Related
My Review on the Zidoo X6 Pro will add more as we tinker
ZIDOO X6 Pro ColorSilverShell Material Aluminium alloy + Plastic
CPU ModelRockchip RK3368 Octa Core up to 1.5GHz (Cortex-A53 64bit)
Operating SystemAndroid 5.1, Built in Google Play Store,Support OTA Function GPUSGX6110; support 4K*2K H.265/H.264:
Memory 2GB DDR3Internal Storage16GB eMMC
Wifi ConnectivityIEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/mimo, 802.11AC,4.900 GHz ~ 5.845 GHz (5.0 GHz ISM Band)
AP6335 dual-band WIFIEthernet1 * RJ-45 Ethernet Jack (10/100/1000Mbps)BluetoothBT 4.0HDMI PortStandard HDMI female, v2.0
Support [email protected] Support HD Audio(7.1CH) Other Interface1 *
TF card reader SD card interface . Support 1GB/2GB/4GB/8GB/16GB/32GB
2 * USB 2.0 port(one could be a OTG port)
1 * IR receiver
1 * Composite video and audio port
1 * S/SPDIF (2CH, 5.1CH)PowerDC 5V/2AWhat's in the box1 x TV box
1 x Romote control
1 x HDMI cable
1 x Power adapter (EU/UK/US/AU)
1 x User manualVideo FormatDAT/MPEG/MPE/MPG/TS/TP/VOB/MP4/MOV/3GP/FLV/ISO/M2TS/BDISO/BDMV/WMV/WMAAudio FormatDD/DD+/DTS /MP2/MP3/WMA/WAV/OGG /OGA/FLAC/ALAC/ APE/ AAC
What's in the box
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Ports
More ports
To get started I have the K400r Logitech keyboard Connected only boots in about 15~20 seconds.
Interface as seen is a Zidoo custom very usable and can customise apps as required.
Remote can be programmed for up 3 quick launch/shortcut your favorite app using the coloured buttons to launch.
I have had the Box running for 8 hours a day just streaming music around the house, nothing to hard as yet box does get warm.
watched a few movies, using Plex, Kodi for few hours again box warm, no failures, Netflix etc.
Tested the following DTS Files on the main TV/AMP all played 5.1 lit up the Sony Display except .eac3 file no 7.1 here
http://download.openbricks.org/sample/HD-Audio/
Wifi and Ethernet speeds looking OK.
In Order: Ethernet, 5Ghz then 2.4Ghz, 2.4 a little poor
What's Under the Hood:
For those that like to see the Numbers for what they are worth
A little Kodi Action Showing some CPU Action
First Impressions of the Zidoo X6 Pro looks good box appears snappy and working well with minimal fuss.
A few quirks have been noted over at the Zidoo Forum and no doubt will get dealt with by team Zidoo
Gaming might be a little down but overall I don't think you would be disappointed to much.
The Zidoo X6 Pro Does get a little warm and I guess some fine tuning from the team at Zidoo will look into this.
If it gives you problems turn the box upside down for a quick fix or a Laptop cooler.
As Seen here a Simple addon/replacement of rubber feet and the airflow is improved http://goo.gl/cTWHaq
The Zidoo team do offer good Backup and support for there product check there forum:
http://forum.zidoo.tv/index.php?forums/zidoo-x6.18/
Artical: News about Zidoo releasing RK3368 Kodi modifications is important
http://www.minipcdb.com/articles/About-Zidoo-and-GPL
A $10 off Coupon at Geekbuying for those interested :NAKJQGNF
http://goo.gl/n1wLXv
More to come as I tinker
Thanks
ZIdoo X6 Benchmark Testing
Into Numbers then this will be of interest
Test Conditions:
K400r keyboard plugged in no other devices.
Box Just switched on, Benchmark Apps loaded
Box powered off/on between each Benchmark
New Firmware Zidoo X6 Pro V1.0.16 Beta
Model: ZIDOO_X6 Pro
FW Version: v1.0.16
Add closing process prompt for task bar
Solve issue that no focus when entering into task bar for the first time.
Solve issue that no focus through left/right button to close process after entering task bar
Optimize the display of date and time(e.g.09:25 change into 9:25)
Add phone remote control on navigation default software
Add Vietnamese support on UI
In all apps,select system application and press menu button, to remove uninstall option
Optimize the wrong display path issue on system player
Add airplay(ios < 8.02,It will be support ios 9.0 in next vervion)
Solve explorer can't find the USB device
Optimize the HDMI adaptation problem when playing 4K 60Hz.
Modify the buffer strategy of underlying decoder, and optimize related
This is a beta version, welcome anybody to feedback issus
OTA zip file:
http://http://apidl.zidoo.tv/zidoo_x6/ZIDOO_X6 Pro_v1.0.16_ota.zip
New Firmware Zidoo X6 Pro V1.0.22
Team Zidoo and the Beta tester working hard on this one.
Version: v1.0.22
Changelog:
System:
1.Add HDMI CEC RC function, the TV Sets that's with CEC function can control X6Pro box through TV control;
2.Update the GooglePlayStore version as LeanBack;
3.Update the latest GooglePlayServices version as V8.3.00;
4.Add tips to the closing process of taskbar;
5.Solved no focus when entering to taskbar for the first time;
6.No focus when killed tasks;
7.Optimized no identification with NTFS filesystem device;
8.Revised "Ehernet" into "Ethernet" on the settings;
9.Modified brower as Andriod native Browser;
KODI
1.Update KODI to 15.2 final version;
2.Solved losing part color issue when playing 2D video;
3.Add support to transformat for BD MVC 3D Frame Packing;
4.Solved the audio noise issue with kodi pass-through feature;
5.Optimization 23.976 in kodi.(The default status is off,This is a beta function
6.Eliminate the noise of audio passthrough;
7.Modify the strategy of buffer area;
8.Add the notice switch of 3D mode on TV;
9.Support Adjust display refresh rate by KODI;
Native Video Player
1.Add support BD MVC 3D FramePacking in native video player;
2.Optimized the error condition when playing BD ISO;
UI(1.1.2)
1.Modified the display mode of date and time as (09：25 into 9：25);
2.Add ZidoRC on shortcut;
3.Add Vietnamese;
4.Press Menu button, "set boot" changed into "Launch on startup" in the applicaiton management page.
Explorer(1.5.7)
1.Modified no display with some devices;
2.Modified no Udisk display, when entering file management and press HOME, blug-in Udisk, select the promot into file management
OTA zip file:
Main download:http://apidl.zidoo.tv/zidoo_x6/ZIDOO_X6_Pro_v1.0.22_ota.zip
Amazon mirror:http://ota-cloudfront.zidoo.tv/zidoo_x6/ZIDOO_X6_Pro_v1.0.22_ota.zip
Mediafilr mirror:http://download1501.mediafire.com/6r2e2p8ub15g/53fvs0fzys1be14/ZIDOO_X6_Pro_v1.0.22_ota.zip
MD5:AC765CB37B36C4E931CA5A7EE7129144
How to upgrade: http://blog.zidoo.tv/2015/02/how-to-upgrade-the-zidoo-x9-firmware/
o-I-c said:
Team Zidoo and the Beta tester working hard on this one.
Version: v1.0.22
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These links are DEAD and do NOT work -- please fix
Links Updated
Apologies. all links repaired:good:
New Version V1.0.23B
Beta Release mentioned
Version: v1.0.23
Changelog:
1. Add support 3D MVC mkv file via kodi
2. Optimized system, to enhance the stability
3. Add support of file system hfs plus (mac)
4. Solved the issue about unclear focus to dialog
OTA zip file:
Main download:http://apidl.zidoo.tv/zidoo_x6/ZIDOO_X6_Pro_v1.0.23_ota.zip
Amazon mirror: http://ota-cloudfront.zidoo.tv/zidoo_x6/ZIDOO_X6_Pro_v1.0.23_ota.zip
Mediafire mirror: http://www.mediafire.com/download/59d8upcd1rku33l/ZIDOO_X6_Pro_v1.0.23_ota.zip
MD5:6800CA26A585A1F20251AF279818C63F
How to upgrade: http://blog.zidoo.tv/2015/02/how-to-upgrade-the-zidoo-x9-firmware/[/QUOTE]
New Firmware v1.0.24
Zidoo have been busy a bit of an update
ZIDOO_X6 Pro v1.0.24
Kodi update:
1.Solved the audio out of sync issue when enable passthrough
System:
1.Add custom control power button function, the choices includes power off/standby/dialog box, and the default is a dialog box, it can set through settings-device-powerkey define.
File management:
1.Solved the issue that's default of entering storage when connected USB device.
Red/Green/Blue short-cut buttons:
1.Add "subtitle" "Audio" "stop" short-cut funciton to red/green/blue short-cut button(just in kodi).
http://forum.zidoo.tv/index.php?threads/new-firmware-v1-0-24-for-zidoo-x6-release.689/
Zido x6 firmaware update v1.0.25
v1.0.25
ChangeLog:
1.Solved the audio out of sync issue when enable passthrough
2.sloved black screen issus when playback the streaming of kodi Addons
OTA zip file
Mediafire mirror:http://www.mediafire.com/download/p2m8p5gahev83gs/ZIDOO_X6_Pro_v1.0.25_ota.zip
Amazon mirror:http://ota-cloudfront.zidoo.tv/zidoo_x6/ZIDOO_X6_Pro_v1.0.25_ota.zip
MD5:3315F746AE999722DCF1775AC58AADF5
How to upgrade: http://blog.zidoo.tv/2015/02/how-to-upgrade-the-zidoo-x9-firmware/
Note:
This is a Beta version, in order to confirm the passtrough problem, even though we have tested a lot of formats and files, there is also something we haven't considered yet. Please feedback to us if you found anything .
http://forum.zidoo.tv/index.php?threads/new-firmware-v1-0-25-for-zidoo-x6-release-beta.711/
How well is netflix performing? Is the box able to initiate a 4K stream within Netflix?
As with most media Players from that part of the world there is no Google Widevine support at the present 480 is the best, may change but I am unsure.
Firmware update:v1.0.26
More from the Zidoo team v1.0.26_X6PRO
1: Fix video block of Netflix
2: Provide ISO9.2 for airplay, fix video block of ISO video format
3: Optimize mouse icon, enlarge mouse size
4: Fix could not play 3D movie on 3D TV in native player
5: Add printer function
6: Add the external SUB for native player
7: Fix could not play BDMV in mediacenter through smb
8: Add video info for native player, such as audio, format, size, duration, resolution, etc.
9: Add avi/dvix/xvid video format for native player
10: Optimize system, improve the speed and stability of the system
KODI:
a)optimize audio out of sync problem
b)optimize rkcodec, improved play
c)fix black screen in PRV addon.
OTA zip file
v1.0.26 rooted version
Mediafire mirror:http://www.mediafire.com/download/wkm0o652txzk9n3/ZIDOO_X6_Pro_v1.0.26_ota_root.zip
Amazon mirror:http://ota-cloudfront.zidoo.tv/zidoo_x6/ZIDOO_X6_Pro_v1.0.26_ota_root.zip
v1.0.26 unroot version
Mediafire mirror:http://www.mediafire.com/download/603cmm79nrdj4fy/ZIDOO_X6_Pro_v1.0.26_ota_unroot.zip
Aamazon mirror:http://ota-cloudfront.zidoo.tv/zidoo_x6/ZIDOO_X6_Pro_v1.0.26_ota_unroot.zip
Firmware update:v1.0.27
New firmware at Zidoo V1.0.27
http://forum.zidoo.tv/index.php?threads/new-firmware-v1-0-27-for-zidoo-x6-release.771/
Firmware update: v1.0.28 (test)
A temporary version to test some bug fix:
http://forum.zidoo.tv/index.php?threads/new-firmware-v1-0-27-for-zidoo-x6-release.771/page-8#post-4948
Does the Box really support 5Ghz AC?
Kevinkuensken said:
Does the Box really support 5Ghz AC?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On my home dual band WiFi network (Fritz!Box 7490), yes!
But is not easily noticeable which band is connected to. Neither if it changes from one band to the other for any reason...
Zidoo Theater
Zidoo has launched there own Media Organiser Called Theater.
Theater on X6, Manage your videos on local storage and smb. Will be released in V1.0.30
Test Apk files are available over at the Zidoo Forum and give the Zidoo Team some constructive support with any error or findings.
http://forum.zidoo.tv/index.php?threads/zidoo-home-theater-and-auto-download-subtitles-in-native-player-release.883/
Zidoo X6 Firmware v1.0.30
Change Log:
1. Optimized the hidden of mouse pointer
2. Add the Zidoo Home Theater(Experimental function)
3. Video player
a. Add the shade of subtitle
b. Change the operation interface with three-dimension
c. Add function than can download subtitle online(It depends on the language your settings.Experimental function)
d. Add adjustable function with size/color/location for subtitle
e. Add display of video information(like size/format/resolution, etc.) when video pausing.
4. File management
a. Add display function when connected USB device
b. Add compatible and shared directory for device, also any shared path
c. It will pop up a login box when entering shared directory and got a validation error, allowing users to login with a new account and saved automatically as a new device
d. It doesn't allow multiple choice with the shared directory list, it will judge automatically whether mount or not when copy; if not, have to verify firstly.
e. It will remove a mounted network device when exiting.
f. It only mounts that needed directory when enter shared directory
g. Add scan method of samba
h.Show the volume name in the file manager when insert USB device
5. Optimization of airplay: Solved the broken screen of airmirror, support ISO 9.2
6. Upgrade Kodi to 16.0
7. Support external USB audio device
8. Solve the spelling mistake of "control" for local disk (thanks for grummel2005's feedback)
9. Solve Kodi with black screen sometimes when playing some video(thanks for dorol's feedback).
OTA zip file
v1.0.30 unroot version
Mediafire mirror:http://www.mediafire.com/download/rm7u2g9ux4334dm/20160114_ZIDOO_X6+Pro_v1.0.30_ota_unroot.zip
Amazon mirror:http://ota-cloudfront.zidoo.tv/zidoo_x6/20160114_ZIDOO_X6+Pro_v1.0.30_ota_unroot.zip Pro_v1.0.30_ota_unroot.zip
MD5: 8EB6078C71E7C952567F6B5B8DD0A41A
v1.0.30 root version
Mediafire mirror:http://www.mediafire.com/download/8c2r1hsswwj88bj/20160114_ZIDOO_X6+Pro_v1.0.30_ota_root.zip
Amazon mirror:http://ota-cloudfront.zidoo.tv/zidoo_x6/20160114_ZIDOO_X6+Pro_v1.0.30_ota_root.zip Pro_v1.0.30_ota_root.zip
MD5: DE881DA717ED1DF96400279FC68FD416
How to upgrade: http://blog.zidoo.tv/2015/02/how-to-upgrade-the-zidoo-x9-firmware/
New firmware v1.0.32 for ZIDOO X6 release
New firmware v1.0.32 for ZIDOO X6 release
ChangeLog:
1. Solved issue that can't call up the virtual keyboard when connected such Bluetooth or airmouse devices(Must Restore factory settings).
2. Added support to multicast screen.
3. Removed the power key define on the settings
4. Removed zidoorepo in the "Settings-->About"
5. Modify the poweroff UI, more easy to operate it, Can define the power key actions.
6. Improve the virtual mouse, fix the bug of repeat disappear and appear.
7. It can show the video information with pressing the 'O' on the remote control in the native player.
8. Optimized kodi, add auto-reflash framerate; pre-installed the related dependent library for the addon.
9. Solved the issue that only can identify two usb storage in one usb port.
10. Added support for RII i8 and RII i25 airmouse.
11. Solved it cannot save system volume in settings.
12. ZIDOO Media center
a. Optimized the reflash the UI when the storage plug out.
b. Optimized the loading issue with long time or failure, especially for adding device in the form of the host name on SAMBA.
c. Fix the error on the device listbar when plug out device quickly.
d. Optimized the support to save mounted device, to prevent users from wrong operation.
e. Solved reading the label name distortion on USB device.
f. Solved appear "unknown error" when open folder on the SAMBA device.
g. Fix the bug of the storage plug in dialog didn't disapper.
h. Solved no response and interface stucked when used Quick Search way to search frequently.
i. Optimized the acquisition mode for USB device volume label.
j. Solved device flashes back sometime when entering SMB with Address mode.
OTA zip file
Mediafire mirror
Amazon mirror
MD5: 56e2061ce64a3d87cc6471bdf21f4499
How to upgrade:
Note:V1.0.32 will not be release root version, we will release a root tool soon
First in the forum to Gray scale test three days,if no problem,Then push the OTA online update.
Root X6 and X5 Zidoo
From Zidoo
Root apk, and you can install this apk to root your system.
download from this link: http://apidl.zidoo.tv/zidoo_x6/OnkeyRoot_1.0.6.apk
this apk can run in X6 and X5 (use the new version V1.0.10)
From Zidoo
Root system may bring unsafe hidden danger,
If you encounter problems in the process of using,
Please return to unroot system first, otherwise, we will not deal it
if you root the system, it can't OTA online.
The threads on custom ROMS are generating lots of posts.
Some questions are asked multiple times, some are never answered (because lost in the flow)... making it hard to take a clear decision about with custom ROM to flash, if any at all.
Thus, I'd like to use this thread to discuss about the "pros and cons" of each method, or rather the "possibilities and limitations" of them.
For the moment, this would include the three following ROM:
- The stock ROM (the one you get which your fresh Shield TV)
- The StockRestyle 3.0 ROM, provided by @zulu99, see the thread here
- The Full Android Marshmallow ROM, provided by @zulu99, see the thread here
The goal is not to encourage you to go in one or the other directions, but to provide objective arguments. This is why I wrote "possibilities and limitations" are preferred to "pros and cons"
Please comment in this thread, and I'll update the following posts regularly.
1) The stock ROM
Link to Nvidia Open Source Resources and Drivers here
No operation required, this is the standard ROM already installed on the Shield TV -> Just Plug and Play!
Shield TV game controller and remote fully working wireless (Wifi-Direct), including Voice search, and headset plug.
Can play Nvidia specialized games - Doom 3/Metal Gear Solid/Android based or Geforce Now streamed.
Play store limited to Leanback-compatible apps (Shield TV runs Android TV)
- Thus, the number of compatible apps is limited (also due to the absence of touchscreen, obviously)
- Some apps cannot be installed at all, or cannot be run properly
Standard applications (not available as Leanback-compatible apps, e.g. web-browser...) can/need be sideloaded
- By defalt, sideloaded apps don't appear in the standard Home menu
- Sideloaded apps can be started using Sideload Launcher or Apk2tv
Standard applications can also be installed directly from Play store using Market Helper. NOTE: this requires root access.
Keyboard and Trackpad devices do not produce too much efficiency due to rom limitations
Unability to use a remote desktop
Apps related
No web brower installed, but Chrome (or others) can be sideloaded.
Skype for Leanback isn't working: calling buttons cannot be selected, no video call button.
Kodi can be installed. It allows you to stream content directly to your TV
To be checked:
Amazon fire TV 4K remote and game controlled can be paired using the Shield Accessories tool. (Works on the StockRestyle)
2) The StockRestyle 3.0 ROM
Link to the thread here
Requires to flash the ROM. The process is rather simple, but as always to avoid risks you should know what you are doing. Reading carefully the main post of the thread related to this ROM, and at least the last comments and those from zulu99 is recommended.
Full Play store available (access to more games. Yet, touchscreen-only games cannot be played with a game controller)
Aptoide TV filters apps that are compatible with Android TV. For example, for Skype, the standard Aptoide app provides the last version of Skype (6.26 for the moment, which is not working on this ROM), while Aptoide TV provides the version 6.15.
Shield TV game controller globally working
- Some issues reported with the new version of the game controller: Home and Back buttons not working well.
- Voice search button first starts Google search, a second press (not a double press) starts Voice search
The Nova interface is designed for touch and/or mouse and/or keyboard actions
- Most of the interface can be used using a remote or a game controller
- But, the configuration often requires a mouse (or at least, is faster to use with a mouse)
- A wireless all-in-one keyboard is a good device to use with, e.g. Logitech K400 Plus (others are good too, but this one is battery-friendly)
Web browser usable in full desktop mode, e.g. Chrome (without ads if you download adaway, root required)
Multitasking may look limited. Yet, you can use Alt-Tab on the keyboard to switch between apps
No Android Navigation (softkeys) or Status Bar (e.g. You do not get to see notifications/download progress/etc)
Amazon fire TV 4K remote and game controlled can be paired using the Shield Accessories tool. They won't appear in the list of connected devices, but they are working well, including microphone.
It may feel like a bit of a strange mix, not really remote-friendly, but not really full Android capable either. However, this is the only know solution to keep the proprietary tools from NVidia working while having a standard Android interface.
Apps related
Skype 6.14 and 6.15.x are fully working, i.e. audio and video calls, using UVC webcams (tried with Logitech C920 and C930)
Some easy fixes
Settings App: First step after install - Go to Widgets> Nova Activity and selecting Settings app so that is shows up on desktop
Remote/Controller Friendly Navigation in the App-Drawer: Nova-launcher setting for App-Drawer needs to changed from Vertical to Horizontal
Foreign external keyboard can be remapped using one of the many apps available
- External Keyboard Helper Pro is working well in my case: Android interface in English (US), external keyboards in German (QWERTZ, Logitech K400 Plus and Logitech K830). You can try the demo version for free. PS: I'm not linked in anyway to the developers of this app.
3) The Full Android Marshmallow ROM
Link to the thread here
Requires to flash the ROM. The process is rather simple, but as always to avoid risks you should know what you are doing. Reading carefully the main post of the thread related to this ROM, and at least the last comments and those from zulu99 is recommended.
Smooth, fast, responsive ROM
Full Play store available, more standard applications should be compatible
Leanback only applications can also be launched using an tweak tool: QuickShortcutMaker (see video here)
Shield TV game controllers not working wireless (using Wifi-Direct) but working as normal a standard gamepad when connected via USB
Shield TV remote control working (using Bluetooth), including audio. [Confirmed here]
Long-term update is questionable because it depends only on the person who is providing this ROM (even though this person is very active)
To be checked or confirmed by several users
Some slower performance (frame rates) in games from stock-restyle (feedback based on Rom ver. 1.0, not sure about 1.1) [Mentioned here]
- This could indeed be a counterpart of all what is running in the background of full Android (see here). In others words, full Android is more general in the sense it offers more possibilities, but at the same time it cannot be expert in all those aspects. Thus Android purist would prefer to go for this ROM while Nvidia gamers may prefer to stay on the Stock or StockRestyle ROMs. In the end, YOU make the final choice.
Shield TV remote control working (using Bluetooth), including audio.
- Working: here
- Not working well: here
You could possibly add another or include as an option to #1.
Stock Rooted with Market Helper (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2146216) device spoofer or the other hack.
Options are good.
IamSonoma said:
You could possibly add another or include as an option to #1.
Stock Rooted with Market Helper (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2146216) device spoofer or the other hack.
Options are good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is quiet in here. I was interested in seeing some responses. Maybe an anonymous poll.
If I had more time, less family, less places to fish I would run 3 boxes and compare them all. I would always need to have one that is stock and family friendly for the wife and the kids.
When i bought mine a month ago I was hoping there was more community support but it may take more time to catch on. Luckily Zulu gives us two options to toy with. They work pretty good. Statistically speaking and I could be wrong, About 90% of the people making a purchase like this just want to plug and play and have no desire to tweak or tinker. I know this because out of the 6 in my family I am the only one that even thinks "can I root it?" when I am researching it. The rest of my family just want to plug and play. They want simple.
As for me I want it to over-clock, play games without CDs (Wii<family loved this but I have a tone of unwrapped games> and xBox with external HDDs), aging my self here play a game using two 5 1/4" floppy drives with all files working on 2 disks instead of 6 disks(AD&D SSI games), running android on my tilt 2 slide out keyboard sell phone, I could go on.
I really hope development picks up. I only wish I could help more. I do encourage Zulu and others to continue.
IamSonoma said:
It is quiet in here. I was interested in seeing some responses. Maybe an anonymous poll.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was also hoping for more feedback.
Indeed, the last few weeks I was struggling to find the best ROM that would suit my need. After reading the 200+ pages of post in the thread of the ROM proposed by @zulu99, I had hard time to extract the right information.
Thus, the idea of this post: I want to present objective points of comparison, I have no apps to sell.
The point is also to avoid the post like "Which ROM should I pick?". If the advantages and limitations are clearly listed, everyone should be able to make his/her own decision, all ROMs are good, it only depends on what you want to do with it.
PS: In my case, I wanted to 1) keep the Nvidia Shield TV game controllers (and my Fire TV 4K remote and game controllers), and 2) to have Skype working. Thus, my final choice for the StockRestyle ROM.
Mythamp's Review of the Roms
Stock Rom
Pros:
1. Ideal for basic 4K TV owners who want to stream all current channels of 4K content
2. Can play Nvidia specialized games - Doom 3/Metal Gear Solid/Android based or Geforce Now streamed
3. Remote and Controller work great
4. Kodi allows you to stream content directly to your TV
Cons:
1. Small selection of Android TV Apps
2. Browsers and Non-Android TV apps need to be side-loaded
3. Cannot install most Non-Android TV apps
4. Keyboard and Trackpad devices do not produce too much efficiency due to rom limitations
5. Unable to remote desktop into the device incase you wish to send remote instructions to download content so that you can come home and enjoy.
Overall:
The Stock Rom is unable to take advantage of Android. It is a cumbersome process for people who like quick responses. I would say it is as limited as any other 4k TV's with Android built-in apart from a few Nvidia games. Trust me, this does not justify the $150 investment.
Stock-Restyle Rom
Pros:
1. All of the pros of Stock Rom including full controller and remote support plus
2. Install unlimited Android Apps taking full advantage of the Google Play Store
For Example:
• Use "Airdroid" app (root required) to remote mirror your device from work and have all the content ready when you get home.
• Play thousands of Android games on your 4k TV
• Use Chrome in full desktop mode (root required) without ads (download adaway) - almost as good as a desktop Chrome. Great for quick browsing.
3. Less cumbersome to move around by using a Keyboard with Trackpad (I personally use the "Logitech K400 Plus")
Cons:
1. Multitasking may look limited - yet you can use Alt-Tab on the keyboard to switch between apps
2. Many Android apps (mostly games) require touch, which can be done using android mobile device with Droidmote installed. Some games can be played using the Keyboard/Trackpad combo but its a hit & miss.
3. No Android Navigation (softkeys) or Status Bar (Eg. You do not get to see notifications/download progress/etc)
4. It is technically not a Full/Clean Android as it has Nvidia's framework still builtin
5. Some easy fixes FYI
• Settings App: First step after install - Go to Widgets> Nova Activity and selecting Settings app so that is shows up on desktop
• Remote/Controller Friendly Navigation: Nova-launcher setting for App-Drawer needs to changed from Vertical to Horizontal
Overall:
The Stock-Restyle Rom is in my opinion the best rom for the Nvidia Shield TV. It opens the device to all the Android & Google Play Store goodie-ness, while allowing you to use the fantastic shield controller and remote to play/stream all nvidia and some android games. I have also personally found that android games run smoother on this rom than on the Full Android Rom (Maybe its because the rom is based on the nvidia framework, I could be wrong.)
Bottomline - install this rom before trying the rest.
Full Android Marshmallow Rom
Pros:
1. Amazingly smooth, fast, responsive rom
2. You get the full Android experience
3. Includes all the pros of the above Roms
Cons:
1. No support for Nvidia controller wirelessly, you can use it by plugging in the cable and installing keyboard drivers
2. Noticed some slower performance (framerates) in games from stock-restyle (feedback based on Rom ver. 1.0, not sure about 1.1)
Overall:
The Full Android Marshmallow Rom is a great solution for Android purists. You will miss-out on the seamless (wireless) experience of playing all the Nvidia/Android Games. If someone can get the wireless controllers to work here, I will be the first one to shift over from stock-restyle rom.
- This is just my opinion on the roms based on my usage, I am sure many users have their unique needs which might not match my feedback, so please take all this with an open mind -
mythamp said:
2. Noticed some slower performance (framerates) in games from stock-restyle (feedback based on Rom ver. 1.0, not sure about 1.1)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stock, StockRestyle and full Android, on the gaming part, more precisly on Accelerated 3D Graphics, have the exact same components. Are Identical.
I extract this part from stock firmware and are Nvidia proprietary blob. ( every developer can compare the files )
Every Nvidia exclusive games are working on all 3 firmwares in the same way.
But in full Android you can have also more normal games compatible in addition to all Nvidia exclusive games.
Also for Audio and hardware video decode the 3 firmwares have the same components.
There is only one, very important difference between the 3 firmwares. Only full Android have the full Android framework, permissions and components and in the real life you can translate this as more compatibility with millions apps in Google Play. For the present and for the future.
just to be precise.
P.S.
But attention, don't forget that if you run Windows XP on a modern PC, for sure is faster than Windows 10. Why ? Because Windows 10 have more things.
I think that Android TV is not comparable with full Android for the simple reason that Android TV is a stripped down version of full Android.
But if you don't need everything that Android can offer, you can use also Android TV.
Another fact, very simple, is:
If you want everything that Android can offer on TV, a controller or a remote with only directional keys are not sufficient. And if you prefer only directional keys, you will have barriers, limitations and slow interaction forever. Instead if you use a better input device you can have also a full OS on TV that for me is better, because i can do things of both worlds.
It all depends on what you use and what you know, the most important fact is that you can choose.
Great thread, I'm just trying to decide which to install on my Shield when amazon delivers it.
I'm really thinking of using Full Android but have bought the nvidia remote control too (mainly for the audio jack). So..
Is the Shield remote working or not on Full Android (is it bluetooth or works like the controller?). Can anyone point it out, please? Thank you!
grievous2004 said:
Great thread, I'm just trying to decide which to install on my Shield when amazon delivers it.
I'm really thinking of using Full Android but have bought the nvidia remote control too (mainly for the audio jack). So..
Is the Shield remote working or not on Full Android (is it bluetooth or works like the controller?). Can anyone point it out, please? Thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it work, also audio.
*1
zulu99 said:
Stock, StockRestyle and full Android, on the gaming part, more precisly on Accelerated 3D Graphics, have the exact same components. Are Identical.
I extract this part from stock firmware and are Nvidia proprietary blob. ( every developer can compare the files )
Every Nvidia exclusive games are working on all 3 firmwares in the same way.
But in full Android you can have also more normal games compatible in addition to all Nvidia exclusive games.
Also for Audio and hardware video decode the 3 firmwares have the same components.
There is only one, very important difference between the 3 firmwares. Only full Android have the full Android framework, permissions and components and in the real life you can translate this as more compatibility with millions apps in Google Play. For the present and for the future.
just to be precise.
P.S.
But attention, don't forget that if you run Windows XP on a modern PC, for sure is faster than Windows 10. Why ? Because Windows 10 have more things.
I think that Android TV is not comparable with full Android for the simple reason that Android TV is a stripped down version of full Android.
But if you don't need everything that Android can offer, you can use also Android TV.
Another fact, very simple, is:
If you want everything that Android can offer on TV, a controller or a remote with only directional keys are not sufficient. And if you prefer only directional keys, you will have barriers, limitations and slow interaction forever. Instead if you use a better input device you can have also a full OS on TV that for me is better, because i can do things of both worlds.
It all depends on what you use and what you know, the most important fact is that you can choose.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All the remarks have been considered in the comparison threads.
One question about the remote on full Android answered.
JulienPr said:
All the remarks have been considered in the comparison threads.
One question about the remote on full Android answered.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The remote works for me sometimes but I usually end up ditching it because it is a pain. Sometimes I can pause a show and walk away. Sometimes it does not. I am not sure if it is loosing sync or not.
Voice does not work. Volume control is iffy. It does pause videos with the volume slider on occasion. When I hit the home button it will sometimes go there. It has become useless to me. I am glad it was free.
My issues probably do not reflect the ROM(full android) but I remember it working when ever I picked it up on stock android. I am just not ready to go back.
IamSonoma said:
The remote works for me sometimes but I usually end up ditching it because it is a pain. Sometimes I can pause a show and walk away. Sometimes it does not. I am not sure if it is loosing sync or not.
Voice does not work. Volume control is iffy. It does pause videos with the volume slider on occasion. When I hit the home button it will sometimes go there. It has become useless to me. I am glad it was free.
My issues probably do not reflect the ROM(full android) but I remember it working when ever I picked it up on stock android. I am just not ready to go back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe again an issue with the version of the remote or game controller.
I noticed that on the StockRestyle, the old version of the game controller was working perfect while the new version had issues with the Home, Back and Search buttons (both using the same firmware update).
Might it be the same with the remote? Is there an old version (with Home button represented by a house).
See the difference for the game controllers:
Version 1, this model is still the one you get when bought separately.
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Version 2, this model is the one included now with the shield.
JulienPr said:
Maybe again an issue with the version of the remote or game controller.
I noticed that on the StockRestyle, the old version of the game controller was working perfect while the new version had issues with the Home, Back and Search buttons (both using the same firmware update).
Might it be the same with the remote? Is there an old version (with Home button represented by a house).
See the difference for the game controllers:
Version 1, this model is still the one you get when bought separately.
Version 2, this model is the one included now with the shield.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have version 2.
IamSonoma said:
I have version 2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know if there was a "version 1" of the remote, I cannot find any trace of it.
But, since they change the design of the Home button to be a circle only on the V2 of the game controller, and that it's the same as the V2 of the remote, it wouldn't be surprising if there was a V1 of the remote with similar symbol as the V1 of the game controller.
@zulu99, which remote do you have?
Love this thread guys as I've been considering another ROM but didn't know the clear pros and cons of Full Android and now this ReStyle one which I'm very interested in. I have a few questions for anyone. Perhaps the answers could gain momentum for many others as you guys are absolutely right that AndroidTV's app selection isn't just lacking, it feels like AndroidTV apps exist and the consumers want them, but the interface for getting them or allowing users to simply inform specific developers the demand to support it is insanely behind. On the desktop play store you can't even sort or filter Android TV apps other than seeing these two specific links unless an active user is seeking blogs or postings regarding them.
Apps for Android TV
Games for Android TV
Gotta vent a bit the already known... feel free to skip down...
On the stock play store, you can search for apps but not having even top charts or proper categories other than the useless 'featured' in addition to strong limitations is hurting as a whole. Some of the biggest brands out there have no or heavily limited apps for ATV, including even many tv channels like TNT or ESPN. I think Nvidia or Google for the time being should at least allow the detection of a mouse and keyboard to least show apps that 'might work' rather than none and give the user the option to control that. Hopefully Android N will improve things with the Picture in Picture and maybe even DVR abilities. Love this box but even though Android is a strength, it's also a weakness in the shade of a very sensitive cycle. More users --> More developers thus more apps --> More users --> More developers --> etc... I feel like the users are there, but while developers are increasingly aware, it should grow faster, and Google should help that awareness.
Anyways my questions were:
1) Does HDMI-CEC still work? Currently in stock it works in turning on the tv and with the tv on its Source Input, off with tv, and controlled by tv remote but not with volume (shield remote controlling tv volume).
2) Any loss of functionality with Casting? More specifically I usually cast from Youtube, Plex, Google Photos, and Mirror Casting from Nexus phone.
3) Any loss of 4K support, including Youtube, Plex, VLC, MXPlayer, or hopefully introduction of HDR support (doesn't work natively on Shield perhaps because of the HDMI 2.0a not yet being implemented). I'm interested in keeping Full dynamic range and ability to toggle 4K 60 and 4K 24fps along with Plex (with Refresh Rate Switching for native 24fps support in 60 mode). So I guess along with this can AndroidTV specific apps still be installed or will the phone/tablet versions be installed instead? Example: Plex.
4) Is Adoptable storage still supported? I'm guessing when flashing the StockRestyle ROM we'll have to wipe the adoptable sdcard and essentially factory reset.
5) Can AptoideTV work just fine on stock? I'm going to probably try it tomorrow
While I personally don't play any of the Nvidia games, I'm looking to have the Stock Stability + current emulator/rom support (rooting for Wiimote support) + specific apps that are not supported on AndroidTV without having to constantly manually update them through sideloading. Apps I'm interested in include Google Apps including Google Photos + Logitech Webcam supported (Skype + Hangouts + FB Messenger) and possibly Amazon Prime Video but ideally if it can support at least 1080p or 4K. I also use Kodi but am still learning to use it.
I'm very familiar with modding on my Nexus 6P (TWRP, root, Xposed, with monthly updates) so was wondering if there was anything different I should know other than the obvious loss of a screen when adding custom recovery and rooting along with Nandroid backups. Has any one successfully backed up their stock ROM and restored it later? Also anyone root stock, then backup everything on Titanium Backup (sideloaded) and restore apps + data on StockRestyle ROM?
My set up is 16GB Shield Stock 3.0 not rooted yet + Samsung 128GB Pro+ microsdxc + Stock Controller + Remote, it's connected to a Samsung 4K SUHD UN65JS8500. Also using bluetooth Logitech keyboard + mouse, xbox 360 receiver, x360 controllers. Still waiting for possible DVB-S2 integration and maybe live tv solutions like silicondust.
grievous2004 said:
Great thread, I'm just trying to decide which to install on my Shield when amazon delivers it.
I'm really thinking of using Full Android but have bought the nvidia remote control too (mainly for the audio jack). So..
Is the Shield remote working or not on Full Android (is it bluetooth or works like the controller?). Can anyone point it out, please? Thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
-> the shield remote is ok on full android.
I use it to watch movies with headset plug in ...but only the microphone function don't work
copticwalad said:
2) Any loss of functionality with Casting? More specifically I usually cast from Youtube, Plex, Google Photos, and Mirror Casting from Nexus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm curious about this too. I like the idea of the shield basically replacing my chromecast, but with Full Android it looks like you can't cast TO it, but you can cast IT'S display like any other phone or tablet. Is it possible in full android to cast another device TO the shield with full android?
Sent from my SM-G900T using XDA-Developers mobile app
New R-Box Pro Amlogic 912
Two flavours 2/16Gb or 3/16gb
Amlogic S912
R-BOX Pro comes with S912 CPU 64bit chipset.
Android Marshmallow
DDR3 2GB or 3GB RAM, eMMC 16GB Flash
Dual Band WIFI
2.4Ghz and 5Ghz band
Gigabit LAN
4K Resolution
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Operating System Android 6.0
CPU Amlogic S912 Octa core ARM Cortex-A53 CPU up to 2GHz (DVFS)
GPU ARM Mali-T820MP3 GPU up to 750MHz (DVFS)
RAM 2GB DDRIII
ROM 16GB EMMC
Extended Storage TF CARD Support 1~32GB
AP6330 2.4GHZ/5.8GHZ 802.11a/b/g/n, Lan 10/100/1000M and BT 4.0
Built-in HDMI 2.0a transmitter including both controller and PHY with HDR, CEC and HDCP 2,2, [email protected] max
HDMI Port HDMI 2.0
2*USB host + 1*USB OTG
1*SPDIF
1*AV
1*Micro SD card (TF card) reader
1*RJ45 LAN Port
1*DC
Power 5V/2A
The Look...
R-Box's least ubiquitous looking entry yet. Hope there is a way to control that light strip. 3GB RAM should add some breathing room to the GPU. Looking forward to seeing opinions develop on this and other S912 devices.
R. D. said:
R-Box's least ubiquitous looking entry yet. Hope there is a way to control that light strip. 3GB RAM should add some breathing room to the GPU. Looking forward to seeing opinions develop on this and other S912 devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Other s912 device,I think the mecool bb2 is better.It's cheaper than r box from some online store such as geekbuying
Mine just arrived. From Geekbuying. The top side was scratched I assume this is duo the fact that they probably opened it to fix the issues at the factory. EDIT: Lol apparently it's a protector thingie. Kinda strange that it didn't peel off when I first tried<.<
It has 11GB free from the 16GB
No setup page.
The menu is kinda retarded, you have the default android settings menu and you have an "mediabox menu" that has the same settings but just show less.
2.7GB RAM available according the settings.
You can uninstall the ****ty apps that are included (beside system apps)
It has by default root.
Looks like the light is blue while booted and red while suspended.
And for the love of god some one link me to a proper wifi remote<.< so I can use my phone instead of the default app that doesn't even have qwerty in it.
My R-box pro do not work with BT gamepad ipega pg-9025. It's connects well, but pressing buttons do nothing. Media buttons (vol +\-) too.
Dualshock 4 not pair to device.
I'm too stupid to understand what's wrong. Can someone help?
Is this box support OTA? H96 pro does support OTA.
SteveS5 said:
Is this box support OTA? H96 pro does support OTA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They're technically identical I think. The differences just in the firmware
H96 has same 6.0 firmware.
Regme2009 said:
My R-box pro do not work with BT gamepad ipega pg-9025. It's connects well, but pressing buttons do nothing. Media buttons (vol +\-) too.
Dualshock 4 not pair to device.
I'm too stupid to understand what's wrong. Can someone help?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dualshock 4 should be compatible by default.
My R-Box has currently a ROM issue. My R-Box froze up so I had to power cycle it down and up again but that apperently broke it. Waiting for their support to respond on how to solve it.
Programming the Remote
Did anyone figure out how to program the 4 "TV Control" buttons on the remote?
---------- Post added at 11:52 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:46 AM ----------
I have configured the Kodi player to use the pre-installed TVHeadend PVR plugin to access free to air TV channels, but the play back is pretty poor - I cannot even view the HD channels due to buffering issues, and SD channels are very stuttery.
The unit is connected with a 1000-BaseT GBit wired network. Using a Raspberry Pi 3 running the same version of Kodi under LibreElec gives a much better response - HD and SD work flawlessly.
I'm not sure if this is a hardware issue or an Android one - does anyone have any ideas?
BTW MPEG-TS is the Transport-Stream version of MPEG4, and is the underlying standard used by DVB-T and DVB-S for free to air TV.
R-box pro 3gb faulty 1 day old
yesterday i received my R BOX 3gb and i have problems with it already
1 ) i noticed the boot up animation is jerky and audio stutters and does not play smooth
2) the RJ45 ethernet socket is a poor fit you have to be gentle pluging the cable in because you can push it too far into the socket then you will lose internet connection i have tried numerous other cables with the same results
3) The lighting effect when red (standby) the light is very dim and flickers it is obvious that there is somthing wrong with the box i have been sent
prety poor start my other much cheaper boxes have never given me any problems
[email protected] said:
Did anyone figure out how to program the 4 "TV Control" buttons on the remote?
---------- Post added at 11:52 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:46 AM ----------
I have configured the Kodi player to use the pre-installed TVHeadend PVR plugin to access free to air TV channels, but the play back is pretty poor - I cannot even view the HD channels due to buffering issues, and SD channels are very stuttery.
The unit is connected with a 1000-BaseT GBit wired network. Using a Raspberry Pi 3 running the same version of Kodi under LibreElec gives a much better response - HD and SD work flawlessly.
I'm not sure if this is a hardware issue or an Android one - does anyone have any ideas?
BTW MPEG-TS is the Transport-Stream version of MPEG4, and is the underlying standard used by DVB-T and DVB-S for free to air TV.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Take a look here it worked for me and i have found update for my r-box so i didnt get kicked off kodi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUNzTHOpiY8
---------- Post added at 03:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:53 PM ----------
[email protected] said:
Did anyone figure out how to program the 4 "TV Control" buttons on the remote?
grapegodbox said:
yesterday i received my R BOX 3gb and i have problems with it already
1 ) i noticed the boot up animation is jerky and audio stutters and does not play smooth
2) the RJ45 ethernet socket is a poor fit you have to be gentle pluging the cable in because you can push it too far into the socket then you will lose internet connection i have tried numerous other cables with the same results
3) The lighting effect when red (standby) the light is very dim and flickers it is obvious that there is somthing wrong with the box i have been sent
prety poor start my other much cheaper boxes have never given me any problems
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi can you see which firmware you have becoz there is lot of trouble with firmware ,the ota didnt work either but i found new firmware for sdcard and a prg for burning it as boot i have it in my dropbox if you want it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got my r box pro 3g/16g couple days ago and I'm very satisfied, but that is my first android tv box and have nothing to compare with.
Bought it from Aliexpress, paid around 71euro with shipping, arrived in Serbia in 30 days.
First thing I've done is factory reset, then replaced kodi 17 alpha with 16.1 stable version, my opinion is that 16.1 working better then 17 alpha.
Didn't try everything that this little thing can do, but what I've tried worked ok. I tried chrome, youtube, kodi, installed couple apps from playstore (not games), wireless transfer from pc to box, box to pc, from/to phone, connect wireless mouse... Kodi works good, no buffering issues like with some people.
Blue led stripe around box can be turned off, on navbar there is light bulb icon so you can turn off/on the light.
When the box is suspended, the light is red, but there is no light when it's shut down. In settings there is option what power button do, suspend or shut down. I choose shut down, the box need around 45 seconds to fully boot up, so that's ok.
In settings there is an option Backup&Update, but OTA not working, it cannot connect to OTA server, known bug for everyone. But, there is another option, WirelessUpdate, I'm not sure what that option update, apps or firmware. I click on it, it say "update detected" and I confirmed that I want to update now. It download and execute update. Version of the firmware is 20161018, but unfortunately I didn't remember version before update, so can't say if it changed.
About firmware, I found yesterday on the net new version, 20161118 (flashable with pc), but didn't try it yet. Be aware, there is two different boards inside r box pro, q6330 and q9377, if you mix up the firmware the wifi and bluetooth won't work or the box won't boot. I have q9377. Install Cpu-z from playstore to see version of the board.
One strange thing, I wanted to check the price on Ali yesterday, but surprise, there is no sellers who sell r box pro, and there was 10-15 at least one month ago... Why, I don't know.
One thing that didn't work for me, I try to connect box to tv without hdmi port. The box have tv out, the cable didn't came in the package but I have it, from some old camcorder. The cable have 4-pin 3,5mm jack on one side and 3 chinch connectors (white, red, yellow) on the other. When I plug it there is no picture, just mono sound. I think that is not box fault, but the cable, wrong pinout.
This is my review of the R-box PRO 3G/16G, if someone want to share their experience, it would be nice. Cheers!
My R-Box with Q6330 with updated firmware is running smoothly with krypton 17 kodi no problems i have the latest firmware and the prg to burn the sdcard for update if someone want it its 13/10-2016 firmware (latest for q6330)
Has anyone had problems with the latest netflix app on these devices. Mine stopped working completely, always giving me a network error. Even if I use the new download feature, I cannot play the file as it reports a file error. The same account running the same app version on my phone works just fine. I've had to factory reset and not upgrade the netflix.
Blue led stripe around box can be turned off, on navbar there is light bulb icon so you can turn off/on the light.
Where did you see that ? Can you make a screenshot for me please
Of course, no problem.
Here is a picture of navbar, first icon is small lightbulb.
When you click on it, blue light is turned off, when click again, blue light turn on.
snebojsa said:
Of course, no problem.
Here is a picture of navbar, first icon is small lightbulb.
Thanks i didnt have this icon thats why i couldnt find it lol
My box is S912 q6330 maybe thats why i didnt have it
:good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After update firmware that icon is missing
http://www.cnx-software.com/2016/11...id-tv-box-review-part-2-android-6-0-firmware/ here you can find more news
Today something new and little different
ZIDOO H6 PRO Android 7.0 Allwinner H6 2/16GB AC WiFi Gig Lan BT4
Has been a long while since we have had a Allwinner device.
So lets not beat around the bush and get into.
In typical fashion Zidoo packing and presentation excellent.
The Box
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Look in the box
More Boxes
Finally what's in the Boxes
White Affair by the looks
Back
Side
Other Side
Front and Underside
Under side PCB
Topside PCB
Thanks to Zidoo for the Opportunity to show and tell
Hope you enjoyed the look around of the ZUI interface
4 core CPU, running Android 7.0 32 bit,
Not a power house beast, most should be Good, Videos should be ok
Interesting to see what allwinner of today is with what it has to offer,
Android 7 would should add more smarts hopefully.
Possible incompatible with some testing software unsure.
Antutu sound was not clean, very stuttery. both demos.
Vellamo, onscreen animations frozen thru some of the web-browsing demo's.
3d Benchmark some of the Animation screen did drop out.
All test shown are only a reference or a guide to performance on some sort of a level playing field.
How accurate these results maybe in real terms is always open to conjecture.
If it looks and feels fast, with general operation on how apps run, start up etc
and the scores indicate that in some way, then some justification is plausible.
Temperatures looking good, low 40,s idle to 70c under the pump, (3Dmark)
Blue tooth remote Excellent.
No display on front one would thought with the size of that window.
Small Blue or Red pin hole led next to window for power indication.
Found Both Wifi and ethernet speeds to be good at this location.
Internal Movie Player or Media Centre as its called also good.
Scanned SMB, NFS, playing the majority tested, more testing to be done.
Netflix OK not HD looking pretty good.
No Kodi or equivalent installed as yet
A good looking Media player with a flash looking UI and Interface not to bad at all.
Updated Today to L1 widevine support
Model：ZIDOO_H6 Pro
FW version：v1.0.10 BETA
Updated list:
1.Netflix suppots 1080P playback.
2.Youtube supports 2k、4k playback.
3.Solved the freezing issue on such bbc news、vimeo, etc applications.
4.Solved the issue that can not save when HDMI setting into 4k up to 60p.
5.Solved the issue that some screens display in 4:3 size when TV turn on.
6.Solved the wrong color issue when playback hdr video on kodi
7.Optimized the connection tips of bluetooth remote control
8.Fix the Launcher app open applications ui, the fast press the back button, the ui does not display
9.Optimized the freezing issue when playback turehd、atmos videos via smb network.
10.Solved no sound issue on some ac3 videos
11.support root(just need install suppersu).
12.Solved the issue of individual device that shows tips repeatly with cvbs plug in、cvbs plug out
Download url：
http://www.mediafire.com/file/cd50kx43cov7npx/ZIDOO_H6_Pro_20170930_v1.0.10_ota.zip
MD5: 924ae598ba65d2cb0740c89f271c405b
Update style：OTA
How to upgrade:
http://www.zidoo.tv/Support/guide/g...e_faq/CN6lY0XMyIg=/faq_page/9nCdOWqz+dw=.html
How does it works after a few months usage? I'm planning to buy one of these. Or something similar under 100$.
Sent from my NX569H using Tapatalk
It's one month i am using it and i have mixed opion of this box. Obviously it's a beautiful piece of hardware, but the firmware is limiting its potential. With a fine tuning it works well with kodi and all the common stuff you want to install on an android box. The embedded player works fantastic even if it misses the look and feel of Kodi while navigating the list of movies and other media.
I have choosen it because it's sayd Zidoo supports a lot its products. H6 pro was released, if i am not mistaken, in August 2017 and it received three firmwares so far. Anyway several problems still exist; nothing scary for an experienced user, nevertheless is not the kind of product to unbox, plug and play easily.
il_giank said:
It's one month i am using it and i have mixed opion of this box. Obviously it's a beautiful piece of hardware, but the firmware is limiting its potential. With a fine tuning it works well with kodi and all the common stuff you want to install on an android box. The embedded player works fantastic even if it misses the look and feel of Kodi while navigating the list of movies and other media.
I have choosen it because it's sayd Zidoo supports a lot its products. H6 pro was released, if i am not mistaken, in August 2017 and it received three firmwares so far. Anyway several problems still exist; nothing scary for an experienced user, nevertheless is not the kind of product to unbox, plug and play easily.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Meanwhile I have bought xiaomi mi box 4k. It's very limited on software side but it's doing the job.
Thank you for the review!
Interesting! What do you mean with limited?
thanks in advance
il_giank said:
Interesting! What do you mean with limited?
thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not customizable android, No Ethernet port, when playing 4k video is lagging. But, as I sad, is doing the job. I recommend it only for non exigent user.
o-I-c said:
Download url：
http://www.mediafire.com/file/cd50kx43cov7npx/ZIDOO_H6_Pro_20170930_v1.0.10_ota.zip
MD5: 924ae598ba65d2cb0740c89f271c405b
Update style：OTA
How to upgrade:
http://www.zidoo.tv/Support/guide/g...e_faq/CN6lY0XMyIg=/faq_page/9nCdOWqz+dw=.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is a new release:
http://forum.zidoo.tv/index.php?threads/firmware-v1-0-20-for-zidoo-h6pro.7202/
Does it have release-keys or unofficial firmware with test-keys?
I'm wondering because some streaming apps test on it...
Thanks!
Just avoid this box until the Zidoo devs provide a stable working Firmware!
I recently bought it and 4 firmwares are out since its launch and every time its breaking something and fixing something.
No Pre-installed ZDMC (Ziddo's Kodi fork) and they ask you to sideload it.
All the FW updates have problems with Kodi 17.x, no hardware acceleration, low framerate, high cpu even on 1080p, x265 doent play anymore on Kodi on most recent FW Update!
Playstore search doesnt work,
NO OTA updates they boast about. Everytime I have to flash it with USB.
These are the pure basic functionality and if Zidoo can't even provide a stable tested fw addressing these there is no point to buy it. Zidoo is more busy in launching newer devices and supporting their higher end models and not giving proper attention on this one. Not complaining about hardware build , its good.
Visit the Zidoo forums and you will find many users with these issues and lot other issues.
Avoid it!
sunny155 said:
no hardware acceleration,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello.
How did you manage to make sure of this? I'm using VLC and MX player, with hardware acceleration enabled and it's working. The CPU temps and usage also dropped a lot but despite this, I also suspect that there is enough to improve... I'm on fw 1.0.28 http://forum.zidoo.tv/index.php?threads/firmware-v1-0-28-for-zidoo-h6pro.8671/
hpto said:
Hello.
How did you manage to make sure of this? I'm using VLC and MX player, with hardware acceleration enabled and it's working. The CPU temps and usage also dropped a lot but despite this, I also suspect that there is enough to improve... I'm on fw 1.0.28 http://forum.zidoo.tv/index.php?threads/firmware-v1-0-28-for-zidoo-h6pro.8671/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I played a video on Kodi 17 . Also, HEVC playback is broken on latest firmware 1.0.28 on Kodi
I didnt tried any VLC or MX player.
sunny155 said:
I played a video on Kodi 17 . Also, HEVC playback is broken on latest firmware 1.0.28 on Kodi
I didnt tried any VLC or MX player.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Kodi is all stormed on Zidoo. Forget it.
Try these apps I told, it's working. I just do not understand how VLC and MX are working with hardware acceleration without the GPU being properly installed.
I run GFX bench and I confirm GPU is not working, it's a shame.
Every chinese box has serious software problems. While there is no model here in XDA or with custom ROMs, it will be this suffering...
hpto said:
Kodi is all stormed on Zidoo. Forget it.
Try these apps I told, it's working. I just do not understand how VLC and MX are working with hardware acceleration without the GPU being properly installed.
I run GFX bench and I confirm GPU is not working, it's a shame.
Every chinese box has serious software problems. While there is no model here in XDA or with custom ROMs, it will be this suffering...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Zidoo has own fork of Kodi called as ZDMC. I am using Zidoo x5 with ZDMC for almost 3 years + but it has limited ram and a slow Wifi so I thought to upgrade and bought this H6 Pro which has better specs and was under my budget.
What I didnt knew it doesn't come with ZDMC and Kodi sideload doesnt work properly! My bad I didnt checked the forums before buying!
The hardware is good but like you said **** software support and they cant even fix it (less efforts or funding?) and instead they keep launching newer box with more powerful hardware! This is how Zidoo screw us! They do release updates but what's the point of buying something you can't use bug free immediately! Instead have to follow forums and hacks and wait till they release new broken updates! Never ever got their hyped OTA update it didnt worked on x5 neither on this H6 Pro. I Should've spent more and bought Minix U9-H which atleast has no serious issues like Zidoo. I am gonna wait for one last update and if it didnt work I will sell it.
Hello to all!
I recently purchased this tv box and I still waiting to receive it. Unfortunately, I did not check the Zidoo forums before complete the purchase. Now, I am very affraid after all the negatives comments that the tv box have. Do you have any advise in order to avoid or not have to much issues with the box? For example, is it recomenbable make the upgrade to the lastest firmware? or make a factory reset?
I have a big issue, and it is that I can not request a refund or change of the box becasue in my country is very complicate to do that.
Thank you for your advises.
New firmware version
Hi, there is a new firmware version, ZIDOO_H6_N_v1.0.36_20180903.
Please consult Zidoo comunity place.
Nice work, thanks Zidoo it solve some problem and is more stable. :good::good:
mop09737 said:
Hi, there is a new firmware version, ZIDOO_H6_N_v1.0.36_20180903.
Please consult Zidoo comunity place.
Nice work, thanks Zidoo it solve some problem and is more stable. :good::good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They did not solve anything, infact they made it worse, Google is crashing every 4-5 seconds and the unit is useless untill you disable all google services.... Moreover they do not reply to any threads in their forum asking for help, since months now...
How can I root the Zidoo H6 Pro?
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Beelink is known for producing some of the best affordable TV boxes and mini PCs on the market, and the A1 is one of their latest inventions. This device, which is much smaller than an average smartphone, packs an RK3328 quad-core processor, 4GB RAM, 16GB eMMc internal storage and lots of useful features. How does it perform in our daily lives, we will try to find out in this review.
Main Specs of the Beelink A1
Operating System: Android 7.1
Processor: RK3328 Quad-Core Processor (4*[email protected], Mali-450MP2 GPU)
RAM: 4GB DDR3
Storage: 16GB eMMc Internal Storage, TF Card support (up to 128GB)
HDMI: HDMI 2.0a output up to [email protected] + HDMI 3D video formats
Display: Digital LED display
Ports: Ethernet port*1, AV Port*1, DC port*1, Micro SD card slot*1, USB 3.0 Port*1, USB 2.0 Port*1, HDMI*1.
Dimension: 77mm*77mm*17mm (L x W x H)
Chassis: White, ABS Plastic
Retail Package: TV box*1, Remote control*1, HDMI cable*1, Power adapter*1, User manual*1
Retail Package
Inside the box, you will find a Beelink A1 TV box, a remote, an HDMI cable, a power adapter, and an English manual.
Design
Measured at 77mm*77mm*17mm, the Beelink A1 is the smallest TV Box we have ever reviewed. It has a much smaller footprint than the Jide Remix IO, the Jide Remix Mini and the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge.
While lacking in size, this device still offers a slew of ports and slots. On the back side of the box you will find a 3.5mm AV multi-purpose port, an RJ45 Ethernet jack, an HDMI 2.0 port, and a DC port.
On the right side of the device, you will find two USB Type-A ports, one of USB 3.0 standard and the other of USB 2.0 standard. There’s also a Micro SD card slot which supports cards up to 128GB.
On the front side of the box you will find an IR receiver, and an LED display working as a digital clock.
The tiny casing is made of white ABS plastic, which gives the device an elegant and premium look.
The Beelink logo on the top side of the box is hidden most of the time, and can only be seen while we look at the box in a certain angle, when it reflects the lighting.
There are some vents on the bottom side to keep the box from overheating.
Like all products from Beelink, the build quality of the A1 is pretty good, even though it has a plastic shell, it still feels quite robust in our hands. The supplied remote is also well-built. Although still with a predictably lightweight, plastic finish and limited mouse pointer functionality, the box responds quickly to its commands and the infra-red range are acceptably long and broad.
Setting it up
Setting up the Beelink A1 is as easy as setting up any TV box. Connecting it to a TV via HDMI, plugging in the charger and you are good to go.
You will need to connect the device to the internet the first time you boot it, either via Wi-Fi or a LAN cable.
System & Apps
The Beelink A1 ships with Android 7.1 Nougat, but the user interface is tailor-made for a TV box. The launcher has everything laid out beautifully and is very easy to navigate. The date and time is located at the top left with the temperature widget below. In the center of the screen you have a link to the media center, internet browser and Google Play Store, There are also shortcuts to “clear memory”, app drawer, and settings laying below. To the right is an area where users can pin their most commonly used apps. Finally at the bottom left you have shortcuts to power, volume, at the bottom right you have shortcuts to Wi-Fi, Bluetooth.
The navigation bar at the very bottom is defaulted to be hidden, but you can bring it up with a mouse. It has many virtual keys, including a power key, a hide-bar key, a volume- key, a back key, a home key, a recent apps key, a volume+ key, and a screenshot key.
The A1 doesn’t come loaded with bloatware, but there are some preinstalled apps. Besides the stock Google Play Store, Android Web Browser, Calculator and Gallery, you can also find Beelink’s very own App Store, Bee Files Explorer, Media Center and Bee Music in the app drawer. There are also some third-party apps preinstalled, including the Fishing Joy game app.
As a TV box, the A1 is designed mainly for media consumption, and you can find a great number of media playback apps in Google Play, including YouTube, Netflix, Kodi and Hulu. The A1 has no problem streaming 4K videos smoothly on YouTube, but I did notice some hiccups while playing a few local videos with Kodi.
Another thing I need to mention is that I could not find a way to play local videos in full screen with the Beelink’s Media Center app.
Fortunately I don’t really need to use it that often, other media playback apps such as Kodi, Mobo Player and MX Player all work well with full-screen video playback. Only when I needed to use the PiP (Picture in Picture) function would I open the Beelink Media Center, as it works great if you want to keep your eyes on two things at once.
Another relatively unusual feature of the Beelink A1 is its ability to act as a Networked Attached Storage (NAS) device although that’s only going to be really useful if you’ve an external storage connected. That’s not an area I am particularly interested in but I know there are users desperately wanting it. There’s also settings to activate the A1 as a portable WiFi hotspot, but only at 2.4GHz.
Since it is running on Android 7.1 Nougat, the A1 can also serve other functionalities such as E-Mails, Web-browsing and social networking, but you will need a mouse and a keyboard for those tasks, as it would be too awkward typing texts with a remote and the on-screen keyboard.
Another notable feature of this box is the ability to receive OTA (Over-the-Air) firmware updates. My unit received 3 OTA updates during my two weeks’ testing it.
Performance
The Beelink A1 is powered by a Rockchip RK3328 quad-core processor and 4GB RAM. It wouldn’t really match those flagship Android smartphones when it comes to benchmark scores, but as a TV box, it has a lot of power under the hood.
In Antutu V6 benchmark test, the A1 scored 33,992, ranking above competitions such as the Jide Remix IO (32,981), the Zidoo X9s (33,990) and Jide Remix Mini (23,919).
In Geekbench 4 CPU test, the A1 notched 569 in single-core, 1,470 in multi-core, and 1,128 in computing. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find a way to run 3DMark, PCMark for Android and Androbench tests on the A1.
As for the real-world performance, the A1 was pretty smooth when we set the HDMI output at 1080P resolution. At 4K, however, the A1 became less responsive, and there were frequent stutters and delays with different tasks.
The A1 had no problem playing most 1080P videos we threw at it, but it did struggle with some 4K clips. In the Antutu Video Tester Benchmark, the A1 scored 668, compatible with most of the video formats included in the benchmark test.
Thanks to the 4 gigabits of RAM underneath, the A1 could handle a decent amount of multi-tasking. It remained smooth and responsive even though there were quite a number of apps running in the background.
Heavier productivity tasks such as editing a video with VidTrim or making a Presentation with Microsoft PowerPoint might be a little challenging for the A1. But not many people will try those tasks with a TV box, even though it is more capable of handling them than some so-called Android mini PCs. Sorry, Jide!
Generally speaking, the A1 is designed to perform well as a media consuming device, and it does.
Connectivity
The A1 offers many connectivity options. It supports 2.4GHz/5GHz dual band Wi-Fi, and the Wireless connection is very solid. It was able to pick up wireless hotspots at places where the Remix Mini couldn’t. If Wireless connection isn’t enough, there’s an RJ-45 Ethernet jack. There’s also Bluetooth 4.0 on board to take care of local data transfer and connecting with audio and input devices.
The HDMI 2.0 port on the A1 can output videos up to [email protected], and should work well with most TV and projectors. The USB 3.0 port does have problems reading some external USB storages, but the USB 2.0 port worked fine will all external drives I plugged in. The Micro SD card slot had no problem reading my 32GB Samsung card and my 64GB Transcend card.
Verdict
Priced at $69.99, the Beelink A1 is extremely affordable and offers a lot for the money. In fact it is arguably one of the best TV boxes out there. With an elegant design, a slew of outputs and inputs, and a lot of horsepower under the hood. It works fine as a TV box as well as a Home Theatre PC, and there aren’t many similarly priced alternatives out there that offer the same amount of value.
Hello, when you played youtube 4k video, does it really display in 4k or maximum 1080p ? Thank you.
jolymike said:
Hello, when you played youtube 4k video, does it really display in 4k or maximum 1080p ? Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go to YouTube reviewers of this product. They're kind of iffy on how well 4K does or doesn't work. This reviewer reviews two Beelink products and so it's not biased against Beelink.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m80-fz1n24s&t=579s
I'm putting this here in case other owners of this or a similar unit can help me with my first Android TV box.
I'm attempting to use this unit kind of like a cheapo Chromebox. I installed Nova Launcher to make this more doable. I believe it will work pretty well for this but I have a few issues/questions.
1. There is a bug with time format. The front of the unit displays 24 hour format. You can adjust in DATE & TIME settings but the fix only works until reboot. Once you reboot it's back to 24 hour format. (That temporary fix is turning 24 hour format on and then off.)
2. There is no easy way to reboot the unit save for unplugging it. The POWER button in the Nav Bar only powers off instead of offering 'sleep' or 'reboot'. As a workaround I installed 'SIMPLE REBOOT' here --
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=simple.reboot.com&hl=en
Since the A1 is already rooted it's a breeze. Unfortunately there's still no 'sleep' mode. Hmm.
3. The Navigation Bar is hidden. With a wireless keyboard it is tricky to make it show. Once up it's transparent and nice but if you reboot it's gone again. Is there a trick to keep it active? I tried a third party nav app and the same thing happens -- gone after reboot..
(UPDATE -- Beelink suggests there's a handy dandy way to activate nav bar with remote. But I don't want that. I want it always activated. Even after reboot. I found an app called Navigation bar --
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kimcy92.navigationbar&hl=en
It boots up each time which is good. What's bad is the bar doesn't hide the way you'd want to sometimes.
4. This unit doesn't want to sleep. If you set it to sleep -- it won't. (UPDATE -- I had activated Developer Options and discovered a NEVER SLEEP function selected. I deselected but still wasn't impressed sleep was working.)
5. Is there a way to turn off virtual keyboard? (UPDATE -- Yeah, another app workaround. Null keyboard. It's a virtual keyboard that isn't actually there. So when attach a real keyboard the virtual is gone.)
The Pool Man said:
I'm putting this here in case other owners of this or a similar unit can help me with my first Android TV box.
I'm attempting to use this unit kind of like a cheapo Chromebox. I installed Nova Launcher to make this more doable. I believe it will work pretty well for this but I have a few issues/questions.
1. There is a bug with time format. The front of the unit displays 24 hour format. You can adjust in DATE & TIME settings but the fix only works until reboot. Once you reboot it's back to 24 hour format. (That temporary fix is turning 24 hour format on and then off.)
2. There is no easy way to reboot the unit save for unplugging it. The POWER button in the Nav Bar only powers off instead of offering 'sleep' or 'reboot'. As a workaround I installed 'SIMPLE REBOOT' here --
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=simple.reboot.com&hl=en
Since the A1 is already rooted it's a breeze. Unfortunately there's still no 'sleep' mode. Hmm.
3. The Navigation Bar is hidden. With a wireless keyboard it is tricky to make it show. Once up it's transparent and nice but if you reboot it's gone again. Is there a trick to keep it active? I tried a third party nav app and the same thing happens -- gone after reboot..
(UPDATE -- Beelink suggests there's a handy dandy way to activate nav bar with remote. But I don't want that. I want it always activated. Even after reboot. I found an app called Navigation bar --
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kimcy92.navigationbar&hl=en
It boots up each time which is good. What's bad is the bar doesn't hide the way you'd want to sometimes.
4. This unit doesn't want to sleep. If you set it to sleep -- it won't. (UPDATE -- I had activated Developer Options and discovered a NEVER SLEEP function selected. I deselected but still wasn't impressed sleep was working.)
5. Is there a way to turn off virtual keyboard? (UPDATE -- Yeah, another app workaround. Null keyboard. It's a virtual keyboard that isn't actually there. So when attach a real keyboard the virtual is gone.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Beelink is awesome. I sent them an email about these items and today, quite by surprise, two of them were fixed.
The time format now remembers the 12 hour format after you reboot... which means that bright clock on the outside stays in the 12 hour format for good!
The Nav Bar disappearing after reboot is fixed as well. I'm using this unit in Nova Launcher as a 'basic' computer for a young friend. And so these are sort of 'tablet' issues more than TV Box issues.
Hi All,
Do you know how to force selinux policy to permissive one?
Thanks
TV Launcher
what TV launcher is used? (wonderful appearance)
Hello,
Did someone know if this this device we can play netflix in FHD or UHD?
Because she's certified L1 Widevine Google.
Thanks
atisoro said:
what TV launcher is used? (wonderful appearance)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
stock Google TV launcher.