Must Have Android Apps and Games?

subway

BopNiblets wrote: »

The Dark Knight Rises!

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gameloft.android.ANMP.GloftKRHM

It's like Arkham City on your phone, graphics are great.
Controls are a bit clunky (maybe it's just the framerate on my SGS2)
Big download though, 1.8GBs!

subway wrote: »

framrate is ridiculous on SGS2, dont waste your money.
I missed the refund window by hoping it would get better, but it just gets worse unfortunately.

maybe an update will improve it...

theres an update out today which actually makes the game quite playable. its a little easy, but looks great. one strange thing is that they seem to have sourced barack obama to voice Bane

madmoe

McG wrote: »

XBMC is a great new addition to Android (you'll need to get a apk file to install though as it hasn't been released on the Play store yet).

I have it running on my HP Touchpad (running CM9)

What are the benefits of it mate? All new to me I'm afraid but love Android!!

The Kid

closeline wrote: »

What is the best app for saving battery. I have easy battery saver but is there something better out there. I am just after downloading battery booster.

Juice Defender.

I've used the free version on a HTC Hero for ages, and got about 1.27x better battery, and on a HTC Desire HD for 18 months and got about 1.5x better battery. I then did the decent thing and bought the full version. That gave me an almost 2x boost.

I now have a Samsung Galaxy SIII, and I've actually got a full 48 hours of normal phone usage (including 3G wifi and bluetooth) out of it...

Get yourself the free version and see what you think. The paid versions do actually give extras worth paying for (IMO), but hey I used it for years before putting my hand in my pocket... Do the same...

McG

madmoe wrote: »

What are the benefits of it mate? All new to me I'm afraid but love Android!!

XBMC is a media centre. It runs on Windows, OSX, Linux and now Android.
Check xbmc.org for more details.

I've been using it since the original xbox version and haven't seen a better way to view a media collection.

madmoe

McG wrote: »

XBMC is a media centre. It runs on Windows, OSX, Linux and now Android.
Check xbmc.org for more details.

I've been using it since the original xbox version and haven't seen a better way to view a media collection.

Thanks mate....I just got the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 and would love to sit on the couch and stream high def stuff from my laptop to the Tab. Is this an application I should use? Does it need to be installed both on the Tab and my PC? Sorry for all the questions.

Cheers mate,
M

subway

IMO, xmbc is overkill for an android device with a built in screen.
its really intended for use on a tv screen via remote control.
its pretty clunky to use with a touchscreen and the menu is not intuituve without a remote or mouse.
its pretty much an OS in itself, with installable apps, hundreds of system settings and config options and so on.

there are plenty of apps that just stream video only over wifi. I dont use them so can't recommend one over the other

PogMoThoin

subway wrote: »

IMO, xmbc is overkill for an android device with a built in screen.
its really intended for use on a tv screen via remote control.
its pretty clunky to use with a touchscreen and the menu is not intuituve without a remote or mouse.
its pretty much an OS in itself, with installable apps, hundreds of system settings and config options and so on.

there are plenty of apps that just stream video only over wifi. I dont use them so can't recommend one over the other

There are already touchscreen skins that make it easier. It's perfect for what he needs and pretty easy set up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLcDjCR6BlA

timetrax

PogMoThoin wrote: »

There are already touchscreen skins that make it easier. It's perfect for what he needs and pretty easy set up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLcDjCR6BlA

Perfect for what I need mate?

Thanks,
M

subway

that's pretty cool alright, I'll admit i had discounted it without looking into the skinning side of it.
i always had the impression that skinning was about different color backgrounds/fonts etc but thats opened my eyes.

more questions then ---
does everything work properly in that skin, and how is hardware decoding coming along for android devices?

jonski

subway wrote: »

IMO, xmbc is overkill for an android device with a built in screen.
its really intended for use on a tv screen via remote control.
its pretty clunky to use with a touchscreen and the menu is not intuituve without a remote or mouse.
its pretty much an OS in itself, with installable apps, hundreds of system settings and config options and so on.

there are plenty of apps that just stream video only over wifi. I dont use them so can't recommend one over the other

I downloaded it last night after all the talk over the years about it and I found it pretty easy to use . BUT , people would do well to remember that this is not an official release . I would imagine by the time the official one is released it will be simple enough to use . Yes there are loads of add ons and such but they are not necessary just to use it .

timetrax

Hey guys,
For a simple streaming setup to Android from me PC what would you suggest? I just want it to work, no frills etc. XBMC seems a little complicated for me at the moment.

Cheers,
M

subway

jonski wrote: »

I downloaded it last night after all the talk over the years about it and I found it pretty easy to use . BUT , people would do well to remember that this is not an official release . I would imagine by the time the official one is released it will be simple enough to use . Yes there are loads of add ons and such but they are not necessary just to use it .

i use it on pc, and have for years. i still think its an OTT interface for just playing a video, but that's not to say its pretty cool.
the benefit (IMO) comes from the add ons, not from the ability to play a video file.

i.e. if you arent using XBMC add ons, you may as well just use a standard file browser.

the detailed library views lose their attraction after a while, especially if you arent showing them off

PogMoThoin

timetrax wrote: »

Perfect for what I need mate?

Thanks,
M

Not sure that skin is available to the public yet

XMBC on Android is very early days, it's on first release. There is no hardware acceleration and there will be lots of bugs. There is a big push on to get it stable though. The XBMC team are just amazing

McG

subway wrote: »

i use it on pc, and have for years. i still think its an OTT interface for just playing a video, but that's not to say its pretty cool.
the benefit (IMO) comes from the add ons, not from the ability to play a video file.

i.e. if you arent using XBMC add ons, you may as well just use a standard file browser.

the detailed library views lose their attraction after a while, especially if you arent showing them off

We use XBMC fairly extensively at home so I'm quite looking forward to the full release so I can use the shared DB (as it stands on my tablet I just told XBMC where the file shares were located an let it build it's own local DB).

before anyone asks the question: the advantage of a shared DB is that once you update your library on one device (e.g. your living room HTPC) any new media is available on all devices (e.g bedroom PC, and in the future Android tablet). It will also keep watched status which is useful for large media collections and can allow you to resume where you left off on a device in another room.

PrzemoF

I have not tested xbmc on android, but there is "XBMC Remote" [1] for android which is really good. My setup: laptop running XBMC connected to TV and phone with "XBMC remote" over wifi.

[1] http://f-droid.org/repository/browse/?fdfilter=xbmc&fdid=org.xbmc.android.remote&fdpage=1

madmoe

So guys, anyone know of other simple options for Android to stream from me PC to me Tab please??

srsly78

There are loads of apps that play stuff over the network, just make sure your pc is set to stream properly (test it from another pc). UPnp / BubblePnP are some ones that work with windows streaming.

Ste-

madmoe wrote: »

So guys, anyone know of other simple options for Android to stream from me PC to me Tab please??

Set up your folders on your PC to share over the network.
Then download ES file explorer and/or video player of your choice.
Browse LAN shares then select movie file open with movie player.
Sit back and enjoy.

madmoe

srsly78 wrote: »

There are loads of apps that play stuff over the network, just make sure your pc is set to stream properly (test it from another pc). UPnp / BubblePnP are some ones that work with windows streaming.

Thanks for the suggestions. Is Plex any good??

madmoe

Ste- wrote: »

Set up your folders on your PC to share over the network.
Then download ES file explorer and/or video player of your choice.
Browse LAN shares then select movie file open with movie player.
Sit back and enjoy.

Will give that a look mate. Have you ever used Dice Player to play form the Network? I have used it for playing locally a lot but it does not seem to be as good as it once was.

Thanks,
M

BrookieD

i have my media on a server, the Asus Transform had an app that could see the server and stream over wifi... have no idea what is was called but if it rings a bell can someone let me know or point me to the apk.


cheers
Darren

Ste-

madmoe wrote: »

Will give that a look mate. Have you ever used Dice Player to play form the Network? I have used it for playing locally a lot but it does not seem to be as good as it once was.

Thanks,
M

I use Dice and MX, not much in the difference imo just whatever takes my fancy at time of playing.

madmoe

Ste- wrote: »

I use Dice and MX, not much in the difference imo just whatever takes my fancy at time of playing.

OK, since getting the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 yesterday and trying videos on it with Dice a lot of them will not play :-( These same ones will play on my Galaxy S3 fine with Dice? Is it down to the different processors in the Tab and the phone guys??

Thanks,
M

mollser

madmoe wrote: »

Thanks for the suggestions. Is Plex any good??

i have found mediahouse to be excellent, very fluid experience, particularly with tversity (which unfortunately you have to pay for now)

AntiRip

madmoe wrote: »

OK, since getting the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 yesterday and trying videos on it with Dice a lot of them will not play :-( These same ones will play on my Galaxy S3 fine with Dice? Is it down to the different processors in the Tab and the phone guys??

Thanks,
M

Use BSPlayer. I've tried them all and this works the best on my Tab

P.S> Also you mentioned streaming. I used to use Qloud Media and found it great. But I eventually got sick of having to leave the laptop on at night in another room (Fan roaring!) with external hdd attached

So I just got a usb hub for the hdd's and hid them in my bedside locker. Got a very long usb lead and the usb adapter for the SGT10.1. Find it great, only thing is that you can't charge the tab and have the usb adapter attached at the same time which is a real downer!

madmoe

AntiRip wrote: »

Use BSPlayer. I've tried them all and this works the best on my Tab

P.S> Also you mentioned streaming. I used to use Qloud Media and found it great. But I eventually got sick of having to leave the laptop on at night in another room (Fan roaring!) with external hdd attached

So I just got a usb hub for the hdd's and hid them in my bedside locker. Got a very long usb lead and the usb adapter for the SGT10.1. Find it great, only thing is that you can't charge the tab and have the usb adapter attached at the same time which is a real downer!

Just tried Qloud, like the interface but no matter what I do it won't stop stuttering?? Gonna give Plex a go.....

Cheers,
M

AntiRip

Love this

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.deadlyfastapps.fathertedsoundboard&hl=en

RUCKING FETARD

madmoe wrote: »

So guys, anyone know of other simple options for Android to stream from me PC to me Tab please??

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/the-top-free-ways-to-stream-video-from-your-computer-to-your-mobile-or-tablet/

madmoe

RUCKING FETARD wrote: »

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/the-top-free-ways-to-stream-video-from-your-computer-to-your-mobile-or-tablet/

Cheers, after being disappointed by Qloud I tried Plex and it was way way worse, it would not even load any files on my phone when I hit browse? I had it installed correct on my machine I am pretty sure? The spinning circle just stayed there all the time?

Cheers,
M

subway

madmoe, your questions pushed me to looking into this.

I've tried:
xbmc
vplayer
moboplayer
mxplayer
bubbleupnp
tversity (old free version, can be found via lots of googling)
es file browser

best results:
es file browser, standard windows file sharing, vplayer
as above - mx player in S/W mode

good results
xbmc with windows file sharing or tversity

useless results
everything else

conclusion:
seems to be the video player, definitely related to HW decoding while streaming

subway

it is not the format of the videos that is the issue. Its the file stream connection, the HD decoder wants file based access instead of network/http stream based access. This is why MX player switches to software decoding. The solution and one I have been hoping since we have the firmware source code is to implement a woprking A10 cifs.ko library so you can mount Windows network shares as Linux filesystems. This would fool the HW decoder into thinking Movies are from disk even though file data is transferred via the network (i.e. NFS network file system). Unix has their own NFS which is less chatty that CIFS, but since most people use Windows, CIFS is more popular for media sharing.

http://www.slatedroid.com/topic/26797-streaming-video-with-hardware-decode/

seems to be the explanation - HW decoding doesnt work when streaming in this manner. anyone able to provide a solution (other than software decoding?)
personally, i dont know how to implement what is mentioned in that post, or if its been fixed since

madmoe, can you test this to confirm you have the same results

madmoe

subway wrote: »

madmoe, your questions pushed me to looking into this.

I've tried:
xbmc
vplayer
moboplayer
mxplayer
bubbleupnp
tversity (old free version, can be found via lots of googling)
es file browser

best results:
es file browser, standard windows file sharing, vplayer
as above - mx player in S/W mode

good results
xbmc with windows file sharing or tversity

useless results
everything else

conclusion:
seems to be the video player, definitely related to HW decoding while streaming

Many thanks for taking the time to do that mate! I'm at the stage too where I am playing around with a good few and hopefully will find one that works well and without stutter all the time!

All the best,
M

subway

give mx player a go but select software mode (press the h/w icon on screen to change modes)

madmoe

subway wrote: »

give mx player a go but select software mode (press the h/w icon on screen to change modes)

So software mode is best for when I am streaming and once I play local media hardware decoding\mode should be the choice?

Cheers,
M

subway

thats the result I've been having (backed up by my linked post above)
unless someone else on the thread can offer extra advice.

subway

just to add, MKV files play perfectly fine with HW mode, but are limited moreso by the wifi connection

e.g. some 1080p files are too high bitrate to stream

also, some films only have DTS audio, which doesnt seem to decode, due to a licensing issue with MX

madmoe

subway wrote: »

just to add, MKV files play perfectly fine with HW mode, but are limited moreso by the wifi connection

e.g. some 1080p files are too high bitrate to stream

also, some films only have DTS audio, which doesnt seem to decode, due to a licensing issue with MX

I assume you mean HW mode in MX Player?

subway

yes

Technophobe

What about trying SKIFTA..I use it an odd time..seems ok to me for what I require..

madmoe

Technophobe wrote: »

What about trying SKIFTA..I use it an odd time..seems ok to me for what I require..

Will give that a look too dude.

Cheers,
M

Update On Skifta:
It won't stream MKV files for me at all :-( It streams MP4 file for a couple of seconds and then bombs out :-( I have set-up Skifta on the laptop and then the app on me GS3 and it seems to use Windows Media Player for streaming, it gives me the option to use the in built Samsung player for playback or QuickPic. I then installed MX PLayer and had slightly better play back results but still not great :-(

Looks like it's yet another no go for what I need :-(

Ste-

Try Emit maybe ?
https://www.emitapp.com/

and

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=tv.wpn.biokoda.android.emit&hl=en

madmoe

Ste- wrote: »

Try Emit maybe ?
https://www.emitapp.com/

and

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=tv.wpn.biokoda.android.emit&hl=en

Just tried Emit it and well impressed so far! Struggles but plays 1080p from the laptop and plays 720p KMV files perfectly from the laptop :-) (all on Galaxy S3)

Results are not as good at all at all on the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1.....any video I select it tries to start then the application hangs each and every time :-(

Looks like this is the one I will be using, at least on the Galaxy S3! But I really want a player that can stream to the Tab more to be honest!!

Ste-

Is the tab just at home for streaming via wifi ?
If so use the ES file explorer method, shouldn't fail.

madmoe

Ste- wrote: »

Is the tab just at home for streaming via wifi ?
If so use the ES file explorer method, shouldn't fail.

Will try mate. So with the ES File Explorer method do I just create a normal shared folder on my PC with the videos\files in it? How do I then get the ES File Explorer to see that shared folder or should it just show up within the app???

How about file permissions and user access etc.

Thanks,
M

SteM

Not had a chance to look at the rest of the thread but have you tried polkast for media streaming?

mickoneill30

madmoe wrote: »

Will try mate. So with the ES File Explorer method do I just create a normal shared folder on my PC with the videos\files in it? How do I then get the ES File Explorer to see that shared folder or should it just show up within the app???

How about file permissions and user access etc.

A pictures worth a thousand words. Open EStrongs. Go into LAN. Choose New and type in the details of your share.

Ste-

mickoneill30 wrote: »

A pictures worth a thousand words. Open EStrongs. Go into LAN. Choose New and type in the details of your share.

You can also set it to scan your network so no need to remember IP address or anything.

madmoe

Ste- wrote: »

You can also set it to scan your network so no need to remember IP address or anything.

Done this last night with the GS3 and my PC and worked flawlessly!! Have to say by far the best solution so far and great performance with 720p content and MP4!! Now to test it on the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1!!

Cheers lads,
M

Ste-

madmoe wrote: »

Done this last night with the GS3 and my PC and worked flawlessly!! Have to say by far the best solution so far and great performance with 720p content and MP4!! Now to test it on the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1!!

Cheers lads,
M

Tis the simplest but not the best to show off for eye candy.
Just folder view by icon or list.
XMBC is the way to go for eye candy imo.

AntiRip

Ste- wrote: »

You can also set it to scan your network so no need to remember IP address or anything.

When I scan my network, it finds the IP of my laptop but can't log in. I don't have any password set for laptop. Even when I type the username also it fails.

Also, do you just right click on a folder you want to share and 'share with homegroup' to share a folder with ES?