Alfawise S92 TV Box Octa Core Amlogic S912 Android 6.0

[scooter2014]

Arm64-v8a. Beta 5

[bluesmanuk]

Doesn't install.

Strange description to have ARM in the title when it will only run on Intel hardware.

[scooter2014]

Yes but unpack apk it android vers maybe still in progress. That my issue 64 bit should be on 64 bit system no? Lol

[bluesmanuk]

Useful info here

http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=294895

We need true 64 bit firmwares by the sounds of things

[scooter2014]

Its kinda sad fact that the device is a 64 bit processor but they install 32 bit os onto it. This device has flaws that need to be addressed. Kodi is just one of them wifi and system os is not 64 bit. It preforms most tasks ok mouse disappeared and lots of little bugs. They hopefully will update it.

[bluesmanuk]

I'm not seeing Kodi as a flaw with v17 and any issues experienced with 16 and forks of it have been few and far between, with crashes only occurring on the exit of the app or when paused for a period of time.

I've been running 17 Beta 5 continuously all night long, without a single issue, which bodes well and reinforces my recommendation for people to try it.

The 64 bit hardware/32 bit firmware does seem to have become all too common across the board with all devices over the past year and I would have thought that it could have been addressed by now.

Not that 64 bit will automatically give the great improvements in performance that people might mistakenly believe, thinking that because 64 is twice that of 32 that it means significant changes, which has all too often been shown are wholly incorrect on other device platforms.

Also don't forget to make the best of optimisations with all these boxes, especially with regards to unnecessary startup and background processes.

Only Rockchip users need to think about sticking with Kodi 16 at the moment because of the need to use the custom codec, whereas the amcodec is all but useless with these new SOC's anyway, so might as well push on to 17, which I have so far found to at least match earlier incarnations in every respect.

But give it a try and apply one of the confluence skins so that you are happy with the general interface.

Right now, if they can fix the HDR darkness issue and get automatic frame rate adjustment working then I think that they would be 95% there towards a box that pretty much does all that it can be expected to do and as advertised.

[scooter2014]

Hi Bluez

Its not a matter of liking kodi skin its a issue with preformance. Ive re done tests wifi and heat issues seem to be constant ive tested on 10 devices.

You may not have a issue with no 64 bit but i do its not so much for preformace gains but stablity and picture quality and thise matter not to mention providing 32 for 64 bit device is just lazy.

My 3368 runs 64 bit very well. Its also 2 years oldee then this device.

[clarkss12]

After reading all the information you guys have provided about this box, I would normally have one on order by now. However, for the last month or so, I have been tinkering with my Pine64. I have been using and learning Linux running on that Allwinner board, and it has been keeping my very busy. I have been able to get Plex and Emby servers running on it. The problem I have encountered, is that most of my Android boxes do not play well with the clients for Plex or Emby. On the other hand, my new Samsung smart TV does a pretty good job as a client for those servers.

That is part of my frustration, how can my TV play back videos from my Plex and Emby servers, but not my Android boxes. Logically, you would think it would be the other way around. Even if I purchased this S912 box, I don't think it will work with my servers either.

But it is tempting.

[bajann]

See my comments in the Alfawise S912 thread.

with kodi 17 is ok ?

[bajann]

I'm not seeing Kodi as a flaw with v17 and any issues experienced with 16 and forks of it have been few and far between, with crashes only occurring on the exit of the app or when paused for a period of time.

I've been running 17 Beta 5 continuously all night long, without a single issue, which bodes well and reinforces my recommendation for people to try it.

The 64 bit hardware/32 bit firmware does seem to have become all too common across the board with all devices over the past year and I would have thought that it could have been addressed by now.

Not that 64 bit will automatically give the great improvements in performance that people might mistakenly believe, thinking that because 64 is twice that of 32 that it means significant changes, which has all too often been shown are wholly incorrect on other device platforms.

Also don't forget to make the best of optimisations with all these boxes, especially with regards to unnecessary startup and background processes.

Only Rockchip users need to think about sticking with Kodi 16 at the moment because of the need to use the custom codec, whereas the amcodec is all but useless with these new SOC's anyway, so might as well push on to 17, which I have so far found to at least match earlier incarnations in every respect.

But give it a try and apply one of the confluence skins so that you are happy with the general interface.

Right now, if they can fix the HDR darkness issue and get automatic frame rate adjustment working then I think that they would be 95% there towards a box that pretty much does all that it can be expected to do and as advertised.

i hope they will add support for automatic frame rate ,i dont have tv with hdr and i just go to setings and turn off hdr and video quality is ok now,but box still have issues i think with google services maybe all about dpl

[scooter2014]

If intel box had 32 bit not 64 would be poor point for sales. 64 bit proven to lower temps and stable device as well as improve video so should be a standard not a 32 works ok. Now wonder if any 912 has 64 bit?

[bluesmanuk]

Hi Bluez

Its not a matter of liking kodi skin its a issue with preformance. Ive re done tests wifi and heat issues seem to be constant ive tested on 10 devices.

You may not have a issue with no 64 bit but i do its not so much for preformace gains but stablity and picture quality and thise matter not to mention providing 32 for 64 bit device is just lazy.

My 3368 runs 64 bit very well. Its also 2 years oldee then this device.

You have 10 of these boxes?

I've not come across any heat issues myself.

I can't see where there is a performance issue and have run playback tests over a number of versions of Kodi and also SPMC and cannot see any issues that would be directly related to heat.

64 bit isn't going to improve picture quality or stability perse as that can be achieved through 32 or 64 bit. It's all down in the coding in that respect.

I agree that we should be at a 64 bit stage but very few devices released over the past couple of years have had true 64 bit Android releases.

Even some that claim to just run a scaled version that still runs in top of a 32 bit kernel.

But I'm interested in the heat issues that you have found as I'm not seeing anything that disturbs me but would be keen to replicate your tests to see if I can make it do the same and then figure out what may be causing it.

[bluesmanuk]

After reading all the information you guys have provided about this box, I would normally have one on order by now. However, for the last month or so, I have been tinkering with my Pine64. I have been using and learning Linux running on that Allwinner board, and it has been keeping my very busy. I have been able to get Plex and Emby servers running on it. The problem I have encountered, is that most of my Android boxes do not play well with the clients for Plex or Emby. On the other hand, my new Samsung smart TV does a pretty good job as a client for those servers.

That is part of my frustration, how can my TV play back videos from my Plex and Emby servers, but not my Android boxes. Logically, you would think it would be the other way around. Even if I purchased this S912 box, I don't think it will work with my servers either.

But it is tempting.

I'd be glad to test the Plex or Emby server functionality out if you have some specific scenarios to test.

[bluesmanuk]

with kodi 17 is ok ?

Working as well as with any other older version on beta 5 right now for me.

[clarkss12]

I'd be glad to test the Plex or Emby server functionality out if you have some specific scenarios to test.

You mean you can get Plex and Emby servers running on this box???

I even tried to get Linux installed on my Beelink MiniMX3 box but had no luck. Followed the instructions that RISCyDude posted, but still could not it installed.