Nexbox 2gb + 16gb bricked

[rahzel]

Mini M8S II is not bad, but it has an issue with the brightness levels changing randomly. To put it simply, the box starts with a relatively darker picture, but then after a bit of usage, the picture becomes relatively brighter.

In technical terms, the box outputs RGB Full range (0-255) but then changes to RGB Limited range (16-235) after a while. It stays like this until you reset/power down the box, then it goes back to RGB Full range.

I've experienced this with all official M8S Mini II firmwares, however, oddly enough, the vontar firmware (which seems to be very similar, if not the same as the official M8S Mini II firmware) does not have this issue. It's a somewhat minor issue, but being the videophile that I am, it bothers me.

Also a word of warning if you do purchase an M8S Mini II, I just bricked my newly purchased box by attempting to flash to the vontar firmware using USB Burning Tool. I have flashed my older M8S Mini IIs without issue, but no matter what firmware I try, I can't get USB Burning Tool to get passed 7%, and the box no longer boots. Flashing via SD card and holding the reset button does not work either.

[xfade]

Mini M8S II is not bad, but it has an issue with the brightness levels changing randomly. To put it simply, the box starts with a relatively darker picture, but then after a bit of usage, the picture becomes relatively brighter.

In technical terms, the box outputs RGB Full range (0-255) but then changes to RGB Limited range (16-235) after a while. It stays like this until you reset/power down the box, then it goes back to RGB Full range.

I've experienced this with all official M8S Mini II firmwares, however, oddly enough, the vontar firmware (which seems to be very similar, if not the same as the official M8S Mini II firmware) does not have this issue. It's a somewhat minor issue, but being the videophile that I am, it bothers me.

Also a word of warning if you do purchase an M8S Mini II, I just bricked my newly purchased box by attempting to flash to the vontar firmware using USB Burning Tool. I have flashed my older M8S Mini IIs without issue, but no matter what firmware I try, I can't get USB Burning Tool to get passed 7%, and the box no longer boots. Flashing via SD card and holding the reset button does not work either.

I too, am having issues after flashing a non-rooted firmware onto my Mini M8SPro (s905x, 2/8)

I can't do anything with SD or USB flashing and the reset button is moot. My latest firmware I flashed runs perfect, I just can't boot LE from my SD or get into recovery or even view my device via USB tool. I'm jealous you can SEE the device ... I have no idea what to do.

Can we connect via ADB over network? My Android OS is running like a champ, albeit the ability to flash new software.

[Dan31]

Don't all boxes have the darkness issue, somewhere i read that? Is there a fix or i have to reset the device every time and how often does it happen? So basically almost all boxes can be bricked, so it's matter of luck which one i get? I don't want to spend another ~50$ for nothing. After seeing all the boxes being bricked, is it even smart to buy another one or what ? And what do you think guys about raspberry pi 3 ?

[Guest]

Yes, the brightness issue is a problem with the Amlogic codec, but the workaround is simple: Just play a 4K video. Some folks have put one into the boot video, just to make the workaround permanent. Ultimately, the fix is a codec update from Amlogic, but they've really been dragging their feet on that.

[Dan31]

So should i get the Mini m8s II or some other android box ? The wifi is broken on it, but with cable it should be all good ? Maybe raspberry pi 3 is the more reliable option ? I will use it mostly for kodi..

[Guest]

The amcodec brightness problem is inherent with the Amlogic SDK 6.0, which applies to both S912 and S905X chipsets. So, the Mini M8S II is also affected. You'd have to drop back to the SDK 5.1 and an S905 chipset to avoid it. The Raspberry Pi 3 would also be quite reliable and avoid the amcodec issue, but the current Amlogic chipsets will run circles around the Broadcom BCM2837, plus the Raspberry Pi 3 only comes with 1GB of RAM.

[Dan31]

I am more concerned about the quality of the box, because i had the nexbox a95x, but it turned out crap, so i never get it to work. I will give it another try and order the mini m8s II ...

[Guest]

Well, quality in these cheap Amlogic and Rockchip TV boxes is all relative. You shouldn't have the same expectations as with an NVIDIA Shield TV, at 3-4 times the cost. My personal preference would be an S912 or S905X with Qualcomm QCA9377 wireless chipset, such as the Beelink GT1 or Beelink MX3 II. Most of the problems I've seen have been with the AMPAK wireless chipsets (e.g. AP6255). Beelink also does have an official company forum where the latest ROMs get posted, even if the company isn't particularly responsive.

[Kuno]

If you want to use a pi3, then you are limiting yourself to LibreElec and Retroarch. The Pi3 as far as I know does not have an official port of android and all hacked ports have worse problems that the Chinese android boxes haha. If you want no hassles get a Mi3 from Walmart or a Shield. You will pay heavily for the Shield but you will have 100% legit hardware and software.

[xfade]

I am more concerned about the quality of the box, because i had the nexbox a95x, but it turned out crap, so i never get it to work. I will give it another try and order the mini m8s II ...

a95x is practically the same as a mini m8s ii.

What's wrong with the nexbox? I have a handful of working firmwares, including an official nexbox-branded build. You won't be pleased by buying another box if you're expecting better out of these china-boxes.

NVidia Shield is the way to go for premium Android/Linux operations.

[Dan31]

I am expecting from it just to work , because the nexbox was dead the first day i got it, i didn't do anything. I will order this mini m8s II and hope i will have more luck. That's the price range i can go ~50$