Database Users

Zeki Streaming Media Box

Anyone ever seen or heard of the Zeki Streaming Media Box? We got two of these in at work today and it looked really interesting. A quick Google search turned up no results.
The listed specs are:
Android (doesn't list the version, but looks to be at lest ICS)
1 GB RAM
HDMI out
Ethernet
2 USB posts
SD card slot
WiFi 802.11b/g/n
4 GB flash memory
And it looks like it includes:
Remote (Appears to have a full QWERTY keyboard)
HDMI cable
Power adapter
And here's a picture of the front and back of the box: http://i.imgur.com/BMk8bDT.jpg
Sorry about the non-clear pictures. I think it says "TAB803B" as a model number, but I'll have to check. If that's indeed the case, it may be related to the MK803-based series of HDMI sticks.

beanboy89 said:
Anyone ever seen or heard of the Zeki Streaming Media Box? We got two of these in at work today and it looked really interesting. A quick Google search turned up no results.
The listed specs are:
Android (doesn't list the version, but looks to be at lest ICS)
1 GB RAM
HDMI out
Ethernet
2 USB posts
SD card slot
WiFi 802.11b/g/n
4 GB flash memory
And it looks like it includes:
Remote (Appears to have a full QWERTY keyboard)
HDMI cable
Power adapter
And here's a picture of the front and back of the box: http://i.imgur.com/BMk8bDT.jpg
Sorry about the non-clear pictures. I think it says "TAB803B" as a model number, but I'll have to check. If that's indeed the case, it may be related to the MK803-based series of HDMI sticks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I picked one up at Wal-Mart yesterday for $98 total. Tried to set it up and couldn't get it to power on! The instructions say that it's normal for it to take several minutes to boot up but never got it to show any kind of menu or anything - just an annoying red flashing light that never turned blue and a black TV screen - yes I checked the HDMI connections - so maybe it was DOA out of the box? At any rate, the box is bigger than my Roku 3. The combo QWRTY keyboard and remote is a good idea but in my opinion, the whole thing is poorly constructed. It's going back tomorrow. I am not a paid spokesperson for Roku but I really love the Roku experience but would love to use an Android type device so I can stream my SlingBox which unfortunately isn't supported on Roku. I also saw that my Wal-Mart had an Equiso but after reading all the negative reviews I passed on that. As with anything, take this "review" with a grain of salt and your mileage may vary.

I actually saw this box in my local Walmart and wondered what its all about.....im looking to kill my cable bill and see if a streaming box is all i need....or maybe not....as i see Roku has no advantage then my PS3....so not sure where to go

I recently picked up this box. What is inside is essentially the Hackberry by miniand except it isn't rooted. The Zeki is the 1GB Ram version. Haven't tested it out much. It doesn't have bluetooth. It comes with a remote that you have to plug a dongle into one usb port in order for it to work thus eliminating one usable usb port. Full size sd card slot. The remote feels cheep, but is fairly nice. Also a nice feature of it is the dongle can be plugged in to your pc and you can use the remote on your pc. Button map for use on pc. The keyboard works just fine. the volume buttons work as normal. The video controls work except fast forward and rewind they only seem to work in windows media player not vlc or media player classic. For right click use the back button and middle mouse button(to scroll) use the menu button.
There are much better options out there for the same price, but it comes with a cool remote. Also it supports output to rca which is useful if you happen to only have that option avaliable. Comes with the hdmi cable.

I just picked up the ZEKI SMB at walmart also. I have 3 Roku and the vizio co-star and I can say this is not as popular but it can be. It gives you more option than the roku because you have access to the google play store. The vizio costar has access to the google play as well but I can't get 95% of my apps to install not even by sideloading.
This box gives you a 100% Android feel with the ability to customize the home screen and access the google settings just like your phone or tablet.
So far I can't get the hulu plus but I haven't tried the other modified hulu apps I have yet. I have FB, gmail, my regular email, netflix, plex app which are my main apps up and running.
installing apps could be faster but i'm not sure if it's due to my doing it via wifi or if it's cpu.
The remote does feel cheap but it's not as big and bulky as the co-star remote.
I can see this becoming very big if it can get rooted and then a nice kernal for some OC/UC love.

This box works great for me. works with Netflix, Hulu Plus, Google Play, HD Home run app, and many more. WiFi works decent would probally work better with external antenna. I just need to figure out how to root it which doesn't look easy. If anyone finds anything on how to root this please pm me thanks.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app

Eclipsekid.. Hulu can be installed but how did you get it to play?

Used modded hulu plus from another xda topic used one that said Hulu landscape mod also had to check allow unknown sources in settings.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app

eclipsekid07 said:
This box works great for me. works with Netflix, Hulu Plus, Google Play, HD Home run app, and many more. WiFi works decent would probally work better with external antenna. I just need to figure out how to root it which doesn't look easy. If anyone finds anything on how to root this please pm me thanks.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
tTorrent also works well...

It has great potential
I picked one up from the walmart. Loaded XBMC frodo just fine. Now if I could just find a way to root

Pictures
Pictures of Board and processor.
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eclipsekid07 said:
Used modded hulu plus from another xda topic used one that said Hulu landscape mod also had to check allow unknown sources in settings.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure why you needed to use a modded hulu plus app, I was able to install the regular hulu plus app from google play just fine. Unless you don't actually have a hulu plus account, I don't see why you wouldn't have used the available app, it works fine.
Anyway, I have been using the box for a few days and I think I am going to return it. I've had non-stop issues with the internet connection. I have a 60mbps connection, but I am getting less that 1mbps speeds on the box. I called the tech support number and they advised me to change the channel on the router. It bumped up to about 7mbps. I asked the support agent why I still only got 7mbps when I have a 60mbps connection and he advised that the box has a maximum speed of 9mbps. So, he told me that if I got 7mbps after changing the channel, that the box would perform as designed since I was reaching the maximum speed the box could allow and that the lower speed was likely due to the specifications of the box itself. Well, after a couple hours, the speed dropped back down under 1mbps and changing the channel again bumped the speed back up for a short time. Since then, I have noticed that the only way to get the speed up is to change the router channel or reset the box. I assume resetting the router would work to, but that is pointless. With the slow speeds, streaming media constantly buffers or doesn't load at all. Am I the only one with this problem? Maybe I should just exchange the box?
Edit to add: the box also lags badly for me, not just with online service in the browser and streaming media, but also just navigating the UI. I assume it's the processor and low RAM, looking for another box to replace it with unless it;s just a bad unit.

gadsden said:
Not sure why you needed to use a modded hulu plus app, I was able to install the regular hulu plus app from google play just fine. Unless you don't actually have a hulu plus account, I don't see why you wouldn't have used the available app, it works fine.
Anyway, I have been using the box for a few days and I think I am going to return it. I've had non-stop issues with the internet connection. I have a 60mbps connection, but I am getting less that 1mbps speeds on the box. I called the tech support number and they advised me to change the channel on the router. It bumped up to about 7mbps. I asked the support agent why I still only got 7mbps when I have a 60mbps connection and he advised that the box has a maximum speed of 9mbps. So, he told me that if I got 7mbps after changing the channel, that the box would perform as designed since I was reaching the maximum speed the box could allow and that the lower speed was likely due to the specifications of the box itself. Well, after a couple hours, the speed dropped back down under 1mbps and changing the channel again bumped the speed back up for a short time. Since then, I have noticed that the only way to get the speed up is to change the router channel or reset the box. I assume resetting the router would work to, but that is pointless. With the slow speeds, streaming media constantly buffers or doesn't load at all. Am I the only one with this problem? Maybe I should just exchange the box?
Edit to add: the box also lags badly for me, not just with online service in the browser and streaming media, but also just navigating the UI. I assume it's the processor and low RAM, looking for another box to replace it with unless it;s just a bad unit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I returned mine BC poor WiFi range and no otg port w/o special cable.

eclipsekid07 said:
I returned mine BC poor WiFi range and no otg port w/o special cable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you replace it with another Android box? I started this thread about the Mele A1000G box. I've been thinking about getting one of these the last few days.

Got rid of this junk
The ROM on this box was horrible plus you need to have a male to male USB cable to use adb .This went back to Walmart where it belongs.

Yeah, I'm taking it back too. I was going to order that Mele box, but I opted for the older Tronsmart mk808b. I know it's old technology, but I got it on Amazon with a iPazzPort KP-810-10-A remote for $70 and it will be here in two days with free Prime shipping. This seemed like the best option Amazon had and I wanted to stick with amazon for free shipping and simple return procedure. If it's not good enough for what I want, I can always get the newer T428 with quad core and 2GB RAM. Whatever I stick with, it's not going to be the Zeki.

s1newave said:
I picked one up from the walmart. Loaded XBMC frodo just fine. Now if I could just find a way to root
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well all i ge is invalid package when i try to install anything .. can someone help?

Flashing
Does anyone have info on rooting this box and then flashing into recovery mode? Can the static XBMC for linux be installed on this?
I have found the xbmc performance otherwise to be very flawed.
thanks

eclipsekid07 said:
I returned mine BC poor WiFi range and no otg port w/o special cable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what special OTG cable would i need to connect this to my pc ? i have made a male to male USB cable but its not working, i have enabled usb debugging in the settings as well, and it still doesn't connect

Hoping it isn't a dud.
I just bought one via a shopping channel for $49 with easy-pay. Some of the reviews are bad; some a very good. I've mixed feelings as I have owned one of their android tablets and thought it okay, not great. But for the money, not a terrible strain. Can send it back if it is a dud.
Edit: It's a freakin' dud, alright! But it can get Youtube quite well, but surfing is a pain and the browsers (any browser) is VERY slow. Piece of crap!

Kodi audio passthrough not working anymore after update to FIRE OS 5

I have updated from FIRE OS 3 to FIRE OS 5 Preview.
After the update audio passthrough in Kodi 15.1 (using optical out) isn't working anymore (It was working fine on FIRE OS 3). When I switch on passthrough I get a hissing/cracking sound.
Anyone else experiencing the same issue?
Does it also occur when using HDMI out? (I can't test it because I have no HDMI in on my receiver)

Same problem here with HDMI. Tried Dolby Digital and DTS both get very loud white noise.

Same here with new Fire TV 4k Also Plex didnt use DTS or DD, Plex show DTS as audio format at playing but it play only PCM.

Just thought I 'd give my details, pretty much same issues as above
Tried - Kodi - 15.1 , 15.2r3 , 16.0a
with
Onkyo tx-nr509
Fire TV 2 (4K)
FTV -> TX-NR509 -> TV all via HDMI
I have switched from ATV where i was using using optical and everything was working fine. FireTV only has HDMI tho.
Tried all combinations of settings and all I get when I enable Dolby Digital (AC3) Transcoding is digital static as if Kodi/Android/Linux is failing to tell the amp to switch from PCM. Frustratingly I did have this working once, no idea what I did, tried everything mentioned in this thread.
Fire TV Prime videos are working flawlessly.

For me the current (annoying) workaround is to play the movie, hear the static, press stop, and play it again. it's worked every time for me so far.
HDMI -> mostly decent Denon here

xenoglyph said:
For me the current (annoying) workaround is to play the movie, hear the static, press stop, and play it again. it's worked every time for me so far.
HDMI -> mostly decent Denon here
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
which settings do u use on fire tv 2 and your denon? (got an denon avr 2113)
maybe i missed sth on my denon settings
(installation: fire tv 2 -> input media player (hdmi) denon -> monitor out (hdmi) -> tv)

jackiie said:
which settings do u use on fire tv 2 and your denon? (got an denon avr 2113)
maybe i missed sth on my denon settings
(installation: fire tv 2 -> input media player (hdmi) denon -> monitor out (hdmi) -> tv)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
same hardware setup for me. in ftv system settings i have it set to dolby digital plus or whatever their pass thru setting is called. and afaik in kodi when it comes to audio the settings don't really matter when you've got pass thru enabled.

Just thought I'd link the following for anyone having the same issues as me with the AFTV. It looks like a fix for DolbyDigital+ was released to fix issues within NETFLIX and PLEX on the AFTV device itself. Amazon are saying a fix will be rolled out on the 30th November for the older Dolby Digital and some are suggesting this should deal with the issues with KODI pass-through - fingers crossed.
http : // www . aftvnews . com / software-update-with-surround-sound-fix-begins-rolling-out-for-2nd-gen-fire-tv /

xenoglyph said:
same hardware setup for me. in ftv system settings i have it set to dolby digital plus or whatever their pass thru setting is called. and afaik in kodi when it comes to audio the settings don't really matter when you've got pass thru enabled.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
weird. maybe i missed sth. use the same settings but still some stupid noise. do u stream your movies? do u use mkv as well? can u send me some screenshots? when i disable pass through in kodi it just show multi in at my denon...

KODI no audio
I have KODI working until FTV2 firmware 5.0.4. KODI no audio 15.2/16 with red mute button on the top right corner
no way to turned on. Tried wukong remote, adjust amplification, change setting in FTV and kodi. Audio is gone forever.

KODI with 5.0.4 works on my FTV2. But I get only DD passthrough. DTS only white noise with my DENON AVR-X1200W. On PCM Output, channels are switched and need to be remapped. I dindn´t found any way in google to remap hdmi channels on android maybe somebody here is able to do some hacking on the ALSA Interface since we have root.
It also doesn´t look like, that the KODI developers have much interest to fix anything in kodi on FTV2 plattform Most development goes in direction of Nvidia Shield.
For thouse who are using Instant Video it´s absolutely dissapointing since most movies i watch via Kodi are with DTS sound. I have to watch them in Stereo PCM. That sucks! Nvidia Shiled is absolutely useless for me.
@woodybarry
try to do a factory reset and do a clean kodi install, without restoring anything.

bigwillie1 said:
I have updated from FIRE OS 3 to FIRE OS 5 Preview.
After the update audio passthrough in Kodi 15.1 (using optical out) isn't working anymore (It was working fine on FIRE OS 3). When I switch on passthrough I get a hissing/cracking sound.
Anyone else experiencing the same issue?
Does it also occur when using HDMI out? (I can't test it because I have no HDMI in on my receiver)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Had the same issue here.
With Fire OS 3 is use the automatic option, enable passthrough in Kodi (at the moment 16.1) and my Teufel Concept E-Digital did recognize DTS or AC3. With the update to Fire OS 5 I lost this feature
I try all options in FireTV OS 5 settings, with enabled or disabled passthrough option.
I've read something about to try:
-SPMC (because of a better Android support)
-kodi 17 beta (because of some passthrough fixxes)
I search for a method to enable the old Fire OS 3 settings for audio in Fire OS 5! Any ideas? Is it just a another lib/module to replace? @aftvnews
Elias, did you have any ideas?
If I dont find a solution I will sell my AFTV1 box...
Greetings by Idijt

Factory reset of AFTV worked for me. Make sure to back up Kodi config before and liars before wiping.

Turn Your Old Android Into A Chromecast

Turn Your Old Android Into A Chromecast
A Chromecast isn't the most expensive device in the world, but if you've got an extra Android device lying around, I would recommend saving the $25 and using it as a Chromecast. This can easily be done with just a few modifications. I'll show you how to get everything setup.
Things you'll need:
1. HDMI Cable
Most Android devices within the last few years will have an MHL compatible Micro-USB port. This means that you can get an adapter to plug your phone into an HDMI cord. You can pick up one of the adapters on Amazon for next to nothing.
Micro-USB to HDMI Adapter
2. Unwind Launcher for TV BETA
You'll want to install a launcher on the device that you'll be plugging into your TV. Unwind Launcher is my favorite and it's designed to be used on a big screen. Download this from the Play store and install it on your Android. It's free!
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"lightbox_share": "Share",
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"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
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Download Unwind Launcher for TV BETA
3. Tablet Remote
Tablet remote is an app that you'll install on the device plugged into the TV and on your everyday Android phone. This will let you use your phone as a remote to navigate your makeshift Chromecast device.
Download Tablet Remote
Once you've got everything that you need, you'll just plug in your phone to your TV and pair your two Android phones so you can use the remote feature. That's it! Now you have a fully functional Android TV device.

I've been trying to figure out how to do this except as a media (audio) receiver to use as a bluetooth dongle for use with auxiliary jack.

ElwOOd_CbGp said:
I've been trying to figure out how to do this except as a media (audio) receiver to use as a bluetooth dongle for use with auxiliary jack.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe this is the solution you're looking for.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/u/reusing-devices/android-2-2-device-wireless-audio-t3298698

This isn't chromecast, this is android tv

DrGreenway said:
but if you've got an extra Android device lying around, I would recommend saving the $25 and using it as a Chromecast. This can easily be done with just a few modifications.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great, care to show us how? Cause that's not evenly remotely linked to what you did here.
Using something like this: http://forum.xda-developers.com/har...p-youmap-chromecast-receiver-android-t3161851
or this: http://forum.xda-developers.com/hardware-hacking/chromecast/app-cast-receiver-app-android-t2900726
might work (and these should work in the background along with the launcher you suggested here, meaning you get both a GUI on the TV and the ability to cast)
Most Android devices within the last few years will have an MHL compatible Micro-USB port.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope. http://www.mhltech.org/devices.aspx?tid=1
Some do, not "most" by any means.

Can't control YouTube and Netflix with Tablet Remote. Great.

laurorual said:
Can't control YouTube and Netflix with Tablet Remote. Great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had never heard of tablet remote but there's quite a few other options. I use droidmote. It's paid but I think it works best with android tv.
Agree with other posters. This isn't a fully functional chromecast. I was thinking I could cast my computer to the TV. This seems to just mimic an android tv box except you don't have a dedicated remote and most will need to buy the usb to hdmi adapter (if there old phone is compatible.)
BTW--I don't have much of an interest in this but why not use leanback launcher? Wouldn't that be better if you are trying to turn it into android tv?

SifJar said:
Nope. http://www.mhltech.org/devices.aspx?tid=1
Some do, not "most" by any means.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very true. I have 6 androids....not a single damn one has mhl support

I have an acer a500 tab and moto atrix hd, both having a dedicated micro-hdmi port. unfortunately tablet remote gave error-1 on both devices when I tried to setup the connection.

Some androids use slimport instead of mhl

QuillzToxic said:
This isn't chromecast, this is android tv
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right! I'm looking for chromecast-ish app for android phone. Does anyone knows something like that? I know, there is Cheap Cast but that program isn't available in google play shop and I'm not sure if it is safe.

thevilish said:
You are right! I'm looking for chromecast-ish app for android phone. Does anyone knows something like that? I know, there is Cheap Cast but that program isn't available in google play shop and I'm not sure if it is safe.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
CheapCast is no more available in Google Play but it is available here on XDA, the fact is i don't know if it still works since some users reported that it doesn't anymore, you gotta try it by yourself and, if you can, report back to its thread to help others.

I have an older Motorola Electrify M (XT901) with all the USCC stock firmware (still locked bootloader without root). It has JB Android 4.1 and a 1080p HDMI Port.
With that stated, will this this phone be able to be Chromecast repurposed?
Just wondering as to any restrictions to this.
I never bothered to try and unlock/root it since it was stored for quite some time when I upgraded to Samsung.
It still works like a charm!
Thanks!

My Atrix hd now has become android TV with kodi installed and connected to the TV by the micro hdmi port. Kodi has a remote app called kore which you can install on other phone and control it from there.

Has any one found a way to convert an old Android phone with HDMI output to become a Chromecast receiver?
I just want to press the Chromecast button of my PC browser and watch the videos on the TV. I do not want any menus nor apps on the TV/phone. I just need the phone to become a "dongle".

@DrGreenway, I also have an older Motorola Electrify that's still a quality device with an HDMI port.
It was upgraded years ago to a newer device and hasn't been in service for quite some time. It still works like a charm.
So I'd like to re-purpose this device for Chromecast...
Can it be done on this specific device?
Thanks a Bunch!
Peace and Love!
Peace and Love!
~Ringo Starr~
Sent on my Communicator [SCH-I535] from the Bridge of the U.S.S. Enterprise...
********************************************
**IF I WAS HELPFUL IN ANY WAY THEN**
**PLZ THANK ME WITH A THUMBS UP!**
********************************************

Z68 Tv box Review

The Z68 TV Box is a RK3368 Octa-core, Android 5.1 ,2.4GHz / 5GHz WiFi, 2GB RAM 16GB ROM,
Bluetooth 4.0, HDMI 2.0
Hi all,
In this review im going to be looking at the Z68 sent to me for review from Mod Edit: Selling site link removed.
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It Z68 arrived in 8 days via DHL with £4.69 tax's to pay so not too bad this time.
This thing has really surprised me on how well it works for a tv box from the cheap end of the market at about £40. All the tests in this review have been done using the stock FW the device was shipped with,I will be trying other FW once the review is done.
Quick facts
2GB RAM & 16GB ROM
The Z68 TV Box is has the new well known processor Rockchip RK3368
H.265/HEVC video decoding up to 4K and Gigabit Ethernet.
Android 5.1 Lollipop out the box
Fully Rooted
The RK3368 tv box's are the next new thing to have right now & it seem's such a long time since the RK3288 came along.
Internal Photos
In this photo you can see what they call a heat sink (1mm thick pice of aluminium)
Heat sink removed in this photo
Main Features:
● Comes with a RJ45 jack for 1000M Ethernet which provides a strong network extension.
● Android 5.1 Lolipop out of the box
● True 4K x 2K resolution which delivers best audio and video quality.
● Rockchip R3368 Octa Core up to 1.6GHz (Cortex-A53 64bit)
● Kodi supported. Kodi can be used to play almost all popular audio and video formats.
● Android 5.1, gives you access to over 800,000 apps including Facebook, Youtube, Picasa and more.
● Professional H.265 video decoding technology and 2.4G + 5.8G WiFi, offering a more stable WiFi signal to enjoy a higher quality video experience.
● 2GB RAM + 16GB ROM, 32GB maximum extended capacity gives you more space to download your favorite apps and caches to browse websites, play games, run apps, watch movies more smoothly.
● Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity: Easy pairing with most Bluetooth-enabled devices (computer,mobile phone, keyboard, and others).
● HDMI 2.0 connector: Connect directly to your TV with a HDMI cable and you will be all set to enjoy 4K x 2K Full HD multimedia experience.
● 2 x USB one of them is also the OTG port. Connect your mouse and keyboard to help you operate more convenient.
● Infrared remote control lets you enjoy wile no need to use the mouse & keyboard.
● Support Miracast, DLNA.
Z68 Device
It comes with just one launcher installed, The launcher3 (standered android launcher)
The device itself is a nice looking tv box at 10.5cm square with 4 little rubber feet that do a great job it does not slide around on the desk at all.Its a shame it only has the two usb ports though thats my only draw back as of yet.On a plus side the IR remote has good range & works well.Another bug iv found is within ES file explore the back ground is black so is the text,I think theres a fix for this i will hunt around for it. Google play store is installed & works on my device.
Storage
Display
On the front you will see a blue LED when the Z68 is powered on & a Red LED when its in stand by mode.Also on the front is the IR senser.
On the rear you will find the Power port,HDMI port,Ethernet port,& the SPDIF On the left hand side you will find the two USB ports(One of them is the OTG port) & the SD Card slot.
Wifi =Ethernet
2.4ghz + 5.8G Wifi which is strong but not picking up my neighbours wifi network (Some of my tv box's do) Iv not had a problem with the wifi single where ever iv placed the Z68 around the house its worked of full bars single strenth.
WIFI
ETHERNET
Bluetooth 4.0
Kodi.
The Z68 comes with Kodi 16 preinstalled with no addons.The speed of kodi is Nice & fast 3 seconds to load from the app screen,Iv been streaming 1080 from the web with no video stuttering that iv noticed & the device remained cool all the time.
Games
Iv tested beach buggy blitz with graphics set to high it played perfect as expected
I was using my ps3 controller with the sixaxis app
Also the tronsmart Mars G01 Game pad works well
Misc
Logitech c270 camera works fine
External powered 1T HD works fine
Tronsmart Mars G01 game pad works
32GB sd card works fine (64GB dont work)
Stock Firmware
http://chinagadgetsreviews.com/download-latest-android-lollipop-5-1-1-stock-firmware-nexbox-z68-tv-box.html
The Z68 gets warm but not hot even though there is no venterlation holes & NO real heat sink i was expecting this to overheat but no iv had it running 24/7 now for the past week streaming from my ip cam & all is working well no lock ups reboots ETC. It stays cooler than my my S905 tv box at doing the same job.
Antutu
Not a high Antutu score here
Antutu Video
Whats in the Box
1 x Z68 TV Box
1 x Power Adapter
1 x HDMI Cable
1 x IR Remote Control
1 x English Manual
Very Basic unboxing video
Mod Edit: Link removed for affiliate sales and selling site links.

What I'm wondering: does this box support the output of DTS or DD5.1 sound to my receiver?! That's what matters most to me...

vads1972 said:
What I'm wondering: does this box support the output of DTS or DD5.1 sound to my receiver?! That's what matters most to me...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not out of the box as 90% of such kind of devices. You need to load firmware from other devices with same chip which support 5.1, not fully supporting all the z68 hw components though, and use modified versions of kodi to support rockchip rk3368.
Inviato dal mio ECOO_E04_3GB+ utilizzando Tapatalk

lzwfkv said:
Not out of the box as 90% of such kind of devices. You need to load firmware from other devices with same chip which support 5.1, not fully supporting all the z68 hw components though, and use modified versions of kodi to support rockchip rk3368.
Inviato dal mio ECOO_E04_3GB+ utilizzando Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So if I'm looking for a mediaplayer to play all sorts of videofiles (MKV, MP4, DVD-structure, etc.) with support for surround-sound, this is not the box I'm looking for. Any other suggestion?

vads1972 said:
So if I'm looking for a mediaplayer to play all sorts of videofiles (MKV, MP4, DVD-structure, etc.) with support for surround-sound, this is not the box I'm looking for. Any other suggestion?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have a look at freaktab com forums, section tv players. As to the rockchip based android tv players the best supported seems to be nagrace, zidoo and ugoos devices. May be other chipsets such as amlogic are better or even an intel/windows based device.

Curious ,do you have HDMI-CEC and do device turn off complitely

armagani said:
Curious ,do you have HDMI-CEC and do device turn off complitely
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The device does not turn off by design. It hasn't got a physical power button and it will only go in stanby with the power on remote. The only way to put it off is to pull off the power cable.
I have not tested it with hdmi-cec cause the tv where i have it attached at the moment does not support cec.

Bought one works great, better than the Fire Stick I was using.

I just received this box and while it's mostly working fine I have stutter and audio sync issues using Netflix, HBO and to some extent YouTube. Plex and Kodi works perfectly though.
Anyone got an idea what could be causing it? Wifi speed is consistently strong, so I'm thinking it's some kind of HDMI issue. I've tried a different cable but that didn't help

I have been using this box for a few weeks now, and I've noticed that a firmware update is badly needed. Can anyone direct me to where I can get a firmware update for this box? It doesn't display 4k, doesn't detect USB drives, or allow access to them, "I've tried several". There are several other issues that I don't remember at the moment as well... Thanks for any help... Ohh yeah, and it would be great to run apps off the micro SD and not the 2x internal storage spaces, they filled up within the first few days...lol
Sent from my rk3368-box using XDA-Developers mobile app

+1 here
Ordered mine from the European warehouse of Gea*best( althoght they took 10 days to ship it, 2 more to arrive in Belgium).
Arrived and when I boot it up it works for about 4 minutes; then it locks up.
Unplug the power, plug it again and it locks up even before the launcher.
Any clue about where to get a firmware before send it back?
Thanks in advance.

nleitao said:
+1 here
Ordered mine from the European warehouse of Gea*best( althoght they took 10 days to ship it, 2 more to arrive in Belgium).
Arrived and when I boot it up it works for about 4 minutes; then it locks up.
Unplug the power, plug it again and it locks up even before the launcher.
Any clue about where to get a firmware before send it back?
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Z68 Stock firmware can be found here http://chinagadgetsreviews.com/download-latest-android-lollipop-5-1-1-stock-firmware-nexbox-z68-tv-box.html
And a custom rom here from freaktab member cyber7
[URL="http://freaktab.com/forum/tv-player-support/rk3688-devices-aa/nexbox-z68/firmware-roms-tools-bh/563914-nexbox-z68-rk3368-beta-desktop-build-31-03-2016"]http://freaktab.com/forum/tv-player-support/rk3688-devices-aa/nexbox-z68/firmware-roms-tools-bh/563914-nexbox-z68-rk3368-beta-desktop-build-31-03-2016[/URL]

blinkone said:
The Z68 Stock firmware can be found here http://chinagadgetsreviews.com/download-latest-android-lollipop-5-1-1-stock-firmware-nexbox-z68-tv-box.html
And a custom rom here from freaktab menmer cyber7
[URL="http://freaktab.com/forum/tv-player-support/rk3688-devices-aa/nexbox-z68/firmware-roms-tools-bh/563914-nexbox-z68-rk3368-beta-desktop-build-31-03-2016"]http://freaktab.com/forum/tv-player-support/rk3688-devices-aa/nexbox-z68/firmware-roms-tools-bh/563914-nexbox-z68-rk3368-beta-desktop-build-31-03-2016[/URL]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am cyber7 from freaktab and there is a very "lightweight" release for this box that strips it to a no-nonsense device you can use. Go have a look!

Thank you both for the reply! After this post and some more searching I found cyber7
Yesterday evening I opened the box and installed a motherboard chipset cooler I had around and the freezes stopped at least during the 25 minutes I had it running. The 1 mm aluminium "cooler" the chip brings is really for laughing...
That said I will try @aubreykloppers 's stripped down version soo: thanks man for your really good work. if it works good, i'll buy you the coffee

nleitao said:
Thank you both for the reply! After this post and some more searching I found cyber7
Yesterday evening I opened the box and installed a motherboard chipset cooler I had around and the freezes stopped at least during the 25 minutes I had it running. The 1 mm aluminium "cooler" the chip brings is really for laughing...
That said I will try @aubreykloppers 's stripped down version soo: thanks man for your really good work. if it works good, i'll buy you the coffee
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hope it works for you!
The light release is very quick and runs without a "heat cooler"
I have been running mine (with Kodi and an active Launcher) for about 2 weeks non-stop and have no heat problems. That said, dispersing heat is never a bad idea, unless you are from Antarctica

after a few attempts a cant make the pc detect this or other older box I have from a friend. Is there a SD card method? I already went on the recovery but there is no option to flash from sd...

Just bought this box so I could stream Kodi to my TV, among other things. I tried the Leelbox prior to this, but it was kind of slow and prone to freezing up at times.
So I bought this box because of the better specs, and now I am having a hell of a time trying to navigate on this thing. In some apps, it's impossible to navigate because I can't even see where I'm clicking. I can't even get into the Play Store because it seems to be impossible to click the "accept" button. I have to install all my apps through the browser using Aptoide, and even then that's not a great workaround because, yet again, I can't even see where I'm clicking. Navigating this thing so far is a complete guessing game. I can't believe there's no "mouse" mode on this like the Leelbox had. I'd love to know how you were able to get into the Play Store. Any help or tips???

Use a normal pc usb mouse wired or wireless. Then buy an air mouse remote very soon.
Inviato dal mio ECOO_E04_3GB+ utilizzando Tapatalk

nleitao said:
after a few attempts a cant make the pc detect this or other older box I have from a friend. Is there a SD card method? I already went on the recovery but there is no option to flash from sd...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Damn... the cable I bought on ebay had 1 broken wire, that's why the box wasn't found by the computer...
After making a cable it was well found :victory: flashed and running.
and still freezing even with the super mega hiper light version... Should I flash it again?
@sethyboy13 - what @lzwfkv said

lzwfkv said:
Use a normal pc usb mouse wired or wireless. Then buy an air mouse remote very soon.
Inviato dal mio ECOO_E04_3GB+ utilizzando Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I figured that would have to be the case just looking at other people's videos of the box; they were all using mice. So I bought a cheap USB mouse from Walmart and no issues! I was able to sign in and access the Play Store, as well as use the browser normally. It's kind of annoying that a cursor mode wasn't included on the remote, but hey, I'm not complaining, especially since this box performs much better than the Leelbox for my needs. =)

Android TV box advice

Hi,
I'm looking for a box that could transcode Dolby Digital Plus to dolby Digital on the flight.
My problem is that my sound system must be connected throught SPDIF and doesn't support DD+. Therefore Netflix and Prime are delivering stereo sound tracks only.
I was told that some boxes can do the transcodong. I wanted to buy the Chromecast with Google TV but unfortunately it doesn't transcode the audio.
I was close to order a Fire TV Max stick until I discoved they don't support Google Cast (TBH Google doesn't allow anyone to implement their own Google Cast device.)
I'm open to open source solution (Lineage) as long as I can run the streaming apps (Netflix, Prime) and the Google Cast service (which I think is complicated on non certified devices)
For now I plan to buy the Xiaomi TV s which includes SPDIF output.
My concern about the Xiaomi is the performance limitations and the fact that updates won't happen for long because it's a quite old device already.
I was interested with the Shield TV but the lack of USB port is a no go for me.
Anyway my goal is to get a box that solves the audio compatibility problem (SPDIF not required, HDMI extractor is acceptable) and can last for years with updates.

Not sure if this is the answer you're looking for but have a look and see. Once I went to the Nvidia Shield Pro I never looked back.
AVR / Surround Audio Setup
AVR / Surround Audio Setup
www.nvidia.com

Here's a list: https://www.avsforum.com/threads/streamers-that-will-transcode-dd-e-ac-3-to-dd-ac-3.3203865/

I just tested an onn. box myself, and, at least in my case, since I'm using an HDMI to optical extractor, I had to manually configure the onn.'s audio settings to get it to work. I had to make sure to manually switch on Dolby Digital Plus -- even though my receiver only supports Dolby Digital. After that, I was able to check it by going into Netflix and looking next to the "HD" indication on each movie or show. If I hadn't switched on Dolby Digital Plus in the onn.'s audio settings, Netflix wouldn't detect support for it, and, correspondingly, wouldn't show the "5.1" indicator next to content, continuing to pass PCM audio.