Redbox streaming app coming to Fire TVs later this year

Posted by Elias Saba on — 3 Comments

A Redbox streaming app will arrive in the Amazon Appstore for Fire TV devices “later this year” as spotted by Cord Cutters News. Redbox’s parent company Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment (CSSE), which acquired the DVD/Blu-ray rental company turned streaming service last year, has announced the new app’s release as part of a larger deal with Amazon that will bring Amazon Interactive Video Ads to Crackle, also owned by CSSE, making it one of the first third-party services to support the advanced ad format which allows customers to add a product to their Amazon shopping cart directly from the ad break screen. The ads will also make their way into the Chicken Soup for the Soul app and the upcoming Redbox app. Redbox’s streaming apps, already available on Android/Google TV, Roku, and Apple TV devices, provide on-demand TV shows and movies for free with ads or to rent and own. It also offers several free ad-supported live streaming channels.

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New-ish Fire TV Channels app consolidates all of Fire TV’s free streaming content in one place

Posted by Elias Saba on — 23 Comments

You may have noticed it appearing throughout the month, but Amazon has now officially released its new-ish Fire TV Channels app on Fire TV devices. Over the past few years, Amazon has been adding free ad-supported content throughout the Fire TV home interface in the form of short clips and full-length videos across numerous categories like news, sports, entertainment, gaming, cooking, travel, and more. Earlier this year, Amazon branded all this built-in free content as “Fire TV Channels” with the promise that it would soon add “a single, easy-to-navigate” method to access this content. That method has now arrived in the form of the new Fire TV Channels app, which isn’t actually as new as it may seem. Read more ›

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My Downloader app is back in the Google Play Store for Android TV & Google TV devices

Posted by Elias Saba on — 15 Comments

My Downloader app has now returned to the Google Play Store! The app was removed due to abusive use of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) by a law firm representing Israeli TV companies, which absurdly claimed that the app infringed their copyright because its built-in web browser could be used to load a piracy website. If you sideload Downloader while it was unavailable, you should uninstall the sideloaded version and install the Google Play Store version to ensure you have the latest app and continue to receive updates. Read more ›

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My Downloader app should return to Google Play in 2 weeks, no thanks to Google

Posted by Elias Saba on — 16 Comments

After 6 days of waiting, I received a reply yesterday from Google regarding the baseless removal of my Downloader app from the Google Play Store due to a ridiculous DMCA claim from Israeli TV firms. Google, after taking its sweet time, is taking a backseat to the situation and not reinstating my app at this time. Even though the claim that the web browser in my app is somehow liable for the copyright infringement occurring on some random website that I have nothing to do with is absurd to any sane person, Google is not intervening and is giving the TV firms that filed the DMCA notice their allotted 10 business days to either file “an action that seeks a court order to restrain” my app or file “a claim of infringement with the US Copyright Office.” Meanwhile, my app will remain suspended for at least two more weeks while it continues to bleed the user base I’ve spent over 5 years serving. Read more ›

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My Downloader app was absurdly removed from the Google Play Store because the built-in browser can load a piracy website

Posted by Elias Saba on — 32 Comments

This past Friday, my Downloader app was suspended and removed from the Google Play Store due to an absurd Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) complaint from a law firm representing several Israel cable/satellite TV companies, including Yes TV and Hot TV. The lawyer Eran Presenti claims that because my app’s web browser is able to load some specific “copyright infringing website” (e.g., piracy website), which I have no association with, that it somehow makes my app infringe his client’s copyright. Google has rejected my appeal so now I ask for your help. Read more ›

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Peacock app on Fire TV now links its in-app profiles with Fire TV profiles

Posted by Elias Saba on — 6 Comments

The Peacock TV app for Fire TV devices has added the ability to link its internal profiles to those used by the Fire TV. Once linked, switching the Fire TV profile being used will automatically switch the selected profile within the Peacock app. Read more ›

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Plex adds the ability to automatically skip end credits

Posted by Elias Saba on — 10 Comments

Plex has announced the addition of a new feature that displays a button to skip the end credits of movies and TV shows. Plex has had the ability to skip the intro of TV shows for a while, but now it is applying a similar time-saving feature to the end of videos. The main reason to skip the credits is to quickly get to mid-credit or end-credit scenes, which have become quite popular in recent years. The new feature works across all of Plex’s free ad-supported content and also works for local library content if you have a Plex Pass. This is an automated process that uses your own Plex server’s computing power to detect where credits begin and end, so it may not work across your entire library right off the bat. You can learn more about the feature, as well as how to enable or disable it, in Plex’s help article.

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Amazon now forbids Fire TV apps from directly launching content within other streaming apps

Posted by Elias Saba on — 40 Comments

Amazon has changed its policy regarding how Fire TV apps interact with other apps. Specifically, Fire TV apps can, allegedly, no longer directly launch movies or TV shows within other Fire TV apps. The practice, known as deep-linking, is important to the convenience of streaming aggregator apps, like Plex, JustWatch, and Reelgood, as it allows users to jump from one app directly to content in another app. According to Plex vice-president of marketing Scott Hancock, who spoke with Jared Newman from TechHive, Amazon asked Plex to remove deep-linking from its app. Read more ›

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Amazon blocks Downloader app on the Echo Show 15 in seemingly meaningless effort to thwart sideloading

Posted by Elias Saba on — 28 Comments

Amazon has blocked my Downloader app from being installed on the Fire TV experience of the Echo Show 15, despite it initially being available and marked as a compatible app. The app continues to appear in search results on the Echo Show 15 but is now listed as unavailable. Amazon made this change the day after a method for sideloading apps on the Echo Show 15 was discovered, where my Downloader app was used as the means for transferring an APK file to the device. Blocking Downloader does absolutely nothing to thwart sideloading on the device because it’s Amazon’s own pre-installed file manager on the Echo Show 15 that performs the sideload app installation and there are still many other apps available for the Echo Show 15 that can transfer APKs to the device. Read more ›

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Fire TV Games ‘Machinarium’ and ‘Jackbox Party Packs’ are currently on sale

Posted by Elias Saba on

If you’ve been looking for a new Fire TV game to try, or you just have some free digital credit to burn, then take a look at these games on sale. Machinarium is an award-winning puzzle game that is similar to “escape” games where you need to figure out the correct combination of items to find and tasks to complete in a given space to progress to the next area of the game. It’s perfect for casual players and even those that have never tried a Fire TV game before, especially because it works well with just a Fire TV remote, so there’s no need for a game controller. It normally costs $5.99 but is currently on sale for $2.39. If you prefer multiplayer games, then all Jackbox Party Packs are on sale at up to 50% off. These are collections of games primarily meant to be played with 2 or more people. Each player uses their own phone to contribute to the game, so there’s no need for extra remotes or controllers. Remember, you can save a bit by purchasing Amazon Coins at a discount and then using those coins to purchase these games.

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