Some questions before purchasing

Discussion in 'HDD Media player(RTD 1295)' started by ursiel, Jan 18, 2018.

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  1. ursiel

    ursiel Active Member

    Hi guys,

    I'm in need of a new media player and this one is at the top of my list currently, but I have some questions I'm hoping some users can chime in on before I make a purchase. I'm not sure which version of the player I will get yet, but as I understand it the media functionality should be the same across each player, is that correct?

    Some questions I have about these players:

    - Most important, does it handle outputting both 23.976 and 24.000 framerates correctly, without stutter, depending on the source file? And does it do the same for 3D? Some previous players I've encountered forced 24.000 output when playing 23.976, resulting in stutter.

    - How is 3D support? This is one of the more important features for me. Does it handle 3D MVC mkv remuxes, from makemkv? Does it play full 3D ISO? Are there any 3D issues I should know about, like framerate issues? Another media player I was looking at has a bug where it only outputs 3D at 24.000, not 23.976, resulting in framerate stutters every 42 seconds. Do these players output correct framerate for 3D, at either 23.976 or 24.000 based on the file's framerate?

    - Does it handle HDR mkv 10-bit HEVC remuxes without issues? How about HDR/UHD for other framerates like 50.000 and 60.000? Any limitations when playing on a 60Hz TV? I see a new post in here that says, "Zidoo "does not play mkv files UHD BDRemux 2160p HDR 10-bit HEVC. Writes "Can't play video". Has anyone else run into this issue?

    - Are there any issues with crushed blacks, blown-out highlights or over-saturation in either SDR or HDR?

    - Does it convert 25.000/50.000 fps > 60Hz well?
    I'll be using this on a US TV that only displays 60Hz, but I do play a lot of PAL content, from both 25.000 DVDs and 50.000 blu-rays. Are there any framerate/output issues with various framerates and resolutions output to 60 Hz?

    - I read it outputs PAL/25.000 as 25.000 only, not 50.000 like most players. But as mentioned above, My US TV doesn't display 50Hz anyways. What does it do when connected to a US 60Hz TV? Does it output PAL as 60Hz stutter-free, or are there issues?

    - Are there any audio issues/passthrough issues to be aware of when bitstreaming lossless audio to my A/V receiver?

    - Does it display 4:3 aspect ratio DVDs and files correctly, without any stretching or distortion? Does it handle DVD menus and DVD ISO?

    - Does it handle 3840 x 2160/AVC/50.00fps with HDR? Are there any HDR issues/restrictions on certain framerates or file types?

    - Does it play MTS (AVC HD H.264) files directly?


    - Are there any major issues I should be aware of like dropped frames, stuttering, or framerate issues? I would be playing from a USB 3.0 thumb drive, or an internal HDD. I won't be streaming.

    - Are there any major subtitle issues?

    - How is it for music files? Does it play gapless when playing lossless flac/ape files with or without a .cue file, or is there a brief pause between tracks?

    - Does it scale hi-res photos well without aliasing issues?


    - Does it handle full blu-ray menus pretty well? Are there any major issues with this?

    I'd appreciate any input I can get here. Sorry for all the questions. I know it's a lot but these are all important to me, especially the ones dealing with framerates and audio output. I want to make sure the core functionality will meet my needs. A few of the other players I've been looking at have some deal-breaking issues, mostly either from lack of 3D MVC mkv support, or framerate limitations or bugs that break the basic functionality. I just want to cover all my bases here to get an idea of how well these players handle the type of media I'll be playing. I will mostly be playing blu-ray ISOs and mkvs (both 2D and 3D) along with full DVDs , and UHD/HDR remuxes. I also have a lot of various UHD demo clips that I would like to be able to play (various frametrates and codecs). I also would use it for playing music and displaying pictures on occasion.
     
    Last edited: Jan 18, 2018
  2. mirror

    mirror Well-Known Member SUPER Administrator Zidoo TECH Supporter

    You can't get better than this one
     
  3. ursiel

    ursiel Active Member

    It does look like this is one of the better media players out there. But of course all players have their quirks and issues, which is why I was hoping to hear some info on the types of usage I'll be using the player for. For instance, many seem to have a problem with 25fps content playing at 25fps instead of 50fps like it should. Since my TV displays only 60Hz, how will PAL/25fps (or 1080i@50fps content for some UK blu-rays) play on a 60Hz set? Is the conversion smooth or are there stutters? Which UHD/HDR codecs/framerates does it have an issue with? That is why I asked these questions above - to get a better idea of what quirks or issues it may have and to have a better understanding of how well it will meet my needs.
     
    Last edited: Jan 19, 2018
  4. Ayokoya

    Ayokoya Member

    I am not sure about a TV that can only connect with 60Hz, but I set my X9S to fix 2160p@60Hz output and have not notice any incompatibility issue when playing non-2160p@60Hz videos, so I imagine that you should not expect do or die video issue when you set your box to fix 50Hz output.


    My philosophy in buying anything is to expect some degree of disappointments, imperfections and what nots. If it meets most of your expectations, then feel proud, being smart and hug someone! If you can make ends meet, then go ahead and buy this which is one of the best and most supported media box out there in the market.

    Initially, I didn't expect much from the X9S, thought I was nuts and felt out of line to spent over a hundred bucks on a unproven X9S. Over the course of a few months, I was amaze at the level of support, felt in love with the ease of use, plays media with confidence. I ended up with two X9S, X8, H6 Pro and a X7, and gave away a pile of other android boxes. There are some minor disappointments, but I am not the type of person who look at a person with school grade score of As, and focus on one C.
     
    Last edited: Jan 19, 2018
  5. cucnz

    cucnz Active Member

    i got my x9s a month back specifically to play all the 4k remuxes/complete discs,out atm
    my sony dobly vision tv wont do Atmos/Dts-X via lan where everythings stored.....and my pc wont do HDR via hdmi cable cos early 4k card (gtx 970)

    the X9S filled in the "gaps" nicely
    with the 1.50 update ,im having zero stutter or compatability issues so far (tv at 60hz with any of the 4k remuxes/Complete movies or TV episodes and full use of HDR and Atmos/DTS-X

    i have found upscaling on say 1080p x265 rips isnt as good as the TVs inbuilt media capabilities but thats minor

    prolly only thing missing at this stage ,is dolby vision,which we may see one day if Zidoo ever does android 7 update,thou TBH i doubt they will,since theres been no hints from staff on the forum thats in the pipeline

    Price was main concern for me here in NZ
    the X9S came in well under 1/2 the cost to import an nvidia shield for similar features

    also the new X20 has been teased for release soonish...prolly android 7 like most the other newer media players out there now,which means dolby vision support missing in android 6....thou prolly 2-4 x the cost of an X9s

    i dont use the x9s for any other apps ,and just use built in media player to run stuff from USB or over the lan

    hope this helps some
     
  6. ursiel

    ursiel Active Member

    Thanks for your input, guys. Much appreciated.

    I am concerned with a couple issues I'm being told exist currently on newer firmware:

    - scope or wider than 16x9 movies being squished into 16x9 frame (bug introduced since resolution switching was made available)

    - subtitles dropping a line every few minutes (maybe external only?)

    - blu-ray/UHD menus don't work - plays straight to movie

    Also, do DVD ISOs/VIDEO_TS folders play in the correct aspect ratio (4:3/16:9)? I saw a video review on Youtube and when playing a DVD, the menus and movie played in the wrong aspect ratio. I do sometimes play 4:3 DVDs of old TV shows and I would want them to display properly of course.

    And on a thread in here on color space issues, the latest advice seems to be "stay away from YCbCr FULL - its mapped incorrectly". Will this ever be corrected?

    Can these issues be confirmed? I understand some bugs can exist in any player, but scope films (like scope blu-rays re-encoded with the black bars cut off being displayed in the wrong aspect ratio, and external subs dropping lines) is pretty major stuff and would affect me. I can't buy a new media player if right away it's going to have issues like this. Especially since this is not a new player, so these issues should not exist at this point. Some are even new issues, which makes me worry about the stability of the player. I don't want to have to worry what will break every time I update. One of the reasons I was looking at this player over other players was the blu-ray menu functionality, but from a thread on the Zidoo forums here, that may be broken too currently with a recent update.

    Is there an expected fix for these issues, and if so, how long before we get it?
     
    Last edited: Jan 20, 2018
  7. ursiel

    ursiel Active Member

    Another question, does this player handle VC-1 blu-ray remuxes/full discs? I play those fairly often, and I hear VC-1 has issues. Can anyone comment on VC-1 playback?
     
  8. ursiel

    ursiel Active Member

    Somebody commented earlier that they have no issues playing VC-1, in response to my question, but now that reply has vanished? Did I miss something?
     
  9. Kama3um

    Kama3um New Member

    I think it basically can support most of your demands. Yet for some Blu-ray discs that it is unable to play normally, I resort to a Blu-ray ripper (VideoSolo BD-DVD Ripper) for help. This way, I can play it on my mobile phone.
     
  10. HaoSs

    HaoSs Well-Known Member

    topic is more than half a year old :p no point in posting here anymore
     
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