Amazon Fire TV
Amazon Fire TV | |
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Manufacturer | Amazon.com |
Released | 2014-04-02 (US) |
OS | Fire OS 3.0 "Mojito" (Based on Android) |
CPU | Qualcomm Krait 300, quad-core to 1.7 Ghz |
Storage | 8 GB internal |
RAM | 2 GB RAM |
Display | 1080p |
Graphics | Qualcomm Adreno 320 |
Connectivity | HDMI, Bluetooth 4.0, USB 2.0, Wifi (802.11n), 10/100 Ethernet, Optical audio, CEC |
Dimensions | 115 × 115 × 17.5 mm (4.53 × 4.53 × 0.69 in) |
Devices | Android | Amazon Fire TV |
Amazon Fire TV is an Android-based (Fire OS) set-top-box that contains a very powerful ARM processor (that can even handle some of the more heavy XBMC skins). Fire TV stands above some of the other Android-based offerings due to Amazon's strong product support and because it contains more remote friendly versions of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and other video service clients, making it a good pairing with XBMC.
Builds
Official Builds
XBMC 13.0 Gotham for Android (ARM) (Final Release)
Gotham should be your starting point for running XBMC on the Fire TV.
Stable builds
These builds are listed should you have issues with XBMC 13.0 Gotham or are interested in the absolute latest patches and features. The packages below may be less stable than Gotham.
Frodo
Note: This build can be installed alongside the official XBMC builds, as they have different package names.
Helix
- XBMC 14.0 for Android (ARM) (Nightlies) (Helix builds begin on May 5)
Helix and the Fire TV are still being tested and log files may be needed to help with testing. If you are unfamiliar with doing so, please take a look at the easy guide to getting a log file.
SPMC and XBMC have different signatures, so they are completely independent from each other (i.e., will be installed as separate apps). You can use adb install -r <apk-file-name>
to update without losing all your settings.
Installing
General Steps
- Setup the ADB Utility via OS-specific instructions below, or install the Android SDK for your platform: https://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html
- Follow these instructions to connect ADB to your Amazon Fire TV: https://developer.amazon.com/sdk/asb/connect-adb.html
- Follow these instructions to install the XBMC app onto the Fire TV (using the ADB tool): https://developer.amazon.com/sdk/asb/app-install.html
Setup ADB on Your Host
Note: Your host must be connected to the same network as your Fire TV..
Windows
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OS X
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Linux
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Note: Linux adb is a 32-bit dynamically linked program. In order to run under a 64-bit Linux, 32-bit support is required. You may need to install the lib6:i386 (the 32-bit base library support package) depending on your Linux. |
Android
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The ADB utility is built into Android. However, you will need to install a Terminal Emulator app.
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Enable USB Debugging on the Fire TV
- From the Fire TV Home screen, select Settings
- Go to System -> Developer Options
- Select ADB Debugging to turn it ON
- Go to System -> About -> Network, and take note of the Fire TV's IP address
Install XBMC to the Fire TV
Note: If your APK file name contains spaces, make sure you put quotes around it in the adb commands. On OS X and Linux, you may need to prepend ./
to the adb commands.
- On your host (PC or other Android device), download your desired XBMC APK
- Open a Command Prompt (Windows), Terminal (OS X/Linux), or Terminal Emulator app (Android)
- Navigate (CD) to the directory with your XBMC APK (In Terminal Emulator on Android you only need to run the adb commands)
- Run the following commands
>adb kill-server
>adb start-server
>adb connect <ip-address-of-fire-tv>
- ADB is connected when it reports the message "connected to <ip-address-of-fire-tv>:<port>"
- Run the following command
>adb install <apk-file-name>
- Installation is complete when it reports the message "success"
(Note: For Android you need to type in the full path. e.g. >adb install /sdcard/Download/apk-file-name.apk)
Launch XBMC on the Fire TV
- From the Fire TV Home screen, select Settings
- Select Applications
- Find and select your XBMC installation (it may be named "XBMC" or "SPMC")
- Select Launch Application
Note: Users have reported that you can autostart XBMC after boot using an Android automation apps such as Tasker, AutomateIt, or Llama. Alternately, you can use Autopilot to autoboot to XBMC.
Launching XBMC from Fire TV Homescreen: You can also have Llama (and probably others) launch XBMC when a native Fire TV app like Flixter is launched from the Fire TV homescreen. Some apps work better than others.
Upgrading XBMC
XBMC can be upgraded through ADB without losing your settings. To do this, you must use a newer version of the package already installed on the machine.
- Download the package to your machine
- Make sure ADB is connected to the Fire TV
- Run
adb install -r <apk-file-name>
- Installation is complete when it reports the message "Success"
XBMC will still go through the "first run" screen the first time it is launched but your settings will remain intact.
Downgrading XBMC
If you wish to downgrade your version of XBMC (because you installed a test version that didn't work properly, for example) and keep your settings, the following commands will allow you to do so.
adb uninstall -k org.xbmc.xbmc
adb install <apk-file-name>
If you are downgrading using an Android device, you will need to use the "shell" command.
adb shell pm uninstall -k org.xbmc.xbmc
Bypassing Amazon Home
An app has been submitted to the Amazon FireTV store for approval which would launch XBMC which would make these steps obsolete for people who need to still access Amazon's content.
There are (2) methods below. The first one's goal is to keep access to Amazon content. When pressing Home you need to wait 15s before the screen turns off, which you then press a remote button to turn the FireTV back on which boots into XBMC. The second method's goal is to force you back into XBMC the instant you press the Home button, thus effectively losing the ability to access Amazon content.
Semi Bypass
Function
- retain access to Amazon content
- automatically start XBMC when the Fire TV boots
- automatically start XBMC when the Fire TV resumes from Standby
- automatically go to Standby after 10 mins of inactivity in XBMC
- automatically go to Standby after 10 mins of inactivity in most apps
- automatically go to Standby after 15s of inactivity in KFTV Launcher
If you exit XBMC, you can either relaunch it through the Settings menu, or wait 15s for the KFTV to go to standby and power it back on.
Prerequisites
- XBMC > System > Settings > System > Power saving
- Shutdown function timer = 10 min
- Shutdown function = Quit
- Sideload Llama Play Store
Llama Events
Preconfigured file:
- Download: llama_events_for_xbmc_on_firetv.zip - 1.31 KB
- Unzip the file
- Exit or Force Stop Llama
>adb push extracted_folder /sdcard/Llama/
- Launch Llama
- If you do not see the new Events related to XBMC, then press the Menu key on the FireTV remote -> Import/Export Data -> Import From USB Storage -> Accept
- Launch Llama and see if new Events related to XBMC are there. If not, use a file manager to see if the Llama folder was placed in /sdcard/ (usually this is the folder that comes up on most file manager applications).
Manual Entry:
- From the Fire TV Home screen, select Settings
- Select Applications
- Find and select Llama
- Select Launch Application
- You will need a USB Keyboard to complete the next steps.
- Using arrow/directional keys or a built-in trackpad on a USB Keyboard, select the Events tab. Hold enter/select on the existing events to delete them. Select the + at the bottom of the screen, next to the magnifying glass.
Event : 10 minutes standby in applications
- Condition : Active application = When the current app is not KFTV Launcher
- Action : Change Screen Timeout = 10 minutes
- Event : 15 seconds standby in KTFV Launcher
- Condition : Active application = When the current app is KFTV Launcher
- Action : Change Screen Timeout = 15 seconds
- Event : Launch XBMC when screen turns off
- Condition : Screen Off
- Action : Run Application = XBMC
- Event : Launch XBMC at startup
- Condition : Phone reboot = after start up
Action : Run Application = XBMC
Complete Bypass
Function
- lose access to Amazon content until next boot
- automatically start XBMC when the sacrificial app is launched from the FireTV app Carousel
- automatically launch XBMC when the Home or Mic button is pressed after XBMC is launched for the first time
- automatically go to Standby after 5-120 mins of idle in XBMC
If you exit XBMC, the Llama events will relaunch XBMC the next time you press the Home button or if you launch the sacrificial app.
Prerequisites
- Amazon FireTV Settings > Screensaver = 5 minutes
- XBMC > System > Settings > System > Power saving
- Shutdown function timer = 5-120 min (or whatever you prefer; I keep XBMC open as long as possible)
- Shutdown function = Quit
- Sideload Llama Play Store
Llama Events
Preconfigured file:
- Download: llama_events_for_xbmc_2.zip - 1.00 KB
- Unzip the file
- Exit or Force Stop Llama
>adb push extracted_folder /sdcard/Llama/
- Launch Llama
- If you do not see the new Events related to XBMC, then press the Menu key on the FireTV remote -> Import/Export Data -> Import From USB Storage -> Accept
- Launch Llama and see if new Events related to XBMC are there. If not, use a file manager to see if the Llama folder was placed in /sdcard/ (usually this is the folder that comes up on most file manager applications).
Manual Entry:
- From the Fire TV Home screen, select Settings
- Select Applications
- Find and select Llama
- Select Launch Application
- You will need a USB Keyboard to complete the next steps.
- Using arrow/directional keys or a built-in trackpad on a USB Keyboard, select the Events tab. Hold enter/select on the existing events to delete them. Select the + at the bottom of the screen, next to the magnifying glass.
http://i.imgur.com/5CVFuJu.png
Event : Startup
- Condition : Phone Reboot = after start up
- Action : Llama Variable = name: startup & value:true
- Event : XBMC Started
- Condition : Active Application = When the current app is XBMC
- Action : Llama variable: name:startup & value:false
- Event : Launch XBMC when Home is pressed
- Condition : (AND)
- Condition : When the current app is KFTV Launcher
- Condition : Llama variable: name:startup & value:false
- Action : Run Application = XBMC
- Event : Launch XBMC when a sacrificial app is selected
- Condition : When the current app is Plex*
- Action : Llama variable: name:startup & value:false
Action : Run Application = XBMC
* Plex was just used as an example, you can find whatever app that is supported on the Fire TV here, that you don't plan on actually using, as the trigger app.
Launch XBMC from an Existing App on the FTV Home Screen
There is a alternative way to invoke XBMC from the FTV Home Screen using Llama. This method uses a “sacrificial” app that you have installed from Amazon that you will use to access XBMC. The app can be anything you have installed but don’t need to use; however, some apps behave better than others (some apps will enter a loop when exiting XBMC). One app that has been tested and works well for this purpose is “Classic TV”.
The advantage of this method is that using the sacrificial app you have Home Screen Access to XBMC and you can exit XBMC to the FTV Home Screen just as you would any other FTV app.
Prerequisites
- Llama side loaded on your FTV.
- The app called “Classic TV” from the Amazon app store.
- One Llama Event (described below).
Procedure
- Install / side-load Llama.
- Install “Classic TV” app from Amazon app store.
- Launch Llama (From FireTV - Settings > Applications > Llama > Launch Application).
- Go to EVENTS on top menu and click '+' to add a NEW EVENT.
- In your NEW EVENT select ADD CONDITION then, from the Menu select 'Active Application' and select 'Choose App’. Scroll through the list of apps until you find “Classic TV” and select this app. Doing this should return you to the Events Menu.
- Next, select ADD ACTION and select 'Run Application' from the Menu list. From here, select whatever the name of your XBMC build is. That should create your event. At this point you can also name your event to distinguish it from others.
Now when you start the “Classic TV” app from the Home Screen, it should automatically open XBMC. Feel free to experiment with other apps from the FTV app store. Just be aware that some will loop back and re-start XBMC when you try and exit XBMC to get back to the FTV Home Screen.
Launching Android Apps within XBMC
- In Gotham builds, it is possible to launch Android Apps from shortcuts on the main menu.
- It is recommended to use the Confluence skin, go to Programs, then Android Apps and favorite any applications you would like to launch from XBMC.
- Skins like Amber allow you place custom shortcuts on the main menu to these favorite items.
- In Frodo builds you can only launch these apps from going into Programs -> Android Apps. They will not launch when put onto the main menu.
NOTE: For skins that allow you to add "Favorites" to the main menu, if you add an App to favorites then uninstall that App you should make sure to remove that App from favorites first. If you uninstall an App that you have added to favorites and don't remove it from favorites first it may cause XBMC to crash.
If this happens, reinstall the App you uninstalled, then launch XBMC and remove it from favorites. This will stop XBMC from crashing.
Copying files
Copy userdata settings (optional)
Run XBMC at least once to initialize the userdata folder on the Fire TV
- Copying from PC to Fire TV
- Copy files to Fire TV userdata folder using
adb push <local> <remote>
- For example, to copy advancedsettings.xml from your local folder to your Fire TV XBMC userdata folder:
>adb push advancedsettings.xml /sdcard/android/data/org.xbmc.xbmc/files/.xbmc/userdata
- where org.xbmc.xbmc is replaced with your package name such as tv.ouya.xbmc (XBMC for Ouya) or com.semperpax.spmc (SPMC)
- For example, to copy advancedsettings.xml from your local folder to your Fire TV XBMC userdata folder:
- Copying files from Fire TV to PC
- Copy files from Fire TV userdata folder using
adb pull <remote> <local>
- For example, to copy advancedsettings.xml from your Fire TV XBMC userdata folder to your local folder:
>adb pull /sdcard/android/data/org.xbmc.xbmc/files/.xbmc/userdata/advancedsettings.xml
- For example, to copy advancedsettings.xml from your Fire TV XBMC userdata folder to your local folder:
You can use adb shell
to open a remote shell on the Fire TV. Use standard Linux commands such as cd
and ls
to navigate the file structure. Type exit
to exit adb shell.
See userdata folder for more information on the contents of the userdata folder.
Update Splash Image (optional)
Run XBMC at least once to initialize the userdata folder on the Fire TV
- If the splash image file is splash.png, you can run the following command to copy the file to Fire TV (you may need to update the folder name):
For XBMC on Ouya
>adb push splash.png /sdcard/Android/data/tv.ouya.xbmc/files/.xbmc/media/splash.png
For Gotham
>adb push splash.png /sdcard/Android/data/org.xbmc.xbmc/files/.xbmc/media/splash.png
Fire TV splash images:
- Non-version specific
- Version specific
Controls
Bluetooth remote
To make the remote work with XBMC's on-screen-keyboard, go to XBMC -> Settings -> System -> Input devices and enable Remote control sends keyboard presses
Note: For slightly improved keymaps for the Fire TV remote, see Alternative keymaps for Fire TV remote.
To reboot the Fire TV with the Bluetooth remote, hold Play/Pause (8) and Select (4) for 5 seconds.
CEC
People are reporting that the Amazon Fire TV has basic CEC support.
USB
USB port allows for various additional remote types, such as FLIRC, various RF dongles, etc. Most of these devices will show up as a keyboard type input.
USB Keyboards
- Logitech K400r, K520, K700 and K800 and DiNovo mini wireless keyboards are said to work, as reported in the forum http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=191109&pid=1673921#pid1673921 (and the next post).
- Logitech DiNovo Edge keyboard works, but touch pad and media keys do not work. DiNovo Edge doesn't have a menu key.
- IOGEAR GKM561R wireless keyboard/mouse combo works (although Shift/Capslock does not in 12.x, apparently an issue addressed on Gotham)
- FAVI Entertainment SmartStick Wireless Keyboard with Touchpad Mouse, FE02RF-BL
- See keyboard controls for how to control XBMC using a keyboard. Additional Fire TV controls goes as followed:
Key Action F11
or "browser search"
media key.Voice Search (Does not send mic audio) F12 Fire TV home screen Esc Fire TV back button Ctrl+Esc
or "Menu" (to the right of the Windows key on the right side)Fire TV menu button Alt+Tab ⇆ Recent App Ctrl+Alt+Delete System reset
USB Infrared Remotes
- MCE (IR) remote - 2nd generation works. Turn on the Fire TV after plugging in the IR receiver and it should work.
USB Gamepads
- Logitech F710 Wireless Gamepad (uses a small USB dongle)
- Xbox 360 wired gamepad
- Xbox 360 wireless gamepad works if you use the Wireless Gaming Receiver for Windows
Flirc
The rewind, fast forward, and play/pause keys on the Fire TV controller operate the same as a keyboard's media keys. Use the "Media Keys" controller in the Flirc application to set these on your remote. Netflix and Pandora on the Fire TV (and possibly other apps) do pick up the other media keys such as stop. XBMC also picks up these keys.
Esc can be used as the back button. Remapping XBMC's back to Esc would be required to use one button for both commands.
≣ Menu (the button to the right of the Windows key on the right side on a keyboard) works as the Fire TV's menu button and does not have the issues Ctrl+Esc has. Ctrl+Esc usually results in duplicate keypresses and will sometimes act as just Esc. At this time the Flirc GUI does not have a button to map "Menu" on the "Full Keyboard" controller, but on the command line flirc_util record_api 0 101
can be used.
Basic example using a Harmony One and Flirc:
For this setup use the following keyboard.xml file.
<keymap> <global> <keyboard> <key id="61656">ContextMenu</key> <key id="61467">Back</key> <key id="61637">FastForward</key> <key id="61636">Rewind</key> <backspace>PreviousMenu</backspace> </keyboard> </global> <FullscreenVideo> <keyboard> <next_track>StepForward</next_track> <prev_track>StepBack</prev_track> </keyboard> </FullscreenVideo> </keymap>
Also note that the Fire TV Home button is a soft key set to F12.
Other bluetooth devices
It should be possible to pair other bluetooth controllers and remotes to the Fire TV. Most of these devices will show up as a keyboard type input.
Bluetooth Gamepads
- Nyko PlayPad Pro
- Ouya Controller
Uninstall XBMC
- From the Fire TV Home screen, select Settings
- Select Applications
- Find and select your XBMC installation (it may be named "XBMC", "SPMC", or "XBMC on OUYA")
- Select Uninstall
Alternatively, you can do the uninstall over ADB with one of the following commands.
OUYA
adb uninstall tv.ouya.xbmc
SPMC
adb uninstall com.semperpax.spmc
XBMC
adb uninstall org.xbmc.xbmc
Known issues
- Hardware video decoding is semi-working. See the #Builds section above.
- VC-1 and MPEG2 are not hardware decoded in XBMC on the Fire TV.
- USB cannot currently be used for drive storage.
- The fast forward and rewind buttons on the Fire TV remote are not yet working in XBMC. However, the directional buttons do work for normal and big "steps" forward and back.
- A static click or pop may be heard when opening a Dolby Digital file in Gotham. One workaround is to turn off NAVIGATION SOUNDS (Settings > Appearance > Skin) and KEEP AUDIO DEVICE ALIVE (Settings > System > Audio Output). NOTE: This may cause playback issues with DTS-HD or TrueHD files.
Random notes
Feel free to place various notes, tips, and links here. As this section of the wiki gets more organized, those notes will be properly sorted. Consider this like a dumping ground for when you're not sure where to put something.
- The USB port seems to work with keyboards and mice.
- Debug information in the Fire TV's Netflix app can be accessed by pressing Ctrl+Alt+⇧ Shift+D.
- The FireTV will not go to 'sleep' when XBMC is the active application. In the Gotham builds, you may set the Power Saving -> Shutdown Function to Quit, and choose any time between 5-120 minutes. This will Exit the application after being idle, which allows the FireTV screensaver to run (the screensaver should pop up right when XBMC exits; test this by using the 5 minute Quit timer). This also appears to function correctly and allow the device to sleep even if you are using the Llama settings to always keep XBMC running.
Links
- XBMC forum thread about the Amazon Fire TV: http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=191109
- Amazon Fire TV product page: http://www.amazon.com/Amazon-CL1130-Fire-TV/dp/B00CX5P8FC
- iFixit teardown: http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Amazon+Fire+TV+Teardown/23856
- Supported codecs: https://developer.amazon.com/sdk/asb/media-specs.html
- Wikipedia article on Amazon Fire TV: wikipedia:Amazon Fire TV
- Qualcomm Blog: http://www.qualcomm.com/snapdragon/blog/2014/04/02/new-amazon-fire-tv-powered-snapdragon-600-processor
- XDA Developers Fire TV forum: http://forum.xda-developers.com/fire-tv
- TechRepublic teardown: http://www.techrepublic.com/pictures/cracking-open-amazon-fire-tv/18/