Android/AndroidTV Placeshifter client (Discussion)

[VCRUser]

Originally Posted by stuckless

Can you take a screen shot. If this is the Tab from 2011, then it may just be that that the hardware/OS is going to be too old to work properly. The initial focus is getting a fully functional extender on just 1 or two devices, and then we can start troubleshooting specific devices.

Already uninstalled, so will need to find time to reinstall to get that screen shot if you think it will help. Yes, it's probably from 2011 or so; it runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. So it could just be too old. I've been thinking of getting a new phone (current one is 2012, running 4.1), so might wait to try on that.

[Fuzzy]

Originally Posted by KarylFStein

I wasn't going to mention this now, but what about context switching? For example if video is playing and you have a gamepad A to me should toggle Pause/Play with B as Back, (just based on the Android experience I have with the SHIELD and Galaxy Tab). It seems like input should not be a static mapping...

That goes beyond what a placeshifter would technically be able to do, as that - really - is managed on the server, and is not really client specific. As far as the server knows, a given command was received, so ti behaves as it is programmed to do. Changing that behavior could be done via a UI Mod - but that's not really the realm of this specific project.

[stuckless]

Originally Posted by KarylFStein

I wasn't going to mention this now, but what about context switching? For example if video is playing and you have a gamepad A to me should toggle Pause/Play with B as Back, (just based on the Android experience I have with the SHIELD and Galaxy Tab). It seems like input should not be a static mapping...

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

That goes beyond what a placeshifter would technically be able to do, as that - really - is managed on the server, and is not really client specific. As far as the server knows, a given command was received, so ti behaves as it is programmed to do. Changing that behavior could be done via a UI Mod - but that's not really the realm of this specific project.

Interestingly enough, I actually started out like that, but as fuzzy noted, it's a complex process. While I can tell if a video is playing or not, what I can't actually tell is if a SageTV dialog happens to be sitting on top of that video SO, if you are playing the video, then I can map keys to "video playback key" but then you get a sagetv dialog showing up, or you leave the video somehow and it's still playing in the preview window... basically the key mapping is all messed up. On the android client, we are just an "extender" for the screen that is rendered on the server, so, we don't actually know what is on the screen, what menu, etc.

In the end, the easiest thing will be to use a full featured remote with the AndroidTV, or bare with the limited set of controls on the dumb remotes.

[brewston]

Originally Posted by stuckless

The OSD playback controls would be possible no matter which player is used. Keep in mind even when VLC is used, it is embedded, so as a developer you need to manage the OSD controls.

Sadly most android tv remotes are taking a page from apple and creating really dumbed down remoted It might be that we'll need to find a decent 3rd party remote with more buttons, which will likely provide a better experience on OSD controls.

I think finding a decent remote compatible with all Android TV boxes might be a challenge though, especially as they are bluetooth not IR

What do the ijkplayer OSD controls allow ?

[stuckless]

Originally Posted by brewston

I think finding a decent remote compatible with all Android TV boxes might be a challenge though, especially as they are bluetooth not IR

What do the ijkplayer OSD controls allow ?

Any player will allow you to render whatever you want above the video. For example in the phone/tablet version, I allow a left pull out drawer to be rendered above the video with some simple controls. For this purpose, it's an OSD.

I'm not saying that I wouldn't go down this path, but, personally, I'll be looking for a solution that allows me to use a normal remote first (since it's less work).

Rendering a second OSD (SageTV renders it's own OSD), would be confusing, in my mind, and I'd have to manage whether or not I'm handling the key presses for my OSD or if I'm sending them to SageTV. What key activates the OSD, because that key can only be used to active the OSD and nothing else, etc.

EDIT:
I wouldn't be apposed to needing a better remote, such, as this...
http://support-shield.nvidia.com/and...mote_Setup.htm
I just know know if you can map other buttons to events or if you are just limited to the basic few.

EDIT2:
I think someone may have posted this... Or I stumbled on it before.. not sure which... but I wonder if FLlirc could be used...
https://flirc.tv/more/flirc-usb

[PLUCKYHD]

it's looks like harmony works out of box.
http://http://support-shield.nvidia....mote_Setup.htm

wondering if the smart hub works better even since it can control over lan.

[PLUCKYHD]

looking further this implies the smart hub can control it over Bluetooth and that tv shield does have ir.

https://m.reddit.com/r/AndroidTV/com...ppear_to_have/

[tmiranda]

Originally Posted by stuckless

The short answer is yes... but I've only added support for a very small number of buttons. ie, I need to map them first in the App to a SageTV function, and then it should work.

Sean - Maybe this is an area where I can help out? Can you point me to where the mapping is done so I can take a look?

[KarylFStein]

Last I remember there was some headache with the Harmony and SHIELD, (from a thread on their forums), but I think people were able to work around it. I use an older Harmony 890 Pro with my entertainment center as I don't like the button layout on the newer remote. It works fine with the SHIELD, although I usually use the gamepad with it.

[stuckless]

Originally Posted by tmiranda

Sean - Maybe this is an area where I can help out? Can you point me to where the mapping is done so I can take a look?

This file is where the Native Android Key presses are mapped to SageTV Keys.

https://github.com/OpenSageTV/sagetv...yListener.java

You can see the static MAP at the top of the file has the mappings that I've done.

It actually get a little complicated because you can't map both A and CENTER, because in some cases when a single key is pressed, Android will send both events ie, You might Map A and ENTER to to SageTV enter, and when the user presses A, Android sends A and ENTER events as 2 separate events, and if you handle both, then you end up sending 2 events to sagetv... this caused me some grief early on, before I realized what was happening

[Fuzzy]

How doe miniclient send commands to sage? What does it actually send? Is it sending the sage command, or is it sending a discrete event/number/whatever that is then mapped in the .properties file via the Detailed Setup -> Commands menu?

[Fuzzy]

Ideally, the app should basically be passing any input event through as a raw key_code, or whatever identifying string, to sage, and if we need to, we can add the 'defaults' to the RemoteClients.properties file's ui/rc_mappings entries (this is how the extenders handle it, as far as I can tell).

[stuckless]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

How doe miniclient send commands to sage? What does it actually send? Is it sending the sage command, or is it sending a discrete event/number/whatever that is then mapped in the .properties file via the Detailed Setup -> Commands menu?

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

Ideally, the app should basically be passing any input event through as a raw key_code, or whatever identifying string, to sage, and if we need to, we can add the 'defaults' to the RemoteClients.properties file's ui/rc_mappings entries (this is how the extenders handle it, as far as I can tell).

This class show the named key mappings. I'm sending actual Java AWT key codes to the SageTV.

https://github.com/OpenSageTV/sagetv...entRouter.java

[Fuzzy]

Originally Posted by stuckless

This class show the named key mappings. I'm sending actual Java AWT key codes to the SageTV.

https://github.com/OpenSageTV/sagetv...entRouter.java

If that's the case, than anything should be mappable in the detailed setup screen, as long as the remote in question triggers android keypresses.

[stuckless]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

If that's the case, than anything should be mappable in the detailed setup screen, as long as the remote in question triggers android keypresses.

Yes, the "gap" comes from the fact that on the MiniClient, in the EventRouter we need to define ALL possible key Mappings as SageTVKey event objects.

Then in the MiniClientKeyListener, we need to MAP Native Android Keys to SageTV keys.

I've said from the beginning... all of this is possible, just a huge mapping excercise

[Fuzzy]

So in an android app, a keypress doesn't automatically get handled by the foreground application unless it is specifically mapped to handle it? I was not suggesting doing any key mapping at the client level, and just sending the raw keystroke data to the server as a RC input event, and let the server's rc_mapping handle translating that to a sagetv command.

[Jabroni]

Originally Posted by KarylFStein

Last I remember there was some headache with the Harmony and SHIELD, (from a thread on their forums), but I think people were able to work around it. I use an older Harmony 890 Pro with my entertainment center as I don't like the button layout on the newer remote. It works fine with the SHIELD, although I usually use the gamepad with it.

I was doing some tests yesterday with the Harmony Hub and the Nexus Player, seems that their implementation doesnt map all buttons rather than just the ones explicit on the Nexus Remote, so for example the key numbers arent mapped to anything at all (tested on Kodi with the Keymap Addon) Im starting to guess too that finding the correct controller would be a headache on the androidtv plataform. Maybe for now we could just work out with the SageTV Android Remote Control App to control this placeshitter

[stuckless]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

So in an android app, a keypress doesn't automatically get handled by the foreground application unless it is specifically mapped to handle it? I was not suggesting doing any key mapping at the client level, and just sending the raw keystroke data to the server as a RC input event, and let the server's rc_mapping handle translating that to a sagetv command.

Key presses are handled by the foreground application, but I think you are assuming that and Android keypress code for the letter, "A", for example, is universally the same everywhere, which is not the case.

When you press a button your remote, that IR code gets sent to a pieces of hardware, in this case, Android device. The android unit would map that IR code to a Key Event (this happens at the kernel level). The Android App would get an Android Key Event for the Remote Key Event. I can't send that to SageTV, since SageTV needs to have the Key Event as a Java AWT Key Event, so I have to create a mapping table of ANDROID keys to SageTV keys.

I can Map Android NATIVE keys events to SageTV Key Events, or SageTV COmmands, even SageTV IR Codes... but in all cases, it has to be mapped.

In the case of using something like, FLIRC (which I ordered this morning), I'd actually have to Map the REMOTE key, and and Android Key in the remote software... and then in the App... I need to map the Android Key to the SageTV key.

[PLUCKYHD]

Originally Posted by Jabroni

I was doing some tests yesterday with the Harmony Hub and the Nexus Player, seems that their implementation doesnt map all buttons rather than just the ones explicit on the Nexus Remote, so for example the key numbers arent mapped to anything at all (tested on Kodi with the Keymap Addon) Im starting to guess too that finding the correct controller would be a headache on the androidtv plataform. Maybe for now we could just work out with the SageTV Android Remote Control App to control this placeshitter

Again you can if you have a bluetooth capable harmony it appears they work great then. Using a phone/tablet as a remote is terrible look at the chromecast terrible.

https://forums.logitech.com/t5/Harmo...y/td-p/1337271

[jm9843]

Digging this back up from earlier in the thread. It should help in mapping

Android KeyEvent -> ASCII value == Java AWT Key Event

Flirc can be configured to emulate a keyboard such that any arbitrary remote signal will fire the appropriate Android KeyEvent (as programmed by the user in the Flirc software). So if all or enough designated keys are mapped in EventRouter.java, it should cover the commands that users would need.

Originally Posted by jm9843

You'd win that bet. But it seems that you can derive the ASCII value with KeyEvent's getUnicodeChar method.

int asciiKey = event.getUnicodeChar(event.getMetaState());

Credit.