Too many bugs on the Android Client

Channels Android TV
#1

Last week I spent all kinds of time finally configuring the client settings on the server so I could force all my clients to look similar.

The changes went into effect fine as I was testing on my upstairs Nvidia Shield which is the TV I use 90% of the time.

Yesterday, I went to utilize my downstairs Nvidia Shield and found that the custom channel collections were not showing up on the On Now or Guide screens. Very frustrating. No matter what I did, they would not show up on Nvidia Shield UNTIL I went and made the change on the client itself by clicking the gear icon on the specific client and applying the custom channels configuration there.

This the second issue I've found with custom forced client settings (logos not working also). It feels to me like the number of bugs I'm seeing on the Android side has increased quite a bit. Things don't work as they should too much of the time. Also, there are bugs that have been reported time and time again for nearly a year and yet have not been addressed (i.e. having to exit and reenter the app for it to recognize a recording has occurred).

I think it's time the developers take a step back and address the usability/stability of the Android app.

2 Likes
#2

Bugs I see regularly:

  • when selecting a program there is no audio and I have to stop / start it to get audio

  • when selecting a program there is a black screen and I have to stop / start it to get picture

  • commercials seem to hang with a black screen

  • and the already mentioned: if using the app if a program started recording, it often doesn't change the recording icon to the red color indicating it's recording / recorded. If you click into the program to watch, you then don't get the "watch recording / watch live" prompt because it hasn't recognized it's recording. Exiting out of the app to the home screen and relaunching will fix this. You will actually see the icon change to red upon reentering.

  • The library screen has icons of all different sizes. I assume this is because of imported content. Will have to share a picture.

#3

I've gotten the no audio and the black screen errors occasionally using a Shield. Not often though..

#4

They seem to come in bunches for me. It won't do it for a while and then it does it a lot.

The thing that is disappointing and frustrating is that these errors don't seem to be being addressed.

I'm all for new functionality and I love the product, but there are lot of bugs creeping into the experience on the Android side. Some of them really need to be addressed, but it really does seem like the focus is always on the Apple side and that Android is not getting the proper attention sometimes.

Do any of the developers have an Nvidia Shield and use the Android client as their primary home client? If not, that would explain a lot.

#5

This happens regularly for me on multiple Android devices (Nvidia Shield and Sony TV's). It has become almost second nature to start a program, hit back, then play it again, but it would be great to not have to do that.

#6

Here's an example of what happens when I scroll through the Recently Updated screen:

20220110_202123
20220110_2021234032×3024 1.23 MB

20220110_202129
20220110_2021294032×3024 1.33 MB

20220110_202111
20220110_2021114032×3024 1.45 MB

1 Like
#7

I get that too it really messes up when scrolling.

#8

@tmm1 I have this as well on firestick. It is only an issue when I have something from pluto in the list that has a 4x3 ratio thumbnail. In my case it's COPS. Throws the list all off. If I delete the series then everything goes back to normal.

#9

Devs won't even acknowledge?

#10

We're looking into it.

2 Likes
#11

I currently have an issue where my shields display different list of channels - the ones that have been excluded on the hdhomerun interface itself are still listed as available on the clients. in the dvr settings on server these are blocked and shows that out of 149 channels, 29 are blocked.
On the shields it shows 149 channels and the hidden/disabled channels are showing in the guide, but on our apple tvs they show correct number of channels of 120

#12

I have this same problem. Sometimes it gets so messed up I can't even select the show I want to watch. The cursor skips right over it. PLEASE FIX THIS! This makes Channels almost unusable.

#13

The bug on the Recently Updated screen is fixed in beta.

#14

Did you try clicking Settings > Manage Sources > HDHR > Sync Favorites/Hidden > Import

#17

Possible fix for this in v2022.01.22.0148

Please let me know if it happens again after upgrading to that version, and submit diagnostics if it does.

#18

Investigating this one on Pausing on commercial changes on Android TV (SHIELD 9)

Please share a recording which reproduces this if you can capture one.

#19

Diagnostics after re-entering would shed some light. Please include timestamp of when you noticed and relaunched with the diagnostics code.

#20

Not completely. If you have any programs that have no metadata match, it goes super bonkers now with giant size ones of those followed by the askewed layout like before. I can post screenshots later when I'm at a computer.

1 Like
#21

Yes, but why on Shield does it show a different number of channels than it does on apple tv

The Apple TV does not bring across the disabled channels and lists the correct number of channels available as 120, while the shield versions of the product show 149 channels as it includes the disabled channels.
Even after doing the sync you get the same issue on the shields

#22

I would not consider this a bug, but instead a difference in the platforms perhaps.
There are things different on Apple (Channels primary dev focus) and Android.
One may be better than the other in a certain feature or function.

I did not notice this difference until you posted about it...thee are 2x Shields and 1 Apple TV 4K in my use.

yes, Android TV clients, under Sources, show ALL channels, even disabled ones in its lists, Apple TV, only shows enabled ones. But they both Import and match the server settings, at least in my usage.

I personally would prefer it show ALL channels, as then you can enable/disable each channel per client device right on the device, needed if you want a client to be different than the server a bit. But some may want the more clean view of only showing the channels they have enabled.

Best option would for them to add to the server or client, whatever side works best, the option to show/hide disabled channels in the client sources list.