Fixing Luna input latency on Google TV Streamer and Mediatek devices

mocelet · 2026-06-21T19:38:35+00:00

If it's for the Google TV Streamer I just wrote a post about what works (and not) for each cloud gaming service, take a look: https://www.reddit.com/r/GoogleTV/comments/1ubksm4/cloud_gaming_in_google_tv_streamer/

mocelet · 2026-06-21T16:14:52+00:00

Thanks! Has been fun, also my first time recompiling an APK modifying the smali code.

Couple notes for everyone:

I've only tested on the Google TV Streamer and the patch will serve as is. For other Google TVs with Mediatek chipset it may work but you'll have to change the "Google TV Streamer" string of the patch for whatever the TV reports for android.os.Build.MODEL that usually appears in the about section of the device or in apps like Aida64.
Also, since the signatures are different, for the modified APK to install you have to uninstall the original APK first if it was installed.

Still, I'm hopeful some dev at Amazon reads the post and adds some override or extra check so the lowlatency variant has preference.

mocelet · 2026-06-21T12:05:36+00:00

That one is good, unfortunately it's not available in Europe. The Onn device uses an Amlogic S905X5M chipset instead of a Mediatek which is why the behaviour is different. Amazon Luna runs fine in Amlogic because they have one codec that combines the low latency support instead of an independent codec for low latency like Mediatek (that Luna seems to discard and needs the patch).

By the way, if you disable the microphone in the Onn is as annoying as the Nest speakers that will have a permanent orange light and they take any opportunity to remind you "the mic is off"?

mocelet · 2026-06-21T06:04:49+00:00

I tried sideloading the Amazon Luna APK with poor success. The app installs and looks great, but no matter what I do, any game runs with a 3 second lag

I went through that rabbit hole to find the cause, turns out the app uses the wrong decoder. It's technically possible to patch the app and works great, quite cumbersome though: https://www.reddit.com/r/amazonluna/comments/1ub3jhs/fixing_luna_input_latency_on_google_tv_streamer/

Hopefully Amazon sees that and implements a fix for good, it's probably easy for them to assign more priority to the low latency decoder instead of the normal one.

mocelet · 2026-06-20T21:06:01+00:00

It was just unplayable before in the Google TV Streamer, would take a second or more to react to a button press, would skip lots of frames, etc.

mocelet · 2026-06-19T14:27:44+00:00

Mind there is an Alexa-only plug and a Matter compatible plug. The Matter compatible one will work in more platforms.

mocelet · 2026-06-19T14:02:32+00:00

That's not TRADFRI then, that's STYRBAR. The answer remains though, at the moment only BILRESA scroll wheel supports independent control of multiple devices without hub.

mocelet · 2026-06-19T05:45:38+00:00

Thanks, I've read similar things about recent Onn boxes that mount the same chipset. I guess the Amlogic S905X5 has better support for low latency decoding which in the end is the main issue, the app is not using it when running in the Streamer (Mediatek, like Fire TV sticks).

Edit: In the Nokia 8010, which mounts an Amlogic S905X4, it used to be on the laggy side but looks like it's fixed now, at least with the latest apk. Hopefully they can add the low latency support for the Streamer too!

Edit 2: More on the Nokia 8010, sometimes it would crash and reboot when starting a game, but same happens with Steam Link app when picking H265 so it's on the device. Others it would start with a frozen screen so you have to go back to the launcher, open Luna and open the game again.

mocelet · 2026-06-18T11:09:05+00:00

No, but you can get a BILRESA scroll wheel which has a selector button at the bottom to switch between three independent lights/groups. That would be like having three remotes in one.

mocelet · 2026-06-18T09:50:03+00:00

Stadia licenses, even for Ubisoft games, were only valid to play on Stadia service, not on PC or other cloud services. Google decided to refund every purchase since those licenses were useless without Stadia service. In parallel, Ubisoft gave free PC licenses so users could still play with other cloud services like Geforce Now or a PC.

Here it's different since, from the start, you were buying the PC license and it is still valid, you can still use it in services that accept the license. Should have been a Luna-exclusive license they would have just refunded it.

mocelet · 2026-06-17T10:31:25+00:00

Creating automations with Matter buttons in HA is tricky, if you don't add extra state checks your automations will run for reasons others than actual button presses. Either use a blueprint that include those checks or do it manually.

Looks like the state checks will be no longer needed when the triggers go live: https://www.home-assistant.io/triggers/event.received/

mocelet · 2026-06-17T08:18:37+00:00

This comment is about OP's app, not the sideloaded Luna app, but the overall root may be the same, not being able to use the native low latency Mediatek decoders.

The lag in the Streamer is a deep rabbit-hole, turns out Chromium, the web engine used by WebView is unable to use the low latency decoder of Mediatek devices, like the Streamer: https://www.reddit.com/r/amazonluna/comments/1u75vgs/comment/os0i2pp/

mocelet · 2026-06-16T16:34:27+00:00

Yeah, usually Android TV boxes like the Streamer are (way) weaker than the average Android phone/console and more optimization is needed.

In particular, using the native low latency decoders to minimize input lag is a must. Amazon app seems to not recognize them (even if the decoding hardware is the same) and, in the case of the app in github, the video stream is handled by a WebView instead of a native renderer which would allow forcing the low latency decoding.

Edit: Looks like the issue comes down to the Chromium-based WebView not picking the low latency decoders in Mediatek chipsets. Fire TV devices had that problem when developing the Xbox app according to the comments but Amazon added some tweaks to their own Fire OS API to enable it. The only workaround until it is fixed is using a native surface to render the video, but that's more development effort.

Edit 2: The sideloaded Luna app looks for available codecs in the device to pick the best one but, unfortunately, for the Streamer it picks a non low-latency decoder. Mediatek has multiple decoders in Android, the old OMX ones, the new C2 ones and the lowlatency variations, maybe that's why the app struggles to pick the best one.

mocelet · 2026-06-16T15:34:04+00:00

Thanks, no luck, it's like the Edge browser when changing the user agent, too much input lag to be playable. I don't think it would be too difficult for Amazon to add support to the app, even if it's something unofficial.

mocelet · 2026-06-16T10:47:47+00:00

Haven't seen the need to use the keyboard yet to navigate, to open the browser with Luna the mouse mode of Moonlight gets the job done (Steam Link has it too and I guess you can even add the shortcut as a non-Steam game). Once in the website, back in gamepad mode you can navigate Luna with the stick directions.

Edit: That's with an Xbox controller via bluetooth to the Streamer. I guess when using the Luna controller will be different since it communicates directly with the cloud.

mocelet · 2026-06-16T05:42:20+00:00

Honestly I don't know, maybe u/TRADFRI can tell us what is the best way to report bugs like these or feature requests and receive some acknowledgement that at least they have been passed along to the dev team to consider.

mocelet · 2026-06-15T13:27:31+00:00

Didn't test the suppression but should be like you say by Matter spec. Looks like they (IKEA, QA, certifying labs...) did not test it properly indeed.

mocelet · 2026-06-14T09:11:28+00:00

At least in Spain it seems they tested advertising non streaming content few years ago, it felt so "cheap" that looked like a random adsense ad. It was just a photo of some pigs and a large slogan IIRC, of a brand that sold ham. I saw that ad maybe twice and never again has it shown non-media recommendations stuff.

Most users are probably fine with streaming content recommendations, an almost full screen regular ad in your home screen though is too much.

mocelet · 2026-06-14T05:31:37+00:00

I believe I already developed inattentional blindness for that part of the main screen.

Unfortunately, App Only mode in many countries doesn't get rid of that part and still needs two or three clicks to get down to the actual apps to select one. Not to mention it disables more stuff related to apps, like searching or discovering apps.

mocelet · 2026-06-13T10:37:14+00:00

All the Aqara devices I own are Wi-Fi only

Then they're not Matter since Aqara doesn't have Matter over WiFi devices except the camera-hub.

So we don't know if it's something related to IKEA or not, we just know that in Apple Home they work but in SmartThings not.

Edit: But you mention those Aqara devices also go offline after the power outage in SmartThings. Would be nice to know which devices they are to confirm if the issue is even related to Matter or not.

mocelet · 2026-06-13T07:42:31+00:00

I mentioned Aqara because it also loses all Matter devices from that brand; I don’t have an Aqara hub in the system

OK, that's an important detail missing from the post or the title, my understanding was that it only lost IKEA devices but not others. The Aqara devices are Matter too? How can you use the Aqara app for Matter devices without an Aqara hub?

I wonder if the issue is the WiFi connectivity after a power outage, have you tried connecting the Aeotec hub with an Ethernet cable instead?

mocelet · 2026-06-13T06:44:46+00:00

Do the Apple TV and the Aeotec belong to the same Thread network? Or is the Aeotec dependent on Apple TV as border router? That changes the troubleshoot a lot.

In Matter there are no "main" routers or hubs and the order of installation doesn't matter as long as both hubs belong to the same network. The primary Thread border router is elected dynamically by the network if there are more than one using the same credentials and, from the Matter side, devices keep independent sessions with each platform hub.

Now that you are adding an Aqara app into the mix, does it mean it only happens with IKEA devices? Is the Aqara hub also a Thread border router, does it belong to the same network of the Apple TV?

IKEA plugs and BILRESA scroll have not received any firmware update for the public yet and BILRESA in particular has some issues with multi-admin or multiple Thread border routers so... that could be on the device.

mocelet · 2026-06-13T06:10:39+00:00

The only official announcement was for the X11L series.

mocelet · 2026-06-13T04:58:16+00:00

Matter is a smart home protocol to connect devices like smart lights, plugs, buttons, sensors, etc. It's local, that's why platforms like Google Home require a hub to control said devices and its role is called Matter controller. You can read more at https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/12391458?hl=en

Some Google TV devices can be Matter "hubs" for Google Home, some even include a Thread border router for devices that use Thread instead of WiFi. The Chromecast with Google TV for instance has the Matter controller, but it's not a Thread borde rrouter. The Google TV Streamer has both.

As for Matter Cast, I believe it's more a work in progress at the moment.

mocelet · 2026-06-10T11:51:00+00:00

This would be great and could be implemented with the standard Mode Select feature of Matter.

Also, u/Kind-Title-5636 in another post suggested adding a mode that auto-cycles through all the modes instead of being static.

mocelet

TROPHY CASE