[wrxtasy]

I think you will find the Firmware will not even flash due to checks that are done in the Recovery process.

That is before the Firmware checks for the correct HDCP Keys to even display a picture on a TV in the first place.
No HDCP Keys for DRM which is needed for Netflix + others = no video.
This applies to both Android and OpenELEC.
These Keys are seperate to the Firmware and have to be flash at WeTek HQ or the factory.

Corrupt those on a actual Core and you're up Shit Creek without a paddle.

[jakejm79]

Well the bootloader would have to be the same, all the additional connected devices, etc. I'm not sure how you can make that determination of them being identical based purely on a 'stock' picture.

[dukester]

Well the bootloader would have to be the same, all the additional connected devices, etc. I'm not sure how you can make that determination of them being identical based purely on a 'stock' picture.

true, it doesnt matter anyways as that no name box is still 95$ USD straight from the factory.

[MrCrispy]

Does Wetek core or Nvidia shield support all HD audio formats (DD 5.1, DTS, TrueHD and DTS-MA) including passtthru?

Sorry for asking this question here, I've read both their threads and it was not clear. My current Kodi client is a Asus Chromebox which I'm very happy with, I'm looking for a 2nd Kodi box now.

[wrxtasy]

Yes the Core does HD Audio in those formats with the custom WeTek Jarvis 16.0 RC3 mediaplayer or test versions of Krypton v17 BUT you will lose 23.976fps synced video output. This may be fixed the way the pace of development is progressing on the Core.

The alternative is to decode HD Audio to lossless Multichannel PCM on the Core and output that. It will be bit identical to HD Audio passthrough and you will not hear any difference. You keep nicely synced 23.976fps video output using this method.

[MrCrispy]

Yes the Core does HD Audio in those formats with the custom WeTek Jarvis 16.0 RC3 mediaplayer or test versions of Krypton v17 BUT you will lose 23.976fps synced video output. This may be fixed the way the pace of development is progressing on the Core.

The alternative is to decode HD Audio to lossless Multichannel PCM on the Core and output that. It will be bit identical to HD Audio passthrough and you will not hear any difference. You keep nicely synced 23.976fps video output using this method.

Thanks. Now to wait for units in stock.

[Ned Scott]

i have no issues with wetek or the core.. im just trying to make the point that BASHING Chinese boxes but praising the wetek core is ironic since Wetek Electronics is HONG KONG based and their devices are made along side all the amlogic stuff made in the same factories.

Full disclosure, I work for WeTek.

They might have a similar reference design, but that does not mean they're made in the same factory, or have the same board layout, have the same quality of parts, etc. WeTek does things by the book. They pay all of the required licensing for their boxes so that they're actually legal to sell. Most of the cheap chinese boxes skip out on that and any of them can be held up in customs because they're actually not legal to be imported into many countries. In the US I think it falls under counterfeiting laws (for example, HDMI certification).

I'm not really bothered about the legality of the situation, though. Who gives a crap if the HDMI group got their $1 for every box with an HDMI port, right? (They really do that, by the way). However, the problem is, if a company is willing to skip out on things like that, then they'll skip out on other things that are important Like diodes on the HDMI port that prevent a power spike from killing your TV's HDMI port. Or the quality of a heat sink or a flash chip.

I'm not saying WeTek boxes are made of gold, but I know they won't catch on fire, and that they have actual software support. Like, damn good software support.

They're also the only company making Android boxes, outside of official "Android TV", that have the proper certification and keys so that their hardware can process HD video streams for services like Netflix. I think that's why they have those security chips in the Core and the Play, and why you're not supposed to remove them. I think getting all the stuff in order for this actually involved them sending guys over to Google and doing all sorts of stuff. It's quite a process to get approved, which is kind of silly, but if you want Netflix then you have to play by their rules.

I'm also not saying it's the box you should buy, but the WeTek core worth the price they ask for it.

[wrxtasy]

Yes Ned totally agree with you there.

I don't work for WeTek but get to Beta test various bit 'n pieces and distribute OpenELEC releases for the platform, so talk to the WeTek devs. regularly.

Widevine Level 1 approval for DRM use with Netflix + others is no trivial thing. I understand Guys had to be sent to the USA, monies payed and courses completed before Widevine Certification.
Netflix approval is a whole different kettle of fish, you basically have to play by ALL the rules, and have all your ducks in a row before Netflix will even let you anywhere near the front door. Any sniff of association with Piracy software or GPL infringing companies and Netflix will not even talk to you as all other AMLogic companies have found out.

The other advantage WeTek have over the cheap Chinese sellers is that they work very closely with AMLogic themselves. Level 1 DRM Approval for a new DRM capable SoC and Hardware platform does not just magically happen. The SoC supplier and end seller have to do vigorous testing. Fruits of this association can also be seen in the recent PCM Multichannel Audio developments that have surfaced recently on the Core.

Once you play by all the rules and get your foot in the DRM door, you get to swim in the deep end of the pool with all the other Big Media Player company Kids. And that means that when you release Hardware that supports it, stuff like 4K DRM Video streaming is entirely possible

As you are dealing with a bunch of professionals at WeTek, there is actual quality control, as Ned has detailed. Any SoC or version of hardware that is not up to spec is ditched until near bug free revisions are manufactured. A good example of this was with the early versions of the AML S905, details about this are found over HERE

In the end the old saying is very true, you get what you pay for.

[Lunatixz]

Buy a nvidia shield... Supported by Kodi and quality company and product.

[dukester]

i was just trying to make a point that if certain people choose to go out of their way to chime in and comment negatively about certain devices day in and day out while obviously being involved with a company that makes a competing device, they should expect to take some slack for it. Ned makes all valid points, in a professional manor, others choose to over exaggerate the crappyness of certain devices and make negative comments to users out there who are just looking for advice or help, If a user comes here looking for help with playback on a fireTV no one usually replies with "You got what you paid for with that crap device, throw it out, cheap junk, amazon sucks, etc etc etc.. " right? or another example, if you were building a computer and you wanted it to suck a good place to start would be with asrock components.. because they are known to be crappy,cheap and low quality, yet you dont see chromebox guys saying that in the beebox threads day in and day out do you?

Wetek is a great company and their products are decent and it shows from what you read here on the forums, that doesn't make it the perfect device for everything and everyone, just as it has positives it also has negatives. As wrxtasy points out some s905 boxes are out that contain early revisions of the s905 but what he failed to mention is that it wont really affect anyone at all as were talking about decoding some obscure satellite testing feeds and sample files. everything UHD HEVC i've thrown at my s905 box so far is playing great(and my content is pretty much in line with whats widely available on the net in english currently)

[Ned Scott]

i was just trying to make a point that if certain people choose to go out of their way to chime in and comment negatively about certain devices day in and day out while obviously being involved with a company that makes a competing device, they should expect to take some slack for it.

Those negative comments are because those really are sub-standard products. Maybe you only need 80% of what a product claims to be, but people have a right to bitch about that other 20%.

Don't get me wrong, I buy crap from China all the time, because sometimes I only need the 80% that works well for whatever device it is, but I know the difference between that product and the one that is properly made. A cheap $1 screw driver might work for most of the people, but I understand why a repairman would think that it's crap.

I fairly sure I'm the only one in this thread who works for a box company and I use an x86 HTPC as my main box. Most often I recommend miniPCs, Raspberry Pis, and Nexus Players. I've exposed and banned shills from two companies on this forum in the past. I don't know who's behind every keyboard, but I believe the general feedback in the hardware forum to be honest and genuine most of the time.

Does it feel exaggerated sometimes? Oh heck yes. Who cares about playing interlaced video in 2016 (and who don't use live TV or DVD ISOs)? Or HD audio on a box that costs less than $50? It drives me crazy to read some people obsessing about that stuff. But they do it for everything, not just Android. There are Intel NUC threads where people bash the early gen NUCs for their weak deinterlacing and upscaling. The reason it seems to happen more with ARM/Android is because that's a larger market and it's hardware people are less familiar with.

So yes, people will go out of their way and chime in when something sucks.

[jttraverse]

Wow...I never imagined I'd get this kind of excellent feedback for asking what was a newbie question. Thanks to all.

The last set of posts, esp between wrxtasy and Ned Scott, definitely make the case for Wetek. so I may just go that route. Still, I noticed Ned Scott say, "Most often I recommend miniPCs, Raspberry Pis, and Nexus Players", which was curious since he works for Wetek. So...

All this brings a few more questions to mind:

1) If I went with a Wetek Core, do I then need to buy a Wetek remote or specific mini-keboard, etc, or are there inexpensive compatible's? I presume there's no way to ever open that up and upgrade anything inside. What about the firmware...is it a proprietary install of KODI or can I customize it to my hearts content?

2) If Ned Scott, with his Wetek knowledge, most often recommends miniPCs or Raspberry PIs-- okay, which ones are those?

3) Lastly, the above two things (and the cost breakdown by Speedwell68) makes me begin to wonder whether building my own box might be a better option in the long run. Being new to this KODI tv box business makes me hesitant only because I don't want to miss something, like installing a remote, keyboard, etc. But, would I be more future-proofed with a box I built myself and could upgrade or tweak if ever necessary? I have no worries about building it, maybe copying someone's parts list to start, even if the cost ended up the same as buying one. Ill bet there's already a thread on rolling your own box.

Anyway, I appreciate the thoughts and suggestions and would like to hear any on the above 3 things. Fwiw, I live in the US and I realize I'll deal with any shipping or taxes when I decide where to buy. No big thing, but it will be USD.
Thanks..

[wrxtasy]

Tech moves so fast these days that a bunch of us go by the $100 or $200 rule. Buy something decent that exactly fits your needs right here right now and then upgrade every 1 or two years if you want to be near the cutting edge.

Trying to Crystal ball gaze and Future proof something is nearly pointless. Either the video content has not even caught up yet for the current Hardware, UHD Bluray for example.
Or Software to take full advantage of current Hardware features has not even been properly sorted out yet (Android especially). Actual 10-bit video output from AMLogic S905 platforms is an example of this when using both Android Apps and Kodi.

[jnewman0910]

Wow...I never imagined I'd get this kind of excellent feedback for asking what was a newbie question. Thanks to all.

The last set of posts, esp between wrxtasy and Ned Scott, definitely make the case for Wetek. so I may just go that route. Still, I noticed Ned Scott say, "Most often I recommend miniPCs, Raspberry Pis, and Nexus Players", which was curious since he works for Wetek. So...

All this brings a few more questions to mind:

1) If I went with a Wetek Core, do I then need to buy a Wetek remote or specific mini-keboard, etc, or are there inexpensive compatible's? I presume there's no way to ever open that up and upgrade anything inside. What about the firmware...is it a proprietary install of KODI or can I customize it to my hearts content?

2) If Ned Scott, with his Wetek knowledge, most often recommends miniPCs or Raspberry PIs-- okay, which ones are those?

3) Lastly, the above two things (and the cost breakdown by Speedwell68) makes me begin to wonder whether building my own box might be a better option in the long run. Being new to this KODI tv box business makes me hesitant only because I don't want to miss something, like installing a remote, keyboard, etc. But, would I be more future-proofed with a box I built myself and could upgrade or tweak if ever necessary? I have no worries about building it, maybe copying someone's parts list to start, even if the cost ended up the same as buying one. Ill bet there's already a thread on rolling your own box.

Anyway, I appreciate the thoughts and suggestions and would like to hear any on the above 3 things. Fwiw, I live in the US and I realize I'll deal with any shipping or taxes when I decide where to buy. No big thing, but it will be USD.
Thanks..

I'm in the same boat as well I would like something to kind of be feature proof as well seems as wetek core and nvidia shield is the way to go but I want to make sure don't exactly want to spend 200 for the nvidia shield and like Ned said about recommending other boxes and using other boxes makes me wonder as well

[jttraverse]

I think wrxtasy has made the 'deciding factor' point that the technology and capabilities change so fast that you may as well just accept that in a year or two you'll be buying something new.

So...I did see on the Wetek site that they're out of stock on the Core at the moment. Is there any more specific news on when that will change (or is there a deeper problem with the company itself?)
If Wetek itself is out of them, would it be unwise to buy one from one of the Hong Kong sellers on eBay?

If the Wetek Core isn't available and I had to go for a budget solution, I guess I'll look at the post on "Budget AML S905 boxes" and try one of the Mini Mx 905's or a Zidoo X5, unless there's something better i the $50-$70 range.