ROM: R-BOX Pro (Update)

This is a small update to the previous R-Box Pro post detailing how to upgrade the stock firmware to a newer version. I managed to stumble upon a forum discussion on freaktab.com that detailed how someone (alienpearl) managed to manipulate (hack/mod) the firmware for the R-Box Pro to run Android TV.  The post is here.

(this is not an image of the R-Box Pro's Android TV, just a version of Android TV)

Having successfully flashed this rom to my R-Box pro, I can honestly say that it works, and works quite well. It was a rather different experience than the normal android tablet/phone environment, and it accepted my webcam without any problems. While it was a new refreshing look, at what could be an alternative for android boxes, it was a bit primitive for my mainstream use. I could however see how this O/S implementation could convert the more non tech savvy, as it was quite simple.  

If you want to give this a try, follow my previous post on flashing the R-Box Pro, and substitute the new android tv rom image file instead of the firmware update image file. You can get the android tv rom from the forum mentioned above or directly from here.

ROM: R-BOX Pro

Before we dive in on updating the firmware of the R-BOX Pro, I wanted to give a little review (or maybe it's an insight into why I'm upgrading the firmware of my R-BOX Pro).

I purchased the R-BOX Pro, thinking that a new Octo-core (8 Core cpu) would vastly improve my TV viewing experience over my aging Quad-core (4 core cpu) OUYA game console/TV set-top box. In fact on paper the R-BOX Pro outperforms almost all existing android TV Set-top boxes on the market, with the exception of the NVIDIA Shield. With a price of $74 U.S. dollars it's quite inexpensive, seeing as 4 years ago I paid $125 U.S. dollars for my OUYA.

ROM: OUYA

Prior to being acquired by RAZOR (July 27, 2015), the OUYA would normally see system updates rolling out every 4 to 6 months. It's been over a year (Nov. 6, 2014) since we've seen a system update to our beloved OUYA set-top box. With no indications from OUYA or RAZOR as to when an update is coming, I've decided to take things into my own hands.

My current problem with the OUYA is that its ROM comes with a proprietary operating system based off Android 4.1 (Jellybean). While this was state of the art back in early 2013, Android 4.1 is no longer being supported by KODI developers. To me, KODI a.k.a. XBMC, is what made the OUYA such an awesome device. So I want to update my OUYA so as to continue being able to use KODI.