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> Shield's home page Is full of ads due to Android TV mandating it. No, I don't need to learn about this new show you have on some service I don't have a subs

by arkh 2y ago

> Shield's home page Is full of ads due to Android TV mandating it. No, I don't need to learn about this new show you have on some service I don't have a subscription to. No I don't want this app to setup an applet on the homepage. All I want is a list of apps, a settings button and a shut down one. On a plain black background with no moving part.

weberer 2y ago
You want LibreElec.
- SSLy 2y ago
  or apple tv
vetinari 2y ago
It is annoyance, but for now, there's a workaround (on Nvidia Shield): disable auto updates in Play Store, uninstall Android TV Home updates. You will get the old launcher, without nagging you about stuff you have no interest in.
quickthrowman 2y ago
Apple TV is the least terrible commercial option
frantathefranta 2y ago
Projectivy launcher works pretty well.
- wccrawford 2y ago
  This has been my solution for the Shield as well. It does the job well enough, with only an occasional weirdness or crash. And it starts up again quickly in those instances.
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
pier25 2y ago
The Apple TV is a much better device for streaming. It's exactly what you described. The only drawback is the lack of HDMI passthrough for Plex. I have an Nvidia shield just for this use case.
- natdempk 2y ago
  If you are unhappy with Plex on Apple TV, check out Infuse. You have a pay a little yearly for it, but it does a much better job of supporting higher-end/advanced media features and the app is nicer than Plex. It can seamlessly connect to a Plex server as well.
  - pier25 2y ago
    Tried it but has tons of issues with audio sync because it has to decode audio to PCM. HDMI passthrough is really the only good solution.
  - vladgur 2y ago
    Infuse is amazing even on the phone. For the amount of content I consume using it, the louse $10 per year is worth it
    - nicce 2y ago
      I don’t buy often apps these days. In last two years, Infuse is the only one because it was that good.
- Larrikin 2y ago
  Android atleast has the possibility of being an open platform. You can install a different launcher, even if the platform makes it difficult to keep it permanent if you don't know what you are doing. There's no way to avoid it when Apple wants to advertise Apple TV shows to you.
  - mynameisvlad 2y ago
    Well luckily the Apple TV platform has had 17 years to develop that feature and it hasn’t happened yet. Never say never and all that, but almost two decades is quite the track record.
JoshTriplett 2y ago
> All I want is a list of apps, a settings button and a shut down one Android TV has an "Apps only" mode that does exactly that: https://support.google.com/googletv/answer/10070784?hl=en https://support.google.com/googletv/answer/10070784?hl=en The downside (which some might consider an upside) is that that mode also breaks voice control.
- whs 2y ago
  My Chromecast with Google TV on Apps only mode recently has a full screen, undismissable ads of a YouTube show on the top of the launcher. It is not present if you don't scroll up, but the settings button and account switcher is up there.
- aaravchen 2y ago
  Under the "What happens when Apps only mode is on" heading, it clarifies that it only removes recommendations, not ads. > In Apps only mode, you don't get personalized recommendations on your home screen. You’ll find a list of installed apps that you can open to find something to watch. You'll also find sponsored content and teasers for popular movies and shows.
nixass 2y ago
> Is full of ads due to Android TV mandating it. Projectivity launcher
- mrandish 2y ago
  Yes! I run Projectivity on all my Android TV streaming sticks and it makes Android TV not only usable but good again. Also essential is side loading the SmartTube app, which is an ad-free YouTube player that fixes dozens of annoying things about YouTube. YT without SmartTube is torture. (note: Since SmartTube will spoil you making regular YT unbearable, a similar fix for desktop browsers is to install a collaborative community UserScript called "Nova YouTube".)
  - squarefoot 2y ago
    On desktop I moved all my preferred channels on FreeTube and couldn't be more happy. https://freetubeapp.io/ https://freetubeapp.io/ Occasionally it may break because for obvious reasons Google does their best to force people to use their unwatchable page, but usually the fix comes out very quickly. How to make it perfect? Move from Electron to Tauri and make also a Kodi extension. I use Invidious on LibreElec/Kodi, but it's not even close.
rigrassm 2y ago
I've been using FLauncher for a couple years now and it's great. Very minimalist and only shows the apps you specify on the home screen. Highly recommend giving it a shot.
nickthegreek 2y ago
Flauncher solves this problem for me and gives me the cleanest ui I could ever hope for.

by arkh 2y ago

weberer 2y ago

You want LibreElec.

SSLy 2y ago
or apple tv

vetinari 2y ago

It is annoyance, but for now, there's a workaround (on Nvidia Shield): disable auto updates in Play Store, uninstall Android TV Home updates. You will get the old launcher, without nagging you about stuff you have no interest in.

quickthrowman 2y ago

Apple TV is the least terrible commercial option

frantathefranta 2y ago

Projectivy launcher works pretty well.

wccrawford 2y ago
This has been my solution for the Shield as well. It does the job well enough, with only an occasional weirdness or crash. And it starts up again quickly in those instances.

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

pier25 2y ago

The Apple TV is a much better device for streaming. It's exactly what you described. The only drawback is the lack of HDMI passthrough for Plex. I have an Nvidia shield just for this use case.

natdempk 2y ago
If you are unhappy with Plex on Apple TV, check out Infuse. You have a pay a little yearly for it, but it does a much better job of supporting higher-end/advanced media features and the app is nicer than Plex. It can seamlessly connect to a Plex server as well.
- pier25 2y ago
  Tried it but has tons of issues with audio sync because it has to decode audio to PCM. HDMI passthrough is really the only good solution.
- vladgur 2y ago
  Infuse is amazing even on the phone. For the amount of content I consume using it, the louse $10 per year is worth it
  - nicce 2y ago
    I don’t buy often apps these days. In last two years, Infuse is the only one because it was that good.
Larrikin 2y ago
Android atleast has the possibility of being an open platform. You can install a different launcher, even if the platform makes it difficult to keep it permanent if you don't know what you are doing. There's no way to avoid it when Apple wants to advertise Apple TV shows to you.
- mynameisvlad 2y ago
  Well luckily the Apple TV platform has had 17 years to develop that feature and it hasn’t happened yet. Never say never and all that, but almost two decades is quite the track record.

JoshTriplett 2y ago

> All I want is a list of apps, a settings button and a shut down one Android TV has an "Apps only" mode that does exactly that: https://support.google.com/googletv/answer/10070784?hl=en https://support.google.com/googletv/answer/10070784?hl=en The downside (which some might consider an upside) is that that mode also breaks voice control.

whs 2y ago
My Chromecast with Google TV on Apps only mode recently has a full screen, undismissable ads of a YouTube show on the top of the launcher. It is not present if you don't scroll up, but the settings button and account switcher is up there.
aaravchen 2y ago
Under the "What happens when Apps only mode is on" heading, it clarifies that it only removes recommendations, not ads. > In Apps only mode, you don't get personalized recommendations on your home screen. You’ll find a list of installed apps that you can open to find something to watch. You'll also find sponsored content and teasers for popular movies and shows.

nixass 2y ago

> Is full of ads due to Android TV mandating it. Projectivity launcher

mrandish 2y ago
Yes! I run Projectivity on all my Android TV streaming sticks and it makes Android TV not only usable but good again. Also essential is side loading the SmartTube app, which is an ad-free YouTube player that fixes dozens of annoying things about YouTube. YT without SmartTube is torture. (note: Since SmartTube will spoil you making regular YT unbearable, a similar fix for desktop browsers is to install a collaborative community UserScript called "Nova YouTube".)
- squarefoot 2y ago
  On desktop I moved all my preferred channels on FreeTube and couldn't be more happy. https://freetubeapp.io/ https://freetubeapp.io/ Occasionally it may break because for obvious reasons Google does their best to force people to use their unwatchable page, but usually the fix comes out very quickly. How to make it perfect? Move from Electron to Tauri and make also a Kodi extension. I use Invidious on LibreElec/Kodi, but it's not even close.

rigrassm 2y ago

I've been using FLauncher for a couple years now and it's great. Very minimalist and only shows the apps you specify on the home screen. Highly recommend giving it a shot.

nickthegreek 2y ago

Flauncher solves this problem for me and gives me the cleanest ui I could ever hope for.