I get its like Roku, but even.. what does it do? Can you stream local stuff or just things that are offered on the fire platform? Reason Im asking, is that my father is thinking about dumping FIOS. As he never watches "season style shows" He just turns it on to watch something when bored. So something like Fire Tv I think will be cool for him... He wont be playing games, just watching random broadcasts.. He said he liked the Roku and like the 99 cent movie channel.. Does the Fire TV have the same setup as the Roku?
Thanks guys!
Of course, Id be rooting it and downloading that XBMC that I seen. Again I dont know much about it, but it seems like most recommend to do that and root the unit. I seen an OTA blocker too... thanks agian.
mroneeyedboh said:
I get its like Roku, but even.. what does it do? Can you stream local stuff or just things that are offered on the fire platform? Reason Im asking, is that my father is thinking about dumping FIOS. As he never watches "season style shows" He just turns it on to watch something when bored. So something like Fire Tv I think will be cool for him... He wont be playing games, just watching random broadcasts.. He said he liked the Roku and like the 99 cent movie channel.. Does the Fire TV have the same setup as the Roku?
Thanks guys!
Of course, Id be rooting it and downloading that XBMC that I seen. Again I dont know much about it, but it seems like most recommend to do that and root the unit. I seen an OTA blocker too... thanks agian.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Fire TV is primarily a video streaming device. Meaning, it plays videos from the internet. The videos it streams can come from several different sources. Some are free, some cost money per video, and some require a paid monthly subscription which lets you play any videos in the library at no additional cost.
Here are some of the most popular video sources used on the FIre TV:
Amazon Prime Instant Video: This costs $99 a year and allows you to view any number of movies and TV shows in their library. This also comes with other perks from Amazon, like free 2 day shipping on most orders.
Amazon Instant Video: This is Amazon's movie and TV show purchase and rental service. You can buy movies or TV shows individually. Once purchased, you can play them as many times as you want. This it the digital equivalent to buying a DVD/Bluray and putting it on your shelf. This service also allows you to rent movies and TV shows. Renting gives you limited access to a movie or TV show; essentially enough access to watch the video once.
Netflix: For a monthly subscription, you get to watch any and all of the movies and TV shows in their library. The selection is better than Amazon Prime Instant Videos, but it's also more expensive considering there are no additional perks. It's strictly a video streaming service.
Hulu Plus: For a monthly subscription, you get access to their library of TV shows. Generally, TV shows will be available on Hulu Plus before they become available on other services.
Netflix and Hulu require that you install a free app on the Fire TV in order to access their videos. Where as, for Amazon Videos, you have direct access to them form the Fire TV's home screen.
You also have several free video options. These all require individual apps. These are services like YouTube, Pluto.tv, iFood.tv, Smithsonian Channel, Tubi, etc...
Lastly, you can play local videos stored on a PC in the house. This is what XBMC and Plex iare primarily used for.
Thanks. I already have Amazon Prime, so I can tag my dad on to that..
And thanks for the description.
mroneeyedboh said:
Thanks. I already have Amazon Prime, so I can tag my dad on to that..
And thanks for the description.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're welcome. If you already have Amazon Prime, then it seems like the Fire TV is a good option for your dad.
If your dad is not technologically savvy, or you're worried he may be confused with which videos are free (via Prime) and which ones have to be purchased, I would suggest installing rbox's mod which allows you to hide certain menu options. I have a guide here. This will allow you to hide the "Movies" and "TV" sections (where most of the content is not included free with Amazon Prime) and keep the "Prime Video" section (where all of the content is included free with Amazon Prime). You can also hide all the other sections (like, apps, games, photos, etc..) which it sounds like he will never use.
To install rbox's menu hidding mod, you have to be rooted, so be sure not to accidentaly block rooting during the inital setup process of the Fire TV.
Thanks again. If you dont mind, what all would you suggest to do to it when I receive it? Should I install Llama and that XBMC?
Also seems that Roku has more "misc" movie channels for free versus the Amazon Fire.. no?
Awesome summary from AFTVNews....
Want to add a few things:
-- Amazon prime videos (movies/tv shows) load way faster on FTV than on any other platform. I have PS3, Samsung Smart TV and Wii. It is a no contest when it comes to speed. So, if you are going to watch prime content, FTV is a much better option, just for this reason and even if you don't root it or load anything else like XBMC.
-- As mentioned before, you can buy/rent content from Amazon. Do keep in mind that even if you buy, you will only able to watch it as long as your Amazon account is in good standing, as in forever. If Amazon bars your account for any reason, all your buys will go poof.
-- FTV has a voice enabled search and works reasonably well.
-- If you have your cable subscription through a vendor that allows you to stream WatchESPN, you can download the app and watch all content on it through FTV (along with any other ESPN channels you subscribe to). This was the main and only reason I bought FTV (but now I know better to be happy with just ESPN, LOL)
---------- Post added at 11:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:01 PM ----------
mroneeyedboh said:
Thanks again. If you dont mind, what all would you suggest to do to it when I receive it? Should I install Llama and that XBMC?
Also seems that Roku has more "misc" movie channels for free versus the Amazon Fire.. no?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can get all the "free" movie content if you install and use XBMC. Roku might have way higher number of gross apps/feed, but if you are not going to use it, why buy it? And FTV has so much more superior hardware.
---------- Post added at 11:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:03 PM ----------
mroneeyedboh said:
Thanks again. If you dont mind, what all would you suggest to do to it when I receive it? Should I install Llama and that XBMC?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As a personal preference, the least modifications you do on FTV, the less the chances of wrecking your FTV. I have accepted the trade off of a few more clicks to run XBMC over changing the launching behavior of my FTV. Just an opinion.
mroneeyedboh said:
Thanks again. If you dont mind, what all would you suggest to do to it when I receive it? Should I install Llama and that XBMC?
Also seems that Roku has more "misc" movie channels for free versus the Amazon Fire.. no?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@dbdoshi added some great points. If you, or a family member has a cable subscription, your content selection increases because of apps like WatchESPN that let you watch for free if you already have a cable subscription with one of their participating providers.
Llama is primarily only used to reduce the number of clicks needed to get to sideloaded apps. I agree with dbdoshi and feel it's not worth the extra complexity just to save a few clicks.
XBMC is primarily useful for local videos on a hard drive or PC. There are some extensions for XBMC which let you stream more content for free, but most people install it to play their own collection of videos.
Lastly, yes, I agree that Roku has a wider selection of content sources than the Fire TV. I don't have much experience with Roku's, so I can't comment about the quality of their selection but it does seem larger.
Let me add a couple points here. First, you can't share Amazon Prime videos, the family share thing only covers the free 2-day shipping. This doesn't mean you can't give out your Amazon login/password, but if that person starts buying movies and such.... Roku has a boatload more apps, something like 1,700, but unless you are looking for some odd niche there really isn't much on Roku that you can't get on FTV. HBOGo being the biggie if you subscribe to HBO. Side-loading XBMC works great, plus gives you access to all the legal and questionable plug-ins. Between the XBMC plugins and the native FTV apps, I doubt there is anything available online you can't get.
I didn't bother rooting my FTV, and for a casual user I wouldn't recommend it. Sure, you can do nice things like change the launcher, customize the menus, or enable USB storage (something I hope Amazon does in a future update), and other things, but you don't need root to side load apps such as XBMC. I'd rather stay current with Amazon's updates and improvements than worry about blocking them or getting caught up in a cat & mouse game of root exploits.
Related
I currently use plex for my media management solution, which is fantastic. I have a quad processor server with 18TB of storage, 12TB usable as its configured for Raid6. I chose plex due to the fact that plexapps are available for my Samsung smart tvs, and for simplicity with my chromecast.
The wife knows my love of tinkering and that I've been eyeballing the AFTV for a while now. Can anyone provide some insight? I'm looking to further enhance my cord-cutting future as we are moving to South Korea next year and will need to rely on my server as well as streaming content for entertainment.
I'm tired of horrible firstrow streams for my football games, as well as UFC matches and indycar/rally races. Are there "alternatives" available with much improved quality?
Anything I should do first to the AFTV? How can I integrate it into my existing content delivery system?
Thanks in advance!
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app
cliff p said:
Anything I should do first to the AFTV? How can I integrate it into my existing content delivery system?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Might want to see if you can root the Fire TV before you ever hook it up. This allows for harnessing the power of the device with XBMC and the addons that are available. The How to setup a new Fire TV without blocking Root guide is a great starting point. Otherwise, the Fire TV will primarily be an Amazon centric box. And where is the fun in that?
That was generally the idea (to root the device first before doing anything else with it).
When I first started looking into Media Servers, I worked very little with XBMC. A few friends with Plex suggested it to me, and it seems to fit the bill more for me. With that being said, can XBMC be integrated or coexist with PMS?
EDIT: Disregard the XBMC question, I did a quick search and found that I can install PlexBMC that will work with the PMS backend.
So I've rooted the AFTV, Installed BB and SuperSU, and XBMC. Added a few "add-ons" like 1Chan and some others. Pretty cool little device! Kinda wishing there were more HD capable streams for certain programs, since there isn't much difference streaming the actual website steam via my laptop to my TV via HDMI.
I may put it in my VPN route and see if I can get my NFL games in HD at least.
Quite honestly wondering if it was worth installing Plex on, since my Samsung TV already has Plex and is a bit more seamless. I may use the device in place of the Chromecast dongle I have in the bedroom, though.
Can anyone point me in the right direction for some higher quality feeds, etc?
Almost forgot: Themes for the XBMC? Is it more worthwhile to have XBMC autostart on boot? I don't have a subscription for Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu, etc. I use Plex, and use it heavily with Sickbeard/Couchpotato/Headphones/Etc.
THX.
Take a look at the [LAUNCHER] XBMC for Fire TV (Root). This XBMC launcher replaces the Fire TV launcher and at the same time allows access to it if you were to have Amazon content.
mjbxx said:
Take a look at the [LAUNCHER] XBMC for Fire TV (Root). This XBMC launcher replaces the Fire TV launcher and at the same time allows access to it if you were to have Amazon content.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Works great! Thanks!
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app
I'm looking to purchase another Amazon TV that's already preloaded with extras. There's so many people doing it I don't know who I should go with...?? I've looked at them on eBay some are going for $200 others less and one guy says this guy is copying me the other guy says that guy is copying me an back-and-forth. So I'm looking for some direction. Any recommendations for A preloaded Amazon TV? I don't want all of the adult channels and porn channels or whatever you call it loaded on to it. I don't know if I can customize it so they are not there....
Also with all those "free" movies and TV shows and such can you get in trouble with your Internet provider or whatever like the DMCA and get notices from your using such features as all of these add-ons that are provided?
I had gotten A notice in my e-mail from Comcast once when I downloaded something I didn't know about. Just wondering if that can happen again a notice of copyright infringement
superfly611 said:
I'm looking to purchase another Amazon TV that's already preloaded with extras. There's so many people doing it I don't know who I should go with...?? I've looked at them on eBay some are going for $200 others less and one guy says this guy is copying me the other guy says that guy is copying me an back-and-forth. So I'm looking for some direction. Any recommendations for A preloaded Amazon TV? I don't want all of the adult channels and porn channels or whatever you call it loaded on to it. I don't know if I can customize it so they are not there....
Also with all those "free" movies and TV shows and such can you get in trouble with your Internet provider or whatever like the DMCA and get notices from your using such features as all of these add-ons that are provided?
I had gotten A notice in my e-mail from Comcast once when I downloaded something I didn't know about. Just wondering if that can happen again a notice of copyright infringement
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just buy a regular AFTV somewhere and follow the steps in the link. You get XBMC/Kodi with pretty much everything you could ask for and with the tool mentioned in that link you don't need to be a rocket scientist to install it on your AFTV
http://www.tvaddons.ag/install-kodi-amazon-fire-tv/
And if you are scared to get caught watching movies or tv shows like this, don't do it. It depends on the laws of your country how they treat people that don't really download content but stream it (which is basically downloading).
It looks like a massive amount of customization when i look at what some of the pre programmed ones have on ebay??? At least when you look at the options they give you on the pre programmed amazon TVs. I basically would want the live TV, hbo and some movie channels I don't really need the most current movies like the handy cam versions I would rather see it in HD and I would not like any of the porn channels LOL not interested in that.
Thanks for the link! I'll read through it and see what I can do. I don't remember if I mentioned it I already have have an Amazon TV with XBMC on it but it's the Gotham version. I was trying to get it so it would recognize my silicone dust network tuner but couldn't get that to work. I have to work on it more yet... I also was trying to get my synology NAS recognized so I can share the files I do have on it but was having trouble with that as well... I'll figure it out eventually just wish it was sooner than later. Thanks for the advice I'm going to give it more of a go. i still am interested in those pre set amazons as an option. but ill work on mine too!
thanks again!
superfly611 said:
It looks like a massive amount of customization when i look at what some of the pre programmed ones have on ebay??? At least when you look at the options they give you on the pre programmed amazon TVs. I basically would want the live TV, hbo and some movie channels I don't really need the most current movies like the handy cam versions I would rather see it in HD and I would not like any of the porn channels LOL not interested in that.
Thanks for the link! I'll read through it and see what I can do. I don't remember if I mentioned it I already have have an Amazon TV with XBMC on it but it's the Gotham version. I was trying to get it so it would recognize my silicone dust network tuner but couldn't get that to work. I have to work on it more yet... I also was trying to get my synology NAS recognized so I can share the files I do have on it but was having trouble with that as well... I'll figure it out eventually just wish it was sooner than later. Thanks for the advice I'm going to give it more of a go. i still am interested in those pre set amazons as an option. but ill work on mine too!
thanks again!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also have hdhomerune prime there is many ways to watch live tv,my provider is fios and I will need to learn how to use the PVR addon for xbmc but I saw it works great!
If you have an HDHomeRun you probably want to setup a PVR backend for watching live/recorded shows through XBMC/Kodi. It's not too difficult but you need (or probably highly desire) to set this up on a computer that is always on. Here is a good place to start: http://kodi.wiki/view/PVR_backend
As for which pre-loaded FireTV to buy - none of them. Spending $200 for a $100 device is a waste. There are plenty of great guides and videos to help you set it up however you want, just ask here or on an XBMC/Kodi forum or do a bit of googling to get started. You are going to want to know how to do it yourself anyway to keep up on updates, side-load different apps, and generally set-up your device the way YOU want it. Once you go through it the first time and have an understanding of it all it's easy.
I have to agree with skeptic_always and Ultraschorsch, Buying a plain FTV and installing yourself is very easy.
You mentioned you already have XBMC, download TVMC and install it. It won't overwrite your XBMC, it will load as a separate app and it will install many addons when first started... probably the same addons Ebay sellers are installing for that $100 premium.
wqwrqrfq said:
I have to agree with skeptic_always and Ultraschorsch, Buying a plain FTV and installing yourself is very easy.
You mentioned you already have XBMC, download TVMC and install it. It won't overwrite your XBMC, it will load as a separate app and it will install many addons when first started... probably the same addons Ebay sellers are installing for that $100 premium.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Isn't TVMC same as XBMC? just with some tweaks.
patt2k said:
Isn't TVMC same as XBMC? just with some tweaks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It has a lot of tweaks, repos and plugins installed by default. You pretty much just start it and you are good to go.
thanks all Very cool! I have TVMC installed and it's working! I am having trouble with my PVR. I would've liked to have conneted it wirelessly but not sure if thats the problem or what. I am only 10 feet away from my router wouldve thought wifi is fine. I had set up Live TV viewing before but maybe I did not do it correctly?? When I go to live TV then TV channels I get a listing of TV channels that I'm guessing is from my silicone dust TV tuner. When I select the channel it shows me what is on the channel but it does not play. Also it does not show me that HD stations abnormal TV such as ABC, Fox, NBC and such. It goes from 1 to 541. On my Comcast it goes all the way up to the 800s I believe and that's where the HD stations are. Even when I select channel 3 which is not HD but regular prime channel I guess it does not display it just sticks. Also, it's mind-boggling how many things there are for the TV MC.
Is there a list for guide for installing the best channels or whatever you call it such as these below. . . . Really wouldn't want channels that are just crappy like. My ultimate goal would be at a set when these and make it easy enough for my parents to use and get rid of cable TV which I'm not sure my parents will ever learn LOL
HBO Entertainment, HBO 1, HBO 2, Disney XD, HGTV, National Geographic,
Discovery, TNT, Fox, Fox 11, Sky Movies, Comedy Central, The CW, USA Network,
Spike, Cinemax, Animal, History HD, Food Network, A & E, FilmOn, Animal Planet, BIO, CNN,
Comedy Net, The Country Network, AMC, Fox Movies, Fuel TV, FX, NBC, RMC Top 40, TLC, TNT, Toons, TruTV, NASA, Starz HD, Discovery Turbo, Discovery Science, Bite TV, Bravo, CBS, ABC, ABC Family, NHK World, SYFY, TLC, BBC HD, iTV 2, iTV 3,GM Channel, Fox 2 Detroit, Film HD, icefilms, 1channel, ..........
I definitely don't want the adult channels on it but I do want live TV which I'm still trying to get my PVR running. I'm probably not doing something right. I will keep trying.
Also I read somewhere that the new Amazon fire TVs you can't jailbreak or put XBMC on it? If that's the case where's the best place to buy another one that I can customize before they become too scarce?
Thanks in advance again
superfly611 said:
Is there a list for guide for installing the best channels or whatever you call it such as these below. . . . Really wouldn't want channels that are just crappy like. My ultimate goal would be at a set when these and make it easy enough for my parents to use and get rid of cable TV which I'm not sure my parents will ever learn LOL
HBO Entertainment, HBO 1, HBO 2, Disney XD, HGTV, National Geographic,
Discovery, TNT, Fox, Fox 11, Sky Movies, Comedy Central, The CW, USA Network,
Spike, Cinemax, Animal, History HD, Food Network, A & E, FilmOn, Animal Planet, BIO, CNN,
Comedy Net, The Country Network, AMC, Fox Movies, Fuel TV, FX, NBC, RMC Top 40, TLC, TNT, Toons, TruTV, NASA, Starz HD, Discovery Turbo, Discovery Science, Bite TV, Bravo, CBS, ABC, ABC Family, NHK World, SYFY, TLC, BBC HD, iTV 2, iTV 3,GM Channel, Fox 2 Detroit, Film HD, icefilms, 1channel, ..........
I definitely don't want the adult channels on it but I do want live TV which I'm still trying to get my PVR running. I'm probably not doing something right. I will keep trying.
Also I read somewhere that the new Amazon fire TVs you can't jailbreak or put XBMC on it? If that's the case where's the best place to buy another one that I can customize before they become too scarce?
Thanks in advance again
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The fire TV should ALWAYS be able to have XBMC put on it, no need to worry.
As far as all those channels you'll just have to do a search for those (i.e. "XBMC Discovery", XBMC "TNT", etc.) ustvnow.com gives you 6 channels free and if you want more there's a minimal charge. There's a repo(sitory) named Superrepo which when installed gives you hundreds of possible addons, I'd be surprised if you don't find everything you need in there.
bought mine at staples yesterday and it was still running the old firmware.
dcmtnbkr said:
bought mine at staples yesterday and it was still running the old firmware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What's that matter? Are you saying that because with new firmware you cannot load all the add-ons? Just curious...
User "wqwrqrfq" stated that you should always be able to load XBMC and add-ons.
One question for everyone... How long should it take to load certain Channels? By the way am I calling whatever each connection or option you can select right? Are they called something else? Just want to make sure I'm referring to it right. Also originally I had my Amazon TV connected on Wi-Fi but I know wire would be better. I connected by way of ethernet but it still takes A minute or more sometimes to load. Is that normal? Is that because of processing power from the Amazon TV or connection speed? I get about 30 to 40 Mb per second on my Internet connection.
thanks in advance
superfly611 said:
What's that matter? Are you saying that because with new firmware you cannot load all the add-ons? Just curious...
User "wqwrqrfq" stated that you should always be able to load XBMC and add-ons.
One question for everyone... How long should it take to load certain Channels? By the way am I calling whatever each connection or option you can select right? Are they called something else? Just want to make sure I'm referring to it right. Also originally I had my Amazon TV connected on Wi-Fi but I know wire would be better. I connected by way of ethernet but it still takes A minute or more sometimes to load. Is that normal? Is that because of processing power from the Amazon TV or connection speed? I get about 30 to 40 Mb per second on my Internet connection.
thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thought someone had asked above where you could still buy one that can be rooted.
Oh okay. you don't have to root the Amazon fire tv to put XBMC on it right? What is the benefit of rooting it?
Change launchers, remove crap, edit system files, install google play store, etc
You can install most apks by sideloading via abd and the ip address. It plays emulators surprising well.
Hi all,
I am glad I found this great forum and I hope I am posting on the correct subforum.
I am considering getting a Fire TV. It is currently at a great price on Amazon.de (84 euro), but since I want to replace my WD Live that i currently use, I want to have xbmc on it. On ebay there are many pre-rooted Fire TV with xbmc and add ons. but at an average of about 150 euro, I think it is stupid to buy them now if I can do it myself and if I can avoid rooting even better.
My main needs for the Fire TV (in priority irder) are :
1. SInce I am a Prime User of Amazon, I want to use Instant Video of Amazon
2. Stream HD video from my libraries from NAS drives
3. Other streaming add ons on xbmv like xStream, Navi-X, Sportsdevil
4. Web browsing, emulators, amazon apps
So my questions are ;
1. If I buy right now a new Fire TV, can I install xbmc using one of the guides without rooting it ? Are there sepcific models/versions of Fire TV that won't allow it ?
2. Can I use the streaming and other add ons of xbmc without rooting , or are there specific ones that require root ?
3. Do any of the streaming add ons using Bittorent ? In Germany while you currently have no issues with streaming or download , using torrents will get you quick and easy problems with the law. Feedback of german members is highly appreciated here.
Sorry for a very long first post, I hope the questions are clear and easy to answer. Please feel free to add anything you think it might be helpful in my case.
Many thanks and cheers !
Nf13 said:
Hi all,
I am glad I found this great forum and I hope I am posting on the correct subforum.
I am considering getting a Fire TV. It is currently at a great price on Amazon.de (84 euro), but since I want to replace my WD Live that i currently use, I want to have xbmc on it. On ebay there are many pre-rooted Fire TV with xbmc and add ons. but at an average of about 150 euro, I think it is stupid to buy them now if I can do it myself and if I can avoid rooting even better.
My main needs for the Fire TV (in priority irder) are :
1. SInce I am a Prime User of Amazon, I want to use Instant Video of Amazon
2. Stream HD video from my libraries from NAS drives
3. Other streaming add ons on xbmv like xStream, Navi-X, Sportsdevil
4. Web browsing, emulators, amazon apps
So my questions are ;
1. If I buy right now a new Fire TV, can I install xbmc using one of the guides without rooting it ? Are there sepcific models/versions of Fire TV that won't allow it ?
2. Can I use the streaming and other add ons of xbmc without rooting , or are there specific ones that require root ?
3. Do any of the streaming add ons using Bittorent ? In Germany while you currently have no issues with streaming or download , using torrents will get you quick and easy problems with the law. Feedback of german members is highly appreciated here.
Sorry for a very long first post, I hope the questions are clear and easy to answer. Please feel free to add anything you think it might be helpful in my case.
Many thanks and cheers !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1/ No, you can install without need for root.
2/ No, addons install in XBMC does not require root.
3/ No, streaming protocol is different from bit torrent. You can choose to install an addon that acts as a bit torren client to download files and watch it, but it is your choice. No addons in XBMC will trick you into using bit torrent without your acknowledgment. If you are worry about piracy,you are better off paying for Hulu and such since using primewire or 1channel is the same as illegal torrenting.
vi6s said:
1/ No, you can install without need for root.
2/ No, addons install in XBMC does not require root.
3/ No, streaming protocol is different from bit torrent. You can choose to install an addon that acts as a bit torren client to download files and watch it, but it is your choice. No addons in XBMC will trick you into using bit torrent without your acknowledgment. If you are worry about piracy,you are better off paying for Hulu and such since using primewire or 1channel is the same as illegal torrenting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Many thanks for your answer :good:
Ordered it today, still at the same good price, but I have to wait a week for delivery as the demand was probably high (until 2 days ago it was next day delivery). They also had the Logitech K400 keyboard at a reduced price today so I added this as well, from what I read through the forum it is well supported. I have to search a bit more about game controller though.
I downloaded ADB, xbmc Gotham 13.2, copied all video files from various HDD to the NAS drives, and now we wait....
You are going to love it. I was using a WD Live TV unit previously as well. It did not have support for Amazon Prime and it was very slow when loading directories with a lot of files. The Fire TV with XBMC/Kodi loaded is a great replacement!
jpage101 said:
You are going to love it. I was using a WD Live TV unit previously as well. It did not have support for Amazon Prime and it was very slow when loading directories with a lot of files. The Fire TV with XBMC/Kodi loaded is a great replacement!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am quite excited to be honest, amazon also send me an email that it will arrive today instead of Monday as originally planned (so now I have to find somewhere to send my wife and the kids until I set everything up , a day pass at theme park probably )
The lack of Amazon Video and the speed was the main reason for me too. Especially after the root on WD to use Movie Sheets for the movies it became slower that death ...
As I am not familiar with xbmc, if I have a movie file , named after the movie (as it appears on imdb), is there an add on that creates a movie sheet (info, thumbnail, etc) or do I have to create them manually ? Any link will also help.
Cheers
Really enjoying it so far !
Everything runs smooth and I found the answer for anything xbmc related in the xbmc forums.
Sideloading apps was extremely easy following one of the guides found, the only issue (if you can call it "issue") was the command :
adb install blahblah.apk
it failed because of multiple devices. I run adb devices and it was an emulator-5554. Did some research you can either kill it or use this command :
adb -s <Fire TV IP: Port> install blahblah.apk instead and it works like a charm.
Hope it helps if someone faces this issue.
Cheers !
jpage101 said:
You are going to love it. I was using a WD Live TV unit previously as well. It did not have support for Amazon Prime and it was very slow when loading directories with a lot of files. The Fire TV with XBMC/Kodi loaded is a great replacement!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Curious how you use this as a replacement local streamer over WD TV Live.
I have WD, it's UI is terrible, BUT. I need full non transcoded blu-ray video(H.264,VC-1), 7.1 DTS-MA and True-HD sound. Am I missing something or is none of this really possible with Fire?
Not trying to be a jerk, but want to make sure I am not missing something about the Fire. If so PLEASE fill me in.
gottahavit said:
Curious how you use this as a replacement local streamer over WD TV Live.
I have WD, it's UI is terrible, BUT. I need full non transcoded blu-ray video(H.264,VC-1), 7.1 DTS-MA and True-HD sound. Am I missing something or is none of this really possible with Fire?
Not trying to be a jerk, but want to make sure I am not missing something about the Fire. If so PLEASE fill me in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As local streamer, I use xbmc and NAS drives and it works perfectly. I don't have the same needs in sound, so I am more than ok with the formats supported. H.264, VC-1 is supported afaik.
Cheers
Nf13 said:
As local streamer, I use xbmc and NAS drives and it works perfectly. I don't have the same needs in sound, so I am more than ok with the formats supported. H.264, VC-1 is supported afaik.
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting specs say vc1 but ...
according to this http://kodi.wiki/view/Amazon_Fire_TV it dont work nor does dtsma passthrough. Too bad.
Hello Guys,
I've recently bought a Fire TV box with the original intention of using it to replace my HTPC in the bedroom to run my XBMC and also as a player for my Netflix streaming. It's been running KODI flawlessly. Interestingly, I've been an Amazon customer for close to a decade, yet have never considered joining their Prime membership. After owning the FTV, I looked more into it and finally decided to cancel my Netflix subscription and signed up for Amazon Prime; I figure all the perks included in it is worth the whole deal. Anyways, I've been tinkering around with the Prime Instant Video (PIV) on the FTV the last couple days and notice some inconsistencies between the video libraries in the Amazon page on my browser versus the accessible titles on the FTV app itself. So my question is....are we able to search/browse the whole PIV library from the FTV as we could from the browser? The GUI of the FTV seems to only list out some featured movies or tv shows.
I haven't noticed any differences to be honest. If I see something while browsing online, I use the search function to find it on my FTV later. Or, just add it to my watchlist while in my browser and it shows up on FTV watchlist.
I'm in the UK though, so maybe in your region it's different. If you have any examples, I can check mine to see if it's the same issue. I know Hulu in the US have different streaming rights depending on the platform/app, so may well be the case with Amazon as well, but I would be surprised.
Got here in germany also different lists on the browser and in the AFTV GUI. You have to use the search function to search through the complete list.
esc0rpi0n said:
Got here in germany also different lists on the browser and in the AFTV GUI. You have to use the search function to search through the complete list.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. I guess the best method to use is either to search it or just view it on the computer when I have time and save it in the favorites list. Have a good weekend!
Hi,
I'm having a FireTV1. My main goal is to install something with that multiple smartphones can be used to control youtube streaming on the firetv.
Important is that it should work without having to login to a youtube account on the firetv. Because eg my wife and me having different youtube accounts, both active on the smartphone.
As both of us should be able to stream youtube content to firetv directly, it would be bad if the firetv has to be logged in to one of the accounts. As in this case only one of our smartphones could take control of the firetv.
If there is some app, but that requires installing custom systems like kodi, that would be fine.
I'm a bit lost in the possibilities and would be happy for any advise how to achieve that.
Thanks!
membersound said:
Hi,
I'm having a FireTV1. My main goal is to install something with that multiple smartphones can be used to control youtube streaming on the firetv.
Important is that it should work without having to login to a youtube account on the firetv. Because eg my wife and me having different youtube accounts, both active on the smartphone.
As both of us should be able to stream youtube content to firetv directly, it would be bad if the firetv has to be logged in to one of the accounts. As in this case only one of our smartphones could take control of the firetv.
If there is some app, but that requires installing custom systems like kodi, that would be fine.
I'm a bit lost in the possibilities and would be happy for any advise how to achieve that.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your first issue is there is no YouTube app for FireTV. You can thank the Amazon vs Google war for that. You can only screen mirror Amazon devices to Fire TV devices.
Secondly, what you’re describing would function best using a Google Chromecast, that way anyone on your WiFi, can cast YouTube and many other apps, from their phone to the Chromecast device.
Ok I see. Though our primary use is amazon prime video. So I hoped for having just one player...
So there is no way throwing videos on firetv in any case?
(I'd like to avoid screen mirroring. I tried that multiple times without satisfying results).
membersound said:
Ok I see. Though our primary use is amazon prime video. So I hoped for having just one player...
So there is no way throwing videos on firetv in any case?
(I'd like to avoid screen mirroring. I tried that multiple times without satisfying results).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can have just one player, but the Fire tv devices are cheaply made. I’ve not had great success with them.
Now I’m using Roku, which still will let me do Amazon video. Not sure on screen mirroring but it does have a YouTube app. I’ll have to check if it will support multiple accounts in the app.
Without doing mirroring, I’m not sure what you mean by “throwing” videos on the screen.
You can cast YouTube to the fire stick pretty easily. I followed this guide to set it up. https://youtu.be/Fpjaqw7CAMg
@Jeffro2700 great, thanks! that worked.
so the only tradeoff is that I first have to start the youtube firefox/silk browser page before I can send videos from my phone to firetv, correct?
If you're a Kodi user with an Android phone, I highly recommend installing the youtube addon for kodi, and installing the yatse remote for kodi app. Once you've done that you can use Share > Play on Media Server (an option enabled with a Yatse installation), and it will cast it to the Kodi system the yatse app is currently controlling. Those are the broad strokes. If you want more info, like how to enable youtube videos > 720P/30 in Kodi, let me know.
Alternatively, you could try sideloading the Smart YouTube TV app from here: https://smartyoutubetv.github.io