Minix Neo X7 - Finless 1.8 ROM

[Molle]

As for the "Hobbit", the clip is not online anymore.

I have made the clip temporarily available:

<link removed>

[magno]

I have made the clip temporarily available:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/m3ukx3anwv...h03m55s%29.mkv

Thanks, I already copied it to my dropbox.

As for ARMv7 NEON codec, is the one I installed just after starting Finless 1.8 first time. The zip only contains 1 file, no more files on it.The older zip (for older versions) contained 5 files and maybe one of them contained the DTS codec you say, or maybe, all of them are packed in only one now.
MXPlayer recommeds installing those and all the tests I did, they were enabled.

Those codecs only play DTS in a downmix mode, not passthrough. I positively know this because if passthrough was enable, the home theatre would display "DIGITAL" and "DTS" logo in the LCD. Besides, no audio would play in rear speakers neither in central speaker.
The same movie ("After earth") plays in AC3 5.1 and you can read "DIGITAL" and "DOLBY" logos in the home theatre's LCD and you can listen rear sound perfectly.

[Molle]

The zip only contains 1 file, no more files on it

Yes, it contains just one file (did you read the first bullet of the second 'Note' in the xda-developers page?). Unzip the file somewhere and then install it through MX Player using 'Settings -> Decoder -> Custom Codec'. The player will restart and then you should be good to go.

[magno]

Yes, it contains just one file (did you read the first bullet of the second 'Note' in the xda-developers page?). Unzip the file somewhere and then install it through MX Player using 'Settings -> Decoder -> Custom Codec'. The player will restart and then you should be good to go.

Thanks for your help, but I think you didn´t read any of what I posted... I installed those codecs weeks ago on Finless 1.6, and it worked back then. I installed those codecs also when re-installed MXPlayer on Finless 1.8, but now they don't work in passthrough mode, only in downmix. During last week, I read everything in that page you posted, I tried every possible configuration under "Sound Devices Manager", tried different players (VLC and BSPlayer) and DID EVERYTHING I could think of, and seeing as I couldn't solve the problem by myself, decided to ask here.

I really appreciate your efforts, but if you don't have any other ideas besides those you insistently repeat and which I already explained don't work, please give up.
Maybe somebody else could provide new solutions.

Thanks again

[Koying]

I repeated the tests I did with justXBMC with a combination of:

• .wtv files recorded from Windows Media Center (circa 3GB size / MPEG2 / videobitrate: 3716 kb/s)
  • XBMC - Fail. Would play but only with sound
  
  
• .ts files recorded from Media Portal (3.9 GB size / mpeg2video / mp2 audio / bitrate: 3040 kb/s )
  • XBMC - Fail. Would play but only with sound
  
  
• .vob file (ripped DVD, 720p)
  • XBMC - video perfect / audio out by .4 secs circa
  
  
• .mkv file (makeMKV from blueray, 26GB, h264 / dts / bitrate: 26693 kb/s)
  • XBMC - played fine, in fact the image looked sharper than with justXBMC. I noticed the odd artefact in the justXBMC test / audio offset issue
  
  
• .m2ts file (home cam movies, a few MBs 7159kb/s, h264 / ac3)
  • XBMC - played fine
  
  

So that you know, mpeg2 doesn't work on this beta of XBMC4MINIX. Will be ok in next one.

[Molle]

I really appreciate your efforts, but if you don't have any other ideas besides those you insistently repeat and which I already explained don't work, please give up.
Maybe somebody else could provide new solutions.

Well, well. Your kind words made me do some further research.

I just tested MX Player without the custom codec and DD / DTS passthrough still works (like it does with the stock player). Now that I have also re-read the custom codec info with thought, I realise it's only needed if you want to decode and downmix DTS to stereo e.g. for analogue output.

Why you don't have DTS passthrough capability with Finless 1.8 is beyond me as all the components for enabling it really are there.

There is always the ultimate option to erase the IDB and do a complete reflash.

[magno]

There is always the ultimate option to erase the IDB and do a complete reflash.

I think that is the only thing is left to try. Maybe something got corrupted during install or maybe during app backup recover. I used Titanium Backup to backup apps installed on Finless 1.6 and I recovered the backup after installing Finless 1.8. Maybe something went wrong.

Thanks again for your interest. I'll post here any news about this because it may be useful for others.

[rsbuffalo]

How do you take a screenshot with this ROM?

[Molle]

How do you take a screenshot with this ROM?

Go to 'Settings -> ScreenshotSettings' and enable the statusbar button.

[rsbuffalo]

OK! Thanks! That was easy...

[Mikael]

Why you don't have DTS passthrough capability with Finless 1.8 is beyond me as all the components for enabling it really are there.

I am still struggling myself with the HDMI passthrough and I do not think it´s a ROM issue, I think somehow it´s related to the libmedia.so hack that seems to be part of most ROMs for the Neo X7 today. I´ve spent hours and hours now in the evening trying different ROMs without success.

My sound still do not play at first without forcing it to "reset" by playing several different videos and it tends to vanish again when the device have been idle for a while, pausing, stoping or going fast forward/back.

This happends everywhere in every application for me and is not only related to playing DTS/DD in XBMC or MX player. I even loose the sound in the Android GUI or any other application that play sound.

One thing that´s required for sure is PATIENCE.

[Molle]

My sound still do not play at first without forcing it to "reset" by playing several different videos and it tends to vanish again when the device have been idle for a while, pausing, stoping or going fast forward/back.

Mr. Bäckström, I presume?

[magno]

I am still struggling myself with the HDMI passthrough and I do not think it´s a ROM issue, I think somehow it´s related to the libmedia.so hack that seems to be part of most ROMs for the Neo X7 today. I´ve spent hours and hours now in the evening trying different ROMs without success.

Has Finless 1.6 the hacked libmedia.so? I'm sure Finless 1.8 has it, but I think Finless 1.6 hasn't... Somebody can confirm this point?

[Vishwa Somayaji]

You are right. 1.6 needed the file while 1.8 already has it.

[Molle]

You are right. 1.6 needed the file while 1.8 already has it.

Yes. The patched libmedia library was added to the latest MINIX stock fw (007E). Finless 1.8 is based on that and therefore has it by default.