Download: Android 5.1 factory image for the Nexus Player

We talk a lot about Android 5.1 for phones and tablets, but what about Google’s first Android TV product? Looks like the Nexus Player is finally set to get it as the company has posted the factory image over at their website.

We aren’t sure if there are any big changes specific to TV, but we’ll certainly be looking to load this up onto our unit and check. In the meantime you can grab the factory image and flash the file through fastboot if you aren’t interested in waiting for a network OTA process.

You’ll be on version LMY47D and it figures to cost you little more than 442MB of bandwidth. Grab it from Google’s site right here to load it up and give it a go.

The Nexus Player is now officially available for purchase in the UK via the Google Store

The Nexus Player was officially announced and made available in October/November of last year, but it’s only today that our Android friends across the pond can now buy it from the Google Store.

The tiny set top box can now be picked up for a mere 80 quid, allowing you to infuse your television with Android TV smarts. If casual gaming is more your thing, you can also find the official gamepad — sold separately — for a £35.

If the Google Store isn’t your thing, you can also find the Nexus Player at Currys PC World, John Lewis, and, of course, Amazon. If you’re still on the fence, don’t forget to check out our full Nexus Player review right here.

Android 5.1.1 (LMY47V) officially uploaded to AOSP and here’s the full changelog, Nexus Player factory images also available

While some still anxiously await Android 5.1 to hit their devices, Google is onto bigger and better things. Android 5.1.1 (officially 5.1.1_r1 build number LMY47V) has just been uploaded to AOSP and as the small .1 increase suggests, looks to bring smaller bug fixes. That’s not to downplay the software update which probably maybe hopefully patches up that nasty memory leak plaguing some devices.

While Nexus devices will have to wait a little longer before an official rollout begins, a factory image is currently available for the Nexus Player (Fugul) if you feel like getting a head start. If you’re looking for exact changes, a detailed developer changelog from Android 5.1.0_r5 to 5.1.1_r1 can be found right here.

[AOSP]

Grab a Nexus Player for only $75 with free $20 Google Play credit

For anyone who can’t get enough Android in their life, the Android TV-powered Nexus Player makes a great option to streaming devices like Apple TV or Roku. Right now, the streaming set top box can now be found on Amazon for around , that’s about cheaper than you’ll find it on the Google Store.

The Nexus Player also comes with a complimentary Google Play credit of to download applications, games, or add movies to your library. We should note, this is the basic model that only comes with a remote — not the official Gamepad for playing video games (that’ll run you an extra ). That being said, it’s still a pretty good deal for anyone who’s been eying the Nexus Player, but wanted to wait for a deal first. Grab it on Amazon via the link below.

Buy on Amazon: Nexus Player

You can now download Amazon Instant Video for your Nexus Player (and other Android TV devices)

Sony was crafty enough to secure themselves an exclusive to Amazon’s Instant Video app for their Android TV products, but why should Bravia owners have all the fun? If you have yourself a Nexus Player or the original Android TV device — ADT-1 — you’ll be happy to know that it’s now possible to download and install the APK on your device.

The app was extracted from Sony’s firmware just as it exists. You sideload it onto your Android TV device if possible (how to sideload APKs on the Nexus Player) and you’ll be able to run it just like you would any other app. It’s possible the app works with other Android TV products, though only the Nexus Player and ADT-1 are reported to have been tested.

Once you’ve gotten it loaded up simply login with your Amazon credentials and before you know it you’ll be off to watching all the movies and TV shows you’ve bought through Amazon Instant Video, or the content you’re entitled to as part of your Amazon Prime subscription. XDA has the download you’re looking for right here so be sure to check it out if you’ve been looking for a way to grab this app for your non-Sony device.

[via Google+]

Nexus Player sees price drop on Google Store, now only $80 with free shipping

We’re barely a few days away from Google I/O and related or not, the ASUS-made Nexus player is now officially been marked down to in the Google Store (that’s about off from the original price). It’s not a bad deal, but still about more expensive than the recent markdown on Amazon. Of course, the Nexus Player on the Google Store comes with free shipping, so that’s something you may want to factor into pricing. Not sure how long this will last (it very well could be permanent), but if you prefer to make your purchases with Google, have at it.

[Nexus Player on Google Store]

How to install Android M on the Nexus 5, 6, 9, and Player

Prerequisites

• Common understanding and experience using tools that are provided with the Android SDK such as Fastboot and ADB.


• Fastboot and ADB installed on your system and PATH variables updated accordingly.


• Understand that this will wipe all of your device data and that you will first need to backup any files, apps, etc that you do not want to lose!


• You will also obviously need a Nexus 5, Nexus 6, Nexus 9 or Nexus Player.  Do not try any images on devices they are not intended for as it will cause issues and not work!

WARNING Installing a system image on your device will remove all data from the device. Please make sure that you backup your data before you proceed. Also, keep in mind that these images are not final releases and may have bugs or unfinished features. These are Developer Previews and not meant for the average consumer.

Step 1 – Unlock your bootloader in Developer options

Please continue to the next step if you already have your bootloader unlocked. If not, or you forget whether or not it’s unlocked, I will walk you through the process.

Enable OEM unlocking (aka unlock your bootloader)

1. Go into Settings -> Developer options on your device.
   If you do not see Developer options listed in this list, please click on About phone and keep tapping on Build number until you see “You are now a developer”. What this means is you now have a Developer options in your main Settings list. Please go to Settings -> Developer options now.


2. Once you are in Developer options, look for OEM unlocking. This is a simple switch or checkbox that you need to enable.  It will prompt you to Allow OEM unlocking and give you a warning message. Please click the enable to accept and continue.

Step 2 – Download your Nexus specific image

Below are direct links to download the Android M preview images. Please make sure you download the correct one to avoid any major issues.

• Nexus 5 (GSM/LTE) 


• Nexus 6


• Nexus 9


• Nexus Player

Step 3 – Decompress the image file

All of the necessary image files that you will need are located in this “tgz” compressed file.

Windows Users

You will need to install a third-party tool to extract this gzip tar file and we recommend 7-zip. It’s free and works great but does NOT treat .tar.gz extract as one atomic operation. You will first extract the main .tgz file and the result will be a .tar file.  Use 7-zip again to extract one more level and you will now see actual files.

If you already setup 7z as a system path variable, you can use one command in command prompt (aka cmd.exe) for this (obviously update the path and names as needed):

7z e volantis-MPZ44Q-preview-d15ad483.tgz && 7z x volantis-MPZ44Q-preview-d15ad483.tar

Mac and Linux Users

Using tar which is built in to OS X, open the terminal and you can extract using one command:

tar -zxvf volantis-MPZ44Q-preview-d15ad483.tar.gz

Below is what you should see once you have files extracted.

Please Note

Depending on which device you are flashing, you may see slightly different files.  For example, the Nexus 6 (shamu) will contain a zip file and an extra radio file.  The batch script will also have a few differences from lets say, the Nexus 9 (volantis). On Windows if you are flashing the Nexus 6… please pay extra attention to the Update for Windows users below.

Step 4 – Reboot bootloader and flash

Assuming that you have fastboot and adb already set up and ready to use, just follow the commands below in order.

adb reboot bootloader

This will restart your phone into the bootloader mode. This will only work if your phone is connected and you have USB debugging turned on.

fastboot oem unlock

If your phone is already OEM Unlocked, you would not have to do this, but it wouldn’t hurt if you are unsure.

bash flash-all.sh

This will run all of the fastboot commands needed for the complete image flash. If you are using Windows, rather than a bash script you will use the flash-all.bat (batch) file. One common issue of this not working is that you do not have fastboot setup properly and is not set as an environment variable (a variable that works system wide).

Update for Windows users

There are reports from some Windows users that the flash-all.bat fails. It seems that it’s a bug with the fastboot.exe and how it inefficiently allocates memory. Some users say to try a different usb port or different usb cable, which they claim doing so solved their issues. If this works for you, please let us know in the comments below. Otherwise, please follow the workaround below that KingofPing has provided that will most likely solve your issues.   What this does is break down each step manually that the batch file should have automatically done for you.  (if you open the batch file in a text editor, you will see these same commands)

Make sure that if you have an extra zip file in your directory that you extract it and place it’s contents in your working directory.

After flash-all.bat errors out, please follow these instructions:

—Don’t “press any key” – that will close the window – just hit Ctrl-C.—

fastboot flash boot boot.img
fastboot flash cache cache.img
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
fastboot flash system system.img
fastboot flash userdata userdata.img

That’s it!

Once the scripts finish it will do a final reboot and the only thing left is to complete the normal Android setup wizards and enjoy. If you have any issues feel free to comment and we will help you out as needed!

Get Involved

If you are testing on your device make sure you help the Android community out and post any bugs you find.  You can share your experiences over at AndroidForums.com, or join the Dev community over on G+ to stay involved.

> Report Android M Issues      > Android M Developer Community

Deal: Nexus Player is just $64 at Amazon

Amazon has a pretty nice deal on the Nexus Player right now. You can grab it for just and change, which is a long way from its usual price tag of 0.

The Nexus Player was the first commercial Android TV device, and although it may not have all the bells and whistles you could dream of — like HDMI passthrough — it can definitely provide a very capable and competent smart TV experience in the absence of having smart TV features built-in.

It’s better than having to spend thousands on a whole new set of glass, anyway. Be sure to head to Amazon and order one before its price hikes back up. (PS: consider picking up the optional gamepad if you’re looking to do some gaming on the thing, too.)

Deal: Nexus Player is 30% off at Amazon

Amazon has the Nexus Player on the cheap, with a nice 30% discount being applied to its regular cost of .99. That makes it about .99 before any taxes and shipping costs.

The Nexus Player was the first commercially available Android TV box, and it still should be on your wishlist if you want a smart TV experience without buying an actual smart TV. There aren’t many other Android TV boxes out at the moment, though NVIDIA’s new SHIELD Android TV console does provide quite the compelling package.

That said, the SHIELD TV costs a minimum of 0 so if that’s a bit too high for your budget then be sure to consider the Nexus Player at Amazon.