[izprtxqkft]

I'm reading several reports in Zidoo's forum about jerky playback, crashes, etc. And general consensus that Zidoo need to be more active w/firmware releases to get their Pro line to the right level of maturity.

i don't know the conditions for those reports but i've been using my Zidoo Z9X Pro as my primary home theater device since Jan 1st and i haven't experienced any of that

using it as intended for local media backups only, BD+4KBD Remux as well as Full 1:1 disc backups both iso and BDMV, i tried iso but since i use makemkv it actually requires more work and causes less than desirable seek times (but still reasonable)
audio passthrough 100% working on everything and always in sync
auto refresh rate and resolution switching is 100% working
very very fast seek times to where it appears instant with mkv and m2ts, iso seeking is delayed by ~1s
never had a crash
fast gigabit connection to the NFS server where everything is stored, ultra low latency with ping times ~0.600ms
(rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 0.220/0.618/0.745/0.161 ms)
(NFS server is just that cheap N100 MiniPC i bought at the end of last year)

when using as unintended with android apps
youtube not so good at times
no widevine so no point trying prime, disney, hulu
jelylfin needs a fork to use the internal player otherwise sucks
emby will work but needs the internal player and resume has a bug when doing this
kodi+zdmc would be almost acceptable as far as video playback except lacking passthrough and or refresh rate switching individually

my synopsis is, it's excellent at being a media device when using it's own HT4, it's terrible at being a general purpose "Android Device" so don't expect it to be
i split up the duties and use my Android TV for general android and Zidoo for my home theater

the major bug/issue i have with my zidoo is i cannot figure out how to get it to load Trailers from NFO files so none of my movies currently have an available trailer, this does not matter much to me as long as it does the rest properly

[hdmkv]

Thanks for that summary, very helpful. I had a Z9X Pro when it first came out, but 3D was broken at the time, so returned it. Found Dune HD's performance snappier than both Z9X & Pro, plus its Android TV option a plus. But, HDR10+ only partially works on Dune, but works fully on Zidoo.

[izprtxqkft]

but 3D was broken at the time, so returned it

3D might still be broken, i don't have any 3D titles (and pretty sure my display isn't 3D capable)

[banggun]

Currently got my hands on the Dune 8K as well and doing some testing. From initial impressions I have found it to be a lot less buggy then the Z9X pro especially when considering 3rd party apps. But even when using the native players I found the Dune much faster and snappier especially when seeking through video files the Dune is almost instant whereas the Z9x Pro gave some very random results. Another thing I noticed on the Z9x pro was when starting the video it seemed to do a lot switching on my tv before it got the right refresh rate and HDR/DV setting sometimes I'd be 6 to 7 seconds into the video before it actually started. The Dune does not seem to have any of these issues.

There is however a strange difference in picture quality where the Dune I feel seems slightly over sharpened but it could be my eyes tricking me or perhaps some TV settings I'd have to test further to confirm. I do however miss the ability to control the Dune through a proper web interface

[hdmkv]

Are you using Kodi? If so, are you using playercorefactory.xml to push playback to the native player app? I know @clarkss12 was trying to do this, but don't know if he made headway on it & if a/v performance is any better doing so.

[clarkss12]

Are you using Kodi? If so, are you using playercorefactory.xml to push playback to the native player app? I know @clarkss12 was trying to do this, but don't know if he made headway on it & if a/v performance is any better doing so.

I got the Playcorefactory installed, but it did not work.  I asked Dune HD about a version for this device but they never responded and I did not follow up.

I did install the Emby app and it can use the native Dune player, but it took away a lot of the Emby functionality.  So, I did not pursue the issue with Dune HD about the playcorefactory for Kodi.

[hdmkv]

Thanks... how did you find the PQ using native Dune player vs. Kodi's internal player? I'm interested in Dune 8K, but not really for 8K, but just better 4K, VS10 and upscaling performance, but at $400, unsure if it's worth it.

[clarkss12]

Thanks... how did you find the PQ using native Dune player vs. Kodi's internal player? I'm interested in Dune 8K, but not really for 8K, but just better 4K, VS10 and upscaling performance, but at $400, unsure if it's worth it.

I am really not the person to ask, the quality all looks the same to me....   

PS, your addiction to these boxes are as bad as mine.  I have been "collecting" these boxes for at least 10 to 15 years, and closer to 15 years.  Fortunately, I do get some boxes sent to me for testing purposes.

I don't calibrate my TV, and my environment is not dedicated to a home theater. My Vizio P65Q9-H1 may not give me a true test of blacks, etc.
Now that those disclaimers are out of the way. I can't really tell any difference in quality.  HOWEVER, the SPEED increase is noticeable. 

What test videos should I test?

[clarkss12]

Thanks... how did you find the PQ using native Dune player vs. Kodi's internal player? I'm interested in Dune 8K, but not really for 8K, but just better 4K, VS10 and upscaling performance, but at $400, unsure if it's worth it.

You are like this person >>  "I don't always drink beer. But when I do, I prefer Dos Equis", only you are very discriminating in your choices of media players, instead of beer.  As far as I know.

[hdmkv]

Ha ha, yes, this hobby is definitely an addiction . My first media players were Popcorn Hour & WD TV boxes.

On PQ tests, it's mostly subjective, but if you really can't tell the difference, that may be a good thing. I don't calibrate my displays professionally, but do use my iPad Pro as a reference to calibrate to best of my abilities & rely on suggestions at AVSForum. My primary movie/TV viewing display is an AWOL LTV-3500 projector onto a 150" screen, so PQ differences are more noticeable than a 65" or 75" TV.

[clarkss12]

Ha ha, yes, this hobby is definitely an addiction . My first media players were Popcorn Hour & WD TV boxes.

On PQ tests, it's mostly subjective, but if you really can't tell the difference, that may be a good thing. I don't calibrate my displays professionally, but do use my iPad Pro as a reference to calibrate to best of my abilities & rely on suggestions at AVSForum. My primary movie/TV viewing display is an AWOL LTV-3500 projector onto a 150" screen, so PQ differences are more noticeable than a 65" or 75" TV.

Yes, with a 150" screen, you would notice everything.  The Dune is a nice media  player, I am using it 100% of the time now (until I get bored of it). 

I have 3 media players connected directly to my TV, audio passed via eARC.  My Yamaha AVR has 7 inputs, and it is usually full.  My TV supports both Dolby Vision and HDR 10+, but my AVR does NOT support the HDR 10+.

[Roby77]

About old times imho Sigma chip had the best pq Vs realtek etc

I had great satisfaction with intel nuc and libreelec

I was worried to try Android media surface render because in the past I read that pq wasn't the same as other platform (also thanks to fernetmenta hardwork)

Btw for homatics I checked with test pattern that black level, gray scale etc are ok also colour saturation seems ok

Maybe I will do ab test Vs nuc next days

But I'm getting old so my eyes aren't reliable

[clarkss12]

About old times imho Sigma chip had the best pq Vs realtek etc

I had great satisfaction with intel nuc and libreelec

I was worried to try Android media surface render because in the past I read that pq wasn't the same as other platform (also thanks to fernetmenta hardwork)

Btw for homatics I checked with test pattern that black level, gray scale etc are ok also colour saturation seems ok

Maybe I will do ab test Vs nuc next days

But I'm getting old so my eyes aren't reliable

Did you try running CoreELEC on your Homatics??

[Roby77]

Not yet cause with atv 12 beside local files bug Kodi 21 (22 alpha master channel ) is working great
I will give a try next days

[haxrune32]

I've been using Odroid N2 for the past years with corelec and previous to that I was using intel mini pc with Kodi.

My Odroid N2 has stopped powering on and I need a replacement device to watch movies.

My requirements

I need something similar to Odroid N2 which will play UHD, DTS HD, Atmos , And all the older codecs

I don't need Dolby Vision as my TV/Projector don't support it.

I require at least 2 spare USB ports as I have all my movies on 1 USB drive and all my Tv shows on another USB drive.

I don't stream anything but like to have the internet for Youtube Trailers.

I need something what will work well with my AV Receiver Denon x2500H and have auto framerate switching and passthrough audios to my 7.1 speaker setup.

From reading through these forums it seems like my Odroid N2 was my best option which I enjoyed all the time it was working.

I don't have much spare money but need something what will work as good as the Odroid N2 while it lasted.  I'm thinking about an Odroid N2+ or Mini PC something like N100 or any other recommendation?

Many Thanks
Rune