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WeTek Core (24p HD Netflix / HD Audio / Lollipop / OpenELEC / 4K / HEVC)
If Amlogic releases an "M" updated SDK for S812 and is not crappy like the 4.4 for the 8726MX I think it will.
There are many precompiled libraries (even in the sources), so updating without stuff coming from the manufacturer is not an option because with major updates such libraries break all the time, you will surely lose Widevine for example.
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Hi - I'm new here, but want to say thank you to all the good info posted by wrxtasy and others.

Need another kodi box and this thread has made me very interested in the WeTek Core. But with black friday sales around the corner in the US, I expect some good deals on other solutions, so I wonder if there are any updates on the release day.

Please give me some good arguments to be patient and not get "tricked" in to buying something like a firetv2.

BTW: How good is the range on the wifi on the core?

Before I found out about the core, I also started to look in to the less powerful Odroid C1+ boards. What would the main difference be in terms performance and functionality?
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FireTV1/2:
Closed secured Firmware from Amazon, an company openly hostile towards legal Open Source Software like Kodi that threatens their DRM video streaming Business model.
Rubbish deinterlacing, no 24p video sync.
You rely on Firmware fixes from Amazon for Kodi compatibility now and into the future. Like the following problem, that will be likely be at the bottom of Amazon's list of priorities to fix:
http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=246809

And the big one - Koying the Android Kodi developer is not very interested at all anymore in this closed Amazon platform.

ODROID C1+ or the WeTek Core are both about equal in terms of performance when running OpenELEC. The C1+ has the slight edge in speed terms as I've tweaked the hell out of it, with numerous Kodi and Kernel patches and it is now quite fast indeed.
But the Core counters with the extra 2K/4K H264/HEVC resolutions and built in WiFi and S/PDIF. No idea on WiFi range on the Core, the internal antenna looks pretty small on the test box I have.

The RF Remote on the Core is very responsive, but so is the excellent IR receiver on the C1+
There is a nice DAC daughter board for the C1+ called the HiFi Shield that works well with OpenELEC / Volumio / RuneAudio OS if you are an Audio head.

Android - Lollipop / Kodi, its no contest. The Core wins hands down. You will get good Android Firmware support from WeTek and 24p HD Netflix is fantastic. Smile

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I can't tell you anything on WiFi coverage as well, first because I always used the wired lan, second because my dev board is without housing and without antenna (I plug in a laptop antenna when I have to try it)
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Hi all and thank you for your help.
As Vasa, I'm planning to buy a new device and waiting for the Core, but have a few doubts:

- Could you please confirm that 1080p 23.976 mkv files work fine (smooth without any stutters)?
Wetek Play definitively NOT. Micro stutters every 41 seconds.
I'm no interested by now in 4k or Netflix but in 1080p films, so this is very important for me.

If so, does it work well on Android, Openelec or both? (I'd prefer to use Openelec)

- Do you know any other device working perfect with these type of files?
Raspberry 2 seems to do the job but I need an Spdif output and to run complex skins. Any other?
Maybe I should buy a new Audio Amplifier with HDMI inputs to forget optical cables. If so, maybe Nvidia Shield could do the job?

Thank you in advance for your help.
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(2015-11-18, 09:40)Milkado Wrote: Hi all and thank you for your help.
As Vasa, I'm planning to buy a new device and waiting for the Core, but have a few doubts:
- Could you please confirm that 1080p 23.976 mkv files work fine (smooth without any stutters)?
Wetek Play definitively NOT. Micro stutters every 41 seconds.
I'm no interested by now in 4k or Netflix but in 1080p films, so this is very important for me.
You get smooth 23.976fps video playback with the Core in both Android and OpenELEC. It is running what is called a Frame Rate Automation Kernel. This is a well proven 24p sync Kernel that is in AMLogic devices from MINIX and HardKernel as well.

No need for a new Amp, you still get 5.1 lossy Audio via S/PDIF

You will need top quality speakers to tell the difference between lossless 7.1 HD Audio and lossy 5.1 Audio anyway. Just buying a new Amp will not do the job.

Image

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(2015-11-18, 10:58)wrxtasy Wrote: You get smooth 23.976fps video playback with the Core in both Android and OpenELEC.
but it's not real true test, must be reported the 23.976hz on HDMI output
LG OLED 55E8 - M9702(oppo 203) -  Dinobot U5PVR(Enigma 2) - Meccol KI pro(COREelec) - Sony PS5
AndroidPremiumPlayer blog - HI - Frequency Switcher 
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Notice how I used the word smooth and not exact.

I frankly don't care anymore about exact figures like that. You may or may not see a single video frame glitch every 80 minutes or so I'm told. It really is a non issue.

I'm judder and glitch sensitive and have no problems with 23.976fps video playback on AMLogic devices that have Frame Rate Automation Kernels implemented.

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So, if I understand, Wetek Core has Frame Rate Automation Kernel implemented but Wetek Play doesn't. Isn't it?
I don't understand why is so hard to do this job when almost every film is 23.976fps. Do you know any one?

I don't want to buy another Amp, but if Wetek Core is not my solution (I hope it will), I would need another device. And it is not easy to find good ones with optical output.
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(2015-11-18, 12:05)Milkado Wrote: So, if I understand, Wetek Core has Frame Rate Automation Kernel implemented but Wetek Play doesn't. Isn't it?
I don't understand why is so hard to do this job when almost every film is 23.976fps. Do you know any one?

I don't want to buy another Amp, but if Wetek Core is not my solution (I hope it will), I would need another device. And it is not easy to find good ones with optical output.


I would also need Optical Out for my Logitech Z5500 speakers for both DTS and DD. However I have deliberated this for a long while and I'm getting round to the idea of just buying a HDMI sound splitter which will separate the DTS and DD to an optical out and therefore not limit my media hardware choices by the SPDIF which is comparatively old tech.

The other solution, if buying a Windows type box, would be to buy a Turtle Beach (IIRC) USB type sound card / stick which has optical out.

So there are solutions which are not too expensive and also allow further hardware choices for Kodi.
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@Milkado
I'm quite surprised 24p is not working on the WeTek Play as I thought this was sorted out ages ago.
Ah, here is the relevant thread for the WeTek Play:
https://github.com/OpenELEC/OpenELEC.tv/issues/4259

I see why you are concerned now about the Play.

The Core is running the same version of AMLogic Linux Kernel as my ODROID C1+ and both have smooth 23.76fps playback.

I have seen issues on AMLogic devices where people are using HDMI cables with ARC or ethernet channels in them and this causes video sync problems as there is a HDMI EDID checksum failure with these sorts of cables. The checksum failure is seen in the Kernel log messages when this is an issue.

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That is even worse Confused
Does it mean that I could suffer the same problem with Core?

I don't know what type of HDMI cable I have. It is 12 years old and too long to easily change it (10m) (projector instalation).
Could you please tell me how to see the Kernel log (Openelec)?

Edited to say that my cable seems too old to include those techonologies (ARC or Ethernet), so I think this is not the cause. Maybe the length?
And sorry to ask you again:
Has Wetek Play Frame Rate Automation Kernel implemented (as Core has)?
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No, a different Kernel I believe and different and far more capable AMLogic Hardware on the Core vs the Play. The Play is an old AML8726-MX Dual-Core ARM Cortex A9 CPU @ 1.5 GHz.

The quad core AMLogic S802/S805/S812 line of SoC's that followed on from this are far more capable. The Core has a S812-H.

http://wiki.openelec.tv/index.php?title=Ssh_commands
SSH into OpenELEC and issue:
Code:
dmesg > kernel.log
less kernel.log

For Frame Rate Automation, start a 23.976fps video, make sure your TV switches to 24p mode and then for confirmation look in the Kernel log for:
Code:
vout [framerate_automation_set_mode] mode_target = 19
[framerate_automation_set_mode[1097]auto_mode=0

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I will try those SSH commands this weekend, thank you very much.

Do you think I must change my HDMI cable anyway? Knowing that it is old and for sure it is not 1.4 as my projector input (Sony VPL-HW55). Coul it help?
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No, a new cable will not help.

If I get time I may be able to look at the WeTek Play OpenELEC code and the Kernel in the Play and possibly patch something over from my ODROID C1+ Kodi / OpenELEC stuff. The Play has to be running the correct modified Linux Frame Rate Automation Kernel first for that to happen. It might be doing that already, I don't know. I'm not that familiar with the Play.

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