I have decide to write an FAQ on what was important to me, the problems I ran into, and some general questions which are not as easy to find as they should. I may add some more questions if any situation pops up, and clean up and add more information when needed. Bare in mind all of this is subject to change at any time, especially with XBMC, as new devolpments may occur. This is designed for MK808b users, but most will apply to MK808 users too.
Q: I just got my device. What rom would you recommend?
A: Finless 1.7 (With patched libstragefright.so, live stream fix) is probably the best choice at the moment, especially when it comes to XBMC usage.
Finless 2.0 beta on 4.2.2. (original only) Despite it not being as fast in terms of benchmark scores, it will have more ram available, a bit of extra storage as the app partition has been shrunk, and seems to have working GPU acceleration for the GUI (project butter) which seems to be broken for other roms. It will also solve a problem with using USB to Ethernet not being the default connection if you plan to go that way.
Q: My SD card is playing up on 4.2.2, its affecting my wifi, why?
A: It's a kernel bug, insert the SD card after device has booted.
Q: Can I run my device at 1080p?
A: Yes you can, you will need to flash a native 1080p kernel for this to work. If you choose 1080p in the settings it will simply upscale to 1080p, I do not recommend doing this, as most TV's will do this for you and you want as much GPU power as possible.
Q: There are so many distributions of XBMC, which one should I use?
A: There are three main variants of XBMC, I will run through the following with pro's and con's.
Official XBMC.
Pro: Stable, official port.
Con: Will not use the GPU at all, slowest version to use.
XBMC test build with HW. (dated 2/19/13).
Pro: Uses the GPU to help decode HD content. Works well with plugins.
Con: Will have issues with very high bitrate or resolution. Will force 16:9 for 4:3 in some situations, with a few streaming plugins not allowing you to fast forward/rewind (can be fixed by toggling libstagefright.so in options). Will need to place the advancedsettings.xml file in the xbmc folder after installation.
For a better explanation check out this thread by the fantastic Abducted here, which also includes instructions for the advancedsettings.xml which is needed for full GPU decoding.
XAF custom XBMC: (use neon versions)
Pro: Will play near all HD content without issues via local, network. Comes with pre-installed plugins.
Con: Breaks plugins for streaming services like Navi-X as it uses a non native player. XBMC remote for android/iphone will not work correctly on this version. SMB not working.
As of the 24th of April, I recommend the test build over the XAF one if you want to use streaming services, any HD content which is jerky in XBMC can be played via local or network with the ehomemedia app, or any other player that supports GPU decoding like MX player.
Q: I have a slight audio lag in XBMC, the mouths move slightly out of sync?
A: From what I can find, it may have to do with certain TV's using 50hz. The native player doesn't seem to cope with it. See this Youtube guide here and once you find a setting which works make sure you select as use as default, this will then use that setting for everything played.
Q: Can I install two versions of XBMC, one for streaming, and one for HD?
A: Currently, No.
Q: Can I make XBMC run at boot?
A: Yes, by using Startup Manager, free on the Google Play Store. If using the XAF version, it will give you the option to set it as your launcher.
Q: Will running at native 1080p on the stock kernel affect video/XBMC performance? Will I get a performance hit at 1080p?
A: Yes, considerably. An example is the XBMC test build, with the 1080p kernel expect around 30fps for the GUI, yet at 720p it will be around 60fps. It will also not play some HD movies at full speed, while using the 720p kernel the movie would work flawlessly. It will also use much more ram, and have a higher CPU usage using the 1080p kernel. The mali 400 GPU simply cant handle 1080p content well with the default GPU clock speed.
Q: So, 1080p vs 720p kernel?
A: There is no doubt the 1080p kernel makes the display look better, it's also the only way how you could watch true 1080p content without it being downscaled to 720p, but I cannot recommend it if using the current GPU accelerated XBMC for HD playback or gaming of any description on the stock kernel. If using 1080p on an overclocked kernel, XBMC 1080p video playing in the native player is entirely possible, with only very high bit-rated videos causing problems. For gaming, I still would recommend an overclocked 720p kernel, as running in 1080p is almost pointless since hardly anything has native support for it. Your device will run much hotter and you will have far less performance. If you plan to use the device to only stream some SD content over the internet in XBMC and have no interest in gaming, except a few emulators, then the 1080p stock kernel is absolutely fine, especially when it comes to web browsing.
Q: Can I use the 1080p stock kernel and still watch HD movies at full speed?
A: Yes, via XAF XBMC, the ehomemedia app, or any other player that GPU decodes like MX Player. If your 1080p movie however has a very high bit-rate it may drop frames at fast moving scenes. The Gallery seems to be one of the best players for speed, as it seemed to drop less frames then anything else I have tried, but is horrendous to control as it was designed for touch screens.
Q: Can I overclock the GPU to help with 1080p?
A: No, this currently is kernel based. There are custom kernels for the mk808, but not for the B version currently. You can use MK808 kernels on the MK808b, but you will lose Wifi and Bluetooth. The one I would use is the 2dark4u kernel.
Q: Can I overclock the CPU?
A: SetCPU will overclock it up to 1.4ghz for the original mk808b, and 1.2ghz for the cloned version, bare in mind your device will run hotter so make sure you have cooling to compensate the extra heat. You will need to set the cpu to performance to achieve this, as the device has a built in 1ghz limiter which can only be bypassed doing this. It will still say you are running at 1ghz, but a quick Linpack test will show the overclock has worked. Most devices the max overclock is around 1.5ghz on a custom kernel, so you're not missing out by using the stock kernel for CPU overclocking.
Q: Will I need a mouse/keyboard to set up the device?
A: You will need a USB device (mouse is recommended) in order to configure Bluetooth and/or Wifi for remotes. If you have an airmouse/remote with a dongle then this may not apply to you.
Q: I can't wake my device up with my remote, why?
A: When in sleep mode, it turns off a number of features, including Wifi and Bluetooth. If you use any of these then you will not be able to wake the device up again.
Q: How can I disable/hide the notification bar?
A: Full!screen+ on Google Play will disable this on boot, or you can choose apps and F!S+ will auto hide the bar without user input. This is only for 4.2.2, as it will auto hide on other roms.
Q: Google Play says my device is incompatible with an app, how can I fix this?
A: Build.prop will need adjusting, Google the correct way to do this. A modded Google Play store could also be used. Alternatively, you could just download the apk and install that way.
Q: My hard drive doesn't work?
A: You will need a powered USB hub, it is essential that it has its own power supply, as the USB does not have enough power to operate and needs additional help.
Q: My Wifi signal is bad, all the mods I have seen are for the MK808, what can I do to help with the B version?
A: There are two antennas, a big and small which are attached to the case, the big one via a wire, and the smaller one by pins.
The first thing you want to do is check the soldering on the big antenna's wiring to see if it's causing a short circuit, as the units are sometimes soldered poorly.
If all looks and checks out ok, the best method I have found is to remove the pins for the small antenna and solder a 12cm wire to the ant point, making a small hole in the case to poke the wire through. Ideally, if your wire has shielding, you can solder that to the gnd point where the other pin was located. Your signal should improve by doing this.
The pins are on the far bottom left of this picture, and are clearly marked.
Ethernet Fix/Work Around.
For several roms, if you use an Ethernet adapter, you will not be able to get an IP on reboot. In order to get Ethernet working again, you would have to toggle or reconnect the device. This is not ideal, especially if you use Wifi remotes.
Credit goes to b1g.p0ppa for the commands. I do not claim to be a dev, nor believe this is the proper way to fix this, but it does indeed work. I take no responsibility for your device. This is currently for Finless only, can be made to work on other roms.
You will need this file.
Extract the zip, then place the 01script using a file manager with root permissions in system/ect/init.d.
Reboot, it may take a few seconds after boot to get a connection, depending on what you have running. Congratulations, you can now use Ethernet without toggling off and on.
Issues.
1. The rkremote doesn't work sometimes, other wifi remotes are fine.
2. Breaks some Wifi direct programs (can use FTP Server Ultimate and run as a service to Wifi files over at any time).
3. Do NOT use when Wifi is enabled, it will constantly turn Wifi on and off causing havoc.
4. Sometimes going into the settings causes the Ethernet to turn on and off until you have left.
Q: I just got my device. What rom would you recommend?
A: Finless 1.7 (With patched libstragefright.so, live stream fix) is probably the best choice at the moment, especially when it comes to XBMC usage.
Finless 2.0 beta on 4.2.2. (original only) Despite it not being as fast in terms of benchmark scores, it will have more ram available, a bit of extra storage as the app partition has been shrunk, and seems to have working GPU acceleration for the GUI (project butter) which seems to be broken for other roms. It will also solve a problem with using USB to Ethernet not being the default connection if you plan to go that way.
Q: My SD card is playing up on 4.2.2, its affecting my wifi, why?
A: It's a kernel bug, insert the SD card after device has booted.
Q: Can I run my device at 1080p?
A: Yes you can, you will need to flash a native 1080p kernel for this to work. If you choose 1080p in the settings it will simply upscale to 1080p, I do not recommend doing this, as most TV's will do this for you and you want as much GPU power as possible.
Q: There are so many distributions of XBMC, which one should I use?
A: There are three main variants of XBMC, I will run through the following with pro's and con's.
Official XBMC.
Pro: Stable, official port.
Con: Will not use the GPU at all, slowest version to use.
XBMC test build with HW. (dated 2/19/13).
Pro: Uses the GPU to help decode HD content. Works well with plugins.
Con: Will have issues with very high bitrate or resolution. Will force 16:9 for 4:3 in some situations, with a few streaming plugins not allowing you to fast forward/rewind (can be fixed by toggling libstagefright.so in options). Will need to place the advancedsettings.xml file in the xbmc folder after installation.
For a better explanation check out this thread by the fantastic Abducted here, which also includes instructions for the advancedsettings.xml which is needed for full GPU decoding.
XAF custom XBMC: (use neon versions)
Pro: Will play near all HD content without issues via local, network. Comes with pre-installed plugins.
Con: Breaks plugins for streaming services like Navi-X as it uses a non native player. XBMC remote for android/iphone will not work correctly on this version. SMB not working.
As of the 24th of April, I recommend the test build over the XAF one if you want to use streaming services, any HD content which is jerky in XBMC can be played via local or network with the ehomemedia app, or any other player that supports GPU decoding like MX player.
Q: I have a slight audio lag in XBMC, the mouths move slightly out of sync?
A: From what I can find, it may have to do with certain TV's using 50hz. The native player doesn't seem to cope with it. See this Youtube guide here and once you find a setting which works make sure you select as use as default, this will then use that setting for everything played.
Q: Can I install two versions of XBMC, one for streaming, and one for HD?
A: Currently, No.
Q: Can I make XBMC run at boot?
A: Yes, by using Startup Manager, free on the Google Play Store. If using the XAF version, it will give you the option to set it as your launcher.
Q: Will running at native 1080p on the stock kernel affect video/XBMC performance? Will I get a performance hit at 1080p?
A: Yes, considerably. An example is the XBMC test build, with the 1080p kernel expect around 30fps for the GUI, yet at 720p it will be around 60fps. It will also not play some HD movies at full speed, while using the 720p kernel the movie would work flawlessly. It will also use much more ram, and have a higher CPU usage using the 1080p kernel. The mali 400 GPU simply cant handle 1080p content well with the default GPU clock speed.
Q: So, 1080p vs 720p kernel?
A: There is no doubt the 1080p kernel makes the display look better, it's also the only way how you could watch true 1080p content without it being downscaled to 720p, but I cannot recommend it if using the current GPU accelerated XBMC for HD playback or gaming of any description on the stock kernel. If using 1080p on an overclocked kernel, XBMC 1080p video playing in the native player is entirely possible, with only very high bit-rated videos causing problems. For gaming, I still would recommend an overclocked 720p kernel, as running in 1080p is almost pointless since hardly anything has native support for it. Your device will run much hotter and you will have far less performance. If you plan to use the device to only stream some SD content over the internet in XBMC and have no interest in gaming, except a few emulators, then the 1080p stock kernel is absolutely fine, especially when it comes to web browsing.
Q: Can I use the 1080p stock kernel and still watch HD movies at full speed?
A: Yes, via XAF XBMC, the ehomemedia app, or any other player that GPU decodes like MX Player. If your 1080p movie however has a very high bit-rate it may drop frames at fast moving scenes. The Gallery seems to be one of the best players for speed, as it seemed to drop less frames then anything else I have tried, but is horrendous to control as it was designed for touch screens.
Q: Can I overclock the GPU to help with 1080p?
A: No, this currently is kernel based. There are custom kernels for the mk808, but not for the B version currently. You can use MK808 kernels on the MK808b, but you will lose Wifi and Bluetooth. The one I would use is the 2dark4u kernel.
Q: Can I overclock the CPU?
A: SetCPU will overclock it up to 1.4ghz for the original mk808b, and 1.2ghz for the cloned version, bare in mind your device will run hotter so make sure you have cooling to compensate the extra heat. You will need to set the cpu to performance to achieve this, as the device has a built in 1ghz limiter which can only be bypassed doing this. It will still say you are running at 1ghz, but a quick Linpack test will show the overclock has worked. Most devices the max overclock is around 1.5ghz on a custom kernel, so you're not missing out by using the stock kernel for CPU overclocking.
Q: Will I need a mouse/keyboard to set up the device?
A: You will need a USB device (mouse is recommended) in order to configure Bluetooth and/or Wifi for remotes. If you have an airmouse/remote with a dongle then this may not apply to you.
Q: I can't wake my device up with my remote, why?
A: When in sleep mode, it turns off a number of features, including Wifi and Bluetooth. If you use any of these then you will not be able to wake the device up again.
Q: How can I disable/hide the notification bar?
A: Full!screen+ on Google Play will disable this on boot, or you can choose apps and F!S+ will auto hide the bar without user input. This is only for 4.2.2, as it will auto hide on other roms.
Q: Google Play says my device is incompatible with an app, how can I fix this?
A: Build.prop will need adjusting, Google the correct way to do this. A modded Google Play store could also be used. Alternatively, you could just download the apk and install that way.
Q: My hard drive doesn't work?
A: You will need a powered USB hub, it is essential that it has its own power supply, as the USB does not have enough power to operate and needs additional help.
Q: My Wifi signal is bad, all the mods I have seen are for the MK808, what can I do to help with the B version?
A: There are two antennas, a big and small which are attached to the case, the big one via a wire, and the smaller one by pins.
The first thing you want to do is check the soldering on the big antenna's wiring to see if it's causing a short circuit, as the units are sometimes soldered poorly.
If all looks and checks out ok, the best method I have found is to remove the pins for the small antenna and solder a 12cm wire to the ant point, making a small hole in the case to poke the wire through. Ideally, if your wire has shielding, you can solder that to the gnd point where the other pin was located. Your signal should improve by doing this.
The pins are on the far bottom left of this picture, and are clearly marked.
Ethernet Fix/Work Around.
For several roms, if you use an Ethernet adapter, you will not be able to get an IP on reboot. In order to get Ethernet working again, you would have to toggle or reconnect the device. This is not ideal, especially if you use Wifi remotes.
Credit goes to b1g.p0ppa for the commands. I do not claim to be a dev, nor believe this is the proper way to fix this, but it does indeed work. I take no responsibility for your device. This is currently for Finless only, can be made to work on other roms.
You will need this file.
Extract the zip, then place the 01script using a file manager with root permissions in system/ect/init.d.
Reboot, it may take a few seconds after boot to get a connection, depending on what you have running. Congratulations, you can now use Ethernet without toggling off and on.
Issues.
1. The rkremote doesn't work sometimes, other wifi remotes are fine.
2. Breaks some Wifi direct programs (can use FTP Server Ultimate and run as a service to Wifi files over at any time).
3. Do NOT use when Wifi is enabled, it will constantly turn Wifi on and off causing havoc.
4. Sometimes going into the settings causes the Ethernet to turn on and off until you have left.
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