Zidoo 8K Media Players FAQ

Media Center
1. How to perform basic file operations such as copying, pasting, deleting, favoriting, and renaming in Media Center?
2. How to format and safely unmount external storage devices?
3. How to access an SMB shared server on the same LAN?
4. How to access an NFS shared server on the same LAN?
5. How to use Zidoo bulit-in Plex client?
6. How to use Zidoo bulit-in Emby client?
7. How to use Zidoo bulit-in Jellyfin client?
8. How to pin Plex/Emby/Jellyfin to the app menu/home screen and set it to start automatically on boot?
Music Player
1. How to play DOLBY ATMOS music on Apple Music？
2. How to play DOLBY ATMOS music on TIDAL
3. How to play DOLBY ATMOS music on TIDAL CONNECT？
Others
1. Tested Compatible Large-Capacity Hard Drives for Zidoo 8K Series

 

1.How to perform basic file operations such as copying, Pasting, selecting, favoriting, and renaming in Media Center?

1.1 Enter Media Center on the Zidoo home page.



1.2 When there is no external storage device is connected, entering “Media Center” will display the “Favorite” section by default.



1.3 Press the left navigation key of remote control to call out the device list menu, which includes sections such as Favorite, Storage, external storage (when an external storage device is connected to Zidoo, it will display by default when entering Media Center), SMB, NFS, Networks and CD-ROM (requires external connection).




1.4 Select the file you want to edit, press the right navigation key on remote control to conduct basic operations such as copying, pasting, deleting, favoriting, and renaming files.

 

2. How to format and safely unmount external storage devices?

2.1 In the Device List menu, select the external storage device that needs to be formatted, press the left navigation key on remote control, then click “Format” and follow the prompts to operate.

Note: It is recommended to choose NTFS file format, and the customized names are supported.




2.2 In the Device List menu, select the storage device you want to unmount, press the left navigation key on remote control , then click “Unmount” to safely unmount it.

 

3. How to access an SMB shared server on the same LAN?

3.1After entering SMB section in the Device List, it will automatically scan for all servers with SMB sharing enabled on the same LAN.



3.2 Select the server you want to access, and an options box will pop up. Enter the username and password to browse the contents of the shared folder.

Note: If the server’s SMB share is set without a password, and the Zidoo player prompts you to enter a username and password when trying to access it, please check “Anonymous” or enter any username and password, such as entering “1” for both the username and password.



3.3 Servers that have been accessed will be automatically saved, so you won’t need to enter the username and password the next time you access them.



3.4 If you want to log off the added SMB server, just select the server name and press the right navigation key on remote control to select “Logoff”.



3.5 If the SMB server can not be automatically scanned, click “RESCAN SMB” at the bottom to manually add the IP address of the SMB server.

 

4. How to access an NFS shared server on the same LAN?

4.1 After entering NFS in the Device List menu, it will automatically scan for all servers on the same LAN that have enabled NFS sharing. There is no need to enter account and password for NFS sharing server, so you can access it directly by clicking the server IP;

Note: If no files can be seen when accessing an NFS server, please check the server’s NFS settings.




4.2 If the NFS shared server can not be scanned automatically, click “RESCAN NFS” at the bottom to manually add the IP addresses of the NFS server.

 

5. How to use Zidoo bulit-in Plex client?

5.1 Connecting Plex Server

1）After setting up the Plex server, go to the Home page of the Zidoo 8K media player, then navigate to Media Center - Networks menu, and launch the built-in Zidoo Plex client. Follow the prompts to visit https://plex.tv/link on your phone or PC browser, log in to your Plex account, and enter the code.




2) Once the login is completed on your phone or PC, the Zidoo built-in Plex client will automatically redirect to the user selection screen. If you have added multiple family members to your Plex account, please select the user you want to access and enter the PIN code to complete the login.




5.2 Introduction to Zidoo built-in Plex Client Main Interface

1) At the top of the Zidoo built-in Plex client main interface, from left to right, there are options for the Plex Library, User, and Account Switching.



2) The “Continue Watching” section will display your Plex viewing history and supports synchronization across multiple Plex platforms.



3) The widget bar displays multiple libraries from the current Plex library. By clicking the edit icon, you can customize the visibility and sorting of the widgets.





4) The “Recently Added Movies/Music” section at the bottom of the main interface will display recently added audio and video content from each library on the Plex server.





5.3 Introduction to the Plex Library and Playback Details Interface

1) The Zidoo built-in Plex library supports viewing categories such as All, Continue Watching, Unwatched, Recently Released, Recently Added, and Recently Viewed. The small icons on the right top corner, from left to right, are for poster zoom in/out, movie filtering, and movie sorting functions.



2) Clicking on any movie will take you to the movie details page, where you can view various information about the movie. Click on the “Play Now” icon to start playing the current movie.



5.4 Plex Library Mapping for Local Playback

The Zidoo built-in Plex client decodes all audio and video playback using the system player. When playing content from a remote Plex server or local content that is not mapped, it is streamed. After setting up local library mapping in the Zidoo built-in Plex client for a local Plex server, audio and video will be played directly via LAN using SMB or NFS protocols, which is faster and more stable compared to streaming.

Note: For local library mapping, the Plex server and Zidoo player must be on the same local network.

1) On the Zidoo built-in Plex client main interface, go to the widget bar and enter the “Device” Menu.



2) Select the library and press the “Menu” button on the remote control.

Note: After completing library mapping, selecting the library again and pressing the “Menu” button on the remote control allows you to modify the mapping path or cancel the mapping.



3) Then press the “OK” button on the remote control, select the local path of the Plex server where the library is located via SMB or NFS protocol, and press “OK” to save.



4) As shown in the image below, if “Mapped” is displayed next to the library path, it means the setup is successful. To map additional libraries, please repeat steps 2)-4).



5) When a library includes multiple paths, each path needs to be mapped individually.

 

6. How to use Zidoo bulit-in Emby client?

6.1 Connecting Emby Sever

1) After setting up the Emby server, go to the Zidoo home page, navigate to Media Center - Networks menu, start the Zidoo built-in Emby client, and it will automatically search for servers in the local network and retrieve the username. Click on the username, enter the password, and log in.





2) If the Zidoo built-in Emby client doesn’t find the Emby server, please click on “Configuration Server” and manually enter the Emby server’s IP address and port number to log in. If you are accessing an external Emby server, enter the public IP/domain name and port number to log in.




6.2 Introduction to Zidoo built-in Emby Client Main Interface

1) The top of the Emby main interface, from left to right, features the options for search, settings, and account switching.



2) The “My Media” section will display all libraries from the Emby server.



3) The “Recently Viewed” section will display the viewing history from the Emby server and supports synchronization across multiple Emby platforms.



4) The “My Favorite” section displays the movies, TV shows, collections, and music that you have favorited through Emby.



5) Below “My Favorite” is a section that displays the latest added movies from each library on the Emby server, with each row showing up to 20 movies.



6.3 Introduction to the Emby Library and Playback Details Interface

1) The Emby library supports viewing by various categories such as All Movies, Genres and Folders. The small icons on the right side, represent functions such as movie sorting, playlists, movie filtering, and poster size adjustment.



2) Click on any movie to enter the movie details page, where you can view various information about the movie. You can pre-set the audio track and subtitle options for the movie. Click the “Play” icon to start playing the current movie.



6.4 Emby Library Mapping for Local Playback

The Zidoo built-in Emby client decodes audio and video entirely through the system player. When playing content from a remote Emby server or non-mapped local files, it streams the content. When the local Emby server is set up for local library mapping in the Zidoo built-in Emby client, it will directly stream audio and video over the local network using SMB or NFS protocols. This method is faster, more stable, and supports Blu-ray original playback. Additionally, after mapping the local path, music playback supports up to DSD512 and PCM768kHz (requires UHD8000 model or connecting an external USB DAC).

Note: Local library mapping requires the Emby server and Zidoo player to be on the same local network.

1) On the Zidoo Built-in Emby client main interface, click the “Settings icon” at the top right coner to enter the settings menu, then scroll down to “My Media.”



2) Select the library and press the “Menu” button on the remote control.

Note: After mapping the library, you can select it again and press the “Menu” button on the remote control to modify the mapping path or cancel the mapping.



3) Next, press the “OK” button on the remote control, select the local path of the Emby server for the library using SMB or NFS protocol, and choose “OK” to save.



4) [As shown in the image below] When the library path shows as “Mapped” and displays the local path underneath, it indicates that the setup is successful. If you need to map multiple libraries, please repeat steps 2)-4).



5) When a library includes multiple paths, each path needs to be mapped individually.

 

7. How to use Zidoo bulit-in Jellyfin client?

7.1 Connecting Jellyfin Sever

1) After setting up the Jellyfin server, on the Zidoo home page, go to Media Center - Networks menu, start the Zidoo built-in Jellyfin client. It will automatically search for servers in the local network. Select the server and click on “Manual Login”.




2) If the Jellyfin server could not be found automatically, click “Configuration Server” and manually enter the Jellyfin server’s IP address and port number to log in. If you are accessing an external Jellyfin server, enter the public IP/domain name and port number to log in.



3) The Jellyfin supports quick connection to the server by entering the code on mobile phone or PC, and you can also log in using a username and password. Please choose the method that works best for you.



7.2 Introduction to Zidoo built-in Jellyfin Client Main Interface

1) On the Jellyfin main interface, the top options from left to right are Search, Settings, and Account Switch.



2) The “My Media” section will display all libraries from the Jellyfin server.



3) The “Recently Viewed” section will display the viewing history from the Jellyfin server and supports synchronization across multiple Jellyfin platforms.



4) The “My Favorite” section displays the movies, TV shows, collections, and music that you have favorited through Jellyfin.



5) Below “My Favorite” is a section that displays the latest added movies from each library on the Jellyfin server, with each row showing up to 20 movies.



7.3 Introduction to the Jellyfin Library and Playback Details Interface

1) The Jellyfin library supports viewing all movies by collection or genres, etc. The small icons on the right represent functions like sorting movies, playlists, filtering movies, and switching poster sizes.



2) Click on any movie to enter the movie details page, where you can view various information about the movie. You can also set the audio track and subtitle options in advance. To play the movie, simply click the “play” icon.



7.4 Jellyfin Library Mapping for Local Playback

The Zidoo-built Jellyfin client decodes all audio and video using the system player. When playing content from a remote Jellyfin server or local content without mapping, it streams the content. However, if the local Jellyfin server is set up with local library mapping in the Zidoo-built Jellyfin client, audio and video will be played directly via the local network using SMB or NFS protocols. This results in faster, more stable playback and supports Blu-ray disc playback. Additionally, after mapping the local path, music playback can support output up to DSD512 and PCM768Khz (requires the UHD8000 model or connecting an external USB DAC).

Note: The local library mapping requires both the Jellyfin server and the Zidoo player to be on the same local network.

1) In the main interface of the Zidoo built-in Jellyfin client, click the “settings icon” at the top right corner to enter the settings menu, then scroll down to “My Media” section.



2) Select the library and press the “menu” button on the remote control.

Note: After the library mapping is completed, you can press the “menu” button on the remote control again to modify the mapping path or cancel the mapping.



3) Next, press the “OK button” on the remote control, select the local path of the Jellyfin server for that library using the SMB or NFS protocol, and then select “OK” to save.



4) [As shown in the image below] When the library path shows as “Mapped” and displays the local path underneath, it indicates that the setup is successful. If you need to map multiple libraries, please repeat steps 2)-4).



5) When a library includes multiple paths, each path needs to be mapped individually.

 

8. How to pin Plex/Emby/Jellyfin to the app menu/home screen and set it to start automatically on boot?

8.1 Pin Plex/Emby/Jellyfin to the app menu

1) Take Emby as an example. In Home page - Media Center - Networks, select Emby and press the right navigation key on the remote control.



2) Press the “OK” button. And the shortcut icon of Emby will be send to Apps menu.




3) Long press the Emby in the Apps menu allows you to set it “launch on Startup” or “Remove shortcut”.



8.2 Pin Emby to the Home page pull-down menu

1) Go to home page, press the down navigation key on the remote control. Then click “Edit APP”.




2) Select Emby and press “OK” button on the remote control. Then it will show up in the home page pull-down menu.




3) After adding, long press the Emby icon allows you to move its location on the menu.

 

This is a great idea - but all images links are broken for me.

 

Stickied.

 

Thanks for the feedback. I edited it, plz try again

 

Thanks

 

Great post, thanks Eki

 

Great and useful thread!!

 

Hello, I use the zidoo with a Jvc Nz7 projector and I have a 2:35 format screen, could someone tell me where I can locate that configuration since the zidoo is in 16:9
thank you

 

Excellent post! Thank you Eki

 

Hi, the 8K series currently does not have an aspect ratio feature, we may consider to add it in the furture

 

Thank you @Eki Shaw for this thread!

Please take a look at my new thread about improving the native Plex client if you have contact with the Zidoo devs and can help making the bridge with them on the asked missing features.

http://forum.zidoo.tv/index.php?threads/native-plex-client-improvement-thread.98840/

 

Thanks, will forward to the developer team.