Today we bring you the Tronsmart Vega S89 Unboxing!
For some of you that don’t know, the Vega S89 Elite is a new Android TV Box that features the AMlogic s802 SOC.
Specs:
-2.0Ghz Amlogic s802 Quad-Core Arm Cortex A9 SOC
-Mali 450 8-core GPU
-2GB of RAM
-8GB Internal Storage
-Wifi A/B/G/N(AP6210)
-BT 4.0
-10/100 Ethernet
-2 Full Size USB 2.0 ports
-1 Micro-USB with OTG support
-1 DC Power Jack
-Female HDMI port
-Optical Audio Output port
-Full Size SD card slot
-AV Port
-IR Sensor
-Power LED
-Power Button
-Reset Button(hidden)
In addition it comes with the following accessories:
-5V 3A power adapter
-Micro-USB cable
-AV cable
-HDMI cable
-IR Remote Control
-User Manual
Note: This is just the Unboxing. The full review will take a few days as we put the Vega S89 through it’s paces.
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Ordering now
Sent from my LG-D802 using xda app-developers app
I ordered it too - Can't wait to test it.
I can't use XBMC for 1080P movies with the old rikomagic mk802 IIIS.
I ordered this version.
http://www.geekbuying.com/item/Tron...luetooth4-0-2-4G-wifi-XBMC--Black-324693.html
Xperia-Ray said:
I ordered it too - Can't wait to test it.
I can't use XBMC for 1080P movies with the old rikomagic mk802 IIIS.
I ordered this version.
http://www.geekbuying.com/item/Tron...luetooth4-0-2-4G-wifi-XBMC--Black-324693.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I ordered this version dual band wifi and 16gb
Also there is a code on freaktab from geekbuying for $10 off this version
And $6 off the one you ordered
http://www.geekbuying.com/item/Tron...2-4G-5G-Bluetooth4-0-XBMC---Black-324676.html
Sent from my LG-D802 using xda app-developers app
---------- Post added at 02:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:59 PM ----------
Heres the link hopefully it will be well supported as its a bit of a powerhouse
http://www.freaktab.com/showthread.php?11977-10-coupon-for-Tronsmart-Vega-S89-TV-BOX-On-GeekBuying
Sent from my LG-D802 using xda app-developers app
I received mine yesterday and so far pretty impressed. It's much faster and smoother than my old Rockchip V8 based box. I have run into a couple of issues, though.
XBMC is built in [fairly recent alpha build - can't remember exactly], but appears to have fairly serious problems with a/v sync currently. As this is a very new SoC, that's not too surprising. I'm sure later releases will improve support for the s802. My previous media player of choice, Serviio > BubbleUPnP > MXPlayer suffers a similar, although less noticeable, a/v sync issue.
For now, the best workaround I have found is to browse the CIFS shares on my NAS with ES File Explorer and open MKV files from there with BS Player -- this works perfectly: 1080p is perfectly smooth, it supports DTS and all additional audio and subtitle tracks, and has no a/v sync issues.
The second problem I'm facing is inability to install any paid apps from Play Store - all paid apps I've tried so far fail with the error "Couldn't install on USB storage or SD Card". Free apps install fine. I've rooted the device but still the same. I've tried backing up the apps in question on my phone using TiBackp the copying them over, but TiBackup on the S89 fails to restore them. I've only Googled this briefly but it looks like it may have something to do with the /mnt/asec location that paid apps use.
It's pretty critical to me that I get my purchased PowerAmp working, so I'll spend a bit more time at the weekend trying to fix it. Any suggestions welcome.
TrancerSte said:
I received mine yesterday and so far pretty impressed. It's much faster and smoother than my old Rockchip V8 based box. I have run into a couple of issues, though.
XBMC is built in [fairly recent alpha build - can't remember exactly], but appears to have fairly serious problems with a/v sync currently. As this is a very new SoC, that's not too surprising. I'm sure later releases will improve support for the s802. My previous media player of choice, Serviio > BubbleUPnP > MXPlayer suffers a similar, although less noticeable, a/v sync issue.
For now, the best workaround I have found is to browse the CIFS shares on my NAS with ES File Explorer and open MKV files from there with BS Player -- this works perfectly: 1080p is perfectly smooth, it supports DTS and all additional audio and subtitle tracks, and has no a/v sync issues.
The second problem I'm facing is inability to install any paid apps from Play Store - all paid apps I've tried so far fail with the error "Couldn't install on USB storage or SD Card". Free apps install fine. I've rooted the device but still the same. I've tried backing up the apps in question on my phone using TiBackp the copying them over, but TiBackup on the S89 fails to restore them. I've only Googled this briefly but it looks like it may have something to do with the /mnt/asec location that paid apps use.
It's pretty critical to me that I get my purchased PowerAmp working, so I'll spend a bit more time at the weekend trying to fix it. Any suggestions welcome.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The CPU is also locked to 1.6ghz and not 2ghz as stated.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
More reviews is coming:
First Impressions:
The top of the S89 reminds me of a record. The Spiral grooves give it a nice look and feel.
The three rubber feet on the bottom give me confindence that it won't be sliding off the shelf by wires.
Initially I was a bit put off by the cirlcular design of the Tronsmart Vega S89. I wondered what it would look like with the mess of wires coming out of it.
It doesn't bother me at all! Even with all the wires plugged in I don't see them unless I'm looking for them.
Spacing the ports around the back perimeter really helps to keep the cables from becoming tangled.
Front left to right on the back there are the following ports:
-Power Button
-2 Full Size USB Ports
-AV port(with hidden reset button)
-DC Power Port
-10/100 Ethernet RJ45 port
-Full Size HDMI port
-Optical SPDIF audio port
-Micro-SD Card Slot
-Micro-USB OTG port
What's in the Box?
In addition to the Tronsmart Vega S89 Elite, there are several other accessories included in the box.
The power adapter, micro-usb cable, av cable, hdmi cable, and remote control come packed neatly in the box.
The 5V 3A power adapter ensures that there will be no power supply issues.
The included infrared remote is a nice addition. It works quite well with both the stock launcher and XBMC.
It has dedicate navigation buttons for Home, Back, and Menu.
There are also colored shortcut buttons that will launch 4K Player, Music, Browser, and an APP button that doesn't seem to launch anything.
Above the shortcut buttons is a power button. It puts the S89 to sleep, or at the very least turns off the display.
It even has a mouse mode(controlled by arrow keys)
The included micro-usb cable is a must if you want to use the OTG port.
The male micro-usb end is just a little longer to make up for the plastic casing. A normal micro-usb plug will fit, but may be loose or fall out.
source:http://www.armtvtech.com/armtvtechforum/viewtopic.php?f=555&t=74060
First Boot:
After finding some AAA batteries for the remote I plugged the power in and was ready to start the S89.
45 seconds after pressing the power button on the s89 I was greeted by the stock launcher.
I explored the stock launcher and visted the different sections.
Online Video
My recommended
My Apps
Music
Local
I worked my way over to Settings.
I quickly setup my Wifi on the Network page.
Display allows you change between resolutions, hide the status bar, adjust the overscan/underscan,
Advanced brings you Miracast settings and is also where you change the audio output.
Other has a button to bring you to the stock android settings page.
At this point I decided to plug in my usb keyboard and loaded up the Play Store.
I installed a bunch of benchmarking apps, and updated MX Player as well as Netflix. It was all quite smooth and nothing missing that I noticed.
External Drives:
The S89 had no problem mounting a 1TB usb hard drive with a FAT32 partition. No issues with R/W.
The other drive I have is a 500GB with an NTFS partition. This drive could be read, but not written.
I tested NTFS again by formating a flash drive. Yet again the S89 failed to write to it.
Benchmarks:
-Antutu
The S89 scored a whopping 30699 in Antutu.
-Quadrant Standard
A respectable score of 5956 was obtained.
-Vellamo
Here the S89 scored 1584 in HTML5 and 866 in METAL tests.
-GFXBench
The Mali 450 does well in GFXBench.
Multimedia Playback:
I tested a bunch of different video files. I'd say the s802 in the Tronsmart Vega S89 easily rivals RK3188 based boxes/sticks.
H.265 has been a topic of discussion since it's listed on the box, I couldn't get any h.265 files to play well in any player.
-4K Player
Decent for many files, but most of my HD files have AC3, DD, or DTS....which this player doesn't play.
-Netflix
I tested Netflix for quite a while.
Quality seems to be the standard 480p that Netflix sends through the app. On wifi I didn't have any buffering, but at several times the screen was a bit pixelated.
Over ethernet the pixelation never showed and quality was at 480p the whole time.
Subtitles and Audio/Video sync is good.
I have no doubts that Tronsmart Vega S89 could playback 720p or 1080p streams, but we really need Netflix to add those options to the app.
-HBO Go
Another popular streaming app. It works well. No Audio/Video sync issues.
-Crackle
I was not able to play anything in Crackle. Every time I clicked an item I was brought back to the main menu.
-MX Player
I needed to reinstall MX Player to make it work. After enabling H/W+ most files are played with no issues at all.
DTS and AC3 audio wouldn't play so I install the custom codecs to play them. Now I was able to software decode DTS and AC3.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthr ... ?t=2156254
-Youtube
Works well.
And Finally...
-XBMC
Works Beautifully! I'd say the experience is right on par with my HTPC running XBMC.
As usual XBMC is generally the best player when hardware decoding is available.
DTS and AC3 are software decoded, unless you change the audio output to passthrough.
Menu's are fast and fluid.
Local playback was very good. No sync issues at all.
Network playback was a bit of hit or miss. At least we can adjust the audio sync.
Downloading the same file to the S89 resulted in good audio sync.
Most plugins I tried worked well. I took advantage of xbmchub.com services and installed the hub wizard for easy setup.
I managed to freeze the S89 while streaming a movie and browsing the plugins. I haven't been able to replicate the problem yet.
XBMC on the S89 is pretty good. There are always going to be some issues when a device is first released.
Conclusion:
The Tronsmart Vega S89 is a great value for fast box that can play XBMC. I frequently hop from android sticks/box to my HTPC for various tasks. With the S89 running XBMC so nicely I don't have to do that.
In general the S89 makes a great addition to any HDTV.
Things that could be changed:
-Add a Shutdown Menu when you press the power button on the S89.(Leave the remote sleep button alone)
-Fix audio sync issues when streaming HD videos in XBMC.
source:http://www.armtvtech.com/armtvtechforum/viewtopic.php?f=555&t=74060
I was able to use the APK Downloader Chrome plugin with my Google account and my Nexus 5 device ID to get the PowerAmp and BubbleUPnP unlocker APKs. They sideloaded just fine and work for now, but PowerAmp in particular has a habit of detecting that something isn't right with the license app and making you uninstall / reinstall it to make it work again -- this often happens when I flash a new ROM on my Nexus 5 and restore it from TiBackup / Nandroid Manager -- so I suspect it's only a matter of time before it breaks itself on my S89 as well...
Can you use Apex launcher and normal widgets and get a more standard Android experience?
georgecarstoiu said:
Can you use Apex launcher and normal widgets and get a more standard Android experience?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course. Its AOSP android.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
hmmmmmm
Contacted with factory, they said they are working on the fix for google play store paid app download problem. and cpu frequency problem.
they probably release a new firmware this week, we will see.
Hi,
I'm very interested by this product.
But, I'm not sure this android box is able to play movies stored in my NAS (MKV with DTS audio) with XMBC.
Can you confirm is compatible ?
Thx by advance
Compatible, yes. But as I mentioned previously, there are some A/V sync issues with XBMC at the moment that seem particularly apparent when playing high bitrate MKV files from network locations.
The version of XBMC is a 14.0 alpha, which isn't even into nightly release state yet -- the latest stable version is still 12, with 13 looking very close but still officially in beta. Looks like this version was compiled from source by the Tronsmart guys for this box's firmware.
BS Player is flawless however. I'm using that for now until XBMC improves.
TrancerSte said:
Compatible, yes. But as I mentioned previously, there are some A/V sync issues with XBMC at the moment that seem particularly apparent when playing high bitrate MKV files from network locations.
The version of XBMC is a 14.0 alpha, which isn't even into nightly release state yet -- the latest stable version is still 12, with 13 looking very close but still officially in beta. Looks like this version was compiled from source by the Tronsmart guys for this box's firmware.
BS Player is flawless however. I'm using that for now until XBMC improves.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thx for your answer, so it's not a hardware issue, but a software XBMC issue ?
I read on freaktab they are some others isues :
- S802 chipset instead of S802-H for some boxes
- Payed Apps don't work
- Ethernet port issues
Is it true ?
I just found this, intersting, the A/V Sync problem can be solved like this:
http://www.armtvtech.com/armtvtechforum/viewtopic.php?f=558&t=74069
Wow, that actually worked!
Bit of messing about trying to get it to run via a .sh script till I gave up, plugged a USB keyboard in and manually navigated through the filesystem to chmod the files.
Now XBMC asked for super user on the next run, and the sync issues are fixed.
Word of warning if you manually mount CIFS shares -- whatever you do, don't be tempted to replace the dodgy Chinese superuser app that VRoot installs with SuperSU, cause it breaks CIFS mounting...
Eventually discovered I was able to mount cifs and ls contents as su from the terminal, but other users apart from root were unable to see any contents. Googled for a while to find a solution, but ended up doing a complete unroot / reroot via the VRoot method and it works again.
Related
This is ace. Just downloaded the APK for XBMC and tried it on my other half's touchpad, running CM9.
Works amazingly. Haven't found any flaws at all yet, it's fast, fluid and made me grin a lot. Worth a try...
I used the first mirror from this page: http://techie-buzz.com/mobile-news/xbmc-apk-for-android-leaks.html.
See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIG73FRd8-4&feature=youtu.be for a demo...
Thanks mate, i'll definitely check it out. I heard about this but didn't see if the apk's were available!
Streaming latest scene standard mp4's over wifi using uPnP via TwonkyMediaServer on MacOSX and it stutters a little bit. Hella nice tho for the announcement build, I'm super excited that XBMC is now available on android... went ahead and bought a headrest mount by monoprice (via Amazon.com free shipping) to go with it. uNF uNF
Just installed the XBMC apk on my CM9 Touchpad 9-20120707-NIGHTLY-tenderloin and the SOUND DOES NOT WORK.
Apps/repositories run smooth though.
Can wait to have a fully functional XBMC on my TP!!
ZeekWorld said:
Just installed the XBMC apk on my CM9 Touchpad 9-20120707-NIGHTLY-tenderloin and the SOUND DOES NOT WORK.
Apps/repositories run smooth though.
Can wait to have a fully functional XBMC on my TP!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Turn up the volume before starting XBMC.Not too loud.
Start XBMC and turn up the volume all the way.
XBMC can't control the android system volume.
It worked
Thanks a lot!
Sent from my cm_tenderloin using Tapatalk 2
Got it running, got sound, but 720p videos are very choppy, is HW Acceleration not enabled for TP yet?
nofences said:
Got it running, got sound, but 720p videos are very choppy, is HW Acceleration not enabled for TP yet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not yet. Dev's say maybe by the end of the week.
I installed the XBMC apk listed in those linked threads, but I seem to get a black screen and my touchpad becomes quite unresponsive. Anyone else have a similar issue?
BuffMcBigHuge said:
I installed the XBMC apk listed in those linked threads, but I seem to get a black screen and my touchpad becomes quite unresponsive. Anyone else have a similar issue?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The same thing happened to me the very first time I ran the app, got a blank screen for 6 or 10 seconds and then got the xbmc logo and the app loaded just fine.
I'm on the latest nightly build. Try a reboot after you install the app and maybe even a wipe cache/dalvik.
Other that that, XBMC runs great on my TP
Thanks Zeek, that fixed my problem!
using xbmc remote app works
it said error but if you configure it right ignore the error it works the xbmc remote works really good
Has anyone gotten this to work on aokp? For me it launches, then crashes after a few seconds every time. Just wondering if it is because I am on aokp or if something else could be wrong. I have installed twice and have rebooted numerous times. On top of that I have cleared data, pretty much all the standard fixes. Any thoughts are appreciated. I know this thread is xbmc on cm9 but it should work seeing as they really both also based. Thanks in advance.
Works a dream. Even got it to add directories from my 250GB external drive so I can have a bigger library on the go. Great stuff.
I tried this out yesterday and everything works great so far. I had some script errors with the 1channel addon but I'm still playing with stuff. So far this is pretty cool. I'm going to try out the XBMC remote app tonight.
EDIT: BTW, for anyone who hasnt seen this yet, here is a thread where someone has started doing nightlies of the app.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1813089
So just an update, the XBMC remote app used on a phone works really well with the TouchPad.
Does anyone here use Plex? I currently have Plex Server installed on my win7 HTPC and use the Plex andriod app to stream it to my phone or touchpad. I have a static IP to the house, so I can use this anywhere that I have an internet connection.
I never used XBMC but was always tempted to give it a shot. Does it allow for streaming out of the local network like Plex does, or only on direct wifi connections withing the same network?
Anyone here ever used both Plex and XBMC and can compare?
XBMC is complete stand alone, however as far as I know you have to be within the same network for it to work. Plex uses a server on the PC to be able to stream, weather it re-encodes or not I'm not familiar with. With XBMC you browse your network to find the files you want to play, you can then create shortcuts inside XBMC to those files permanently and just use that to find them the next time. XBMC has the ability to mount imagename.img or imagename.iso files and play them as a dvd without any further need for work or hassle, even if the dvd is still in the multiple .rar format, it will handle it. As far as I know XMBC has the ability to play the most types files of any other media handling software, plus it does smoothing and up-converting to make SD material look better on HDTV's.
Been using XBMC for years now, still have two original xbox's in the house wired up to stream from my network and they/it works great. Now with my TP i can do it from anywhere in the house seamlessly
plex vs xbmc
plex started life as the mac version of xbmc, then switched approach to a dedicated server application and a client that works on most devices. the plex server processes all the metadata and transcodes if needed for a slower connection or device. the plex client cant do much without a server accessable, and is completely useless offline.
xbmc started life as the XBox Media Player to be a standalone media center that could be configured to play back as many formats as possible internally. xbmc runs on most platforms now that android is covered and can play back most media formats given3nough cpu or hardware acceleration. xbmc does not have a server component like plex does. instead, it knows a bunch of different ways of accessing data (called sources in xbmc ) so it can decode and play your media. sources can be local directories, windows file shares, websites, ftp sites, webdav (like box.net), upnp, etc etc etc. additionally there are plugins which are little programs which can access a number of more specialised sites or systems. xbmc can play media remotely from your home server, but you will not have any automatic transcoding so it will be bandwidth intensive
boxee is also based on xbmc, with social networking crammed in
Q-BOX 4K Amlogic S905 TV Box Android 5.1 2G/16G 2.4G+5G Dual Band WIFI 1000M LAN Bluetooth4.0 (KODI Preinstalled)
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Hi folks in this review i will be looking at the Q Box sent to me from Mod Edit: Selling site link removed.
The Q Box comes with the Amlogic S905 2.0GHz processer ,There is two variants of the Q Box the 2G/8G & 2G/16G, Both have Dual band wifi 2.4GHz / 5GHz & Bluetooth 4.0 The device in this review is for the Mod Edit: Selling site link removed.
My first thoughts on this are wow i love this thing.I cant beleave how cheap it is at just under£40 a real bargain IMO,, nice looking ,fast smooth UI & the stock firmware is not too bad at all for a starting firmware.
Q Box LED
Main Features:
●Fully Rooted
● Comes with a RJ45 jack for 10M / 100M / 1000M Ethernet which provides a strong network extension.
● True 4K x 2K resolution which delivers best audio and video quality for you.
● Powerful 2.0GHz Cortex-A53 quad core CPU: Stable and reliable.
● Android 5.1: Rapid and stable, gives you access to over 800,000 apps including Facebook, Youtube, Picasa and more.
● Professional H.265 video decoding technology and 2.4G + 5.8G WiFi, offering a more stable WiFi signal to enjoy a higher quality video experience.
● 2GB DDR3 + 16GB EMMC, 32GB maximum extended capacity gives you more space to download your favorite apps and caches to browse websites, play games, run apps, watch movies more smoothly.
● HDMI 2.0 connector: You can go directly to let your TV and Q-BOX are connected through a HDMI cable and set up your home cinema for the best 4K x 2K Full HD multimedia experience.
● 2 x USB host ports, Connect with your mouse and keyboard to help you operate more convenient.
● Infrared remote control let you enjoy your wonderful life which the wireless brings to you.
● HDMI CEC Use your normal TV remote to control your tv box (If your tv supports it)
Internal Photos
As you can see in this photo there is a Heat sink, its only small but doing a great job as iv not came across any over heating issues.
Device
The Q Box is A cool looking Tv box with its Ribbon of LED light that goes all around the top edge of the box that has 3 colors to choose from baby blue,dark blue & green .
The boot time is around 25 seconds so its quite nippy,There is a bottom & top status bar, Whitch i always like to see.My Q Box came fully rooted out of the box too so no messing about trying to root it.
Iv been playing around with this Q Box for over a week now & i have to say im more than impressed by it everything seems to run so well on,For an out of the box tv box experience This thing is pretty dam good.
The remote that the Q box comes with is a good remote, its not an airmouse but for a inferred remote its doing a great job.The only way to power down the Q box is with the button on the remote as there's no power button on the device its self.
Once booted up it takes you to the home screen shown below.
Home Screen
App Draw
About Tab
Kodi
The Q box comes with Kodi 16.0 & on the first run you get the choice to install the preset addons or a clean blank kodi.This is good to see that you do get the choice of the addons or not,The kodi loading time is also fast.
Games
Iv tested both beach buggy blitz & Asphalt 8, Both played perfect with no crashes or lag even with the graphics set to high,The game loading time is very fast.Also something to note the Q box has not over heated once even though it only has a small heatsink.Iv tested both the Tronsmart Mars G01 gamepad & my ps3 sixaxis controller Both worked fine & no bugs with the sixaxis gamepad ether.
Misc
Logitech c270 webcam works fine
External non powered 1TB samsung HD works
Tronsmart Mars G01 Gamepad works
Sixaxis Ps3 controller works
32GB works + my 64GB scandisk Extreme works
128GB USB Stick works
HDMI CEC works
Google play store NOT working
OTT updates NOT working
Wifi & Ethernet
The wifi on the Q box is strong its finding my home network & one another close by network im getting full signal strenth & the download speed is fast enough to stream 1080p & 4k Im finding the wifi & Ethernet quite good.
Wifi
Ap6330 Wifi Chip
Ethernet
Some tech stuff starting with the Antutu bench mark score
Antutu
Antutu Video
CPU Z
Stock Firmware
https://mega.nz/#!IgV10bID!RilT9J6EH-4bIyVorEfXdgu831bxhWEzG1ewF-Kzi6E
BootCard Maker
http://chinagadgetsreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/download-amlogic-bootcardmaker-english.html
New Stock Firmware 10/06/2016 https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-otRcubD2DtUlZtUjZIZ055Wnc/view
Specification:
Type TV Box
Model Q box
GPU GPU: Mali-450
System Android 5.1
CPU Amlogic S905
Core Octa Core 2.0GHz
RAM 2G
ROM 16G
Color Black
Media Supported
Decoder Format: H.265
Video format: 4K
Audio format: AAC,FLAC,MP3,OGG,RM,WMA
Product Details
Bluetooth Bluetooth4.0
Power Supply Charge Adapter
Interface AV,DC Power Port,HDMI,Optical,RJ45,USB2.0
Product size 12.8*12.8*3cm
Whats in the Box
1 x Sunvell Q-BOX TV Box
1 x Power Adapter
1 x HDMI Cable
1 x Remote Control
1 x English Manual
Basic Unboxing Video
Mod Edit: Link removed for affiliate sales and selling site links.
great review, i just have one question
My bedroom is about 10m from my router, and know I wish to know how far was your box from your router because you got great speeds. I would like to order one, but I am afraid that wifi will be to weak, because I allready bought m8s and his wifi is terrible
Thanks for the review. I've just got the box and it seems pretty good except for a few problems.
1) Kodi and SPMC both play quite a few files with the sound out of sync which is the same as my other android box by sumvision. Seems to be a common problem on android boxes.
2) There are some apps I want but won't install from the play store due to them being "incompatible". Solif Explorer, Firefox and Torguard VPN all refuse to install for this reason. Very annoying.
3) There is a new firmware available at ndroidtvbox.eu (Search for sunvell qbox firmware) but I cannot figure out how to install it using the updater.
4) Sunvell does not have this product on their site which is strange. What hope is there of any support?
---------- Post added at 02:20 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:17 PM ----------
luka-san said:
great review, i just have one question
My bedroom is about 10m from my router, and know I wish to know how far was your box from your router because you got great speeds. I would like to order one, but I am afraid that wifi will be to weak, because I allready bought m8s and his wifi is terrible
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might be ok. Depends more on having a decent router rather than the device.
It also has a wired network port. Can you use that instead?
I can't, cable isn't a option in my case. My router is great, all other my devices have great wifi reception in my bedroom, but for example m8s is just terrible. I read that many of s905 boxes have the same problem. But when I see your result, q box wifi should be, just fine
Poslano sa mog SM-G928F koristeći Tapatalk
Hi, thx for great review. Could you test some video files (1080p, 2160p, H264, H265, maybe some weird stuff too)?
luka-san said:
I can't, cable isn't a option in my case. My router is great, all other my devices have great wifi reception in my bedroom, but for example m8s is just terrible. I read that many of s905 boxes have the same problem. But when I see your result, q box wifi should be, just fine
Poslano sa mog SM-G928F koristeći Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm, perhaps the M8 has a weak antenna. You might be ok. Otherwise you might have to invest in one of those powerline adapter kits.
---------- Post added at 04:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:10 PM ----------
edekzkk said:
Hi, thx for great review. Could you test some video files (1080p, 2160p, H264, H265, maybe some weird stuff too)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, I might as well add my observations:
All my files are on a local NAS.
1080p and 720p x264 video files play fine, with the exception of lots of TV episodes being out of sync. I have to set a lot of videos to have the audio 250ms ahead, but others are fine.
I have a few x265 1080p videos, and all of them play with the sound out of sync by varying degrees. It also seems to take a few seconds for the sound sync to "settle" when the file is played, but still ends up inaccurate.
great review, i just have one question
My bedroom is about 10m from my router, and know I wish to know how far was your box from your router because you got great speeds. I would like to order one, but I am afraid that wifi will be to weak, because I allready bought m8s and his wifi is terrible
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi thanks,
All my tests so far have been about 3 or 4 feet from my router. I will do some more wifi tests a little further away.
Hi, thx for great review. Could you test some video files (1080p, 2160p, H264, H265, maybe some weird stuff too)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi ya thanks,
A few video tests about 3 or 4 meters from the router through a wall
Wifi
jellyfish-10-mbps-hd-h264.mkv 10 Mbps 1920x1080 H.264 FINE
jellyfish-20-mbps-hd-h264.mkv 20 Mbps 1920x1080 H.264 FINE
jellyfish-30-mbps-hd-h264.mkv 30 Mbps 1920x1080 H.264 FINE
jellyfish-40-mbps-hd-h264.mkv 40 Mbps 1920x1080 H.264 A LITTLE BUFFERING
jellyfish-50-mbps-hd-h264.mkv 50 Mbps 1920x1080 H.264 BUFFERING
jellyfish-60-mbps-hd-h264.mkv 60 Mbps 1920x1080 H.264 BUFFERING
jellyfish-80-mbps-hd-h264.mkv 80 Mbps 1920x1080 H.264 BUFFERING
jellyfish-100-mbps-hd-h264.mkv100 Mbps1920x1080 H.264 BUFFERING
jellyfish-120-mbps-4k-uhd-h264.mkv120 Mbps3840x2160 H.264 BUFFERING
Ethernet
jellyfish-50-mbps-hd-h264.mkv 50 Mbps 1920x1080 H.264 FINE
jellyfish-60-mbps-hd-h264.mkv 60 Mbps 1920x1080 H.264 FINE
jellyfish-80-mbps-hd-h264.mkv 80 Mbps 1920x1080 H.264 FINE
jellyfish-100-mbps-hd-h264.mkv100 Mbps1920x1080 H.264 VIDEO STUTTER
jellyfish-120-mbps-4k-uhd-h264.mkv120 Mbps 3840x2160 H.264 VIDEO STUTTER
USB 3 stick
jellyfish-60-mbps-hd-h264.mkv 60 Mbps 1920x1080 H.264 FINE
jellyfish-80-mbps-hd-h264.mkv 80 Mbps 1920x1080 H.264 FINE
jellyfish-100-mbps-hd-h264.mkv100 Mbps1920x1080 H.264 FINE
jellyfish-120-mbps-4k-uhd-h264.mkv120 Mbps 3840x2160 H.264 FINE
jellyfish-200-mbps-4k-uhd-h264.mkv200 Mbps3840x2160 H.264 VIDEO STUTTER
Sybs said:
Thanks for the review. I've just got the box and it seems pretty good except for a few problems.
3) There is a new firmware available at ndroidtvbox.eu (Search for sunvell qbox firmware) but I cannot figure out how to install it using the updater.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Thanks,,
Iv already installed the latest firmware on my Q box for this Review the new firmware is also in my review.
Heres a guide to use the bootcard maker that may help https://mega.nz/#!ogUW1ARY!vS_HjUWYKFTo4u00p858cXeHAYouXwkuXnpz8x0ckn8
Sybs said:
Hey, I might as well add my observations:
All my files are on a local NAS.
1080p and 720p x264 video files play fine, with the exception of lots of TV episodes being out of sync. I have to set a lot of videos to have the audio 250ms ahead, but others are fine.
I have a few x265 1080p videos, and all of them play with the sound out of sync by varying degrees. It also seems to take a few seconds for the sound sync to "settle" when the file is played, but still ends up inaccurate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's disappointing... I've already ordered Qbox as home video/audio player (Kodi), and this doesn't look good...
blinkone said:
Hi Thanks,,
Iv already installed the latest firmware on my Q box for this Review the new firmware is also in my review.
Heres a guide to use the bootcard maker that may help https://mega.nz/#!ogUW1ARY!vS_HjUWYKFTo4u00p858cXeHAYouXwkuXnpz8x0ckn8
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the guide, can I press the button from the outside somehow? I've tried bending a pin but I can't manage to press anything.
BTW, perhaps you could post it here for others.
OK, I've installed the latest firmware. I cannot believe I had to dismantle the device in order to install a firmware update. My sumvision box, which has the identical "Update&Backup" app can do it from there, but this one can't apparently.
I got all my data deleted using that update method so that was also aa huge annoyance.
I cannot notice any difference whatsoever in the new image. It still has the same problems. A lot of apps aren't compatible on the play store.
I forgot to mention in my previous comment that it has random wired network dropouts. There are occasionaly times when I wake it up and it cannot get a network connection until I reboot it. This is still happening after the upgrade.
The "Update&Backup" STILL has a OTA update to download, but fails to download it and crashes after a few seconds every time. Terrible, untested software.
It says "New york" up in the top right corner of the home screen and I have no idea what that's about. (Possibly some kind of weather announcement, but I have corrected my location, regional settings etc and it remains there)
I managed to remedy the play store problem by modifying the build.prop file which thankfully is possible because the device is pre-rooted. Doing this allowed me to install SPMC, Solid Explorer, Torguard etc.
Overall, I can't recommend this device. The quality of the software is terrible. I've spent many hours tinkering trying to get it to work the way I want, so novice users should definitely not get this. The hardware seems to be perfectly capable and miles beyond something like a RPi3, but the software really spoils it.
@Sybs, my "Update&Backup" sais under changes something like "modify google play store" in bad english, does the same update still appears under the new firmware?
Ive also tried out some chinese proxies to get the update working, since the downloads from china are very unstable. But it looks like it always stops around 316 kb of 21xxx kb).
I will try to use a network sniffer to get the actual url to download the file from another pc and then to flash it manually.
What changes have you made to the file "build.prop"?
DieHardMan said:
@Sybs, my "Update&Backup" sais under changes something like "modify google play store" in bad english, does the same update still appears under the new firmware?
Ive also tried out some chinese proxies to get the update working, since the downloads from china are very unstable. But it looks like it always stops around 316 kb of 21xxx kb).
I will try to use a network sniffer to get the actual url to download the file from another pc and then to flash it manually.
What changes have you made to the file "build.prop"?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi @DieHardMan, yes that's the same update that appears for me and it fails at about the same point every time.
I only changed the build.prop device and manufacturer to a Nvidia Shield TV as I figured that would allow me to download any apps I need. It worked.
Today the download size of the update changed to 640 MB, but now i wont even start the download. But they seem to do something server side. Ive also looked into the build.prop and theres the following line:
ro.product.otaupdateurl=http://198.11.176.47:9090/otaupdate_t95_2G/update
The ip is located in the US and the url leads to a 404, perfect.
Google Cast and TV PlayStore
Hi, I just got this TV box and it seems there is no support of Google Cast and no Google TV PlayStore (No TV app's...). How can I bring there features on board?
I bought this box for my old CRT NTSC TV, but unfortunately the composite AV output doesn't support NTSC resolution: the lowest setting is 480p and it's completely garbled so I guess my TV needs 480i.
I've seen KitKat-based TV boxes with PAL/NTSC settings, but it seem to have disappeared with Lollipop: is there any way to bring this feature back with an app or a custom rom?
Thanks in advance
qbox
Is there a possibility on the latest firmwere to turn green LED box when it is in stand-by mode . Changing the color of the backlight off working on my home screen natomast green podswiedlenie standby is quite annoying .
Regards
Michael
Latest Firmware can be found here https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-otRcubD2DtUlZtUjZIZ055Wnc/view
Hi guys, I'm considering buying an android TV box, so any other feedbacks on this Qbox?
If the firmware is still not fully functioning (Google Play, e.g.), what box would you recommend in this range of price?
Thanks!
Sybs said:
Hi @DieHardMan, yes that's the same update that appears for me and it fails at about the same point every time.
I only changed the build.prop device and manufacturer to a Nvidia Shield TV as I figured that would allow me to download any apps I need. It worked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What lines did you change for this? I changed the device brand to nvidia shield TV and I don't get any more apps available in the play store.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA-Developers mobile app
Sunvell T95M 4K HD TV Box 64Bit Android 5.1 - 2GB + 8GB UK PLUG
Amlogic S905 Quad Core 2GB DDR3 + 8GB eMMC 2.4GHz WiFi Bluetooth 4.0 Connectivity
{
"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"
}
Hi guys & girls,
This time im going to be reviewing the Amlogic T95M Tv box from Mod Edit: Selling site link removed.
First of all i would like to thank Gearbest for the review sample & for there fast postage to the uk.
The T95M arrived to me in 6 days via DHL with no custom fees to pay (Different everytime but in
most cases with DHL you will need to pax customs taxs)
A few quick facts
● Amlogic S905 quad-core CPU is rapid and stable which can give you high-speed feedback and
smooth response.
● Mali-450 as GPU of this TV Box which gives you the high definition pictures and videos.
● With 64bit Android 5.1 stable and smooth system.
● 2GB DDR3 + 8G eMMC Flash Memory: It gives you more space to download your favorite apps
and caches to browse websites, play games, run apps, watch movies more smoothly.
● 2.4GHz WiFi (10 / 100Mbps Ethernet): It offers a more stable WiFi signal for you to enjoy higher
quality video experience.
● Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity: Easy pairing with most Bluetooth-enabled devices (computer, mobile
phone, keyboard, and others).
● Supports H.265 video code, enjoy the high-resolution video even at a low-internet-speed
environment.
● Supports 4K HD video, which brings us clearer image quality and 3D vision enjoy.
● HDMI 2.0 connector: You can directly connect your TV to Sunvell T95M TV box through an HDMI
cable and set up your home cinema for the best 4K x 2K HD multimedia experience.
● Supports 2.4GHz wireless mouse and keyboard via 2.4GHz USB dongle.
● Supports multiple languages and multiple formats video.
● Time and work status of the box are displayed.
● Network functions: Skype chatting, Youtube, Flicker, Facebook, online movies, etc..
● Free Internet searching, thousands of android applications, many kinds of games, etc..
● Infrared remote control let you enjoy your wonderful life which the wireless brings to you
This box has really surprised me on how well it pro forms smooth & fast.
The T95M in this review has 2GB DDR3 Ram + 8GB eMMC Rom
It has 2 full sized usb ports,1 otg port,micro sd card slot,AV,ethernet,HDMI out,SPDIF & the power
port & not forgetting the secret recovery button in the AV hole.
The T95M is a small sized tv box but its not lacking anything,I will mention It has no power button
on the device its self,But it comes with a good IR remote so you can do most things from the
remote.Its also nice to see a clock on the front of the tv box thats something different.
There’s plenty of ventilation holes on the bottom of the box to help with the cooling.This is a
must have on any tv box IMO as many tv box's over heat but not this one.
The box comes pre rooted & is running android Lolliopo 5.1 With some useful apps
Facebook,Drop Box,Kodi,Mobdro,Film on,Skype,Netflix,Showbox to name a few.
M8 style launcher
App Draw (Nova launcher)
Kodi 16.0
Pre-install Kodi media center,Kodi can be used to play almost all of your popular audio and video
formats around. You can stream your multimedia from anywhere in the house or directly from the
internet.Comes pre loaded with tons of addon’s (Some adult content)
1080 video’s have been playing fine up to now also 1080 youtube video’s playing fine
The T95M also comes with a addon updater for kodi (A good idea for noobs) But seems to take for
ever to download,,over an hour to update. And once downloaded a lot of old & none working
addons thats two hours of my life gone so now back to my normal kodi setup.
Internal Photos
As you can see in the photo below there is a heatsink,Its only tiny but doing a great job The T95M
gets warm not hot,But i will fit a bigger one myself when i get around to it.
Games
Games iv tested so far are the normal games i use to test ,Beach buggy blitz & Asphalt 8 both of them played perfect with no lag whats so ever they also load very fast..
All the games iv tested have been with my PS3 controller using the sixaxis app 0.8.3
Device & firmware
Gearbest has just posted the stock Firmware (I have not tested this yet)
http://freaktab.com/forum/advertisers-and-vendor-support-area/gearbest-com/583752-sunvell-t95-firmware-download-t95-2g-2016160516
The firmware on this box is a lot better than i was expacting & everything works as it should so far.
Firmware on my box when arrived is LMY47V.20160622
It will be interesting to see if we will get any OTA firmware updates (We would like to see this
Sunvell)
The boot time on the New T95M is between 30 & 35 seconds to complete
Shut down time is 1 second
Antutu Score of 35364
USB logitec c270 webcam works fine
External Samsung hard drive of 1TB works fine powered by the T95m
32GB SD Card works
It comes pre installed with kodi 16.0
HDMI CEC works great, i love being able to control the box with my normal tv remote this is a great
touch.
Some tech stuff
Antutu
Antutu video tester
CPU Z
WIFI
ETHERNET
Specifications
General
Brand: Sunvell
Model: T95M
Type: TV Box
GPU: Mali-450
System: Android 5.1
CPU: Amlogic S905
Core: 2.0GHz,Quad Core
RAM: 2G
ROM: 8G
Color: Black
Media Supported
Decoder Format: "HD MPEG1/2/4,H.264,H.265,HD AVC/VC-1,HD
MPEG4,RealVideo8/9/10,RM/RMVB,Xvid/DivX3/4/5/6
Video format: ASF,AVI,DAT,FLV,H.264,H.265,ISO,MKV,MOV,MPEG,MPG,RM,RMVB,TS,VOB,WMV
Audio format: AAC,AC3,APE,DDP,DTS,FLAC,HD,MP3,OGG,WAV,WMA
Photo Format: BMP,GIF,JPEG,PNG,TIFF
Product Details
WIFI: IEEE 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth: Bluetooth4.0
Power Supply: Charge Adapter
Interface: HDMI,Micro SD Card Slot,RJ45,USB2.0
Language: Multi-language
Package Contents:
1 x Sunvell T95M TV Box,
1 x IR Remote Control,
1 x HDMI Cable,
1 x Power Adapter,
1 x English Manual
Basic Unboxing video
Mod Edit: Link removed.
Customization
If I flash the stock firmware will it remove their kodi version and addons? That's what I want to do. Or are there any ROMs for this custom or vanilla android.
Thanks
did it support drm widevine?
I got one of these and the FIRST thing I did was flash it to run Libreelec as that's what I want to use it for, first from SDcard and then from NAND, so now it runs just KODI, you do lose the front display and there are a few other minor niggles (being resolved by third parties)
I have tested to 4K and H265 10bit and all works great.
The firmware download is over a GB !! so I assume it will have all the associated crap in there...
If all you want to do is run KODI then I suggest you flash Libreelec to the NAND and Bob your aunties lawn mower man...
silashack said:
I got one of these and the FIRST thing I did was flash it to run Libreelec as that's what I want to use it for, first from SDcard and then from NAND, so now it runs just KODI, you do lose the front display and there are a few other minor niggles (being resolved by third parties)
I have tested to 4K and H265 10bit and all works great.
The firmware download is over a GB !! so I assume it will have all the associated crap in there...
If all you want to do is run KODI then I suggest you flash Libreelec to the NAND and Bob your aunties lawn mower man...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you tell me how to root this device
THANKS!!
silashack said:
I got one of these and the FIRST thing I did was flash it to run Libreelec as that's what I want to use it for, first from SDcard and then from NAND, so now it runs just KODI, you do lose the front display and there are a few other minor niggles (being resolved by third parties)
I have tested to 4K and H265 10bit and all works great.
The firmware download is over a GB !! so I assume it will have all the associated crap in there...
If all you want to do is run KODI then I suggest you flash Libreelec to the NAND and Bob your aunties lawn mower man...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
PERFECT. I'm gonna go find me a version with 15.2 right now!
desiresiscool said:
Can you tell me how to root this device
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought it was?
But for my purposes it is not needed, so sorry NO
---------- Post added at 06:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:06 PM ----------
fabian29907 said:
PERFECT. I'm gonna go find me a version with 15.2 right now!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why 15.2?
Libreelec is 16.1, not sure what openelec is.
hi,
I have same box as you, order from gearbest.
i having problem setting the "TV Control" button. How u set it so it can control my tv?
Youtube and Netflix quality
I have this box but I can't seen to get 1080p on anything. Youtube maxes out at 360p and Netflix looks bad as well. I've tried changing the setting on the box to 1080p but that hasn't helped anything. Anyone have any ideas before I send this box back?
me23brown said:
I have this box but I can't seen to get 1080p on anything. Youtube maxes out at 360p and Netflix looks bad as well. I've tried changing the setting on the box to 1080p but that hasn't helped anything. Anyone have any ideas before I send this box back?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to download an older version of YouTube. Turn off auto updates
Sent from my G4
Killed this box about 5 times now but the usb tool gets it back :=)
blinkone said:
Sunvell T95M 4K HD TV Box 64Bit Android 5.1 - 2GB + 8GB UK PLUG
Amlogic S905 Quad Core 2GB DDR3 + 8GB eMMC 2.4GHz WiFi Bluetooth 4.0 Connectivity
Hi guys & girls,
This time im going to be reviewing the Amlogic T95M Tv box from Gearbest
First of all i would like to thank Gearbest for the review sample & for there fast postage to the uk.
The T95M arrived to me in 6 days via DHL with no custom fees to pay (Different everytime but in
most cases with DHL you will need to pax customs taxs)
A few quick facts
● Amlogic S905 quad-core CPU is rapid and stable which can give you high-speed feedback and
smooth response.
● Mali-450 as GPU of this TV Box which gives you the high definition pictures and videos.
● With 64bit Android 5.1 stable and smooth system.
● 2GB DDR3 + 8G eMMC Flash Memory: It gives you more space to download your favorite apps
and caches to browse websites, play games, run apps, watch movies more smoothly.
● 2.4GHz WiFi (10 / 100Mbps Ethernet): It offers a more stable WiFi signal for you to enjoy higher
quality video experience.
● Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity: Easy pairing with most Bluetooth-enabled devices (computer, mobile
phone, keyboard, and others).
● Supports H.265 video code, enjoy the high-resolution video even at a low-internet-speed
environment.
● Supports 4K HD video, which brings us clearer image quality and 3D vision enjoy.
● HDMI 2.0 connector: You can directly connect your TV to Sunvell T95M TV box through an HDMI
cable and set up your home cinema for the best 4K x 2K HD multimedia experience.
● Supports 2.4GHz wireless mouse and keyboard via 2.4GHz USB dongle.
● Supports multiple languages and multiple formats video.
● Time and work status of the box are displayed.
● Network functions: Skype chatting, Youtube, Flicker, Facebook, online movies, etc..
● Free Internet searching, thousands of android applications, many kinds of games, etc..
● Infrared remote control let you enjoy your wonderful life which the wireless brings to you
This box has really surprised me on how well it pro forms smooth & fast.
The T95M in this review has 2GB DDR3 Ram + 8GB eMMC Rom
It has 2 full sized usb ports,1 otg port,micro sd card slot,AV,ethernet,HDMI out,SPDIF & the power
port & not forgetting the secret recovery button in the AV hole.
The T95M is a small sized tv box but its not lacking anything,I will mention It has no power button
on the device its self,But it comes with a good IR remote so you can do most things from the
remote.Its also nice to see a clock on the front of the tv box thats something different.
There’s plenty of ventilation holes on the bottom of the box to help with the cooling.This is a
must have on any tv box IMO as many tv box's over heat but not this one.
The box comes pre rooted & is running android Lolliopo 5.1 With some useful apps
Facebook,Drop Box,Kodi,Mobdro,Film on,Skype,Netflix,Showbox to name a few.
M8 style launcher
App Draw (Nova launcher)
Kodi 16.0
Pre-install Kodi media center,Kodi can be used to play almost all of your popular audio and video
formats around. You can stream your multimedia from anywhere in the house or directly from the
internet.Comes pre loaded with tons of addon’s (Some adult content)
1080 video’s have been playing fine up to now also 1080 youtube video’s playing fine
The T95M also comes with a addon updater for kodi (A good idea for noobs) But seems to take for
ever to download,,over an hour to update. And once downloaded a lot of old & none working
addons thats two hours of my life gone so now back to my normal kodi setup.
Internal Photos
As you can see in the photo below there is a heatsink,Its only tiny but doing a great job The T95M
gets warm not hot,But i will fit a bigger one myself when i get around to it.
Games
Games iv tested so far are the normal games i use to test ,Beach buggy blitz & Asphalt 8 both of them played perfect with no lag whats so ever they also load very fast..
All the games iv tested have been with my PS3 controller using the sixaxis app 0.8.3
Device & firmware
Gearbest has just posted the stock Firmware (I have not tested this yet)
http://freaktab.com/forum/advertisers-and-vendor-support-area/gearbest-com/583752-sunvell-t95-firmware-download-t95-2g-2016160516
The firmware on this box is a lot better than i was expacting & everything works as it should so far.
Firmware on my box when arrived is LMY47V.20160622
It will be interesting to see if we will get any OTA firmware updates (We would like to see this
Sunvell)
The boot time on the New T95M is between 30 & 35 seconds to complete
Shut down time is 1 second
Antutu Score of 35364
USB logitec c270 webcam works fine
External Samsung hard drive of 1TB works fine powered by the T95m
32GB SD Card works
It comes pre installed with kodi 16.0
HDMI CEC works great, i love being able to control the box with my normal tv remote this is a great
touch.
Some tech stuff
Antutu
Antutu video tester
CPU Z
WIFI
ETHERNET
Specifications
General
Brand: Sunvell
Model: T95M
Type: TV Box
GPU: Mali-450
System: Android 5.1
CPU: Amlogic S905
Core: 2.0GHz,Quad Core
RAM: 2G
ROM: 8G
Color: Black
Media Supported
Decoder Format: "HD MPEG1/2/4,H.264,H.265,HD AVC/VC-1,HD
MPEG4,RealVideo8/9/10,RM/RMVB,Xvid/DivX3/4/5/6
Video format: ASF,AVI,DAT,FLV,H.264,H.265,ISO,MKV,MOV,MPEG,MPG,RM,RMVB,TS,VOB,WMV
Audio format: AAC,AC3,APE,DDP,DTS,FLAC,HD,MP3,OGG,WAV,WMA
Photo Format: BMP,GIF,JPEG,PNG,TIFF
Product Details
WIFI: IEEE 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth: Bluetooth4.0
Power Supply: Charge Adapter
Interface: HDMI,Micro SD Card Slot,RJ45,USB2.0
Language: Multi-language
Package Contents:
1 x Sunvell T95M TV Box,
1 x IR Remote Control,
1 x HDMI Cable,
1 x Power Adapter,
1 x English Manual
Basic Unboxing video
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi mate. Great review. I'm in New Zealand and we have a different model but same name. I was wondering if these are the same models https://goo.gl/images/HtZnCL
Also how do you find the wifi connection and is it a ac Wi-Fi?
Cheers
Hi There
I have the Sunvell T95M 4K HD TV Box 64Bit Android 5.1 - 2GB + 8GB model and am struggling to get to see the attached hard drive over my home LAN. I can ping the device successfully but cannot connect to it through Windows Explorer. Any settings on the device I need to set? Someone who can maybe point me to a proper manual.
Thanks!
I bought cheap in a offer... but it is a big **** without support... with a firmware 2016/06/22 it still have the same problems from begining... each time you put off... everything set up delete... (
silashack said:
I got one of these and the FIRST thing I did was flash it to run Libreelec as that's what I want to use it for, first from SDcard and then from NAND, so now it runs just KODI, you do lose the front display and there are a few other minor niggles (being resolved by third parties)
I have tested to 4K and H265 10bit and all works great.
The firmware download is over a GB !! so I assume it will have all the associated crap in there...
If all you want to do is run KODI then I suggest you flash Libreelec to the NAND and Bob your aunties lawn mower man...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Need help on how to flash Libreelec to the NAND.
Which version of Libreelec is the suitable for this?
Any tutorial available?
D T said:
Need help on how to flash Libreelec to the NAND.
Which version of Libreelec is the suitable for this?
Any tutorial available?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup
https://forum.libreelec.tv/thread-1172.html
All info needed, rather than retype and possibly introduce an error, this post covers it all.
There is a newer one https://forum.libreelec.tv/thread-1349.html but for a few of us it has issues
For now, I would stick to .005
I'm using AKASO MXQ Pro TV Box,it's really good,good price and good quality,AKASO has various models of TV Boxes,really worth looking at it!
Im trying the Xbox360 wireless game controller works add the keylayout and etc it said partner from XDA, and it is impossible.. very big nightmare these t95m... (
silashack said:
Yup
All info needed, rather than retype and possibly introduce an error, this post covers it all.
There is a newer one but for a few of us it has issues
For now, I would stick to .005
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks mate.
Will give it a try.
Does it support 2 TB hard drives?
Being more specifically, I want to use a western digital My Passport.
Disclaimer: I received this box free as part of a beelink beta-test group. I am not a professional reviewer so please take this review as more from an average user perspective.
On tearing open the package, I have to say the premium feel of this box is outstanding and on a level above any other Android TV box I’ve received in this price range. The sleek black box with the silver lettering definitely screams classy premium.
[See pics posted at end of review]
Specs:
OS: Android 6.0
CPU: Octa Core ARM Cortex-A53 CPU up to 2GHz(DVFS)
GPU: ARM Mali-T820MP3 GPU up to 750MHz(DVFS)
RAM：DDR3 2GB
ROM：Onboard eMMC Flash 16GB
Connectivity: 1000Mbps LAN; WIFI: IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac，2.4G+5.8G
Bluetooth: BT 4.0
USB: 2x USB 2.0 ports
Expand Memory: Micro SD Card (Maximum support 32GB)
Language: Multi -language
Power Supply – 5V/2A
Android Version: 6.0.1
Security Patch Level: June 1 2016
Build #: GT1_102M0
For a complete listing of hardware and video output specs please see forum post linked here: http://www.bee-link.com/Beelink-274-1-1.html
Unboxing:
[see pics at end]
Initial Setup/Performance:
Included in the box is the main device itself, a “high speed” HDMI cable, power adapter and remote which carries 2xAAA batteries (batteries not included).
The top of the device carries a classy beelink logo with a glossy finish helping this box stand out. The right side of the device is blank and I wish there was an additional USB port here. The back houses the main ports: Power, 1xUSB, HDMI, GB Ethernet and SPDIF. On the left side of the box is a 1xUSB port and a microSD card slot. Beelink states the microSD slot supports up to 32GB cards but I was able to read/write to my 64GB PNY card with no problems. On the bottom there are four subtle feet to help stop the device from sliding around.
Powering up the device you will find 1 ‘soft’ white LED status indicator on the front. Thankfully it’s not super bright and shouldn’t keep you up at night.
Boot time - first boot 23.7 seconds
Reboot from home screen - 34.06 seconds
The beelink launcher is one of the best Android TVBox launchers out there. It’s simple, uncluttered with big bright unmistakable icons and most of all it works great with the remote or a mouse.
Bluetooth is also natively supported on the box (you won’t need an external dongle) and I successfully connected my bluetooth speakers and headset for use.
There is no bloatware on this box. None at all. Kudos to beelink for this as some manufacturers preload too much unnecessary software on these boxes. Of the 16GB storage about 10GB is available to the user to install apps or store your media files. Here’s a list of what’s installed by default: App4TV, AppInstaller, Browser, FileBrowser, Fishing Joy, Gallery, Kodi, KodiMate, Media Center, MoviePlayer, Music, Play Store, PPOE, Settings, Update&Backup.
Additional apps I’ve installed:
MXPlayer - plays pretty much everything you can throw at it.
CrossyRoad - game response is better than expected even with the slow remote
Riptide GP - gameplay was good even with the slow remote
Youtube for AndroidTV.
Antutu Benchmark - direct through Play Store
Geekbench 4 - direct through Play Store
Youtube installed via play store does not have the native Android TV resolution or controls and is extremely hard to navigate without a mouse. You will have a better experience if you manually install Youtube for Android TV. Max resolution available 1080p60.
Download Youtube for Android TV (current version 1.3.11) from APKMirror here: http://www.apkmirror.com/apk/google-inc/youtube-for-android-tv/
The included remote is very basic, is lighter than their previous controls and does not match the premium feel of the box. It’s functional but somewhat slow.
Wifi Connectivity:
The S912 device successfully found and connected to both my 2.4 and 5GHz networks. Also picked up a few of my neighbors
The following results are from the SpeedTest.net app from the Play Store:
My home internet speed 250 Mbps Down / 50 Mbps Up
Router 3 feet away
2.4GHz - 30.91 Mbps Down / 38.18 Mbps Up
5GHz - 107.88 Mbps Down / 48.86 Mbps Up
Router 13 feet away with 1 wall between
2.4GHz - 2.94 Mbps Down / 26.50 Mbps Up
5 GHz - 16.58 Mbps Down / 15.52 Mbps Up
The 5GHz band is clearly superior so I’d recommend using this if you can.
Benchmarks:
I’m not a big fan of software benchmarks so I won’t go into any details here as there are plenty of other reviews listing them. However here are the scores:
Antutu scored - 41407
Geekbench 4 score - 585 Single-Core / 2418 Multi-Core
Video Playback:
Majority of videos play smooth with no issues including 4K. Streaming via Kodi was smooth and error free on those add-ons we all love to use that I won’t mention. Playback was fast from both attached USB drives and the microSD card. Pausing and seeking (forward and back) provided no challenges.
I have experienced some video stutters and audio is out of sync with some 4K files but this will need further testing. Not sure if this is user error or a limitation of this particular chip as has been mentioned of boxes from other manufacturers carrying the S912 chip. However, this shouldn’t be a problem for the average user whose main goal is to stream general content via Kodi, Hulu, Netflix and 1080p Youtube.
Video Test Files:
BigBuck Bunny
4K Samples from: http://4ksamples.com/
Linaro Sample Media: http://samplemedia.linaro.org/
Google Widevine - Supported
Apps like Netflix need Widevine Level 1 DRM to be able to stream in a resolution above SD.
Missing Features / Issues:
Button on remote to open multitasking like on the Zidoo boxes.
Remote not as responsive as the MiniMX III remote. Clicks sometimes don’t register or register as double. Hopefully this can be fixed in a software update.
Does not come pre-rooted. Hopefully root can come as part of an OTA update.
HDMI CEC - starts the box when you turn on your TV. Would be a nice feature to have.
Overall:
From my limited time with this device I am highly satisfied with this box specs vs performance. If you enjoyed the beelink MiniMX III then you will enjoy the upgrade this box provides. This is another great offering from beelink and I doubt you will find another Android TV box with this spec/performance for this price. I would definitely recommend this to my customers.
Image Album: http://imgur.com/a/T9tOe
You can purchase this beelink GT1 on GearBest or from the Beelink Official Store on Amazon
Amazon: https://amzn.com/B01KFMLCX6
GearBest: http://www.gearbest.com/tv-box-mini-pc/pp_416057.html
Can you do me a favor, can you check in the playstore if the game "Summoner Wars: Sky arena" is avaible for this tv box, please, i want to buy one to play, it is good to play?
Apps like Netflix need Widevine Level 1 DRM to be able to stream in a resolution above SD.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This means it will not run videos in Netflix above 480p, correct?
Is there a way to get Widevine Level 1 DRM on it if it doesnt have it
---------- Post added at 06:27 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:24 PM ----------
agentevic said:
Can you do me a favor, can you check in the playstore if the game "Summoner Wars: Sky arena" is avaible for this tv box, please, i want to buy one to play, it is good to play?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes its on the play store
Can you check if its possible to send picture to a miracast enabled TV?
i have 3 issues with this GT1 box.
1) Plugging 1TB hard drive while the box is on will cause the screen goes blank. Nothing can be done except turn off and on the power plug to reboot it.
2) Random green screen flickering. Change to other HDMI cable and change display setting still not solve the issue.
3) Picture quality a little bit darker compare to my other android box. Can notice when I watch movie with a lot dark scene.
How to send picture with the Miracast?
fincax said:
How to send picture with the Miracast?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I want to know if it has the option. I think it would be more settings, display, cast screen then enable "enable wireless display" option
I have same issues. Green screen flickering, maybe caused by automatic brightness option or by Rendering Section, maybe option "Turn off hardware overlays" hardware overlays", will force the device to always use GPU for screen compositing.
I read this somewhere....
1Gbit lan
Hello,
I'd like to use it to share my external harddisk with Samba, have you tested the speed transfert between a computer and an external device connected?
Got a RPI2+ but the transfert is maximum 11MB/S due to 100mbits chip.
Thanks
Hevc 10-bit
My problem is with hevc 10-bit videos. While in some video reviews I watched over the Internet everything worked perfectly, when I tried it didn't go very well. While with h264 and h265 video files everything is ok in kodi, there is no way to play h265 10bit videos(with kodi). Green flickering all over the screen, absolutely unwatchable. Also tried to play h265 10bit video files with mx player and default media player and everything was working smooth with hw decoding. Absolutely no idea why kodi can't play h265 10bit files. Any idea?
Plex app for android same result when using direct play. Green flickering. Interesting that when I use external player for plex (mx player, default video player) no flickering at all
If you're planning on using any live tv/live channels or streaming on kodi with this box, it will NOT work.
A lot of us are having issues with anything live on Kodi. Meanwhile, 1080p Youtube, 4k media files, kodi with pre-recorded programs all play fine, very smooth and without issue, and so it isn't a network problem.
But load up Kodi and open any addon with any live tv/channel streaming (Exodus, cCloudTV, Phoenix) and all you get is working audio with very choppy/lagging video that changes one frame every 3-5 seconds. Other standalone streaming apps work without problem. The problem is just Kodi but Kodi is far too important and I might have to return this drive if there's no fix.
Many people are complaining on the company site and Beelink is just ignoring them. Avoid this box if you are planning on using Kodi streaming.
theviper07 said:
Plex app for android same result when using direct play. Green flickering. Interesting that when I use external player for plex (mx player, default video player) no flickering at all
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same thing with my box. Very disappointed.
Beelink forum has a thread about this, and they said change kodi system set may solve this problem.
Cptn_Nemo said:
If you're planning on using any live tv/live channels or streaming on kodi with this box, it will NOT work.
A lot of us are having issues with anything live on Kodi. Meanwhile, 1080p Youtube, 4k media files, kodi with pre-recorded programs all play fine, very smooth and without issue, and so it isn't a network problem.
But load up Kodi and open any addon with any live tv/channel streaming (Exodus, cCloudTV, Phoenix) and all you get is working audio with very choppy/lagging video that changes one frame every 3-5 seconds. Other standalone streaming apps work without problem. The problem is just Kodi but Kodi is far too important and I might have to return this drive if there's no fix.
Many people are complaining on the company site and Beelink is just ignoring them. Avoid this box if you are planning on using Kodi streaming.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I ordered this device for kodi live stream..terrible news!
I am trying to sign in beelink forum without result.
But how is possible they ignore this problem in kodi?
Inviato dal mio ONEPLUS A3003 utilizzando Tapatalk
Tabs78 said:
I ordered this device for kodi live stream..terrible news!
I am trying to sign in beelink forum without result.
But how is possible they ignore this problem in kodi?
Inviato dal mio ONEPLUS A3003 utilizzando Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is terrible. Everyone buys this box for kodi and it does not even work properly. They not only ignore the problem in their website forum but they have intentionally deleted posts about this problem.
I managed to get it fixed today after many factory resets and using the pre-installed kodi. So it looks like Kodi doesn't work on the Beelink GT1 box if you remove/uninstall the one that comes already included with the Beelink and attempt to use a brand new Kodi from the Play Store or Kodi website. I do not like this as I prefer a clean fresh kodi install and you can never know what they might have put in the already installed kodi.
Cptn_Nemo said:
It is terrible. Everyone buys this box for kodi and it does not even work properly. They not only ignore the problem in their website forum but they have intentionally deleted posts about this problem.
I managed to get it fixed today after many factory resets and using the pre-installed kodi. So it looks like Kodi doesn't work on the Beelink GT1 box if you remove/uninstall the one that comes already included with the Beelink and attempt to use a brand new Kodi from the Play Store or Kodi website. I do not like this as I prefer a clean fresh kodi install and you can never know what they might have put in the already installed kodi.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, my english is bad.
You say if i use preinstalled kodi maybe i could not the problem?
Inviato dal mio ONEPLUS A3003 utilizzando Tapatalk
Tabs78 said:
Sorry, my english is bad.
You say if i use preinstalled kodi maybe i could not the problem?
Inviato dal mio ONEPLUS A3003 utilizzando Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, that is what appears to happen.
You said you already ordered it, right?
When the box comes, before you do anything, try using the preinstalled kodi and see if it streams properly and good. If it works, that is great. Then try erasing Kodi and installing a fresh new one from the Play Store and try streaming with that one. If you see any problems, just do a quick system factory reset and use the preinstalled kodi.
This is what I ended up doing now
theviper07 said:
My problem is with hevc 10-bit videos. While in some video reviews I watched over the Internet everything worked perfectly, when I tried it didn't go very well. While with h264 and h265 video files everything is ok in kodi, there is no way to play h265 10bit videos(with kodi). Green flickering all over the screen, absolutely unwatchable. Also tried to play h265 10bit video files with mx player and default media player and everything was working smooth with hw decoding. Absolutely no idea why kodi can't play h265 10bit files. Any idea?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which video files are you trying? Any chance you can give me the names or provide a download link and I'll test. Also have you tried SPMC instead of Kodi? The guy behind SPMC was the main Android Dev for Kodi but he left the group a few months back.
Cptn_Nemo said:
If you're planning on using any live tv/live channels or streaming on kodi with this box, it will NOT work.
A lot of us are having issues with anything live on Kodi. Meanwhile, 1080p Youtube, 4k media files, kodi with pre-recorded programs all play fine, very smooth and without issue, and so it isn't a network problem.
But load up Kodi and open any addon with any live tv/channel streaming (Exodus, cCloudTV, Phoenix) and all you get is working audio with very choppy/lagging video that changes one frame every 3-5 seconds. Other standalone streaming apps work without problem. The problem is just Kodi but Kodi is far too important and I might have to return this drive if there's no fix.
Many people are complaining on the company site and Beelink is just ignoring them. Avoid this box if you are planning on using Kodi streaming.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly since Koying stopped developing the main Kodi app I've been using his fork SPMC, With SPMC I don't have any issue with Live TV/Channel streaming. cCloud, Clu IPTV, UKTurks all work ok. Phoenix has always been hit or miss for me so I hardly ever use it. I expect this is a problem with Kodi which the Android devs have yet to fix since it works OK in SPMC which is a fork of Kodi.
Tabs78 said:
I ordered this device for kodi live stream..terrible news!
I am trying to sign in beelink forum without result.
But how is possible they ignore this problem in kodi?
Inviato dal mio ONEPLUS A3003 utilizzando Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Until they fix the Kodi app you can give SPMC a try. It works great and is in active development.
Cptn_Nemo said:
It is terrible. Everyone buys this box for kodi and it does not even work properly. They not only ignore the problem in their website forum but they have intentionally deleted posts about this problem.
I managed to get it fixed today after many factory resets and using the pre-installed kodi. So it looks like Kodi doesn't work on the Beelink GT1 box if you remove/uninstall the one that comes already included with the Beelink and attempt to use a brand new Kodi from the Play Store or Kodi website. I do not like this as I prefer a clean fresh kodi install and you can never know what they might have put in the already installed kodi.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Like I mentioned above, this could be a problem for the Kodi devs to fix not Beelink. I could be wrong, however the fact that SPMC (the Kodi fork) works great for live streaming, is still actively developed by the guy that was the main Android dev for the Kodi team, speaks volumes.
Also the Kodi that comes pre-installed on the box is the same from the PlayStore, check the signature on the apk.
So I had a CD rom disk I wanted to get a data file off of tonight, but left my laptop at work. I tried hooking a USB DVD drive (a full size desktop "internal" drive in a powered usb enclosure. Used to be top of the line, high speed re-write, etc. 10 years later, it is obsolete junk, slated to go to the landfill home of Zip and Floppy Disk drives. Am I the only one that is maudlin?) to my Tab S4 with nothing but incompatibility (even using exFat/NTFS for USB by Paragon).
I didn't realize this was "hard".
I found a Quora post that said that USB CD/DVD drives need to have "USB Flash Drive Mode Support" (which most drives don't seem to have). I found one USB DVD Drive on Amazon that people report works with Android. But it is $50 and USB 2.0.
Does anyone have a drive you can verify works on the Tab S4? Preferably USB 3.0 or USB C? And preferably in the $20-30 range?
I'm really try to go PC-less, and occasionally need to look up a file on DVD or CD Rom. It would be nice to be able to do that with my tablet,
Thanks,
Joe
So I'm looking at this.
Multiple LG drives claim "TV Connectivity" which seems to be flash drive mode - but does not explicitly call out support for otg.
https://www.amazon.com/LG-Electronics-Portable-External-GP65NB60/dp/B00ODDE33U
$23.43 on Amazon
The manual says it has TV Connectivity where it acts as a flash drive.
What is TV Connectivity? TV Connectivity is a function that allows you to enjoy videos, pictures and music by connecting this product to a compatible A/V device (e.g. DIGITAL TV, DIGITAL PHOTO FRAME, PC) that supports USB connectivity.
How to Use TV Connectivity
* This product is defaulted to ODD mode when it is powered on.
1) With the tray open, press and hold the ‘Eject’ button for 2 seconds. (The LED indicator will turn on, switching to TV mode. Press and hold the button again for 2 seconds with the tray open to return to ODD mode.)
2) Insert your supported media into the drive. The disc file system will be converted to FAT32 and will be recognized as USB flash memory.
3) Select and play the files from your A/V device to enjoy videos, pictures and music. Refer to your A/V device owner’s manual for more information.
So I found and have ordered a drive that specifically claims android support:
https://www.lg.com/us/burners-drives/lg-GP95NW70
https://www.newegg.com/lg-model-gp95nw70-slim-dvd-burner/p/N82E16827136309
Android OS (Smartphone & Tablet) Connectivity*
Transfer and preserve photos, videos, music and data from your Android OS devices to an optical disc. Also, video, audio and data from optical discs can be played and read on your Android OS devices.
* Optical drives are compatible with devices running Android version 4.4.2 or above. Not all file types are compatible. Compatibility may depend on codec of application being used when playing files.
I can't find a manual for it on the LG website, and Newegg is one of the only shopping hits I could find. ~ $40 with tax and shipping. No hits on Amazon.
I'll post how it works when it arrives!
Joe
Long first impressions of LG GP95NW70
https://www.lg.com/us/burners-drives/lg-GP95NW70
https://www.newegg.com/lg-model-gp95nw70-slim-dvd-burner/p/N82E16827136309
I received my GP95 from Newegg yesterday.I played with it for a couple hours, and have some first impressions to report.
This model is Android compatible out of the box. There are two apps you need to download from the Playstore to make it work. Documentation is very poor. The only LG optical drives that are compatible with the software are KP65, KP95 and GP95. The only available in the USA is the GP95NW70 and I only found it on Ebay and at Newegg. The most commonly sold LG optical disc drive sold in the USA seem to be GP65 & GP60 (based on Google & Amazon searches). Neither of these models are listed as compatible with the Android apps you need to access the drives.
There are the two apps you need that are published by Hitachi-LG Data Storage, Inc.:
1) There are three versions of Disc Link: Disk Link, Disc Link Pro, and Disk Link Platinum
Disk Link is the oldest, from 2016, and is compatible only with KP65
Disk Link Pro is from 2017, and is compatible with KP95 and GP95. It is obviously out of date, was locked in portrait mode, which sucks with the USB C connector at the base of the picture frame. The documentation with my GP95 said to run this version.
Disk Link Platinum is the newest, from earlier this year, and is compatible with KP95 and GP95. This is what I am using and allows for rotation to landscape mode.
2) There are two versions of TrueDVD: TrueDVD+ (free) and TrueDVD ($0.99).
TrueDVD+ only works with KP95, but this is what the documentation for my GP95 said to use. It did not work
TrueDVD is $0.99, and it works with GP95 and KP95
Now the evaluation:
Out of the box, the drive has a female micro USB connector, they give you
1 ) A micro male to full size USB 2.0 male cable,
2) A micro USB adaptor that allows for external power + connecting to your phone (Full size USB from the player + micro USB power in / micro USB male to plug into your android device)
3) a micro USB female to male USB C adaptor plug to convert the micro USB adaptor to work with a USB C device.
4) There is a windows software disk
5) Poor documentation (what else is new?)
Links in the TrueDVD and Disc Link Platinum playstore entries take you to Korean web pages where you can download a firmware updater (that runs on Windows, of course). The manufacture date on the unit I got was from October 2018; its firmware "needed" to be updated out of the box. Of course, I have no idea what the update in the firmware has to do with anything.
TV Connectivity Mode (which the GP60 / GP65 models sold in the USA support), is very limited. By holding the eject button down with the door open, you can convert the CD player to a Fat32 read-only flash drive. I had problems getting Solid Explorer to recognize the drive. Microsoft exFAT/NTFS by Paragon works, but you have to pay extra for Fat32 (I optioned only for NTFS). It didn't seem to work with a hub.
When 4unning the aps, it seems to work fine plugging the full size USB into a powered USB C hub. It runs fine plugging directly into the tablet using the included adaptor, both with and without external power. I'm going to order a USB C to micro USB cable so I can connect directly without the hub / adaptors.
The apps:
Disk Link Platinum was a relief after running the Pro version. Screen rotation is a must. It reads CD's, opens PDF's / images from a data CD without obviously saving it locally to the device (the Paragon enabled file explorer had to copy it to local storage). Besides the data CD, I browsed images saved on a DVD ROM disc. No problems playing an audio cd, but it didn't automatically detect the track names. There is a grayed ot "gracenotes" option with a cryptic comment that suggests there is financial negotiation going on between Hitachi-LG and Gracenotes - presumably if this is ever enabled, it will be able to auto detect song names. Pressing the eject button on the unit brings up a "do you want to eject" pop-up on the screen. I'm not sure if you can minimize the window and keep playing.
TrueDVD is worth the $0.99. This allows you to play video DVD's. The menu's are touchscreen activated. There was a weird issue with eject -- pressing the eject button didn't do anything, and there was no menu item to "eject". I had to disconnect / reconnect & hit eject to get the video DVD out. "Help" on the app sends you to a Korean web page that says that non-white protected DVD's can be played from VLC Player, but that write-protected material can only be played with the TrueDVD app. The app would not play in split screen mode, and doesn't have a cast function (I don't know if it functions with screen mirroring). Besides a video DVD, I was able to play a DVD audio Disc (Dolby Tracks only, not DTS). DVD audio would not run minimized.
The video DVD player is region-locked. It came out of the box as Region 2 (Europe/Japan). When you put a Disc in, it says "The player region does not match the disc. Would you like to change the player region? You can do this 5 times and then it locks". I set it to region 1 and all ran fine. But it is a shame you can't make it regon free -- I have several DVD's I purchased years ago from Europe / Japan that weren't available in the USA. I don't know if the region selection is tracked in the TrueDVD app, or in the hardware; I suspect it is in the hardware. So you can't freely switch regions. Not a big deal unless you live in the US and are a big anime fan. I suppose you could buy two players and set one to Region 1 and the other to Region 2. But watching video DVD's is not the primary purpose I bought the drive for, it is just a perk.
I have no plans to try burning discs. That's what flash drives are for. I need it for reading existing CD/DVD ROM discs with out a PC. It seems to do this well. Audio CD and DVD video playability are happy (but probably seldom used) extras.
And I haven't tried using this with DeX yet. That will be for the weekend.
All and all, it seems like a good drive, and another step to freedom from PC's
Joe
So, DeX.
Not so much.
Disc Link works fine with DeX. TrueDVD, no.
In the link to the Korean help page for TrueDVD it mentioned that mirroring/casting (or what they refer to as "remote viewing") is not allowed for copy protected DVD's. But it suggests casting is OK for non-copy protected material using external viewers like VLC. Well, I'm not sure I have a video DVD that isn't copy protected. And TrueDVD sees DeX via HDMI to my TV as "remote viewing." So no-joy. I tried DeX locally on the tablet, and while it will run, if you try to resize the screen, it freezes. So you have to properly size the window before playing the DVD.
The other non-related to DeX observation was that I don't have to unplug / reconnect the drive to eject video DVD's -- If I hit the eject button, then close both apps and reopen Disc Link, the "do you want to eject" message pops up and the tray opens when you click "yes"
So to end my first impressions (and since I won't be using this on a regular basis, this is probably my last impressions too),
I think this is a very useful arrow for the quiver. I'm happy I can access data from old CD/DVD ROM libraries. It works well for this. I can't imagine ever using it to burn a CD or DVD -- we have USB flash drives today. Likewise ripping or burning an audio CD. I ripped all my CD's on a PC years ago and sent the vast majority off to the pawn shop. I no longer use the CD player in my car, I have a bluetooth adaptor that let's me transmit audio from my tablet to the car stereo system.
It is a nice plus to be able to view video DVD's, but there are some limitations. Ejecting, region lock, resizing, casting not possible. Likewise a nice plus to be able to play audio CD's, but this would be much improved if they re-enable gracenotes. It seems like a work in progress, but it isn't clear how much more work is going into it. It is a head-scratcher to me that they aren't marketing this more strongly in the US market. I couldn't find anything on other optical disc drives which could work with Android. There has to be at least a niche market somewhere in the electronic world for this.
I hope folks find this useful. Sometimes I wonder if I am only typing for myself. This sort of new functionality is interesting to me. I'd love to see more posts from people "look what I've found!" If there interested folks out there, please drop a note on the thread and say so.
Take care,
Joe
I'm going to add a couple more comments:
First, I was unfair about the documentation vis-à-vis Disc Link Pro / Platinum. The manufacture date was older than the platinum app. Hence the reference to pro in the documentation.
Second, I dropped an email to the support contact in the Disc Link app, and it took a couple of days, but they responded from Korea. With very good English. Explained Disc Link Platinum added tablet support (hence the ability to rotate), and that the TrueDVD / TrueDVD+ had different licenses. And thanked me for purchasing the drive. Very nice support, very polite response.
I've reported the eject bug, and asked a few additional questions.
Joe
Is Disk Link Platinum in the Play store? I do not see it there.
aspexil said:
Is Disk Link Platinum in the Play store? I do not see it there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Disk Link Platinum:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=kr.co.hlds.disclink.platinum
TrueDVD:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.smedio.hldsusb
sMedio seems to be the actual app developer, although they identify Hitachi-LG Data Storage as the publisher
Joe
So the "eject bug" isn't a bug, or is at least a known bug.
In the Disc Link Platinum playstore "about this app" documentation, in a footnote, it says, "to eject the disc inside ODD during video/music playback on the player works on with, terminate the player and then press eject key of ODD."
Obviously, this means when I want to eject a video DVD, I need to close TrueDVD+, then hit eject and the eject button works. And it does. ?
Joe