UI Droid and Kodi

[three6zerocool]

Hello,  wondering if it is possible to use  UI Droid from within Kodi app on Fire TV Cube 3rd gen.

I know I can launch android app from within the kodi gui itself, but am looking for a more elegant solution, where from the main Kodi interface, I could launch UI Droid, and then when finished, I end up back at the main Kodi interface.

Reason being, I have  micro-stutter issues when watching content from my STB on the Fire TV Cube 3rd gen.
(am told this particular device has serious firmware bug that is the root cause of the micro-stutter)

I already have UI Droid installed, and it' s playback engine does not exhibit the micro-stutter.
I love Kodi etc for movies and use Jellyfin intergration, and wonder if there is a method I can use UI Droid from within Kodi to replace Kodi's PVR addon functionality by just running UI droid on top, and then return back into Kodi app.

I guess it would be classed as some kind of kodi launcher addon?
Just wondered if anyone has suggestion how to accomplish the above.

..Dean..

[mvallevand]

Adding as a Favourite saves steps I guess.  Some skins let you access them on the main menu.

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[three6zerocool]

(grin)  Did not even think about doing that.

Yes, it works, but when exiting UI droid, it returns back to the default Fire TV Launcher.
I was wondering if there is a way to make it return to Kodi interface?

I discovered that you can create a custom menu in supported skins.  The one I like 'Arctic Zepher'  supports this.
I guess I might be able to use Button Mapper to map a button on the remote to Kodi, as a means of getting back with one button.

[three6zerocool]

I was just playing around with UIDroid on my Fire TV Cube 3rd gen.

Does UI Droid support various frame rates on playback?

Reason being is that as I am from New Zealand, our TV standard is 50hz for live TV.

When I playback any recordings, or indeed live TV,  UIdroid plays all that content at 60hz, and makes my 50hz content look not quite right.

(grin) No micro-stutter tho,  but you can tell it's not playing at the correct frame rate.
heh heh, I can't win.

I tried UI Droid on my NVidia Shield, and it too plays at 60hz, tho seems to look perfectly normal, where as the fire tv version playback is noticeably playing back incorrectly.

I have a suspicion that the Fire TV's option of Match Original Framerate (defaults to on) is the reason for the micro-stutter I see, and also the reason for the the weird playback in UIdroid of my content and live tv.

Your UI Droid plays back live tv and my recorded content at 60hz, where as Kodi plays the content back at correct rate of 50hz when the Kodi adjust framerate option is enabled.
Over time the problematic firmware of the Cube 3rd gen seems to just randomly cause some kind of wierd sync, and the micro-stutter/freeze occurs.

If I turn off the Fire TV Match Original Frame rate option, and then run UI Droid, it still plays at 60hz, but the playback looks fine.

It would appear that the Match Original Frame rate option is up the smeg on the Cube 3rd gen.
I would have to watch some content and see if the micro stutter disappears.

From a purists standpoint, it would mean all content would playback at a fixed rate,  but to be honest I kinda don't notice when movies are playing back at 60hz vs 24hz.
(it's just that you know it isn't strictly correct)

So, that was kinda interesting....

[three6zerocool]

Update:

I got UI droid playing my 50hz content to look normal.
Is still playing in 60hz, but the Fire TV's Original Frame Rate option seems to affect UI Droid's ability to play the 50hz content properly at 60hz.

For whatever reason, Kodi just can not handle  the 50hz live tv and recorded content from my STB, and doesn't matter whether the Original Frame Rate option of Fire TV is on or off,  eventually micro stutter happens.
It would appear that the firmware of the device causes Kodi big problems.

Oddly enough, DVB-T live TV and it's recordings are fine, and likewise so is all all my movie content.

So, UI droid is definitely a go as far as PVR is concerned for my STB,  but the issue of not being able to return to Kodi interface remains a sticking point for my wanted implementation.
From what I have read on the Kodi forums, apps that don't have an 'exit' option should return to the Kodi interface when user presses the 'back' button.

..Dean..

[mvallevand]

Right now uidroid does not set the resolution or framerate it just uses the default settings in ExoPlayer. It is possible that the default when auto is used is 60 not 50. Are you saying when you tell AFTV to play at 50 (resolution and framerate must be forced) it is not 50hz?

The API does give me some control https://developer.android.com/media/opti...frame-rate and I might be able to see if a device supports 50hz and try force it. The AFTV unfortunately uses an older custom Android version so generic Android methods may not work.

I will look at the exit command to see what it send (maybe it forces Home) but I won't spend a lot of time on this rather unique requirement.

Martin

[three6zerocool]

The Fire TV OS has display options, where you can lock the display to a fixed resolution of say 50hz or 60hz. (tho it plays at 60)
OR, you can have it set to 'Auto' which is the one I am currently using.

Kodi has it's own Refresh rate control in two forms I believe.
One is via the playback menu, where it is either on or off, aor you can have it activate when starting or stopping playback.
(this refresh control on the Fire TV devices ONLY functions when the Fire TV's Original Frame Rate control is on)

The second method Kodi uses is via it's display settings, where you can use whitelist to inform Kodi what rates it should use.
I use this method and it gives me choices of 59.4, 50, or 60.
With the Fire OS option 'Original Frame Rate' set to off I get the above rates.  With it on, I gain 24p options.
I currently have the above Fire OS option off.
Using Whitelist with the 3 above rates, allows one more sub option, which is 3:2 pulldown, which allows 24p movies to playback on a 60hz display/
(so thats the option I use)

With Fire OS Original Frame Rate off,  also allows your app to play the 50hz content fine.

Whilst browsing on Kodi forums, I found others who wanted to run other apps in Kodi, and then return to Kodi interface.
A kodi developer, who is also an XDA developer chimed in, and commented that if your Fire TV device is 'rooted', then you can actually make Kodi the default android launcher.
Then if the skin you use supports custom home menu's, you can create sophistacated menu's and widgets that contain submenus etc, and launch nearly any app you want, and have them return into kodi when you press home button on fire remote.

My device happens to be rooted, so I tried it, and 'it works'
Device boots right into Kodi, and when I run Nextpvr and exit, I end up back in Kodi.

Martin, if you can work something out, then that would be cool for my remaining Fire Cube, which I broke root access by updating it's firmware to the latest version, which ended up making no difference whatsoever.

..cheers..
..Dean..

[mvallevand]

I was meaning if you set it to 1920x1080 and 50 does uidroid play at 50 or 60 from outside and inside Kodi. I am not interested at all in what Kodi itself does.

If your rooted Cube is 2nd gen it can run CoreElec and upi get some of the best DolbyVision available right now. It might be interesting to see how it works.

I don't tell uidoid to go Home, just System.Exit() there might be a cleaner way.

Martin

[three6zerocool]

>I was meaning if you set it to 1920x1080 and 50 does uidroid play at 50 or 60 from outside and inside Kodi. I am not interested at all in what Kodi itself does.

Oh, sorry, was more explaining why I chose native 60hz over 50, so could watch movies in Kodi without it looking all smegged up.
To answer your question:  Yes, If I set frame rate to 50hz, then UIdroid plays at 50hz.


>If your rooted Cube is 2nd gen it can run CoreElec and upi get some of the best DolbyVision available right now. It might be interesting to see how it works.

My cube is 3rd gen.

Around the time I purchased the cubes,  an XDA developer utilized a security flaw in the GPU that the 3rd gen uses to obtain root, so I was able to root three 3rd gen cubes before Amazon shut that ability down.
Recently I reverted one of them to latest official firmware, which turned out a wasted exercise. (and a mistake)

Currently official Fire TV devices are getting screwed over by Amazon, who have implemented app scanning, and for an app such as a launcher for example, the app is very quickly disabled.
The devices are quite literally now inundated with advertisements, and they have started disabling ADB functionality for some app store apps that can perform functions such as closing down background app etc..

>I don't tell uidoid to go Home, just System.Exit() there might be a cleaner way.

I understand, thanks for letting me know.

So, final score is a win to two rooted Fire TV Cube 3rd gen's, with Kodi now as default launcher, and both being able to run UIdroid from with in Kodi, and successfully, return to Kodi home interface on either 'exit' from within UI droid, OR by pressing the home button on remote.
The latter being the better option, as UIdroid stays active in background, and when selected inside Kodi, just instantly comes up.  (kind of really like that!)
I just called the Menu item NextPVR.

So, mission accomplished with your kind assistance once more, and the Fire TV Cube 3rd gen devices become usable once again for STB content.
Would be nice to be able to use the Original Frame Rate functionality, to use with Kodi for movies at true 24p,  but things look just fine at 60hz for both UIdroid and Kodi for movies, as long as the 3:2 cadence option is engaged. (pulldown)

..Dean..

[three6zerocool]

Update 2:

Just thought I'd mention that I also configured Kodi on the NVidia Shield with UI Droid to launch from the Kodi main menu.
Interestingly enough, when using UI Droid, and exiting the app, it returns back into the Kodi interface as default behavior.
(which I believe is exactly how it is supposed to work) 

I have decided to go back to the Shield as my default device, as it just works flawlessly, and does not exhibit the microstuttering in my 50hz STB recordings.
On the Cube 3rd gen, using UI Droid certainly helps, but I managed to see the microstutter with UI Droid as well, although it was a rare occurrence, and most likely due to the various combinations of settings I was playing around with.

For whatever reason my STB capture card 'Hauppauge Colossus 2' just has real problems with Fire TV Cube 3rd gen'
If I use normal fire stick, there is no microstutter, but have to change the h264 recording profile of NextPVR to be 4 or above, otherwise I get this crazy strobing/flickering effect.


Martin's logic of stick to what works is kind of escapable in that regard. (grin)
(but kind of annoying having 3 devices I can't make work 100% how I want)

..Dean..