[WARNING][UNBRICK-How-To] OTT M8S Owners [WARNING]

[brew99]

I have three and they all work good. All were less than $50 shipped. Firmware is similar format, but build is oct21

[wroom]

i paid about $46 but return postage might cost me much. Can u send me ur seller link?

[Dc0de]

Anyone got openelec working on the bcm wifi based M8S? Or are they only for AP wifi?

[chigo58]

Guys, I've loaded the stage3 update on my m8s and it works.. but I am struggling with getting hevc files to play properly. Basically experiencing the black/green screen.
Can someone please enlighten me on what i need to do to get these files to work?

What system file needs to be chmod'ed?

Particularly s8m how is this working for you ? >No chmod dance needed to get HEVC playback running smoothly.

Thanks!

Just signed up to tell you this.

You just made a very frustrated person very unfrustrated. >< Thank you so much.


My OTT m8s mbox 2gb/8gb GBe/dual band 4335 life story:
---------------------------------------------------------------
HDMI auto-detection doesn't seem to want to play nicely with my clone+tv combo. Disabling auto-detection and setting resolution/refresh manually would not persist through power cycle/hard reboot.

Language would revert back to Chinese after power cycle.

Clock time would revert back to unix start time on power cycle. *Causes a google play login error notification until time set/sync.

CEC would not persist through power cycle. Need to be disabled/re-enable/configure after each power cycle

Digital audio manually configured settings lost on power cycle.

Power menu apps would not work (Material Power Menu Root - etc.,)

Kodi/Zeroconf wasn't playing nicely, forcing manual configuration of host in Yatse remote.

Kodi network stack would crash if syncing library database with Yatse remote.

Chmodding of system file required to playback hevc properly. Othersie it would black/green screen. (Workaround was to jump ahead 10 seconds, then manually set 3 seconds into video.)

System would lag out when playing media, or updating library. Making the menu/navigation sluggish/sometimes unusable.

Visualizations were choppy if playing anything over 320kbits (flac, etc).

---------------------------------------------------------------
I tried updating to stage 3 with the updater app, no go. stage 1, no go. formatted sdcard FAT from within the android box's android storage settings menu, re-copied the update.zip from my pc to the sdcard .. >.> tried 1 last time .. BooM!
---------------------------------------------------------------

Now, while HDMI auto-detection still doesn't work, I WAS able to disable auto detection this time, set the resolution/refresh manually.. power cycled the device.. and ... Yatzee! Still 1080p!

English language also persists after power cycle.. ><

Time still resets, however, timezone + automatic network time settings persist. Great!

CEC settings persist.

Digital audio manual settings persist.

Power menu Reset now works.

No chmod dance needed to get HEVC playback running smoothly.

.. Visualizations running primo, even while scanning media. Navigation is buttery smooth.. Haven't even enabled "force GPU rendering for 2d drawing" yet.

And the cherry on top? Yatse is syncing, at the same time, no network stack crash!
---------------------------------------------------------------


After a month or so of frustration/loathing .. This device is now exactly what I was hoping for. And more. (Running about 10,000x smoother)

Should tie me over till the 10bit hevc hdmi 2.0 boxes come down in price ^ ^ (Can anyone enlighten me as to why people are backing up 8 bit blurays in 10bit format?)


---------------------------------------------------------------


You're my hero. 10,000 thankyous.

I owe you, at the very least, a refreshing beverage. Post/shoot me your paypal!

[s8m]

Can't say I'm an authority on the matter, but from what I gather .. black/green screen ... sounds like you're trying to play 10bit hevc instead of 8bit. I believe you need an hdmi 2.0 device or a 'real' computer to play 10 bit content.

AFAIK there isn't even 10 bit content available to the masses. Maybe some digital content. bluray isn't 10bit, so I'm not sure why people have been ripping 8bit content as 10bit. I usually hear some cockamamie reason.

Before this updated firmware, I had to run (easier to make a script)


chmod 666 /sys/class/display/mode
chmod 666 /dev/amvideo
chmod 666 /dev/amstream*
chmod 666 /sys/class/video/axis
chmod 666 /sys/class/video/screen_mode
chmod 666 /sys/class/video/disable_video
chmod 666 /sys/class/tsync/pts_pcrscr
chmod 666 /sys/class/audiodsp/digital_raw
chmod 666 /sys/class/ppmgr/ppmgr_3d_mode
chmod 666 /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu0/cpufreq/scaling_min_freq
chmod 666 /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu0/cpufreq/scaling_max_freq
chmod 666 /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu0/cpufreq/scaling_governor

(not sure if posting links from other forums is accepted here, but you can find this bit of script via a search for, "video stuttering in Kodi 15 for Amlogic SOCs".)

As an aside, it'd be nice if those who are putting out hevc content would just leave the file size the same, and increased the quality overall, keeping the codec settings as close to source as possible. (8 bit rips for 8 bit source, etc.) Instead they try to match the current quality, while decreasing file sizes.. Leaving me wanting.

I digress ..

Guys, I've loaded the stage3 update on my m8s and it works.. but I am struggling with getting hevc files to play properly. Basically experiencing the black/green screen.
Can someone please enlighten me on what i need to do to get these files to work?

What system file needs to be chmod'ed?

Particularly s8m how is this working for you ? >No chmod dance needed to get HEVC playback running smoothly.

Thanks!

[s8m]

OP, can you list the things you changed in the kernel? Mine runs ok for me, but if you are able to get more out of it, I'd be interested

I'm interested in this as well. What was changed, and how. I tried some generic kernel control apps, but I couldn't get 2ghz to stay selected.
I was however, able to change governors. Ondemand made the box run sketchy, performance mode seems to be cake.

[chigo58]

s8m the file I am trying to see is this - limitless.s01e05.720p.web.dl.hevc.x265.rmteam.mkv which works well on desktop but not on 15.x upwards. 14.2 does software decoding of hevc so performance is limited. Is there a way to tell if a file is 8 or 10 bit? Googling around and looking the file properties didn't reveal whether it was 8 or 10 bit. I'll try some test files from here later today - see how that goes.. http://h265files.com/

[s8m]

okay. SWIM just tried said file, and it works. Try jumping ahead in the file a few seconds and see if it kicks in. That was one of the issues I was experiencing, where some files would need to be jumped ahead a few seconds, then jumped back to 3 seconds in. (Any less and it would again blank screen. audio was fine)

If so/not, maybe try the above chmod permissions. It could be that firmware is leaving some system files unchanged, in which I had already fixed permissions, which carried over to the new firmware.

As for determining 8/10bit .. I'd also like to know how to check. I looked at codec information in vlc, and my 8 bit files show, 4:2:0. Maybe 10bit is 4:4:4? (Even if source is 4:2:0?) I'll have to dig up a 10bit file ..

s8m the file I am trying to see is this - limitless.s01e05.720p.web.dl.hevc.x265.rmteam.mkv which works well on desktop but not on 15.x upwards. 14.2 does software decoding of hevc so performance is limited. Is there a way to tell if a file is 8 or 10 bit? Googling around and looking the file properties didn't reveal whether it was 8 or 10 bit. I'll try some test files from here later today - see how that goes.. http://h265files.com/

[chigo58]

Interestingly the two test files worked flawlessly (referring to the ones in the previous link) - all i noticed was a small offset in the audio - but very minor indeed. Your suggestions also worked..! Kudos to you.

[Dc0de]

It appears the new M8s (2GB Ram and 8 Gig Rom) are coming with a new bootloader and new wifi drivers (BCM4335) and not the old drivers (AP6330).

DO THE FOLLOWING AT YOUR OWN RISK. I WILL OFFER ZERO SUPPORT TO ANYONE WHO BRICKS THEIR DEVICE, CANT USE GOOGLE TO TRY AND FIND ANSWERS, OR FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS ETC....

The original Openelec from http://amlinux.ru/image/devel/OpenEL...8S-6.0.0.2.zip appears to change the bootloader and ends in a non booting device.

I have managed to get the M8S Openelec from http://amlinux.ru/image/devel/OpenEL...8S-6.0.0.2.zip booting into Openelec by changing the included recovery.img (both inside the *update.zip and outside), logo.img (inside *update.zip) and bootloader.img (inside *update.zip) with the ones attached and resigning the *update.zip with Ainol Zip Signer (Use google to find and how to use...don't forget to rename the zip to update.zip, and put in same directory as Ainol Zip Signer so it can find it, and sign it).

The resulting update zip flashed to the M8S with BCM4335 wifi boots, but:

1)No wifi
2)Only detects 1GB of ram instead of 2gb

I havent tested the lan yet to see if that works.

How do I go about getting the wifi drivers and detection of 2gb of Ram on the new M8S with BCM4335 wifi? Ive tried twice now to post over on xbmc.ru but my message never appears in the amilogic thread...it just goes to admin for auth...

BTW this new box is marked v4 on the bottom and OTA updates/build name contains BCM4335 in its name (as already stated in this thread).

ALSO I cant upload my modded Openelec, due to slow upload speed here. If someone with faster upload want to re-create and upload for everyone...please do.

More info on this M8S with BCM4335 Wifi (in Russian)

http://4pda.ru/forum/index.php?showtopic=677576&st=1420#entry44679930

Link to working OTA updates

OTA Update M8S.BCM4335 / 20151029

https://yadi.sk/d/EbczGMVqkUDDL

Another OTA update cyx_m8s_v8.6_bcm4335_8g2g_kodi_addons_151013_SD

https://yadi.sk/d/u10_JD2CkUDrd

Hope someone with more tech knowledge than me can compile a working openelec for M8S BCM4335

P.S Cant upload recovery.img as its too big for an attachment. Use the one out of one of the OTA updates above...

[mido_67]

Tuto 4pda: http://4pda.ru/forum/index.php?showt...#entry44679930

Envoyé de mon Nexus 5 en utilisant Tapatalk

[giladsta]

hi sorry for my bad english ,i have the m8s box with the ap 4335 as far as i know' got it from aliexpress vismile is th "brand" ott box v4
its a ott box probebly a clone pics added
i have tryed to put a rom on the box now its a brick
i have blue light on the box wen ac is pluged in but no signal at all on tv. toothpic will not work.

i have tryed to use usb burning tool with a jumper to otg. i worked at first but now i have bricked box. usb burning dose not find the box
what can i do with it to make it work
plz help me dont know what else to do

i add a photo of my original rom i got (now im bricked)

[redshift]

op or anyone else ,where can i find the u-boot.bin of this "M8S.AP.NO.WIFI.BT-IMGflash.rar" image

i need it so i can flash twrp to my bricked m8s n200c

[Porkie]

hi sorry for my bad english ,i have the m8s box with the ap 4335 as far as i know' got it from aliexpress vismile is th "brand" ott box v4
its a ott box probebly a clone pics added
i have tryed to put a rom on the box now its a brick
i have blue light on the box wen ac is pluged in but no signal at all on tv. toothpic will not work.

i have tryed to use usb burning tool with a jumper to otg. i worked at first but now i have bricked box. usb burning dose not find the box
what can i do with it to make it work
plz help me dont know what else to do

very simple, unplug your box, put the sdcard in (sdcard must be in before pluging it up) and at the same time mayby a half second before you plug it back up press the reset button and hold it down for a few seconds. it should either lose hdmi connection or not boot past the amlogic screen. after holding the button for a few seconds and it not booting, unplug and replug it in and the blue light should now be off. now if the blue light is off it will be detected by the burn tool. after flashing an image with the burn tool the blue light will come back on and it will boot.

[giladsta]

Porkie

very simple, unplug your box, put the sdcard in (sdcard must be in before pluging it up) and at the same time mayby a half second before you plug it back up press the reset button and hold it down for a few seconds. it should either lose hdmi connection or not boot past the amlogic screen. after holding the button for a few seconds and it not booting, unplug and replug it in and the blue light should now be off. now if the blue light is off it will be detected by the burn tool. after flashing an image with the burn tool the blue light will come back on and it will boot/

thnx
im trying to do it
but im stuck