cheap android chinese tv box blog of stuff
Monday, August 5, 2013
Have a winner Android MX TV Box
This thing is awesome.
The XBMC internal player plays Hard Ware acceleration.
Netflix is better in that clicking once brings up the menu and stays up for a few seconds. Other box, the menu doesn't stay open.
I put on androidgadget's Droid TV MX firmware, that is a derivative of the G-Box MX firmware.
http://forum.androidgadget.co.uk/showthread.php?tid=300
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Allwinner a20 Set Top Android Tools/IMG files
So after emailing almost every supplier of the box I posted, I finally got a link to the IMG original file. I've uploaded the files to my google drive.
I've also tested and using the Justop DroiBox Ace firmware for my box. That box is based off from Allwinner a20 also. They seem to be actively developing.
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B1vgV8Tn0LSHM1RvSzhMdzNjRmM&usp=sharing
That is a folder with all the stuff. It also includes the XBMC XAF version I'm using. XAF XBMC allows you and comes set up with external players. Now for allwinners a20 boxes, I use the pre-built in TvdVideo since it can play all codecs/files I've thrown at it. So in that folder is a playercorefactory.xml file.
These needs to be placed in your:
sdcard/android/data/com.xbmc.org/files/.xbmc/userdata
If anyone needs the TvdVideo.apk let me know, I can add it.
Hope this helps someone.
I've also tested and using the Justop DroiBox Ace firmware for my box. That box is based off from Allwinner a20 also. They seem to be actively developing.
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B1vgV8Tn0LSHM1RvSzhMdzNjRmM&usp=sharing
That is a folder with all the stuff. It also includes the XBMC XAF version I'm using. XAF XBMC allows you and comes set up with external players. Now for allwinners a20 boxes, I use the pre-built in TvdVideo since it can play all codecs/files I've thrown at it. So in that folder is a playercorefactory.xml file.
These needs to be placed in your:
sdcard/android/data/com.xbmc.org/files/.xbmc/userdata
If anyone needs the TvdVideo.apk let me know, I can add it.
Hope this helps someone.
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Dual Core Android 4.2 Smart TV Box Pro Media Player Allwinner A20 chipset
So opened that first box today (see previous post).
I have purchased a USB Wireless keyboard/trackpad in the past. It works great with this box.
So it is rooted (checked with rootchecker first). Installed superSU, opened it and it installed the binary needed. Installed smanager to run scripts at boot. I have a script that creates a /tvshows and /movies in the root directory. This is due to the fact that xbmc I have multiple clients, so I have 1 server that serves as mySQL server for all. So in order for it to see the library correctly it needs to have the same directory on all devices. After it creates the directories, it then mounts my shares with cifs (I couldn't find the cifs modules but it mounts).
It comes with a player TvdVideo Player, the android name is com.softwinner.TvdVideo so I believe that it was written specifically for the allwinner chipsets.
MXPlayer/BsPlayer would not correctly play 720p content in Hardware (HW) decoding mode, and Software (SW) mode it's choppy as all heck. MXPlayer did work on some, but if it was DTS even with the DTS codec from XDA would revert to SW after less then 1 min of playing. BSPlayer wouldn't correctly play everything in HW.
Also, neither worked 100% with the remote and fastforward/rewind properly.
So you need to edit the playercorefactory.xml in the adcard/Android/data/org.xbmc.xbmc/.xbmc/userdata/
You have to add the setting:
<!-- Tvd Video Player(Allwinner Chipset) -->
<player name="TvdVideo" type="ExternalPlayer" audio="false" video="true">
<!-- Android intent -->
<filename>com.softwinner.TvdVideo</filename>
<!-- Hide XBMC -->
<hidexbmc>true</hidexbmc>
<!-- After 2 minutes bump the play count of the item in XBMC -->
<playcountminimumtime>120</playcountminimumtime>
</player>
Then where it says default:
Remove the mxplayer value and put:
<rule video="true" player="TvdVideo"/>
Now, after you watch a program because it's external it doesn't update that it was watched or doesn't keep track of where you left off. There is a nifty function in TvdVideo player. If you push the arrow button to the left, there is a square clock icon, click it and you can put in time to jump to in the video. Also the FF/REW works great.
So after finishing watching, I click the W on my keyboard/trackpad to mark as watch. Unfrotunately I wish the FF/Rew buttons had an equivelant on the keyboard. I've tried every button, doesn't do it. Or I wish my learning remote could learn keyboard codes to send through IR or something.
OK So XBMC works great except for that minor marked as watched. Everything plays great. DTS/AC3/MKV/MP4/etc etc. I did play some 1080i stuff seemed to work fine. Have no 1080p files sorry and no 1080p tv to test.
Now on to Netflix. Works awesome. Have to give it 20 seconds to buffer, first 20 seconds artifacty. But after that clear and HD awesomeness. However, Netflix SUCKS. They have not created an andoird app to work with remotes.
They have googletv apps that work great with remotes. But it needs to port it. Shouldn't be hard, googletv is based on android. Contacted them today, nothing. Stupid IMO. With more and more android set top boxes coming out, should make this a priority.
Now supposedly this box has miracast receiver, but it doesn't work for me. Says something like:
Please make sure the wifi-p2p is working and the WFD source is correct!
So couldn't get it to work to try and use my phone as a remote. If someone else has this box and can get it to work, let me know.
First update done.
I have purchased a USB Wireless keyboard/trackpad in the past. It works great with this box.
So it is rooted (checked with rootchecker first). Installed superSU, opened it and it installed the binary needed. Installed smanager to run scripts at boot. I have a script that creates a /tvshows and /movies in the root directory. This is due to the fact that xbmc I have multiple clients, so I have 1 server that serves as mySQL server for all. So in order for it to see the library correctly it needs to have the same directory on all devices. After it creates the directories, it then mounts my shares with cifs (I couldn't find the cifs modules but it mounts).
It comes with a player TvdVideo Player, the android name is com.softwinner.TvdVideo so I believe that it was written specifically for the allwinner chipsets.
MXPlayer/BsPlayer would not correctly play 720p content in Hardware (HW) decoding mode, and Software (SW) mode it's choppy as all heck. MXPlayer did work on some, but if it was DTS even with the DTS codec from XDA would revert to SW after less then 1 min of playing. BSPlayer wouldn't correctly play everything in HW.
Also, neither worked 100% with the remote and fastforward/rewind properly.
So you need to edit the playercorefactory.xml in the adcard/Android/data/org.xbmc.xbmc/.xbmc/userdata/
You have to add the setting:
<!-- Tvd Video Player(Allwinner Chipset) -->
<player name="TvdVideo" type="ExternalPlayer" audio="false" video="true">
<!-- Android intent -->
<filename>com.softwinner.TvdVideo</filename>
<!-- Hide XBMC -->
<hidexbmc>true</hidexbmc>
<!-- After 2 minutes bump the play count of the item in XBMC -->
<playcountminimumtime>120</playcountminimumtime>
</player>
Then where it says default:
Remove the mxplayer value and put:
<rule video="true" player="TvdVideo"/>
Now, after you watch a program because it's external it doesn't update that it was watched or doesn't keep track of where you left off. There is a nifty function in TvdVideo player. If you push the arrow button to the left, there is a square clock icon, click it and you can put in time to jump to in the video. Also the FF/REW works great.
So after finishing watching, I click the W on my keyboard/trackpad to mark as watch. Unfrotunately I wish the FF/Rew buttons had an equivelant on the keyboard. I've tried every button, doesn't do it. Or I wish my learning remote could learn keyboard codes to send through IR or something.
OK So XBMC works great except for that minor marked as watched. Everything plays great. DTS/AC3/MKV/MP4/etc etc. I did play some 1080i stuff seemed to work fine. Have no 1080p files sorry and no 1080p tv to test.
Now on to Netflix. Works awesome. Have to give it 20 seconds to buffer, first 20 seconds artifacty. But after that clear and HD awesomeness. However, Netflix SUCKS. They have not created an andoird app to work with remotes.
They have googletv apps that work great with remotes. But it needs to port it. Shouldn't be hard, googletv is based on android. Contacted them today, nothing. Stupid IMO. With more and more android set top boxes coming out, should make this a priority.
Now supposedly this box has miracast receiver, but it doesn't work for me. Says something like:
Please make sure the wifi-p2p is working and the WFD source is correct!
So couldn't get it to work to try and use my phone as a remote. If someone else has this box and can get it to work, let me know.
First update done.
Saturday, July 27, 2013
opening post cheap android TV boxes
This blog is to chronicle my experience with a few cheap Chinese android TV boxes. Mainly can they play Netflix flawlessly and xbmc. My TVs are only 720p so that is what my experiences will be based on.
Feel free to ask questions. I will also try to post firmware and xbmc/Netflix apps I find work best.
The two boxes I have purchased so far are as follows:
http://xinyutech.en.alibaba.com/product/1008624630-218703621/A20_dual_core_1_7Ghz_CPU_android_4_2_OS_1080p_hd_network_media_player_allwinner_A20_dual_core_android_tv_box.html
I got that on for $60 with free shipping off eBay shipped within US. I have been following the forums of a couple groups that rebrand and sell these type of boxes (not this one exactly) and they say next month a hardware acceleration xbmc for the a20.
The next is:
http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/1045726195/4_2_2_dual_core_mx.html
This I got for 75 shipped from China. It seems to be the same as the g-box midnight mx2 but the rumor is that the manufacturer is shipping the cheaper ones with a audio sync issue so you buy the more expensive gbox. There is a forum group out of UK that seems to have gotten the firmware from the mx2 to put on these cheaper ones. Going to try that first.
If anyone has the original firmwares for either box share with me so people can always put them back to stock if they need.
Next past should come tomorrow as I open the first one tomorrow.
Feel free to ask questions. I will also try to post firmware and xbmc/Netflix apps I find work best.
The two boxes I have purchased so far are as follows:
http://xinyutech.en.alibaba.com/product/1008624630-218703621/A20_dual_core_1_7Ghz_CPU_android_4_2_OS_1080p_hd_network_media_player_allwinner_A20_dual_core_android_tv_box.html
I got that on for $60 with free shipping off eBay shipped within US. I have been following the forums of a couple groups that rebrand and sell these type of boxes (not this one exactly) and they say next month a hardware acceleration xbmc for the a20.
The next is:
http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/1045726195/4_2_2_dual_core_mx.html
This I got for 75 shipped from China. It seems to be the same as the g-box midnight mx2 but the rumor is that the manufacturer is shipping the cheaper ones with a audio sync issue so you buy the more expensive gbox. There is a forum group out of UK that seems to have gotten the firmware from the mx2 to put on these cheaper ones. Going to try that first.
If anyone has the original firmwares for either box share with me so people can always put them back to stock if they need.
Next past should come tomorrow as I open the first one tomorrow.
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