[BORIStheBLADE]

New Zidoo

Zidoo X5 (S905)

I thought it was getting quiet on the zidoo x6 forum now we know why

Like usual... They still haven't sorted out the X6 right?

Not completely,still a few bugs.

It looks like all these manufactures are jumping on the Amlogic S905

This trend is getting depressing..

[konto]

What I am missing about Vidon? If they offer full blu-ray menu support, is the new Tronsmart Vega S95 not a good option go with? However, I do see they are using Kodi 14.2?

VidOn are a known GPL violator. They used to be a Kodi Sponsor too. The relationship with the Kodi community became so bad it was bordering on hostile at one stage. The only option left in the end was to not renew their sponsorship. They may have even been banned from the forum.

GPL = General Public Licence:
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html

Why GPL compliance so important to Kodi ?

Simply - Kodi is Open Source Software, its a collaborative project with many thousand of volunteer Coders, Artists, Audio guys, Bug testers and more contributing towards a common goal - to make Kodi the best damn Media Player on the Planet !

Kodi is licensed for distribution under the GNU General Public License, version 2.
Rules have to be followed with this licence, the most important one regarding re-distribution - a summary:

The GPL does not require you to release your modified version. You are free to make modifications and use them privately, without ever releasing them. This applies to organizations (including companies), too; an organization can make a modified version and use it internally without ever releasing it outside the organization.

But if you release the modified version to the public in some way, the GPL requires you to make the modified source code available to the program's users, under the GPL.

The second paragraph here is important, because if modified source code (such as Kodi's) is not shared. It only benefits the one individual or one single company and not the wider Open Source Community. Individuals or companies not sharing are classified as GPL Violators and can actually end up being prosecuted. If everyone did not share modified code to re-distribute and contribute back to the Kodi project, progress would go nowhere.

So now we come back to VidOn, the known GPL Violator with their modified XBMC version that supposedly adds 3D MVC playback and HD Audio passthrough to an AMLogic box. If XBMC / Kodi source code is modified in any way to enable these features, they have to make the code available when end users request it. I doubt they will as Tronsmart will want a competitive advantage over it competitors.

If this occurs, it basically amounts to a Big Fat Middle Finger raised to the entire Kodi and Open Source Community. Most of the code in that version of XBMC / Kodi on that box they are selling comes from Kodi volunteers.
Greed and profit is more important to companies such as these.

***
Note: I believe, if 3D MVC Video and HD Audio Passthrough can be played using some sort of customised Android Media App, called from within Kodi itself (via playercorefactory or similar), then that Media App's source code does not have to be shared.

Hello everybody,

New to the forum and I don't own a box yet, but I am highly interested in getting one.

I was reading a little bit into the alternatives and the Tronsmart seemed to be good value! Now I understand the issues posted above, but from a pure technical standpoint, all the moral and ethical issues aside, is the box any good? I mean what reasons are there to not buy one besides the ones already mentioned?

In addition, somewhere I've read that there is some kind of membership with VidOn? How does that work? I was under the assumption that the usage of these boxes and the software is free and unlimited?

Sorry for the (maybe) silly questions, but I wasn't able to figure that out quite yet...

Thanks,
konto

[hdmkv]

Start with post #1. VidOn is a Kodi GPL software violator and you'll be at their mercy for updates, support (poor). They used to charge $15 I think per year for HD audio, while 3D was included in the free version.

Raspberry Pi 2 and HiMedia Q5 remain the best choices for 3D.

[wrxtasy]

I was reading a little bit into the alternatives and the Tronsmart seemed to be good value! Now I understand the issues posted above, but from a pure technical standpoint, all the moral and ethical issues aside, is the box any good?

No you do not understand at all, not in the slightest. I remind you that this is a Kodi forum.
Lets get one thing perfectly clear here, these are NOT Moral or Ethical issues. They are not some minor disagreement over differing points of view. This GPL matter is a legal violation of the licence , VidOn can actually be prosecuted in the eyes of the law.

Then there is this:

VidOn does not only violate the GPL license, they also violate the Kodi/XBMC trademarks and copyrights by not fully and completly rebranding their applications.

VidOn are the worst of the worst offenders that I can see. Please do not just brush their behavior aside under the carpet and dismiss it as a minor "moral and ethical issue". If you do, you are offending and upsetting the entire Kodi Open Source community.

Tronsmart should be ashamed of themselves
Do you think for one moment we want to discuss the technical merits of their device and possibly further their number of sales after everything I have just explained ?
Take your discussion matters over to a Tronsmart forum if you want to debate the technicals of their device

The question I ask, is what is the XBMC Foundation going to do about it ?
Where is their response ?

[halfelite]

^^ are you sure these is even a GPL violation? I just ask as koying two pages back says Vidon code for BD is most likely there own code and no GPL violations. Which seems to be the complete opposites you are saying here.

[konto]

I was reading a little bit into the alternatives and the Tronsmart seemed to be good value! Now I understand the issues posted above, but from a pure technical standpoint, all the moral and ethical issues aside, is the box any good?

No you do not understand at all, not in the slightest. I remind you that this is a Kodi forum.
Lets get one thing perfectly clear here, these are NOT Moral or Ethical issues. They are not some minor disagreement over differing points of view. This GPL matter is a legal violation of the licence , VidOn can actually be prosecuted in the eyes of the law.

Then there is this:

VidOn does not only violate the GPL license, they also violate the Kodi/XBMC trademarks and copyrights by not fully and completly rebranding their applications.

VidOn are the worst of the worst offenders that I can see. Please do not just brush their behavior aside under the carpet and dismiss it as a minor "moral and ethical issue". If you do, you are offending and upsetting the entire Kodi Open Source community.

Tronsmart should be ashamed of themselves
Do you think for one moment we want to discuss the technical merits of their device and possibly further their number of sales after everything I have just explained ?
Take your discussion matters over to a Tronsmart forum if you want to debate the technicals of their device

The question I ask, is what is the XBMC Foundation going to do about it ?
Where is their response ?

I get it, I get it. Let's put it this way: The first time I heard about Kodi was last week! I've been reading into this stuff almost daily, at least as much as time allowed me. And I've been studying all boxes that I could find including specs and what else not, half of which I probably don't even understand before owning an actual box.

So before I found your post that I originally quoted, I thought it's all the same stuff. But up to that point the Tronsmart box seemed to check all my requirements, including a low price. The european HiMedia Q5 box was my original favorite, but ordering it from the UK is going to cost basically double what the Tronsmart would cost me, expecting pretty much similar performance.

What I am trying to say here... I am not picking sides with anybody, I am just trying to learn. And I am not deep enough in any community to understand what kind of uproar this is about VidOn and what else not.

So let me ask you, all of you: would it be possible, and obviously acceptable within the Kodi community, to flash the Tronsmart box with a clean Android 5.1 and the latest Kodi version?

If not acceptable, I would be happy to look for an alternative in a comparable price range... I just don't want to upset anybody now that I just joined.

[rickyman]

i am looking to buy a kodi box.

it must support this following:

dts-hd
truehd
dts
dd

all the sound format from receiver

file format:

hsbs mkv file
2d mkv file

support 23.96 and 24 fps

of course no drop frame and no shutter

[movie78]

i am looking to buy a kodi box.

it must support this following:

dts-hd
truehd
dts
dd

all the sound format from receiver

file format:

hsbs mkv file
2d mkv file

support 23.96 and 24 fps

of course no drop frame and no shutter

Chromebox

[nickr]

i am looking to buy a kodi box.

it must support this following:

dts-hd
truehd
dts
dd

all the sound format from receiver

file format:

hsbs mkv file
2d mkv file

support 23.96 and 24 fps

of course no drop frame and no shutter

Chromebox

[wrxtasy]

..So let me ask you, all of you: would it be possible, and obviously acceptable within the Kodi community, to flash the Tronsmart box with a clean Android 5.1 and the latest Kodi version?

If not acceptable, I would be happy to look for an alternative in a comparable price range... I just don't want to upset anybody now that I just joined.

So you would now like us to provide Kodi technical support on a device that knowingly sells Kodi GPL Violating Software on it, is that correct ?
That we will not do, it is totally unacceptable.
Potential customers of Tronsmart will now get an idea of the open Hostility I will personally direct towards this device.

As you are a Newbie here, we will cut you some slack, as it is all a learning process after all and we understand its all a bit overwhelming the number of Hardware choices available.
I suggest as a Newbie you look at the the Kodi forum sponsors devices, nVIDIA, MINIX and WeTek.
These guys have an active interest in selling a legal, well performing Kodi device.
You will actually get decent after sales service from them as well

[buongiorgio]

Hi there,
I am looking forward to get myself a Xmas present and it will be a kodi player. I would like to have a full featured media player, so after a lot of reading here on the forum I would go for the himedia Q10 4k3d but I have a last minute doubt. I have a 3D TV but I am not really into 3D movies (currently, for them I use powerdvd on a standard laptop), anyway it is a nice-to-have feature (and maybe with a decent 3D player integrated in kodi I would watch more 3D movies), but is not a key feature for my choice. What is really important to me is the HDMI-CEC support (I hate having more than one remote) and a good quality of the images. So, I am asking to Q10 owners: is hdmi-cec supported? Would you suggest a different player, with no 3D support but more snappy on boot and maybe having other features Q10 has not? In case, what other player would you suggest (in the 150€ - 300€ price range)?
Thanks,
Gio

[dchabby]

as most people, I am trying to get an all in one box for my living room and was wondering if the following unit can play 3d :
HP stream mini with Celeron 2957U processor running Windows 8.1 using Powerdvd

I realize anything can play 3d hsbs format but can this play 3d iso's ?

[hdmkv]

Believe it can under Windows w/PDVD. You can use Cyberlink's BD & 3D Advisor to find out.

[dchabby]

thanks hdmkv - looks like you have to download that tool onto the machine you want to test.

I thought I read somewhere that you need an i3 processor or above for 3d - is that not the case ?

[hdmkv]

Celeron may possibly be too underpowered with Windows, PDVD and Kodi all running. Maybe bumping up RAM to 4GB would work? Hopefully, Windows experts will chime in.