U9-H with FW008, issues with system startup, Kodi 18.4 (movie play and YouTube plugin too)

I too have decided the Neo is a piece of rubbish. Had it for 2 years and has the latest update etc. Continual freezes. Clear cache on every start but will freeze within 1/2 hour. Doesn't matter what app it's using. Tried uninstalling everything a couple of times and then install 1 app. Freeze.
Just bought a Nvidia Shield. It works. It's fast. It runs latest Andriod. Its more expensive BUT IT JUST WORKS. Much better user interface as well. I don't know why I didn't ditch it a long time ago.
 
Rick said:
I too have decided the Neo is a piece of rubbish. Had it for 2 years and has the latest update etc. Continual freezes. Clear cache on every start but will freeze within 1/2 hour. Doesn't matter what app it's using. Tried uninstalling everything a couple of times and then install 1 app. Freeze.
Just bought a Nvidia Shield. It works. It's fast. It runs latest Andriod. Its more expensive BUT IT JUST WORKS. Much better user interface as well. I don't know why I didn't ditch it a long time ago.
Click to expand...

Not the same price. Full of bugs too (read their forum).
Anyway, you can install CoreElec on your U9-H with last Kodi version.
 
Thanks for everyone's help, I really appreciate!
I am about to install CoreELEC on SD card to see how about that.

On the other hand nothing has changed in my setup: same NAS (i3 3220T with win7 + haneWIN NFS share), same AP (mikrotik hAP AC), that I used with U1 and XBMC for MINIX 16.3, never had issues with that.
Only thing has changed is U9-H + Kodi (v17.6 or 18.4, actually same issues with both)
I just would like to have a mediabox, which plays my video files without any issues and now the U9-H has continous issues, I tend to think this device is a faulty one, which sucks, since I bought used, therefore no warranty :/
 
Skynet said:
Not the same price. Full of bugs too (read their forum).
Anyway, you can install CoreElec on your U9-H with last Kodi version.
Click to expand...

@Skynet to be honest, for 100-120 euros I expect stable OS and support. Minix is not that cheap either, I think.
As far as I know the SoC in U1 (S905, if I am right) doesn't support Android 6.x or later, BUT the S912 in U9-H does support e.g. Android 7.x at least.
Well..., there is no official FW with Android 7.x at least for U9-H, which is a shame.
I expected to have longer support for this price to be honest.

I also thought about Nvidia Shield, it just works fine and have better OS (no offense, Minix, but this is the truth, though there is still room to grow) support.
Only drawback is ,that doesn't contain SPDIF.

Also, the Minix T5 might be something I give another chance, if I can't make U9-H working fine.... We will see.
 
Hi!

So, I tried the following solutions (all the content is in my NAS (win7), U9-H connected to my home network via WIFI (5Ghz)):
- install FW007A: same problem, video slows down, stops and Kodi crashes after 20-30 mins of video play (avi, mkv, 480p, 1080p, no matter, all the same). This happens with every Kodi version I tried with (17.6, 18.4, XBMC for Minix 16.3)
- install CoreELEC 9.2.0: looks like no crashing, but problem with audio: I have a Cambrideg Audio TV2 soundbar attached via optical cable to U9-H and the audio sounds weird and contains a continuous high pitch noise --> got rid of CoreELEC, although it seemed to be a good solution at first :/
- installed U9H-CE-191012-RC1.1-1570866492: now a test video (720p, mkv) is being played for 45 mins without freezing.
Actually I cannot disable HDMI audio (audio coming from the TV speaker) and play audio from soundbar only, which is still connected via SPDIF.

Is it possible to somehow disable HDMI audio in this 7.1.2 RC1 version?

Now it is clear, that the problem I am facing is because of the official U9-H FW. Is there any way to debug the issue, give feedback to MINIX and hope for a fix with new, official FW?
 
Villa said:
The CE ROM version is as good as official!
Click to expand...

Got it. But, still, while there is no stable version of CE ROM, is there any way to debug my problem with FW008 ?
Please, don't tell me, that the CE ROM is stable, because it's NOT. I declare a ROM stable, if it's at least as stable as U1 FW013.... That is pretty stable: no glitchy videos, no cracking sound, Minix menu is also stable.
At the moment CE ROM is far from that, though I really appreciate the work on it, don't get me wrong. I just would like to stay with something, which is not in testing phase, if possible.
 
vuk said:
Got it. But, still, while there is no stable version of CE ROM, is there any way to debug my problem with FW008 ?
Please, don't tell me, that the CE ROM is stable, because it's NOT. I declare a ROM stable, if it's at least as stable as U1 FW013.... That is pretty stable: no glitchy videos, no cracking sound, Minix menu is also stable.
At the moment CE ROM is far from that, though I really appreciate the work on it, don't get me wrong. I just would like to stay with something, which is not in testing phase, if possible.
Click to expand...

Does your TOSLINK cable operate normally with your U1? (Unfortunately some cables or their connectors can be extremely easy to damage indeed which can cause all sorts of problems.) Some cheap cables can cause problems from new by themselves too, but you don't need to spend an absolute fortune on a replacement either.

There may also be small differences between the SPDIF port on the U1 & U9-H(???) & whilst TOSLINK was supposed to be a standard, not all connectors are created equally. (I used TOSLINK for many years & I've had some cables with connectors that literally wallowed around in the SPDIF port rather than snugly clicking into place, others were a major headache & never worked correctly. When I found a good one it worked exceptionally well but a problem cable can cause endless headaches for no apparent reason.) My external audio equipment now requires HDMI alone but I still occasionally use TOSLINK for beta testing MINIX devices etc.

It's certainly worth some consideration if you hadn't already tested/tried swapping out cables as these issues you're experiencing with the U9-H are highly irregular.

Can you also test playback from Kodi by putting some of your media onto a USB flash drive or an external HDD rather than your media server? (I understand you've never had issues with your media server with a U1 in the past, but again, it's worth double checking.) Any issues playing media from a USB device or still the same problems?
 
vuk said:
Now it is clear, that the problem I am facing is because of the official U9-H FW
Click to expand...
If your prognosis was correct then there would be far more posts about the firmware. There are probably thousands of users running Fw008 with Kodi ( 17 or 18) without any issues.

I cant pinpoint any specific reason why you are having issues, but you may have
a faulty u9-h
a corrupt firmware installation
a corrupt kodi installation
network issues
incorrect settings / configuration
weird video codecs
marginal / faulty power supply
............

but it is not the firmware !
 
ArcticWolf said:
Does your TOSLINK cable operate normally with your U1? (Unfortunately some cables or their connectors can be extremely easy to damage indeed which can cause all sorts of problems.) Some cheap cables can cause problems from new by themselves too, but you don't need to spend an absolute fortune on a replacement either.

There may also be small differences between the SPDIF port on the U1 & U9-H(???) & whilst TOSLINK was supposed to be a standard, not all connectors are created equally. (I used TOSLINK for many years & I've had some cables with connectors that literally wallowed around in the SPDIF port rather than snugly clicking into place, others were a major headache & never worked correctly. When I found a good one it worked exceptionally well but a problem cable can cause endless headaches for no apparent reason.) My external audio equipment now requires HDMI alone but I still occasionally use TOSLINK for beta testing MINIX devices etc.

It's certainly worth some consideration if you hadn't already tested/tried swapping out cables as these issues you're experiencing with the U9-H are highly irregular.

Can you also test playback from Kodi by putting some of your media onto a USB flash drive or an external HDD rather than your media server? (I understand you've never had issues with your media server with a U1 in the past, but again, it's worth double checking.) Any issues playing media from a USB device or still the same problems?
Click to expand...

The U1 is not with me anymore, therefore I cannot test it now...
But I could go back to FW008 and check, if the same glitching happens with same video being played from e.g. pendrive
 
pusb87 said:
If your prognosis was correct then there would be far more posts about the firmware. There are probably thousands of users running Fw008 with Kodi ( 17 or 18) without any issues.

I cant pinpoint any specific reason why you are having issues, but you may have
a faulty u9-h
a corrupt firmware installation
a corrupt kodi installation
network issues
incorrect settings / configuration
weird video codecs
marginal / faulty power supply
............

but it is not the firmware !
Click to expand...

this is also only your opinion or prognosis....
 
vuk said:
this is also only your opinion or prognosis....
Click to expand...
somehow i doubt that, i was only tryng to help....but hey, i thought you were done with minix, and selling the device and getting something else.
so good luck
 
pusb87 said:
somehow i doubt that, i was only tryng to help....but hey, i thought you were done with minix, and selling the device and getting something else.
so good luck
Click to expand...

thank you!
why the same issue is not present with 7.1.2 CE ROM, but with FW008, can you explain? NOTHING else has been change except the ROM. I flashed the FW008 wrong 5 times or installed Kodi wrong way 5 times, right? How can you install an apk file wrong? :D :D
 
vuk said:
The U1 is not with me anymore, therefore I cannot test it now...
But I could go back to FW008 and check, if the same glitching happens with same video being played from e.g. pendrive
Click to expand...

Yes, ideally you want to revert to FW008 before testing media from a USB drive, (or an SD card, internal storage.) The idea being it will tell you if it's an issue with the network or media server if media plays fine from a direct source.

Do you have any other device that supports 5.1 audio that you can test your TOSLINK cable with? Blu-ray/DVD player, gaming console, etc. (Test in stereo only & the same fault may not be present.)

If no, sourcing a replacement TOSLINK would also be worth trying.

We'll wait to hear how it all goes ;).
 
vuk said:
thank you!
why the same issue is not present with 7.1.2 CE ROM, but with FW008, can you explain? NOTHING else has been change except the ROM. I flashed the FW008 wrong 5 times or installed Kodi wrong way 5 times, right? How can you install an apk file wrong? :D:D
Click to expand...
Hi.
Today i tested a kodi video several times in two devices.
I done that to test if the video that i have is bad or not.
I came to a conclusion:
-the problen was in the video (was not playing well in some parts, it is a old 720p video).

So if you can test in other device then you know what is the problem.

I tested in android and in windows, same kodi 18.4.
I don't think it is a kodi issue.
 
Last edited:
I spent some time trying to figure out what might be the issue:

FW: FW008, player: Kodi 18.4, Kodi 17.6

- played a 720p mkv (General Magic 2018 REPACK 720p WEB-DL DD+2.0 H.264-NTG) from USB pendrive and the video seemed to play fine, it didn't freeze after 15-20 mins
- same video being played via WIFI stops (video freezes, Kodi is unresponsive) after 15-20 mins. This issue occurs with all the videos, if played via WIFI

In the log I found the following, whenever a video stopped: 2019-10-18 21:15:05.988 T:471 NOTICE: CVideoPlayerAudio:process - stream stalled

At this point it seems to be a buffering issue.
On the other hand, this issue didn't occur with CE ROM (RC1.1), but there are still bugs in the current version.

Anybody has ever met this buffer issue so far?
 
Hi.
You have that issue with wifi.

There are some tweaks with advancedsettings.xml that you can use...

But i advice you:
-improve your wifi connection...(move router, buy wifi extender, etc).

The best is if you can use rj45.
That is ths best setup you can have...
 
vuk said:
I spent some time trying to figure out what might be the issue:

FW: FW008, player: Kodi 18.4, Kodi 17.6

- played a 720p mkv (General Magic 2018 REPACK 720p WEB-DL DD+2.0 H.264-NTG) from USB pendrive and the video seemed to play fine, it didn't freeze after 15-20 mins
- same video being played via WIFI stops (video freezes, Kodi is unresponsive) after 15-20 mins. This issue occurs with all the videos, if played via WIFI

In the log I found the following, whenever a video stopped: 2019-10-18 21:15:05.988 T:471 NOTICE: CVideoPlayerAudio::process - stream stalled

At this point it seems to be a buffering issue.
On the other hand, this issue didn't occur with CE ROM (RC1.1), but there are still bugs in the current version.

Anybody has ever met this buffer issue so far?
Click to expand...
vuk said:
I spent some time trying to figure out what might be the issue:

FW: FW008, player: Kodi 18.4, Kodi 17.6

- played a 720p mkv (General Magic 2018 REPACK 720p WEB-DL DD+2.0 H.264-NTG) from USB pendrive and the video seemed to play fine, it didn't freeze after 15-20 mins
- same video being played via WIFI stops (video freezes, Kodi is unresponsive) after 15-20 mins. This issue occurs with all the videos, if played via WIFI

In the log I found the following, whenever a video stopped: 2019-10-18 21:15:05.988 T:471 NOTICE: CVideoPlayerAudio::process - stream stalled

At this point it seems to be a buffering issue.
On the other hand, this issue didn't occur with CE ROM (RC1.1), but there are still bugs in the current version.

Anybody has ever met this buffer issue so far?
Click to expand...

The file playing fine over USB is your biggest clue really.

Can you test with ethernet as well? Which way does that go?

Is your router half decent & fully updated?
 
@vuk like @ArticWolf suggested test ethernet.Install speedtest and test your speed with lan cable and your wifi 5Ghz .As you said because it's in the same room wifi is not the problem.I can't post a link but google it for APKTime and download separate apk for streaming and test it.Kodi addons will always buffer.To watch movies and Tv shows in peace use torrents with VPN from your usb flash drive or external hard disk and wait for CE stable.
 
notrui2 said:
Hi.
You have that issue with wifi.

There are some tweaks with advancedsettings.xml that you can use...

But i advice you:
-improve your wifi connection...(move router, buy wifi extender, etc).

The best is if you can use rj45.
That is ths best setup you can have...
Click to expand...

this has already been settled: there is NO problem with the WIFI.... it's all stable, streaming from web (not by using Kodi) is very stable, totally works fine with the U9.
I cannot use ethernet cable, no way to bring cable through the whole room.
The reason why I use a WIFI mediabox is because I want no cable....

My wifi is stable, OK? It's a Mikrotik hAP AC access point with the latest routeros.
All of my devices using WIFI just works fine, no issues at all (2 Sony TV, 1 iPad, 2 iPhones, 1 Lenovo laptop, 1 MacBook Air).
My previous device, the U1 also works totally fine with the very same NAS and WIFI, ok?

Please understand, I just need a stable device, which I plug and can use for playing movies via my current infrastructure and preferably runs Kodi.
U1 did the job, just switched to U9-H, because I thought it was even more powerful.
 
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