I found this amazing tool to remotely debloat any Android phone or box. I used this one to remove the google launcher full of ads and crap and install a very clean and beautiful call projectivity launcher.
Here is the link : https://adbappcontrol.com/en/
Can you confirm works well with shield?
I own the shield and I have done it and it works just perfect.
Once they rolled out ads on the home page (Shame. Shame. Shame.), I installed "Launcher manager" and "Wolf launcher" to give it an interface I really like. A big background picture, some large buttons for the commonly used apps, and then progressively smaller buttons as you scroll down the screen for the less commonly used features.
It broke once when an update rolled out, but since then has been running fine and I never once see the bloated monstrosity that is the default home screen.
The only qualm with my setup I have is that access to the configuration sidebar isn't as intuitive as it was with the pre 9.0 version (which frankly I don't remember anymore aside from the general impression). That's a very minor price to pay to have an interface without ads.
Reformat, install Flauncher, and run the adb commands to disable the default launcher. My 2019 pro was getting slow and formatting it fixed it. It's running 9.0 but I haven't really had any issues with it after replacing the launcher.
Look into Linux 4 Tegra or L4T and configure it to be easily usable with the remote. I wonder if there is some already documented way of making Linux into a TV OS.
I was thinking about finding a SoC that could do x264 and x265 natively and doing something like Linux into a tv box but haven't taken a deep dive into it yet.
Same here man. Once the how-to’s start mentioning ffmpeg and stuff like that in the build phase… My heart crumbles.
I found it extremely complicated just to get airplay functionality.
I was thinking of buying the cheapest x86 mini pc on aliexpress and use it with a keyboard to play my totally legal media with mpv. But idk
You'll want to ensure you get a mini PC with graphics acceleration. The Intel i3-N305 is a good CPU to look for, as are the embedded Ryzen CPUs with onboard graphics.
I was thinking about an inten N3350; way cheaper; plus an N305 would be overkill.
N3350 is 7 years old now, and Intel no longer provide security updates for it, which is why it's so cheap. AFAIK all the chips are second-hand, extracted from old motherboards.
If you want something cheaper, consider the N5105 or J6412. If you don't mind using an old CPU then I'd just buy a second-hand small form factor or "tiny" PC off ebay (HP ProDesk or EliteDesk, Lenovo Tiny M series, etc) since that'll be much better value than a newer mini PC with an old CPU in it.
I guess if I could find one with IR/add IR or just finally get a good remote that would be good. Tbh if it was just me I would have just set up an old sff with a wireless keyboard and be perfectly fine, but my wife likes a streamlined interface that works with our TV remote. I got a k400 a few months ago and have been trying to get that to replace our remote but she doesn't like it as much. If I could just set up a SoC machine that works with a remote (used Logitech Harmonies at my last job but that was years ago) I think that might be the best compromise. Sorry, started the post about fixing my shield but there is another TV and projector I want to set up right.
I flashed LineageOS in it and works like a charm!!
What about certified apps such as Netflix and Prime Video?
To be honest with you I don't use such apps. I either stream from Kodi - Elementum plugin any shows or movies i want, or download my stuff.
I use sideload launcher 3 on my shield pro and it's super simple and no frills but fast and does what I need. I did kind of miss the recently played automatic bookmarks that I think you can only get on default launcher (correct me if wrong!) so I left default on my other shield. Recently it has been more gunky so I'm planning to install another launcher. May try projectivity.
I connected to mine via ADB over ssh to remove the stock launcher and install FLauncher. It kept trying to launch the google launcher anyways so I removed play services and some other stuff also and just replaced the stock youtube with some third party client. Its been working ok so far! Every so often it will boot to a black screen (I think it fails to start the launcher) but a reboot fixes that.
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