Author: Kodi Community Forum - All Forums

Warning. Long post incoming.

Hello again. I would like to thank all the folks that have replied to me in this thread already. (Link to post here http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=...pid2575781 ) It has given me some things to think about and maybe better come up with an idea of how things could happen. Please note I said could and "NOT" should.

So due to Kodi using GPL licence (and that is wonderful). It can't really make and then distribute a closed source bit of software as a core feature. IE: The "ChromeCast Receiver protocol" (don't know its real name)
Now with that said. As long as there was Dev/Coders willing and wanting to take the time to make it and that it was legal. Could it be possible in theory for a "ChromeCast Receiver protocol" addon? This way it can be separated but still available from Kodi Dev/Coder team and repository.

To better understand why I am leaning for this type of solution. I better tell you how I use Kodi and my ChromeCast device.

Here at my home I have just one computer. It is homemade (that sounds so ghetto lol) and is best described as a mid priced gaming PC. It is the center of my home entertainment life. I play all my games on it. (Eve Online most of the time with some Elite Dangerous). Do all my emails. Internet browsing and so on. It also has 4 TBs of data storage that is mostly Movies and TV show backups with some music and audiobooks. It has just one 1080p monitor that sits in the center of the square room wall. I just recently got a 5.2.2 AV receiver that is "Dolby Atmos" and "DTS:X" capable and good speakers in a 5.2.2 layout. Yes I did put speakers on my ceiling (best movie to watch to hear that sort of sound so far is "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them"). Best way to say it is "Man Cave". Then a few weeks ago. I decided I would get a "Google ChromeCast dongle 2nd Gen" because I wanted to watch Netflix with the "Dolby Digital +" sound now that I have a AV receiver that can deal with that.

When I decide it's time to watch a movie or whatever. I just start up the Kodi software on the computer and push my chair back and register into sub human known as a couch potato.

Now for a very long time I have been using the Kodi remote control android app called "Yatse" to control my Kodi. It's just like the official "Kodi remote control" app but with a few tweaks and perks. Highly recommend it. So my experience of using Kodi is 99% of the time tapping buttons on my Android phone and watching whatever. Now as I have had some time with the "Google ChromeCast dongle 2nd Gen" I have come to like how it works with "Netflix" and the "BBC iPlayer" apps (I Live in the UK). I have it pluged into the back of my AV receiver. So when I wish to watch a show on "Netflix". I just open my AV receiver app on my phone. Tell it to select the "Google ChromeCast dongle 2nd Gen" HDMI port as the source. Then tab over to "Netflix" app and press play on what I want to watch. Once the movie or whatever I am watching has started on the Chromecast. I can switch my phone off. You don't need the app to be running or anything like that (was an eye opener when I realised that, I always thought that is streamed from the phone and would kill the battery. How wrong was I). Then when I want to go back to watch something that is in my Kodi library. I do the same thing. And use "Yaste" to select and watch what I want there. It sound like a lot of tapping and messing about on the phone. But in fact it really is not. But the point is 99% of the time I am using my phone to control almost all of my viewing a listening needs. Now in the future. I may get a "nVidia Shield" due to wanting to watch "Netflix" with 4K picture with HDR. The "nVidia Shield" has a 4K "ChromeCast Receiver protocol" built in and can handle 4K Netflix with HDR. And it also can have Kodi. This will also mean a flew less tapping things on the phone. But I am in no rush as I have to get a 4K monitor that does all the versions of HDR first. And I am not made of money (yet).

So that is my Kodi experience. The end result is that I could just get an "nVidia Shield" and not worry about Kodi and DRM. But if Kodi was to somehow have the "ChromeCast Receiver protocol" in a legal capacity. I would then not need a "nVidia Shield" (and save myself £200+). Because Kodi can already do 4K with HDR (I think it can do HDR, I don't really know as I don't have any HRD content and I don't have a 4K HDR display).

This is how I think that the "ChromeCast Receiver protocol" as an addon is a good idea if it was possible. I use "Netflix" in my story above. But it can be the same for almost all the big legal streaming subscriber services. They all seem to support "ChromeCast Receiver protocol".

For folks that have read all the above. Thank you.

For the rest.
TL : DR Oddsodz still likes ChromeCast but has a phone to control it

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Is there a way to add "Rating" and "ParentalRating" items to the DialogPVRInfo screen in Confluence skin?

Currently I've tried:
* I have manually added values for those fields in the Epg11.db i.e. Ratings is 8 and ParentalRating is 14.
* I have manually edited the DialogPVRInfo.xml file adding the below code:

Unfortunatelly nothing shows up in the PVRInfo screen for the given show.
However, this method works for other items like ListItem.imdbnumber or ListItem.Year or ListItem.Director which I also add manually to EPG11.db i.e. this works:


So it looks like even though there are values for Rating and ParentalRating, I am not able to show them in the PVR Info screen.
Any ideas are appreciated.

Regards,
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Hi, I'm running android 7 and kodi 17.1 on my himedia Q5 pro. I have a shared folder on my mac mini that I could access with the previous android and previous kodi 16.1. Any idea's how to fix this?

I have been having a number of conversations with people about what Android Boxes are the best for the money and there are always people that label the main distributors of Android Boxes as .. Knockoffs or Cheap in comparison to Nvidia or Xiaomi.

When the Xiaomi Mi Box was to be sold by Walmart I was at the point that I was going to upgrade my old Android 4.4 box for a new one. My old box still works but I needed h.265 support because I am converting my Recorded TV to that format to save size. It can fully play h.264 content and it can connect to sites like Youtube and Crackle to watch online content.

Then I started looking at the Mi and its hardware.
Its CPU GPU was the same as all of the other KNOCKOFF brands or maybe it was not as good
It came with a premium of $30 or more over other boxes.
There is no wired ethernet which I want in my home for security of my NAS which I don't want to make available over WiFi so the average neighbor or someone wardriving can access it.

By the time I was ready to make my purchase and with some research here I decided on a KM8 Pro

The KM8 Pro was listed for $54 with free 10 day shipping which was not a big deal I can wait 10 days

It offers Wired Ethernet and WiFi.
It offers a better CPU/GPU than the Mi and has 2gb ram 16gb storage and a microSD Slot to add to internal storage.

I am not a Gamer so the Nvidia Shield is not something I am looking at .. I like PC Games anyway and they do have some support for that but why not just get a gaming rig if I am going that way. Unfortunately I have little downtime in my life .. what I need is a TV Box to have TV in the background as I work and do other things.

Also the Nvidia costs a few hundred dollars and other than the GPU CPU for Gaming there really isn't all that much to offer in additional hardware or software support.

THE PROBLEM IS ... DRM SUPPORT...

Now I know my KM8 Pro as other boxes has the DRM level software installed.
The problem is having Netflix and other distributors Approve these devices.

Even my old Android 4.4 device can play MLB.com live content as I had an account with them last year.

and DRM and Approval .. is not just a problem for the Android Boxes.
DirecTVNow was holding off on approving the Roku
If someone wants to say the ROKU is not a Primary Device that should be approved in days not weeks that is foolish.


BUT even though there are tons of Rokus out there ... there are many times that in Android Boxes.

I have not looked into how many boxes that DoCooler Minix and Other makers ship but it has to be 10 to 1 over any other device.

and when the comparison to shipped devices is compared to Nvidia Shields costing $200-$300 I am sure that DoCooler must ship 100 to 1 as many devices.


Its really like people Loving GM Cars back in the 1970's and then Honda came out with tiny cars for Japan that they shipped to the USA ... AND THEN THE OIL CRISIS HIT.. And there were Waiting Lines at the gas pumps and you could only get gas every other day based on the last digit of your license plate if it was Odd or Even... I remember that.. The people in Hondas and VW Bugs were driving around as other people tried to scam the lines to get gas for work.

These boxes are not knockoffs they are leading the development of better hardware.

So .. What can we do as owners of these devices to get Content Distributors to stop the Backroom deals with Apple, Nvidia and Xiaomi and get our devices approved?

There are many millions more of us.

I understand Kodi is going to install DRM in the future maybe...

I am not sure that will get approval from the big distributors like Netflix or others.

There is a thread on the Minix Website Form where they released some internal Emails they had with Netflix where Netflix basically told them YOU WILL NEVER GET APPROVAL because they refuse to review their products.. that is insane.. you have a maker begging to be approved and it would bring millions of users to your company vs these users prirating content ... and they say NEVER? .. its insane...

But I would like to hear what other owners think about this....

We own devices with great hardware .. with DRM installed.. and we are spit on by companies that control the content.

For me I am lucky I have been recording TV for Years and I have a NAS full of stuff and many of the free sites out there do give me access with no problems.

But for others they need DirecTVNow and Vue and Netflix


What can we do as a group to get our hardware reviewed and approved?


Can we start an online petition or something?

Can doing this also help Kodi get approval from theses sites?

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