v1.3.05, v1.3.05_G Beta version for Z9X 8K/Z30 PRO/Z3000 PRO/UHD8000

For the developers to fix the problems, they have to be able to recreate the problems on their end. Markswift2003 has mentioned several times he cannot see the problems on his end. And the developers (coders) typically need to be told by a product/project manager to test, find and fix the problems. I've seen enough software that was buggy, crippled or lacking features not because the coders can't do it but because a manager didn't see the need the need to put the time and resources into creating a better product.

On the other hand, not allowing FW downgrades is a decision made by someone (manager?) and that decision should be questioned, IMO.

 

It's a strange situation when some users have no playback issues at all, while for others, viewing content is a quest to work around bugs and find solutions. And it's impossible for every Zidoo employee to have everything working perfectly.

 

It's a classic memory management/corruption issue in software. Happens all the time. When it's due to race conditions in complex software it's tricky to find. The standard practice, if you can not reproduce on a developer machine, is to give affected users an instrumented version of the software that generates more logs in areas that you suspect might be causing issues. You collect the logs and analyse them, looking for patterns that deviate from what you expect.

I'm sure that there are enough users on this forum who would be willing to run such debug builds and collect data for the developers, but it would require some real customer engagement from Zidoo. Where I work, we have private beta testing groups for that kind of stuff. And of course user forums are regularly monitored and issues are tracked. We also reach out to customers to help them solve issues.

All of this absolutely requires a buy-in from management and a desire to be better and build a reputation. It all breaks down if a company is driven by spreadsheets, because fixing bugs in devices that have already been sold isn't "profitable". Brand loyalty, reputation, word of mouth, etc. don't tend to appear on spreadsheets.

TL;DR if Mark or Zidoo can't reproduce, then work with those affected.

And yes, firmware downgrade would surely be a good band-aid in the meanwhile!

 

Absolutely agree with you!!

 

I sent a debug report to the developers. But a report alone isn't enough; they still have to reproduce the issue. They couldn't replicate my issue (since it involves random mediabox instability, manifested by random stutters after a while of viewing), so my problem wasn't resolved.

 

The only way I've found to get around this problem is to set it to “Match frame rate only”...
It would be good if Zidoo looked into the problem... because I'm not the only one...

 

Not quite true. Being able to reproduce a problem makes the job much, much easier. However, you can fix issues that only show up in logs from end users, even without the QA's department or developer's ability to manifest the problem on demand.

 

Interesting....I wonder if others with the same issue are using match res and framerate too? I only use match framerate, and have no major issues on this F/W.

 

I deliberately keep my test box as "factory" as possible so I'm using match frame rate and res. I think that's a red herring.

 

That way reduces the finding of issues. Users can't do factory reset so frequent.

 

No, I don't mean a factory reset!!

I mean I keep the settings as close to what users will do - ie HDR on Auto, Resolution/Framerate on Auto, Colour Settings on default.

As OOTB as possible.

 

Ah, you mean default and suggested settings ... clear... that's entirely different and right!!

 

Not my first rodeo

 

Mark, do you know of an app that can display the main processor temperature in a Z9X 8K while it's running (while watching a movie)? I suspect there's a major problem with the processor temperature and thermal throttling.

 

I always use "Match framerate only" and I don't face any problem with UHD8000 while watching movies.

 

No I don't know of any apps, but it's the first thing I noticed about the Z9X 8K when I got it - how hot it gets!

My test boxes used to sit on top of my Vertex 2 which of course generates its own heat and that was fine for X9X, Z9S, Z9X and Z9X Pro. But when I put a Z9X 8K on there it got alarmingly hot.

So then I 3D printed some standoffs so there's a 40mm air gap and now it's happy.

So bottom line - let it breathe and it should be fine.

 

Or a hot glue gun and some silver mini Hi-Fi feet.....

As I said before, I've yet to come across anything better that my current Zidoo.

 

Yep - anything to allow air to flow - to be fair if mine wasn't on top of the Vertex I'm sure it'd be fine.

 

I'm checking the temperature in AIDA64. The highest I could get while playing games was 52 degrees Celsius. I haven't seen it go above 45 degrees Celsius while watching movies. Idle temperature is 38 degrees Celsius. I don't think the console gets any hotter than other consoles. The fact that the case gets hot is a sign that the console has good heat dissipation!

 

I did some testing in January - this is case temperature measured with a laser thermometer: