• 1
  • 37
  • 38
  • 39(current)
  • 40
  • 41
  • 64
Linux ODROID N2+ - AMLogic S922X board from Hardkernel
Fire TV remote with volume control pairs fine with N2 and is snappy. Also, if you first pair the remote with a Fire TV unit and have volume up/down & mute working with your AVR, they’ll carry over when you then pair with N2.
[H]i-[d]eft [M]edia [K]een [V]ideosaurus
My Family Room Theater
Reply
I prefer the OSMC remote on my N2's, however it wont control AVR sound settings.
Reply
I ran a C2 and XU4 for close to 4 years without any issue. The XU4 ran 24/7 and the C2 had light duty at best. Just switched to an N2 and so far so good. I did have one of the "pins" mounting the motherboard to the heat shield spring loose as apparently it wasn't fully inserted. Luckily I found all of the pieces and managed to get it inserted all the way. Remote wise I use a Logitech with an external (USB) IR receiver since the N2 is installed in a closet - so far it's very snappy.
Reply
(2020-05-16, 13:01)madmax2 Wrote: Also is there any new revision of the N2 or a different competitor that is cheaper?

There are Similar S922X chipset devices like the Ugoos AM6 and the Beelink GT-King but I doubt they are cheaper or have a better Passive thermal heat sink setup vs the ODROID N2.

The other point to make is the Bootloader that the CoreELEC guys provide for the N2 has been modded to fix HDMI CEC bugs and add extra features. All that works out of the box. No extra stuffing around needed.

Quote:Is Kodi performance and playback same on Android OS as it is on CoreELEC of kodi?
or how much slower etc..


CoreELEC Kodi performance is better because the CE OS has been built from the ground up to specifically run 4K HDR Kodi & HD audio, as bug free and fast as possible. Even tricky old stuff Hardware decodes.
The N2’s great 6 Core CPU package can Software decode anything 1080p if needed.

There are all sorts of tweaks under the hood you do not get with a generic Android Kodi release.

Just get a 16GB eMMC and a Plug n Play MINIX A2 lite Wireless remote and you will have one reliable, snappy 4K HDR Kodi setup.
So reliable some would call it “boring” !

W.

Reply
(2020-05-16, 18:47)wrxtasy Wrote:
(2020-05-16, 13:01)madmax2 Wrote: Also is there any new revision of the N2 or a different competitor that is cheaper?

There are Similar S922X chipset devices like the Ugoos AM6 and the Beelink GT-King but I doubt they are cheaper or have a better Passive thermal heat sink setup vs the ODROID N2.

The other point to make is the Bootloader that the CoreELEC guys provide for the N2 has been modded to fix HDMI CEC bugs and add extra features. All that works out of the box. No extra stuffing around needed.
Quote:Is Kodi performance and playback same on Android OS as it is on CoreELEC of kodi?
or how much slower etc..


CoreELEC Kodi performance is better because the CE OS has been built from the ground up to specifically run 4K HDR Kodi & HD audio, as bug free and fast as possible. Even tricky old stuff Hardware decodes.
The N2’s great 6 Core CPU package can Software decode anything 1080p if needed.

There are all sorts of tweaks under the hood you do not get with a generic Android Kodi release.

Just get a 16GB eMMC and a Plug n Play MINIX A2 lite Wireless remote and you will have one reliable, snappy 4K HDR Kodi setup.
So reliable some would call it “boring” !

W.    

Yeah from what I seen of the youtube demo, it shows that the N2 is a very capable 4k HEVC HDR 10 bit media player..

My primary concern is this company's very crappy warranty period (4 weeks) and warranty service 
based on reading a person's account of them sending it back and the CPU was deemed to be the unfixable fault so HK won't fix it
and so HK can keep it or the person pays for the shipping cost to get sent back to them the faulty unfixed device.. 4 weeks RMA hell
This does not give a customer confidence in them having good quality control (4 weeks warranty) and also show poor company ethos / ethics in dealing with their customers..

Despite these concerns would you say the item is reliable long term and has a low world wide failure rate e.g. past 1 year period (for local warranty) since this item somewhat expensive ($130USD including shipping cost) after purchasing all the items including the eMMC etc?
Is it better to wait a bit more for more competitors (e.g. chinese manufacturers) to push prices down and also they may have better warranty and they may also copying the large heat sink design of the N2?

I understand from your recommendation on the front page, that it is better to get it locally due to the 4 weeks warranty from HK..
the main downside to this is the price gouging on the 16gb eMMC and they also do not stock the CE edition of the N2 which is more better value for money...
The upside is if there is a need for warranty..the local shipping cost may be cheaper..and you can also contact local gov agency if the seller does not handle the warranty properly..

====

In regards to the android OS running kodi vs core elec kodi..

Can the kodi on android OS playback the same 4k hevc hdr 10 bit movies smoothly etc without a noticeable performance issue or any other problems..
Have you tested this?
What tweaks or extra features are missing in kodi on android OS that are important other than the HDMI CEC?
I don't really need HDMI CEC since I just use my phone as a kodi remote anyway.

The main advantage of having android OS with kodi installed is, I can also install many android games and apps from the very large google play store..
this gives the N2 much more versatility and turns my TV into an android TV (media playback, gaming, apps) which is very nice to have and would be much more smarter than many smart TVs currently selling 
except for the TVs which already have android TV on it (but this N2 might be still be faster than it and less buggy than proper android TVs)

====

Can you do a video of bench marking test showing the boot times, library updates time or whatever for eMMC vs SD card?
If you can also show some linux disk benchmark numbers e.g. read/write etc that would be really good..

I read that people who bought the eMMC say it is faster but how much faster than regular SD card for boot time times, library updates and anything else?

This would be great video for many people interested to see..

I already got a Pi3b and booting SD card feels pretty fast to me right now compared to what I had previously ie SSD booting of HTPC etc..
but would be interested to see how that compares to the eMMC for booting and also library updates (which feels long even on a SD card)..
Reply
(2020-05-17, 00:55)madmax2 Wrote: The main advantage of having android OS with kodi installed is, I can also install many android games and apps from the very large google play store..
this gives the N2 much more versatility and turns my TV into an android TV (media playback, gaming, apps) which is very nice to have and would be much more smarter than many smart TVs currently selling 

Get a Nvidia Shield if you also want a Games machine, snappy Kodi device, with good Firmware support and also accompanying Android TV Apps. Regular Android Tablet Apps have to be sideloaded.

The Shield is the solution of you also want to stream paid for copy protected video using Netflix, Amazon Prime etc

There is No auto Frame Rate Matching, No auto Resolution Switching, No HD Audio, NO deinterlacing and a whole bunch more is missing if you go down the Android Kodi route on the ODROID N2.

What you can do is dual boot Android OS / CoreELEC via a N2 function called Petitboot at boot up (see HardKernel forums for that). You have Android running from an eMMC and CoreELEC on a microSDHC or USB3 stick.
However no idea with Android about games controller support, again see HardKernel forum.
You are in DIY territory with all that.

The Ugoos AM6 has Dual boot Android / CoreELEC Firmware as well that you can DIY flash to internal storage:
https://ugoos.com/beta-dual-boot-firmwar...ies-models
AM6 also has Android games controller remapping functionality baked into its Firmware I believe after seeing some YouTube videos on it.

Reply
(2020-05-17, 00:55)madmax2 Wrote: I read that people who bought the eMMC say it is faster but how much faster than regular SD card for boot time times, library updates and anything else?
From the Odroid website: N2 specs

eMMC storage performance
Sequential read and write speed is over 150MB/s and 125MB/s respectively.

Micro-SD UHS performance
Using properly implemented UHS dynamic voltage scaling, the sequential read and write speed is over 70MB/s and 55MB/s respectively.
Reply
(2020-05-17, 03:49)wrxtasy Wrote:
(2020-05-17, 00:55)madmax2 Wrote: The main advantage of having android OS with kodi installed is, I can also install many android games and apps from the very large google play store..
this gives the N2 much more versatility and turns my TV into an android TV (media playback, gaming, apps) which is very nice to have and would be much more smarter than many smart TVs currently selling 

Get a Nvidia Shield if you also want a Games machine, snappy Kodi device, with good Firmware support and also accompanying Android TV Apps. Regular Android Tablet Apps have to be sideloaded.

The Shield is the solution of you also want to stream paid for copy protected video using Netflix, Amazon Prime etc

There is No auto Frame Rate Matching, No auto Resolution Switching, No HD Audio, NO deinterlacing and a whole bunch more is missing if you go down the Android Kodi route on the ODROID N2.

What you can do is dual boot Android OS / CoreELEC via a N2 function called Petitboot at boot up (see HardKernel forums for that). You have Android running from an eMMC and CoreELEC on a microSDHC or USB3 stick.
However no idea with Android about games controller support, again see HardKernel forum.
You are in DIY territory with all that.

The Ugoos AM6 has Dual boot Android / CoreELEC Firmware as well that you can DIY flash to internal storage:
https://ugoos.com/beta-dual-boot-firmwar...ies-models
AM6 also has Android games controller remapping functionality baked into its Firmware I believe after seeing some YouTube videos on it. 
So you are saying the nvidia shield can play the same 4k hevc hdr 10bit videos like N2 without any issues?

Why on your other thread "4K HDR10 - State of Play thread" seems to list quite a few issues with the nvidia shield 2019 ..
while N2 does not have any issues listed?
Are these issues something we should be concern about?

yeah nvidia is currently recommended as the best android TV box right now..
while the N2 is the best SBC device for android OS right now..

I do like to tinker and test new stuff, so the N2 would be able to do that while the nvidia shield does not..

There is No auto Frame Rate Matching, No auto Resolution Switching, No HD Audio, NO deinterlacing and a whole bunch more is missing if you go down the Android Kodi route on the ODROID N2.

are these features that important for general 4k hevc hdr 10bit video playback?

I have used a pi3b + htpc to watch videos but not sure if I have ever used these or needed it...

The Ugoos AM6 has Dual boot Android / CoreELEC Firmware as well that you can DIY flash to internal storage:
https://ugoos.com/beta-dual-boot-firmwar...ies-models
AM6 also has Android games controller remapping functionality baked into its Firmware I believe after seeing some YouTube videos on it.


Is there anything spec wise different from this and n2?
or anything different that you can do on the N2 vs this device?
Reply
(2020-05-17, 08:28)HomerJau Wrote:
(2020-05-17, 00:55)madmax2 Wrote: I read that people who bought the eMMC say it is faster but how much faster than regular SD card for boot time times, library updates and anything else?
From the Odroid website: N2 specs

eMMC storage performance
Sequential read and write speed is over 150MB/s and 125MB/s respectively.

Micro-SD UHS performance
Using properly implemented UHS dynamic voltage scaling, the sequential read and write speed is over 70MB/s and 55MB/s respectively. 

thanks 
also found this video but for another odroid device but we can get some idea of difference

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXAiohgU_co

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ap70y2Xcc8E
Reply
(2020-05-18, 00:32)madmax2 Wrote: So you are saying the nvidia shield can play the same 4k hevc hdr 10bit videos like N2 without any issues?

There will still be corner case issues with the Shield. The majority of Shield users have no issues.
Personally I try and avoid Android anything due to Firmware support issues - you are dependant on a 3rd party to supply device Firmware and then you are also dependant on Google that seem to introduce problems with each major OS upgrade.

The CoreELEC guys control the entire build for the ODROID N2, the Linux Kernel, the drivers, tweaks to Kodi itself. The whole Kitchen sink basically.
That has noticeable benefits long term.

Quote:Why on your other thread "4K HDR10 - State of Play thread" seems to list quite a few issues with the nvidia shield 2019 ..
while N2 does not have any issues listed?
Are these issues something we should be concern about?

See answer above.

Quote:yeah nvidia is currently recommended as the best android TV box right now..
Yes due to superior hardware and Nvidia's great Firmware support.

Quote:while the N2 is the best SBC device for android OS right now..
No that title belongs to the Ugoos X2 / X3 Cube and their AM6 due to superior Firmware.

Quote:I do like to tinker and test new stuff, so the N2 would be able to do that while the nvidia shield does not..
Yes and why people buy these developer boards.

Quote:There is No auto Frame Rate Matching, No auto Resolution Switching, No HD Audio, NO deinterlacing and a whole bunch more is missing if you go down the Android Kodi route on the ODROID N2.

Quote:are these features that important for general 4k hevc hdr 10bit video playback?

Yes if you want smooth 24p video playback, you want Kodi to do auto Frame Rate Matching to auto switch your Display into it's Cinema or Movie mode.

Otherwise you need a display that does 24p Judder Free:
https://www.rtings.com/tv/tests/motion/24p

Quote:Is there anything spec wise different from this (Ugoos AM6) and n2?
or anything different that you can do on the N2 vs this device?

Yes it has better Android OS Firmware and an easier Dual Boot Android / CoreELEC setup.

W.

Reply
(2020-05-18, 04:55)wrxtasy Wrote:
(2020-05-18, 00:32)madmax2 Wrote: So you are saying the nvidia shield can play the same 4k hevc hdr 10bit videos like N2 without any issues?

There will still be corner case issues with the Shield. The majority of Shield users have no issues.
Personally I try and avoid Android anything due to Firmware support issues - you are dependant on a 3rd party to supply device Firmware and then you are also dependant on Google that seem to introduce problems with each major OS upgrade.

The CoreELEC guys control the entire build for the ODROID N2, the Linux Kernel, the drivers, tweaks to Kodi itself. The whole Kitchen sink basically.
That has noticeable benefits long term.
Quote:Why on your other thread "4K HDR10 - State of Play thread" seems to list quite a few issues with the nvidia shield 2019 ..
while N2 does not have any issues listed?
Are these issues something we should be concern about?

See answer above.
Quote:yeah nvidia is currently recommended as the best android TV box right now..
Yes due to superior hardware and Nvidia's great Firmware support.
Quote:while the N2 is the best SBC device for android OS right now..
No that title belongs to the Ugoos X2 / X3 Cube and their AM6 due to superior Firmware.
Quote:I do like to tinker and test new stuff, so the N2 would be able to do that while the nvidia shield does not..
Yes and why people buy these developer boards.
Quote:There is No auto Frame Rate Matching, No auto Resolution Switching, No HD Audio, NO deinterlacing and a whole bunch more is missing if you go down the Android Kodi route on the ODROID N2.
Quote:are these features that important for general 4k hevc hdr 10bit video playback?

Yes if you want smooth 24p video playback, you want Kodi to do auto Frame Rate Matching to auto switch your Display into it's Cinema or Movie mode.

Otherwise you need a display that does 24p Judder Free:
https://www.rtings.com/tv/tests/motion/24p
Quote:Is there anything spec wise different from this (Ugoos AM6) and n2?
or anything different that you can do on the N2 vs this device?

Yes it has better Android OS Firmware and an easier Dual Boot Android / CoreELEC setup.

W. 

Yes it has better Android OS Firmware and an easier Dual Boot Android / CoreELEC setup.

Are you saying the Ugoos AM6 has better specs, Android OS Firmware and an easier Dual Boot Android / CoreELEC setup or the N2 has?
So they both got the same chipset

I had a look at the Ugoos AM6 and looks like interesting android box with wifi and remote control + Bluetooth
but is there any reason to get the N2 or you can do the same thing on either devices?
Reply
(2020-05-18, 09:33)madmax2 Wrote: I had a look at the Ugoos AM6 and looks like interesting android box with wifi and remote control + Bluetooth
but is there any reason to get the N2 or you can do the same thing on either devices? 

You are comparing a box with a SBC. Basically, you cannot ever brick an N2, as it has a detachable eMMC, of size you choose, and you have more OS options on it.
Reply
(2020-05-18, 09:33)madmax2 Wrote: Are you saying the Ugoos AM6 has better specs, Android OS Firmware and an easier Dual Boot Android / CoreELEC setup or the N2 has?
So they both got the same chipset

I am saying it has better Android Firmware, and an easier Dual Boot setup.
Specs are virtually the same except WiFi and BT included. ODROID N2 has more USB3 ports.
CoreELEC Kodi will be virtually identical N2 vs AM6.

Quote:I had a look at the Ugoos AM6 and looks like interesting android box with wifi and remote control + Bluetooth

I would not rely on Infra Red remotes for any AMLogic box, control results are usually poor.
Get a Wireless remote like the ultra reliable and popular MINIX A2 lite keyboard remote, which also includes an Air Mouse function that you definitely need for regular Android Tablet Apps.

Quote:but is there any reason to get the N2 or you can do the same thing on either devices?

It’s much easier to change OS images on the ODROID N2 simply by flashing eMMC or microSDHC.
OTG Cables and a PC is usually required to reflash internal eMMC on Android OS type boxes.

Reply
Hi all - hoping you can help as the CE forums are silent on this.

I've been having significant and ongoing issues with CEC/ARC since upgrading to CE 9.2.2.  Shame, because otherwise I love the Odroid N2/CE combination.

Issue 1:
Since upgrading to CE 9.2.2, the audio return channel from my LG C9 to my receiver (used for playing out audio from the built in youtube/netflix apps) intermittently stops working. The issue is only present after starting the system up, and cannot be resolved without a full power cycle.
At first this was happening very consistently. Configuring the TV to fully power off and not go into standby mode when off seemed to resolve the issue for about a week, then it recurred this morning without warning or apparent cause.

Issue 2:
Odroid N2 should suspend via HDMI CEC when TV/VR off, wake when TV/AVR is on. This worked on 9.2.1.  Since upgrading to 9.2.2, the Odroid N2 no longer suspends.

Setup:
  • LG C9, with Simplilink (HDMI CEC) enabled, configured to fully power off and not go into standby mode when off.
  • Denon AVR-X3300W, with HDMI CEC enabled, connected to LG C9 via the HDMI ARC port.
  • Odroid N2, with BT module, connected to the AVR via HDMI.
  • Harmony Hub for automating power on/power off signals to each device individually.
  • Harmony Hub controls Odroid N2 via bluetooth dongle, setup in Harmony as a Microsoft/Kodi home entertainment device. Works great but can’t send wake commands via bluetooth, hence desire to suspend/wake via HDMI CEC.
  • All HDMI CEC options in the CoreElec menu are enabled.
  • CEC in System-Input-Peripherals is set to on, and the setting for when TV is off = suspend. All other settings are disabled.

Other observations:
  • The new dedicated CEC menu in CoreElec settings looks great, but doesn’t seem to preserve settings. If I back out of the menu after changing a setting then return, the setting has reverting.
  • I can confirm that the Odroid stays awake while the system is off because the red power LED remains active, and the connect prohibits my Synology NAS from sleeping.
  • Suspend behavior is desirable for that reason - keeping the NAS awake 24/7 costs a lot of power.
  • Given that the issues are inconsistent, it's very difficult to create a log of the issue.  I just don't know when the ARC issue will happen, or what to log for the CEC suspend issue.

Thoughts?  I strongly suspect the ARC issue and CEC issue are related as they're governed by the same peripheral system and both broke at the same time.  But I'm unable to find documentation on any of the fairly obtuse settings in the CE menus or even make recognizably persistent changes.

Thank you!
Reply
HDMI CEC & ARC = a BiG Can of Worms. What works for one persons setup is completely stuffed for someone else.

Good luck with that CEC adventure because you need it !

I strongly suggest not using “Suspend” at all but have everything Power OFF / ON via CEC if you can get it to work.
I power the N2 - OFF / ON via Infra Red which CEC powers up the TV and that seems to power up the AVR.

N2 HDMI goes direct into the AVR.

Kodi GUI settings not sticking, I suggest you rename Kodi GUI file and reconfigure settings from scratch..

Code:
systemctl stop kodi
mv .kodi/userdata/guisettings.xml .kodi/userdata/guisettings.xml.temp
reboot

Reply
  • 1
  • 37
  • 38
  • 39(current)
  • 40
  • 41
  • 64

Logout Mark Read Team Forum Stats Members Help
ODROID N2+ - AMLogic S922X board from Hardkernel4