Legacy v9.2 (LTS) builds for Amlogic S805/S8X2, S905/S912 and all WeTek boxes

  • I'm glad the m201d image worked. ;)

    Unfortunately, many manufacturers have "lied" to the 1GB so that the Android code has also been modified to show a false value.

    Just so I understand correctly, you're saying that swapping the dtb around doesn't work because the unit only checks the device tree that is baked into the kernel? If I have that right, I wish I had known that about three days ago. LOL. Oh well, live and learn.

    I learned from the case, so I rewrote it in the lead post. ^^

    IMPORTANT NOTES - Please read them carefully before asking:

    Unfortunately, there are plenty of clones from M8S. If the M8S+ image doesn't work on your M8S, try this one, if it's a 2G/8G model:

    Index of /3rdParty/S8X2/Universal-n200-S812_2G-AP6330/

    ... or MXIII image, if it's a 1G/8G:

    Index of /3rdParty/S8X2/MXIII-S802_1G-AP6330/

    (Whether S802 or S812 SoC is included does not matter at this point.)

  • As we all know, s812 can play no more than H265 4k@24p.

    In my case, I can play H265 4k@50p, but hdmi maximum resloution is 4k@24p.

    The limiting factor is mainly the HDMI 1.4. So if a higher frequency came out of it, it might not be stable.

    So far, I haven’t been able to figure out how to add custom resolutions because 3840x2160p isn't listed either.

  • The limiting factor is mainly the HDMI 1.4. So if a higher frequency came out of it, it might not be stable.

    So far, I haven’t been able to figure out how to add custom resolutions because 3840x2160p isn't listed either.

    3840x2160p isn't listed all the time. Connect box with my TV (samsung) , I can switch to 2160@24p.

    But when connect to a monitor (lg 4k), I just got 1080@60p.

    and accroding to s812 datasheet, it can not decoding H265 2160@50p. ^^

    even with some outdated information from amlogic roadmap. Maybe HDMI 1.4 is a software limite, not from hardware.

    also

    I am learning to complie libreelec from your git, I noticed some code here.

    Edited 7 times, last by oceanzhang (August 12, 2021 at 9:47 AM).

  • 3840x2160p isn't listed all the time. Connect box with my TV (samsung) , I can switch to 2160@24p.

    But when connect to a monitor (lg 4k), I just got 1080@60p.

    Maybe Samsung reports 4k2k24hz, but LG reports same resolution as 2160p24hz.

    These two are the same, but 2160p24hz is the name in the HDMI 2.0 standard and 4k2k24hz is the name defined in HDMI 1.4.

    My TV is LG and it also only sends out 2160p*, there is no 4k2k* at all. That's why it didn't appear on the list for me either.

    Names defined in HDMI 1.4:

    • 3840x2160 (16:9): 4k2k24hz, 4k2k25hz, 4k2k30hz;
    • 4096x2160 (256:135): 4k2ksmpte.

    The names of the same resolutions in HDMI 2.0:

    • 3840x2160 (16:9): 2160p24hz, 2160p25hz, 2160p30hz;
    • 4096x2160 (256:135): smpte24hz.

    The secret is not hidden in this file (hdmi_tx_hw.c), but I am already working on it.

    Detection is already working for me, but switching the resolution is not yet.

    I've already done the patch for the kernel, now Kodi is coming. When I'm done, all HDMI 1.4 resolutions will work on Meson8/8m2.

    At least I hope so... :/

    Edited once, last by dtech (August 13, 2021 at 7:18 AM).

  • LibreELEC v9.2.8.1 (4K-bugfix) has been released for S8X2 devices only.


    Changes:

    • 4k-bugfix: fix 2160p resolutions support in amlogic-3.10 kernel,
    • 3rdParty images: separate Minix (datrh-based) and MXIII (Demetris-based) S8X2 builds,
    • 3rdParty images: fix X8-H Plus wifi issues and add support for X8 / X8-H devices.

    Thanks to oceanzhang for his help in debugging and testing.

    Affected devices: OTT M8S+, X8-H Plus, MXIII, MXIII-Plus/-G, Universal n200 devices and WeTek Core.

    For more information and for download links, please check the first post in this topic: #1


    Important notice for WeTek Core users:

    If anyone has tested the image for the WeTek Core, please comment because I have not received any feedback on it so far.

    If I do not receive any feedback, I will discontinue the support due to lack of interest.

    Edited once, last by dtech (August 23, 2021 at 1:39 PM).

  • Contents of the new disp_cap file:

    Code: /storage/.kodi/userdata/disp_cap
    480cvbs
    576cvbs

    And that's all. :cool:

    If you have edited the file, you will need to restart the device and then you can start the calibration, which will not be lost now.

    Be careful not to accidentally switch to 720x480i60hz if possible, because I don't think European CRT TV with 60Hz will be able to do anything.

    Hi Dtech,

    Works!

    Thanks for your help.

    BTW your build runs really nice on the S905D w 1Gb, much better then the stock Android firmware.

    Greetings,

    Steven.

  • I have a weird issue with my mxq (s805, 1g/8g, all black version, le 9.2.8 installed on internal rom). While it was at my possession, it had some wifi issues that I mentioned, but things improved after the upgrade to 9.2.8 a few weeks ago to the point that a stable connection was available almost every time.

    And a few days ago, I gifted it to a family of 3 kids so as to keep them busy while the parents are at work.

    Today is the day that the parents would put it to work. So, with my guidance (go there, select this etc) they tried to connect it to the home's wireless network. They entered the key, pressed finish and since then EVERY wireless network under connections has dissapeared!

    Neither rebooting the box helped, nor did disabling and reenabling the wireless connection. Apart from their home's wireless network, there are a couple more from other homes near them.

    The 2 cell phones they have can detect the home's wifi (and the ones from the neighborhood) and are connected to it with no issues, so I assume the router is not to blame.

    Any ideas about it? One thing that is relatively easy to do is to delete /storage/.cache/connman/ via kodi's file manager, but will it help? The family is not tech savvy and I am miles away so as to visit them and check it myself.

  • Lesson #1 for all remotely supported tvbox devices is .. make them use Ethernet. Yes the cable is inconvenient. Yes it will save you many hours of remote support effort. In situations where I've been forced to use wireless I prefer to recycle an old Apple A1rport express device so the less-than-reliable TVBox OS is still connected via Ethernet, because ancient vendor wireless drivers in ancient vendor kernel have limits on what they will support reliably - I prefer to remove them from the equation.

  • I do not think it is a reception issue so as to look for repeaters etc.

    The router is about 5m (= 15ft) away from the tvbox and has almost visual contact (the router is "hidden" behind a corner). I will make a small sketch to show you if needed, but I do not know how to name various stuff in english.

    Also, neither the router, nor the tvbox support 5ghz wireless and the only ethernet cable in the house (the one that connects the router to an old pc) is too short to cover that distance.

    Rebooting the router had no effect too. Shall I bite the bullet and delete the forementioned folder?

    ---edit

    I did delete the folder and now le shows all the wireless networks again.

    However, it fails to connect to the home's wireless network, poping a notification that something timed out. Any ideas about that?

    Edited once, last by jim_p (August 17, 2021 at 6:40 PM).

  • I think I had changed that to my country's domain before gifting the tvbox, but I will ask tomorrow. I have definitely changed it on le 9.2.x on my rpi3b+ and on ce on my mxqpro4k.

    I also had that timeout issue on the first days of le 9.x (if not 8.x) on my rpi3b+. I was so upset back then that I wanted to throw my router out of the window, but I kept it because my isp forces its usage for voip telephony.

  • Hi jim_p !

    chewitt is right, the wired connection is always better.

    For live streams (e.g. IPTV), even a well-functioning wireless connection can sometimes cause random delays because multiple devices are connected to it at the same time, and this sometimes puts jitter into the signal. This will make the broadcast completely unenjoyable.

    (For this, it is enough to have a smartphone connected to the same wireless network at the same time as the box. Not recommended.)

    What Da Flex suggested is actually a client bridge, which is an adapter between the WiFi and the wired connection.

    (This can still cause jitter problems with live streams because it's really just a media converter, from wireless 802.11* to wired 802.3*.)

    But for offline media (e.g. play a movie from NAS) a wireless connection may be sufficient because that can be pre-buffered.

    However, the integrated Realtek wireless driver are a really old piece (just like the kernel), and I don’t have a good experience with it either.

    But, if you have an USB WiFi adapter, try it with your box first. Like this...

    For me, this Atheros-based adapter (TP-Link WN722N) works better than the integrated Realtek.

    It’s not a piece of today either, but at least it’s stable.

    Regardless, I prefer a wired connection much more than any wireless solution.

    Edited 2 times, last by dtech (August 18, 2021 at 8:29 AM).

  • the wired connection is always better.

    For live streams (e.g. IPTV), even a well-functioning wireless connection can sometimes cause random delays because multiple devices are connected to it at the same time, and this sometimes puts jitter into the signal. This will make the broadcast completely unenjoyable.

    I have same experience. In my case mibox2s has not ethernet. Even wireless connection is so stable, IPTV get mosaic sometime.

  • I actually have 2 tplink wn722n v1 (v1` is the one with the atheros chipset, v2 and v3 have a realtek one), plus a wn821n which also comes with an atheros chipset.

    I got the first wn722n back in early 2017 that I got my rpi zero non-w. And during the first lockdown in 2020 I was given another pi zero non-w, so I looked for the same card. I got it, and I lost it a few days later. It is in my house for sure, but I can not find it. And that is the reason I got the wn821n during the second lockdown.

    I know that this is a very reliable card and that is sold very expensive in ebay etc because of its chipset which is very hacking friendly (kali linux + atheros card in monitor mode). All 3 were tested and they work great on my tvboxes (mxq and mxqpro4k).

    And because of that rarity, I do not trust them with anyone but me. Imagine 3 excited kids (plus their friends) running around a room and something protuding out of the tvbox. I give it 1 month before they break the adapter and the usb that is plugged in :P

    Anyway. since the family has not called me today, I am trying to reproduce that timeout notification on my rpi3b+ by removing the network and connecting to it again. So far I have failed, but what shall I look for in dmesg or in a similar log whent it happens?