[ROM] [OFFICIAL] LineageOS for the Shield Android TV

[Royal.Bengal]

Have to share my experience with 2017 model. Until I installed the tab version, my Shield was unusable! Tired different official versions, LineageOS builds through two years time. Even several tips and tricks, and all possible settings. My main reason now days with Shield is to use it with Kodi. Random Android crashes most of the times during using Kodi. But now after installing the Tablet version everything just changed. Able to use Kodi for days and weeks. Sometimes a few Kodi crashes but only the app not the whole OS! Kodi crashes are probably caused of the addons I use. What can be the difference between all this available Android versions for this box? Just one bug still there: the bluetooth remote..

 

[Steel01]

Random Android crashes most of the times during using Kodi.

Hmm, I think you might be the first person to report this here. I've had instability on my darcy (2017 satv) for a while, but since no one else ever reported issues, I suspected my unit had hardware damage. But it'll randomly reboot in the middle of videos. Mostly in kodi, but every once in a while in smarttube tv or youtube tv. I recently got a bit more info into what the issue might be, but I'm wary of merging the change. I'm wanting to put a while into testing that it doesn't cause worse problems. But maybe if I do decide it's safe and merge the change, it would solve your problem as well.

 

[Royal.Bengal]

Hmm, I think you might be the first person to report this here. I've had instability on my darcy (2017 satv) for a while, but since no one else ever reported issues, I suspected my unit had hardware damage. But it'll randomly reboot in the middle of videos. Mostly in kodi, but every once in a while in smarttube tv or youtube tv. I recently got a bit more info into what the issue might be, but I'm wary of merging the change. I'm wanting to put a while into testing that it doesn't cause worse problems. But maybe if I do decide it's safe and merge the change, it would solve your problem as well.

Thanks for your response. Are there any documented differences between the two variants? Haven't used that long but the TAB version seems a bit sluggish than the AndroidTV version and a bit slower WiFi (same AC access point, same distance and position)! Are the kernels (boot.img) same for the both?
I would me more than happy to test if any patches are available for the Android TV version.
Thanks in advance.

 

[FOLOL2011]

Hi
This is what I did in order to get decent perf on my NSTV 2019 pro :
- Lineageos Full android (not ATV, TAB LineageOS17_mdarcy_tab ) + MindTheGapps + Magisk ( or Magisk Delta)
- tweaked the "io sched" to deadline and decrease buffer to 256 with 3c toolbox at bootstart (3c tb a must to manage/kill apps on this Low-Memory device ), vm.swappiness to 60, cpu gov to performance
- use rotation control pro to fix landscape for all apps
- magisk (root), f-froid (great apps provider) , newpipe sponsorblock, aurora store (to replace G playstore) , adaway (block ads, malware with hosts file) , youtube revanced + inotia00 microG ,
- use appManager ( MuntashirAkon github version, really great app, contribute if you can) to Disable/Freeze all com.android.google.X apps, google playstore, goo play services, G services framework, G partner, G market feedback etc.... google bloatware ...
- Use only MuntashirAkon appManager to manage apk installaton ( the standard packageinstaller is very bad and can fill root fs quickly, check space in /data/user_de/0/com.android.packageinstaller/no_backup/ )
- AFwall+ firewall to block outbound connections
- Kiwi browser + ublock origin + violentmonkey ( or Bromite or Vivaldi Brower )
- Lucky Patcher ( Disable apk signature)
- Titanium backup

- RootExplorer, Solid Explorer, X plore
- Termux ( from f-droid )
- BS Player Pro, XPlayer video player, MX Player
- Kodi
- touchpad for big phone tab
- autostarts ( from f-droid )

I didn't try foster_tab
WIFI is stable, 3 apps in background is OK ( Free RAM around 1.6 GB for apps, YT or a browser can take 300-600 MB )

BTW : I tried to extend the internal storage with good ultra fast certified Sandisk USB key and I had a very bad experience : instable, freeze, maybe you'd find a good/working solution
So now I use a big SSD disk as a Removable USB storage

BTW2 : app swapper root to add swapfile 700 MB (priority 32767 by default so first) on internal storage, then vm.swappiness to 10. ( Leaving swap on internal, maybe better on external fast usb key ? )
Edit file in /vendor/etc/fstab_*darcy to lower zram0 from 512 to 256M (priority -1 by default so last) so more ram for apps, relying first on swap, second zram.
Finally after testing, the best for my device is to disable zram ( comment the line in fstab_xxxx ) or no swap (I don't use swapper) . No zram, no swap so more memory, less IO/CPU load and more internal storage

 

[Royal.Bengal]

Hi
This is what I did in order to get decent perf on my NSTV 2019 pro :
- Lineageos Full android (not ATV, TAB LineageOS17_mdarcy_tab ) + MindTheGapps + Magisk ( or Magisk Delta)
- tweaked the "io sched" to deadline and decrease buffer to 256 with 3c toolbox at bootstart (3c tb a must to manage/kill apps on this Low-Memory device ), vm.swappiness to 60, cpu gov to performance
- use rotation control pro to fix landscape for all apps
- magisk (root), f-froid (great apps provider) , newpipe sponsorblock, aurora store (to replace G playstore) , adaway (block ads, malware with hosts file) , youtube revanced + inotia00 microG ,
- use appManager ( MuntashirAkon github version, really great app, contribute if you can) to Disable/Freeze all com.android.google.X apps, google playstore, goo play services, G services framework, G partner, G market feedback etc.... google bloatware ...
- Use only MuntashirAkon appManager to manage apk installaton ( the standard packageinstaller is very bad and can fill root fs quickly, check space in /data/user_de/0/com.android.packageinstaller/no_backup/ )
- AFwall+ firewall to block outbound connections
- Kiwi browser + ublock origin + violentmonkey ( or Bromite or Vivaldi Brower )
- Lucky Patcher ( Disable apk signature)
- Titanium backup

- RootExplorer, Solid Explorer, X plore
- Termux ( from f-droid )
- BS Player Pro, XPlayer video player, MX Player
- Kodi
- touchpad for big phone tab
- autostarts ( from f-droid )

I didn't try foster_tab
WIFI is stable, 3 apps in background is OK ( Free RAM around 1.6 GB for apps, YT or a browser can take 300-600 MB )

Thanks for a detailed report, just for curiosity: Where did you get a full Android version?

 

[FOLOL2011]

Hi Royal.Bengal
I downloaded from https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/mdarcy_tab/
it's Los 17 but now, it seems not available anymore
so use Los 18 : https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/foster_tab/

 

[Royal.Bengal]

Hi Royal.Bengal
I downloaded from https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/mdarcy_tab/
it's Los 17 but now, it seems not available anymore
so use Los 18 : https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/foster_tab/

Thanks, I'll look into that..
Update: your link goes to the tab version I already been using..

 

[Not_Rich]

Does anyone use a mouse with this where the right mouse button does something, and which mouse.

Lol looking back this is such a stupid post, unknown to me at the time, the right mouse button brings up context menu's in apps, there are big changes in Android 11 compared to 7 which the Minix box runs, I was unaware of at the time.
I bought a Logitech M650 mouse which has a couple of extra buttons, they go forward and back in web browsers and one button goes back in apps like clicking the triangle.

I am really liking this tab version, thanks to those that made it possible.

 

[Royal.Bengal]

You've been rolling out builds of Android 12 for some time now. I realize that these builds are still not ready for regular use, but what exactly is the obstacle for the official release?

Reporting back: I installed your latest build on my Shield 2017, nice UI but unfortunately similar OS crashes like 18.1 versions. The only stable ROM ever for my need (mostly Kodi) is the TAB version of 18.1. Any chance for getting one TAB version of your builds? I would be very likely to test and report back..
Well done and thanks in advance..

 

[Steel01]

Reporting back: I installed your latest build on my Shield 2017, nice UI but unfortunately similar OS crashes like 18.1 versions. The only stable ROM ever for my need (mostly Kodi) is the TAB version of 18.1. Any chance for getting one TAB version of your builds? I would be very likely to test and report back..
Well done and thanks in advance..

I merged the change I talked about last week. The next official 18.1 build will roll on the 14th. Hopefully that will fix your problem and you'll be able to use the 18.1 atv release. Nolens 19.1 builds will also have this whenever the next release builds.

 

[Royal.Bengal]

I merged the change I talked about last week. The next official 18.1 build will roll on the 14th. Hopefully that will fix your problem and you'll be able to use the 18.1 atv release. Nolens 19.1 builds will also have this whenever the next release builds.

Thanks a lot, I'll hold on to that release and wait until next update..
Any chance for the bluetooth remote bug to be fixed as well?
Keep up this good work

 

[Royal.Bengal]

Downloaded "lineage-18.1-20230514-nightly-foster-signed.zip", recovery and boot. Clean install with deleted partitions data/cache, even system to be sure. Unfortunately two reboots yesterday, noticed that both times during browsing files in Kodi - Youtube addon. Thought just to report back. Any idea why it happened as it did always before even you merging new patch? Patch that you thought might help. The tab version is stable and solid as rock, but lack off HDMI CCE and a few slow-/ slaggish...
Thanks in advance..

 

[Royal.Bengal]

Downloaded "lineage-18.1-20230514-nightly-foster-signed.zip", recovery and boot. Clean install with deleted partitions data/cache, even system to be sure. Unfortunately two reboots yesterday, noticed that both times during browsing files in Kodi - Youtube addon. Thought just to report back. Any idea why it happened as it did always before even you merging new patch? Patch that you thought might help. The tab version is stable and solid as rock, but lack off HDMI CCE and a few slow-/ slaggish...
Thanks in advance..

Forgot to mention MindTheGapps if it's any valuable information!

 

[CurbThePain]

What firmware are we all running on? I cant get the current two foster_tab builds to boot on 9.1.1, 9.1, or 9.0 (dev or normal recovery image). I use the 2019 pro (mdarcy) model. Am I missing something? Or are current builds just incompatible with the 2019 pro model?

 

[Not_Rich]

I am using Lineage 18.1 tab version on a 2017 Shield

 

[npjohnson]

What firmware are we all running on? I cant get the current two foster_tab builds to boot on 9.1.1, 9.1, or 9.0 (dev or normal recovery image). I use the 2019 pro (mdarcy) model. Am I missing something? Or are current builds just incompatible with the 2019 pro model?

what process are you using to install? It should just work.

And you don't need to be on any specific firmware, anything 9.0 plus will auto update to 9.1.1 when you install the lineage zip.

 

[Meitei]

I wonder what the benefits of rooting this has? I wouldn't use GApps, just MicroG with streaming apps like Prime, Netflix, Disney+ and Newpipe. And could I use Lygisk for rooting?

And does 4K work or is that part of the proprietary upscale?

 

[Zacharybinx34]

Are there any disadvantages at all to using this over stock Android TV?

 

[Big Dumb Object]

Are there any disadvantages at all to using this over stock Android TV?

I guess you'll need to give up AI Upscaling and maybe some other proprietary stuff in this case.

 

[Zacharybinx34]

I guess you'll need to give up AI Upscaling and maybe some other proprietary stuff in this case.

I have the older shield, so I don't have that anyways.

Anything else you can think of? All of the streaming services work fine?