Beta version v1.0.52 for Z9X Pro/Z20 Pro/Z2000 Pro/Z2600/UHD5000 release

When I turned on my Z9X Pro yesterday I was confronted with the full screen error below. Never seen this before on previous Zidoos. Two options given - 'Try again' and 'Factory data reset'. I selected 'Try again' and the device booted up OK and has been OK since. A little concerning though!

 

I had this on the Z1000pro several times. good is not enough, but it happens.

 

Only seen it on a Z9X after I purposely crashed it.

We definitely need a bit more stability with these new devices before they're ready for prime time.

You get a similar screen if you attempt to flash an earlier firmware - it looks like it's loading but then eventually you get a recovery screen which is incorrect behaviour - it should just show a message like previous models.

 

Received my Z9X Pro from Futeko yesterday, and I'm disappointed with it (vs. my Z9X) in its current state. 3D does not work at all... 3D MVC MKV's and 3D ISO's both play in 2D.

While boot-up time is a little faster than Z9X, Pro's menu navigation and browsing library is only marginally faster, with 1-2 seconds of random UI freezing here & there.

Remote is poorly designed. You can hardly make out the grey button labels on a black remote. In the dark, forget it. Yes, there's a backlight button, but the remote is inferior to Z9X's.

 

Have you upgraded to the latest firmware?

 

Yeah, I got that screen when trying to go from G to non G firmware. It was a bit of a surprise until I found out non G is considered to be an earlier release than the G versions. But that screen was a little scary at first.

 

Yes, had v1.0.52 zip loaded on a USB stick ready to go, but upon first powering on Z9X Pro, was prompted to download v1.0.52, so that's what I let install.

 

Hello, I am having the same issue with 3D content. Using the latest 1.0.52 firmware. It appears the firmware is not detecting a 3D capable display. I tried with 3 different 3D projectors that work with no issues with the Z9X (non pro)

It plays the movie in 2D. If I go to the 3D menu and force 3D_MVC it states that the display is not 3D capable. Clicking 'Confirm' will force the 3D mode and it's correct 24p frame packed. I also noticed the menus become very slow in 3D mode. This is not an issue with the Z9X (non pro).

Please fix this issue, thank you

 

The list with problems relating the 1.052 firmware is immer growing.....

I still believe Zidoo rushed the quality test period with the new line of products and their related firmware.

 

It's a shame!
End-users as alpha-testers!
My personal opinion: They are not professionals, they are hobbyists!

 

I'm always surprised when people are surprised by this!

I've been involved in media players for over 20 years and it's always been this way - from very early Media PCS, to the old Pixel Magic boxes, through Netgear's offerings (remember them!!), Popcorn Hour, to the wonderful Sigma boxes and now the Realtek boxes, it's always worked this way.

And I still have all of them in my attic!!

They're a work in progress and always will be. They will always be updated and owners of the previous generation will always feel left out when things move on and they will whinge and moan about it. People will always complain that they are beta testers, but it's the nature of the beast.

You have to be pragmatic.

And hey, if you don't want to be part of all that it's honestly really really simple - buy Kaleidescape. They work magnificently, they are the finished article and they have an ever expanding library with the very best quality encodes available and work with every home automation solution out there. A no brainer if you don't want the hassle.

 

Soap Box moment

 

Hardware wise these are pretty good value for the money. Android is not really a good OS for remote based use and on large screens. They should have gone with a Android TV like OS and removed the non-supported streaming options and apps. Also these models are pretty much out the door so give the company some time to fix things. They could have made some of the apps open source to help with development. Not sure how much IP is in those apps.

 

Quite a lot to be honest. Not that that's stopped competitors stealing it in the past!

 

I completely agree. I do FW beta testing for an audio company and I see exactly the same types of comments there.

 

With al due respect....I don't agree with most of your statement.

I have been a consumer and personal hobbyist of and with electronics, pc's, game consoles, media player and hifi components for over 30 years and have rarely whitnessed a newly introduced product wich had so many isseus with performing it's basic functions.

Am i being unreasonable for wanting a product wich costs 550euro to at least perform it' basic functions properly right out of the box?

Imagine you buy an 1800 euro amplifier and right out of the box it can't perform it's basic function namely playing music....how would you feel and better would you accept that?

And don't come to me and fellow consumers who have spended their hard earned money on the products from Zidoo with an " if you don't like it then leave it " attitude....this is very unrespecful.

In the end...us consumers are the source of Zidoo's income.....the least they can do is deliver an functioning product and if you did not then take responsibility and take your consumers seriously by well functioning problem solving future updates.

 

Exactly....it is not our responsibility to be the test group neither to perform all kinds of tests and problem solving to wich some members have turned to get the basic funtions to work reasonably.

 

Whilst I agree with the sentiment, it's just not how it works. It's not how it's ever worked. As I say, pragmatism is the key.

Use these devices within the constraints of their ability and understand those constraints and they work brilliantly.

These new players need work, that's undoubtedly true, and maybe they were released a bit too early - arguably true too, but we'll get there and then there'll be a new device... circle of life and all that...

 

This is at least a more nuanced and reasonable approach.....

The constraints of their capabillities is basic media playback....a function wich for the moment is anything but perfect so to say.

On this point there should have been more extensive testing before release.

Although I agree that pragmatism is a healthy skill....it can only take you so far and is absolutely not the final word when it comes to how consumers experience their product and Zidoo as manafacturer.

 

We are no longer 20 years ago. And it has always worked that way and will always work that way is not an argument but pure resignation.

You have to be pragmatic.

OK, let's be pragmatic: Why can other companies bring more stable products to the market? My Zappiti, Dune HD, etc. are all cheaper, more stable and have less bugs than my Zidoo UHD5000 for '1000USD. And they don't have a warped case that wobbles either ;-).

We're not talking about a few minor software bugs here. My UHD5000 is simply unusable and unusable products should not be put on the market and expect ('unpragmatic') users to shut up and it has no impact on the brand's reputation - especially when you think about the existence of social media. This is marketing, management and engineering 1x1.

With all due respect, if someone says it's always been this way and will always be this way, how is a path to more professionalism possible?

On the subject of being technologically involved: And frankly, as an ITPro veteran, I simply don't see how you can be so unskilled with technology in 2023 if you've been working in a field for years. As an IT lecturer, I would say Zidoo is resistant to learning...