2016-09-23, 12:17
Thanks for everyones help and advice. Just ordered a Beelink MiniMX. Seemed daft ordering anything else given the support there is on here for that device.
2016-09-23, 20:46
Hi. Thanks for your reply.
Which one is reviewed thoroughly? Zidoo x9s or hi media q5 pro?
If none of the two? Please help me decide.
Which one is reviewed thoroughly? Zidoo x9s or hi media q5 pro?
If none of the two? Please help me decide.
2016-09-23, 20:51
(2016-09-22, 16:42)wrxtasy Wrote:(2016-09-22, 12:35)bongchillog Wrote: any advice on which will i get?One box has actually be independently reviewed and thoroughly tested by a knowledgable user hdmkv here on the Kodi fourms here. The other has not.
zidoo x9s or himedia q5 pro?
must passthrough atmos and x flawlessly
must be good in upscaling to 4k or 1080p
picture quality must be great
no audio sync problem
no lags
supports hdr
fast and responsive
Which box do you think carries the least risk as you know exactly what you are going to get ?
First rule when choosing any Kodi device: Dont get caught up in the Marketing Hype !
Hi. Thanks for your reply.
Which one is reviewed thoroughly? Zidoo x9s or hi media q5 pro?
If none of the two? Please help me decide
2016-09-24, 04:08
Simply put:
There is very little HDR content about apart from Nerdy test clips and self shot user video content.
You cannot even self Rip HDR UHD Blurays due to copy protection.
Netflix has HDR content, but you need an approved 4K Netflix device.
Up scaling of any video will be higher quality is left to be handled by a 4K TV itself, which generally uses better hardware and algorithms to achieve this.
Android TV OS devices have both the proper DRM approvals for 1080p/4K Netflix, HBO etc and also make it very easy to use Android Apps on a big TV screen. All the other regular Android devices will have to use a PITA Air Mouse implementation, this includes HiMedia and Zidoo. Unless you have a Netflix approved WeTeK box that can also run certain tweaked DRM Android TV OS Apps without needing to use an Air Mouse.
If 3D is not needed at all, at the moment the nVIDIA Shield and very likely the recently released Xiaomi Mi Box are better Android devices than the non Android TV OS HiMedia and Zidoos.
4K VP9 YouTube as I understand it will only stream to officially licensed Google Android TV OS devices.
If the HDR capable, officially Google licensed, Android TV OS, Xiaomi Mi Boxes are selling for $69, and they work properly, then there is going to be a BIG shakeup in the media player marketplace going forward from this point in time.
There is very little HDR content about apart from Nerdy test clips and self shot user video content.
You cannot even self Rip HDR UHD Blurays due to copy protection.
Netflix has HDR content, but you need an approved 4K Netflix device.
Up scaling of any video will be higher quality is left to be handled by a 4K TV itself, which generally uses better hardware and algorithms to achieve this.
Android TV OS devices have both the proper DRM approvals for 1080p/4K Netflix, HBO etc and also make it very easy to use Android Apps on a big TV screen. All the other regular Android devices will have to use a PITA Air Mouse implementation, this includes HiMedia and Zidoo. Unless you have a Netflix approved WeTeK box that can also run certain tweaked DRM Android TV OS Apps without needing to use an Air Mouse.
If 3D is not needed at all, at the moment the nVIDIA Shield and very likely the recently released Xiaomi Mi Box are better Android devices than the non Android TV OS HiMedia and Zidoos.
4K VP9 YouTube as I understand it will only stream to officially licensed Google Android TV OS devices.
If the HDR capable, officially Google licensed, Android TV OS, Xiaomi Mi Boxes are selling for $69, and they work properly, then there is going to be a BIG shakeup in the media player marketplace going forward from this point in time.
2016-09-24, 10:44
Also worth pointing out there are multiple flavours of HDR and no clear winner. HDR-10, DolbyVision and HLG are all likely to be used in different (and some cases the same) use cases.
2016-09-29, 11:17
Hi guys,
yet another newbie asking for some advice. I'm trying to decide which box to buy. At the moment I've got a raspberry pi 3 running as my media player to stream things I've got downloaded on my NAS. The problem I've encountered is that whenever I try to watch HD tv-streams the raspberry pi starts buffering. I've read and tried so many different options of settings (editing advancedsettings.xml, different addons etc etc). Now I just want to treat myself to a new device that hopefully can stream foreign tv-shows and sports without any issues.
The devices that right now are connected to my router are the following: NAS, Ps4, Raspberry pi 3 and one laptop.
yet another newbie asking for some advice. I'm trying to decide which box to buy. At the moment I've got a raspberry pi 3 running as my media player to stream things I've got downloaded on my NAS. The problem I've encountered is that whenever I try to watch HD tv-streams the raspberry pi starts buffering. I've read and tried so many different options of settings (editing advancedsettings.xml, different addons etc etc). Now I just want to treat myself to a new device that hopefully can stream foreign tv-shows and sports without any issues.
The devices that right now are connected to my router are the following: NAS, Ps4, Raspberry pi 3 and one laptop.
2016-09-29, 11:23
The real question is do you have streaming issues with Kodi run on your Laptop as well ?
Are you using a local TV / PVR server or are these TV streaming files coming from the NAS ?
Are you using a local TV / PVR server or are these TV streaming files coming from the NAS ?
2016-10-05, 00:02
hi guys, I currently have a couple of Intel NUCs (Win10) that run Kodi (Krypton builds) and need to setup one for the kids. I've seen many mentioned here that do Kodi out of the box but what I am after is something that can let me install alpha/beta builds and also have some mechanism for streaming services like Netflix and possibly HDHomeRun. The other requirement is that it needs to be able to be run via remote only (I don't want to have a keyboard/mouse attached).
2016-10-05, 05:37
As you have mentioned the HDHomerun, what part of the world are we talking about here ?
Because not all Android boxes support 25/50fps deinterlacing at the moment, which is important non US / ATSC TV users.
(All users please add your location to your users details) - top right Control Panel
We actually get sick of asking for this info repeatedly to answer a basic question.
Because not all Android boxes support 25/50fps deinterlacing at the moment, which is important non US / ATSC TV users.
(All users please add your location to your users details) - top right Control Panel
We actually get sick of asking for this info repeatedly to answer a basic question.
2016-10-05, 22:25
(2016-10-05, 05:37)wrxtasy Wrote: As you have mentioned the HDHomerun, what part of the world are we talking about here ?
OZ
2016-10-06, 08:30
@nogi,
If you want 1080p Netflix with 5.1 Audio then its boxes running the official Android TV OS or Amazon devices.
These devices also run Remote control friendly big screen TV, user and Android Apps interfaces.
If you want 25/50fps deinterlacing to work properly then you need Intel or AMLogic (S8xx/S9xx) boxes.
I do not recommend the nVIDIA Shield or Amazon devices for EURO/AUS/NZ 25/50fps TV viewing. 25/50fps deinterlacing for TV viewing is broken on the Shield at the moment.
What I would do:
- Use the RPi you have there to setup a backend TvHeadend Server. (Easy Guides available here on forum)
- In Australia all you then need is a 2nd hand - DVB-T PS3 PlayTV Dual Tuner (Ebay), plug that into the RPi and connect to a home Ethernet Network.
- A self powered 3.5" Hard drive will then need to be connected to the RPi as well to record TV if you want to do that.
- You could also use one of those NUC's as a TvHeadend Server.
BUT then you have this problem of wanting to run unstable Kodi Krypton builds on everything. That is not recommended for a Day to Day use Kodi device, especially with Android boxes.
Really the only Android DRM and 1080p Netflix approved devices about that can also deinterlace 25/50fps TV streams properly are the WeTek Core, Hub and Play2.
I use the remote control friendly Android TV OS Netflix App on the Play2, even though Audio is 2.0. Deinterlacing also works properly for EURO/AUS/NZ TV viewing on these AMLogic S905 WeTek devices.
I suggest reading Post #1 of this very thread about Android TV OS vs regular Android Lollipop remote control interfaces and regular Android Apps - Air mice control. All the boxes that do not run the Android TV OS are really not that remote control friendly when using regular Android Apps, unless you sideload actual Android TV OS Apps. These really are the key to remote control, big screen TV user friendliness.
If you want 1080p Netflix with 5.1 Audio then its boxes running the official Android TV OS or Amazon devices.
These devices also run Remote control friendly big screen TV, user and Android Apps interfaces.
If you want 25/50fps deinterlacing to work properly then you need Intel or AMLogic (S8xx/S9xx) boxes.
I do not recommend the nVIDIA Shield or Amazon devices for EURO/AUS/NZ 25/50fps TV viewing. 25/50fps deinterlacing for TV viewing is broken on the Shield at the moment.
What I would do:
- Use the RPi you have there to setup a backend TvHeadend Server. (Easy Guides available here on forum)
- In Australia all you then need is a 2nd hand - DVB-T PS3 PlayTV Dual Tuner (Ebay), plug that into the RPi and connect to a home Ethernet Network.
- A self powered 3.5" Hard drive will then need to be connected to the RPi as well to record TV if you want to do that.
- You could also use one of those NUC's as a TvHeadend Server.
BUT then you have this problem of wanting to run unstable Kodi Krypton builds on everything. That is not recommended for a Day to Day use Kodi device, especially with Android boxes.
Really the only Android DRM and 1080p Netflix approved devices about that can also deinterlace 25/50fps TV streams properly are the WeTek Core, Hub and Play2.
I use the remote control friendly Android TV OS Netflix App on the Play2, even though Audio is 2.0. Deinterlacing also works properly for EURO/AUS/NZ TV viewing on these AMLogic S905 WeTek devices.
I suggest reading Post #1 of this very thread about Android TV OS vs regular Android Lollipop remote control interfaces and regular Android Apps - Air mice control. All the boxes that do not run the Android TV OS are really not that remote control friendly when using regular Android Apps, unless you sideload actual Android TV OS Apps. These really are the key to remote control, big screen TV user friendliness.
2016-10-06, 14:55
Hello. I am newbie in forum. Weeks ago I order Beelink GT1.
I like the box very much - good looking, small, nice remote control, samba-ftp server and etc.
Play everything perfect, no lag, everything is just excellent except the sound problem with passthrough dolby,dts sound on receiver.
So I am planing to sale it and buy another cheap (50-70$) box.
I would like to support.
2gb ram, wifi, 1000WAN, good remote control, 4k, hevc video, all kind of audio codecs - dolby, dts, trudh-ma...
new modern player that I will use for next 4-5 years.
Easy network access (web and files) like samba, ftp, web management, OTA updates
and of course very good Kodi support. Kodi will be the main app. Often I am using browser and other stuff.
Can you suggest me some alternative box which will replace mine gt1 ?
I like very much popcornhour products.I have a110 which is strong machine, but not kodi support.
New popcorn devices are expensive 200-250 $, no I need something cheaper.
Best Regards,
Nikolay
I like the box very much - good looking, small, nice remote control, samba-ftp server and etc.
Play everything perfect, no lag, everything is just excellent except the sound problem with passthrough dolby,dts sound on receiver.
So I am planing to sale it and buy another cheap (50-70$) box.
I would like to support.
2gb ram, wifi, 1000WAN, good remote control, 4k, hevc video, all kind of audio codecs - dolby, dts, trudh-ma...
new modern player that I will use for next 4-5 years.
Easy network access (web and files) like samba, ftp, web management, OTA updates
and of course very good Kodi support. Kodi will be the main app. Often I am using browser and other stuff.
Can you suggest me some alternative box which will replace mine gt1 ?
I like very much popcornhour products.I have a110 which is strong machine, but not kodi support.
New popcorn devices are expensive 200-250 $, no I need something cheaper.
Best Regards,
Nikolay
2016-10-06, 15:07
(2016-10-06, 14:55)netaccs Wrote: Hello. I am newbie in forum. Weeks ago I order Beelink GT1.
I like the box very much - good looking, small, nice remote control, samba-ftp server and etc.
Play everything perfect, no lag, everything is just excellent except the sound problem with passthrough dolby,dts sound on receiver.
So I am planing to sale it and buy another cheap (50-70$) box.
I would like to support.
2gb ram, wifi, 1000WAN, good remote control, 4k, hevc video, all kind of audio codecs - dolby, dts, trudh-ma...
new modern player that I will use for next 4-5 years.
Easy network access (web and files) like samba, ftp, web management, OTA updates
and of course very good Kodi support. Kodi will be the main app. Often I am using browser and other stuff.
Can you suggest me some alternative box which will replace mine gt1 ?
I like very much popcornhour products.I have a110 which is strong machine, but not kodi support.
New popcorn devices are expensive 200-250 $, no I need something cheaper.
Best Regards,
Nikolay
What's the sound problem on this as I was looking at getting one?
2016-10-06, 15:25
@Jeffers24,
See Post #1 of this very forum and follow the link for all the AML S912 issues. Its definitely not a recommended device
I'm sure @netaccs will gladly sell you his
@netaccs,
You really are going to have to get a brand name, supported, Kodi box from Post #1 of this very thread. A cheap generic Android Box is not going to give you those features you want. That is the reality of it. You get what you pay for with Android.
For Kodi boxes at the moment, they would be lucky to last 2 years before they are outdated. If you want some future proofing you are going to have to pay for it. And for Android this means the nVIDIA Shield.
For everything you want at that price it going to have to be a AML S905 LibreELEC box. Nothing in that price range Android wise will come close to working properly for all Audio and Video.
However the Android TV OS elephant Robot in the room at the moment in the $50-70 price range is the Xiaomi Mi Box. That will get a lot of support going forward I believe to iron out any issues.
See Post #1 of this very forum and follow the link for all the AML S912 issues. Its definitely not a recommended device
I'm sure @netaccs will gladly sell you his
@netaccs,
You really are going to have to get a brand name, supported, Kodi box from Post #1 of this very thread. A cheap generic Android Box is not going to give you those features you want. That is the reality of it. You get what you pay for with Android.
For Kodi boxes at the moment, they would be lucky to last 2 years before they are outdated. If you want some future proofing you are going to have to pay for it. And for Android this means the nVIDIA Shield.
For everything you want at that price it going to have to be a AML S905 LibreELEC box. Nothing in that price range Android wise will come close to working properly for all Audio and Video.
However the Android TV OS elephant Robot in the room at the moment in the $50-70 price range is the Xiaomi Mi Box. That will get a lot of support going forward I believe to iron out any issues.
