My router's on the left side of my TV, while the fire TV is on the right

hmm, updates on the server, that's definitely a good thing, especially since doing that would mean everytime i enter xbmc, it would already be updated with whatever recently downloaded items by nzbdrone and sickbeard.

Exactly, that was the main reason i completely looked away from those random android boxes. Minix x8h is limited to 480p 1750kbps right now. I would be smacking my head if I went and get that

definitely enjoying 5800kbps super HD with the Fire TV now

Hopefully Google doesn't screw up AndroidTV like they did GoogleTV.

Do you get >5800 kbps netflix from using the native app in firetv or the one in xbmc?
And how to know some android box limits netflix to 480p only?

XBMC Users using other than pc like android stick, box, media player, what you use to type captcha like for hugefiles?

Bluetooth keyboard?

Easiest way to test is to search for the video "Example Short 23.976" and play it. The video will overlay the current bitrate, resolution and aspect ratio. Some devices can also access built-in debug tool usually by pressing CTRL+ALT+SHIFT+D.

Netflix on most Android TV boxes made-in-China is usually limited to 1750kbps at 480P because they lack the DRM partition necessary for HD playback.

Web-based apps is limited to HD (720P), since the Netflix plugin in XBMC is web-based, you're limited to that resolution. Native apps get Super HD (1080P). Which what makes the FireTV especially useful with XBMC. Instead of using the plugin, you can launch the native Netflix app directly from within XBMC on the FireTV, or any Android devices.

Yup, using a Bluetooth keyboard with inbuilt trackpad & backlit keys.

If android TV has even better features to cater to movie goers, and not just gimmicky features, I'll definitely check it out!!

But i just couldn't wait already, thus the fire TV. Lets see if we ever get a Fire OS update based on Android 5.0. Wishful thinking, I know, but the next android OS will have auto frame rate switching, so I'll be able to see whats the fuss all about with 24Hz playback.

Couldn't have said it better

*Updated Netflix app with improved UI.
*Local file playback via USB (External Hard disks).
*1-click APK Third-party app installs.
*Customisable UI/Launchers.
*1000 Ethernet support.
*Multiple USB ports (at least 3).
*DLNA support.
*Custom ROMs, MODs & Kernels.

I wouldn't call the above "gimmicky features". Let me know when the Fire TV does all that. Even the Neo X7 does all these & more out of the box.

This post has been edited by voncrane: Aug 7 2014, 12:24 AM

lol I was talking about Android TV, a product which isnt even available yet, and not about the players available today


Netflix
- I would say the current netflix UI on the Fire TV is good enough already. Dont see what else can be improved for a non touch screen device.( have you even seen the UI?)

Local file playback
Easily doable using stickmount

1 click APK
easily doable using any file explorers too, just have to enable unknown sources as usual

launcher

consider this as just another APK too, but users using nova/apex or whatever made for phone/table launchers just makes me laugh. The FiredTV launcher available is really great. there are even people using xbmc as their launcher with the Fire TV.

Ethernet
as long as the player is able to play BD ISO and REMUX thru a wired connection (tons of people in the XBMC forum has confirmed this) is good enough already.

Multiple USB port
not really a concern these days thanks to good quality USB hubs

DLNA
uh, were talking about android here, right? ever heard of bubbleUPNP, or even Allcast? the latter works great on the fire TV, even better than on the chromecast.

Custom roms
this is a player, for a tv. custom roms are usually needed when the stock version isnt good enough. SO far Ive not seen anyone wanting to run CM or paranoid android on this thing, so I really dont see how is this a ....benefit

voncrane reading back my comment, i might have sounded a lil aggressive, Im sorry for that, must have been sleepy and grouchy lol.

about the apk, yes, i can install an apk just like on my phone
i installed es file explorer thru play store which is also installed on my fire tv, clicked the showbox.apk, installed right away many guides in the internet for this, aftvnews.com is one really good one.

thing about those launcher is they aren't optimized for non touch interface. Might look great, but I don't think they would work that well on a TV. When I said FiredTV launcher, I was talking about an alternative launcher not the default amazon one which makes it hard to enter sideloaded apps.

hmm, custom ROM, have been dabbling with those with my current and two previous Galaxy phones, but am currently running a debloated ROM on my phone rather than a completely different ROM (heavily themed, AOSP, etc)
One thing I will say for sure is I wont be needing a custom kernel on this thing to make it faster or anything lol, but a ROM, hard to say, if someone manages to do something so great that its irresistible, then why not.

But im sure you know about exposed modules which are all the rage nowadays right? we can do all sorts of thing with that, and I have done a few on the fire TV. So for now im pretty happy with the results, or I'll be having that "incomplete feel' like when I was using the galaxy s2 with its stock ROM

Thing is with amazon its gonna be really hard, locked bootloaders and all. the kindle fires have been a REAL pain to develop for because of this, if you look at xda. So I have no high hopes for this TV box in terms of custom ROMs, no regrets though.

And no, I was never dissing on the current boxes, i love them for the customization they have, and just how much you can change ( I was actually dead set on getting the x8h) , but for a media player, I would want something that doesn't really require much changes. This is something the whole family will be using. Don't want force close messages coming up due to a UI change I did or hot reboots during a movie night due to aggressive undervolts!!


I guess you are just a MUCH more hardcore modder than me, whereby I do like doing those, but my aim on getting a media player was to get a set it and forget it player (well, almost )

This post has been edited by arslow: Aug 7 2014, 05:05 PM

Haha. I know the "incomplete feel" all to well. I remember when I still had my Galaxy S2, after a couple of days playing around with the stock build, I couldn't bear it anymore and immediately slapped CM on it, never looked back. Speaking of customizations, my best smartphone till date was the HTC HD2, man, that phone could (and apparently still can) run practically all mobile OSes available. Enjoy modding so much, came up with a few tweaks myself and to the extent of permanently bricking my partner's Desire HD. She was not pleased..

Anyway, its all good. Here's to hoping some magical android tv box gets built. In the meantime, me thinks we've hijacked the XBMC thread long enough. Thanks for the updated info on the Fire TV.

Ah, the HD2, amazing phone! Yeah, we've gone too far away from the reason for this thread

Btw, anyone here tried watching astro/hypptv thru xbmc? Can the live TV part be used for this? Or it only works with OTA channels? This is one part of xbmc I've never really looked at much

You can do it with FTA/OTA channels via IPTV Simple PVR client (included in XBMC). Or you can do a full-on thing like this (skip to 1:50 for the Astro part):



I have the Minix Neo X7 last time. Ran it with Quickshot V2 custom ROM and a trimmed down version of Beyond XBMC, ran pretty well but sold it eventually since it doesn't do Netflix in HD.

This post has been edited by MK84: Aug 7 2014, 11:38 PM

Care to explain more on this, the blue in color. I am thinking seriously to get myself a X8, maybe to play XBMC for a start before invest more to Netflix or any premium subscriptions. I've read a few about the inability to play HD due to this DRM thingy from android boxes, back to X8, been said from one of their features, it has Trustzone & Trusted Videp Path for Security & DRM.



Now I wonder if this latest model of Minix able to play Super HD as what Fire TV does.

Last I check a lot of users still unable to get Netflix to play in HD on the X8/X8-H.

Re: http://www.freaktab.com/showthread.php?136...X8-H-netfilx-HD

Getting a wee bit off topic.

This post has been edited by MK84: Aug 8 2014, 10:11 AM

I want to sell my minix x8-h. 0125595974 used only for testing one week

This post has been edited by cecobis: Aug 8 2014, 03:53 PM

how to integrade the astro into xbmc ?

is it only work with astro iptv ?

but im using the normal astro with cable

pls share info regarding this feature

Cool! looked thru your other Live TV videos too. Alas, I'll have to get extra hardware to do this, i was thinking we have got to a point where an addon is enough
yeah, have used simple IPTV with the various xml shared across the net, but what I was thinking is what you've been doing with your Ouya!! How much did your dvblink hardware cost you? You still need the HDCP stripper right? and maybe something else too?