use original Xbox with xbmc and the ouya is its replacement. Xbmc works amazingly better on it even in its alpha state. Those guys are pros and I have every faith they will deliver on the android platform. The only caveats so far is that I'd like a remote control instead of controller and it doesn't exist yet. Perhaps in the future it will. I've set my ouya to boot directly into xbmc but like above poster said the USB support needs work and the issue with the ouya turning itself on when its asleep and not shut down. That's annoying. Also don't plan to use WiFi. Ouyas metal casing hinders WiFi too much for streaming video in decent quality.
JLCollier2005 said:
EDIT/ADDITION:
I'm not sure what USB port problem you mean? I am using a 1TB WD USB HDD and have no problems with read.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a 2TB WD drive and a 3TB Toshiba drive, both using external power. With either of them if I plug in the drive light comes on and blinks but the OUYA doesn't mount it no matter how long I wait. One is formatted as FAT32, the other as NTFS. It makes no difference.
The workaround I've found (don't remember where I saw this originally) is to plug in the drive while the OUYA is powered off and unplugged, then do a system reset. After this, the external drive is recognized and mounted as /usbdrive and the light on the drive only flashes when being read from or written to. I can install XBMC, scan my movies and shows into the library, use the external drive for my emulator roms, etc, etc. It works.
The problem is if I remove the drive for any reason or if I get an update the drive is no longer recognized and I need to do another system reset again, add back all my games, reinstall XBMC and rescan my library (import doesn't seem to work for me) and hope that I don't have to deal with another system update any time soon....
That's why I'm not currently recommending the OUYA if people plan to use an external hard drive to access their media. I'm not the only one with these issues, if you Google for OUYA and external drive you'll see many others are having the same issues.
Sent from my Nook HD+ using Tapatalk HD
Ouya is stuck on 60hz framerate. So 24hz or 50hz files will have some stutter. Maybe stutter is not the right description, it's not perfectly smooth due to framerate adapting to 60hz. I have XBMC with hardware acceleration installed, it really is framerate conversion (or whatever you call it) that causes this.
I like XBMC on Ouya but prefer a media player that adapts its framerate output to the media file, like my Boxee Box does. You'll have a perfectly smooth picture. It really is a lot better to look at.
Using the XAF edition while I wait for Gotham to become stable for android. Works amazingly well.
Sent from my SGH-I317M using Tapatalk 2
Does Dolby digital and dts work with this?
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
wouwout said:
Ouya is stuck on 60hz framerate. So 24hz or 50hz files will have some stutter. Maybe stutter is not the right description, it's not perfectly smooth due to framerate adapting to 60hz. I have XBMC with hardware acceleration installed, it really is framerate conversion (or whatever you call it) that causes this.
I like XBMC on Ouya but prefer a media player that adapts its framerate output to the media file, like my Boxee Box does. You'll have a perfectly smooth picture. It really is a lot better to look at.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I read about that. Is that a limitation that can be fixed with development, or is it impossible?
bornagainpenguin said:
I think it depends on how you plan to access your media. If you plan to use a NAS, you might be alright; if you were planning to use an external drive from the USB port, you need to wait for the OUYA team to fix the problem with detection of the hard drive. Also, you may find yourself needing to use the gamepad to control the interface--if that's a deal breaker you need to plan accordingly.
Also, bear in mind that the XBMC for Android is still in early alpha!
Sent from my Nook HD+ using Tapatalk HD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a 1TB Seagate with which I used to have the problem with it not being recognized by my Ouya. Since then I have tried different OTG mounting apps. The best I've found is an app called Paragon which mounts USB drives to '/mnt/usbdrive' by default and has full NTFS read/write capabilities. Also it's automated so it mounts the USB drive at startup without any prompting. The only thing is it requires full root and superuser access. Not a big deal, but a formality nonetheless. Mainly I'm just saying that's there's simple enough workarounds for the Ouya's external hard drive issues.
Also the XBMC Android build found here (http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=152005) works great on my Ouya. Navigating using the gamepad may be a little clunky but the capabilities of using the Ouya for full media playback is already there. Hell, I'm working on turning an Ouya into a full-fledged internet/digital PVR box.
just got my Ouya yesterday and I had xbmc with the 0.6 release installed and the xbmchub fusion wizard thing installed. The issues I have encountered are typing on that xbmc keyboard with only the touchpad is a very arduous experience. Navi-x is installed alongside all the 1 channel stuff but this has a script error but does not stop it from working.
It does crash in navi-x but the speed at which this thing boots up and restarts is rapid so it does not cause that much of a headache, but dont forget that this info comes from less than 24 hours usage.
Overal i am happy with this device and the xbmc install but i would like a easier way of starting the software similar to netflix on the apple tv as the kids can play what they like and not get on my back.
Skater4599 said:
...The only caveats so far is that I'd like a remote control instead of controller and it doesn't exist yet...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are two remotes for XBMC the official remote doesn't seem to work for me. But Yatse works well but drains my phones battery really fast. And as a response to a USB drive not working, I have a 2TB WD Passport for my Ouya that works like a charm.
binome- said:
There are two remotes for XBMC the official remote doesn't seem to work for me. But Yatse works well but drains my phones battery really fast. And as a response to a USB drive not working, I have a 2TB WD Passport for my Ouya that works like a charm.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm talking an IR remote that can turn the console on/off as well... I have the android app remote working just fine. the official one even.
NssOne said:
I have a 1TB Seagate with which I used to have the problem with it not being recognized by my Ouya. Since then I have tried different OTG mounting apps. The best I've found is an app called Paragon which mounts USB drives to '/mnt/usbdrive' by default and has full NTFS read/write capabilities. Also it's automated so it mounts the USB drive at startup without any prompting. The only thing is it requires full root and superuser access. Not a big deal, but a formality nonetheless. Mainly I'm just saying that's there's simple enough workarounds for the Ouya's external hard drive issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Perhaps, but so far the OUYA has been the only Android device I've not felt a need to root and I'd like to keep it that way. Maybe it's just an artificial distinction, but to my mind if I have to root to get basic functionality then the OUYA ceases to be a console (plug and play) and becomes a small computer. If I'm to treat the OUYA as a small computer then I may as well simply run Cyanogen Mod and not waste any money with the OUYA games, because I'll be too busy mapping the game pad to play the many titles available in the Play Store. It becomes a silly, pointless waste of time and money, because I have several desktops which I can use on my television and had in the past been running XBMC just fine on those desktops with my 5.1 surround sound card and speakers.
I bought the OUYA because it promised me XBMC + Games + Android in a simple to use console. Most of those interested in the OUYA as and XBMC box are also people who've already run XBMC on their televisions via an old desktop or htpc, and want a console which will make doing this easier and standardized to just work. We already hacked together something on the desktop; we're looking for the easy button.
Otherwise, we'd have just bought a Midnight box or a Pivos....
I'd say yes.
I've got XBMC running on a load of devices, Raspberry Pi, Pivos Xios DS, Odroid U2, Nexus 7, HTC One X, Intel i5 w/ATI 7770... The RPi and Pivos are sluggish, the Odroid very buggy, the Nexus, One X and Ouya (all tegra 3) are very usable and provide nearly as smooth an experience as the powerful PC.
There are a few bugs still being ironed out but none are show stoppers. The current libstagefright build works nicely enough and will only get better. We should have an interim 12.2 build hit the Ouya store soon which will be mostly bug free and feature complete.
For remote the controller is ok and will be better when they finish key mapping it. You can also connect the ps3 bluetooth media remote which makes for a better experience. Other options are IR remotes that present as keyboards or the FLIRC device.
The main thing to bare in mind is that the Ouya is a pretty new device with lots of development being done every day, something like 10 OS updates in the past 4 months - give the devs time and we'll have a very nice little Tegra 3 box; I'm looking forward to seeing where we'll be in 6 months time. Not to mention the work being done on XBMCs side. A lot of core devs are working on supporting the Ouya as they all have the device.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
NssOne said:
I have a 1TB Seagate with which I used to have the problem with it not being recognized by my Ouya. Since then I have tried different OTG mounting apps. The best I've found is an app called Paragon which mounts USB drives to '/mnt/usbdrive' by default and has full NTFS read/write capabilities. Also it's automated so it mounts the USB drive at startup without any prompting. The only thing is it requires full root and superuser access. Not a big deal, but a formality nonetheless. Mainly I'm just saying that's there's simple enough workarounds for the Ouya's external hard drive issues.
Also the XBMC Android build found here (http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=152005) works great on my Ouya. Navigating using the gamepad may be a little clunky but the capabilities of using the Ouya for full media playback is already there. Hell, I'm working on turning an Ouya into a full-fledged internet/digital PVR box.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am also trying to replace cable TV with my Ouya and use it as a DVR. I would love some help, tips on getting it done.
* I have XBMC installed, but it doesnt see my network drives (shared drives on a Win7 PC), although all my other PCs can see them and use them?
* I planned on downloading the TV shows from 'sources' on the web, but wasn't sure how to setup auto gather new shows?
* I heard about Sick Beard and Coach Potato, but I never used them, I would love a guide or steps to help me set it up
* I wanted to get Amazon Video working too, since I pay for Prime, no official app, and I couldn't get a good Android one yet?
* Wouldn't mind having Hulu and Netflix too, I heard the google tv apks are best - any comments on that?
Anything you could help me with, would be very appreciated. I hate overpaying for Cable, and the service/quality sux
bornagainpenguin said:
I bought the OUYA because it promised me XBMC + Games + Android in a simple to use console. Most of those interested in the OUYA as and XBMC box are also people who've already run XBMC on their televisions via an old desktop or htpc, and want a console which will make doing this easier and standardized to just work. We already hacked together something on the desktop; we're looking for the easy button.
Otherwise, we'd have just bought a Midnight box or a Pivos....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can't blame the lack of XBMC support on Ouya, it was up to the XBMC team to follow through on that. Ouya only announced it was going to come to the Ouya because that's what XBMC said on their own website. They're finally working on an Ouya fork for the next XBMC release, probably integrating libstagefright into it (because those work best on the Ouya).
And you could've gone for one of those other boxes. They're around the same price as an Ouya. I was a KS backer but I supported it hoping, yet not expecting, some ROM dev support for the console. I know there's CM10 but I'm going to wait for better unlocking of the system before I go full custom ROM. Unless the custom ROMs have better overscan compensation support already (a huge issue with Ouya on my TV).
Zehrfox said:
I am also trying to replace cable TV with my Ouya and use it as a DVR. I would love some help, tips on getting it done.
* I have XBMC installed, but it doesnt see my network drives (shared drives on a Win7 PC), although all my other PCs can see them and use them?
* I planned on downloading the TV shows from 'sources' on the web, but wasn't sure how to setup auto gather new shows?
* I heard about Sick Beard and Coach Potato, but I never used them, I would love a guide or steps to help me set it up
* I wanted to get Amazon Video working too, since I pay for Prime, no official app, and I couldn't get a good Android one yet?
* Wouldn't mind having Hulu and Netflix too, I heard the google tv apks are best - any comments on that?
Anything you could help me with, would be very appreciated. I hate overpaying for Cable, and the service/quality sux
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) I don't use network shares on my XBMC Ouya setup right now. All video files are stored locally to the external hard drive I have connected to my Ouya.
2 & 3) I actually couldn't get the Sick Beard Android app to load on the Ouya. I ended up buying an app called PowerNZB which came with its own Sick Beard server. It's just not as automated right now as it would be on PC when used in conjunction with SabNZBd and I hope to see that change soon. I don't know if I can talk about what 'web sources' I use openly either, but you can figure it out. Also I'll just bluntly tell you to Google Sick Beard tutorials to get a better idea of how to use it.
4 & 5) No clue. I don't have any of these on my Ouya at all. Sorry if I'm not as much help as you'd like.
NssOne said:
You can't blame the lack of XBMC support on Ouya
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't.
As far as I'm concerned, XBMC has already produced a build for the OUYA which works quite well and which I expect to continue to get better and better. Instead I blame OUYA for being unable to (or unwilling?) to fix USB drive detection.
Sent from my Nook HD+ using Tapatalk HD
I appreciate the help
* at NssOne - Thanks, I do appreciate the help I wanted to use the network shares, that way I could have my win7 pc obtain all the shows and movies for me, using PC software, then place it on a shared network drive, where the Ouya could access them and play them. I figured that would be easier that having the Ouya run all that software and handle all those processes.
Which version of XBMC works best on Ouya, I saw several people post different versions, I know you need HW accel, but an exact file name or link would be appreciated.
Is Sick Beard better than Coach Potato? - I have never used either one? will they look for new shows and grab them for me?
Any one else trying to replace Cable TV with Ouya and XBMC? - Any advise, tips, software suggestions?
For XBMC Google the libstagefright version. And I don't know the difference between Sick Beard and Couch Potato. I've stuck with Sick Beard the whole time.
What's the deal with USB storage. I'm getting conflicting messages here, Are we able to use USB storage on the Fire TV for app installs or not?
I already have Posted a Question about the same problem on the last AFTVnewscast #15 (Friday Nov, 13):
"Have you noticed that when you use a MicroSD memory (with some APPs installed), and then you plug other USB memory, the FireTV2 does some weird things (app icons disappearing from FireStarter screen), also sometimes the FireTV2 crashes and resets?"
http://www.aftvnews.com/post-your-questions-topics-for-tomorrows-aftvnewscast-15/
http://www.aftvnews.com/aftvnewscast-15/
Although Elias Saba (AFTVnews Moderator) said that he has not noticed problems with the FireTV2 USB-Port and MicroUSB-Card, I must said that if you are using a Micro-USB Card and plugs a USB, sometime times the FireTV2 does weird things and don't find the USB Port...
So, apparently there are some conflicts with the way that the FireTV2 is using to access both ports (MicroUSB and USB) at the same time!
Haven't ran into the crashing/freezing issues yet. I keep seeing images if Fire TV allowing for USB storage of apps but I guess they were all for the older model. I have a 1TB HDD and over 200 games I'm trying to transfer over from my OUYA. A bunch of micro SD cards won't cut it. I guess I'll have to wait for an easier way to root this thing. I'm surprised that nobody has tried kingroot yet.
I only had experienced the crashing/freezing issues some times, so I attribute it to the apps I have used to access the MicroSD memory and the USB-Port, such as ES File Explorer.
I Forgot to mention that if you Power Up your FireTV2 with the two memories, one MicroSD-Card and one USB-Flash-Drive, then the FireTV always recognizes both memories without problems, so this problem occurs only if you inserted a USB Flash Drive with a FireTV2 unit that is already powered ON.
The question still remains. Are we not able to install apps directly to USB storage on the Fire TV?
While on the Original FireTV 1st Gen., that only have one USB Port, can use this port to connect a USB Drive to move the installed APPs.
The FireTV 2nd Gen. can use both USB Drives and also MicroSD Cards, however you can move the installed APPs onto the MicroSD Card ONLY.
Damn! That needs to be changed ASAP. Guess I'll be waiting for a easier root method before inacting my OUYA to Fire TV migration.
lightykd said:
Damn! That needs to be changed ASAP. Guess I'll be waiting for a easier root method before inacting my OUYA to Fire TV migration.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I finally got a Fire TV 2. This really is kinda ridiculous that you can still only move the app not the data to the sdcard on the new Fire TV. Have'nt tried a USB drive yet but tried to install a few games to the sdcard Asphalt 8 being one...and out of 1.5 gigs of data it moved like 60mb to the sdcard... to me this almost makes the Fire TV 2 not worth upgrading from the Fire TV 1st gen. I have not spent very much time with the new Fire TV but I really have not noticed much of a difference other than Alexa.
What I find ridiculous is the Fat32 requirements for stuff like external hard drives. No > 4GB files? That's just stupid.
Has anyone found a way to get around this without rooting?
That is really bad, thanks for noting this. I have the same problem with my AFTV1 - Asphalt is installed and I'm not able to move it to USB. I was hoping the AFTV2 could overcome this issue.... Does it mean the AFTV2 handles the microSd card the same way AFTV1 was handling the USB storage - no progress at all?
uzi74 said:
That is really bad, thanks for noting this. I have the same problem with my AFTV1 - Asphalt is installed and I'm not able to move it to USB. I was hoping the AFTV2 could overcome this issue.... Does it mean the AFTV2 handles the microSd card the same way AFTV1 was handling the USB storage - no progress at all?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hope someone knows something I don't but from what I have seen it's the same way the USB drive is handled. It will move the app but not the data. It seems on some games if the data is small enough it will move some of it. The fact that Amazon removed an Optical Audio port to add an sdcard slot that does the same thing the USB port does just seems really stupid to me. 128 gig sdcard that you can't even install games to. What was the point of that. All this powerful hardware, 4k video, 128 gig sdcard, usb port and you can still basically only install apps and games up to the limit of your internal storage....I really didn't want to root my AFTV2, but it seems a waste not too. Sorry for the rant but this just really puzzles me. Hope someone has something to share to prove me wrong on this.
Hopefully Amazon will release an OS update based on M in the not too distant future... That should resolve the storage issues. Knowing Amazon, it could be a while.
skeptic_always said:
Hopefully Amazon will release an OS update based on M in the not too distant future... That should resolve the storage issues. Knowing Amazon, it could be a while.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I'll be damned if I have to wait a whole year for this update. This is stupid on Amazon's behalf.
skeptic_always said:
Hopefully Amazon will release an OS update based on M in the not too distant future... That should resolve the storage issues. Knowing Amazon, it could be a while.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought M removed micro SD support from stock android to prevent further lawsuits/royalty payments to Microsoft and devices running M would only support it if the hardware vendors added it back in themselves.
Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk
lightykd said:
Well, I'll be damned if I have to wait a whole year for this update. This is stupid on Amazon's behalf.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only solution for me(without rooting at least) is keeping my old firetv along with the new AFTV2 until it is sorted out. There is more or less enough storage for two bigger not usb-friendly titles per box...
Hello there peeps!
Im thinking of getting rid of my old laptop as my torrentbox/Kodi and fileserver. Its noisy, draws lots of power and it can barely handle 1080p HEVC movies. So Im really longing to buy a Nvidia Shield TV 16GB
Im thinking of buying the 16GB version, putting a 128GB micro-sd card in it and use a powered usb3.0 HUB to connect my current 3 external HDDs to it.
My plans is to let the 128GB micro-sd card act as the torrent partition and storage for the games and apps. When the apps are finished Im moving the stuff to the three external NTFS HDDs and store it on them. All this would be nice to be able to manage with my Android phone. Im thinking that it might be hard on the unit to handle torrents at the same time we watch movies or play games. Is there an app to paus the torrents if the rest needs more resources, or make some kind of script?
Will all this work? Ive read that the Shield TV cant handle more than two external USBs thanks to the limitatons of Android but this can be fixed by rooting it. Is it correct?
You need to get a SMB server app working on it. Google: Funkyfresh Samba
uTorrent has an Android version.
I think Android can handle more than two ext HDD's. My sister has 4-5 HDD's connected to her AFTV, same with my cousin. Try StickMount.
I don't know but I think it's going to be hard to do what you want. I'd buy an Asus ChromeBox, put Win10 on it and use that for Kodi MySQL server, torrent, media, etc.
Ive been curious about this, when you say your sister had 4-5 HDDs connected to AFTV, im assuming she has them connected via some sort of usb hub?
I wouldn't use an SD card for long-term torrenting as they're not very good at handling frequent writing.
hobs0n said:
Hello there peeps!
Im thinking of getting rid of my old laptop as my torrentbox/Kodi and fileserver. Its noisy, draws lots of power and it can barely handle 1080p HEVC movies. So Im really longing to buy a Nvidia Shield TV 16GB
Im thinking of buying the 16GB version, putting a 128GB micro-sd card in it and use a powered usb3.0 HUB to connect my current 3 external HDDs to it.
My plans is to let the 128GB micro-sd card act as the torrent partition and storage for the games and apps. When the apps are finished Im moving the stuff to the three external NTFS HDDs and store it on them. All this would be nice to be able to manage with my Android phone. Im thinking that it might be hard on the unit to handle torrents at the same time we watch movies or play games. Is there an app to paus the torrents if the rest needs more resources, or make some kind of script?
Will all this work? Ive read that the Shield TV cant handle more than two external USBs thanks to the limitatons of Android but this can be fixed by rooting it. Is it correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So heres my experience so far: Currently I have 1 external usb 3.0 HDD connected to my shield tv. using an android app called servers ultimate pro, I was able to create multiple file servers. The nice thing is that shield tv is already low powered, but can even go into sleep mode and still run the server (i have a feeling sleep mode just turns off the screen). with servers ultimate, you can get lots of configuration options, limiting the amount of users, ip addresses that can access, you can set up basic rules, and notifications for things like if the server stops or starts, to email, text, pop up a notification, etc. Its pretty nice.
But heres the catch: I've been searching for a solution for over a month now, but transfer rates are slow im getting 5-10MBps on average, but i know the network is capable of more. after searching, it seems to be a limitation of either android, or the protocols the app is using. Another user on here pointed out to me that the SMB protocol for instance, seems to be running SMB v1 (which is already up to like V3- or V4, which are more feature rich and capable of much faster speeds)
then theres the issue of what devices will be accessing it. So far, ive tried my android phone, my windows 10 PC, and an iphone. the android phone can see the servers just fine when configured properly, iphone didn't seem to want to work without any sort of specialized app (which honestly i didn't even try after that point), and windows 10 works, but if you want to map a network drive, your going to need the SMB protocol, and even then it took several weeks of google searching until several tweaks, registry settings, etc finally allowed windows 10 to see my server.
I don't torrent, so unfortunately can't help you on that front, but like another user pointed out, using the sd card will just wear out the amount of times it can read/write. if it does work out for your needs, why not just save directly to the external HDDs?
For the record, I was able to stream using things like kodi or another media player, but i do notice that any initial loading takes several seconds. for example, initial playback will take several seconds to load, but once the video plays, it plays smooth and doesnt stutter or pause, UNLESS i were to try fast forwarding or skipping to another section, then the video takes several seconds again. this all works for my personal needs (for now) but other users might want more demand.
hope any of this helps.
unvaluablespace said:
Ive been curious about this, when you say your sister had 4-5 HDDs connected to AFTV, im assuming she has them connected via some sort of usb hub?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, both my sister and cousin have the 10 port USB 2.0 hub from Amazon working fine on their Amazon Fire TV's.
Cool, thats good to know. I've been kind of curious about this for in the future (i don't see myself using more than 4 HDD's for whatever server setup i use) Hopefully the shield wont have an issue with this, either. Now just trying to figure out my transfer speed issue. lol
Thank you very much for the experience and help!
This certainly learned me very valuable points
what is the point of putting a server on shield tv?
can you download torrents directly to the shield (hd)?
and would plex be able to see these files?
I have personally done exactly what you are looking for with one of my shield boxes. I installed a Linux chroot on my shield tv (I ended up flashing foll android as it was easier), installed transmission-cli in there, and ran kodi on top then enabled media sharing, and put an ssh server on the machine. Works fantastically.
what does this all enable to do?
This is pretty close to my plans, minus the torrent box and fileserver.
my plan is to load up my new external drive and copy everything from my laptop and existing externals into one location (so I can eliminate duplicates) and then move it to the SHIELD TV and setup KODI so it sees all my files and use it for playback (I can always routinely plan file transfers to it manually thru the USB and computer when I need to add new content), but it would be nice to be able to access the external over the network if possible.
kdb424 said:
I have personally done exactly what you are looking for with one of my shield boxes. I installed a Linux chroot on my shield tv (I ended up flashing foll android as it was easier), installed transmission-cli in there, and ran kodi on top then enabled media sharing, and put an ssh server on the machine. Works fantastically.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Uhm so you are running some kind of Linux or what is foll Android?
unvaluablespace said:
So heres my experience so far: Currently I have 1 external usb 3.0 HDD connected to my shield tv. using an android app called servers ultimate pro, I was able to create multiple file servers. The nice thing is that shield tv is already low powered, but can even go into sleep mode and still run the server (i have a feeling sleep mode just turns off the screen). with servers ultimate, you can get lots of configuration options, limiting the amount of users, ip addresses that can access, you can set up basic rules, and notifications for things like if the server stops or starts, to email, text, pop up a notification, etc. Its pretty nice.
But heres the catch: I've been searching for a solution for over a month now, but transfer rates are slow im getting 5-10MBps on average, but i know the network is capable of more. after searching, it seems to be a limitation of either android, or the protocols the app is using. Another user on here pointed out to me that the SMB protocol for instance, seems to be running SMB v1 (which is already up to like V3- or V4, which are more feature rich and capable of much faster speeds)
then theres the issue of what devices will be accessing it. So far, ive tried my android phone, my windows 10 PC, and an iphone. the android phone can see the servers just fine when configured properly, iphone didn't seem to want to work without any sort of specialized app (which honestly i didn't even try after that point), and windows 10 works, but if you want to map a network drive, your going to need the SMB protocol, and even then it took several weeks of google searching until several tweaks, registry settings, etc finally allowed windows 10 to see my server.
I don't torrent, so unfortunately can't help you on that front, but like another user pointed out, using the sd card will just wear out the amount of times it can read/write. if it does work out for your needs, why not just save directly to the external HDDs?
For the record, I was able to stream using things like kodi or another media player, but i do notice that any initial loading takes several seconds. for example, initial playback will take several seconds to load, but once the video plays, it plays smooth and doesnt stutter or pause, UNLESS i were to try fast forwarding or skipping to another section, then the video takes several seconds again. this all works for my personal needs (for now) but other users might want more demand.
hope any of this helps.
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Click to collapse
Thanks for the all the valuable info!
Using the Shield TV as a torrentbox/fileserver/NAS is only temporary until I can afford a real NAS, or preferably get a mini Linux box running as a VPN server and router but that's in the future, in fact Shield tv is also in the future since I can't afford it now =)
But back to your comments, I checked out Ultimate Pro and it seems it's dead but maybe some of its servers works good Regarding SMB I'm thinking of getting another app for SMB sharing.
Another thing I'm wondering is the multitasking abilities of the Shield TV, sure it's by far the most powerful Android TV box but how can it handle torrenting, SMB sharing, running Kodi at the same time? Or do you have to manually manage it? Or get some apps that let you set up certain priorities? And will it be able to game on the Shield while Kodi/SMB/torrents running in the background?
hobs0n said:
Thanks for the all the valuable info!
Using the Shield TV as a torrentbox/fileserver/NAS is only temporary until I can afford a real NAS, or preferably get a mini Linux box running as a VPN server and router but that's in the future, in fact Shield tv is also in the future since I can't afford it now =)
But back to your comments, I checked out Ultimate Pro and it seems it's dead but maybe some of its servers works good Regarding SMB I'm thinking of getting another app for SMB sharing.
Another thing I'm wondering is the multitasking abilities of the Shield TV, sure it's by far the most powerful Android TV box but how can it handle torrenting, SMB sharing, running Kodi at the same time? Or do you have to manually manage it? Or get some apps that let you set up certain priorities? And will it be able to game on the Shield while Kodi/SMB/torrents running in the background?
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Click to collapse
I don't torrent, so unfortunately I can't help you there, but I have tried using my file server in multiple ways: file transfers & streaming video, while running another app, even streaming games. Here are a few examples of things i've tried:
file transferring a big file to my pc, while gamestreaming on the nvidia shield tv at the same time (worked great. I saw no issues during this time)
file transferring a big file to my pc, while running a local app such as netflix, emulators, youtube, (as you can see i tried both maximizing bandwidth, while even testing lag with cpu intensive tasks. again, worked great)
streaming a 1080p movie from the shield tv, to my pc, while gamestreaming from the same pc, back to the shield tv (seemed to work fine. honestly didnt test this for extended period.)
streaming a 1080p movie from the shield tv to my pc, while running local apps on shield tv such as netflix, emulators, youtube, etc (once again, seemed to work fine)
So as you can see, the shield tv seemed to handle everything i threw at it rather well. i even tried multiple apps for multitasking on the shield and i just honestly did not see any performance hints with the media server, aside from anything youd normally expect on the shield tv. keep in mind i am running on a gigabit ethernet network, wired on both ends, from the shield tv to the router, and router to the pc.
my only issue with it all is as mentioned before: transfer speeds are just barely fast enough, even though i know my network and the device is capable of much faster speeds, but the cpu and ram on the shield tv seemed to handle everything i tried rather well.
as for your comment about trying other smb apps, ive gone through several, and the ones i was able to manage to get working, all ended up with the same speeds as with ultimate servers pro. :\ If you can find something that gives you faster speeds, i would love to hear about it so i can try it. i tried ftp server, smb server, webdav server, etc and all seem to max out at about the same speed.
Thanks for your reply!
It really seems the Shield is awesome and powerful to handle multitasking! I'm longing to get my own!
Crappy about the SMB speeds, let's find solutions to that problems
Hm I havent found any real data on the speed between a computer and an Android device when it comes to SMB...
When I transfer between my old gaming laptop from the external usb2.0 HDDs to my Xperia Z3, I get between 700KB/s to 1100KB/s.
The laptop is connected with Ethernet cable to the Netgear CG3799 router and the Z3 is connected with full connection on 802.11N 5Ghz. Altho the laptop is pretty sweaty atm, its converting old DVDs to HEVC and downloading around 15 torrents
Ill compare speeds later when the laptop isnt as busy
What kind of speeds do you peeps get when transfering between Android devices other devices?
Which Samba app are you using?
Hey folks,
I'm trying the same now. Had an Odroid XU4 as file and MySQL Server and try to replace it for an all in one Shield TV Solution.
I'm running a rooted Shield with SambaDroid for the SMB Share which works fine. And KSWEB Server for MySQL and ftp.
Sometimes it seems like the apps are closing in the background, I don't know why, seems to be a android multitadking problem to free up RAM.
But my biggest problem is the transfer speeds. No matter what protocoll (smb/ftp) I'm not getting more then 8 MB/s read out of the box. I tried to read from internal memory, sdcard and my external HDD. All came out with the same speed connected over GBit LAN to my PC.
Write side it much faster with 20 MB/s what I do not really understand but you need root to write to external memory like sdcard or usb.
So far it works, but it is less then optimal compared to my Ordoid XU4 what did 80MB/s but has no HDMI 2.0 output :/
Maybe Android 6.0 brings more speed for the network because It has to be bottlenecked somewhere in the OS, FTP and SMB showing the same speeds.
What's funny is I was actually doing the reverse of what you're doing. I got my Shield as an Android media center device since my Odroid U2 never seemed up to my standards with Kodi. When HardKernel came out with the XU4 I scooped it up and made it my webserver, after seeing an Android TV rom out for it, I flashed it and now Kodi's UI will lag like crazy after about a half hour of usage.
Sent from my Pixel C using Tapatalk
Hello All.
I'm new to the forum and I've been messing around with my MOJO for about a week now since I received it in the mail. I have been plagued with a couple issues, but the experience has been overall positive. I updated the firmware and rooted it using Mad Catz's tutorial. And recently I noticed the new OS upgrade by Unjustified Dev. I haven't decided whether I want to move forward with it yet, because it does void the warranty after all.
I downloaded a boatload of apps and games to play around with. So far no issues until 2 days ago when the MOJO started freezing. It would sometimes get stuck and then eventually respond, but other times it would freeze entirely. It froze 3 times yesterday and 2 times today before I gave up with it. Not sure what to do. Should I upgrade to the new unofficial OS, or should I just return the MOJO?
I also made a quick review of the MOJO a couple days ago before the freezing began happening. See it at /watch?v=MjALrGzpQ4A
The video shows the PSX to USB adapter I tested with much success! As well as a webcam that works with video AND microphone audio. I just can't figure out how to get it to work with Skype and Messenger, as if it were a built-in camera like any other smartphone.
I had constant freezes too using the official software. I upgraded to CyanogenMod 12.1 and it has never frozen since.
Edit: I moved this post over to the CM12.1 thead instead because it was more relevant.
UPDATE: I upgraded to CM12.1 by Unjustified Dev and it works great. Unfortunately I had some trouble getting it to work in the beginning but it seems to function perfect now. It still works with the PSX to USB adapter, but I have yet to try it with a webcam.
Hi all,
I've only had my MOJO for a week or two at this point, but I wanted to throw my two cents in since I had the freezing and didn't end up updating to one of unjustified's roms yet (although I did root with towelroot).
I noticed the freezing occasionally when I had the MOJO multitasking quite a bit.
Restarting the MOJO once a day or so seems to have kept the freezing at bay. I have limitless remote service installed so I can control the MOJO with my phone to save controller battery, so I just use that to restart the thing if I remember or if I feel like it needs it. Being an "always on device" I'm not sure if the caches being cleared etc. is what the issue was, but since I've been restarting the MOJO on a regular basis (much the way I do with my phone) it hasn't really been an issue.
Sent from my C6730 using Tapatalk
krikit said:
Hi all,
I've only had my MOJO for a week or two at this point, but I wanted to throw my two cents in since I had the freezing and didn't end up updating to one of unjustified's roms yet (although I did root with towelroot).
I noticed the freezing occasionally when I had the MOJO multitasking quite a bit.
Restarting the MOJO once a day or so seems to have kept the freezing at bay. I have limitless remote service installed so I can control the MOJO with my phone to save controller battery, so I just use that to restart the thing if I remember or if I feel like it needs it. Being an "always on device" I'm not sure if the caches being cleared etc. is what the issue was, but since I've been restarting the MOJO on a regular basis (much the way I do with my phone) it hasn't really been an issue.
Sent from my C6730 using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
The freezing only started for me about the same time (after 2 weeks from purchase). But after upgrading to CM12, I can confidently say that it is far superior to the Mad Catz stock version of Android, and its totally reversible. If you need any further assistance on how to get it installed, I can help. However, I didn't do the towelroot way, I used USB-USB.
I actually didn't even know that Remix 2.0 was a thing. And now that I know, I may try installing it on my old Dell netbook. Windows Starter ran like crap, but Ubuntu worked better. I can only hope that Remix 2.0 will run even more smoothly.
TwistyTravster said:
I also made a quick review of the MOJO a couple days ago before the freezing began happening. See it at /watch?v=MjALrGzpQ4A
The video shows the PSX to USB adapter I tested with much success! As well as a webcam that works with video AND microphone audio. I just can't figure out how to get it to work with Skype and Messenger, as if it were a built-in camera like any other smartphone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, thanks for talking about the peripherals here and in your video. I went ahead and got the playstation to usb adapter. I just need to keymap the dual-shock 2's, and 4-player games can be a thing without having to buy more controllers.
Another side-note: I believe you were speculating in your video about if an optical drive would work with the MOJO? I tested mine out (LG GP50NB40) , but couldn't get it to work with or without extra external power. I did find out that Samsung makes one specifically meant to mount on Android devices that's supposed to work on the Nvidia Shield, so I imagine that one works.
krikit said:
Hey, thanks for talking about the peripherals here and in your video. I went ahead and got the playstation to usb adapter. I just need to keymap the dual-shock 2's, and 4-player games can be a thing without having to buy more controllers.
Another side-note: I believe you were speculating in your video about if an optical drive would work with the MOJO? I tested mine out (LG GP50NB40) , but couldn't get it to work with or without extra external power. I did find out that Samsung makes one specifically meant to mount on Android devices that's supposed to work on the Nvidia Shield, so I imagine that one works.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I saw, somewhere on the TransformerForums, a post about that--some optical drives can be set to work with Android. (Asus Transformers, at least the older ones, are Tegra-powered Droids). If I get time I'll try to find the post, not right now for sure. Google is a good friend of mine...
krikit said:
Hey, thanks for talking about the peripherals here and in your video. I went ahead and got the playstation to usb adapter. I just need to keymap the dual-shock 2's, and 4-player games can be a thing without having to buy more controllers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I was extremely surprised that the PSX to USB adapter worked so perfectly. I do wonder if you could get 2 of them and connect them to powered USB hub and get all 4 wired controllers to be registered.
FYI, I found out recently that you can actually stream ROM files through ES File Explorer using any of Robert Broglia's emulators on a DLNA/uPnP server, which is AWESOME! That means you could have multiple Android devices streaming games to multiple emulators all from one place, without needing to be directly connected.
krikit said:
Another side-note: I believe you were speculating in your video about if an optical drive would work with the MOJO? I tested mine out (LG GP50NB40) , but couldn't get it to work with or without extra external power. I did find out that Samsung makes one specifically meant to mount on Android devices that's supposed to work on the Nvidia Shield, so I imagine that one works.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is the video I saw regarding the external optical drive: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvoyab75QgQ
It may be a FAT32 format issue.
What I found on transformerforums.com was a link:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2402880
I checked Amazon, it's available in black or white, a bit over US$100.
kevinthefixer said:
What I found on transformerforums.com was a link:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2402880
I checked Amazon, it's available in black or white, a bit over US$100.
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Click to collapse
Thanks for posting this, that's a good find. I guess it's just a question of if a person's needs justify paying a bit more for a bluray drive that won't let them watch bluray's on the MOJO legally. Even if that's not a consideration, it's a clear case of proprietary garbage rearing it's self-eating head again. I digress.
It almost seems just a matter of time before Google builds this into a future version of Android (unless physical media sales continue to be replaced by digital).
Here's the Samsung DVD drive demo'd on the Shield TV that I was mentioning above: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnwynmT8GVI
Apparently, Samsung has been quick to make Android compatible optical drives to enhance their Galaxy brand: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2406001,00.asp
krikit said:
Thanks for posting this, that's a good find. I guess it's just a question of if a person's needs justify paying a bit more for a bluray drive that won't let them watch bluray's on the MOJO legally. Even if that's not a consideration, it's a clear case of proprietary garbage rearing it's self-eating head again. I digress.
It almost seems just a matter of time before Google builds this into a future version of Android (unless physical media sales continue to be replaced by digital).
Here's the Samsung DVD drive demo'd on the Shield TV that I was mentioning above: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnwynmT8GVI
Apparently, Samsung has been quick to make Android compatible optical drives to enhance their Galaxy brand: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2406001,00.asp
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Click to collapse
I'm thinking the question is why Google hasn't added the few necessary drivers & codecs to Android to support optical drives natively--maybe just to support Samsung's market corner? Or simply not enough interest? It's not a big deal for me, I'd as soon rip a dvd and watch the resulting mp4, store the source dvd for backup purposes. But that's not quite so easy for Windows users, they must pay for an effective dvd ripper, while Linux has several open-source ones. I like Handbrake.
krikit said:
Thanks for posting this, that's a good find. I guess it's just a question of if a person's needs justify paying a bit more for a bluray drive that won't let them watch bluray's on the MOJO legally. Even if that's not a consideration, it's a clear case of proprietary garbage rearing it's self-eating head again. I digress.
It almost seems just a matter of time before Google builds this into a future version of Android (unless physical media sales continue to be replaced by digital).
Here's the Samsung DVD drive demo'd on the Shield TV that I was mentioning above: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnwynmT8GVI
Apparently, Samsung has been quick to make Android compatible optical drives to enhance their Galaxy brand: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2406001,00.asp
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was gonna start a new thread to post about this but I searched DVD and this active thread will do as well as any, I suppose. Hopefully this interests someone!
Earlier today I figured out how to watch encrypted (DRM) retail DVD movies by sharing my PC's DVD drive on my SMB network. My PC is wired via ethernet but the MOJO is fully wifi. The same trick should work for a lot of Blu-Ray and all HD-DVD discs.
First off, I tried just sharing the optical drive on the network. Sorta worked, I could view the files but I couldn't play the movie. So I did a bit more research and figured out that Android doesn't have anything to decrypt your DVD's DRM (as some of you have noted) so I went back to the drawing board. Eventually I came across a Windows program called AnyDVD HD that decrypts DVDs, Blu-Rays, and HD-DVDs on the fly, seconds after you pop them into the drive. I downloaded and installed version 7.3.0.0 from a certain torrent site, you know the one. Don't worry, AnyDVD is no longer in business because they weren't allowed to be making the program in the first place, so you couldn't buy the program if you tried. Installed and patched AnyDVD HD, popped in my retail Scarface anniversary edition DVD and voila! Starts up and plays in seconds via Kodi. Even gets rid of those pesky trailers and FBI warnings. Like I said, this should work with most if not all DVDs and HD-DVDs. Blu-Rays are a little more hit or miss because as I understand it, with each new release they tweak the DRM a bit making it hard for programs like this to keep up.
It might not be as streamlined as having an external plugged directly into it, but for as often as I watch physical media I don't mind walking 20 ft over to my PC and popping the disc in the drive. Hopefully this is useful to everyone! If anyone has questions, feel free to ask!
EDIT: I'm thinking about maybe starting a YouTube channel for MOJO/possibly just general Android Box discoveries, and tips and tricks I've learned. Is this interesting to anyone/would anyone want to contribute?
tideee88 said:
...
Earlier today I figured out how to watch encrypted (DRM) retail DVD movies by sharing my PC's DVD drive on my SMB network. My PC is wired via ethernet but the MOJO is fully wifi. The same trick should work for a lot of Blu-Ray and all HD-DVD discs.
...
EDIT: I'm thinking about maybe starting a YouTube channel for MOJO/possibly just general Android Box discoveries, and tips and tricks I've learned. Is this interesting to anyone/would anyone want to contribute?
Click to expand...
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Excellent work! If I thought I got surprised finding out about streaming shared ROM files, through ES File Explorer, directly to any of Robert Broglia's emulators. That totally blows my mind. But streaming DVD's wirelessly from one device to another? LOL Hot damn.
Technology... you scare me sometimes.
Brand new, unopened box with all the accessories.
Got Kodi w/repos installed, and it works great. I had a Tronsmart RK3368 and it had nothing but problems with Kodi video streams dropping out (oddly the audio didn't), but the MOJO is solid, no drops at all.
Good deal for $65 ($35 less then the Tronsmart turd which is going back).
Now what next to do with the MOJO? I basically just want to do video streaming from Kodi and play some games, leave it alone, or ?
Thanks!
Received my Woot order also. Turned on USB Debug, set to install from unknown sources. Haven't rooted it yet. So far I have installed ES File Explorer, Plex, Kodi from Play store and sideloaded Contour 2 (Cox cable streaming). All work perfectly streaming over my 5G wifi connection. I haven't attached local storage to check it yet.
Started FTP server and connected with WinSCP from PC to transfer apps/data. ES File Explorer connection to other Android devices for sending/receiving apps, data, etc. So far everything has worked without any problems.
I run Plex Server for my home media and have Nexus Player, WMC on Windows 10 with Hauppauge DCR 2650 w/cablecard, RPI 2 running OpenElec on my TVs. So far, MOJO seems to match or exceed capabilities of the other devices. Since I can run the Cox Contour apk on the MOJO and the Nexus Player(s) I can eliminate the need for cable boxes, saving $15/month. I record with WMC, but only playback on the same device due to protected content restriction. I'll probably take the RPI 2 out of the equation, since they can't stream my cable feed. They make good toys for other projects.
No gaming yet, but that's not really what I'm interested in. Media streaming is the main purpose and it fulfills the requirements. UI could be better. I kind of like Android TV, but there are limitations which require workarounds that make it kludgy when dealing with non Android TV apps.
We mainly picked this up for a streamer, but I'd like to get some games going so I guess the best thing to do is root it and install Remix OS 2.0, looks a bit involved, but doable.
bsevern said:
We mainly picked this up for a streamer, but I'd like to get some games going so I guess the best thing to do is root it and install Remix OS 2.0, looks a bit involved, but doable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rooting is easy. You can use the towelroot way, or the USB way.
I prefer the USB way, because you can make mistakes and it wont cause any headaches The MOJO is nearly impossible to brick because it has a fastboot. All you have to do is download the files in the right locations, and enter the commands correctly. If you have any questions or run into any issues, feel free to ask for help.
TwistyTravster said:
Rooting is easy. You can use the towelroot way, or the USB way.
I prefer the USB way, because you can make mistakes and it wont cause any headaches The MOJO is nearly impossible to brick because it has a fastboot. All you have to do is download the files in the right locations, and enter the commands correctly. If you have any questions or run into any issues, feel free to ask for help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd be very surprised if KingoRoot didn't work on the stock JB ROM, also. But it's hard to beat the security of flashing SuperSU. And on any Droid, ASAP USE TWRP TO DO A COMPLETE "NANDROID" BACKUP. You don't even have to install the custom recovery; just fastboot boot to it and do a backup. From then on you have some very good insurance and all it cost you was an hour or two. You will have to boot into TWRP to flash SuperSU anyway.
Kingroot 4.8 was what I used to root and it was very simple to do. Used Flashify to install the TWRP recovery and in recovery I wiped the Stock, installed the RemoxOS and SuperSu beta 2.67.