ZIDOO Z9X

Really odd that - I have a copy of the C8 EDID here and as you'd expect with LG, it fully supports selectable quantisation and the EDID bears that out. I wonder if the AVR mangles the EDID (happens a lot) and your other devices don't care.

Real shame, but it looks like it might be purely academic now anyway...

I've never been convinced that the devs knew what I was whittering on about with this and since no-one else seemed to have issue with it I developed my own workaround - fortunately I program Crestron so am able to fully automate the masking process.

If I'm honest it's nice to find someone else who sees this issue but as I say, a damn shame it stops you using the device because it's a great box if you can get it to work for you.

I was going to say it may be a problem with VS10 again but I just checked on a Dune and as you say, that doesn't do it so it can't be that... (although just to be clear, the Dune has the same overall black floor issue with VS10)

 

maybe the sample I just posted could help them understand and figure out what the other devices are doing?perhaps you could include the picture i posted here as well

Thank's
I'll try without my AVR. I also have a cheap Vizio TV and a JVC rx550 PJ I can test.

 

It's difficult to see from your picture but I think I can get a better image here if I rack up the black level - I'll have to wait until dark though because the room I'm in isn't light controlled and I think I'll get a better image from a TV than the cinema screen.

If you turn brightness up, the difference is very pronounced and very obviously way above black.

I'll also post that video on their FTP to make it easier.

 

This shows the effect much more pronounced:

 

I've sent these images and video to Zidoo so let's hope it can finally be fixed.

 

indeed...
Just to add more info, I asked my friend @manix from the makemkv forum to compare the dune player with my x700 which has exactly the same issue as the Zidoo.
If you are not aware of our work there, he has an Atomos Shogun which allows him to capture the LLDV signal in PQ HDR10

So here's proof that the Dune player doesn't have this issue: https://slow.pics/c/nXWmkBgB
I think Zidoo can make it work since it looks similar to the dune player. I'll wait a bit before returning my unit.

 

Yeah, it's the same SOC so this should be an easy fix as long as the devs understand the problem and can replicate it.

 

Does the Z9X's eSATA support port multiplier mode? I ask because I have a Mediasonic H82-SU3S2 drive bay. It's JBOD only so it needs an eSATA port multiplier to see all the drives. USB on it is spotty so I don't use it, tends to drop connection fairly frequently but eSATA is rock solid.

 

I had a reply from Zidoo that they can't replicate it but I think this is because their office lighting is too bright so I've sent instruction to raise brightness on the TV to see it...

 

LOL
Explains a lot.

 

@Markswift2003 & @Reset_9999 it was pure poetry to read your posts, I worked in studio/production/postproduction for 10 years, hasn't been in that business since 2012 and I realized I miss this kinda of casual but serious talk. Kudos to both of you.

 

Very kind of you - this kind of conversation really flicks my switches

 

yep, they have to watch in the complete dark and preferably on an OLED otherwise they wont notice it. Even in my perfect pitch-black room, the grey black bars are only really distracting when the screen goes full black (like the appleTV intro) and only when my eyes are fully adapted to the darkness (takes about 30-60 seconds)

 

Yeah but once you know it's there, you know it's there!

That's why I use software and hardware masks in the cinema - I'd never actually seen the bars prior to programming software masks because the physical masks are black enough, but I don't want to take the chance of something like that dragging me out of a movie in a dark scene.

 

here I think I did a better sample for them to test. I cropped 500 black frames(350/350) with x265.exe and then I generated DV metadata with Davinci Resolve. This should make the grey black bar very large and very obvious. I'm not home so I didn't test the file yet. Let me know if it doesn't work.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bjQ7VLtvR8HYkLbkf1DiDtpls3TWbm25/view?usp=sharing

 

Nice - can't test right now - just running another test, but once done will try it and come back to you..

 

Replicated it.

 

Brilliant!

 

They have a C9, mainly because of my moaning about all the probs I had with mine when the box first came out I think lol.