Beta version v1.0.75 for Z9X Pro/Z20 Pro/Z2000 Pro/Z2600/UHD5000 release

It's a pity Zidoo doesn't realize that with a minimum effort of releasing a new firmware every 4-6 weeks the users and forum members will be busy with their boxes and not paying attention to its weak commercial strategy.

 

I don't see any difference in the picture quality.

 

OK thanks !

 

o, so this is your last post here? ok.

 

I agree with you on a lot of this, but I also know a little of what's going behind the scenes so I'm hanging tight.

I've had a Z9X Pro here since they were launched, but I also have a Dune 8K which I've had for a couple of months now.

To sum it up simply, the box I use day to day in my cinema, which has been utterly bomb proof now for at least 3 years, is the Z9X. And trust me, if it wasn't bomb proof, it wouldn't be in there. In the past I've had Realtek Dunes and Shields in there and they all got ripped out.

Prior to the Z9X I had a Z9S and before that an X9S (this was well before I got involved with Zidoo). The last boxes to rival those three reliability wise were the old Sigma Dunes - they were great, but of course Sigma exited and those boxes were before HDR10, so useless now.

The new Dune is a good box there's no doubt, qualitative picture quality is the same as the Z9X, possibly the Z9X Pro, but it has its own list of issues, particularly with DV, and even if all that gets fixed (which I'm sure it will eventually), it's still got the god awful new GUI and terrible "My Collection". I enjoy fiddling with it but I wouldn't consider it for installation in the cinema where it matters - I know it doesn't matter to some people, but the interface is important to me, particularly when you're using it for movie nights in a dedicated room.

 

I'll miss him.

 

I know a Dolby Vision Dune problem from the RU Dune forum, DV only works when the player is online, but I am not affected because my player is always online. And why the player has to be switched offline is a mystery to me.
Maybe there are others but I have already watched several films with DV and everything was great.

I'm a big fan of Zidoo's home theatre, but since I got the Dune HD Pro One 8K Plus, I've only started my UHD3000 once to compare the picture quality with the Dune. I currently enjoy playing the films with the Dune.
2 years ago, when I had my last Dune, MyCollection/NewGUI was still bad and the reason why I switched back to the Zidoo, Dune didn't work on it. But in 2 years Dune has implemented what they promised for a long time and
I think the current version is very good and very flexible. I have customised it to my needs and I no longer have to wait 20 seconds for online trailers.
But everyone wants something different and everyone uses a player differently, and I know You use offline trailers. In the end, what counts is if a person is happy with their player.

 

That's what I did! It's coming Friday! One other thing, I'd read one comment on a z9x youtube video where the guy said he had all the problems we're having and he thinks he solved the problem by using an "active" HDMI cable, an 8K model from Monoprice. I picked one up last night, it comes Tuesday, so I'll have 3 days or so to see if it really fixes the bugs I'm dealing with. If not, then bring on the Dune! I'll definitely update this thread with the results.

 

Yeah it's to do with Dolby licensing and I'm not sure why it needs an online check but it's a bit of a worry because if the licence expires or becomes invalid for any reason, DV playback ceases to work regardless of whether it's online or not.

I don't like constraints like that - I'd like to know that come the zombie apocalypse my players will still work standalone...

 

I think he means that Dolby Vision on the S928x SOC is darker than on the Realtek SOC's.

I own a z9x pro, a ugoos Am8 (s928x-j soc) and the dune hd pro 8k (s928x-j soc).
and on the Amlogic-s928x soc's, Dolby Vision is darker than on the zidoo player. I think Markswift2003 is talking about this.
He checked it once and posted it in the avs forum.
And if you pay attention, you will also notice that the Amlogic soc's have a black crush, unlike the zidoo

But I hope they will fix this in the future

 

Mark I would like to know if you've heard about using an "active" HDMI cable to connect your z9x. Any anecdotal evidence that it works?

 

It hard clips black at 85.

Also there are RPU problems in VS10.

And other stuff...

 

All an active HDMI cable does is allow more robust signal flow - used ostensibly for longer cable runs. There's no real advantage for short runs although that doesn't stop manufacturers selling them...

The best thing to do for short runs is to make sure you use Premium Certified cables with this mark:

​

But keep an eye out for forgeries - genuine cables can be checked with an app:

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/hdmi-cable-certification/id1065242072
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.authenticvision.android.hdmi&hl=en_GB&gl=US

 

Safe to upgrade from .50?

 

interesting, especially that the Dune has advantages in terms of channel separation and bass. I assume this only applies to the analogue audio outputs? With Dolby Atmos pass through, the signal is transmitted digitally and decoded by the AV receiver. Do you have an explanation for this?

The stuttering playback with high-sampled Flac files also annoys me. I have some concerts in 192 kHz that are inaudible with the Z9X.

 

Maybe, I have not played any test videos or similar on the player. I have only played a few good quality films and compared the quality. I don't see any difference to the UHD3000. That's enough for me to keep the Dune.

 

Hi guys, I haven't updated my Z2000 pro since 1.0.52 should I update to the new 1.0.75? did anyone encountered any problems with the update?
Apologies if someone else already asked the same question and it was responded.
Thanks

 

I got the 8k Dune as well, had it for about a week.
I got tired of waiting for the z20pro update, and tired of not being able to play stuff only connected via the network without freeze-ups and reboots.
I still have the X9, Z10Pro as well, .. probably all 3 will go on ebay.

8k Dune has a few quirks but the main thing is I was able to actually email back and forth their tech support and had answers to questions the same day. Yes, the same day.
IMHO, that alone makes it worth it.

1. Some things seem really slow in the 8k. For example, making a backup of kodi goes so slow its not worth doing. I got around it by re-booting (with kodi set to auto boot on screen), do nothing when kodi opens, then run the back up to SMB connected to my computer.. now I can back kodi up with normal speeds.
2. The BT mouse seems to have a small delay in kodi
3. Kodi still reads (and I think only accesses) 4gigs RAM, not 8. I dont know why this is yet but it does run much smoother. So I could be wrong on that. Not sure.
4. I haven't used the 8k's media UI, I only really use kodi with the Titan Mod skin.
5. There is a bug they know about and working on in their next update, the Hdd's get renamed (as far as how kodi see's them) if you add one or remove one.. So just make sure to have all the HDD's you need already connected and scanned into kodi's library until they fix that issue.
6. I bought it on Amazon (USA) but I think they are out of stock now
7. goodbye zidoo.

 

What they need to realise in that in many countries if you advertise that a product does a thing it MUST do it or it’s false publicity for which they can be sued. That being said i deeply regret trading my uhd3000 that still had a few quirks for a dmpa6 and a z9x pro. The later is basically unusable, video stops very often, no multichannel music . I always end up with the aptv and infuse. So yeah i hope they do something quick about that generation or it will degrade the good trust we customers putted in that brand

 

Thanks Dennis, already 44 pages, I'm reading this now...

By the way, I also had a problem with SSD recognition, it works if I first carefully push the SSD to the stop with my little finger, then close the lid. The spring is probably too weak.