2018-11-08, 12:57
(2018-11-08, 11:15)wrxtasy Wrote: [ -> ]This is the problem when you have 3 entities trying to get any media player to work - even to within known standards, and add on top of that English / Chinese language barriers.
Add on top of the mix the software apps layer that, by the way, introduce their own bugs and faults, as for example the Plex Android TV client that, since the Oreo update on the Xiaomi Mi Box, thinks that the media player doesn't support DTS and ask the Plex Media Server to transcode any stream that has DTS audio, instead of Direct Playing it, as it did before the Oreo update.
Funny enough, the Plex Add-on for Kodi plays the same files with DTS audio flawlesly, not forcing transcoding on the Plex Media Server, but direct playing the DTS file. By the way, the Plex Kodi add-on relies on Kodi media player for playing audio/video, while Plex Android TV client relies on ExoPlayer or its own player for doing the same task. Also other players, like VLC, plays DTS files flawlesly on the Mi Box with Oreo. So, the tests are pointing to the android system player or the Plex Android TV client as the culprit, but maybe is another part of the system who is confusing the Plex client, making it believes that Mi Box cannot play DTS.
So, who is the responsible for sorting this now?
- Is it some regression bug introduced in the Plex Android TV client, not related to the Oreo udate and then should it be fixed by Plex?
- Is it another of the multiple problems introduced by the buggy drivers in this Amlogic Oreo compilation, so it should by fixed by Amlogic/Google?
- Is it some bad code in the Xiaomi Oreo customization layer what makes Plex client believes MiBox doesn't supports DTS that should be debugged by Xiaomi?
So, as of now, add to the bug list that Plex Android TV client is unable to direct playing DTS audio, forcing the server to transcode the stream. And it forces full transcoding, audio and video. So, for anyone using a NAS or any other not so powerful CPU based PLEX media Server, this is a no go for files with DTS audio. And having so many parts involved, I have little hope this to be solved any time soon. Think that this is an aging device that already has a new model on the market to take its place, the new Mi Box S. By the way, if someone has already used any of the new Mi Box S, it would be a good idea to surface here and share its impressions with that new device, mainly to know if the bugs that plague the actual Mi Box Oreo release are sorted out on the new Mi Box S, that comes with Oreo 8.1 instead of 8.0, or not.
By the way, there are so many problems since the Oreo update that I think the best bet for Xiaomi on the Mi Box would be to release a downgrade Marshmallow firmware, with OTA updates disabled by default, by the way, so users that were happy with the most stable Marshmallow 6.0 would be able to return to that version and stay there. Again, I have little hope this would ever happen, but just in case...
