Android & Kodi Media player with DTS MA

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janplank

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I believe there are many post regarding this issue so far but my question is a bit different. I have a Mede8er which serves me pretty well but I am looking out for something else with more features.
Can anyone advise out of experience about a product that can offer 4K video output, 1GBit LAN, TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding and or pass-through. Hardware video decoding with h.265 support is a must.
I've read that all the chips might not yet support this so should I wait a few months? I've looked at some potential devices like Minix Neo X8-Plus, Droid TV MG582, Wetek ,Mygica ATV1900AC, WeeTV MX3. Am I wasting my money for a device that can suppot all those high end specs??
The cool thing about kodi is that I can use it to stream media from the web(netflix etc) and watch Hi-def videos from my hdd.
Thanx
 
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janplank said:
I believe there are many post regarding this issue so far but my question is a bit different. I have a Mede8er which serves me pretty well but I am looking out for something else with more features.
Can anyone advise out of experience about a product that can offer 4K video output, 1GBit LAN, TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding and or pass-through. Hardware video decoding with h.265 support is a must.
I've read that all the chips might not yet support this so should I wait a few months? I've looked at some potential devices like Minix Neo X8-Plus, Droid TV MG582, Wetek ,Mygica ATV1900AC, WeeTV MX3. Am I wasting my money for a device that can suppot all those high end specs??
The cool thing about kodi is that I can use it to stream media from the web(netflix etc) and watch Hi-def videos from my hdd.
Thanx
Click to expand...

4K video - yes
1000mb/s network - yes
TrueHD and DTS-HD - yes with built-in player, later with Kodi(already in testing)
HDMI Passthrough - yes with built in player and Kodi/SPMC
H265 Hardware decoding with VPU - yes
Stay away from those media players mentioned, they are going to disappoint you.
They either have no firmware updates, are buggy with streaming apps, don't support 1gb/s network speeds, have slow EMMC storage and RAM that can be a serious bottleneck and make 1080p/4k videos stutter with playback because it can't handle the load. They also come with weak power supplies that make the device freeze with heavy CPU/GPU load.

HPH-NT-V6
This is a great media player, have 3 of them.
Can also run Lubuntu/Xubuntu/Slackware Linux dual-boot firmware to use as a PC.
There is already a user(MAC_L1) that got hardware accelerated video working in Lubuntu but he is still bug-testing and will release his work to the public shortly.

Will receive official Lollipop firmware in June.
There is already testing Lollipop firmware out but with some bugs.

Can get one with 2GB RAM / 16 GB storage or
4 GB RAM / 32 GB Storage.

Latest Android games run flawlessly.
4K video in Kodi/SPMC run perfect.
Boots up in 10 seconds
Bi-monthly firmware updates
Source code is open-source, can build your own firmware or kernels for better performance.
High Quality Samsung RAM
3A Power adapter(higher than other devices for improved stability)
Has a great Android app to use as a remote control and can cast videos/photos/music from phone/tablet to TV, the best Android remote so far. Can also use as an airmouse or touch mouse.

I have a 32 GB model that I want to sell for +- R2600 and a 16 GB model for R2200 excl shipping.
Both do 4k at 30hz, 1080p @ 60hz.
I also have a 32 GB model that do 4k @ 60hz but currently using it as my main unit.
 
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psion said:
where you getting 4k content?
Click to expand...
I want it to be future proof. Somehow I think I am misleading myself. Who wants a first gen 4K player in a few years time. Perhaps I'm to stingy. Rather get a decent 1080p player for now with 7.1 support?
 
janplank said:
@xbmcfan. I came across one of your other replies on Mybb. The price you mention is a bit steep for me. How does the RK3288 compare to the S812 & S802 chips? I read different things on the web. Not sure what to believe.
This link has some info.
Just look at this page, there are so many devices...
Click to expand...

You can read a review here
http://www.cnx-software.com/2014/09...by-rk3288-with-4gb-ram-32gb-internal-storage/
- The ethernet performance has been increased with firmware updates as well as Kodi/SPMC that now run perfect.

Review of S812 device
http://www.cnx-software.com/2015/01/04/cx-s806-review-amlogic-s812-tv-box/

If you are looking for a cheap media player you can try S812 & S802.
But you'll have to buy a bigger power adapter that costs extra eg. 3A because the supplied 2A one is not enough and will cause freezes.
S812 & S802 have slower GPU and the latest games will run with stutter and long waiting times.
S812 & S802 only have 100mb/s network speeds, S812 might have faster 1000mb/s if you get an expensive model.
S812 & S802 with A9 CPU have 30% slower speed than next gen A17 RK3288 at same clock speed.
S812 get around 22000 Antutu score, while RK3288 get around 39000

The S812 devices costs around $100-110 with airmail shipping and will get stuck at customs for several weeks.
A decent RK3288 will costs $149 but will ship with DHL and delivered in 6 days.

Just remember the cheaper you go the slower RAM and EMMC storage you get, that can cause stutter in video playback and no firmware update can solve that.
 
what about hdmi2.0. Would a firmware upgrade suffice or is it hardware related? I am still not clear about the dolby dts HD master audio. Is that a firmware upgrade thats in the pipeline?
 
I haven't had such a good experience regarding digital audio and Android media boxes.

I had an MXIII which just refused to work properly no matter what firmware and settings I changed. I then also tried a Q7 box which worked but only using the optical output, HDMI passthrough was a no-go. I don't think Android is quite ready regarding this, Google just pushed out a new version of Android (5.1.1) which address audio issues with the Nexus player.

I would wait for Android players that support Android TV (Lollipop) if multichannel audio is a big thing for you.
 
janplank said:
what about hdmi2.0. Would a firmware upgrade suffice or is it hardware related? I am still not clear about the dolby dts HD master audio. Is that a firmware upgrade thats in the pipeline?
Click to expand...

HDMI 2.0 is hardware related.
The HPH NT-V6B models have HDMI 2.0, the AMLOGIC ones only HDMI 1.4.

Dolby DTS HD can be enabled by firmware updates on RK3288 eg. HPH NT-V6.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRz9bqJDL6E
On AMLogic devices it is hardware related and you need to get a device with a different CPU to have HD Audio.
AMLogic firmware updates are also not frequent and not open source so developers can't improve it and fix things.
 
DrJohnZoidberg said:
I haven't had such a good experience regarding digital audio and Android media boxes.

I had an MXIII which just refused to work properly no matter what firmware and settings I changed. I then also tried a Q7 box which worked but only using the optical output, HDMI passthrough was a no-go. I don't think Android is quite ready regarding this, Google just pushed out a new version of Android (5.1.1) which address audio issues with the Nexus player.

I would wait for Android players that support Android TV (Lollipop) if multichannel audio is a big thing for you.
Click to expand...

Q7 devices are cheap and low quality, have lots of problems with power supplies and slow memory.
But HDMI Passthrough actually works on the Q7 devices if you use a custom kernel.
I compiled a custom kernel for them last year.
 
@xmbcfan, What is the best remote you can recommended for an android TV or kodi ?
 
janplank said:
@xmbcfan, What is the best remote you can recommended for an android TV or kodi ?
Click to expand...

This
http://www.bidorbuy.co.za/item/172673009/Rii_ZW_51025_1_2_4GHz_Wireless_Mini_Keyboard_Air_Mouse_Black.html
or this
http://www.dx.com/p/mele-f10-pro-2-4ghz-wireless-air-mouse-keyboard-remote-control-voice-mic-225844#.VUbk3VLdf-Y 2 months waiting for JIMC and customs or with DHL but $14 more.

I have one like the last one but without the microphone.
Still bought it when the Rand was R8/$ about R220. Now the remotes cost R400-R600.
 
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What is the difference between the Rii & Mele F10 pro remotes? Have you worked with either of them before?
Can you program custom keys on the Rii?
 
janplank said:
What is the difference between the Rii & Mele F10 pro remotes? Have you worked with either of them before?
Can you program custom keys on the Rii?
Click to expand...

The Mele F10 Pro has a microphone.
Also get Mele F10 Deluxe, Normal without microphone that are cheaper.
One or 2 keys can't be programmed, only for Mele boxes.
Mele F10 Flymouse was one of the first airmouses that were made and you couldn't get anything else.
The Mele can be set up the same as the Rii below.

The Rii has universal IR learning.
To setup Rii for Kodi see - http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=187999
To setup Rii for Android see - http://www.armtvtech.com/armtvtechforum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=752 to get the keycodes.
You can then edit the generic.kl file in your /system/usr/keylayout folder to assign the buttons to different functions.
Or you can get a 'dmesg' and the correct name of the remote and create your own *.kl file for the buttons.

The Rii is better if you want IR learning otherwise the Mele F10 ones also work great.
Have a normal Mele F10 and charge the battery maybe once a month.

Airmouse - no line of sight necessary, can work from 10 meters away.
- battery charging once a month
- has a keyboard
- can move mouse pointer by moving the remote in the air.
- easily edit key functions
- works on PC, Linux, Android(tablets, tv boxes, phones).

An Airmouse use keylayout files instead of IR Remotes whose code is inside the kernel or using a special program.
 
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Any updates on the lollipop firmware for the hph-v6b unit?
How much taxes would I be expected to pay if I import a 189$ unit?
 
janplank said:
Any updates on the lollipop firmware for the hph-v6b unit?
How much taxes would I be expected to pay if I import a 189$ unit?
Click to expand...

There is already a Lollipop firmware out here.
Only TV Out(AV) and IR Remote doesn't seem to work.
The official Lollipop firmware will be released within the next 2 weeks.

There is also Windows 10 mobile to be released shortly after Microsoft releases Windows 10, W10 mobile already running on the chipset in tests.
There is also Lubuntu/Android dual-boot firmware for the hph device.
Nice thing is more than 4 companies' firmware is compatible with the device and they all release frequent updates.

"HPH box NT-V6 with true HDMI in will be released in next month, PIP,recording, by pass...every HDMI in functions will be in it.
another news, NT-V6 will add a new system, win10, that mean, it will become the box with three systems, Android,ubuntu,win10"

I see they only have 2 versions of the box now on their site.
They also had ones with gaming remotes and airmouses.
I think they are updating their sites to release a new model with true HDMI-IN and maybe also a new box based on the RK3688 64-bit processor.
I will find out about it and post more information here. Wait a day or 2 before you buy and I get more information.
 
Great. Looki g forward to it!.
A friend of mine bought the MyGica from takealot. Nifty little device but blurays stutter an buffer over wifi. Hopefully a gigabit lan would solve that?
Eager to see what is coming.
 
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