Videostrong Mecool KM9 Pro Deluxe User manual

2021/12/10 02:48 1/7 Mecool KM9 (AndroidTV 9) with Kodi and Netflix
Bernard's Wiki - https://wiki.condrau.com/
Mecool KM9 (AndroidTV 9) with Kodi and
Netflix
The Mecool KM9 Pro Deluxe (made by VideoStrong) is an inexpensive Android TV Box. It's hardware is
more powerful than the Xiaomi Mi Box S 4K with a similar price tag, but is not Netflix certified, which
means you cannot use the Netflix app made for Android TV. This Box is excellent, runs fast and stable,
and features a Blutooth voice enabled Remote. The Box can also be controlled with an IR Remote and
features an Ethernet port. Read Xiaomi Mi Box S 4K (AndroidTV 9) with Kodi and Netflix for installation
and setup instructions of the Xiaomi Box.
Hardware
Mecool KM9 Pro Deluxe (aka Box) with 4GB RAM and 32GB NAND flash memory. Installation and
setup is covered in guide Mecool KM9 Pro (AndroidTV 9) with Kodi.
Logitech Harmony Companion (aka Harmony) which controls TV, Amp, and media player.
Logitech K400+ Keyboard (aka Keyboard) which allows comfortable text imput.
Setup
Set When to start (30 minutes: time until screensaver gets activated), Screen saver (Backdrop),
and Put device to sleep (never) in Settings → Device Preferences → Screen saver
Set Language to English (United States) or German (Switzerland) in Settings → Device
Preferences → Language
Sign in to your Google account in Settings → Accounts & Sign In
Do not update to Android 10+ if you can avoid it.
Set date and time in Settings → Device Preferences → Date & time
Enable Developer Mode by hitting 8 times on Settings → Device Preferences → About → Build
Map keys as explained in Button Mapper Setup
Pre-installed Apps
Android TV Remote Service
Facebook Watch → unused
FX File Explorer
Gallery → unused
Google Play Store
Google Play Games
Google Play Movies & TV
Google Play Music
Live Channels → unused
Movie Player → unused
Netflix v4.12.2
OTA Update → unused
Sideload Launcher → unused

2021/12/10 02:48 2/7 Mecool KM9 (AndroidTV 9) with Kodi and Netflix
Bernard's Wiki - https://wiki.condrau.com/
Spotify → unused
YouTube for TV
Disable unused Apps
Above apps belong to the Mecool KM9 Pro Android build and cannot be uninstalled.
Go to the home screen and disable the respective channels.
Go to settings → Apps, then Force stop, Clear data, and Disable them.
If your setup should contains any other apps not in the list below, uninstall those.
Netflix
The Mecool KM9 Pro Deluxe is not a Netflix approved device, and any app installed through Play
Store, Aptoid TV, or from an apk file will not allow to stream Netflix on your device…
…except when following my guide for Netflix on a Device not certified
Sideloaded Apps
Go to Android TV App Launcher Builder and create an APK file for the Android TV Launcher and
Home Screen. Should the url not be available anymore visit my guide on how to create an
Android App with Android Studio. This allows to pin a small Android TV app to the Home Screen,
which when started will start the app made for phone/tablet and exit.
Install from Google Play Store
AIDA64
Analiti Speed Test WiFi Analyzer
ATV Launcher Pro
Button Mapper
Haystack News
Kodi (follow the Kodi guide)
LINE TV
OpenVPN for Android (follow the Debian OpenVPN install guide)
TV Memory Cleaner
VLC for Android
Swiss Play Store
Zattoo TV, must be installed from Swiss app store over VPN (geoblocked) or when located in
Switzerland
Download the latest version of the apk file from APKMirror to avoid changing twice the app store
Run the Zattoo app over VPN (geoblocked) or when located in Switzerland

2021/12/10 02:48 3/7 Mecool KM9 (AndroidTV 9) with Kodi and Netflix
Bernard's Wiki - https://wiki.condrau.com/
Install from apk file
Firefox for TV 4.7.1
downloaded from APKMirror, or
Firefox for TV 4.7.1 with modified tile icon
.
SSHelper 13.2
from Apkpure (will not work in Android 10+)
Download and install U-Play TV app (Thailand), must be run over VPN (geoblocked) or when
located in Thailand. Select link “Try new app” which is Android TV compatible.
Install the Netflix Launcher created before, or download it from
here
.
Optional install from apk file
These apps are listed for reference and not needed for a regular TV Box install.
Aptoide TV 5.1.2
app store from Aptoide TV
KeyEvent Display 1.0.26
from Apkpure
Disk Speed / Performance Test
from Apkpure to test the speed of a USB drive vs internal storage
Storage Analyzer & Disk Usage 4.1.0.9
from Apkpure
SMBSync2
from Apkpure to automate copying Kodi Databases or other folders between your file server and
the Box. You can establish configs which copy Kodi Databases from samba shares to USB and
vice versa.
LAN drive - SAMBA Server & Client
from Apkpure
ATV Launcher Pro Setup
Align apps on the first level home screen. Kodi, YouTube, LINE TV, Haystack News, Firefox TV,1.
TV Memory Cleaner, VLC, OpenVPN, Zattoo, ATV Launcher.
Align apps on the second level home screen.2.
Change to 7 rows to align size of banners.3.
Create folder System and move all apps which should only be used by the system admin into it.4.
Color: 25, 255, 255, 255.
Create folder TV and move all TV apps into it. Color: 0, 0, 100, 255.5.
Create folder Media and move all media apps and Kodi into it. Color: 210, 160, 140, 255.6.
Create folder Games and move all game apps into it. Color: 40, 255, 255, 255.7.
Create folder Unused and move unused apps into it. Color: 0, 215, 200, 255.8.

2021/12/10 02:48 4/7 Mecool KM9 (AndroidTV 9) with Kodi and Netflix
Bernard's Wiki - https://wiki.condrau.com/
Button Mapper Setup
To improve usability and user experience of the system remap some of the keys of the Logitech
Harmony Remote and the Logitech Keyboard. Note that the Mi Box S bluetooth remote is compatible
with the NVIDIA Shield remote, which we will use when setting up the Harmony Remote.
After installing the app enable USB debugging in Settings –> Device Preferences –> Developer1.
options and select Revoke USB debugging authorizations
Open Button Mapper App on your device and select + Add Buttons. Press any button, for2.
example the keyboard “F10” key we will remap later, and select the added key with the remote.
Now select Customize and try to assign an Action or an Advanced command. Button Mapper will
now take you through downloading a setup program for Windows or Mac. This setup program
also includes adb.exe, which can be used to enable the necessary permissions on the device.
You can enable the permissions with a USB connection:3.
connect the Box with a USB-A to USB-A cable to your computer1.
confirm the connection to the computer on the device2.
run “ButtonMapperSetup.exe” on your computer and check the textbox to make sure the3.
device is connected
click “Grant WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS permission” and Exit4.
If the USB connection does not work, or if the box is not near your computer, run the commands4.
manually:
make sure the Box is connected to the same network as your computer1.
open a shell (Command Prompt) on your computer and change to the “tools” folder inside2.
“ButtonMapperSetup” install folder
enter the following commands within the shell3.
tools\adb connect <IP address>
adb shell pm grant flar2.homebutton
android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS
adb disconnect
exit
you might need to confirm the connection to the computer on the device after the adb4.
connect command
you might get an error message “error: more than one device/emulator” if an Android5.
emulator such as BlueStacks is installed on your computer
either terminate the emulator (or other device), or issue the following commands to list6.
the devices connected and find and specify the model number in the shell command
adb connect <IP address>
adb devices -l
adb -s model:MIBOX4 shell pm grant flar2.homebutton
android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS
adb disconnect
exit
The Box does not need to be rooted, but you will need the Pro version of the app which costs $25.
in the app store.
Firefox TV is supported on Fire TV only, but runs without problems on Android TV 9. It requires a6.
“menu” key to pin websites (bookmarks), which is not available on the external keyboard. Map
the “menu” key (keycode: 82) to the “Logitech K400+ F10” key. This allows to invoke “menu”

2021/12/10 02:48 5/7 Mecool KM9 (AndroidTV 9) with Kodi and Netflix
Bernard's Wiki - https://wiki.condrau.com/
through the K400+ “F10” key.
The “menu” key is now also available in other apps such as Kodi and is equivalent to a long7.
press of the OK button on the original Box Remote and the Harmony Remote (long press of the
OK button is not recognized in the Firefox TV app).
Map the “screenshot” function to the double pressed “Logitech K400+ F10” key. This allows to8.
take a screenshot when pressing F10 twice on the keyboard. Helpful for creating a user manual
for your family members.
Firefox for TV Setup
Firefox for TV is available in the US app store for Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV stick. Since the Fire TV
OS is based on Android the app will run on any Android platform, but needs a few keyboard tweaks for
proper operation, which are explained in the previous section Button Mapper Setup. In addition I
recommend to change the Android TV tile icon and the pinned web sites to your liking.
Install APK Editor Studio or Android Studio. APK Editor Studio is easier to use but more limited1.
than Android Studio, it's sufficient to implement the suggested changes for Firefox TV.
With APK Editor Studio, open the Firefox TV apk.2.
Click “Application Icon” and replace the built-in icon with a nicer one for Android TV (Firefox TV).3.
Click “Open Contents”, then find folder “assets\bundled\”. File “bundled_tiles.json” contains the4.
url definitions, which you can freely modify. Besides my favorite urls I use a “bookmark” url
which I can later modify without changing the json file, for example:
[
{
"id": "bookmarks",
"url": "https://www.condrau.com/bookmarks.html",
"title": "Bookmarks",
"img": "tile_bookmarks.png"
},
{
"id": "bco",
"url": "https://www.condrau.com/",
"title": "Bernard Condrau",
"img": "tile_bco.png"
}
]
Place matching png files with resolution 388x216px in the same folder as the json file, which5.
Firefox TV will pick up to display the tiles.
Click “Save APK” in APK Editor Studio to create your apk with customized pinned tiles.6.
If you have Firefox TV already installed, uninstall it. APK Editor Studio creates a file with a7.
different signature, which cannot be installed as long as an app with the same name is already
installed. Put the new apk on a USB stick and install it with “FX File Explorer”.
Links
How Firefox creates the website tiles in New Tab?
How to make a large icon appear in Firefox's new tab Top Sites?

2021/12/10 02:48 6/7 Mecool KM9 (AndroidTV 9) with Kodi and Netflix
Bernard's Wiki - https://wiki.condrau.com/
APK Editor Studio
Games
Android TV Games
Harmony Remote
For Harmony Remote programming, use MECOOL as mfg, and BB2 Pro as device1.
The stock remote has a numeric key pad, which we can use to get Playback and Navigation2.
functionality properly set up, as we do not need numeric keys in Kodi.
Open MyHarmony on your PC, then edit the button assignments for the Kodi activity. Assign3.
numeric keys to the Harmony remote keys which correspond to Kodi functions according to
below's table.
In Kodi, use Keymap Editor to map the keys to Kodi functions. Run Keymap Editor in Program4.
Addons, then go to Edit → Global and chose the Action Category. Assign all keys, then Save
them.
A GamePad has a “Home” button, the equivalent for OK is the “A” button, the equivalent for5.
Return is the “B” button. Other buttons would need to be mapped, but it is actually better to
then use the remote for navigation.
Mecool BT
Remote Mecool BB2 Pro Remote Harmony Remote Kodi Function
Keymap Editor
Action Category
Home Home Exit - -
OK OK OK Select -
OK (long press) Menu Menu
Info Menu -
Return Return Return Return -
1 key Play Play Playback
2 key Pause Pause Playback
3 key Stop Stop Playback
SkipBack Skip Backward Previous Playback
5 key Fast Backward Rewind Playback
SkipForward Skip Forward Next Playback
7 key Fast Forward Fast Forward Playback
8 key Ch Page Up Navigation
9 key Pg Page Down Navigation
LG 3D TV Remote Harmony Remote
3D Red
DirectionLeft Green
DirectionRight Yellow
OK Blue

2021/12/10 02:48 7/7 Mecool KM9 (AndroidTV 9) with Kodi and Netflix
Bernard's Wiki - https://wiki.condrau.com/
Links
Update SQL databases when files move
15 best games with gamepad support for Android!
Android TV home screen bloat and how to fix it
Remote with more keys
Android TV App Launcher Builder
Alternate Launcher (No Root) on Marshmallow, Nougat, Oreo, Pie Info
Kodi: Zattoo installieren und einrichten
How to Install Stock Firmware on MECOOL KM9 TV Box
How to Install Stock Firmware on MECOOL KM9 Pro TV Box
Burn Card Maker: Recover Totally DEAD Amlogic Android TV Boxes - Short Pin Method
Unbricking x96 S905x Android TV Box - Nand Chip Short Method
Firmware Update Guide for Android TV-Box with Amlogic SoC
Download Amlogic USB Burning Tool v3.1.0 (Latest Version)
From:
https://wiki.condrau.com/ - Bernard's Wiki
Permanent link:
https://wiki.condrau.com/android:km9
Last update: 2021/02/01 17:31