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+--- Thread: START HERE - Pick the Right Kodi Box (updated Dec 2020) (/showthread.php?tid=252916)
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RE: START HERE - Pick the Right Kodi Box (updated October 2019) - newoski - 2019-10-28
I'm currently running Kodi (LibreELEC) on two ChromeBox M004U boxes with 32GB RAM for 264/1080p content. They're fantastic
I'd like to upgrade to something similar that can handle 4K/265 content, flawlessly, but that is also beefy enough to handle heavier skins like MQ7/MQ8. Any recommendations? I've read that the Vero 4K/4K+ isn't strong enough to handle Aeon MQ skins without minor hiccups.
(If it matters, I'm using Emby for Kodi as my backend)
RE: START HERE - Pick the Right Kodi Box (updated October 2019) - Sam.Nazarko - 2019-10-29
(2019-10-28, 23:20)newoski Wrote: I'm currently running Kodi (LibreELEC) on two ChromeBox M004U boxes with 32GB RAM for 264/1080p content. They're fantastic
I'd like to upgrade to something similar that can handle 4K/265 content, flawlessly, but that is also beefy enough to handle heavier skins like MQ7/MQ8. Any recommendations? I've read that the Vero 4K/4K+ isn't strong enough to handle Aeon MQ skins without minor hiccups.
(If it matters, I'm using Emby for Kodi as my backend)
Provided you’re not watching TV in a background window and navigating menus at the same time, you should be OK.
Mali firmware update early next week should also improve UI performance further.
Sam
RE: START HERE - Pick the Right Kodi Box (updated October 2019) - lovnblack - 2019-10-29
(2019-10-24, 22:35)wrxtasy Wrote: MINIX A2 lite remote comes with its own USB radio receiver dongle.
I just realize there is two models MINIX A2 and MINIX A2 Lite, and only difference between them is microphone & speaker. Do you think I will need speaker and microphone?
RE: START HERE - Pick the Right Kodi Box (updated October 2019) - poofyhairguy - 2019-10-29
(2019-10-28, 23:20)newoski Wrote: I'm currently running Kodi (LibreELEC) on two ChromeBox M004U boxes with 32GB RAM for 264/1080p content. They're fantastic
I'd like to upgrade to something similar that can handle 4K/265 content, flawlessly, but that is also beefy enough to handle heavier skins like MQ7/MQ8. Any recommendations? I've read that the Vero 4K/4K+ isn't strong enough to handle Aeon MQ skins without minor hiccups.
(If it matters, I'm using Emby for Kodi as my backend)
I have a very similar taste in Kodi use (emby backend, Aeon, Chromebox was my daily driver for years despite other boxes I would acquire) and I recently retired my Chromebox for an Odroid N2 with a 16GB Emmc running CoreElec. It was the first device for me that handled 4K HDR good enough, had good enough CPU performance for skins, and could give a Linux/Kodi experience solid enough that I could put the Chromebox into retirement.
I don’t want to be heavy handed on the advice but it works well for me. And the IR sensor is good enough I felt comfortable letting go of my old USB IR receiver for use with my Harmony hub.
RE: START HERE - Pick the Right Kodi Box (updated October 2019) - wrxtasy - 2019-10-29
(2019-10-28, 23:20)newoski Wrote: I'm currently running Kodi (LibreELEC) on two ChromeBox M004U boxes with 32GB RAM for 264/1080p content. They're fantastic
I'd like to upgrade to something similar that can handle 4K/265 content, flawlessly, but that is also beefy enough to handle heavier skins like MQ7/MQ8. Any recommendations? I've read that the Vero 4K/4K+ isn't strong enough to handle Aeon MQ skins without minor hiccups.
(If it matters, I'm using Emby for Kodi as my backend)
I have noticed the new S922X chipset in the ODROID N2, which has a much more powerful ARM Mali-G52 GPU vs the pretty old Mali-450 in S905X, S905D chipsets found in previous devices, no longer has video stuttering in the background when you overlay the CoreELEC Kodi user interface.
The S922X / A311D is AMLogic's most powerful chipset available. Read this https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=332180 for 4K media player details
RE: START HERE - Pick the Right Kodi Box (updated October 2019) - wrxtasy - 2019-10-29
(2019-10-29, 01:12)lovnblack Wrote:(2019-10-24, 22:35)wrxtasy Wrote: MINIX A2 lite remote comes with its own USB radio receiver dongle.
I just realize there is two models MINIX A2 and MINIX A2 Lite, and only difference between them is microphone & speaker. Do you think I will need speaker and microphone?
You do not need a microphone. Everyone buys the cheaper MINIX A2 lite if using devices like the ODROID N2.
I believe there will be a slightly upgraded A2 lite on the market soon that will have backlighting.
RE: START HERE - Pick the Right Kodi Box (updated October 2019) - lovnblack - 2019-10-29
(2019-10-29, 02:59)wrxtasy Wrote:(2019-10-29, 01:12)lovnblack Wrote:(2019-10-24, 22:35)wrxtasy Wrote: MINIX A2 lite remote comes with its own USB radio receiver dongle.
I just realize there is two models MINIX A2 and MINIX A2 Lite, and only difference between them is microphone & speaker. Do you think I will need speaker and microphone?
You do not need a microphone. Everyone buys the cheaper MINIX A2 lite if using devices like the ODROID N2.
I believe there will be a slightly upgraded A2 lite on the market soon that will have backlighting.
Thank you 👍
RE: START HERE - Pick the Right Kodi Box (updated October 2019) - djnice - 2019-10-30
(2019-10-27, 07:19)wrxtasy Wrote: You would be better off asking that same question in the actual Fire TV Stick 4K https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=336151 - especially for HDR10+I've tried, and DV single layer works with FireTV 4K Stick. with apps that uses the Google's latest Exoplayer. This is a commit regarding to DV: [link]
Real, meaning Bluray Rips - DolbyVision is dual layer, (base HDR layer + DV enhanced laye/file) and there is No App or Software I know of on any eternally connected Apps media player that can direct playback that type of content.
You have to use hacked Oppo Firmware on a their 4K Bluray player or Oppo cloned hardware.
DV capable - LG OLED TV's with their inbuilt WebOS media player App also have such DV support. 2019 Panasonic OLED's might also as well.
Unless Emby have reverse engineered Dolby DV muxing code, but I doubt it.
They might just be direct playing/streaming content specifically to DV capable - LG OLED TV's same as Plex does.
RE: START HERE - Pick the Right Kodi Box (updated October 2019) - magkaki - 2019-11-03
Hi and thanks in advance for the help. I am a newbie in Kodi and i would like to ask you something. I just bought an LG OLED 65E9 tv the very best of the best with 2.1 hdmi ports, dolby vision support and all the new tech stuff. I dont have a budget limit in my mind so money are not a problem. I want to buy a tv box for KODI 4k HDR 10bit movies streaming from the internet (and 1080p of course). Most of the movies i like to stream from internet and maybe some from local drives. I dont want to have much problems with auto frame rate switching and color space. I want to be as much plug and play it can or with the least user intervention. I am looking well NVIDIA`s new tv shield but i am reading some stuff about colorspace. I am very confused. I dont care too much for the local drives and Netflix-Youtube issues cause my TV has already these apps working very well (dolby vision-youtube hdr) and i can play hdr content from my TVs usb ports . Can you please suggest some tv boxes or can you tell me if i buy Nvidia TV shield will i be ok? Can i do the job with Shield? I like Android very much but you can tell me you opinions. Sorry for my bad English and thank you very much.
RE: START HERE - Pick the Right Kodi Box (updated October 2019) - wrxtasy - 2019-11-03
(2019-11-03, 01:19)magkaki Wrote: Hi and thanks in advance for the help. I am a newbie in Kodi and i would like to ask you something.
Hi & welcome to the Kodi forums.
No need to post the same questions in multiple threads.
Quote:I just bought an LG OLED 65E9 tv the very best of the best with 2.1 hdmi ports, dolby vision support and all the new tech stuff.
Nice 4K HDR DV TV - I just bought it's competitor, a 65" Panasonic GZ1000U - that is the most picture perfect and color accurate OLED out of the box !
Quote:I dont have a budget limit in my mind so money are not a problem. I want to buy a tv box for KODI 4k HDR 10bit movies streaming from the internet (and 1080p of course). Most of the movies i like to stream from internet and maybe some from local drives.
I dont want to have much problems with auto frame rate switching and color space. I want to be as much plug and play it can or with the least user intervention.
Yes Plug n Play is always good. WiFi or Ethernet ?
Be aware we will NOT help you with support for Illegal video streaming from the Internet.
There are Kodi forum rules that prohibit discussion about that.
Quote:I am looking well NVIDIA`s new tv shield but i am reading some stuff about colorspace. I am very confused.
For all the 2019 4K HDR DV - Shield Pro hype - it has been released with what we would classify as Beta Firmware with broken (auto) color outputs when watching mixed 4K HDR and then 1080p SDR video content. This really is disappointing from Nvidia for a new, expensive retail product.
Quote:I don't care too much for the local drives and Netflix-Youtube issues cause my TV has already these apps working very well (dolby vision-youtube hdr) and i can play hdr content from my TVs usb ports . Can you please suggest some tv boxes or can you tell me if i buy Nvidia TV shield will i be ok?
Can i do the job with Shield? I like Android very much but you can tell me you opinions.
Yes well the Shield is the best Android TV device on the market if you really like Android. The most powerful Android TV device as well.
The 2019 Shield in it's current state for will NOT be OK for seamless mixed SDR and HDR video viewing, if you want Plug n Play without problems. It does not have "Auto" everything working properly.
Nvidia have said they will fix Firmware bugs like they always do - it usually takes time, sometimes quite a while. Shield users quickly learn to be very patient.
But be aware - with Nvidia's current track record - they have been breaking important features in Shield Firmware with every major Google OS upgrade. eg Android Nougat > Oreo > Pie.
And that is the problem with Android - it's OS is inherently unstable. It's slowly getting better. Slowly.
If you only want to use a fast, well sorted out, virtually problem free - SDR / 4K HDR & HD audio - Kodi device, that works properly out of the Box it's hard to go past the Hardkernel - ODROID N2 - CoreELEC Edition (click)...
and then you also buy a seperate MINIX NEO A2 Lite - wireless Mini Keyboard remote to control it. (A2 lite has it's own included USB - RF receiver dongle)
I also recommend an additional purchase - 16GB eMMC flash module (Linux or Android does not matter) if you want an even faster N2 - Kodi device.
WiFi module 5A if AC WiFi is needed.
That is it for Plug n Play.
Wireless Mini Keyboards come in real handy for Kodi text input and searching.
There are also Kodi keyboard shortcuts you can use: https://kodi.wiki/view/Keyboard_controls
START HERE - Pick the Right Kodi Box (updated October 2019) - hackno - 2019-11-03
Hello @wrxtasy thanks for your precious help enlightening everyone that stops by this forum!!
There is something that's been bugging my mind lately... Apple TV 4K devices (with MRMC) a year a ago were top of the tops but for what I can see Odroid N2 coreelec version with emmc are now the champs... Care to enumerate some of the big differences as of today between these two devices?
Thanks
RE: START HERE - Pick the Right Kodi Box (updated October 2019) - wrxtasy - 2019-11-03
(2019-11-03, 05:33)hackno Wrote: Hello @wrxtasy thanks for your precious help enlightening everyone that stops by this forum!!
There is something that's been bugging my mind lately... Apple TV 4K devices (with MRMC) a year a ago were top of the tops but for what I can see Odroid N2 coreelec version with emmc are now the champs... Care to enumerate some of the big differences as of today between these two devices?
Thanks
Pretty simple, best for out of the box, reliable SDR / 4K HDR - HD audio Kodi Leia = ODROID N2 - CoreELEC Edition.
It does Multichannel LPCM audio > 48kHz for those that need FLAC audio support.
Does lossless Bluray quality Atmos and DTS:X
You can also use it for all sorts of (CoreELEC) networked Server duties (ie. Plex, TvHeadend, SMB file server etc)
HLG HDR is supported - hopefully working HDR10+ is to come with further Kernel updates. (currently will play HDR10+ as HDR)
Remember Kodi Leia get's to use all the Kodi Addons & Skins - the MrMC App on the ATV 4K -->> you get what is pre packaged with it.
Best for high quality 4K HDR DolbyVision Apps, excellent auto Frame Rate Matching App functionality = Apple TV 4K
The 4K DolbyVision quality Apple is using for their new ATV+ streaming service is outstanding.
The Infuse App on ATV 4K can do Single layer Profile 5 DolbyVision .mp4 video playback.
Apple has the largest 4K HDR DV Atmos library of any of the media player Eco systems for rental usage. Good thing the Apple TV App is branching out to other platforms now as well, which will allow access.
- BUT ATV 4K does not run Kodi and will not do Bluray quality Atmos audio passthrough for those that need full blown home theatre Atmos audio.
Both devices basically compliment each other in a polished reliable setup.
My Panasonic OLED handles 4K HDR YouTube (and 4K HDR Google Play movies thru YouTube).
The Panny does excellent auto Dynamic HDR tone mapping from regular static metadata HDR10 content as well when fed Correct - MaxCLL/FALL HDR metadata from the ODROID N2.
I'm really impressed with the seamless, reliable, HDMI-CEC functionality with the combo I now have of Panasonic OLED, Yamaha YSP-2700, ATV 4K and N2 - CoreELEC....
One press of ATV 4K or N2 - CoreELEC remote's home buttons - auto switches to the correct HDMI input.
Power OFF / ON of all devices in one hit, via CEC is quick and reliable as well.
Makes life so damn easy.
RE: START HERE - Pick the Right Kodi Box (updated October 2019) - ozkhan1 - 2019-11-03
(2019-11-03, 06:21)wrxtasy Wrote:(2019-11-03, 05:33)hackno Wrote: Hello @wrxtasy thanks for your precious help enlightening everyone that stops by this forum!!
There is something that's been bugging my mind lately... Apple TV 4K devices (with MRMC) a year a ago were top of the tops but for what I can see Odroid N2 coreelec version with emmc are now the champs... Care to enumerate some of the big differences as of today between these two devices?
Thanks
Pretty simple, best for out of the box, reliable SDR / 4K HDR - HD audio Kodi Leia = ODROID N2 - CoreELEC Edition.
It does Multichannel LPCM audio > 48kHz for those that need FLAC audio support.
Does lossless Bluray quality Atmos and DTS:X
You can also use it for all sorts of (CoreELEC) networked Server duties (ie. Plex, TvHeadend, SMB file server etc)
HLG HDR is supported - hopefully working HDR10+ is to come with further Kernel updates. (currently will play HDR10+ as HDR)
Remember Kodi Leia get's to use all the Kodi Addons & Skins - the MrMC App on the ATV 4K -->> you get what is pre packaged with it.
Best for high quality 4K HDR DolbyVision Apps, excellent auto Frame Rate Matching App functionality = Apple TV 4K
The 4K DolbyVision quality Apple is using for their new ATV+ streaming service is outstanding.
The Infuse App on ATV 4K can do Single layer Profile 5 DolbyVision .mp4 video playback.
Apple has the largest 4K HDR DV Atmos library of any of the media player Eco systems for rental usage. Good thing the Apple TV App is branching out to other platforms now as well, which will allow access.
- BUT ATV 4K does not run Kodi and will not do Bluray quality Atmos audio passthrough for those that need full blown home theatre Atmos audio.
Both devices basically compliment each other in a polished reliable setup.
My Panasonic OLED handles 4K HDR YouTube (and 4K HDR Google Play movies thru YouTube).
The Panny does excellent auto Dynamic HDR tone mapping from regular static metadata HDR10 content as well when fed Correct - MaxCLL/FALL HDR metadata from the ODROID N2.
I'm really impressed with the seamless, reliable, HDMI-CEC functionality with the combo I now have of Panasonic OLED, Yamaha YSP-2700, ATV 4K and N2 - CoreELEC....
One press of ATV 4K or N2 - CoreELEC remote's home buttons - auto switches to the correct HDMI input.
Power OFF / ON of all devices in one hit, via CEC is quick and reliable as well.
Makes life so damn easy.
I am suspicious about long term support/future of Apple TV. Apple seems to be going in the direction of Apple TV as a service model and I am not sure how long they will continue to develop the hardware. If they do indeed continue to keep up with the others in the fast lane (Amazon and Android TV).... great! But I am not too hopeful.
RE: START HERE - Pick the Right Kodi Box (updated October 2019) - wrxtasy - 2019-11-03
(2019-11-03, 06:41)ozkhan1 Wrote: I am suspicious about long term support/future of Apple TV. Apple seems to be going in the direction of Apple TV as a service model and I am not sure how long they will continue to develop the hardware. If they do indeed continue to keep up with the others in the fast lane (Amazon and Android TV).... great! But I am not too hopeful.
It's very easy for Apple to grab a more powerful iPad Pro SoC and upgrade Apple TV 4K hardware if they wanted to in the future.
Every company still wants a "Halo" product IMHO. - even if they are also providing services.
What exact "fast lane" features are you alluding too, especially in regard to 4K HDR DV - Atmos - Internet online video streaming usage ?
I can think of one at the moment Google's VP9 profile 2 for 4K HDR YouTube/Play, but support for that is pretty spotty and better done on a modern 4K HDR TV at this point in time.
There is the free, upcoming open codec - AV1 - where everyone Major player is involved. Lots of new hardware will be required to support that for 4K usage.
HDMI 2.1 and QMS - Quick Media Switching would be a really nice feature to eliminate mini black screens when changing TV Refresh rates.
8K really at this point in time is all about bigger Numbers marketing and TV tech chest thumping.
Neither home storage, media players or the Internet's infrastructure is really ready for 8K yet.
RE: START HERE - Pick the Right Kodi Box (updated October 2019) - ozkhan1 - 2019-11-03
(2019-11-03, 08:00)wrxtasy Wrote:(2019-11-03, 06:41)ozkhan1 Wrote: I am suspicious about long term support/future of Apple TV. Apple seems to be going in the direction of Apple TV as a service model and I am not sure how long they will continue to develop the hardware. If they do indeed continue to keep up with the others in the fast lane (Amazon and Android TV).... great! But I am not too hopeful.
It's very easy for Apple to grab a more powerful iPad Pro SoC and upgrade Apple TV 4K hardware if they wanted to in the future.
Every company still wants a "Halo" product IMHO. - even if they are also providing services.
What exact "fast lane" features are you alluding too, especially in regard to 4K HDR DV - Atmos - Internet online video streaming usage ?
I can think of one at the moment Google's VP9 profile 2 for 4K HDR YouTube/Play, but support for that is pretty spotty and better done on a modern 4K HDR TV at this point in time.
There is the free, upcoming open codec - AV1 - where everyone Major player is involved. Lots of new hardware will be required to support that for 4K usage.
HDMI 2.1 and QMS - Quick Media Switching would be a really nice feature to eliminate mini black screens when changing TV Refresh rates.
8K really at this point in time is all about bigger Numbers marketing and TV tech chest thumping.
Neither home storage, media players or the Internet's infrastructure is really ready for 8K yet.
By fast lane, I was actually alluding to the Android, firetv and roku devices (not directly related to Kodi, I know). Amazon and Roku refresh their products more frequently I feel and personally speaking, I actually would prefer a fire or roku device in conjunction with something like an N2, than an Apple TV.
Sorry, I should have clarified this in the last post.