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Budget AMLogic S9xx Media Player Options
(2017-01-29, 07:00)vibe666 Wrote: two thumbs up for the mi box 3, great wifi signal, plus it's got AndroidTV and a voice remote and netflix support, so ticks all the boxes. Smile

Except an Ethernet connection :-( which some of us need
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Fixed with a AU$9.39 adapter...

ASIX AX88772 Chipset - USB to Ethernet Adapters such as this cheap (Apple clone) one have been confirmed working on the Mi Box
Other ASIX AX compatible adapters listed HERE

AC WiFi in the Mi Box is good enough to stream 45Mbps ISO Bluray Rips.

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(2017-01-29, 09:03)wrxtasy Wrote: Fixed with a AU$9.39 adapter...

ASIX AX88772 Chipset - USB to Ethernet Adapters such as this cheap (Apple clone) one have been confirmed working on the Mi Box
Other ASIX AX compatible adapters listed HERE

AC WiFi in the Mi Box is good enough to stream 45Mbps ISO Bluray Rips.

Cool provides the option but costs $9+

My issue was not speed but distance, so I bought a mains router extension so I could have cable near my TV.

Still think it's odd the Mi doesn't have an Ethernet option.
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the older model does, as well as an microUSB OTG and a microSD slot, but I guess they didn't get much use.

At the end of the day, they're moving forwards not backwards, ATV6 (and v7 apparently on the way this quarter) and all the other bells and whistles, it's hard to argue.

also, if range is an issue, Xiaomi do decent USB powered wifi range extender for under $10 too.

my only real gripe is that they don't sell the International version with a Chinese PSU for those of us living downunder. Smile
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(2017-01-28, 04:02)wrxtasy Wrote: @serieofilo,

All these cheap unsupported Android Boxes will not give you what you want. None will do 720/1080p Netflix. The RPi3 will not do Netflix full stop.
The RPi3 also has very weak 2.4GHz only WiFi - prone to interference in a crowded RF environment.

The S905X Mi Box has very good AC WiFi and runs proper Android TV, that is very easy to use on a big screen TV with its Voice, Bluetooth Wireless remote.

And because you are in Spain, you can get the International Mi Box version (exact same as USA version) from here:

International Mi Box - Ships from Spain

I get asked to recommend boxes all the time and was looking at the Mi box. What's the deal with refresh rate switching on it? Does it switch automatically within Kodi, and does it switch automatically within Android - so 23.97p Netflix, 50p for European TV, BBC iPlayer Android app etc. or do you have to keep burrowing into settings?

And does it handle both 23.976 and 24.000p output properly - without annoying 40" repeated frames.
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Mi Box has broken Refresh Switching when using any Android App, inc. Kodi and SPMC.

Deinterlacing using Android Mediacodec is also broken for SPMC Jarvis and Krypton. No amcodec even shows up anymore for SPMC.

I will have to test 23.976fps video output more thoroughly. But brief testing shows smooth 23.976fps video output when the Android Resolution is manually switched to 1080p24Hz. ie no 40" frame repetition that I can see.
I would expect the usual AMLogic Frame Rate Automation Level 1 messages if I looked in the Kernel Log.

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(2017-01-29, 12:55)wrxtasy Wrote: Mi Box has broken Refresh Switching when using any Android App, inc. Kodi and SPMC.

Deinterlacing using Android Mediacodec is also broken for SPMC Jarvis and Krypton. No amcodec even shows up anymore for SPMC.

I will have to test 23.976fps video output more thoroughly. But brief testing shows smooth 23.976fps video output when the Android Resolution is manually switched to 1080p24Hz. ie no 40" frame repetition that I can see.
I would expect the usual AMLogic Frame Rate Automation Level 1 messages if I looked in the Kernel Log.

So currently within any app you have to manually go into Android Display settings in the Settings menu and manually switch between 24, 50 and 60Hz if you play 24p, 25p/50i/50p and 29.97p/59.94i/59.94p content respectively? Ouch...

And no deinterlacing for 50i or 59.94i content - either SD or HD? Double Ouch...

I guess if all you watch is 1080 or 2160/23.976p content then you just leave the box on 2160/24p or 1080/24p - but if you watch any 50Hz stuff (DVDs, Catch Up TV, Live TV etc.) manually changing refresh rate is going to get very boring very quickly...
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Mi box is also not officially launched in Europe or the UK , so you have to rely on grey US imports or buying from a China supplier, as a result not a good deal compared to US price point of 69 dollars. Where does that leave you in terms of support will Xiaomi offer you any support on hardware or software if you contact them directly ? My experience on there prducts says No... they normally say you've purchased a device that is not for your geographical reason...hence no support....go back to the retailer you purchased from...

Then you've also got the little nuggets of:

- Broken refresh rate switching , Will it be fixed in future firmware updates ? Maybe, maybe not...
- WiFi only , no hardwired ethernet port...this is pretty crappy...I'd much rather use hard wired Ethernet rather than WiFI ... There's no excuse to not include an Ethernet port.
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I actually paid US $70 for one from Aliexpress, same Spec as US version, inc. free delivery to the land Down Under.

These things are throwaway items, and a very cheap way to use proper Android TV OS Apps without a PITA Air Mouse in sight. Wink

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Anyone use Anewish M8S+ before? I ordered this one cause it was cheep, hopefully it works with LibreElec.
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(2017-01-31, 15:49)jon4248 Wrote: Anyone use Anewish M8S+ before? I ordered this one cause it was cheep, hopefully it works with LibreElec.

It's always better to check these things first, i.e: confirm a box works well with LibreElec before you purchase it... I would suggest reading the instructions on the LibreElec foeums on how to install the kszaq LibreElec build on SD card to test on your box.

Looking at your box it appears to be just another M8S+ clone so it should hopefully work fine with LibreElec. use a "temperature sensor disabled" version of the build as some S905 devices are freezing on boot up due to incompatibility with the temperature sensor activation in the kernel.
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wrxtasy, wondering if you'd seen this little guy?

http://khadas.com/vim/

looks like it could be a decent contender in the RPi/Odroid space?

Image

Seems to come in two versions too.

The standard one is AU$67.34 and the pro is AU$87.54, both in stock at gearbest (the Khadas 'buy' button links directly to gearbest).

Image

I think I might get one to have a play with. Smile
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@vibe666

The hardware is probably okay but our experience of the management behind the product hasn't been too great. Their "promotions" (aka support) team registered a number of accounts in the LE forum and started to copy/paste large texts full of URL links in response to any mention of KV and also started to troll other threads as users with "..have you considered this product, it looks suitable" etc. which resulted in our moderation team banning shill "user" accounts and placing a word filter on the forum so Khadas appears as ****** so that anything we've missed doesn't result in a boost to their Google page ranking. One of their accounts (same name we see github commits and the domain reg. in) was left open and we've PM'd a list of conditions for removing the filter if they are interested in redeeming themselves.

On the software side their github repo (which they were so keen to promote) contains a "greatest hits" of community patches for Amlogic devices along with some interesting revert errors so I'd be surprised if it boots and I doubt their LE image runs Kodi particularly well. The only major positive I can say about KV is their behaviour and messy repo has made our team think more seriously about how to handle third parties who misuse our brand. As things currently stand LE does not want to be associated with their attempt at our software.

Caveat Emptor.
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oh wow, they really screwed the pooch on that one! :o

such a shame, hardware wise it looks like it has potential, and you don't have to spend long around the forum to realise that its the community and support that really makes KODI what it is, and that the OEM's that do well are the ones that have their own devs muck in and help out (legitimately) and maintain an open and honest relationship here.

i know its not always perfect, but it's a group effort that gets it there. Smile
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I suspect the original KV devs ideas are bone fide but other idiots got involved. There was a knee-jerk attempt to bribe their way past the word filter but we refused the "donation" under those circumstances. If they want to redeem themselves with the LE team it's completely possible, but the ball is very much in their court. As you rightly point out, it would be much nicer to see some active technical involvement from OEM's, but so far there's only been 1.5 vendors who made that a priority (WeTek and HK in order of significance). We get infrequent offers of [more] free boxes from others, but that seems to be with the expectation that we're undyingly grateful for a small number of cheap boxes, and that we do all the work to make LE run on them (not many takers for that). The remainder want to silently consume without contribution. Ho hum.
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