We've cut the cable

[BigJohn 418]

Alright so noob issue. I install Kodi on my Fire Stick. Load Titanium, but after it extracts and it says it needs to force close, it freezes. Nothing. I can exit out to my fire home menu, and restart Kodi, but titanium is not loaded. 

 

Halp....

[Tick 1,420]

4 hours ago, tonydead said:

So FireTV>>>>>>>>>>Firestick.  If you use your firestick regularly do yourself a favor, give it away and get a FireTV.  Searching and loading streams in Kodi takes like 4-5 seconds instead of 30.  Don't have to wait for things to load etc.  Better hardware obviously, but, probably gaining a lot utilizing the 5Hz wireless AC band too.  Looking at you @matttyl.  I've got 5 security cameras streaming video back to my HTPC over the 2.4hz band.  I checked my router and found 15 devices and counting.  It's nice having some of the new streaming devices AC compatible.

Nice.  I chose the slow shipping and have a business trip next week, so this is something for me to look forward to for next weekend.

[tonydead 7,818]

6 hours ago, BigJohn said:

Alright so noob issue. I install Kodi on my Fire Stick. Load Titanium, but after it extracts and it says it needs to force close, it freezes. Nothing. I can exit out to my fire home menu, and restart Kodi, but titanium is not loaded. 

 

Halp....

Do not exit Kodi after install of titanium. Unplug it and reboot. Might have to start over.

On fire stick do not exit Kodi after fresh start or build install. Always unplug and let it reboot. 

[tonydead 7,818]

The FireTV has Alexia in the remote. Did not know that. 

Not a fan of voice remotes, but alexia is nice. 

[cockroach 2,594]

7 hours ago, BigJohn said:

Alright so noob issue. I install Kodi on my Fire Stick. Load Titanium, but after it extracts and it says it needs to force close, it freezes. Nothing. I can exit out to my fire home menu, and restart Kodi, but titanium is not loaded. 

 

Halp....

 

You got the answer, but you don't really need to unplug it, you can just turn off the TV.  But yea, don't hit OK, power it down and it'll be on there when you reboot. 

[cockroach 2,594]

Is there a live TV guide that works on Titanium that is decent?

Also, is there an easy way to make playlists?

[matttyl 2,689]

9 hours ago, tonydead said:

The FireTV has Alexia in the remote. Did not know that. 

Not a fan of voice remotes, but alexia is nice. 

It's Alexa, noob.

[munga30 518]

If I have a blank raspberry pi in hand is the fireTV that much better?  

[BroncoFreak_2K3 2,584]

10 hours ago, tonydead said:

Do not exit Kodi after install of titanium. Unplug it and reboot. Might have to start over.

On fire stick do not exit Kodi after fresh start or build install. Always unplug and let it reboot. 

this...always

[Buzzbait 1,190]

Has anyone using an android based system experienced the following and if so what did you do to resolve?

Two days ago I fired up my box & launched the PIA VPN app. No issues. Last night I launched the same app and it failed (it just flashes real quick and shuts down). I tried clearing cache, turning off, uninstalling/reinstalling the app and nothing works. I use this same app on my android tablet and it has no issues. The only thing I can think do do is a factory reset of the box to wipe everything. My guess is something is corrupt in memory and the only way to resolve is to nuke it and wipe the entire box.

Just wanted to see if anyone else had this happen (with any app) and if so if you had another tip to try.

[BigJohn 418]

Sometimes it's the small things that get overlooked. 

 

How the hell did I not realize that the fire stick needed a power cord?

[Jaysus 4,833]

13 minutes ago, BigJohn said:

Sometimes it's the small things that get overlooked. 

 

How the hell did I not realize that the fire stick needed a power cord?

Or a USB port, right?

[BigJohn 418]

Just now, Jaysus said:

Or a USB port, right?

Oh I didn't know that. Can I just plug it from the fire stick to the sub port on the tv?  That would help. 

[Jaysus 4,833]

2 minutes ago, BigJohn said:

Oh I didn't know that. Can I just plug it from the fire stick to the sub port on the tv?  That would help. 

Yeah, I think so.

[tonydead 7,818]

1 hour ago, matttyl said:

It's Alexa, noob.

I don't know anybody that's worse remembering names than me.

[Buzzbait 1,190]

1 hour ago, BigJohn said:

Oh I didn't know that. Can I just plug it from the fire stick to the sub port on the tv?  That would help. 

It may or may not work.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201634480

The USB port needs to be power enabled (not all are). Even then power is usually minimal & not be enough to power the stick. Bottom line plug it in & give it a whirl.

[IC FBGCav 5,694]

1 hour ago, Buzzbait said:

It may or may not work.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201634480

The USB port needs to be power enabled (not all are). Even then power is usually minimal & not be enough to power the stick. Bottom line plug it in & give it a whirl.

I have 2 out of my 3 USB'ed in and no problems whatsoever.  The one not USB'ed is the TV not the stick, the others are the stick.

Edited July 15, 2016 by FatUncleJerryBuss

[BigJohn 418]

I'm in the process of resetting to defaults to install titanium clean. It's giving me a message that it detects insufficient usb power. It's working but I'll probably plug it back in after its done. 

[CletiusMaximus 9,078]

We're cutting the cable this week and I need some feedback on what Mbps I need when we go full streaming. 2 adults, 2 kids and we'll all be on various devices, especially in the evening. We also use internet for our phones at home through Google Fi, so integrity of our connection is important. My wife and I both conduct business from our home so need a good connection. We currently have 12 Mbps for $40, but that is part of our Uverse bundle so will go up when I cancel the tv. If I stay with ATT, I can get 24 mbps for about $54/month all-in; 45mbps for about $64/month - both of these being with a 1 year contract and a 600gb cap.  ATT has been very reliable for me over the past 8 years - very little downtime. It does seem slow at times under our current plan. Does this sound good or should I shop? My quick review of Time Warner - prices quoted online - look about the same or a little more expensive.

tia fbgs

[tonydead 7,818]

24 minutes ago, CletiusMaximus said:

We're cutting the cable this week and I need some feedback on what Mbps I need when we go full streaming. 2 adults, 2 kids and we'll all be on various devices, especially in the evening. We also use internet for our phones at home through Google Fi, so integrity of our connection is important. My wife and I both conduct business from our home so need a good connection. We currently have 12 Mbps for $40, but that is part of our Uverse bundle so will go up when I cancel the tv. If I stay with ATT, I can get 24 mbps for about $54/month all-in; 45mbps for about $64/month - both of these being with a 1 year contract and a 600gb cap.  ATT has been very reliable for me over the past 8 years - very little downtime. It does seem slow at times under our current plan. Does this sound good or should I shop? My quick review of Time Warner - prices quoted online - look about the same or a little more expensive.

tia fbgs

You do probably need a little bit more.  A lot of experts online claim most households can do just fine with 25Mbps, but, after quite a few discussion in here I think we've got a consensus for a family with a lot of devices (plus since you're working from home) that 45-50Mbps is best.  

Prices vary a lot, I get 75Mbps for $70 right now, that's about where the price point gets to $1 per 1Mbps.  I'd shop around and try to get something without at contract, after all, that's one of the freedoms with cutting the cable.  No contracts.  Of those listed above 45/65 is a lot better than 24/54.

[tonydead 7,818]

Thread has been quite lately.  I guess everyone is just streaming along without any issues.

I haven't heard any recent cord cutting worthy news lately.

[tonydead 7,818]

Comcast's answer to the streaming services is pre-pay for your cable box.  Starting now in select cities and available nation wide by the end of 2017.

  Buy your starter package now for only $80!!  

[Craig_MiamiFL 2,542]

2 hours ago, tonydead said:

Comcast's answer to the streaming services is pre-pay for your cable box.  Starting now in select cities and available nation wide by the end of 2017.

  Buy your starter package now for only $80!!  

 Holy ####  

$45/mo/30 days.......plus all the bull#### fees......for 45 channels. Not a single sports channel. 

Edited July 21, 2016 by Craig_MiamiFL

[Nick Vermeil 3,399]

Dot

[tonydead 7,818]

Per request from another thread here is the guide I put together.  The only changes since last time I posted are adding SFN TV Now and thread recommend minimum internet speeds.

Link

[mquinnjr 3,045]

16 hours ago, Craig_MiamiFL said:

 Holy ####  

$45/mo/30 days.......plus all the bull#### fees......for 45 channels. Not a single sports channel. 

Only 200% more than the proposed Hulu offering that will come out in a few months with the sports channels @ $90/mo !!!!!!

Edited July 22, 2016 by mquinnjr

[mquinnjr 3,045]

14 minutes ago, tonydead said:

Per request from another thread here is the guide I put together.  The only changes since last time I posted are adding SFN TV Now and thread recommend minimum internet speeds.

Link

Shameless, non-referral plug for Sportsaccess dot se as well. $38/3 months via BitCoin and getting ready to roll out a dedicated IPTV in the next month or two. All sports imaginable available via the website, mobile site, Kodi app (and Plex coming soon). I literally don't know or feel a difference between this and what I used to pay Comcast for video related. All sports imaginable (including PPV) on private servers, so a SportsDevil premium with dedicated IPTV coming soon (I say that because sometimes they put games on non-dedicated TV channels). Hit up @nobuffzone on Twitter and they'll give you a free week to test drive, I'd suggest NFL weeks, both RZ channels and all games in SD and HD.

[tonydead 7,818]

3 minutes ago, mquinnjr said:

Shameless, non-referral plug for Sportsaccess dot se as well. $38/3 months via BitCoin and getting ready to roll out a dedicated IPTV in the next month or two. All sports imaginable available via the website, mobile site, Kodi app (and Plex coming soon). I literally don't know or feel a difference between this and what I used to pay Comcast for video related. All sports imaginable (including PPV) on private servers, so a SportsDevil premium with dedicated IPTV coming soon (I say that because sometimes they put games on non-dedicated TV channels). Hit up @nobuffzone on Twitter and they'll give you a free week to test drive, I'd suggest NFL weeks, both RZ channels and all games in SD and HD.

So you never have an issue watching the game you want during the NFL season with this?  (Hmmm. Doing math in my head 2x$38 < $125)

[mquinnjr 3,045]

Just now, tonydead said:

So you never have an issue watching the game you want during the NFL season with this?  (Hmmm. Doing math in my head 2x$38 < $125)

Outside of a handful of weeks in 2015 (I'll explain in a second), nope. They "re-broadcast" games like SportsDevil, but the only people who can watch are subscribers, so they're demand isn't destroying the throughput of the streams like SD. They had 2 or 3 weeks last year where they went down  for a chunk of time due to competing services shooting DDoS attacks at the servers, but since then hasn't been an issue. Sometimes Comcast/TWC/etc. throttle users who use their servers, so they allow VPN's if you choose to use one (didn't allow these in the past). Can use up to 3 devices at one from 3 IP's a day, and they're pretty strict about that (implied account sharing). Do a Black Friday sale once a year where it's like $90 for 12 months, going to get that. They only take BTC, so you're safe from an anonymity perspective with them and their records.

I'll bump after they roll out their dedicated channels so you guys can hit up for a free trial if you want. Been using them 100% since I cut Comcast 6 or so weeks ago, and haven't missed a beat. Probably best to hit them up for a trial during the NFL to really test it out live. It makes me , sometimes you have to nudge them to "change the channel." You can see someone go in and actually change the channel after you hit them up on Twitter if you leave that channel on, never gets old.

[Jaysus 4,833]

59 minutes ago, tonydead said:

Per request from another thread here is the guide I put together.  The only changes since last time I posted are adding SFN TV Now and thread recommend minimum internet speeds.

Link

If you have time for an update: Playstation View works with Roku and Chomecast now too.

[tonydead 7,818]

10 minutes ago, Jaysus said:

If you have time for an update: Playstation View works with Roku and Chomecast now too.

That's right!  Thank you, will do.

ETA: Link updated.  And Vue is supposed to release support for Android devices next week.

Edited July 22, 2016 by tonydead

[NutterButter 6,157]

56 minutes ago, tonydead said:

So you never have an issue watching the game you want during the NFL season with this?  (Hmmm. Doing math in my head 2x$38 < $125)

Does the nfl network subscription allow you to watch the game at anytime?  That would be nice when life gets in the way and you can't watch it live.

[tonydead 7,818]

30 minutes ago, NutterButter said:

Does the nfl network subscription allow you to watch the game at anytime?  That would be nice when life gets in the way and you can't watch it live.

It does for NFL.com + VPN for $125.  It even cuts out the commercials and dead time.  It goes from snap to whistle to snap.  mquinn would have to answer that question for sportsaccess as I haven't used it.

ETA:  When watching it live during commercials it has a combination of a waiting screen (Game will resume in a few minutes) and the same 2-3 NFL commercials over and over.  

Edited July 22, 2016 by tonydead

[saintfool 2,759]

Question about VPNs - so I want to watch Netflix on my office computer during my lunch hour. I'd like to do it without my IT guy or whomever knowing that I was logging into Netflix. It's not that it's blocked but I'd rather not have the conversation down the road from whomever "Say, SF, you have watched about 200 hours of video content - Amazon, Hulu, Netflix - while you were supposed to be working. How is that possible?" I had this conversation a few years ago at a different job and it annoyed me. My lunch hour is my time, imo.

If I got a VPN then it would have my tracks covered, right?

[tonydead 7,818]

27 minutes ago, saintfool said:

Question about VPNs - so I want to watch Netflix on my office computer during my lunch hour. I'd like to do it without my IT guy or whomever knowing that I was logging into Netflix. It's not that it's blocked but I'd rather not have the conversation down the road from whomever "Say, SF, you have watched about 200 hours of video content - Amazon, Hulu, Netflix - while you were supposed to be working. How is that possible?" I had this conversation a few years ago at a different job and it annoyed me. My lunch hour is my time, imo.

If I got a VPN then it would have my tracks covered, right?

No.  A VPN hides your outbound IP address away from your network (and data coming back).  Netflix wouldn't be able to tell it was you.  You're local area network IP remains the same, your IP guy would know it was you and he also knows what programs (like the VPN app) are installed on your computer.  

[Chaka 6,241]

Does anyone know if there is a DVR solution for Xbox One?  Is setting up an HTPC the only real option?

[saintfool 2,759]

3 minutes ago, tonydead said:

No.  A VPN hides your outbound IP address away from your network (and data coming back).  Netflix wouldn't be able to tell it was you.  You're local area network IP remains the same, your IP guy would know it was you and he also knows what programs (like the VPN app) are installed on your computer.  

 

So he'd know I was using a VPN but nothing else (not the site, service)? I'm not interested in what Netflix and other streaming services see. I'm just trying to keep what I view - like MLB.com during the day - from showing up on some report if IT ever does that. I'm okay with saying that I have a VPN but I don't feel like explaining what I'm watching.

[tonydead 7,818]

13 minutes ago, saintfool said:

So he'd know I was using a VPN but nothing else (not the site, service)? I'm not interested in what Netflix and other streaming services see. I'm just trying to keep what I view - like MLB.com during the day - from showing up on some report if IT ever does that. I'm okay with saying that I have a VPN but I don't feel like explaining what I'm watching.

I think what you are saying it true.  If the VPN client is installed on your computer the IT report wont be able to report what website you are looking.   This is what the IT would know:

1- They can tell it's an encrypted connection.

2- They can tell which user is using the encrypted connection.

2- They can tell what programs are on your computer.

3- They can log on to your computer and see what is on your screen.

[Buzzbait 1,190]

55 minutes ago, saintfool said:

Question about VPNs - so I want to watch Netflix on my office computer during my lunch hour. I'd like to do it without my IT guy or whomever knowing that I was logging into Netflix. It's not that it's blocked but I'd rather not have the conversation down the road from whomever "Say, SF, you have watched about 200 hours of video content - Amazon, Hulu, Netflix - while you were supposed to be working. How is that possible?" I had this conversation a few years ago at a different job and it annoyed me. My lunch hour is my time, imo.

If I got a VPN then it would have my tracks covered, right?

Netflix has been taking notice of IP addresses used by VPN services and blocking access.

According to this there are however ways to get around this: http://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2016/06/29/netflix-vpn-block-responsible-bypass/#6785c80870bc

[saintfool 2,759]

11 minutes ago, tonydead said:

I think what you are saying it true.  If the VPN client is installed on your computer the IT report wont be able to report what website you are looking.   This is what the IT would know:

1- They can tell it's an encrypted connection.

2- They can tell which user is using the encrypted connection.

2- They can tell what programs are on your computer.

3- They can log on to your computer and see what is on your screen.

 

Got it. That's lame.

[Tick 1,420]

1 hour ago, saintfool said:

So he'd know I was using a VPN but nothing else (not the site, service)? I'm not interested in what Netflix and other streaming services see. I'm just trying to keep what I view - like MLB.com during the day - from showing up on some report if IT ever does that. I'm okay with saying that I have a VPN but I don't feel like explaining what I'm watching.

Off topic, but I had a job where I wasn't plugged in.  The plant I was working at was shutting down, so there was no work for me to do.  I was screwing around all day, doing FF research and reading sports articles and stuff.  I was miserable - even though there wasn't really any work to do, I always had this guilt that someone was going to see my screen and I'd have to explain what I was doing.  I had no pride in my job, put on weight, was late to work... everything kind of sucked.

I switched jobs to a place with an active IT department where I couldn't screw around, and my morale improved dramatically.  It affected my whole life, not just at work - I took pride in my work and it spread to everything I did.

I recommend working while you're at work.  I think you'll be happier overall.  Nothing happens during the workday anyway unless the Olympics or World Cup are outside the Americas.

[saintfool 2,759]

21 minutes ago, Tick said:

Off topic, but I had a job where I wasn't plugged in.  The plant I was working at was shutting down, so there was no work for me to do.  I was screwing around all day, doing FF research and reading sports articles and stuff.  I was miserable - even though there wasn't really any work to do, I always had this guilt that someone was going to see my screen and I'd have to explain what I was doing.  I had no pride in my job, put on weight, was late to work... everything kind of sucked.

I switched jobs to a place with an active IT department where I couldn't screw around, and my morale improved dramatically.  It affected my whole life, not just at work - I took pride in my work and it spread to everything I did.

I recommend working while you're at work.  I think you'll be happier overall.  Nothing happens during the workday anyway unless the Olympics or World Cup are outside the Americas.

 

thanks for advice but i'm pretty happy with the job. there are times in my working life that i wasn't but this isn't one of them. like i said, i'm just looking to keep my downtime as mine when I'm at the office.

[mquinnjr 3,045]

5 hours ago, Tick said:

Off topic, but I had a job where I wasn't plugged in.  The plant I was working at was shutting down, so there was no work for me to do.  I was screwing around all day, doing FF research and reading sports articles and stuff.  I was miserable - even though there wasn't really any work to do, I always had this guilt that someone was going to see my screen and I'd have to explain what I was doing.  I had no pride in my job, put on weight, was late to work... everything kind of sucked.

I switched jobs to a place with an active IT department where I couldn't screw around, and my morale improved dramatically.  It affected my whole life, not just at work - I took pride in my work and it spread to everything I did.

I recommend working while you're at work.  I think you'll be happier overall.  Nothing happens during the workday anyway unless the Olympics or World Cup are outside the Americas.

This post couldn't be any more on point, tick. Had the same thing happen to me, just different industry as I'm an accountant. Moved for work, and got an opportunity to stay with the company and come home and felt like I hit the jackpot. The job was a spring board into what I'm doing now and I knew that going in, but completely underestimated how awful the job would be. Worst two years of my life professionally, and I did the absolute minimum which has never been my style in anything I've done in my entire life...it was that toxic. Won FF titles in that window though Got the job I was Hinkie'ing for basically recently, and felt like I got shot out of a cannon drive and satisfaction wise. Total 180 and life improvement for any and all angles.

[Shutout 2,013]

The day of reckoning is here for many!

The NFL and Sony just announced the Sony VUE will have access to the NFL Network and REDZONE beginning this season.

For the multitudes of people who had cable for NFL football, the game just changed.

Edited July 25, 2016 by Shutout

[mquinnjr 3,045]

11 minutes ago, Shutout said:

The day of reckoning is here for many!

The NFL and Sony just announced the Sony VUE will have access to the NFL Network and REDZONE beginning this season.

For the multitudes of people who had cable for NFL football, the game just changed.

Excellent news. Really no reason to keep cable for a large number of people now.

[rascal 1,726]

How do you guys synch up local TV channels (recording, guide, etc) with Kodi?

[Craig_MiamiFL 2,542]

56 minutes ago, Shutout said:

The day of reckoning is here for many!

The NFL and Sony just announced the Sony VUE will have access to the NFL Network and REDZONE beginning this season.

For the multitudes of people who had cable for NFL football, the game just changed.

Been hoping for this.

Great news

[tonydead 7,818]

5 hours ago, rascal said:

How do you guys synch up local TV channels (recording, guide, etc) with Kodi?

I use Windows Media Center.  But there is a a way in Kodi that I haven't tried:  Link

[tonydead 7,818]

6 hours ago, Shutout said:

The day of reckoning is here for many!

The NFL and Sony just announced the Sony VUE will have access to the NFL Network and REDZONE beginning this season.

For the multitudes of people who had cable for NFL football, the game just changed.

 Announcement didn't include how much it's going to cost though.  Expect others to follow suit, last month Dish Tv dropped NFL Network in hopes of renegotiation to include them on their Slingtv.  VIDGO has been reported to be including NFL Network when it launches sometime this year.  

[rascal 1,726]

53 minutes ago, tonydead said:

I use Windows Media Center.  But there is a a way in Kodi that I haven't tried:  Link

Thought windows media center stopped supporting stuff like this?