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START HERE - Pick the Right Kodi Box (updated Dec 2020)
Quote:Yep - in Kodi terms I totally agree. That said Linaro are backing the HiSilicon stuff https://github.com/Linaro/poplar-tools/b...uctions.md So it could be an interesting thing to keep an eye on. Whether it will amount to anything relevant to Kodi - who knows...
We shall see. I don't know the specifics about VPU acceleration under Linux for the chip.
Even then, it will need some interest from the community.
Quote:So how are you getting >140Mbs content over a 100Mbs connection - or is the 140Mbs a peak, with the average below 100Mbs? I'm confused.

BTW - I totally agree that until we see proper, real world, content maxing out UHD bitrates it is a non-issue. Practical issues of storing ~100GB movie files is an issue...

If the video is over 100Mbps, there will be a buffering period.
I suspect that we'll be OK for quite a while; but if gains in storage are made and we see higher bitrate clips becoming more prevalent, we can
resolve this with some changes to buffering.

Fortunately in AML 3.14 the Ethernet module used is an upstream one, which has separate tasklets for RX and TX. With iperf
I get a consistent 96Mbps.
(2017-08-20, 11:42)Sam.Nazarko Wrote:
Quote:Yep - in Kodi terms I totally agree. That said Linaro are backing the HiSilicon stuff https://github.com/Linaro/poplar-tools/b...uctions.md So it could be an interesting thing to keep an eye on. Whether it will amount to anything relevant to Kodi - who knows...
We shall see. I don't know the specifics about VPU acceleration under Linux for the chip.
Even then, it will need some interest from the community.
Yep - and I have a feeling that might not happen. Interesting to keep an eye on though.
Quote:
Quote:So how are you getting >140Mbs content over a 100Mbs connection - or is the 140Mbs a peak, with the average below 100Mbs? I'm confused.

BTW - I totally agree that until we see proper, real world, content maxing out UHD bitrates it is a non-issue. Practical issues of storing ~100GB movie files is an issue...

If the video is over 100Mbps, there will be a buffering period.
I suspect that we'll be OK for quite a while; but if gains in storage are made and we see higher bitrate clips becoming more prevalent, we can
resolve this with some changes to buffering.

Fortunately in AML 3.14 the Ethernet module used is an upstream one, which has separate tasklets for RX and TX. With iperf
I get a consistent 96Mbps.

Presumably this means that the 140Mbs is a peak not sustained figure then? With all the buffering in the world you won't get a continuous 140Mbs stream over a 96Mbs connection for sustained periods of time (unless you have a very big buffer - which makes it almost like download)

However a lot of real world video is mastered VBR - so whilst peaks hit 100+Mbs, the average could well be below 100Mbs - meaning buffering will help.
Quote:Presumably this means that the 140Mbs is a peak not sustained figure then? With all the buffering in the world you won't get a continuous 140Mbs stream over a 96Mbs connection for sustained periods of time (unless you have a very big buffer - which makes it almost like download)


You won't -- but also don't think you'll need it.
CBR content is rare; CBR content > 100Mbps will be even harder to come by..
(2017-08-20, 12:23)Sam.Nazarko Wrote:
Quote:Presumably this means that the 140Mbs is a peak not sustained figure then? With all the buffering in the world you won't get a continuous 140Mbs stream over a 96Mbs connection for sustained periods of time (unless you have a very big buffer - which makes it almost like download)


You won't -- but also don't think you'll need it.
CBR content is rare; CBR content > 100Mbps will be even harder to come by..

Yep - whilst I routinely deal with >100Mbs CBR content (SD and HD) daily, it's all 4:2:2 so not feasible for consumer ARM Kodi platforms. (440Mbs isn't unusual for compressed HD content)
i have an 1080i TV for now,probably in the future,will get an 4K ,but for now i don't have the need.So i am looking,searching,reading opinions for a good till 70-80€ iptv box,mostly for kodi usage.now i have read the first post,so i found that in order to have a descent machine for kodi experierce,vero 4k, odroid c2,minix u9 are optionable,but way more expensive...i don't know whether they will be useful for me ,their stability with kodi and all the video and audio decoding...then you proposed a cheaper but good enough devive,mecool m8s pro plus that handles kodi in a very good way.so i searched for it an some other mecool machines (mecool m8s pro for example) ,so my question is go for the suggested ones or any mecool device( or any similar to this) ?

sure mecool is cheaper and is an bonus for me.but i am trying to find reasons to believe if it is try worth byuing one of the suggested and more expensive boxes for maybe a better future usage...

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If you want dirt cheap box for Kodi use only buy a AMLogic S905 or S905x device and run LibreELEC Kodi on it.
Avoid all AMLogic S912 boxes are there are problems with LibreELEC on those devices. Better tech Specs do not always translate into a better device.

The S905x MECOOL Pro Plus is a decent buy for an Ethernet only Kodi device.

Why LibreELEC Kodi (or OSMC) and not Android Kodi Krypton for IPTV ?
- because LE Kodi Krypton will handle anything you throw at it. You will get far superior, reliable deinterlacing if some of IPTV streams you are talking about stream as interlaced material.

More expensive devices like the Vero 4K, WeTek's, MINIX etc come as near complete packages out of the box with better WiFi and integrated remotes & more.
The Cheaper Hardware is more DIY and requires some elbow grease.
Its not really that hard flashing LibreELEC to a microSDHC card and getting that OS up and going, especially when there are users on the Kodi and LibreELEC forums already running the same equiptment.

OSMC and LibreELEC on AMLogic hardware have now reached a level of stability and reliability, you could happily use either of them day to day which I do. Both come with great support no matter what Hardware you choose.

(2017-08-21, 14:41)wrxtasy Wrote: If you want dirt cheap box for Kodi use only buy a AMLogic S905 or S905x device and run LibreELEC Kodi on it.
Avoid all AMLogic S912 boxes are there are problems with LibreELEC on those devices. Better tech Specs do not always translate into a better device.

The S905x MECOOL Pro Plus is a decent buy for an Ethernet only Kodi device.

Why LibreELEC Kodi (or OSMC) and not Android Kodi Krypton for IPTV ?
- because LE Kodi Krypton will handle anything you throw at it. You will get far superior, reliable deinterlacing if some of IPTV streams you are talking about stream as interlaced material.

More expensive devices like the Vero 4K, WeTek's, MINIX etc come as near complete packages out of the box with better WiFi and integrated remotes & more.
The Cheaper Hardware is more DIY and requires some elbow grease.
Its not really that hard flashing LibreELEC to a microSDHC card and getting that OS up and going, especially when there are users on the Kodi and LibreELEC forums already running the same equiptment.

OSMC and LibreELEC on AMLogic hardware have now reached a level of stability and reliability, you could happily use either of them day to day which I do. Both come with great support no matter what Hardware you choose.

Totally agree with wrxtasy here - S905/X box with Libreelec (I install to NAND as I hate the Android interface but many SD card boot). Kodi 17.x with a decent skin (I use Aero) and you have cracked it. Well you have after you spend weeks tweaking but thats the fun of it isnt it lol

I have a couple of these devices and one of them is the Kii pro (Mecool). I replaced my Enigma2 satellite box. With TVHeadend it works a treat but I do think Kodi needs a better live TV/IPTV app. Ivue is great but it isn't a patch on an Enigma2 box with a Sky skin on it. Far easier. And ivue is great for the Freeview live TV stuff coming through my satellite but it is bloody awful for IPTV lists
(2017-08-21, 14:41)wrxtasy Wrote: If you want dirt cheap box for Kodi use only buy a AMLogic S905 or S905x device and run LibreELEC Kodi on it.
Avoid all AMLogic S912 boxes are there are problems with LibreELEC on those devices. Better tech Specs do not always translate into a better device.

The S905x MECOOL Pro Plus is a decent buy for an Ethernet only Kodi device.

Why LibreELEC Kodi (or OSMC) and not Android Kodi Krypton for IPTV ?
- because LE Kodi Krypton will handle anything you throw at it. You will get far superior, reliable deinterlacing if some of IPTV streams you are talking about stream as interlaced material.

More expensive devices like the Vero 4K, WeTek's, MINIX etc come as near complete packages out of the box with better WiFi and integrated remotes & more.
The Cheaper Hardware is more DIY and requires some elbow grease.
Its not really that hard flashing LibreELEC to a microSDHC card and getting that OS up and going, especially when there are users on the Kodi and LibreELEC forums already running the same equiptment.

OSMC and LibreELEC on AMLogic hardware have now reached a level of stability and reliability, you could happily use either of them day to day which I do. Both come with great support no matter what Hardware you choose.
so,for a start i think buying a mecool m8s pro plus is a decent buy,for a decent start for me,and maybe in the future will go for a better device!

so beside mecool ,do you suggest any other similar device? the bb2 or pro device no worth trying cause of 912 ? thanks in advance

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Cheap Chinese sourced AMLogic devices:

AML S912 devices running Marshmallow Firmware are the worst devices on the market you can buy. Bugs galore.

However the S912 MM Firmware equipped MINIX U9-H, that has bug busted MM Firmware works well. Smile

AML S912 devices running Nought Firmware have some bug fixes but they cannot run LibreELEC Kodi Krypton properly.

AML S905x device running Marshmallow Firmware are the second worst devices you can buy. Good for LibreELEC tho.

AML S905x Nougat are a tiny bit slower than AML S912 and have no problems running LibreELEC. AML Nougat has bug fixes.

If you do not need HDR & VP9 - AML S905 devices are the ones to buy.

Personally I would not bother with AML S912's. They are one trick pony devices so far as Kodi is concerned.

(2017-08-21, 14:54)lacta13 Wrote: so beside mecool ,do you suggest any other similar device? the bb2 or pro device no worth trying cause of 912 ? thanks in advance

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I got a Goobang Doo off Amazon for around 33 UK pounds. Running libreelec/Kodi 17.x form NAND and it is solid.

I'd look on Amazon, search for either S905 or S905X device and a good rating and go for that. A mini keyboard helps a lot as well as you can have a lot of typing to setup links and repositories. Also look for KSZAQ's post on the libreelec site. Excellent instructions and regularly updated firmware
(2017-08-20, 12:23)Sam.Nazarko Wrote:
Quote:Presumably this means that the 140Mbs is a peak not sustained figure then? With all the buffering in the world you won't get a continuous 140Mbs stream over a 96Mbs connection for sustained periods of time (unless you have a very big buffer - which makes it almost like download)


You won't -- but also don't think you'll need it.
CBR content is rare; CBR content > 100Mbps will be even harder to come by..

I tried a few 4K videos when I got my vero4k, the video is about 3:30 and file size is 1.2G. The video is stored on my PC which wireless connected to my router on 5G WIFI, vero4k is wired connect to router.
The initial load time is petty long, about 20+ seconds, and it could pause for loading in the middle for a while. I don't think we should blame the 100M Ethernet, but what I want to say is it is most likely what the end user will get when dealing with large files. Most people don't have enterprise level router and reliable wired connection on all devices.
(2017-08-22, 03:17)royleijiang Wrote:
(2017-08-20, 12:23)Sam.Nazarko Wrote:
Quote:Presumably this means that the 140Mbs is a peak not sustained figure then? With all the buffering in the world you won't get a continuous 140Mbs stream over a 96Mbs connection for sustained periods of time (unless you have a very big buffer - which makes it almost like download)


You won't -- but also don't think you'll need it.
CBR content is rare; CBR content > 100Mbps will be even harder to come by..

I tried a few 4K videos when I got my vero4k, the video is about 3:30 and file size is 1.2G. The video is stored on my PC which wireless connected to my router on 5G WIFI, vero4k is wired connect to router.
The initial load time is petty long, about 20+ seconds, and it could pause for loading in the middle for a while. I don't think we should blame the 100M Ethernet, but what I want to say is it is most likely what the end user will get when dealing with large files. Most people don't have enterprise level router and reliable wired connection on all devices.

That seems ridiculously slow. Did you actually check if the 100Mbps port was being saturated? iftop can be used
to check this.

From what kind of source are you streaming from? Are you mounting external shares with fstab or NFS.

There are some chunksize improvements for NFS we probably want to backport, and libsmbclient has
always been slower than fstab.
Ive tried more android TV boxes than i can count.

Right now im using Zidoo X9S and i think its okey.

What box would you guys say is the best right now (aug 2017) if you need a box that can handle the following perfectly:
4k movies
1080p movies
passthrough dts-hd 7.1 sound
perfect auto framerate
great image quality

Is the x9s still the best box that can handle the above ? i find the later firmwares are sketchy
(2017-08-22, 13:30)hausmanis Wrote: Ive tried more android TV boxes than i can count.

Right now im using Zidoo X9S and i think its okey.

What box would you guys say is the best right now (aug 2017) if you need a box that can handle the following perfectly:
4k movies
1080p movies
passthrough dts-hd 7.1 sound
perfect auto framerate
great image quality

Is the x9s still the best box that can handle the above ? i find the later firmwares are sketchy

I'm trying to find the same "dream" box. I have an Intel NUC today that doesn't handle 4k, and I'm waiting for my new 4k HDR tv to arrive. 99% of the time I use the NUC for playing mkv files, and most har high bitstream Full HD but I'm getting some 4k HDR content now as well.
A box that "just works" or requires not too much fiddeling about to get to work and maintain, whilst giving great picture and sound (DTS-HD + Atmos) quality would be great. I ordered a MECOOL M8S PRO PLUS Amlogic S905X as it's dirt cheap and it has the infamous S905X chip. Would this be a good fit or should I cancel it? I could get a MINIX NEO U1 though this is almost 3x the price of the MECOOL. Or maybe just a Xiaomi Mi Box if the quiality if the output quiality is good enough.
For any of these devices should I set the native resolution to FullHD and let the TV (LG OLED C7) upscale, or run the box natively in 4k?

I'm trying to digest the first posts and the hundred and some pages, but it seems that the recommendations change a bit depending on drivers, Andoid core, if you run LibreELEC Kodi or OSMC Kodi, etc.
For the price a S905X will usually handle 95% of possible Kodi requirements.
Especially if you run LibreELEC or OSMC Kodi Krypton - an OS for Kodi to run on without the Android compromises and restrictions. HDR10 support is an evolving process with S905X OSMC / LibreELEC - good enough to play test clips.

4K HDR frankly is a bunch of marketing fluffy and technobabble bullshit if you cannot get properly encoded 4K HDR content in the first place.
Doing HDR right means using 4K HDR Netflix & Amazon Video DRM streaming platforms like the NVIDIA Shield / HDR Smart TV's or a UHD player.

People seem willing to accept all sorts of reliability, usability and OS issues just so they can have that all important HDR label.
Its all a bit of a laugh really Wink

A dirt cheap - ethernet only - MECOOL, is an easy way to see what LibreELEC or even Android TV on a 4K HDR capable platform is all about. All you really need is a Wireless remote with a USB receiver dongle, if you want snappy OS responsiveness.

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