[Android MiniClient] Now in BETA

[Fuzzy]

VC-1 is the later versions of Windows Media, essentially. And it is a part of the BluRay spec.

[SteveW]

First off, great work Sean!

So I'm using beta 6 on an S5. I'm still figuring out the controls, but 1080i HDPVR files play fine. It does not work for me if I enable Exoplayer. Timeline increments, but video doesn't move and there is no sound. As long as I don't use Exoplayer everything is great.

For the first time today I tried to use it outside my lan. The client is prompting me for the place shifter user ID and password. I can't find any sequence of screen presses or swipes or hard keys that will bring up the keyboard so that I can login in and carry on. Am I missing something ?

Tnx
-Steve

[stuckless]

Originally Posted by SteveW

First off, great work Sean!

So I'm using beta 6 on an S5. I'm still figuring out the controls, but 1080i HDPVR files play fine. It does not work for me if I enable Exoplayer. Timeline increments, but video doesn't move and there is no sound. As long as I don't use Exoplayer everything is great.

For the first time today I tried to use it outside my lan. The client is prompting me for the place shifter user ID and password. I can't find any sequence of screen presses or swipes or hard keys that will bring up the keyboard so that I can login in and carry on. Am I missing something ?

Tnx
-Steve

Check out the navigation section in this post.
http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=62439

But in short, if you swipe in from the left edge, it should pop up the On Screen Navigation controls.

[odledm]

I know you have mentioned getting the app in the Play store, but do you also plan to get the app listed in the Amazon App store? While sideloading it is fine for me, if I ever want the rest of the family to switch to using it, I'd need it on the main screen on the fire tv which is only available for apps that are installed from the amazon app store. I know there are other workarounds like what I did for Kodi, but just curious if the Amazon App store was in the plans.

[stuckless]

Originally Posted by odledm

I know you have mentioned getting the app in the Play store, but do you also plan to get the app listed in the Amazon App store? While sideloading it is fine for me, if I ever want the rest of the family to switch to using it, I'd need it on the main screen on the fire tv which is only available for apps that are installed from the amazon app store. I know there are other workarounds like what I did for Kodi, but just curious if the Amazon App store was in the plans.

I have an app store account with a published file now (not this app, but another). So, yeah, I'll add it to the Amazon Store as well.

[odledm]

Great to hear. Thanks! I tested beta 6 briefly this afternoon and noticed that the slideout remote as well as the icons for settings and adding a server (from the startup screen don't show up properly for me. I'm running this on the 1st gen fireTv with the latest updates and sage v7 and standard v7 ui. I don't think I've ever seen the slideout remote working for me. What I get is some discolored pixelated boxes (maybe green or red) in the shape of an L where I presume the remote would be. The icons are just missing altogether on the startup screen. It may be the same problem as they are both icons you are drawing, or they could just be 2 separate issues. I did notice the grid on the program guide is working much better. Thanks for all the hard work.

[stuckless]

Originally Posted by odledm

Great to hear. Thanks! I tested beta 6 briefly this afternoon and noticed that the slideout remote as well as the icons for settings and adding a server (from the startup screen don't show up properly for me. I'm running this on the 1st gen fireTv with the latest updates and sage v7 and standard v7 ui. I don't think I've ever seen the slideout remote working for me. What I get is some discolored pixelated boxes (maybe green or red) in the shape of an L where I presume the remote would be. The icons are just missing altogether on the startup screen. It may be the same problem as they are both icons you are drawing, or they could just be 2 separate issues. I did notice the grid on the program guide is working much better. Thanks for all the hard work.

Sadly, this is likely something to do with the fact that FireTV 1 doesn't like the Icon Font library that I'm using. I've tested this on the FireTV 2 and it all works well, so likely Amazon is not shipping some core Android library that the Icon Font library is using.

[thatdude90210]

Originally Posted by odledm

I know you have mentioned getting the app in the Play store, but do you also plan to get the app listed in the Amazon App store? While sideloading it is fine for me, if I ever want the rest of the family to switch to using it, I'd need it on the main screen on the fire tv which is only available for apps that are installed from the amazon app store. I know there are other workarounds like what I did for Kodi, but just curious if the Amazon App store was in the plans.

On the fire TV 2, there's a section called "Apps" that also list sideloaded apps. So is the menu different on Fire TV 1? Here's a picture of it:

[SteveW]

Originally Posted by stuckless

But in short, if you swipe in from the left edge, it should pop up the On Screen Navigation controls.

Ok I got it thanks. The OtterBox case on my S5 means I gotta really dig in at the edge of the screen to get it to come up. Works great.

[gexi]

Originally Posted by thatdude90210

On the fire TV 2, there's a section called "Apps" that also list sideloaded apps. So is the menu different on Fire TV 1? Here's a picture of it:

This is a FireOS 5.0.4 feature. FireTV 1s are still running the old OS 4 until sometime in February when they will switch and get OS 5. You can also opt in to the beta here:
https://developer.amazon.com/get-fireos5.html

I recommend joining the beta since it lets you play around with some of the new OS 5 features like Alexa (like Amazon Echo).

[KryptoNyte]

SteveW, are you running Gemstone on your S5 client?

[SteveW]

Originally Posted by KryptoNyte

SteveW, are you running Gemstone on your S5 client?

No, just the stock STV from ver 7. I'm somewhat tempted by Gemstone, having been an avid SageMC user in ver 6.

Just haven't worked up the intestinal fortitude to tinker with a ver 7 and base STV and a bunch of plugins that are all working in harmony with no issues. One of my bigger fears is if I have to remove and reinstall a plugin, is its repository even still out there where the plugin manager thinks it should be....

[Fuzzy]

Originally Posted by SteveW

No, just the stock STV from ver 7. I'm somewhat tempted by Gemstone, having been an avid SageMC user in ver 6.

Just haven't worked up the intestinal fortitude to tinker with a ver 7 and base STV and a bunch of plugins that are all working in harmony with no issues. One of my bigger fears is if I have to remove and reinstall a plugin, is its repository even still out there where the plugin manager thinks it should be....

Haven't honestly heard of many plugins that people actually use not being available anymore. in fact, many of the ones that people DO use have been moved recently to different servers (because of google code shutting down at some point).

[tmiranda]

Sean,

I am thinking about some plugins that may be useful on the Android miniclient. Can you add a new STV API "IsAndroid()"? Right now there is no way (that I know of) for the STV to determine if it's being rendered on an Android device.

[Fuzzy]

Originally Posted by tmiranda

Sean,

I am thinking about some plugins that may be useful on the Android miniclient. Can you add a new STV API "IsAndroid()"? Right now there is no way (that I know of) for the STV to determine if it's being rendered on an Android device.

No IsAndroid(), but he did just add an IsTouchUI() call, which likely is what you are looking for.

[tmiranda]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

No IsAndroid(), but he did just add an IsTouchUI() call, which likely is what you are looking for.

Ah, I think I can use that. Thanks.

I do think that down the road it will be useful to have an API set that can be used to more specifically determine what type of device the UI is being rendered on. (Phone, Tablet, box connected to a TV.)

[stuckless]

Originally Posted by tmiranda

Sean,

I am thinking about some plugins that may be useful on the Android miniclient. Can you add a new STV API "IsAndroid()"? Right now there is no way (that I know of) for the STV to determine if it's being rendered on an Android device.

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

No IsAndroid(), but he did just add an IsTouchUI() call, which likely is what you are looking for.

The IsTouchUI stll needs to be approved and then I can rebuild the sage jar. I felt that was a better API to identify a touch enabled device, such as a phone/tablet. the Android MiniClient on a TV (and a phone actually) identifies itself as a HD Media Extender (ie HD300). Did you have a use for IsAndroid (ie, you want to now it's android specifically) or is IsTouchUI good enough.

[stuckless]

Originally Posted by tmiranda

Ah, I think I can use that. Thanks.

I do think that down the road it will be useful to have an API set that can be used to more specifically determine what type of device the UI is being rendered on. (Phone, Tablet, box connected to a TV.)

I can certainly add apis for that... but is this more of a IsAndroid, IsIOS, vs IsTV IsPhone, IsTablet, IsDesktop, etc.

I think maybe having apis like GetScreenSize and GetScreenDensity could have some value in determining how much screen you have, combined with IsTouchUI would let you know if you are on a phone, and how large the screen is.

Today there is already an IsDesktopUI, and you can tell if you are a media extender or not, so really IsTouchUI was the missing piece, in my mind, to identify a phone/tablet.

[Fuzzy]

Originally Posted by stuckless

I can certainly add apis for that... but is this more of a IsAndroid, IsIOS, vs IsTV IsPhone, IsTablet, IsDesktop, etc.

I think maybe having apis like GetScreenSize and GetScreenDensity could have some value in determining how much screen you have, combined with IsTouchUI would let you know if you are on a phone, and how large the screen is.

Today there is already an IsDesktopUI, and you can tell if you are a media extender or not, so really IsTouchUI was the missing piece, in my mind, to identify a phone/tablet.

That's likely good enough for most uses - I'm thinking about the only difference would be a more general App/version returning API for a given context that just returns appropriate strings.

[KryptoNyte]

Originally Posted by SteveW

No, just the stock STV from ver 7. I'm somewhat tempted by Gemstone, having been an avid SageMC user in ver 6.
.

I seem to always get a black screen for the UI on a Galaxy S4, so I was trying to determine why. I've been able see the S4 connected via the web interface on another computer, and even launch a video on the S4 via the web interface. Unfortunately the UI is always a black screen.

I wondered if it might be Gemstone, but the more I think about it, I think that any brand new client always connects with the stock v7 STV.

Any other folks try this on an old S4?