LE on S905 vs S905x - 1G/8G vs 2G/16G

Nathan909 · September 8, 2016 at 6:06 PM

Hello LE users and developers,

I wanted to get some opinions on user experience and realistic usage limits on running LibreELEC on a S905 vs S905x. I understand you can't run 4k @ 60fps, but I will never use up the space to save/play something that large. I think the S905x is a little slower, but with them mainly using hardware decoding is this a problem or will it be one in the future?

How do you predict the community development on the S905 vs the S905x? I think currently there is more development on the S905, but I think the S905x is catching up quickly. I dont see much going on the the S912.

Also is there any real benefit on getting a 2G/16G. I think LE uses less than 200mb leaving over 800mb for buffering and add-ons. Personally I play 90% of my content from my wired LAN library, but I don’t want to cut my-self short for odd-on streaming. I would think that 800mb is enough for buffering (if LE using that much). Just like most users, I don’t plan on putting any content on the device, just LE OS, thumbs, DB, add-ons. You can currently get a 1G version for under $30, where a 2G is almost 2x that
Are there any features that you see must see on the next device that you will purchase?

I’ll add a poll, but I’ll make it for, what will your NEXT device will be. I assume if I do it for current devices, I’ll probably see a lot of 1G/8G S905’s.

Thanks,
Nathan

JonSnow · September 9, 2016 at 1:18 PM

2GB vs 1GB really depends on usage, i leave my box on 24/7 so the extra ram is a benefit and you future proof. There is a AML bug thats causes ram to fill up on all theses boxes eventually leading to a freeze, Kszaq has addressed this in 007 but i haven't tested yet. For me 2GB was a requirement since i tried 1GB box.

S905 vs s905x looking at kszaq development it seems installing LE is easier on s905x since the kernel has the dtb files, so eventually i think s905x will become the norm.

8/16 remember about 2GB is set aside for ROM including LE eventhough LE will never use it. Usable space is 4.7GB or 10.8GB for all kodi data. My current install is already at 3.6GB which is mainly tmp data such as youtube trailers.

As of today I'm perfect happy with s905 until i buy a 4K TV i have no need for s905x.

xsi · September 9, 2016 at 5:33 PM

I already own a S905 box with 2g RAM and 16g Flash, S905x doesnt add enough features to make it worth considering, only VP9 and some other codec support, which I dont use currently. I will probbaly wair for the S912 to become more known and see how it perfroms and develops, so far it's benchmarks are poor not much better than S905/S905x also all current Amlogic chips are limited to 1.5ghz not the 2ghz claimed speed including the S912.
So theres no real benefit for me purchase a device at the minute.

oksmb · September 10, 2016 at 12:55 AM

IMO the S905x will replace the S905 going forward, since it costs virtually the same and has better codec support. I don't see the S912 becoming popular because it costs significantly more than the S905/S905x but doesn't add very many features for video playback. The only one really is 1080p-60Hz-H265. Which is not something many people probably care about anyway. The S912 seems like it is more targeted towards gaming than video playback so you pay extra for processing power you probably wont use unless you plan on gaming. And IIRC the S912 is a big.little CPU which means the gain over the S905/S905x isn't as great as you might expect for having twice the cores.

RAM: 1GB should be adequate, but getting 2GB is cheap insurance against memory problems these boxes are prone to.

Storage: Kinda the same story, 8GB is fine but going up to 16GB doesn't cost much and provides good future proofing.

So I'm gonna say the winning combo is S905X / 2GB / 16GB with Gb LAN and Bluetooth. And I will be looking for one with >2 USB ports.

PatrickJB · September 10, 2016 at 9:09 AM

Wetek Hub although I may not even need LE as it's supposed to be great out of the box.

silashack · September 10, 2016 at 11:43 AM

what about the S905 w/ 2G/8G machines ?

ant_thomas · September 10, 2016 at 1:31 PM

Currently got a S905 1/8 box that I'm very happy with.

If I get a box for another TV it'll probably be an S905x 1/8 since they're just as cheap and supports looks to be improving massively.

JonSnow · September 10, 2016 at 4:38 PM

Only reason i would buy a new box is if kszaq stops supporting the s905. It is unlikely i will be watching VP9 even with a 4K TV, however HDR is another story but we shall see if i end up with a TV that supports it.

Doesn't s905x have issues with 1080p HEVC @60fps? No issues on the s905, I remember reading that somwhere.

**kszaq** · September 10, 2016 at 6:16 PM

S905X reportedly cannot play 4K H.264 @ 60fps.

JonSnow · September 10, 2016 at 11:21 PM

Quote from kszaq

S905X reportedly cannot play 4K H.264 @ 60fps.

isnt that the same with s905? I have 4K H.264 @60fps sample of big buck bunny and the plays but the video is slow and sound is out of sync.

Nathan909 · September 11, 2016 at 10:29 PM

I picked up a cheap T95x 1G/8G and see now see the downside of low mem/storage.

I copied a 1.8gb LE backup file to NAND for a restore, but even with about 3gb free (after uploading backup), LE it wouldn't restore due to low space. Also, after loading a skin and viewing through movies (which caches movie thumbs) I only have about 333mb left.
[hr]

Quote from PatrickJB

Wetek Hub although I may not even need LE as it's supposed to be great out of the box.

At a price of $89, its a shame its only 1gb

PatrickJB · September 12, 2016 at 8:34 AM

Quote from Nathan909

At a price of $89, its a shame its only 1gb

But it works! Full review over at the Kodi forum: WeTek Hub - 24p HD Netflix - HD Kodi Audio - 10bit HEVC - Lollipop - 4K

xsi · September 12, 2016 at 10:26 AM

Quote from PatrickJB

But it works! Full review over at the Kodi forum: WeTek Hub - 24p HD Netflix - HD Kodi Audio - 10bit HEVC - Lollipop - 4K

Yes, but devices with the same spec minus the DRM feaures can be picked up for $20 dollars, why would you pay $89 dollars for the same functionality ? Unless you need the DRM capibility for netflix HD etc.
LibreElec is also significantly faster than android for Kodi also has lots of fixes which the android version doesnt have.

xbliss · April 15, 2017 at 3:35 PM

I'm wondering where things stand today for the above question and discussion.

LE on S905 vs S905x - 1G/8G vs 2G/16G

What your NEXT Amlogic device be? 64

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