Feedback: Android TV app Vs Android App

[Jrod696 29]

Feedback: Android TV App vs Android App

I have been bouncing between the two apps today and found a few things that stand out.

For context, I tested this on two different Nvidia Shields, including a freshly reset 2019 Shield TV. I have been using the Android TV app for years, probably since 2014 or maybe even earlier, so I am very used to how that version behaves.

Visually, I still think the Android TV app has the better TV experience. The gradient background and green outline around the selected item make it much easier to see where you are. With the regular Android app, the default dark theme is really more of a gray, so I switched it to black. That helped, but now it is more like a solid black void with no gradient, depth, or visual texture, and the white selection borders are pretty harsh.

I also noticed a difference during playback. In the Android TV app, the black bars on the top and bottom look properly black and the picture color looks right, basically what I would expect. In the regular Android app, the bars look more gray than black, and the image itself looks a little more washed out. I saw this on both TVs I tested, so it does not seem like it is just one display or one setting acting weird.

That is especially noticeable on the 85 inch OLED because anything bright or raised from black stands out immediately. I also tested on a 75 inch Hisense Mini LED ULED, and while that TV does not have the same OLED black-level sensitivity, the menu still felt awkward there too. So it does not seem like this is just an OLED issue. The Android app still feels less polished visually compared to the Android TV app.

Another small thing I noticed is that there does not seem to be much feedback when moving around the app. On the Android TV app there is a little click/navigation sound when moving between libraries or videos, but I did not notice that in the Android app. Not a huge deal, but it does make the app feel a little less responsive even when it is working.

Functionally, the first thing that stood out is that the playback controls feel backwards compared to the Android TV app. In the Android TV app, I press down to see how much time is left or how long I have been watching. In the Android app, I have to press up. That is not a deal breaker, but it does mean retraining years of muscle memory.

Where I had more noticeable issues was performance and responsiveness. Even on the Nvidia Shield, the Android app felt slower overall. Movies and shows were taking around 5 to 10 seconds to start playing, and this was direct play, not transcoding. Stopping playback also had a noticeable delay before returning to the menu. Opening libraries felt slower too.

I also had a freeze or near-freeze when I pressed up during playback and moved through the tabs like actors and other details. It locked up long enough that I thought the app might crash, but it did recover after a second. Still, that was another spot where the app felt less responsive than the Android TV version.

One thing I did really like about the Android app is that I can access the dashboard, user settings, and basically the full admin side without having to go to a computer. That is a pretty big win, and I can definitely see the appeal there. For managing the server from the couch, that part is great.

That said, the dashboard/admin access is not enough to win me over by itself, especially with the performance and playback issues I was seeing.

So overall, the Android app is usable, and I do like having access to more server/admin features from the TV. I can see where it is going, and it feels like it is almost there, just not quite yet for my setup. Right now the Android TV app still feels smoother, more responsive, and more TV focused.

I look forward to giving it another shot in the future though. If you want someone to test newer builds on Shield hardware, just send me a message and I would be happy to give it another run.

Edited 5 hours ago by Jrod696
forgot some details

[rdhardi 43]

1 hour ago, Jrod696 said:

One thing I did really like about the Android app is that I can access the dashboard, user settings, and basically the full admin side without having to go to a computer. That is a pretty big win, and I can definitely see the appeal there. For managing the server from the couch, that part is great.

I agree, the dashboard access from the app is nice! Unfortunately, that's the only thing I like about the Android standard app. IMO, it's mobile-focused and definitely not ready for TV screens, esp. big screen TVs. There's other issues, which I and others have documented here so I won't reapeat them all.

I don't have the time to keep updating & testing the standard app, so all my Shields use Android TV and I'll be using it until they sunset it. On my big screen TV, I've been using the WMC app for Android...a nice blast from the Emby past that looks & works great on big screen for me. 

Edited 3 hours ago by rdhardi

[Jrod696 29]

***** Update *****

I found another issue.

I needed to update a user’s access, just a simple uncheck a library option type of change. I happened to already be on the Shield that has both apps installed, so I figured hey, I can just use the Android app and save myself a trip to the computer.

I went to Settings, then Server Dashboard, and selected the user I wanted to change. As soon as I clicked on that user, the screen came up where I could make changes, but it locked up. I could not scroll, could not hit back, could not really do anything.

I do have my remote programmed so that if I double press the menu key, it lets me choose apps to close. I double clicked that thinking I was being slick and closed the app. At that point the screen turned black and the Shield was hard locked.

I had to pull power on the Shield to get it back.