On-screen "What's Next" button

Channels Fire TV
#63

Android/Fire beta 109.15.250:

On my Fire TV edition Insignia 24" set, the What's Next card still appears at the beginning of each episode. When it is visible, I cannot skip or fast-forward. New behavior in this beta: after I dismiss the card, I still cannot skip or fast-forward at all. This is worse, as I used to be able to skip just not fast-forward. There is one improvement, however. The What's Next card does not appear each time I try to skip or fast-forward.

On my Fire TV edition Insignia 50" set, the What's Next card does not appear at the beginning of each episode. Skip and fast-forward work fine. I'm still not sure how to use the What's Next feature, but at least it does not interfere with my navigation.

#64

What version of FireOS is on each TV?

#65

Same on both:
Fire OS 6.2.8.4 (NS6284/3533)
Fire TV Home Version 6330044.1

As reported above, another user is experiencing similar issues on two Sony Bravia Android TVs.

My 24" also experiences video freezing in Channels, which I've reported in the past. My solution is to lower the bit rate and reboot at least once a month.

#66

The user above is using v3.5.2 and running into other bugs which were fixed in beta.

If both your TVs are running the exact same OS and exact same Channels app code, then the only explanation for one of the TVs acting weirdly is that it has a buggy CPU/GPU.

I'm adding extra logging in the next apk beta (v2021.09.15.1700). Please install it and submit diagnostics from the buggy TV.

#67

OK thanks, I updated to 109.15.1700, demonstrated the problem again, and submitted diagnostics.

I noticed one additional behavior: skip back / rewind works, and after doing that then I can skip forward one hop but cannot continue.

#68

The logs unfortunately don't go back far enough because of how FireOS works. Can you submit right after you see the button show up.

#69

OK, submitted. In the latest beta though the card/button only shows up when a show starts, so I've submitted a very short session. After I dismiss the button I still can't skip/fast-forward, and in this week's betas the button doesn't reappear each time I try to skip/fast-forward.

#70

Thanks. I see it in the logs this time.

I wonder if this is related to your streaming quality being not Original..

#71

Eureka, that's it! I set it to Original streaming quality and then skip/FF worked fine. The button did not appear until the very end. I'd have to remember to reboot a lot more often if I leave it at Original though.

There's still a way to trick it into displaying the button at the beginning of a show, though I'm not sure how I did that. Some combination of watched shows and rewatching a show.

Also I'm still not sure about the purpose of the button appearing at the very end, as I can find no way to select it.

#72

Great.

I'm uploading v2021.09.15.2225 which should fix the button appearing at the beginning when not at Original quality. Hopefully you can also click it now.

#73

I can now click the button, thank you. That fix was needed for my Fire TV Stick 4K too. But a problem with slower bit rates remains: although there is no button at the beginning, I can only skip/fast-forward when I am at Original streaming quality.

#74

Does backward skip work? Just not forward?

#75

Yes backward skip works, and as before if I do that then I can skip forward once and only once.

#76

Thanks. Please try the new beta

#77

That fixed it, thank you!!! And this is why I remain one of the biggest evangelists for Channels DVR on TCF.

3 Likes
#78

Also having the problem of unable to skip forward but on a gen2 fire stick. How did I get the beta version on a gen2 stick?

#79

Settings > Support > Install Channels DVR Beta

#80

That does not work on a gen2. Get unable to parse message.

#81

That device is too old and no longer supported.

#82

Is that written down someplace? A stick that was bought two years ago is no good? It worked fine until the recent update.