[kentoe]

Do you or anyone else know what the huge difference would be running XBMC off an apk like this and using an entire underlying linux build for xbmc? I haven't used it on Android before. Was hoping someone could crack this Fire TV open with Linux.

AIUI one of the main differences between Android and Linux builds is that the Android XBMC has less direct access to the underlying hardware - so useful things like being able to adjust refresh rate based on the video format (very useful for those of us in Europe who watch 50Hz, 60Hz and 24Hz content and want them played at native frame rate to remove judder) are possible under Linux, but Android doesn't let apps control refresh rate. Similarly bit streaming audio is trickier under Android AIUI.

On the other hand you get all the Android ecosystem apps (potentially including Netflix or Amazon Instant Video depending on Android platform?) with Android.

Thanks for the explanation. I couldn't find a real side-by-side comparison or, more of the "cons" running it on Android.