Why are you not updating ZDMC?

I am interested in buying a zidoo 3000 UHD player. I have been using Kodi for my whole life and I think it is the best media center ever. Now, I see that you have developed your own customized version of it called ZDMC. But I also see that your are obviously don't keep it up to date. That would be a non starter for me, because I think it is crucial for system stability and overall quality of the build.
Kodi developers are fixing bugs all the time.
So how is your policy on that?
Are you seriously not going to maintain your ZDMC?
Because that would be a real problem for me buying your machine.

Also the title for this section is called "XBMC for Zidoo"
XNMC is dead for 10 years now. Nowadays nobody even knows what it was, whst it means. Maybe it would be a good time now to change it in "Kodi for Zidoo".

 

ZDMC was deprecated years ago in favour of HT. It was originally an XBMC wrapper that was developed before an in house solution was provided. It is occasionally updated as a pet project as time allows, but is not part of any official update roadmap and has not been for years.

 

Ok. That is unfortunate.

 

Don't buy a zidoo for Kodi solution. Just pick up a shield variant and be done with it. You can get all the nightly builds you want and there are even builds for Java for bd menus as well as dolby vision. You will never see that support on a zidoo box. HT 4.x is their baby and front end. End of story. Have both!

 

Which one are you referring to. Please give me an example.

People using the ZDMC are quite enthusiastic about it though.

 

Exactly what I do - although I don't use Kodi, I have the Zidoo for local files and a Shield for online content.

 

I use Kodi for both. Netflix 1080p integrated seamlessly. That's what I need. Using Kodi since the beginning of time. Wouldn't go away from it.

 

It works but the RT1619 variant is a dog with ZDMC compared to a shield. I don't know if enthusiastic is the word for it. Some people prefer the media management and skinning options of ZDMC based on Kodi 19.1 currently. Since Realtek handles all the video and audio calls with the realtek external player the playback is pretty stellar. Still with the benefits of a shield 2019 pro of streaming apps and kodi native from play store. There is no question it is a better solution for streaming ( nearly non-existent on a Zidoo) and Kodi. (whatever flavor you want) In the USA a Shield Pro 2019 is around $179 USD i believe , maybe 199 USD when not on sale. If you do not need Dolby Vision , you can seek a 2015 which has a microsd slot, IR capabilty vs just Bluetooth control, Might be less money , and does not have the upscaling engine the Shield 2019 does. I would steer clear of the Shield Tube unit as it will not run 64 bit apks. and with half the storage will be problematic eventually. Plenty of forums or reddit to read up on Nvidia Shield ( Android TV 11 currently) Zidoo and Nvidia shield share one thing in common. The pure level of support and firmware upgrades are astonishing really. A 2015 / 2017 model on Android 11 is ridiculous to see on a android device by Googles requirements. Its a lot of OS support which makes for a great long term value. To support OS and firmware upgrades 7 years later on Android TV is crazy supportive! I will say the same about Zidoo if they release an update the X9s set top boxes. RT1295 SOC based. ( even though I got my money's worth)

 

Dont lie, you have an Apple TV 4K like me too! Zidoo Z1000Pro, Shield 2019 Pro, ATV 4K 32GB, Oppo 203, ChinaOppo Clone Black Box, NUC 4th Gen I5

 

Actually I don't - I don't like Apple's walled garden approach although I appreciate why they do it.

Mind you, Google have made a complete arse of Android TV now so the Shield is a shadow of its former self as well.

 

i understand, but there are multiple instances where ATV4k just works as expected , one of those times is with shield ex 9.01

Last December we wanted to watch holiday movies ( the wife) using frendly . It ran like ass on the shield, and perfect 1080p on the ATV4k
April - Halo on Paramount+ DV+Atmos specs . Episode 1 on shield: no atmos, figured out you have to click subtitles and switch auto manually, Its not default to Atmos , Tried ATV Paramount+ App, DV+Atmos perfect playback, Epsode 2: I got this figured out now right? On Shield DV + 5.1 , Ok , I accept defeat and have to manual switch to Atmos every time. ......Nope That didnt work, Its not in the options under subtitles this time. Flip the harmony remote to ATV4k, DV+Atmos = Perfect playback. I am sooooo pro android over apple like you, I do not like the walled garden. but these apps on Android TV , in combination with Android 11, is a shitshow. They can and should do better. The app programmers are lazy, Everything on ATV4k is just polished. If you dont have one you should get one, They run about 60-70 on marketplace. Might as well. You will eventually run into strange anomolies on the shield as I have over the years. Apple does Apps better Full Stop, they are just more polished and less tinkering. I still prefer Shield TV though , dont get me wrong, I have 3 of the 2019 pros. and 2 2015 models. I have 2 ATV4Ks I also get audio sync issues on shield from time to time which i think comes from being limited to 30HZ DV , when it switches frame rates back and forth i think the shield SOC gets confused. a reboot always fixes it. but i have a 2016 OLED, so it could have something to do with it. It used to not be an issue but that was with 2015 shield if i recall and it doesnt happen on zidoo or oppo or atv4k, I also have a HD Diva if you recall. but only mirroring display 1 and 2 ( 2 being a 1080p display) . Since 9.01 hotfix 2 update, I now loose audio everytime when i swap back to another source on the shield, turning avr off and on usually fixes it, it not a reboot. This was not happening ever before, Only the shield input on denon 3300W avr. Again this is new since the hotfix. Not sure what is causing the audio to drop out. once it comes out of sleep mode or switching inputs. Ive tried troubleshooting it with no success

 

Yeah I should try one I guess, but I rarely watch online stuff in the cinema - I'm generally watching local 4K rips in there on the Zidoo and Netflix/Amazon etc viewing is usually relegated to standard TV in the lounge or den and for that it's either native apps on the TV or an Amazon Fire TV.

One thing I like about the Shield is you can set it to 4K23 SDR only and so Netflix etc will serve the SDR grades rather than HDR/DV grades which is perfect for projection.

Don't get me wrong, I run the Zidoo in Dolby Vision through the projector and the image is amazing, but in the Shield's case, where the provider serves multiple grades, SDR is ideal. Not sure if the ATV will do that...

 

I think it will actually. You mean lock it to 4K23 SDR ...If so i believe that is affirmative if you turn of frame switching and resolution switching.

Under Other Formats: Can lock to 4K SDR 24 (23.976Hz) If running in SDR there is an Enable HDR button as well under Settings/Video and Audio
It is not on the main choices, Have to select Other Formats as mentioned. But I think you can also toggle HDR on and off on any resolution from main screen.

Match Content Options of Range & Frame Rate,
Match Dynamic Range
Match Frame Rate an of course
Chroma Settings / 4:4:4 and 4:2:0

HDMI Output: YCbCr, RGB High, RGB Low

For someone who doesnt like walled garden fruit products, I do actually think an exception could be in order. I made two with apple products, One for ATV4k and the other for an Ipad Air 2 LTE model, It serves my needs when i want to run an IOS app that I cannot get on android and I enjoy some of the music applications as well

Just some more info for you should you want one

 

Kodi just does a far superior job managing one's TV/movie library, I wish Zidoo would continue supporting ZDMC. I don't want to migrate to HT as it's for Zidoo only, while Kodi is device agnostic.

 

There's no reason not to use ZDMC if you want to - it works just fine.

 

I agree, but you can read kodi .nfos in HT 4.x Just select local .nfo priority. Also you can export from HT back to kodi nfo files. ISO playback or BDMV folder playback is far superior with HT4.x but you certainly can trigger the native realtek player which is wrapped in ZDMC (Kodi 19.1) . Both have its merits. HT4.x is cakewalk for learning compared to KODI....and dont get me wrong. I've been a supporter of Kodi/XBMC/XBMP from the start. with my first Xbox modded

 

Can you please elaborate?
Does this mean I can sync video playback positions between Z9x HT & my other devices that run Kodi?

 

No, you cannot with HT 4.x but you can with zdmc but you would be stuck on ZDMC (based on Kodi 19.1) for mysql library synconization/emby etc. I was simply saying you can read kodi generated .nfo files, and export as well, through the settings on HT 4.0 for import / export. There is no sync

 

Thanks for clearing that up. I had my hopes up for a second there
It's a shame that the playback position can't be written/updated directly to the file's NFOs in such a way that playback can be resumed on any device.

 

Is that where kodi stores the resume point status? I think it would be pretty easy for them to develop a sync function and I think they should I have 2 x9s a z9s a z9x and a z1000pro. Many people with an Rt1619 based chipset based player have prior gen ayers as well. It would be a welcomed benefit via ht 4.x Mevwr say never they started support clearest. rotten tomatoes etc. No reason.they can sync their ht database via cloud OR LAN