Hi, I currently have the Zidoo Z9X and I'm happy with it, but I'm considering buying the 8K version if you really recommend it as a significant improvement. I currently have it set to watch everything in DV, as that's essential because it's the best way for me to watch movies, whether they're SD, HD, FHD, or UHD. My question is, will I really notice an improvement in image and sound compared to what I have now? I have an Epson 9400 projector and an Anthem MRX-520 AV receiver. Thanks.
There's no difference in sound quality (a bitstream is a bitstream) but you will probably see an overall improvement in picture and Dolby Vision is much improved - it uses a newer version of VS10 and now converts Profile 7 to Profile 8 on the fly which is an important feature. What you will see is an increase in speed, a big difference in the interface, big improvements in HT, big improvements in HDR handling and a much better music player. Also improvements in BD Menu handling if that's your bag. Other stuff includes native Jellyfin/Emby/Plex apps and Webdav, OneDrive and Dropbox support and custom RS232 commands. Downsides - the main one is that firmware is incremental so reverting to older firmware is impossible - if you install a beta that buggers things up, you're stuck with it. But I think it's a worthwhile upgrade.
Thanks a lot, Mark. I ended up buying it and I'm very happy with the improvement in both audio and video. However, I'm having a problem with the sound in DD+. The volume drops after a few seconds, and it only happens in DD+. I've tried all the audio settings, but nothing solves it. I already replied to this in the updates thread, but otherwise, it's perfect. Thanks again for the advice.
That's odd, Never had an issue with DD+ here. I can't think why it would be a problem as long as the sink (amp/tv etc) supports it - it's just a bitstream so the player has very little to do with it - it just spits out a bitstream for the sink to decode. Can you post your EDID? To Download EDID ================ Settings/Display/Custom EDID/Save EDID Save to a USB stick or network location Post file as attachment to forum
While I can't say that I've ever noticed a drop in volume from a file while it was playing, I can say that I have a usual +5 offset for files from streaming sources (usually compressed DD+) over those from physical media (usually lossless ATMOS or DTSX). This has been the case with both my Z9X and 8K varient.
Yes, it's more or less a drop in sound of about 6 or 7 dB. In my case, it happens during playback, and after a few seconds, it stays that way until the end of the movie. But if I stop playback and resume it, the same thing happens: perfect sound, and after a few seconds or minutes, the volume drops again. This only happens with Dolby Digital Plus (DD+); it doesn't happen with other codecs. I should also mention that I play MKV files through an SSD to the Zidoo. I've changed cables and settings, but it doesn't solve the problem. My playback setup is Zidoo/Anthem MRX 520/Epson 9400.
Is there any sound processing of the DD+ signal going on in the ANTHEM? ...ie upmixing of channels, dialogue normalization or DSP? If so... try turning them off and allow the receiver to play the DD+ stream natively (direct?) and see if there is the same do in volume... I highly doubt that the ZIDOO is causing this. .
Unless the output is LPCM the Zidoo can’t have any bearing on volume with a bitstream, so yes, in that case it can’t be the Zidoo - that’s why I asked for an EDID - to check it supported E-AC3.
I have volume normalization and other processing disabled, and I'm using raw data in Zidoo. Mark, I'll upload the EDID file as soon as I can.
Well, it's clear now, I know where the problem is. It turns out the issue is with Anthem and its ARC room correction; that's what was causing the decibel drop. But it's an easy fix; I've disabled it (unchecked it) and now it works perfectly. Thanks a lot @Markswift2003 and @crutzulee for taking an interest in my problem. Cheers
