Sideloading uidroid

[mvallevand]

Currently I am not making uidroid available via the Google or Amazon stores, I don't need the bureaucracy. Fortunately, it is not too hard to side load the app and there are many approaches to do doing it. This wiki although referencing the FireTV is applicable to pretty much all Android based device https://kodi.wiki/view/HOW-TO:Install_Kodi_on_Fire_TV

A favourite method explained on that link is adbLink Using adLink can also be useful for getting the logs from your device if I ever ask for them.

Once the app is installed, if your remote as the menu button you can move to the app area of your launcher. You can also hold the dpad centre while selecting the the app to get the Move option.

If you have questions on sideloading uidroid post them here.

Martin

[DSperber]

Finally got up the courage to look into installing uidroid. I'd never side-loaded anything before so I was nervous.

However I was 100% successful, and it took maybe 5 minutes total from zero to finished. The magic tool was ADB2LINK 4.8 for Windows.

Based on your suggestion I initially Googled and then installed ADBLink 4.3, but once launched it said there was an update and led me to the updated web page from Jocala Software which offered two versions of the program: ADBLink and ADB2Link. The ADBLink product offers extra functionality for Kodi which for me is irrelevant, so I decided to uninstall my originally installed ADBLink and go with the simpler ADB2Link which seemed to be the perfect APK-installation tool.

I then "connected" to my Shield Tube (which doesn't have USB ports, so this network access to it from Windows was a perfect solution). I entered the "Ad Hoc IP" address (i.e. the IP address of the Shield on my network) and pushed the "connect" button. This initially failed because I had not authorized the device, meaning I had never turned on developer options on my Shield. Turns out the connection attempt from ADBLink2 prompted the popup on my TV screen (attached to the Shield Tube) allowing me to allow USB debugging exactly as described in the documentation.

So I checked the "always allow from this computer" box by pushing OK on the Shield remote, and then OK. And then I retried the "connect" from ADB2Link and now sure enough




Then it was simply a matter of pushing the "Install APK" button to produce the navigation dialog, navigating to where I'd previously downloaded and saved the uidroid APK file (from your "announcing UIDroid for Android" page), selecting it, and pushing the OK button.

ADB2Link then apparently did everything it needed to do, installing the APK file living on my Windows PC across the network onto my Shield Tube. In just a few seconds it was complete!

Not believing it could really be this easy and straightforward I then opened the APPS presentation on the Shield, navigated to the bottom of the list, and amazingly sure enough there was a new icon for UIDROID!!  So I selected and opened it, and what to my wondering eyes should appear but the identical Windows version of NextPVR.exe app user interface!!

AMAZING!

Hats off, and many thanks.

Even more remarkable is that there actually was sound FROM ALL CHANNELS, including the new ATSC 3.0 channels. I don't think this is "high quality", and my audio display tool shows just 2-channel sound. Furthermore those two channels look like they're carrying the identical content as opposed to genuine 2.0 L/R independent channels. But for now I'm not that concerned.

I also have the Refresh Rate app installed on my Shield, which allows me to manually set the Refresh Rate of the Shield video output to my LG OLED C9 to match the frame rate of the incoming source (which it displays for my information for 5 seconds). So I set it to 59.94, and now the picture is excellent on these ATSC 3.0 channels! And with sound too!

Now the audio on the ATSC 1.0 channels, which I know should be DD5.1, is also being fed as 2.0 "duplicated"stereo. So I have lots to learn about uidroid itself.

But all in all, I LOVE IT! The Windows UI, on the Shield. Thank you thank you.

NOTE: I finally figured out how to use the Shield Tube remote to select audio track #1 or #2, which is long-press on the up-arrow. Doesn't work for the ATSC 3.0 channels, but it does work for the ATSC 1.0 channels. But it doesn't look like the "raw native DD5.1, or else I have some more playing around to do. Anyway, this still is good progress on the audio side.

[BrettB]

Finally got up the courage to look into installing uidroid. I'd never side-loaded anything before so I was nervous.

However I was 100% successful, and it took maybe 5 minutes total from zero to finished. The magic tool was ADB2LINK 4.8 for Windows.
...
Not believing it could really be this easy and straightforward I then opened the APPS presentation on the Shield, navigated to the bottom of the list, and amazingly sure enough there was a new icon for UIDROID!!  So I selected and opened it, and what to my wondering eyes should appear but the identical Windows version of NextPVR.exe app user interface!!

AMAZING!

Hats off, and many thanks.

Even more remarkable is that there actually was sound FROM ALL CHANNELS, including the new ATSC 3.0 channels. I don't think this is "high quality", and my audio display tool shows just 2-channel sound. Furthermore those two channels look like they're carrying the identical content as opposed to genuine 2.0 L/R independent channels. But for now I'm not that concerned.
...
But all in all, I LOVE IT! The Windows UI, on the Shield. Thank you thank you.

FINALLY! If you would have simply listened to us sooner, you could have saved yourself a lot of headache.

[mvallevand]

Great. You didn't need to Google though, if you followed my link in post #1 the wonderful app by jocala is one of the options. I will comment on ATSC 3 in your other on-topic thread.

Your next task would be to install a good remote with number keys and really take advantage of the NextPVR. There is a thread on that if you want to follow up.

Martin

[gEd]

Sideloaded UIDroid onto my Sony TV just fine (I already have developer mode enabled) and loaded the apk via the ES File Explorer app on the TV.

[mvallevand]

You may have read about the security issues with using ES File Explorer, so I can't support that method, but glad it worked. I'd be curious to hear what keys on the Sony TV remote work. Maybe post your findings in the Android remote thread.

Martin

[artmetz]

Martin,
fyi - I was unable to connect to my ONN box using AdbLink2. I did enable developer mode on the ONN and I could ping it over the network.
Anyway I was able to use the "Send Files To TV" app from the google play store (installed on the ONN and on my Android Phone).
Apparently there is a desktop version of the "Send Files To TV" app, but I haven't checked it out.
UIDroid is now installed on my phone and the ONN device. I'll play around with it a bit.
Art

[mvallevand]

If I remember I had to wait for OTA upgrades for network adb.  USB might have worked and you can download with Chrome too

Martin

[Colincam]

I paid for both the iOS and Android app, can I get an activation for UIDroid?

[mvallevand]

I donated uidroid to sub, so he needs to decide what counts as a donation. It can be time or money. Even when you pay for apps, remember to donate from time to time.

Martin