Emby on VegaOS

[Luke 42843]

5 minutes ago, Trelane said:

Like many, I’d never buy a Vega device:

Because Vega OS isn't built on Android, it can’t run standard .apk files. Amazon intentionally locked the system down, completely eliminating the "Install from Unknown Sources" toggle. For the enthusiast community, losing the ability to sideload apps or customize the software environment is an absolute dealbreaker.

Vega OS exists primarily to give Amazon total control over the hardware. Third-party home screen launchers, deep system tweaks, and custom background services are completely blocked. For anyone who wants an ad-free interface or full control over their home theater hardware, Vega OS is just too restrictive and tied to Amazon’s ad ecosystem.

Yes of course. The loss of sideloading is a negative. But what I listed as the reasons for change are still true and that this wasn't about money.

They started depending on android in 2014, so to go 12 years and then pull the rug out is really hard and going to upset a lot of people. If they had done this say, 8 years ago, the impact would have been smaller, by now they'd have a large catalog of apps, and who knows, with enough user pressure over time they may have brought back some form of sideloading.

[Trelane 38]

33 minutes ago, Luke said:

Yes of course. The loss of sideloading is a negative. But what I listed as the reasons for change are still true and that this wasn't about money.

They started depending on android in 2014, so to go 12 years and then pull the rug out is really hard and going to upset a lot of people. If they had done this say, 8 years ago, the impact would have been smaller, by now they'd have a large catalog of apps, and who knows, with enough user pressure over time they may have brought back some form of sideloading.

I just disagree,  which is fine

"It wasn't about money" ignores Amazon's entire revenue strategy. 

Amazon doesn't make profit selling $30 streaming sticks. They profit off the home screen real estate, sponsored ad banners, and transaction fees from inside the ecosystem. On Fire OS, custom launchers and ad-blockers allowed users to bypass that entire monetized pipeline. Replacing Android with Vega OS permanently seals those financial leaks.

They waited because they needed Android's app library to build market share and defeat early competitors like Roku. Once they achieved dominant market position, they pulled the ladder up behind them. Using open Android to build a user base and then locking it down once established is a classic tech platform play.

 

[Luke 42843]

2 minutes ago, Trelane said:

They profit off the home screen real estate, sponsored ad banners, and transaction fees from inside the ecosystem.

 

They already had this before, it's just that the whole system was hard for them to work with and maintain because it wasn't theirs. Yes, they used the Android OS to get a head start and build market share, but eventually the relationship ran it's course and they decided it was no longer sustainable. They need to be able to control internal policies, api's, etc, and they can't do that with somebody else's OS.

I don't think they intended to punish the small segment of enthusiasts with custom launchers. I think that just became casualty in order for them to solve their bigger problems.