[Q] Best video options on the A7? - A7 Themes and Apps

I am new to Android & would really like to us my A7 to access both online hosted Streaming Video (movies & TV shows) as well as host my DVDs on my internal network.
I had hoped to use Netflix but research on the web indicates that isn't a go on Android without newer, possibly embedded hardward based, DRM solutions. I did see a post about Amazon and RockPlayer but not really much else to go on.
Can people reply and indicate what are the best Streaming Video sites (& client being used to access those sites) for the A7? If you need to use one for movies & one for TV shows please list multiple...
Can people also reply with more insight on how they are hosting & consuming their own DVD collections? Specifically I would like to know:
What did they use to rip their DVDs?
Where do they host them (off a PC? a NAS?, etc)?
What client do they use on the Android A7 to access them?
What protocol (NFS?,CIFS?,SFTP?,etc) does the A7 use to access their DVDs?
For reference I have multiple options available to me at home inclucing RedHat Enterprise Linux & a few other flavors, Win 7, Win XP, and a central NAS device.

tv shows
for tv shows I like (tv shows stream) from the market

Playon seems to work well for me and it will let you stream Netflix and other sites kinda expensive 5amonth or 80 for a lifetime.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA Premium App

When I get back from Spring Break I want to try Playon. I don't like the idea of another subscription but it seems really flexible. It might also allow me to watch Hulu through my bluray player (which stopped supporting it) so that is a big plus... Being able to centralize all of that to a central computer and shoot it to my TV, laptop, and Android A7 would be great.

The Netflix.apk is available as beta for Android. I installed on my A7 and can manage my account, queue and search. When I launch a live stream of instant movies it says can not connect to Netflix servers please try again.

My research is that they won't allow netflix to natively run on Android without some Digital Rights Management (DRM) capabilities (currently too open) built into. Some Android device makers may be releasing some newer models that allow for this and the native netflix should work for them but maybe never for us if it is a hardware based implementation...
That being said, the Netflix over playon seems to be working OK for me as I went ahead and set it up before traveling for Spring Break... Both Netfilx & hulu worked fine on my home LAN and was working OK on my hotel WIFI for a few hours but isn't for some reason right now.
I need to replace my home router so that I can take the current router with me as it turns my 3g/4g USB device into a personal portable WiFi (kinda like a geeky MIFI). Currently that router uses both my DSL & USB cellular data card together at home and I didn't have time to do that before I left and if I took it with me my home would have been down and I wouldn't be able to serve playon from home while traveling...

Tv.com also works well on these devices
Sent from my PC36100

Related

[GUIDE] How to use DLNA

OK Peeps,
Someone in Coolexe’s rom thread asked me what DLNA was and how to use it. As I couldn’t point them straight to a guide I thought I’d better write one. Plus I’m sure some of you don’t even know what it is!
From Wikipedia:
DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) is a standard used by manufacturers of consumer electronics to allow entertainment devices within the home to share their content with each other across a home network.
So what can I use my Desire for in the world of DLNA?
1. Stream movies you have stored on your phone wirelessly to a DLNA compatible TV/device
2. Stream music you have stored on your phone wirelessly to a DLNA compatible TV/device
3. Show pictures you’ve taken on your phone wirelessly to a DLNA compatible TV/device
4. Stream movies/music/pictures wirelessly from a DLNA compatible device to you phone
Before I go into details about using DLNA I’ll give you a quick overview of what kit I’ve got that makes it all possible. Firstly, I’ve got a Synology NAS which is DLNA compatible (other brands exist!) and stores all my media files. Secondly I’ve got a Windows Media Centre 7 PC hooked up to my main TV. And thirdly a HTC Desire, this must be running a Gingerbread rom with Sense. I mostly use Robo’s roms which have been working a treat but have been trying out some others recently but with mixed results, hopefully we can get these issues ironed out though.
So to be able to send media to my TV the first thing I need to do is turn on media streaming in Media Player. Hit the Stream button and choose Turn On Media Streaming. The default settings are fine so you can keep them. Next hit the Stream button again and choose Allow Remote Control Of My Player. Now you need to grab you Desire, make sure it’s connected to you WLAN and from the Apps menu click on Connected Media and choose the type of media you want to send. You should then be prompted to select the player, choose the player you’ve just setup in Windows. If you’re not prompted there’s a little button in the bottom right, just above the full volume icon, click it. Bingo, your chosen media will then be streamed to the computer and in my case the TV that’s connected to it.
Next up the more exciting bit, and the bit I use the most, streaming from my NAS to my Desire. Different NAS boxes will have different ways to enable DLNA but on my Synology it was just a matter of clicking on the box that turns that feature on and storing media in the shares it created. On your phone in the Apps menu choose the Video app. Click the button in the bottom left, the one with 3 parallel lines, you should end up at the Albums menu. Scroll along the strip at the bottom to Connected Media where it should search you network a DLAN devices. Select the device you want to stream from and you’ll be present with the DLNA folders on you NAS. Drill in through the folders to the movie or music you want played on your Desire, kick back and enjoy!
Over the weekend I’ll try and get some screen shots added, pictures say a millions words, and see if I can reword the guide to make it simpler to follow. Just wanted to get something up quick to help a fellow member out.
Reserved reserved
nicely explaned, thanks for the tuto,
i've just checked my tv, i think i might need an RS lead or something to connect it to my laptop, problem is tv is too far from where the lapy is, but i got another solution , my satellite box (spiderbox) can be setup as a home stream server,did it from this guide http://cccam-exchange.com/viewtopic.php?f=211&t=509 it has got that feature cos i've set it up and connected already to an external server to watch the europeen leagues footie it's plugged to BT Hub, i think all i need is a wifi bridge to the sat box to save me putting the laptop by the tv, as i'm using it,don't want a long lead,gets in the way , i'll do bit of reading on that, to set it up and see when get time.
however i did plug the phone to sat box via usb (mounted), (satbox is PVR ready) , accesed the whole sd card content.using the satbox remote ,never knew that before till when this DLNA subject popped up, opened up a new feature for me.
cheers.
What ROM are you using to do this? as the video's app is not on my MIUI version?
voodooboy3000 said:
What ROM are you using to do this? as the video's app is not on my MIUI version?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Robos latest test rom. Its got to be running gingerbread and sense.
Sent from my HTC Desire
Video resolution is low. And i guess VLC stream & convert is more suited to me. So i'll mainly use this for audio. Thanks for the solution. Easiest method that I found to stream music from my computer to my phone.

GoFlex Satellite Wireless Hard Drive

This is something I need to look into.
A 500gb, battery powered, portable hdd with built in wifi. Plus it can also stream media.
Naturally I could choose to use my pc at home as a remote server, but it would have to remain powered on, takes time to setup ports, access rights & streaming can really lag.
Drawback for now at least, you can't reverse transfer files back to the hard drive via its built in wifi. Not a deal breaker if you ask me.
The GoFlex Satellite Wi-Fi connection can be protected with a password & WPA-level security.
It is capable of streaming in HD, up to 10Megabits per second data rate, but some devices may not support High Definition formatted videos.
And in case you're wondering:
Can I play files from my GoFlex Satellite to my Android phone or tablet?
Yes, files can be played back via the Wi-Fi capability. Videos in the formats that are compatible with the Android device can be played back using the default browser (Webkit). Unsupported video formats can be played back using third-party media players. If all your videos just download rather than play, try installing a more robust media player app. The Seagate app can be found on the Android Market.
A 500gb drive can be had on Amazon for about $173.
Any opinions or experiences with this device?
http://www.viddler.com/explore/GetConnectedTV/videos/297/
I have two that I mainly use with my iPad. The Seagate software isn't the best but they are working on it. I am a beta tester and they're starting to focus more on Android so that's good but if you're looking to stream video, there are a few DLNA players out there that are better at it. You can also hack the drives with custom firmware too.
Agreed about Seagate, and good to know that they are working on it.
If this is something you're interested in and you're ready to buy today there's a promo code available at Newegg that reduces this to $129.99 (code expires 1/8/12).
Newegg price: $173.99
promo code: -$44.00
Net price: $129.99
Promo code is STX44US and the direct link to Newegg is here:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148755
$129.99 is a good deal, I got mine at Best Buy for $180. They stream to anything that can access wifi. I used one of them to stream to my friends TV to watch a marathon of the old Twilight Zone episodes on New Years day. The drive lasted just under 6 hours before needing to be charged.
Magicspell said:
If this is something you're interested in and you're ready to buy today there's a promo code available at Newegg that reduces this to $129.99 (code expires 1/8/12).
Newegg price: $173.99
promo code: -$44.00
Net price: $129.99
Promo code is STX44US and the direct link to Newegg is here:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148755
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank-you much. Just ordered one. I've been browsing several forums & by far the biggest complaint is the front end user UI. As long as I can get it to play vids out the box with no problems then I'll be okay.
A site you might want to check out when you get your drive:
http://www.hackseagatesatellite.com
It's not for everyone but it can be useful and the people there are pretty responsive.
I have tried the seagatein the past not the battery powered one but the regular NAS device. I found it to be very slow to upload or download form. I switched over to the WD mybook live. And I am not trying to flame or start some crap just giving my experience it did work but was slow. I also ran into issues with my Blueray not being able to read some content. This may have been the blue rays problem but I havn't seen as many issues with the WD. However all that having been said WD not have a bettery or wfi enabled device I am aware of it has an ethernet port that you connect straight to your router.
arsmithsr said:
I have tried the seagatein the past not the battery powered one but the regular NAS device. I found it to be very slow to upload or download form. I switched over to the WD mybook live. And I am not trying to flame or start some crap just giving my experience it did work but was slow. I also ran into issues with my Blueray not being able to read some content. This may have been the blue rays problem but I havn't seen as many issues with the WD. However all that having been said WD not have a bettery or wfi enabled device I am aware of it has an ethernet port that you connect straight to your router.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Appreciate the input. The only other portable wifi drive out there that I know of is the Kingston Wi-Drive. From the plus side this device has an SSD & the UI is much better. The downside is that it only comes in 16gb & 32gb capacities.
I'll keep y'all (I'm from Texas ) posted on how it turns out.
Crap! Any chance of a new coupon? I would have bought it for that price !
OK, I just paid the premium and bought one at Best Buy when I was in the city today. I also paid for the hack posted above. It's charging tonight and I'm going to start messing with it tomorrow. I'll post updates as I go along.
Perfect: The Wi-Fi HDD + Seagate Media app. + MX Player works as expected on my E4GT.
However on my Win 7 tablet (ExoPc) I can only play videos within a browser (Opera) as no such Seagate Media UI app exists for Windows. The problem with watching a video within a web browser is lack of media controls (vol +/-, play, pause, stop etc. etc.)
If anyone with this device knows how to get it to open up within a 3rd party media player on Win 7 after selecting the video within the web UI can you please share how it's done.
subcypher said:
OK, I just paid the premium and bought one at Best Buy when I was in the city today. I also paid for the hack posted above. It's charging tonight and I'm going to start messing with it tomorrow. I'll post updates as I go along.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought about purchasing the hack myself, but wanted to test the device out first to see if I actually want to hold onto it or return it.
I can say that while watching a movie, its dropped its connection 3x & restarted the video accordingly from the beginning.
I had to fst fwd>> to the previous spot I left off at. No big deal as of yet, but if it keeps doing it then returning it will be more likely.
I'll stay updated with your replies & see if the hack omits some of the inherent problems I'm having. If so then I'll invest in the hack.
EL TEJANO said:
Perfect: The Wi-Fi HDD + Seagate Media app. + MX Player works as expected on my E4GT.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had the same experience though I wish the Seagate app would allow you to choose which media player to use to play the media. I've actually found I prefer the media player used when using the phone's browser over the player invoked with the Seagate app...
EL TEJANO said:
However on my Win 7 tablet (ExoPc) I can only play videos within a browser (Opera) as no such Seagate Media UI app exists for Windows. The problem with watching a video within a web browser is lack of media controls (vol +/-, play, pause, stop etc. etc.)
If anyone with this device knows how to get it to open up within a 3rd party media player on Win 7 after selecting the video within the web UI can you please share how it's done.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't tried with my tablet yet, but I did try with my Win 7 laptop. The experience was a bit more frustrating to start. When I accessed the Seagate Go Flex (via IE or Firefox) it appeared to only directly play certain media files (for example it played .mp4 files but wouldn't directly play .m2ts files). I tried associating .m2ts files with WMP as well as VLC but in either case when I selected that file rather than it starting to play it would start to download the file to my laptop.
I then simply renamed the .m2ts extension to .mp4 (didn't recode the contents) and then when I selected the file it played directly in WMP. If I tried to change the player associated with .mp4 files (to VLC, for example) then the file would not directly play but again began to download. Changing the .mp4 association back to WMP did allow the media to play directly when selected through the browser interface.
Overall, I think I can live with these limitations though maybe the hack noted earlier will allow me more flexibility. I'll have to research that part.
Well at first the MX Player was working fine on my phone, then I noticed that the streaming videos would stop & then start from the beginning in a continous loop. WTH!!!
I figured okay let me reinstall the latest firmware, defrag & do a system file check to see if that works. When I tried to play my streaming content once more within MX Player the same thing happened. I figured okay it must be the app then.
So I downloaded Buzz Player & to my surprise this app has the option to connect to Network Media; when selecting that option my stored audio & video files show up within the player. Which is nice because now I don't have to use the Seagate Media app. What's even better is no freezing or restarting.
All in all the Seagate Satellite is a nice device but Seagate really (& I mean really) needs to work on their UI as well as open up some features & options.
In regards to my Win 7 tablet: Are there any windows based media players that can detect the wifi signal off my Seagate Satellite & display the directory much like Buzz Player does in Android?
I purchased this drive and the hack. I actually did the work the other day to hack it. It's fairly simple.
First, they have you download an ISO. I'm not sure why they do that, as they use it as a ZIP or RAR file. It's an archive you open and load the two files inside onto the drive. I was able to do this in Linux very easily.
Second, you use your wireless connection to talk to the drive and then use Telnet to see the files in a command line. Then you use the command line to run a file. I did all this from my phone using Better Terminal Emulator Pro, but I'm guessing the regular Terminal Emulator will work.
After the script ran, the thing rebooted. I used their videos to clean up the drive (remove the Seagate stuff and clean up the directory structure), then set up the authentication, web service and Samba. Again, all this was done through the browser on my phone because I was watching the videos on my laptop.
I was able to connect to the drive from my phone and browse the file system. I was also able to stream a few songs (no movies on my drive yet) without issue. I also used ES Flie Explorer to browse the drive through Samba and that worked very well. I was also able to stream music through that file system using whatever program I wanted to use that was on my phone.
The only problem I have is that I can't see the file system and have a data connection to the world at the same time. Perhaps this drive might be better if the connection were Bluetooth, but I really don't see why I'd need both at the same time to be honest. It's more like a "could be better" kind of thing. That being said, with the hack you can have the drive connect to a wireless network and then connect to that wireless network yourself. Once that's done you can see both, I believe. I just have not tried it myself yet.
I would highly recommend this product. I'm kind of sad I didn't get it at the $130 price mentioned before, but even at the $240 I have in it, I'm very happy with my purchase.
So yeah after thinking about it & realizing how I'll be utilizing this device, I think I'll forego the hack. But only because I really don't see myself utilizing the features. As convenient as it is to watch movies on my phone, the experience of watching movies on such a small screen, is to say the least, not really much of an experience. Though occasionally when lying in bed I'll grab my phone to watch a flick as I have the Seagate drive on standby mode.
In regards to using this with my Win 7 ExoPc tablet: Windows Media Player was able to detect and display the files on this HDD via wifi, I just had to download the proper codecs to get it to recognize .flv, .avi & .mkv video extensions. The screen on this tablet is 11.6 inches so it makes the experience somewhat more enjoyable.
Having to switch wifi clients back & forth, though cumbersome, is not really much of a deal breaker either. Hopefully in the future Seagate will address such issues with whatever firmware update they push-out (if they push it out).

Just ordered Miracast + AirPlay dongle

UPDATED WITH REVIEW:
In-depth review below, will update in a few days to cover DLNA support and revisit Miracast experience while at home (currently discussing the experience at a university)
The PTV Miracast adapter works as advertised, but isn’t perfect. Miracast functionality works like a charm, but with the same slight delay in most other adapters out there. AirPlay is listed as a feature, but don’t expect it to work. Upon opening the package, I was greeted with a matte black, rubbery dongle that was slightly larger than a USB thumb-drive. Under the cap is the HDMI plug, on the other end are two micro USB ports -- one for power and one to connect a storage drive. On one side of the USB end is a tiny button that doesn’t clearly indicate it’s purpose, but is meant to switch between Miracast connectivity and AirFun mode (see below).
Using this adapter isn’t as intuitive as I would like it to be, but it does work. When you initially plug the device into the HDMI port of the TV and USB power, you’re greeted with the AirFun screen, which is green and black. This screen displays the dongle’s IP address, a url containing the IP address and ending with “/remote,” and what network it’s connecting to. When no network is available, it turns itself into it’s own wireless network to allow you to connect. Visiting http://ipaddress/remote takes you to a web-based remote for the dongle to set it up and control the DLNA features of the device. When connecting to this address from an Android device, it prompts you to download the app for this same control. The app is called AirFun and CORRECTION: is in the Play Store - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.realtek.airfun.client. The app appears to be stored on the dongle itself also. Don't worry much about this app after you've adjusted the settings to your liking. Use another DLNA app for your media, MirrorOP if you wish to take advantage of that, and wait on AirPlay.
Connecting the dongle to wifi is easy, but the first step isn’t apparent. You must first connect your phone or tablet to the wifi hotspot the dongle creates. At this time, you will not have an internet connection and will only be able to connect to the Miracast dongle. The next step is to go to the url containing the ip address that is displayed on your TV or use the app to connect to the device. In the settings, you can choose the wireless network you want to use and enter the password. Once this is completed, the Miracast adapter will disconnect it’s own hotspot, disconnect your phone or tablet from the device, and connect to the wireless network you chose. At this point, you should connect to the same wireless network in order to pair with the device again.
I must share a mistake I had made in hopes of those reading this can learn from it. Do not, under any circumstances, connect to an open wireless network in which you need to visit a web browser to sign in or click and accept button. The Miracast adapter can’t choose to accept a license or enter login information. I did this at the university I work for and found that I could no longer access the dongle for anything relying on wifi, including accessing the settings. I had attempted to disconnect and reconnect, reset, unplug and plug in again the device. As I had already set it to connect to the wifi that requires authentication in a browser, it automatically connected to it every time. I was forced to bring this in a location in which that wireless network was unaccessible so that I could connect directly to the device’s own hotspot and connect it to another network.
Once the wireless connection has been connected to both the PTV dongle and your phone or tablet, you can begin using MirrorOP, DLNA, or AirPlay. Please note that Miracast is connected using different steps which I will discuss later. No wireless connection is needed for Miracast and if this is the sole purpose of using this device, you can ignore the steps above and continue to the section specifically about Miracast. After connecting to wifi, I tested MirrorOP and found that connecting to this worked without issue. The screen mirrored as any other MirrorOP connection does. MirrorOP is an AirPlay-like connection except that it requires a rooted Android device or jailbroken iOS device to connect. It mirrors the screen like AirPlay to a device on the same wireless network. The MirrorOP app needs to be installed on your device to make the connection. Though screen mirroring works, MirrorOP does not support audio mirroring -- the audio will continue to play through your phone or tablet.
Connecting to AirPlay was very disappointing. I attempted to connect to AirPlay both at the university I work at and at home using an iPad on iOS7. In each attempt to connect, the iPad recognized the Miracast dongle as an AirPlay device. When selecting to connect to it, it appeared to work initially. Choosing a photo to display on the AirPlay device, however, proved nothing worked. The photo would not project to the TV. The same applied for video as well, but I have not yet tested audio. When enabling screen mirroring in the AirPlay settings, I was also disappointed by the results. The notification bar turned blue, the device appeared to be trying to connect for mirroring, then the AirPlay settings reset, turning off the connection to the dongle. No matter how many times I tried, it wouldn’t work. It may be my lack of knowledge with iOS and how to properly connect the devices, it could be an incompatibility with iOS7, or it could just be a falsely advertised feature. I don’t know the answer to this. EDITED: If I am correct in that Visiontech makes this device, their website (in a couple of posts below) indicates AirPlay is a feature still in development and will be added in a future update.
EDITED: DLNA works as expected. I did have some buffering/stuttering, but that was likely due to my new ISP which is a reduction in speed. Any DLNA/UPNP app or device will recognize this dongle and send content to it. Since DLNA plays the content locally, I haven't narrowed down which files are supported. I have not had any issue with mp4, which should be expected. In order to use DLNA, this dongle needs to be in AirFun mode, but you don't need to use the AirFun app to use it. This app just gives basic functionality and allows you to setup the dongle.
The most important feature in which I purchased this for is the Miracast functionality. I tested this in two different environments and found two different user experiences. I tested this at the university I work for and at home (which I am still testing more at home and will update this with more information later). Before you can connect to Miracast, you must press the button on the side of the dongle twice to switch to the wireless HDMI mode. At the university, the experience was such that I don’t feel it would be beneficial for the classroom. Connecting took several attempts before it was successful. Upon a successful connection, most of the time my device’s wireless connection was disconnected and reverted to cellular data. The screen mirroring worked as it should, however with a fraction of a second in latency. Audio transmitted to the TV flawlessly as well. At times, especially during heavy activity, the TV would fall further behind than initial connection and the picture would display large groups of poorly rendered blocks. This was further exaggerated when I reconnected to wifi for some reason. It may be due to the large number of wireless devices on a college campus causing interference that caused these issues, but I don’t know enough about networking to make an educated guess to this. I did notice turning the HTC One’s Power Saver mode off improved the experience, but only slightly.
EDITED: At home, I get mixed results. Most of the time, it works flawlessly via Miracast. There are times that the picture lags behind and when it starts to, it can be tens of seconds behind. It eventually catches up, especially if you stop your activity to allow it to catch up. With that said, I streamed a few movies from Plex to my HTC One which was Miracasting to the PTV dongle. I did not see any moments in any attempt in which the mirroring had fallen out of sync with my phone. I did, however, find a few movies that would not play sound over Miracast. I am not sure if this is due to bandwidth, licensing/authentication/DRM, or something else entirely. I need to investigate the files more in depth to determine if it's the stream. I tried to play a game with this, but I honestly found myself looking at my phone more than the TV to see where I was touching on screen. I didn't notice any delay here either, but I wasn't playing a complex game either. I ought to try this using a game controller and see how it performs this way. I also discovered that Google Play Music and Google Play Movies & TV are blocked over Miracast. They will not play, even locally stored music tracks. Play Movies tells me this feature is not supported, while Play Music will either display "Cannot play track" or disconnect the Miracast connection completely. Upon contacting Google with regard to this, they responded indicating that this is normal behavior and suggested I buy a Chromecast. I shouldn't have to buy another product to use Google services that already work on my device.
Being a Sprint customer and experiencing network issues regularly on their cellular data, I have installed an app that floats network download and upload speeds on my screen so that I can determine if anything isn’t working due to my internet connection. I noticed that while connected through Miracast, my upload speeds were incredibly high. This is what I would expect from a Miracast connection considering 1080p video encoded as h.264 mp4 video and up to 5.1 surround sound audio is being sent from my phone to the dongle over wifi direct. For anyone curious about the network activity, my upload speeds floated between 7-9 Mbps while connected to Miracast. Download speeds remained normal for the activity I was performing.
I also wanted to note that the PTV Miracast adapter gets about as hot as the HTC One can during high activity. It can be uncomfortable to touch. The included manual warns about this and promises that it will not affect performance. I am still concerned of the heat, despite the manual’s acknowledgement of this issue. Hopefully the heat doesn’t affect this device’s lifespan. I hope that this in-depth review has been helpful to all those who have read it. I would recommend this product to others, but I would warn others of the shortcomings this dongle has as well. The $50 I paid for this was a fair price considering the average price for Miracast today. Others at the same or higher price don’t offer MirrorOP or AirPlay -- I’m hoping a firmware update down the road fixes the AirPlay problems.
Tested with:
MirrorOP - Nexus 7 (2012) on Android 4.3
AirPlay - iPad 2 (two different iPads) running iOS7
Miracast - HTC One on Android 4.3 Sense 5
Full HD 1080P WiFi Display Dongle HDMI Wireless PTV Support DLNA / Miracast
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ESUPKE4/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I just received this dongle. Haven't had time to play with it yet, but will very very soon. I did manage to test whether or not the HTC One would connect and on 4.3 Sense 5, it connects and detects it. It's not as intuitive as I would hope, but I'll elaborate later. iPad connectivity via AirPlay will be tested soon too.
gk1984 said:
I just received this dongle. Haven't had time to play with it yet, but will very very soon. I did manage to test whether or not the HTC One would connect and on 4.3 Sense 5, it connects and detects it. It's not as intuitive as I would hope, but I'll elaborate later. iPad connectivity via AirPlay will be tested soon too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
please let us know how it works.
thanks
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk
Well, I plan on writing an in depth review later and putting I on the Amazon page too. But some initial thoughts:
So far, miracast works great! WiFi turns off while connecting. Not sure if this is normal or not. Performance is also worse with wifi on, in fact it can be very unusable with wifi on. But this was tested at work so far, home wifi might be a different experience.
If you plan to use any of the other features, I don't recommend setting it up on a wifi that needs to be authenticated - as in if you need to open a website, get a splash screen, and either sign in or accept a license agreement. This is not possible to do on this device and it locked me out of the dongle because it was connected to this kind of network and I had no way to change it.
You download the app to control this device directly from the dongle via ip address. You use the app for everything besides miracast - Dlna, configuration, etc.
I'll update op with full, in depth review after I spend some time with it.
Sent from my HTCONE using xda app-developers app
EDIT: testing at home not disconnect of wifi upon connection. iPad on iOS 7 will see the dongle as an airplay device, but can't connect to it for mirroring, not sure what else to do with it. More testing to come.
Another note for everyone before I write my in-depth review... Airplay doesn't work. The iPad will see the dongle as an Airplay device, but won't connect to it. Tried screen mirroring and just picture sharing, neither worked. Could be something to do with iOS 7 or something.
Sent from my HTCONE using xda app-developers app
Updated OP with in-depth review. Need to revisit two sections after I play with it some more. Will update in a few days.
Not having much success at home either. It works for a little bit, then has problems like I experienced at the university. Still planning to update with more info. But I think I found the company that makes this - the vendor has left this information out and the packaging doesn't include this info either. The specs, description, features, and pictures are all identical.
http://www.vissontech.com/products_detail2/&productId=16a67a7b-4b2c-46f6-8a28-c825a361bdd5&comp_stats=comp-FrontProducts_list01-1337323367416.html
In case anyone wants to investigate further.
Wow! this review is very helpful man. thanks for this review. Now I think I want one :cyclops:
gk1984 said:
Not having much success at home either. It works for a little bit, then has problems like I experienced at the university. Still planning to update with more info. But I think I found the company that makes this - the vendor has left this information out and the packaging doesn't include this info either. The specs, description, features, and pictures are all identical.
http://www.vissontech.com/products_...=comp-FrontProducts_list01-1337323367416.html
In case anyone wants to investigate further.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem. Shop around though, I think if it supported 5ghz wifi like miracast is supposed to, this would have been a better experience. I just recently discovered that.
Sent from my HTCONE using xda app-developers app
HI,
2 weeks ago I got this unit http://www.win-star.com/eshop/goods.php?id=159
I choice it because of the integrated LAN, and simplified functionality (no android, no need to play with air mouse).
It prove to need it own mouse to switch between different modes, as there no any button on unit itself(only hidden reset)
During first star the Unit create own wifi network so I connect to it my samsung galaxy s4 active. However I was unable to test miracast mode not connect.
Then I switch to "bridge to wireless" trying to connect WS-AV601D1 to my existing network but unsuccessfully. I switch back manually to "AP only" mode, however since then I can not see any more networks from the device itself nor to access WIFI settings(its gray/unaccessible). I can not see anymore the open WiFi network that the device should make. I reset it several times to default settings but it going to "Bridge to WiFi" mode instead of "AP only". WiFi light not switching on at all, and wifi module is unaccessible. WiFi module fail about 10 min after first start.
Note that the unit support only WEP encryption, and have no settings for connection to not broadcasted /hidden SSID. So practically I could not connect it WiFi to my existing network even if it works(unless broadcast SSID and change to WEP)!!!
Further I could test only airplay(android airfun appk) from my s4 active and notebook, and screen mirroring from my notebook only(having the device connected to my network via LAN cable). Using the software provided.
Most important for me was the 1080p video played from notebook to TV quality. So the quality was bad, looks like xvid 700MB rip(or more like x264, baseline, ultra fast, 1000bit/s encoding). Dont understand me wrong quality was fair for animation movies of my son, despite of HDMI playback of same video you can not see each hear and dimple of actors face). There was some sound distortion too, however i dint paly with sound settings of the unit. Upload speed during playback was 2-3mbit, while normal speed within my network is 6-7mbit. Note that the Unit is LAN connected to my Asus RT-N66U.
I already send my back to China and waiting for refund.
So I could not test miracast! Does it provide better video quality when mirroring 1080p video What unit you could recommend
I purchased the iview Mira Cast dongle and it pretty much works the same. I did notice a slight lag in playing videos and sometimes it falls behind. The dlna feature works really well but with no remote you have to push everything from the One or browsing your dlna server with another app. I use skifta.
******************************
HTC ONE (Stock so far) Just got 2013-04-21
Samsung Captivate Glide
Installed:
CWMR5x_i927_recovery.tar.md5
ICS 4.0.4 LiteRom 0.9.0
LiteKernel
dudejb said:
I purchased the iview Mira Cast dongle and it pretty much works the same. I did notice a slight lag in playing videos and sometimes it falls behind. The dlna feature works really well but with no remote you have to push everything from the One or browsing your dlna server with another app. I use skifta.
******************************
HTC ONE (Stock so far) Just got 2013-04-21
Samsung Captivate Glide
Installed:
CWMR5x_i927_recovery.tar.md5
ICS 4.0.4 LiteRom 0.9.0
LiteKernel
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I brought the ezcast and found playback at 1080p theres a lot of delay at times on gaming and streaming on nvidia shield but with the htc one it wasn't to bad

Tmobile TV

So I've been looking for an OnDemand type streaming service for my phone to so I can connect it via HDMI to my TV and skip the cable companies all together. I found this TmobileTV app which looks promising, but that has a monthly fee. I'm not looking for live television, just something with a program guide that can access streams from Comedy Central, ABC, Food Network, etc. These networks broadcast their own content for free on their webpage, or even have apps, but of course you have to navigate to them and install a bunch of apps if you want to use it this way. I've used a Roku before with PlayOn and it somehow aggregates all of the popular web-shows and puts them in a nice channel guide for you so you can pick and play what you want.
Does anyone know of anything like this for android? Remember, I dont care about LIVE tv, I just want a nice convenient way to watch online of streams from various broadcasters.
UPDATE: Looks like Hulu+ is the only answer.
netflix? or that doesn't have tv shows? been awhile since i used netflix

LG G4 Miracast discussion

I'm thinking about buying a miracast dongle like EZcast or similar. I were wondering if anyone has tried enabling Miracast on the device and if they have, does it support Miracast multitasking. Meaning you can select what you want to stream, like a home movie for instance, then while it's playing on the TV you can check emails, send message or other stuff on the G4. Feedback about this much appreciated so I can decide whether to get a Miracast dongle or not.
I haven't tried any multitasking, but I have used the screen mirroring with a Roku 3 with no issues.
Roku isn't something I'll be considering.
I'm on the Three UK network and they have just put a cap on how much you can tether. It used to be unlimited data but now I still get unlimited data, but can only tether 4gb. I've been getting through 40gb and more per month in the past as I like to watch YouTube on my 42 inch TV at the bottom of the bed. It just used to be a case of tethering from my device. Since miracast runs off WI-FI Direct then it shouldn't be using my tethering data. I'll be just getting a cheap dongle with only miracast in mind.
Roku runs off wifi too. They don't use internet to stream internally. I stream videos to my Roku every day using Allcast app. So much that my "home" tablet has been my dedicated video streamer.
I haven't mirrored my device much since I think it is useless when the tablet or device is right in front of you but it does work. I guess you could use a Bluetooth keyboard/mouse to control it remotely.
Good thing about the Roku is the Roku remote which allows me to control my streaming. I can start a stream then use the Roku remote to play, pause, rewind, fast forward, etc. Since we use the Roku for primary content at my house, everyone is already familiar with the remote. Just initiate the stream on the tablet side and then put it away.
I can tell you right now the miracast option only mirrors and requires the screen to be on. Turn the screen off and the miracast stops. Also you cannot stream videos while doing anything else.
With the Roku and Allcast, you can start the stream and continue doing other things, like email and texts. Phone calls will interrupt the streaming though which is why I use a dedicated tablet for this use.
Ahhh ok then. Thanks for the info.
I have used Miracast to send my phone to the screen in my vehicle (Concept flip down TV). It works off wifi direct and worked fine.
Just click SEttings->Share&Connect and under screen share there is a miracast section. Click that and your device will show up. Works with everything I tried it with.
Works easily with Chromecast. Very quick connection
Yes, it works if the app supports it. The built-in videos app (not accessible via a shortcut but comes up when you stream from the browser) does support it. I don't know about other apps (youtube, netflix). When you start the process the screen is mirrored but as soon as the video starts playing the phone screen becomes a controls screen only. When you hit home and exit out of it the phone gives you instructions. You can also edit the notification panel to add a Miracast button for quick access.

Categories

Resources