Android TV Best apps for Android TV? |
- Best apps for Android TV?
- Live Channels app keeps removing its self from app shelf, and sometimes I cant find it at all.
- Nvidia Shield TV Controller not working with Steam Link app
- Taking on all the criticism I've seen about the Stream+ (CM7000)
| Posted: 22 Mar 2020 07:34 PM PDT Hi, I have just bought my first Android TV which comes with inbuilt app like Youtube and Netflix. I am an app freak when it comes to my smartphone. What apps should I install on my TV now ? [link] [comments] |
| Live Channels app keeps removing its self from app shelf, and sometimes I cant find it at all. Posted: 22 Mar 2020 08:40 PM PDT Im really scratching my head, I have a 2019 Shield Pro. It's all up2date, but my isssue is that the Live Channels apps some reason keeps removing its self from the app shelf and it is even hidden when I try and add it. [link] [comments] |
| Nvidia Shield TV Controller not working with Steam Link app Posted: 22 Mar 2020 09:23 AM PDT Yesterday, Steam Link was working just fine on my Shield TV 2019. Today, I don't know what's changed but it doesn't seem to be playing nicely at all, as soon as the Big Picture interface loads up on my TV it look off. The Remote Play notification also doesn't disappear. Also, my Shield controller isn't working at all with Steam Link and this is the main issue. Steam Link responds to my Shield Pro remote but not to the game controller. It'll respond in the key mapping section of the app but as soon as I connect to my PC and Big Picture loads, it stops recognising it. Feels like a bug that may be just happening today, anyone else having issues? [link] [comments] |
| Taking on all the criticism I've seen about the Stream+ (CM7000) Posted: 22 Mar 2020 10:17 AM PDT Ok first.... I've been using Channel Master DVR's for years now. Since I first started experimenting with cord cutting, I had 2 points that were at the top of my must have list. 1st that I get my one channel I mostly watch (MeTv). 2nd that I have DVR capabilities, not so much for scheduling recordings, but more for pausing/rewinding live tv, to watch on timeshift. That's important for me. So I started experimenting on both these points, to see if cord cutting would be a possibility for me. The 1st point, getting my channel. I thought should be easy enough. Which given that I live in Brooklyn NY, that should of been simple to achieve. Cause all of my stations are broadcasting from Manhattan, so I'm less than 20 miles from all of them. But alas it isn't that simple, cause my one channel I need most, MeTv, while it is channel #33.1 (yup, HD!), The RF channel its on, is #3. Basically the lowest channel. So when I run a channel scan, this channel is the first found. So as you probably know, Channel #3 is a LOW VHF channel. So while I'm having no trouble picking up a strong signal on it. But something is constantly interfering in it, so it was almost not watchable before, cause it would work perfectly fine for some time, but keep getting noise interferences every few minutes sometimes, it could last a minute or 2 and come back prefect. Or it would stay noisy for 30 minutes or more, then come back like normal. It was just too annoying, and because that was the Channel I mostly watched. I broke down and signed up for Dish Network service, I was hoping they'd let me pay for and get ONLY the local channels package, for just a few dollars a month maybe. But no such luck. You have to start with a basic package, then you can add on the locals. So no way they'd let me take the locals only. So I ended paying just over $50 monthly. Which was the cheapest price available for TV only...... So I was happy with it, cause I finally had uninterrupted viewing of my channel, and after a while with them I even bought myself the Hopper3. Which is supposed to be the winning DVR box of all the providers. And I did really love it. It is indeed a kickass box. But.....Still it kept bugging me that I'm paying over $50 monthly, basically for a channel that is broadcasting it for free less than 20 miles from me. So I kept experimenting a little bit with antennas here and there. Reading up on it, trying to find online ANY info on it that would help me at all. But nothing! I couldn't even find another person having this same issue on the same channel 3. (If anyone here can point me to any info on this. PLEASE do). But I finally found an antenna setup that was............. Good enough. Still not perfect, still have something interfering what seems locally. But not as frequent and not as much. So I finally considered it good enough and cancelled my Dish Network service. And till today I'm not disappointed at all. I'm picking up 70 channels. Most perfectly strong. All strong enough. And my MeTv channel....Still has SOME kind of interference that I just cannot figure out what it is for the life of me.But it isn't as bad as it used to be. I'd say most weeks it would be 90% perfect. (Any help would be greatly appreciated!)..... Now my 2nd important point, the DVR capability. That experiment was probably a lot better. I started off being so excited when I saw on Amazon that these cheap little digital converter boxes, if they have USB port, then I can just plug in there any type of USB memory, like flash drives, external hard drives, etc. And walla, these boxes become a DVR! I was really surprised that this was so easily available and I had no idea this existed! So I bought one to try out, I was ok with it in the beginning. But the more I used it, the more all the small things started bothering me. So I bought a few different models of those types, hoping maybe one brands will be any better. But I realized all basically use the exact same inference, with the exact same features/settings. So I figured if I want a decent DVR box that works anything like the ones from the paid service providers, then I'll have to start looking at pricier brands. So searching for options for a good OTA DVR box, the options aren't really that many. The brands to choose from would be, first of course TiVo, then Tablo, Channel Master, Amazon made one, forgot the name. But again not really too many. So as I was trying to decide which one to go with, I did s ton of research first, looking into all the exact features and options each has. And the exact differences between. Then how much they each cost. Etc etc etc. So TiVo was quickly out, first they cost a lot! Then, some models require a paid subscriptions. Not happening! Then most others I looked into, they all don't have a simple HDMI port to connect it directly to my TV. Instead they all need a WiFi connection to stream the video over, then you can receive it, via PC/laptop, smartphone, or smart tv probably. But I don't want that! I just want the OTA DVR part. So why couldn't they install a simple HDMI output to skip the whole streaming part for those that don't want that, or better yet for those that DON'T HAVE a WiFi connection. Now if you don't have WiFi, you basically have no use for those. If it had a simple HDMI port everyone could use them as s DVR are least!! Seems to me like just missed out on a whole other market of clients they totally skipped over on. Oh well. So that left for me, only channelI Master. The first one I bought was their oldest model, the CM7400. I found it refurbished on Amazon for a good price, so I was really excited to try it. And it didn't disappoint. For the first time I had a decent looking guide, and the DVR functions were good too. I really liked it. I later ended up buying a second one of the same model, for my wife's TV. So that was it for me. That ended my search for a OTA DVR box. While it isn't a perfect box. It's good enough for me. I am happy with that box. Later I ended buying their newer model, the CM7500 aka the DVR+. At first I was a little disappointed that they didn't keep the same look and feel only improve on it. Instead it's like they started from scratch, the DVR+ looks NOTHING Like the older one, everything is setup completely differently. The biggest difference being that unlike the older one model, the new one didn't have almost any internal memory, but rather relied on external memory connected via the USB port. But after using it a while, I learned to love that one too. I realized that they each have things about them that I liked more than the other. So I've been using both those models till very recently.. Now I've known for a couple years now about the newer model DVR released by Channel Master, the CM7600 aka the Stream+ I of course looked into right when it was first released. But I quickly realized that at that time this one wasn't for me. Because as I saw, they again didn't improve on the previous model, but instead they again started this one from scratch, meaning it's running on a whole new OS, and running a whole new platform, the Android TV. So I saw that as it's name suggests, this one they focused more on the apps/streaming parts of it. And given that my free home WiFi I used at the time was way too buggy and slow for streaming. So I didn't think it would be worth getting just for the DVR part. Even though that is the part I care about most. But from reading the horrible reviews on it's DVR functions. I figured it isn't for me (to be fair, when it was first released, there were issues that needed fixing. But later updates fixed or dealt with most). But all that changed for me recently, cause I had switched my cellphone carrier recently to Visible Wireless, and I'm now getting with them TRULY unlimited high speed data, (truly meaning they never slow it down no matter how much data you use!), and they happen to include free unlimited hotspot (unlimited usage, but they capped the hotspot speed at 5mbps. Which is more than double the speed used by HD streams. So that limit isn't an issue at all). I've never really made use of hotspot, I didn't even care if it's included or not. But now I realized wait, if I have truly unlimited data, I can just use the hotspot for my home internet instead of the slow buggy free WiFi I've been using. So I thought Hmm maybe that makes getting the Stream+ a possibility. So just my luck, they were now running a crazy sale on these, so I got it for only $84.55 total! I couldn't say no to that. So I finally ordered it. Now I gotta say. My first comment on it is, I wish I got this a lot sooner! Even if only for the DVR part!!! THIS BOX IS AWESOME!!!! I love it! So I blame the bad reviews for this, they are to blame for me not buying this years sooner!! And now that I've been using it daily for like 2 weeks, I realize that most things that people are complaining about this, are either just not true, or maybe it was true and they fixed it in a later update (but the bad review is still up giving people the wrong info). Or it is true, but it has a perfect reason for it, that they just don't mention, or most probably don't even know. But like I said already, I personally LOVE this box. Yes it is again completely different than the previous model, even more so than before this time, cause is my running on the AndroidTV platform. So yes it took me a few days to get used to things, and figure things out. Heck I'm still learning new little things here and there while using it. But I've used it like 2 weeks almost now, and I've gotten the hang of it perfectly. And yes some things are very different than before, some features from before are even missing in this one. But overall it's a big improvement in my opinion. So I'm try to address here some of the negative things I read online about it. And explain first if it's true not. And if true how it had actually effected me in my experience with it..... First thing that I think is the one negative thing most mentioned about this DVR. Is that if you record a show, you cannot tune to that channel let's say 10 minutes in, and start from the beginning. Every DVR I've ever owned had this possible. So it is very disappointing to be missing this. But alas, this one is in fact so. I've tested it, and it's true. Maybe a later update might fix this. I'm not even sure if this would be Channel Master, or Google, that would need to fix this. I have a feeling this would be an issue from the Live Channels App. If so it would be Google that needs to change this. Probably. Second complain I saw a lot online about. Is that there isn't a jump back and fwd button/option. Like in the older models there is a jump fwd 30 seconds, and jump back 10 seconds. But this has no jump options. Well true, but very unfair. Because yes there isn't the jump feature like the one I explained the others have. But this one has a different system, and I really like it. When I click the rewind/ffwd button on the remote it will bring up on the screen the play controls bar, in the bar there IS a jump back and jump fwd buttons. But they don't jump a few seconds like before. But rather they jump to the end/beginning of the show playing. AND the fast fwd and rewind buttons that ARE on the remote, they work interestingly. If you press it ones it starts at x2, if you press it again it goes faster at x3, press again x4, again x5. Now here is the kicker though. This Fast forward and rewind, will only run for 5 seconds and then start playing automatically. If it isn't enough, you fast forward it again, at the speed you think appropriate. Of course you can stop it and start playing when you want to manually. But if you leave it, it will play after like 5 seconds. So it's actually a kinda hybrid of fast forward/jump forward. Its working out perfectly for me. I think it is a lot faster skipping through commercials this way. It just works better, for me at least. Third complaint I saw, is that when the guide is open, you can't type in a channel number to jump to it, but you have to scroll through the guide manually to get to it.. Well, yes it's true, but the way the guide works it's almost not needed! When you hold the up or down button, the guide scrolls so fast, that you get to any channel number in just seconds. In fact I really love the feel and responsiveness of the guide. It looks awesome, has photo thumbs in almost every show description. And like I said with the way it scrolls you can get anywhere in no time almost. So after the first days of getting used to it, I have not missed at all the option to type the Channel number in. It's a really nice guide. And btw, speaking of the typing in numbers... I love the way the Channel tuning works, like when I start typing in a number, a list will pop up with all possible options, so I can just type the first number and then scroll down the list that came up, to the Channel you want. Or if you keep typing more numbers, the list will get shorter as you type, till only yours is left. It's awesome. Like if I click the number 3 the list will pop up with all channels that start with 3, if I click 3 again, the list will show only channels that start with 33. And so on.... But again when the guide is open, the numbers don't work. But it scrolls so fast and smooth, that you get to any channel in the guide in no time anyway.... ...And speaking of the guide already, it's worth mentioning, I've seen a lot of different things from Channel Master themselves about how many days ahead the guide will show data for. Cause I think this changed a lot with updates. And I think this is something totally controlled by the Google Live Channels App. So first I saw they said it's only 2 days ahead. Then I saw it said, it's only 2 days ahead, but you can search by voice for shows up to 10 days ahead, and schedule recordings for it, etc... Then I saw they said later that the amount of days ahead depend on how many channels you add to the lineup, so the more channels added, the less data ahead you get...So with all that, I didn't really know what to expect at all. But I don't really care about this too much, a couple of days of data is usually more than enough for me. But I was pleasantly surprised that all those above mentioned are not true. I actually get data for 14 days ahead!!! And while it doesn't have the option to jump ahead a day at a time with the ffwd button. It still scrolls through a day so fast and smooth that again your there in no time, to the exact day and time you're looking for. The feel of the guide is just awesome. And btw, yes I added all the Pluto TV channels to my channel lineup, so I have hundreds of channels total. But still get the 14 days of guide data for the OTA channels. So I guess that post that it depend on how many channels you add. Isn't so anymore. And btw, the Pluto channels only have guide info for a hour ahead. That's all Pluto provides on their own guide as well. So that's on them. Not Google. Fourth, I saw complaints that when you click info, And the info banner pops up. It then won't go away on it's own. Even clicking the info button again, won't take it away, only the back button would. That is true, but only in certain cases. Ok when I watch a live show, or on a timeshift even, and I click info. The banner will pop up at the top of the screen, and it WILL go away automatically after a couple of seconds. I've tried clicking the info button again when the banner is still up, but it indeed did not make the banner go away like it usually does on second press. But it didn't do anything, only the back button did close it right away. But again, if I left just left it alone, it would go away by itself after a few seconds. So I thought hmmm not sure why I saw this complaint online, but it isn't so for me. It does go away on its own. But then later after a few days playing around, I realized what it might be. Cause first, when I first watched a recorded show I realized this issue is an issue there. First the info button doesn't really bring up ANYTHING when watching a recorded show, no info banner. so to see any info I pressed the ok button, that brought up the play controls bar, and a little line with some info right above it, and that bar and info did indeed not go away on its own, till I clicked the back button it would stay on. Not a very big deal for me. Then I also realized that if I change the font size in the settings, the info banner will be larger then. And for some reason will then also not go away on its own, till you click the back button. Go figure. But if the font size is regular, it does go away on its own after a few seconds. Now this also involves the next, Fifth complaint I saw online. A person was complaining that they bought this for their parents to use, they liked it a lot, but the words are just too small for him to read it easily.. Well I could see how it can be hard to read for someone with weaker vision. But then like I mentioned before, I found in the settings, under accessibility, the option to adjust the font size, to make it larger. I tried it, it made the info banners a lot easier to see/read. But then I realized that when I had a larger font size selected, the info banner would stay on the screen till I manually dismiss it with the back button. And that was too annoying for me to deal with, so I put back the regular font size.. So again these complaints are all either too small for me to really care about. Or just not so.. So overall I can honestly say, that Channel Master for me was always the best DVR solution available. And this newest addition now is arguably my favorite from them yet. Again I gotta say, none of them are perfect, each model has some things about it that I don't like. But overall they're good options. [link] [comments] |
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