2016-01-18, 10:31
Nothing I think, just read: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topics...e_UhiO00t8
2016-01-29, 12:19
Seems to me that Allwinner is Nowinner.
Kind of sucks.
I'll stick to my RPi2 and wait for RPi3 with 4k support
Kind of sucks.
I'll stick to my RPi2 and wait for RPi3 with 4k support
2016-05-26, 13:28
What's the deal with this product?
On paper it seems like it would be really appealing.
The price is amazing, the concept of a Lollipop-based 4kpable, low-juice unit a very appealing idea for ppl who want a capable android box for dirt cheap. And yet.. the last post on here looks pessimistic and the number of views for this thread is small (in comparison to the silly-high ($) amount of backing the kickstarter had).
Is there another thread elsewhere dedicated to this box? Even YouTube results seem... luke-warm.. more than a few vids of ppl sad about it crashing here and there (I should note, not necessarily in relation to Kodi).
-things might have changed... are there other boxes out there in this price range which are better/comparable that ppl are more interested in?
I just seem like something's amiss.
On paper it seems like it would be really appealing.
The price is amazing, the concept of a Lollipop-based 4kpable, low-juice unit a very appealing idea for ppl who want a capable android box for dirt cheap. And yet.. the last post on here looks pessimistic and the number of views for this thread is small (in comparison to the silly-high ($) amount of backing the kickstarter had).
Is there another thread elsewhere dedicated to this box? Even YouTube results seem... luke-warm.. more than a few vids of ppl sad about it crashing here and there (I should note, not necessarily in relation to Kodi).
-things might have changed... are there other boxes out there in this price range which are better/comparable that ppl are more interested in?
I just seem like something's amiss.
2016-05-26, 13:53
Pine64 is Allwinner A64-based. Allwinner SoCs have lousy support so the Kodi devs have close-to-zero interest in developing for the platform. There are some community projects to improve the driver support for the Allwinner SoC in Linux - but not sure how far they've gone.
Yes - on paper it looks great. The reality is that there are other SoC vendors who do more to support Open Source projects and provide far more support for their platforms. As a result Kodi targets these platforms (AMLogic and Broadcom Raspberry Pi mainly - though some iMX.6 in the past)
Yes - on paper it looks great. The reality is that there are other SoC vendors who do more to support Open Source projects and provide far more support for their platforms. As a result Kodi targets these platforms (AMLogic and Broadcom Raspberry Pi mainly - though some iMX.6 in the past)
2016-05-26, 14:01
Pretty old GPU for Kodi use anyway an ancient dual-core Mali 400 MP2.
Now compare that to a $40 ODROID C2 with a 5-core Mali™ 450 GPU that has 8/10bit HEVC decoding at up to 4K, and is a nice fast 2GHz SoC.
Now compare that to a $40 ODROID C2 with a 5-core Mali™ 450 GPU that has 8/10bit HEVC decoding at up to 4K, and is a nice fast 2GHz SoC.
2016-05-26, 14:12
(2016-05-26, 14:01)wrxtasy Wrote: Pretty old GPU for Kodi use anyway an ancient dual-core Mali 400 MP2.
Now compare that to a $40 ODROID C2 with a 5-core Mali™ 450 GPU that has 8/10bit HEVC decoding at up to 4K, and is a nice fast 2GHz SoC.
How much does GPU power impact on Kodi. Presumably it's only used for rendering the GUI - it doesn't have much to do with video performance (as that is the VPU not the GPU) other than possibly bandwidth limitation for software decode? (On x86 boxes GPU EUs are used for deinterlacing and scaling - and the Pi uses MMAL for deinterlacing - but not sure how much other platforms actually use the GPU other than for UI)
2016-05-26, 14:21
I'm assuming here the VPU contained within the SoC (along with the GPU) itself will still be a generation (at least) behind a recent Mali 450. There has been no statement in the Pine tech specs that I can find regarding the VPU. I see no mention of 10bit decoding either.
2016-05-26, 21:13
(2016-05-26, 14:21)wrxtasy Wrote: I'm assuming here the VPU contained within the SoC (along with the GPU) itself will still be a generation (at least) behind a recent Mali 450. There has been no statement in the Pine tech specs that I can find regarding the VPU. I see no mention of 10bit decoding either.
Yep - but the VPU is separate to the GPU - you can (and SoC manufacturers) do pair Mali GPUs with lots of different types of VPU (CedarX with Allwinner I think) My point was to try and ensure people don't think the GPU (Mali 400, 450 etc.) is doing any form of H264, MPEG2, VC-1, H265, VP9 etc. decoding - as lots of people mistakenly think that is the case (as on x86 the two are integrated into a single product - 'the graphics card' as was)
Absolutely - newer SoCs will have both newer VPUs and GPUs potentially - but the GPU doesn't dictate the hardware acceleration functionality does it?
Having a 5-core Mali GPU rather than a Mali GPU with fewer cores doesn't mean that H264 or H265 decoding will be 'better' with a 5-core GPU does it - it just means that it is likely that the 5-core is a newer model and thus may also be paired alongside a newer VPU model with better functionality ?
2016-05-27, 08:10
I recently got the PINE64 board, and have installed Android on it. The advantage over Raspberry Pi is that it works with Netflix and other streaming services. From what I have experienced so far, this system is working exactly as I had hoped. Except for one thing, which I find very strange:
I have some albums with 5.1 channels encoded to DTS or AC3 file formats, one file per album, with a cue sheet to get track titles and timings. In Kodi I have set "passthrough" for DTS and AC3 files. The signal is transferred to the receiver through S/PDIF, extracted from the HDMI out. So I would think that Kodi does nothing except passing the data directly to the receiver, which does the decoding. The problem is that the music is played back at the wrong speed/pitch, it is too slow. And then the album is cut off too early. DTS files are encoded to 48000 hz, but it seems like Kodi thinks it is 44100 hz. I do get 5.1 channels. There is no problem with CDs ripped at 44100 hz. I have a Raspberry Pi sitting next to it, and the Pi is playing back the files perfectly. So this problem must be specific to either the board or Kodi for Android. Has anyone else experienced this?
I have some albums with 5.1 channels encoded to DTS or AC3 file formats, one file per album, with a cue sheet to get track titles and timings. In Kodi I have set "passthrough" for DTS and AC3 files. The signal is transferred to the receiver through S/PDIF, extracted from the HDMI out. So I would think that Kodi does nothing except passing the data directly to the receiver, which does the decoding. The problem is that the music is played back at the wrong speed/pitch, it is too slow. And then the album is cut off too early. DTS files are encoded to 48000 hz, but it seems like Kodi thinks it is 44100 hz. I do get 5.1 channels. There is no problem with CDs ripped at 44100 hz. I have a Raspberry Pi sitting next to it, and the Pi is playing back the files perfectly. So this problem must be specific to either the board or Kodi for Android. Has anyone else experienced this?
2016-05-27, 11:19
(2016-05-27, 08:10)trondis23 Wrote: I recently got the PINE64 board, and have installed Android on it. The advantage over Raspberry Pi is that it works with Netflix and other streaming services.
Though presumably the Netflix is at best their 480p SD low-bitrate tier - so close to unwatchable on a decent TV? So an advantage, but not one many of us would actually use day-to-day. If I'm paying for Netflix then I want decent quality video...
2016-06-15, 12:30
It's a Shame about this wee box. I had high hopes.
Still, rPi3 getting a bit better with RemixOS. Things are looking up :-)
Still, rPi3 getting a bit better with RemixOS. Things are looking up :-)
2016-06-15, 13:20
2016-06-15, 17:08
Don't buy this board, it's not worth it. Android builds are slow and Kodi is not supported as it should and have a lot of issues with passthrough.
Allwinner sucks basically.
Allwinner sucks basically.
2016-07-04, 10:12
(2016-06-15, 13:20)noggin Wrote: Allwinner = Fail when it comes to Kodi...Why exactly?
What do Kodi devs expect as a requirement for having interest again?
Why are they so eager in boycotting allwinner hardware? Many things changed due to the work of the linux-sunxi community. (Nearly) Nothing changed from allwinner side, true. But this is not necessary for having an open source allwinner-kodi-solution.
Is there anything, that can help changing mind? Anything, that linux-sunxi community can help with?
And yes, i know the (GPL) Allwinner story nearly from the beginning. And I want to make clear, that I don't want to blame anybody.
Regards
rellla
2016-07-04, 10:24
(2016-07-04, 10:12)rellla Wrote:I think because Allwinner drivers were terrible, and the company promised co-operation on open-source development and then nothing arrived. Plus at one point it appeared they were breaking licenses for GPL software, so were using GPL but not publishing their changes. Very bad behaviour that is the opposite of the Kodi developers ethos I think.(2016-06-15, 13:20)noggin Wrote: Allwinner = Fail when it comes to Kodi...Why exactly?
Quote:What do Kodi devs expect as a requirement for having interest again?To be honest - there are now so many platforms and developers are pushed quite hard to support the platforms that they currently do.
I think for Allwinner to be supported then a talented developer would have to be interested in support the platform. The Kodi developers do the work voluntarily, in their own time, and for no payment, so if they are interested in doing so then they will. At the moment Intel, AMLogic and the Raspberry Pi/Broadcom platforms appear to have the biggest traction, with Android also in the mix (though I'm not sure if there is an official Kodi maintainer at the moment)
Quote:Why are they so eager in boycotting allwinner hardware? Many things changed due to the work of the linux-sunxi community. (Nearly) Nothing changed from allwinner side, true. But this is not necessary for having an open source allwinner-kodi-solution.
I think Allwinner's approach to Open Source tainted the platform, particularly breaching OSS licences. Why spend your time supporting a platform who break the ethos of the community?
http://linux-sunxi.org/GPL_Violations
As you say - you know the story. Why would volunteers work on a platform and provide support to a manufacturer who knowingly breaches GPL stuff, when there are others (AMLogic, Raspberry Pi, Intel) who work with the community?
