Android TV

The Android TV Player is a full-screen app you can use with the remote. It keeps its content in the device’s storage and keeps playing without Internet, within the schedule already downloaded.

RequirementsCopy Anchor Link

• A TV set or box running Android TV 8.0 or later.
• An up-to-date Android System WebView on the device.
• An Internet connection for pairing and the first content download.
• A computer with the ADB tool (Android Debug Bridge) to install the app.

The app comes as an APK file, available on the website’s Download page. It is not available on the Play Store.

Install the appCopy Anchor Link

1. On the TV, turn on developer options, then debugging.

2. From the computer, install the APK with ADB, replacing SERIAL with the TV’s serial number or address and pixlova-player.apk with the name of the downloaded file (for example pixlova-player-tv-1.0.0.apk):

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   adb -s SERIAL install -r pixlova-player.apk

3. From Android 10, allow the app to display over other apps, once per device. Without this permission, it does not restart on its own when the TV starts:

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   adb -s SERIAL shell appops set com.pixlova.player.tv SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW allow

4. Start the app from the Android TV launcher, or with:

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   adb -s SERIAL shell am start -n com.pixlova.player.tv/.MainActivity

Link the TV to a screenCopy Anchor Link

1. When it starts, the app shows a pairing code in the XXXX-XXXX format. It is valid for 5 minutes; a new code appears on its own when it expires.
2. In Pixlova, open Screens › All screens, click + Add a screen, then enter the code in Code shown on the screen (see Screens).
3. Schedule content for this screen.

The TV screen stays on as long as the app is in the foreground.

Use the remoteCopy Anchor Link

• Menu or Info opens the Player status.
• Back offers to quit the app.

Automatic startCopy Anchor Link

The app restarts on its own after the TV restarts and after an APK update, if the display-over-other-apps permission has been granted (Android 10 and later).

Limits:

• some TVs come out of a quick standby without a real restart: the app then does not restart;
• after pressing Home, the app does not come back to the foreground on its own.

UpdatesCopy Anchor Link

To update the Player, download the new APK from the Download page and install it with the same adb install -r command. The Android TV Player does not update itself. Pairing and content are kept, and the app restarts.

LimitsCopy Anchor Link

• A single output (one screen) per device.
• Video playback (H.264/AAC) depends on the WebView and the TV’s hardware.
• No remote screenshot, remote restart, volume control from Pixlova or silent app update.

If something goes wrongCopy Anchor Link

See the Troubleshooting page.