#gpumark

[dropswisdom]

Minix Neo U22-XJ is Minix’s latest (and blazing fast!) Amlogic based Android TV Box! Based on Amlogic’s most powerful S922-XJ SoC, you can now expect great HDR support as well as Dolby Vision straight out of the box.

  What’s in the Box?



U22-XJ comes in the standard classy box embossed with the logos of supported standards such as 4k, HDR, Dolby and so on. Inside we find the TV Box itself encased in soft nylon and laid in a caveat inside a cardboard cover. After we lift that cover we find all the peripherals – HDMI 2.1 cable, USB-OTG cable and, of course, the DC power adapter (with multiple power plug adapters), removable antenna, IR remote control and the Setup guide. U22-XJ itself uses the standard black minix matte plastic box with its plethora of ports (see details bellow)

  U22-XJ Looks

Minix box design remains the same over the years. If I had to venture a guess, it is to reduce cost and use the same basic box design for all of Minix’s Android/Windows product lines. At most, extra ports need to be embedded into the box, but the classic black plastic shell is the same.

U22 Top

U22 Front

U22 Back

U22 Right

U22 Bottom

U22 Left

U22-XJ PCB Top without heatsink. Curtesy of Minix & Trebor from Freaktab Forum

U22-XJ PCB Bottom. Curtesy of Minix & Trebor from Freaktab Forum

U22-XJ Open Box showing PCB with heatsink. Curtesy of Minix & Trebor from Freaktab Forum

Here are the items that come in the box: WiFi antenna, HDMI 2.1 cable, User Guide, IR Remote, Power adapter, Power plug adapters, and a USB-OTG cable.

Minix Neo U22-XJ Items

Minix Neo U22-XJ Home Screen

  U22-XJ Specifications

Chipset Amlogic S922XJ Quad Core Cortex-A73 + Dual Core Cortex A53 Processor (64-bit) GPU Mali-G52 MP4 Memory / Storage 4 GB (LPDDR4 3200 MHz) / 32GB eMMC 5.1 flash, microSD card slot LAN Yes, RJ-45, 1Gbit / s Wireless 802.11ac 2.4GHz / 5GHz WiFi (2 × 2 MIMO) Bluetooth Bluetooth 4.1 + EDR OS Android 9.0 Pie Video Output HDMI 2.1 output up to 4Kp60 with HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision support Audio Output / Input HDMI 2.1, Optical S/PDIF, 3.5mm audio jack Power 5VDC/3A via power jack Peripheral Interface RJ-45 Gigabit Ethernet Micro SD card reader, Kensington Lock ready USB 3.0 port x 3, USB-C port x 1 (data only) 3.5mm audio jack, IR receiver (remote included) Packing Included power adapter, OTG-USB Cable, HDMI Cable, MINIX IR remote control, and a user manual Dimensions 128mm x 128mm x 28 mm

  U22-XJ Benchmarks and Testing

All benchmarks have been repeated 3 times and results have been averaged to give a more accurate reading:

Antutu Benchmark

The Antutu benchmark tests single core performance over multi-core as it is a better indication of the performance of one device over others in most situations. Minix U22-XJ performs amazingly, and is placed number 1 in the list of TV boxes (and one tablet) reviewed. It is also worth noting that Minix U22-XJ is placed above any other Amlogic based box on the list.

Bellow is a screenshot of the latest Antutu benchmark (I have not tested other boxes with this new version, so there is no comparison graph as yet):

    GPU Mark Benchmark

[easy-image-collage id=28444]

GPU Mark tests 3d gaming performance and also provides a normalized score according to the used screen resolution (for a more accurate result). The test is quite short and should be taken as a supporting result to that of the more serious 3D Mark benchmark. Minix U22-XJ performs very well here, placing it second only to the top contender (a powerful tablet) – it’s S922-XJ chipset placing it higher than all TV Boxes reviewed so far.

    A1 SD Benchmark

[easy-image-collage id=28447]

A1 SD Benchmark tests RAM and flash memory speeds. As can be seen in the provided graphs, RAM is much faster (by a factor of about 40) than flash memory – that is why it’s in smaller amount and is also volatile (does not keep its contents after a reboot). Minix U22-XJ achieved 2th place in the RAM Copy Speed test, placing it only under the powerful tablet. In the storage Read/Write testing, Minix U22-XJ takes 2nd place again, this time only behind a Realtek based box.

    PC Mark Benchmark

The PC Mark benchmark tests run several productivity tests, but sadly, results page comes up empty, and freezes the application.

  3D Mark Benchmark

Slingshot

Slingshot Extreme

3D Mark benchmark is considered as one of the best ways to test 3d performance on Android (and other platforms). Minix U22-XJ is officially compatible with only these two tests: Slingshot, and Slingshot Extreme (which results are also showing above). But using an older APK of 3dmark, I was able to run the older “Ice Storm Unlimited” test and get quantifiable results (with the new version on the android play store, you can run the test, but the result comes out as “Max”). As can be seen, this new generation of Amlogic chipsets opens a wide gap ahead of everything I tested before it..

    U22-XJ Extra Benchmarks

For some more information, see the following screenshots from other benchmarks such as Basemark, Vellamo, Passmark, and GFXBench:

CPUMark

DiskMark

PassMark

    U22-XJ Bugs and Issues

Restarting the box causes loss of picture on screen. Must unplug and re-plug HDMI cable to restore.

PCMark Work 2.0 benchmark will not show results at end of testing

After shutting down box from remote, sometimes unable to turn it back on from remote, and must use the physical power button. Then must unplug and re-plug HDMI cable to restore picture as in issue above

Built-in Root function only works per session (while the device is running, and reverts to non-root after a restart). Also does not play well with SuperSU root permission management app, as when you try to update the SU binary, it will brick the U22-XJ box. Also, the root switch stay “ON” after a restart, even though root functionality is not active.

John from Minix assures me that at least some of these aforementioned issues (especially the loss of picture) will be corrected in upcoming firmware updates.

  U22-XJ Root function

Minix seems to have done away with the unofficial (which requires some know-how and may cause box bricking) methods for rooting their new boxes. Instead, you get a nice menu option for turning Root “ON” or “OFF”.

But.. it is far from perfect. Instead of turning it on and expecting it to stay on after reboot, this root is only per session. Meaning, after reboot the U22-XJ is no longer rooted. On top of that, the switch option itself still remains as “ON”, even though the root is not active. To allow root status again, you’ll need to turn it “OFF”, and then back “ON”. That’s tedious, and really unnecessary.

On top of that, this is a permission-less root. So there is no “SuperSU” or other permission management app which gets installed along with the root. It will automatically grant your application root rights as needed. Personally, I prefer to have better control of which applications gets root access and which do not. You can always install SuperSU yourself, but be warned: if you agree to update the SU binary – which the application will automatically offer you to do, the U22 will be soft bricked upon reboot, and will require a firmware flash using a cable and a PC. Learned that the hard way.

    U22-XJ Video Playback testing (Using KODI)

Resolution Video Format Local Playback Network (Wi-Fi) Playback 720p (1280*720) AVC (High@L4.1) Plays OK Plays OK 1080P (1920*1080) AVC (High@L4) Plays OK Plays OK  2160P (3840*2160) HEVC (H.265) Plays OK Plays OK 4K (4096*2304) AVC (High@L5.1) Plays OK Plays OK 4K HDR HEVC Main 10@L5@High HDR10 Plays OK Some buffering 4K TS HEVC HEVC (H.265) 10Bit Plays OK Plays OK

Kodi 18.6 arrives pre-installed on the U22-XJ. Video performance is very good, although local network streaming was less than perfect (especially with 4k HDR content) even though the WiFi performance measured very well outside of Kodi.

* 8k video is not really usable in kodi, but I have found that these samples DID play locally (with some stutter and a bit of buffering) on MX Player Pro

Kodi add-ons tested quite well. IPTV streamed without issues. Also, this box contains a SDR to HDR and HDR to SDR capabilities. It makes the picture pop. Some would like it and some would not, but you can always turn that feature off.

Antutu Video Testing got mixed results: U22-XJ played all the videos in the test, aside for FLV and RMVB formats which failed. Video playback was pretty flawless in general.

  U22-XJ Network performance

I tested the network performance using the popular Speedtest.net application from the play store. I tested both WiFi (the fastest WiFi supported – in this case 5GHz 802.11ac), and wired connection (in my case AV1200 Ethernet over power line). My home connection is a symmetric 500 Mb Fiber connection so it would not limit the testing (but the Ethernet over power line connection does) – Minix U22-XJ shows the strength of its MIMO antennas in the excellent WiFi performance, but less so with the LAN over Power-line connection:

WiFi 5Ghz

  Wired, over power lines

According to the Speed test, the network connection performed amazingly on WiFi 5 GHz (probably due to the MiMo and hardware), but not so great on the wired connection. Since the wired connection is over powerline adapters, inferior speeds are to be expected.

  U22-XJ Gaming performance

U22-XJ is definitely suited for smooth gaming – as long as you have a proper controller with which to play:

Asphalt 8 Airborne – a 3d graphic intensive racing game. Loads and runs smoothly, Using the included standard IR remote I could steer, but could not use Nitro..

Angry Birds 2 – a popular 2d action game. U22-XJ loaded the game fast and run smooth as butter – using an air mouse (not included). There is an issue where you cannot move from one stop to the next due to inability to click on an icon (clicking does nothing – also tried with a mouse), but that seems to be due to a game bug with this and some of the other TV boxes I tested.

Walking War Robots – an online robot warfare game that requires a game-pad (I don’t have a game-pad). U22-XJ loaded the game fast, and it run smoothly without issues. But full control was only possible via an air mouse with built in keyboard. otherwise, could only look around, but could not shoot or move with the standard IR remote.

    U22-XJ Conclusions

Did I like it? Yes, it is another quality power performer from Minix.

Would I recommend it? Yes, even though there area few issues, they do not affect the stability or the performance of the box in general. (8k is not currently common, a requirement or officially available on this chipset, so it cannot be counted)

You like it! Where can you buy it? It’s not a cheap box, but starting at about 170 USD for the basic package, you can find it here: AliExpress.com Product – MINIX NEO U22-XJ TV BOX S922X-J Android 9.0 4GB DDR4 32GB eMMC Smart TV BOX Dolby Video Audio 4K UHD Media Hub 2.4G/5.0G WiFi

or here: MINIX Android 9.0 Pie Media Hub 4K Ultra HD Dolby Vision Dolby Audio HDR10+4GB DDR4/32GB eMMC HDMI 4K @ 60Hz 3 x USB 3.0 USB-C [data only] GLAN AC Wi-Fi TF Card (NEO U22-XJ)

Amazon Minix Store

Aliexpress Minix Store

Review | Minix Neo U22-XJ AMLogic S922-XJ TV Box Minix Neo U22-XJ is Minix's latest (and blazing fast!) Amlogic based Android TV Box! Based on Amlogic's most powerful S922-XJ SoC, you can now expect great HDR support as well as Dolby Vision straight out of the box.

[dropswisdom]

First, apologies for the long wait for this review (or any update). The reason is simple: I’ve been having trouble accessing my blog for the last week or so, and it’s been (finally) solved today.

This review unit was sent to me courtesy of Probox2, so thank you (again) very much, and especially Wilson, for the help and support!

Probox2 EX+ was one of the first boxes I reviewed, as well as being one of the best and most stable of the bunch. So I was glad to find out they’ve joined the “updated” group of manufacturers and came out with the new Z Kodi TV Box that employs the Amlogic S905 CPU.

What’s in the Box?

As can be seen both in the unboxing video and the photo below, the package is pretty standard, a DC power adapter, standard HDMI 2.0 cable, a IR remote control and Quick guide. It’s really all you need to use this device efficiently – aside from a digital screen.

Looks

The Probox2 Z is made of black plastic and comes in a matte finish. The box is quite light and simple, with an embossed logo of the manufacturer on its top. There is no external antenna, but there is a blue round indication LED on the front of the box. The port selection is quite basic with (only) 2 USB 2.0 ports on offer, a Gigabit LAN port, and a TF (Micro-SD) expansion slot .

Specifications

CPU Amlogic S905 Quad Core 64-Bit Cortex A53 CPU, up to 2Ghz GPU Penta Core Mali-450 GPU, up to 600Mhz Memory / Storage 1GB DDR3 / 8GB eMMC Wireless Connectivity 802.11n WIFI, Bluetooth 4.0 OS Android Lollipop 5.1 Video Output HDMI 2.0, up to 4K** @ 60fps, Support HDMI-CEC Audio Output Via HDMI 2.0, optical SPDIF Power DC 5V 2A adapter (CE, FCC, CCC Certified) Peripheral Interface

1  x RJ-45 Ethernet Port (10/100/1000Mbps)

2 x USB 2.0 Ports

1 x TF (Micro-SD) Card Reader

1 x HDMI 2.0 Port

1 x SPDIF Port

Packing Included

PROBOX2 Z

DC Power Adapter

IR Remote Control

HDMI 2.0 Cable

Quick Guide

Dimensions / Weight 110mm * 110mm * 17.5mm / 185g

Benchmarks and Testing

All benchmarks have been repeated 3 times and results have been averaged to give a more accurate reading:

Antutu Benchmark

The Antutu benchmark tests single core performance over multi-core as it is a better indication of the performance of one device over others in most situations. The position in each graphs paints a somewhat mixed picture, as in the newer 6.0.1 version, the Z is in one of the last places (even among the S905 boxes), and in the older 5.7.3 version, it takes a middle placement. The (somewhat) more demanding 6.0.1 version may be too taxing for the new box, but this may change with time and new firmware updates.

GPU Mark Benchmark

GPU Mark tests 3d gaming performance and also provides a normalized score according to the used screen resolution (for a more accurate result). The test is quite short and should be taken as a supporting result to that of the more serious 3D Mark benchmark. We can see GPUMark also places the Z in one of the last places, so 3d gaming/apps may prove demanding for this box.

A1 SD Benchmark

A1 SD Benchmark tests RAM and flash memory speeds. As can be seen in the provided graphs, RAM is much faster (by a factor of about 40) than flash memory – that is why it’s in smaller amount and is also volatile (does not keep its contents after a reboot). The results here shows that the RAM/storage controller does not shine and the results are (again) among the lowest in the test. This can and does affect general performance as the included RAM amount is low to begin with.

PC Mark Benchmark

The PC Mark benchmark test suite gives a more task/day oriented picture of performance. Things like photo editing, web browsing and video playback are tested. The results of PC Mark are average which is quite good, considering the low scores the Z box got in the memory tests above.

3D Mark Benchmark

3D Mark benchmark is considered as one of the best ways to test 3d performance on Android (and other platforms). The score is consistent with the GPU Mark and Antutu scores from before. This box can be used for casual gaming, but it will struggle to produce decent frame rate in 3d heavy games.

Video Playback testing (Using KODI)

Resolution Video Format Local Playback Network (Wi-Fi/LAN) Playback 720p (1280*720) AVC (High@L4.1) Playing correctly Playing correctly 1080P (1920*1080) AVC (High@L4) Playing correctly Playing correctly 4K/UHD (4096*2304) AVC (High@L5.1) *Playing correctly Buffering  and stutter 2160P (3840*2160) HEVC (H.265) *Playing correctly Mixed. Some Buffering 4K TS HEVC files HEVC (H.265) 10Bit Playing correctly Mixed. Crashes/Buffering

Local (SD card) Playback: Most of the files played correctly locally. However, some (AVC/H.264) files showed Kodi beta issues – The audio starts while the screen is black, and only by bringing up the info overlay (clicking “okay” or middle button on the remote), the video shows.

Local Network Playback: Z had issues with local network playback of heavy files. Standard Mpeg 4 (H.264) 4K files would either play with buffering after a while, jitters, and/or stutter. One of the 10 Bit TS test files not only would refuse to play, but actually crash Kodi. That is true only for network files playback. However, it shows firmware instability, and broken multi-tasking. Even with the modest hardware specs, it is possible to achieve stable and sustained video playback over the network – at least for AVC (H.264) files. And crashes are not acceptable.

* I also noticed, that when Kodi was updating the library, it would affect heavy playback both off the network and locally, to the point that stuttering and even crashing occurs. This is what I meant by broken multi-tasking. I did not notice this in most of the other S905 boxes I tested. Even the cheapest ones. This is an urgent issue to correct.

All these issues seems to be correctable, as the video compatibility rating for this box is one of the highest (if not the highest) I seen – according to Antutu Video tester.

Issues and bugs

10 mb bug is still here. Probox2 maintains that it does not happen in all cases. They’ve tested a 2 TB drive and reported that it appears and works fine. However, I have tested with my own 1.5 TB which appears fine in non-s905 (or firmware fixed s905) devices and it shows as 10 mb, and does not allow copying of large files.

I experienced some jerkiness in two out of the three games (Angry Birds 2, and Asphalt 8) – both in menus and in-game. The jerkiness affected video, but not audio.

I also noticed delays in certain applications. In Kodi, some plug-ins would take very long to load. And in games using Google play games services, it would take long minutes to connect to the service, even though the bug that crashes Google play games is fixed.

The Kodi issues mentioned in the Kodi testing section above. Kodi crashes, video delays to start while audio begins, and bad local network playback performance. These are unacceptable in a commercial box – even though they apply to the heaviest files (4K/UHD) files mostly.

Network performance

Network performance has been tested using Speedtest.net Internet speed measuring app, in WiFi and in Wired mode. My Internet connection is 200 Mbit Symmetric Fibre connection. Performance is average-low for WiFi (only N standard is supported), but quite good for Wired connection:

WiFi (2.4 GHz)

Wired over power line

Gaming performance

I use an application called “GameBench” to measure frame rate and resource usage in games. However, since this box is brand new, and does not have a working root solution, my impressions are just descriptive and not measured:

Asphalt 8 Airborne – a 3d graphic intensive racing game. The game run fine, but not completely smooth. Loading screens were swift, but the during gameplay I experienced a small amount of jerkiness.

Angry Birds 2 – a popular 2d action game. Runs smoothly most of the time, with bits of slowdown both in-game and in menus. GameBench was unable to measure in-game performance, as it crashed once the game loaded and switched from the menu. The resource usage below is just for general indication.

Walking War Robots – an online robot warfare game that requires a game-pad (I don’t have a game-pad). Mostly smooth sailing, with very little to un-noticeable slower frame rate at times.

Conclusions

Did I like it? So So. I experienced too much instability in Kodi (be aware that I tested it with Kodi Jarvis Beta 5), and it must be corrected before it can become popular. However, the Z works well most of the time, with videos up to (and including) 1080p. The box also comes pre-rooted.

Would I recommend it? Not at this stage, unless you’re willing to experiment and wait for the next firmware. The Z needs to go through at least one more firmware update to improve stability. It is one of the cheapest S905 boxes out there, and once Probox2 fix some of the urgent issues, it will be one of the stronger contenders.

So you’d like to buy this box? You can find it here: PROBOX2 Z ANDROID TV BOX, 64BIT QUAD CORE CPU + 4K DECODING, S905 + GIGALAN + ANDROID 5.1 + KODI for a mere 60 USD!

Find a sponsor for your web site. Get paid for your great content. shareasale.com.

Review | Probox2 Z S905 Kodi TV Box First, apologies for the long wait for this review (or any update). The reason is simple: I've been having trouble accessing my blog for the last week or so, and it's been (finally) solved today.

[dropswisdom]

This review unit was sent to me courtesy of the lovely people at Videostrong, so thank you very much, and especially Emmy & Cheryl, for the help!

Videostrong Technology Co. Ltd. was founded in 1998. They produce a line of android based TV boxes and dongles, as well as hybrid boxes. Hybrid boxes are TV boxes which incorporate other abilities such as DVB tuners of different standards (T2, S2, ATSC and others) as well as capabilities such as HDTV recording (PVR).

KI Plus is one of the latest models which Videostrong put out, and they have delayed its release to get a more stable firmware working – which is appreciated. The advantages of KI Plus (aside from the Amlogic S905 chipset): integrated DVB-T2 and DVB-S2 digital TV tuners. Those allow reception of over-the-air standard and high definition digital TV transmissions, where available.

What’s in the Box?

As can be seen both in the unboxing video and the photo below, the package is pretty standard, with the DC power adapter, HDMI 2.0 cable, and standard IR remote control and user manual. It contain most all of what you’ll need, aside from a Digital TV antenna, which is not included.

Looks

The KI Plus is a rectangle made of black plastic, with the model name printed in white letters on top of it. On the left we can see the indication LED/Power button. The KI Plus can also be turned off and on from the included Remote control.

I also took screenshots of the Main and app screens, as they are different than the standard launchers usually included with these boxes:

Specifications

Chipset Amlogic S905 Quad core 64-bit Cortex A53 Up to 2.0GHz GPU Penta-core Mali-450 Up to 750MHZ Memory / Storage DDRIII 1GB / Nand Flash 8GB (4~32GB Optional) LAN Support LAN 100M/1000M Base-T Wireless Built in 2.4G WiFi Bluetooth Optional OS Android 5.1.1 Video Output HDMI 2.0 4Kp60 10-bit HEVC, 4Kp30 MPEG / VC-1 / AVS+ / H.264 Audio Output HDMI Data Output / SPDIF / AV 3.5 mm output Power DC 12V/1A DC-in Peripheral Interface

HDMI 2.0 4K 2K HDMI2.0 , HDCP2.2

4 * USB HOST 4 High speed USB 2.0,support U DISK and USB HDD

1 * TF CARD Support 1~32GB

1 * AV AV output

1 * SPDIF Audio output

1 * RJ45 10/100 BaseT, 1000M( Optional)

Packing Includes

DC Power Adapter

IR remote control

HDMI 2.0 Cable

User Manual

Benchmarks and Testing

All benchmarks have been repeated 3 times and results have been averaged to give a more accurate reading:

Antutu Benchmark

The Antutu benchmark tests single core performance over multi-core as it is a better indication of the performance of one device over others in most situations. Antutu 6.0.1 crashed at the end of each run, although it did complete it. I also experienced sound artifacts (fast chirping sound) during the 3d testing, where music was supposed to be playing in the background. The results of the tests draw a mixed picture, where in the older 5.7.3 version, the box takes the very last spot of the S905 based boxes, but in the newer 6.0.1 version, it sits pretty in the middle.

GPU Mark Benchmark

GPU Mark tests 3d gaming performance and also provides a normalized score according to the used screen resolution (for a more accurate result). The test is quite short and should be taken as a supporting result to that of the more serious 3D Mark benchmark. Both graphs shows the same grim picture: This device is not optimized for gaming or 3d heavy tasks. In both it takes the place before last, coming only before the weakest device I tested so far.

A1 SD Benchmark

A1 SD Benchmark tests RAM and flash memory speeds. As can be seen in the provided graphs, RAM is much faster (by a factor of about 40) than flash memory – that is why it’s in smaller amount and is also volatile (does not keep its contents after a reboot). Here we see a mixed picture again, with the storage showing low results (in the last 4 places) while the RAM speed shows its muscle as it settles in the 4th place!

PC Mark Benchmark

The PC Mark benchmark test suite gives a more task/day oriented picture of performance. Things like photo editing, web browsing and video playback are tested. The KI Plus takes a nice middle seat as it shows it is more than capable at performing day-to-day android tasks.

3D Mark Benchmark

3D Mark benchmark is considered as one of the best ways to test 3d performance on Android (and other platforms). Interestingly, unlike GPUMark, 3dmark shows the KI Plus a medium score that makes it a descent box for casual gaming. This is supported by actual gaming I tested as mentioned later.

Video Playback testing (Using KODI)

Resolution Video Format Local Playback Network (Wi-Fi/LAN) Playback 720p (1280*720) AVC (High@L4.1) Playing correctly Playing correctly 1080P (1920*1080) AVC (High@L4) Playing correctly Playing correctly 4K/UHD (4096*2304) AVC (High@L5.1) Playing correctly Buffering  and stutter 2160P (3840*2160) HEVC (H.265) Playing correctly Playing correctly 4K TS HEVC files HEVC (H.265) 10Bit Playing correctly only from Movieplayer app Does not play

There seems to be room for improvement in the playback capability of the KI Plus. Mostly when it comes to Kodi, as I experienced some instability with the customized version that comes pre-installed on the KI Plus. Bear in mind, this is an early production sample, and the device is not widely available.

I experienced some Kodi crashes out to the android desktop (or app list) and noticed that the KI Plus does not actually retain programs in its memory (most likely to keep better performance, as there is no task killer/memory cleaning app) – so if you would switch from Kodi out to the desktop (“Home” button on the remote), it will actually force close the app, and when you re-open Kodi, it will go through the initial splash screen and content update procedure again.

I also noticed that 10 Bit TS files do not play (at all) inside Kodi. I have tried Kodi 15.2 official release, Kodi 16 Beta 5, and SPMC 15. All had issues playing back content on this device, and one would not show video playback at all (16 Beta 5). The 10 bit content did play correctly in the included movieplayer app – but only locally as the app does not have network connectivity on its own.

This leads me to believe that the KI Plus needs some thorough work in regard to Kodi compatibility and stability.

Digital TV performance

This is a special addition, as this box supports DVB-T2 and DVB-S2 digital TV protocols, and does it well. This capability is accessible both from the app list, and from the remote by pressing a button labeled “DTV”.

It uses a special app that comes pre-installed, called “DTV”. Upon opening the app (each and every time) you’re presented by the choice of one of the tuners: DVB-S2 or DVB-T2.

You’re also presented, only on the first time, with the option of scanning for channels. You’ll need to make sure you get an external antenna (not included in the package) or have an existing digital TV antenna at hand. The scanning process was fast, and reception was quite great, even if I left the small antenna I used in the room rather than placing it outside the near window.

Picture and sound quality are both great, especially in HD, but standard SD quality is good and stable as well. Recording is possible – either to the (Micro)SD card, or to an external USB drive. This can be set in the app settings, and record schedules can be set from the EPG by clicking on the desired program to set recording, or within a program – clicking on the remote control record button to initiate. I have successfully recorded a test segment of a Full HD program.

I did notice two issues: the first being that certain HD channels could not produce sound, even though they recognized the audio track (usually AC3 encoding), and the second – de-synchronization between the video and the audio. The audio did slowly catch up with the video in time.

Issues and bugs

Kodi Add-ons did not always install properly at first time each time. Some required repeat attempts to get installed.

Google play games service crashes upon running, and so does not function correctly inside games.

Volume and/or information overlay comes up on kodi while playing back video without user interaction, occasionally.

10 mb bug is present. When attaching big capacity USB drives, they show as 10 mb drives, and do not allow file operations other than read.

Antutu 6.0.1 crashes out at the end of testing, and produces a weak chirping sound during 3d tests (when there’s supposed to be background music).

Digital TV – AC3 audio on some HD channels would not play sound.

The pre-installed Kodi 15.2 custom version proved unstable as it crashed out to the desktop several times, mostly when stopping playback, but a couple of times just while navigating the menu.

Other Kodi/SPMC versions did not work well on this box. They either showed a quarter screen playback image, no image at all, or had other issues.

Network performance

Network performance has been tested using Speedtest.net Internet speed measuring app, in WiFi and in Wired mode. My Internet connection is 200 Mbit Symmetric Fibre connection. The included WiFi is 2.4 GHz only (802.11n) and so is quite limited. Wired speed is good:

Wired, over power lines (AV500)

WiFi – 2.4 GHz

Gaming performance

I use an application called “GameBench” to measure frame rate and resource usage in games. The application did crash during testing, but I was able to run it long enough to gather resource usage information:

Asphalt 8 Airborne – a 3d graphic intensive racing game. The game run fine, but not completely smooth.

Angry Birds 2 – a popular 2d action game. Runs smoothly most of the time, with bits of slowdown both in-game and in menus.

Walking War Robots – an online robot warfare game that requires a game-pad (I don’t have a game-pad). WWR ran quite smoothly, but did produce an annoying static or distortion sound all through playing.

Conclusions

Did I like it? Yes, I did. The KI Plus is a interesting and good contender in the s905 crowded scene. The (now) standard s905 related issues are expected to be resolved in coming firmware updates, and this box offers out-of-the-box rooting (although I advise to install SuperSu to make the most of it). And then there’s the built-in Digital TV support. For many Kodi enthusiasts this box will give an almost perfect all-around solution which gives them crisp HD terrestrial digital channels which do not depend on internet availability on top of the good video decoding ability offered by the Amlogic S905 chipset.

Would I recommend it? Definitely. It has a few issues to patch up, but all in all it’s a great combined solution for a very good price.

So you’d like to buy this box? You can find it here: K1 PLUS S2 T2 Amlogic S905 Quad Core 64Bit TV Box Android 5.1.1 1G 8G 2.4G WiFi LAN HDMI2.0 3D DLNA AirPlay Miracast Netflix for 76 USD

Or, without the Digital TV tuner, much cheaper at 46 USD: K1 PLUS Amlogic S905 Quad Core 4K KODI TV Box Android 5.1 1G8G 2.4G WIFI LAN HDMI2.0 3D DLNA AirPlay Miracast Netflix

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Review | Videostrong KI Plus S905+DVB-T2/S2 TV Box This review unit was sent to me courtesy of the lovely people at Videostrong, so thank you very much, and especially Emmy & Cheryl, for the help!