[Ouya General] ajb999:
We have finally figured out how to change the boot video. This is the part where it says OUYA right before showing the launcher. Most people probably know this and that the video is part of the launcher apk. It is possible to switch the video out for one of our choice.

Here is a link showing our custom boot up vid.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmlyDxR7JMg

And another link to a write up I did so anyone can customize their own.

http://burdbroscustomarcade.us/forums/topic/how-to-create-your-own-ouya-boot-video/

These are the directions on how to have your own custom boot video when your OUYA starts up. This does not change the boot animation that comes before the video. If that’s what you are looking to do you can find info on that here. http://ouyabrew.com/custom-boot-animations-for-ouya/ This is my first guide so if you think I should add or change anything let me know.

Warning!!! Please Read!!!

If you do not follow these steps exactly and don’t have another launcher installed all you will get is a black screen. This can be fixed with adb though so it doesn't actually brick your ouya. I highly recommend installing a backup launcher in case something doesn’t work.

Your OUYA must be rooted for this to work and the system\ folder properties need to be set to RW so you can replace the launcher apk. You can do this under tools in es file explorer(turn on root explorer, mount r/w) and can be found in settings or properties on most other file explorers.

I’ll just go step by step of how I did it. You may know some of this but I will try to be as thorough as possible. I used apktool to decompile then recompile it. Make sure the apk is in the same folder as apktool. Otherwise you just have to include the entire path for the files and folders.

First off copy the file OUYALauncher.apk from syatem\app\ on your OUYA to your computer. Then install apktool on your computer. It works on both PC and mac. A Google search will find it quickly.

At this point it is a good idea to make a copy of your launcher and save it somewhere for backup just in case.

To decompile:

apktool d OUYALauncher.apk outputfolder\

outputfolder\ can be whatever you want. Just make sure to keep it consistent with all apktool commands.

Then switch out the video in the outputfolder\build\apk\res\raw\boot_video.mp4 with whatever mp4 you want. Just make sure to rename it exactly as the one you are replacing. In theory you could do the same for the audio but I haven’t tested this yet.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 5/24/14 The new update for the OUYA now has 2 different videos, boot_video.mp4 and boot_video_long.mp4 in OUYALauncher.apk. I replaced both with my custom video and it worked fine just as before. Do not use any OUYALauncher.apk from one update version with another update. This can cause the stock launcher to stop working. Always start with a fresh copy of the file to be safe. And once again I suggest installing a secondary launcher as backup in case you do mess something up. It makes it much easier to fix.

To recompile:

apktool b outputfolder\ nameof.apk

It doesn’t matter what you use as nameof.apk because you will have to rename it after signing anyways.

Then to sign it I use the app zipsigner on my phone or tablet using the test key that it selects by default. Once you have the signed apk just rename to OUYALauncher.apk and copy to system\app\ on your Ouya. I used es file explorer on my ouya but any file explorer should work. Select overwrite when it prompts you. The screen will go black. If you have another launcher it will switch to it automatically. If not then I wait a few seconds to let it settle then unplug the OUYA and plug it back in and start it. As long as the file is named right and signed you should be greeted with your new video after the boot animation.

If you have any questions or need help feel free to ask