ADBTuner: A "channel tuning" application for networked Google TV / Android TV devices

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#1113

PSA for anyone who hasn't gone through this yet:
I am using hulu live and the NBC app. I bought 2 ONN devices and I had a firestick 4k max already.

Firestick:
Completely unreliable. If I open the hulu app manually then the ADBTuner commands to load a channel work 100% of the time. If the app is not loaded then it works about 50% of the time. I'm not heart broken anyway, as I cannot stand Amazons in home ad delivery system anyway.

Onn device:

  1. Enable stay awake while charging
    I had an issue where Channels was recording a channel where there were 4 shows in a row. After the 3rd show the popup came on the screen that says the device is going to sleep soon. Then it killed the video feed. The stay awake while charging completely solved this.
    image

  2. Apps only mode
    Holy crap this makes Android TV as close as it can get to being as user friendly as an Apple TV! All of the stupid crap on the homescreen is gone. This made setup of the apps MUCH easier and just generally looks better. To get to this screen, select your profile pic, then manage accounts, select your account again, scroll down to apps only mode and select it. Then you get a warning that they will not be able to give you a personalized experience (ads) and you really need to think about this. LOL, yeah no thanks.
    image image

  3. Ethernet adapter and USB Debugging
    You have to either choose ADB or Ethernet which I do not like. However there is a workaround. Turn off USB debugging and then change the USB behavior to NDIS. Reboot the device, when you verify Ethernet works OK, turn USB debugging back on. All is well until the next reboot.
    I have heard that there might be a ADB command that will enable this permanently but nothing concrete. If anyone has any insight on this that would be awesome.

6 Likes
#1114

When i first started using ADB Tuner, I was on Hulu Live tv.
The experience was just not good at all.
I filled over to YTTV. and all is good.
Hulu requires too much behind scenes messing with things.
Went over to YTTV then moved to Fubo and went to the docker.j

1 Like
#1115

What's the most economical HDMI encoder that offers the best experience and has been tested to work? The only issue I have with Channels at the moment is I can't get NBC Boston for my Celtics. I use YTTV to watch that. It would be great to add this setup to pull in a DRM channel or two. However, I'd rather not spend a few hundred to make that happen.

#1116

Have had really good luck with the LinkPi, both the single and five port models. Would highly recommend.

1 Like
#1117

That's a pretty good deal for 5 HDMI inputs, even at regular price. Anyone using that device?

#1118

There is a whole thread of us :slight_smile:

1 Like
#1119

I have the five port ENCv2. I may have been the first to get one when they became available in November. Big fan, works well, and price per port is great. If you just want one tuner the LinkPi ENC1v3 is also excellent at about $130.

#1120

Are you saying that you are a big fan of the unit or that there is a big loud fan in the unit?

#1121

Yeah i have one of these and you do have to make room for the fan

image

#1122

I should clarify. By “big fan”, I am a big fan of the product. The actual device does not have a fan or any moving parts.

#1123

Thanks.

And yeah, slampman, the 13900k machine I built last year could probably use something like that!

#1124

Can this approach be used for any Android TV app that has a linear feed? For example the NESN app has live channels. Can I use this to pull those in? Similar to say the NBC Sports application?

#1125

Between this extension and ah4c, yes. Use ADBTuner for apps that support deep links, and ah4c for those that don't.

#1126

How would I know which supports deep links vs. ones that don't?

#1127

That's a good question -- without a good answer. Figuring out if an app supports deeplinks or not is not an easy process. If you're more than a little technically inclined, there are ways to gather clues using adb or by pulling apart the app's apk. Sometimes, it's as easy as figuring out what URLs are used by the browser version of an app and that will work as a deeplink.

If that type of easter egg hunt doesn't appeal to you, it's best to stick with apps where the deep links are known. Use search on this thread, the original HDMI for Channels thread, and the multiple ah4c threads to get an idea what the options are.

#1128

Isn’t NESN supported natively by Channels DVR TV Anywhere? Or did that recently change?

Looking at the decompiled app I don’t see any evidence of deep link support. ah4c is probably going to be a better bet among the Android device controlling options.

#1129

I'm using FuboTVj and NESN is supported on Tv-everywhere.

#1130

Can you share some guidance? I have quite a few of these ospreys, and I'm having a hell of a time trying with these things requiring new RSA fingerprints every so often when running adb commands to it. I currently capture these boxes manually with 4 channel encoder, and have a script that runs that send adb channel # to keep them on the right channel. What project are using with the osprey boxes? This one?

#1131

This is the project you're after:

No need to struggle, thanks to @spammedeeper it's a ready to use project with Osprey boxes and DTVStream.

You should post your questions there, after looking things over.

3 Likes
Preparing for the end of CableCARD
#1133

Wicked fast reply, Much appreciated!