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+--- Thread: Budget AMLogic S9xx Media Player Options (/showthread.php?tid=255686)
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RE: Budget AML S905/S905X/S912 Media Player Options - JonSnow88 - 2016-08-10
I second the Beelink Mini MXIII, S905X are not worth it IMO, since you can't get LE and i don't care for VP9. If Kszaq get LE working on the X then sure but right now no.
If you must get a box might as well hold off for the s912 which is a significant upgrade and comes with all s905x decoders.
RE: Budget AML S905/S905X/S912 Media Player Options - vibe666 - 2016-08-11
(2016-08-10, 09:43)tmaniac84 Wrote: At first i was looking at a NUC but that's a lotta money for just watching movies/series (we don't do 3D, we don't do gaming)
I have the cheapest i3 NUC (the 1.5Ghz first gen one with the red top), 4gb ram and a 120gb ssd and it flies, but like you say they're not cheap, even the older ones now.
i got it with a plan on if it worked out i was going to make a little lab server farm for VMware with a few of the i7 ones, but never got round to it in the end, so i've been using the nuc with win7, win8 and now win10 and it's an awesome little box, particularly as we don't have tv reception where i am and it'a australia, so i'm loathe to pay through the nose for foxtel. even with my crappy 5Mbps broadband, it's still okay for most streaming.
RE: Budget AML S905/S905X/S912 Media Player Options - trogggy - 2016-08-11
(2016-08-05, 05:07)wrxtasy Wrote: Legitimate sellers are either:Ironically Microsoft - where it all started - and Amazon (fire stick / fire tv, both pretty popular) both fail on all counts.
a) Supporting the developers of the Kodi codebase
b) Sponsoring the Kodi project
c) Providing test Hardware to developers to code with to benefit the entire Kodi project
d) Actually employing developers that contribute to the Kodi codebase
RE: Budget AML S905/S905X/S912 Media Player Options - KoopaTroopa - 2016-08-11
(2016-08-11, 02:42)trogggy Wrote:Hehe, though to be fair neither Microsoft or Amazon would qualify as a "Legitimate seller" of a Kodi box.(2016-08-05, 05:07)wrxtasy Wrote: Legitimate sellers are either:Ironically Microsoft - where it all started - and Amazon (fire stick / fire tv, both pretty popular) both fail on all counts.
a) Supporting the developers of the Kodi codebase
b) Sponsoring the Kodi project
c) Providing test Hardware to developers to code with to benefit the entire Kodi project
d) Actually employing developers that contribute to the Kodi codebase
RE: Budget AML S905/S905X/S912 Media Player Options - Ned Scott - 2016-08-11
I would disagree with that definition of legitimate seller. Manufacturers and sellers only need to provide clean boxes with reasonable support, with reasonable quality.
Contributing to the Kodi project is entirely optional and not required. If it was then that would be against the spirit of open source. Open source says you only have to give back if you make changes. If you don't make changes then you get to reap the rewards of using free software without doing anything else. I don't believe in guilting companies into contributing back.
RE: Budget AML S905/S905X/S912 Media Player Options - gsmtech - 2016-08-11
(2016-08-10, 20:25)jebise Wrote: I second the Beelink Mini MXIII, S905X are not worth it IMO, since you can't get LE and i don't care for VP9. If Kszaq get LE working on the X then sure but right now no.
If you must get a box might as well hold off for the s912 which is a significant upgrade and comes with all s905x decoders.
For some strange reason the Beelink Mini MX III only has 2.4ghz WiFi . I have the older Mini MX V1 (2Gb RAm, 16Gb Flash) and this model has dual band 2.4ghz/5ghz WiFi. Seems like a backwards step to me to remove 5ghz WiFI as the 2.4ghz range is very congested. I'm using the wired ethernet conenction as the location of my box is close to my router, so I'm not currently affected, but it still seems a strange thing to only have 2,.4ghz WiFI considering the cost implications of incorporating a dual band WiFI capable chipset would be minimal.
The MiniMX III does have the never revision S905 Rev C SOC though according to several user reports I've seen. The Rev C SOC apparently fixes a bug where 10-bit 2160/50p HEVC content could not be played back correctly without artefacts and pixellation.
RE: Budget AML S905/S905X/S912 Media Player Options - Boon_nz - 2016-08-11
Hi all,
For the last few weeks i've been trying to absorb as much as possible on the current state of cheap boxes for Kodi.
I have an Ouya (before that an Xbox) for using Kodi but i've not reached the point where the hardware isn't cutting the mustard with h265. Looks like S905 based box is what i'm looking for.
So i'm looking for a box that:
- Can play everything I can throw at and output it to a 1080p screen (unlikely to be any 4K content, but must include h265), including playing it at the correct frame rate.
- Can produce audio from all the common audio codecs. I'm not too worried if it's PCM 2.0, passthrough etc, as long as audio plays. The Ouya is connected to a receiver, and this causes infrequent audio cutouts, which are really annoying.
- Snappy interface - i'd prefer 2GB of RAM based on what i've read.
- Not worried about anything outside of Kodi - Libreelec sounds good to me.
- I'd prefer a premade box, over a board. This is not a must, but there must be a solid advantage to going for C2 over the other options - I'm not sure what they are for me.
- I'm not worried about netflix etc and I don't want to stretch to a Wetek or Shield solution.
I've read through most of this thread, but what i'm really looking for is:
- What is the lowest cost solution that will meet the requirements above that others would recommend?
- Secondly, if i'm running Libreelec, is there any downside to having one of these cheap chinese boxes? Should everything just work?
Thanks for taking the time to read this!
RE: Budget AML S905/S905X/S912 Media Player Options - KoopaTroopa - 2016-08-11
(2016-08-11, 10:03)Boon_nz Wrote: - What is the lowest cost solution that will meet the requirements above that others would recommend?Cheapest of these that I would personally recommend is the C2. You know it will work and it has reputable backing from a hardware perspective (them) and software perspective (people like wrx).
(2016-08-11, 10:03)Boon_nz Wrote: - Secondly, if i'm running Libreelec, is there any downside to having one of these cheap chinese boxes? Should everything just work?Apparently some people have had power supplies exploding, some have issues even getting LE to boot up, but if you find a box that works with LE it will work out cheaper than a C2. Though the C2 will definitely have the revision C s905, you just take your chances with the cheapie boxes. Also, post 382 of this thread has a handy list of things to worry about!
RE: Budget AML S905/S905X/S912 Media Player Options - trogggy - 2016-08-11
(2016-08-11, 10:18)KoopaTroopa Wrote: Apparently some people have had power supplies exploding...Any links to that?
RE: Budget AML S905/S905X/S912 Media Player Options - gsmtech - 2016-08-11
(2016-08-11, 10:03)Boon_nz Wrote: Hi all,
For the last few weeks i've been trying to absorb as much as possible on the current state of cheap boxes for Kodi.
I have an Ouya (before that an Xbox) for using Kodi but i've not reached the point where the hardware isn't cutting the mustard with h265. Looks like S905 based box is what i'm looking for.
So i'm looking for a box that:
- Can play everything I can throw at and output it to a 1080p screen (unlikely to be any 4K content, but must include h265), including playing it at the correct frame rate.
- Can produce audio from all the common audio codecs. I'm not too worried if it's PCM 2.0, passthrough etc, as long as audio plays. The Ouya is connected to a receiver, and this causes infrequent audio cutouts, which are really annoying.
- Snappy interface - i'd prefer 2GB of RAM based on what i've read.
- Not worried about anything outside of Kodi - Libreelec sounds good to me.
- I'd prefer a premade box, over a board. This is not a must, but there must be a solid advantage to going for C2 over the other options - I'm not sure what they are for me.
- I'm not worried about netflix etc and I don't want to stretch to a Wetek or Shield solution.
I've read through most of this thread, but what i'm really looking for is:
- What is the lowest cost solution that will meet the requirements above that others would recommend?
- Secondly, if i'm running Libreelec, is there any downside to having one of these cheap chinese boxes? Should everything just work?
Thanks for taking the time to read this!
Beelink Mini MX III (Amlongic S905 rev C SOC) 2Gb RAm / 16Gb Flash - It will happily run Dual boot android OS which gets auto updates from Beelink and Libre Elec off SD Card so yuor getting the benefit of being able to choose wihich OS you want to use, Kszaq owns a MiniMX and tests his LibreElec builds on these boxes. There are also OpenElec build available from Alex/kerber at amlinuxmedia.
T95N Mini M8S Pro is another alternative this also has 2GB RAM but only 8GB Flash.
Odroid C2 becomes ridiculously expensive in comparison to a China S905 when you add the parts to make a equivalent product Odroid C2 Board + EMMC Moduile + Wifi module + bluetooth module + Power Supply + Case + HDMI Cable + Remote control . To put this into persepctive in the UK the Obroid C2 Board alone is 42 GBP + Delivery , this is more expensive than a complete S905 Box from China the 16GB EMMC module alone for the Odroid C2 is almost 30 GBP. I could buy 3 x complete S905 China boxes with 2Gb Ram, 16Gb flash, Wifi, bluetooth, for the same price as 1 x Odroid c2 with this spec...
... Not to mention the one box solution looks a lot neater , the odroid would require USB bluetooth, USB Wifi, tying up USB ports ...
Have a read of the LibreElec S905 Kzsaq threads on the LibreElec forum to get a flavour of which boxes people are using. Mostly for me everything works straight out of the box using LibreElec off SD Card using a Beelink MiniMX v1 (2Gb RAM/16Gb Flash, Libre Elec Kzsaq build 7.005 off SD Card - Samsung evo 32Gb class10). The box is rapid, boots very fast, menus are fast and snappy.
RE: Budget AML S905/S905X/S912 Media Player Options - trogggy - 2016-08-11
(2016-08-11, 10:03)Boon_nz Wrote: - What is the lowest cost solution that will meet the requirements above that others would recommend?I think the best thing you can do is to have a look on the libreelec site, read the s905 thread and pick out a box people confirm is working well with kszaq's libreelec.
- Secondly, if i'm running Libreelec, is there any downside to having one of these cheap chinese boxes? Should everything just work?
Even better, after that have a look on freaktab and amlinuxmedia.com (you have to register to view there), again read the threads, look for boxes that people are recommending.
RE: Budget AML S905/S905X/S912 Media Player Options - JonSnow88 - 2016-08-11
(2016-08-11, 09:41)gsmtech Wrote:(2016-08-10, 20:25)jebise Wrote: I second the Beelink Mini MXIII, S905X are not worth it IMO, since you can't get LE and i don't care for VP9. If Kszaq get LE working on the X then sure but right now no.
If you must get a box might as well hold off for the s912 which is a significant upgrade and comes with all s905x decoders.
For some strange reason the Beelink Mini MX III only has 2.4ghz WiFi . I have the older Mini MX V1 (2Gb RAm, 16Gb Flash) and this model has dual band 2.4ghz/5ghz WiFi. Seems like a backwards step to me to remove 5ghz WiFI as the 2.4ghz range is very congested. I'm using the wired ethernet conenction as the location of my box is close to my router, so I'm not currently affected, but it still seems a strange thing to only have 2,.4ghz WiFI considering the cost implications of incorporating a dual band WiFI capable chipset would be minimal.
The MiniMX III does have the never revision S905 Rev C SOC though according to several user reports I've seen. The Rev C SOC apparently fixes a bug where 10-bit 2160/50p HEVC content could not be played back correctly without artefacts and pixellation.
Yup mine has the Rev C processor, if you look at the images i don't think the V1 is actually Beelink eventhough its listed under Beelink, it looks like it maybe a clone which is why it comes in 2 configurations with no Beelink branding at all.
RE: Budget AML S905/S905X/S912 Media Player Options - Boon_nz - 2016-08-12
Thank you for all the speedy responses, I really appreciate it.
I have had a look at that libreelec s905 thread but it was mostly a lot of people asking for help/tutorials. It's a big thread so i'll try a bit harder.
That Beelink looks great, but i'll do a touch more research before pulling the trigger. My router is behind my TV so I won't be using wireless.
I agree with you GSMTECH, by the time you buy everything for the C2, it's really pricey and less elegant.
Trogggy, i'll check out those other sites you've recommended.
As for the power supplies exploding....I haven't seen any proof of that. It seems like scaremongering to me - a number of iPhones have exploded too (and multiple other devices with lithium-ion batteries), it doesn't mean it's likely. I have alternative power supplies I can use if need be. I'm an electrical engineer, so i'll have a look at what arrives and make a decision.
Thanks again for all your thoughts and keep them coming.
RE: Budget AML S905/S905X/S912 Media Player Options - JonSnow88 - 2016-08-12
(2016-08-12, 00:42)Boon_nz Wrote: As for the power supplies exploding....I haven't seen any proof of that. It seems like scaremongering to me - a number of iPhones have exploded too (and multiple other devices with lithium-ion batteries), it doesn't mean it's likely. I have alternative power supplies I can use if need be. I'm an electrical engineer, so i'll have a look at what arrives and make a decision.
Thanks again for all your thoughts and keep them coming.
If you are an electrical engineer, take a look at the below thread and provide any input. I'd love to hear from someone that is in the feild, i spent the extra cash to get a known good certified psu just to be extra cautious. I think it's better to be safe than sorry.
http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=286148
RE: Budget AML S905/S905X/S912 Media Player Options - KoopaTroopa - 2016-08-12
(2016-08-11, 10:36)trogggy Wrote:(2016-08-11, 10:18)KoopaTroopa Wrote: Apparently some people have had power supplies exploding...Any links to that?
I don't have links, but it's mentioned in the post I quoted. Post 382, along with jebise's thread about the topic.