ZIDOO Z9X

Discussion in 'HDD Media player(RTD 1619DR)' started by DELUCAS, Aug 4, 2020.

  1. 3DBuff

    3DBuff Well-Known Member

    Best price is AliExpress on Zidoo store.
     
  2. DELUCAS

    DELUCAS Well-Known Member

    i know did not want to name drop !
     
  3. McBluna

    McBluna Well-Known Member

    What language? With de it doesn't show any of the models.
     
  4. 3DBuff

    3DBuff Well-Known Member

  5. McBluna

    McBluna Well-Known Member

    You're right! ~195€ (229$) for Z9X with taxes and delivery at Zidoo Shop
     
    Last edited: Aug 12, 2020
  6. McBluna

    McBluna Well-Known Member

  7. DELUCAS

    DELUCAS Well-Known Member

    Are you thinking of treating yourself ?
     
  8. McBluna

    McBluna Well-Known Member

  9. blenky

    blenky Well-Known Member

    I see Futeko are not taking any more pre orders until they despatch the pre orders they have. Still saying 18th. Not long now.
     
  10. blenky

    blenky Well-Known Member

  11. maxhim

    maxhim Active Member

    Hi! I live in Hungary. I would like to buy Z9X from zidoo.de. The full price must be paid in advance? And another question : Dune 4K Pro ll. or Zidoo Z9X? I think zidoo will be the Winner, but im a little insecure. I have a Dune 4K Pro now, but I think the New version is a little expensive. THX!
     
  12. Oldirtydog

    Oldirtydog Member

    And when you paid the customs taxes the price is different :) i will waiting from Futeko store from England. No custom for europe :)
     
  13. DELUCAS

    DELUCAS Well-Known Member

    Dont forget the 2 Year Warranty that everyone does not take in to account . :)
     
    xskip likes this.
  14. Nice Monkey

    Nice Monkey Well-Known Member Beta test group

    All about the new RTD1619DR based models:
    My experience is in effect based on my own Z9X but HW changes for other models is added for completeness.

    Some excellent reviews for pictures, menu's etc.
    http://mediaplayers.gr/zidoo-z9x/

    The HW changes in a nutshell compared with equivalent RTD1296 based models:

    Model Z9X:

    - The color changed but the same non-removable antennas remained (matching color)
    - One SATA connector was deleted and replaced by air holes for cooling
    - The PSU was reduced regarding size to 12V 2A (was 3A) which will now just do with one SATA HDD connected. There is no spare power specifically if USB ports are loaded too.


    Model Z10 Pro

    - The color changed and the striping was deleted (I liked the old model more)
    - The PSU was reduced regarding size to 12V 2A (was 3A) which will now just do with one SATA HDD connected.
    - The Flash was increased to 32 GByte
    There is no spare power left specifically if USB ports are fully loaded too or a second SATA HDD is connected (don't try a hot HDD swap under those conditions). I highly recommend to replace the PSU with a 12V 4A (earthed) model when using this model with 2x SATA HDD"s.
    Other specifications remained identical: HDD Slot, big Front Display and a Fan.

    Model Z1000 Pro
    - The model was upgraded to be a High End (like X20 before) including the fancy Black GUI
    - The standard V7 IR Remote was replaced by the V8 BT Remote coming with High End models
    - The Flash was increased to 32 GByte
    Other specifications remained the same: Excellent internal earthed 12V 5A PSU, internal antennas and the fancy sturdy chassis in black. This PSU will remain in the safety region under all foreseeable conditions. Audio and Video quality will (potentially) benefit from it too.

    FW features are currently identical for all 3 models but High End models may get some FW functional differentiation over time beyond the GUI I was told by Zidoo.

    These 3 models share the same physical motherboard with RTD1619DR SOC
    - Support for VP9 Profile 2 e.g. used by YouTube 4K HDR
    - 50% added CPU processing power using a Cortex 6-core A55
    - 50% added GPU processing power via the Mali-G51 MP4 GPU
    - Widevine L1, Playready & Verimatrix Ultra DRM support
    - HDR10, HLG, TCH Prime, Dolby Vision & HDR10+
    - Dolby Vision VS10 HDR engine
    The new CPU/GPU will boot in 20-25 seconds which is very fast. A new FW is installed including boot within two and a half minutes from USB.

    The GUI and Android Setup:
    Made some UHD2000 comments in the past on the High End models Black GUI missing essential easy access to Android Setup. Apparently this was well read by Zidoo as they integrated all essential Android related setup items now into Zidoo Quick Setup.
    My suggestion was to add Android setup to the Black GUI but Zidoo instead moved Android setup items for: Time, HDMI-CEC and HDCP-version instead to Zidoo Quick Setup. Obviously this will work the same for upcoming High End models solving my signaled problem for those that way. In fact the direct Android Setup APP was removed now also from the Zidoo classic GUI (Z9X and Z10 Pro) and the only remaining access runs via Zidoo Quick Setup =Other=>Advanced Setup just like when using the Black GUI (Z1000 Pro).
    A consistent and easy interface is always good, so a good change in my view. :)

    Screensaver included and is configurable
    Finally a screensaver was introduced with Android 9. It works as intended and also can be coupled with other Screensaver APP's. I am using Google Clock myself as the screensaver app. Yeah you need to go to Android Setup to activate the Google Clock alternative. :)

    PQ with HDR => SDR for 4k HDR movies viewed on a 1080P TV
    Watched a few movies this way and I must say with a nice PQ. Used the VS10 engine as it gave me a slightly better PQ than with standard SOC conversion, which was not bad either. :)
    If anybody wants me to try a specific movie just let me know. If I have it available will give it a t least a short view.

    Picture and Audio Quality
    In general the PQ is excellent and for sure somewhat better than with RTD1296 models. Not a huge improvement but definitely there.
    Audio supports the same formats and being output in RAW via HDMI there are no changes beyond ongoing progress made with Music Player 6. MP Gapless playback is not supported yet and is a reversed feature for High End models only.

    Additional Color / HDR settings
    Color setting preferences can be chosen now specifically for:
    - 4K 50-60Hz
    - 4K 23-30 Hz
    - Below 4K
    This will appeal at least to a number of customers. Used AUTO myself in the past to my satisfaction.

    MaxCLL and MAXFALL can be disabled now for better compatibility.

    Dolby Vision VS10 Engine was added to the HDR output options. Use AUTO myself.

    Dolby Vision support and the VS10 Engine
    DV support and VS10 are in fact 2 different items as the standard RTD1619DD SOC also supports DV processing.

    With VS10 active when connected to a DV capable TV all output will be in DV even for menus. This at the current state of implementation.
    This VS10 engine can potentially adopt to many different conditions and can match source and output capabilities for any mix of HDR variants (HDR10, HDR10+, DV and even HLG).

    Regarding DV support it supports Netflix and DV within MKV containers (profile 5 and profile 8 MEL for now). Work is said by Zidoo to be done on MKV containers regarding profiles 4, 5, 8 & 9.
    It is expected never to support 4K/HDR10 movies with additional 1080P/DV playback within an ISO container (profile 7) for legal reasons. The DV track need to to ripped separately to a supported profile in a MKV container for playback as the consequence.

    Streaming Video services
    UHD supporting APP's for Netflix and Youtube are bundled. Amazon Prime Video works in HD too but is not bundled and needs to be downloaded. All are restricted to stereo the moment. Others are reported just to work in SD. Be sure to set DHCP at version 2.2 before trying this as it will be required for HD.


    Adding access to the Google Play Store if desired
    The GAPP"s APK is not applicable anymore and won't work with Android 9. Instead now a FW with _G at the end needs to be installed (like FW 6.0.22_G).
    You need next to Google Play Protect Certify your player and activate the Google Play Store:

    1. Open Play Store, then close it - this generates the GSF ID
    2. Goto Zidoo Quick Settings/Other/About and take a note of the GSF ID
    3. In any web browser on any platform, goto www.google.com/android/uncertified, log in and enter GSF ID and hit <Register>
    4. Restart Z9X as a now Google Play Protect certified device
    5. Start Google Play Store again and register/activate your Google account

    You are now ready to use the Google Play Store. No other Google services are installed with this procedure.

    HDMI-CEC
    As mentioned already now configurable via Quick Setup. ;)
    - I am missing Power control On/Off synchronized also for my AMP
    - A lot more valued by me is automatic switching to the Zidoo designated HDMI Port. Most equipment sees this as the most basic HDMI-CEC function but I have never seen it before on any Android implementation. When switching on my Zidoo its output will appear automatically on my TV switching to the corresponding HDMI port. This regardless if it is connected directly or via an intermediate AMP.

    Good news for those with a direct TV connection but less if you are using an AMP. If you have an AMP in between it does nothing for that intermediate AMP which HDMI-CEC is perfectly capable to do too.

    Clock CR1220 cell omitted :(
    My Z9X was shipped without a backup clock cell in contrary to my Z9S. Zidoo confirmed me this will be the case with all their new models. It is not so much a cost saver but avoids problems with international transportation regulations for batteries they told me. It seems Russia does not like them being mounted for instance.
    The clock circuitry is clearly coupled to the standby power with this SOC design. This reduces the impact to zero provided the unit remains connected to the grid constantly. Also without being connected to the Internet the clock will remain counting and providing the correct time even with power cycles. If desired the CR1220 cell can be retrofitted opening the box as the socket for it remains in place.

    Grid restore default configurable :)
    After a grid power failure or manual power cycle the player will come back active with previous models. With this generation a parameter will let the customer choose to have it come back in standby or active. A welcome improvement just like WOL (Wake On LAN).

    ZDMC / KODI
    Tried the latest available version of ZDMC. It will install correctly ask for permissions and next prepare for first run. At that point it will crash and keep doing so when started again.

    KODI v18.8 has been demonstrated to run using the Zidoo Player on the German forum. This including MKV's with DV. HD sound does not work with it though.
    XMBC (KODI Wrapper) in combination with KODI will be testet too when the essential ROOT is available first. This is a valid alternative but not for free (8 Euro).

    ROOT
    There is no ROOT available yet, but is expected to come sooner or later.

    OpenWRT dropped
    It seems there is a problem combining it with Android 9. It is not included anymore and won't come back according Zidoo.. By me support for SMB/FTP Server is dearly missing. Others will miss Transmission for sure.

    It was mentioned though that at least SMB Server will come back in another form.
     
    Last edited: Aug 17, 2020
    godalmighty, 3DBuff, Davicom and 3 others like this.
  15. Vinny4K

    Vinny4K Active Member

    Thanks Nice Monkey for your findings.

    How is the picture quality compared with the X9S?
     
  16. Nice Monkey

    Nice Monkey Well-Known Member Beta test group

    In general the PQ is excellent and definitely somewhat better.

    If you are (or plan to) watching material in HDR then is definitely a good moment to go for the Z9X even when watching it on a TV without 4K/HDR,
    Even compared with Z9S good progress was made there not even talking about new DV capabilities.
     
    Vinny4K likes this.
  17. DELUCAS

    DELUCAS Well-Known Member

    Great to hear should still be the same as on my Plasma to then . :)
    T - Minus 6 Days and counting .......... ;)
     
  18. Nice Monkey

    Nice Monkey Well-Known Member Beta test group

    Updated the changes #134 HDMI-CEC and Clock mainly after interaction with Zidoo and adding ZDMC. Will keep an eye on experiences with KODI + XBMC.
     
    Last edited: Aug 14, 2020
  19. blenky

    blenky Well-Known Member

    On my Shield I use the app 'Photo Gallery and Screensaver'. I have bought the screensaver part of the app and it cycles through my Google photos when screen saver kicks in. Will I be able to use this on the Z9X?
     
  20. Nice Monkey

    Nice Monkey Well-Known Member Beta test group

    Probably.

    Photo Frame is part of the standard Android 9 screensaver options. Probably does something similar too?

    A few more updates to my overview of changes. Z1000 Pro now also described correctly as a High End model with Black GUI on several places. I have the feeling it replaces the X20 model.
     
    Last edited: Aug 15, 2020
    blenky likes this.

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