Wishlist for Z9X Pro improvement

Just as suggestion for designers and developers, I'd like to remind my new year wishlist. Here are some interesting issues to improve:
1. New design for Home Theatre.
At Home page, I wish to have the choice of startup not at Apps but in Home Theatre instead.
Change design as it's the same for many years and need to be upgraded.
2. Language complete and improved translations.
Most of the translations are incomplete or simply mixed with English. For Spanish, it's really bad as language mix like Spanglish.
3. Reduce synchronize time at play back start.
Now it's too long as after showing a flash of posterwall, the screen remains black for 3-5 sec.
4. Scan procedure for TV shows and tittle match.
TV show scan is really difficult and faulty.
In the frequent event of tittle match, choose the latest or let the user to do setup.
NAS auto-scan doesn't work. It shows scanning but nothing is done. You need to select the driver again.

It's fine if they listen, great if they work it out.

 

re 1 above: You can do this already. Go into Apps and press and hold OK button over 'Home Theater 4.0' app. From pop up menu select 'Launch On Startup'.
re 3 above: This is a HDMI resync and nothing can be done about this.
re 4 above: I have a Synology NAS and automatic re scan of sources works fine.

 

For the selectable startup, it’s quite fine. Thanks for the advice. HT redesign is likely the most desirable to come.

 

>re 3 above: This is a HDMI resync and nothing can be done about this.

It seemingly could be more graceful. Why seemingly? Because my Shield Pro handles this much better, and doesn't have that initial jarring resync. It's able to smoothly start the video with everything already synced up.

Yes, I know there is a setting in Zidoo that's a frame rate switch delay timer. But setting this seems to break my playback through ZidooPlexMod. Content will immediately start stuttering.

Maybe OP will have better luck with that delay timer and the internal player instead of Kodi/Plex.

 

OK. So you are saying that the Shield Pro is able to switch framerate, dynamic range and resolution totally smoothly? I use both HT4 and ZidooPlexMod and the re sync (with or without pause) never causes stuttering.

 

Yes on Shield Pro. SDR, HDR framerate switching is totally smooth. I don't use resolution switching so can't speak to that.

For me, the Zidoo pause on resync causes stuttering on DV content. I don't think I tested on SDR.

 

To be able to use the Batch Editing function directly on the poster wall, and not only in the Sources, could be very usefull.

More convenient when you need to add different content to a customized category for example (or to mark some content as viewed), instead of doing it one by one on the poster wall.

 

Are you sure the shield plex client is actually switching the framerate? If there is no resync then I don't see how it could be switching the framerates.

 

Of course, it's a setting in Plex. I'm sure there is a resync, but it just seems to be handled really smoothly/elegantly. Nothing jarring at all.

 

When I had the shield pro a number of years ago the plex client didn't reliably switch frame rates. So just wanted to make sure you were double checking that it did actually switch frame rates.

 

The actual way Zidoo handles the resync framerate is really visible and very annoying. In the latest Z9X Pro it takes 4-5secs of black screen, with no stuttering.

 

Just to be clear, the Zidoo, like most STBs, will correctly send an HDMI sync signal when either resolution, frame rate or HDR mode changes.

This is immediate and any delay is due to the display and NOT the source.

Some displays take a couple of seconds, some longer - my Sony takes about 2-3s, my Samsung about 5s and my projector up to 15s.

The Shield does not send a sync signal on HDR mode change but this is a dangerous strategy because some displays occasionally do not recognise the mode change without a resync and remain in the previous mode, often with no way to remedy the situation.

 

When the resync is short you may accept/understand but when longer, it's really annoying(light off, the movie is about to start). My actual case Z9X Pro --> LG Oled is 5s. The time spent by Zappiti was considerably shorter than Zidoo. Anyway just a wish for future firmware either for MPs or TVs.

 

As I said above, resync time is due to the TV only, not the Zidoo.

5s is standard for a lot of TVs.

 

I don’t know if that’s true but I read somewhere that Dune (or Zappiti, not sure) handles the synch better, pausing the video automatically until the HDMI synch is finished.

 

Dune doesn't do it - I don't have a 1619 Zappiti to test but I doubt that's the case there either - they both use the 1619DR and I don't think it has the ability to auto detect when the TV has sync'd.

As far as I know the Zidoo is the only one that allows a pause before playback when there's an HDMI sync. Certainly my Dune doesn't have the option.

 

5. Allow Google Play Store apps to correctly access locally attached media, like SATA drive, USB drives.
I will delete this requirement if someone would explain to me how to access USB connected DVD-ROM drive using MX Player, VLC, TrueDVD...

 

I've got an Zappiti One 4K HDR (RTD1295 - ARM Cortex CA53x4 Quad Core) and it managed sync much better and smooth than Zidoo. It stuck with a message "Retrieving the video" for 5-8s and then video start immediately. Actually you didn't notice any black screen at all.

 

I have a Zappiti One 4K HDR as well and the sync is the same with the Zidoo on my Samsung TV.

 

My config was Zappiti --> Denon AVC --> Samsung QE75 and resync was almost invisible.