[8.2.2.3] LibreELEC 8.2 for S912

1st Official Post

    DISCONTINUED: These builds will no longer be updated but you are welcome to use them!

    LibreELEC 8.2 for Amlogic S912 devices.

    WARNING:

    Amlogic has not released fbdev Mali libraries and has no plans to release them. These builds use libhybris and Android gralloc Mali driver to provide OpenGL for Kodi - an experimental approach with CPU overhead - meaning suboptimal GPU performance.

    How to install, update and FAQ: [HOWTO + FAQ] Install community builds on S905/S905X/S912 device

    Important notes:

    • These are unofficial, community supported builds so please post all bugs/issues in this forum area only.
    • Bug reports will no longer be looked into as the build is discontinued.
    • I work on these builds in my free time. I also don't know a lot of things so please be kind and patient if you encounter any bugs.
    • Bugs? Read this first: [READ FIRST] Reporting bugs

    If you forgot to use a new device tree or used wrong one and your device doesn't boot:

    • don't panic!
    • if booting from SD/USB, simply connect SD/USB to your computer, download a proper device tree, rename it to dtb.img and place on SD/USB
    • if booting from internal:
      1. Boot this build from SD card or USB with correct device tree.
      2. Login over SSH and execute dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/dtb bs=256k count=1 then dd if=/flash/dtb.img of=/dev/dtb bs=256k
      3. Power off, remove SD/USB, boot from internal.

    8.2.2.3 (2018-01-06)

    Downloads: Index of /s912/8.2/8.2.2.3/

    Device trees: Index of /s912/8.2/device_trees/

    Changelog:

    • cleaned up installtointernal script
    • update all Broadcom and Realtek WiFi drivers
    • added fstrim service for all trimmable partitions
    • fixed random MAC address for some Realtek WiFi chips - those without factory MAC will always use the same, default MAC address
    • added loading SYSTEM to RAM also for boxes with 1GB RAM - LibreELEC will now boot a bit longer but be as snappy as on 2GB boxes

    Known issues:

    • SAMBA/SMB/Shared folder issues? Read this blog post first.
    • Manual updates in LibreELEC Settings don't work
    • Built-in DVB tuners are supported only for KIII Pro. I use driver from afl1 with some modifications, please do not report issues with the driver to him! If you want support, please use builds from afl1.
    • 9082xs driver is now included but because it doesn't come with source code, there is absolutely no support for it!
    • 4K support is experimental.
    • 3D and HDR are not supported, i.e. they might work but I don't provide support.
    • CEC might not work when your box has incompatible u-boot or your TV is not that well supported by Amlogic low-level CEC driver.
    • External DVB tuner support is experimental via media_build drivers from CrazyCat69.
    Older builds

    8.2.2.3 (2018-01-06)

    Downloads: Index of /s912/8.2/8.2.2.3/

    Device trees: Index of /s912/8.2/device_trees/

    Changelog:

    • cleaned up installtointernal script
    • update all Broadcom and Realtek WiFi drivers
    • added fstrim service for all trimmable partitions
    • fixed random MAC address for some Realtek WiFi chips - those without factory MAC will always use the same, default MAC address
    • added loading SYSTEM to RAM also for boxes with 1GB RAM - LibreELEC will now boot a bit longer but be as snappy as on 2GB boxes

    8.2.2.2 (2017-12-27)

    Downloads: Index of /s912/8.2/8.2.2.2/

    Device trees: Index of /s912/8.2/device_trees/

    Changelog:

    • add live TV stuttering patch from afl1
    • change Broadcom WiFi regrev to SG to hopefully make all 5GHz channels you need available
    • fix random MAC address for Le Potato, Khadas VIM and some boxes: if device doesn't provide MAC address, generate it from SoC serial number
    • add fstrim service to trim /storage partition on every boot (applies to eMMC/NAND as SD cards don't support TRIM)

    8.2.2.1 (2017-12-21)

    Downloads: Index of /s912/8.2/8.2.2.1a/

    Device trees: Index of /s912/8.2/device_trees/

    Changelog:

    • further optimize libhybris
    • merged LibreELEC 8.2.2
    • update AP6212A firmware
    • improve Broadcom WiFi stability
    • change regulatory domain for Broadcom WiFi to EU to cover more 5GHz channels
    • update 9082xs module - no more two interfaces for one WiFi module

    8.2.1.2 (2017-12-15)

    Downloads: Index of /s912/8.2/8.2.1.2/

    Device trees: Index of /s912/8.2/device_trees/

    Changelog:

    • GUI and SW decoding improvements:
      • libhybris updated to latest version
      • optimized fbdev buffers implementation
      • libMali updated to r16p0 from Android 7.1.2
    • re-added output_rgb parameter to force RGB mode
    • added 9082xs kernel module (thanks to alex for getting it for us)
    • reduced power consumption in suspend
    • fixed IOCTL issue for some DVB devices
    • small fixes and optimizations

    8.2.1.1 (2017-11-20)

    Downloads: Index of /s912/8.2/8.2.1.1/

    Device trees: Index of /s912/8.2/device_trees/

    Changelog:

    • based on LibreELEC 8.2.1 with Kodi 17.6
    • added Realtek 8723DS WiFi driver (BT support missing for now)
    • added automatic updates to future builds - manual updates in LibreELEC Settings do not work for now

    8.2.0.1 (2017-10-28)

    Downloads: Index of /s912/8.2/8.2.0.1/

    Device trees: Index of /s912/8.2/device_trees/

    Changelog:

    • based on LibreELEC 8.2.0
    • added automatic device tree update - you have to update your device tree to one that was uploaded on 2017-10-28 (or later) to make use of this feature in the future

    8.1.10 (2017-10-08)

    Downloads: Index of /s912/8.2/8.1.10/

    If you don't know which file to download, get this one: LibreELEC-s912.arm-8.2-8.1.10.img.gz
    Device trees: Index of /s912/8.2/device_trees/

    Changelog:

    • merged upstream LE 8.2 changes
    • Kodi:
      • updated to 2c0a184 (latest pre-17.5 revision)
      • improved GUI smoothness
      • fixed integer frame rates (e.g. 24p, 60p)
    • Broadcom WiFi driver updated to 1.363.59.144
    • added BCM4334 support
    • added support for a few RTL8188EU WiFi USB dongles
    • added support for Khadas VIM2 (including DTV extension board)
    • reverted some K-series DVB driver changes for hopefully improved DVB-T channel scaning
    • added support for s905_autoscript by balbes150

    8.1.9 (2017-09-23)

    Downloads: Index of /s912/8.2/8.1.9/

    Device trees: Index of /s912/8.2/device_trees/

    Source code: GitHub - kszaq/LibreELEC.tv at 8.1.9

    Changelog:

    • merged upstream LE 8.2 changes
    • WiFi drivers:
      • updated Broadcom drivers
      • added AP6359SA support (not tested)
      • updated all Realtek drivers
    • removed WeTek DVB module (saves a little bit of space)
    • optimized kernel config a bit

    8.1.8 (2017-09-15)

    Downloads: Index of /s912/8.2/8.1.8/
    Device trees: Index of /s912/8.2/device_trees/

    Source code: GitHub - kszaq/LibreELEC.tv at 8.1.8

    Changelog:

    • merged upstream LE 8.2 changes
    • BlueBorne vulnerability kernel fix

    8.1.7 (2017-09-13)

    Downloads: Index of /s912/8.2/8.1.7/
    Device trees: Index of /s912/8.2/device_trees/

    Source code: GitHub - kszaq/LibreELEC.tv at 8.1.7

    Changelog:

    • vsync is now working! - no more screen tearing
      • for smoothest experience CPU cores will not scale below 1GHz...
      • ...and GPU is kept at 666MHz
    • triple buffering in libhybris framebuffer window
    • Kodi:
      • update to 07424d3 (latest Krypton code version available)
      • add missing 3D autoswitch fixes from S905 builds
      • disable autoscrolling while on screensaver and while opening streams (taken from RPi patchset)
    • merge upstream LE 8.2 commits
    • added SSV6051 driver (still a little bit experimental)
    • improve exFat performance by using kernel module instead of fuse (thanks to escalade)
    • bump Mali kernel module to r16p0 - a little bit improved performance despite using r11p0 userspace Android library
    • led_sys is now a kernel module (should fix improper LED colour on some devices)
    • cleaned up kernel config a bit
    • included only EGL libraries from libhybris (nothing else was used anyway)
    • added a kernel patch to enable autorepeat for all HID devices (thanks to vevs and vpeter)
    • added some button mappings for Xiaomi BT remote (thanks wrxtasy)
    • suspend/sleep can now be enabled if it works for you (howto)

    8.1.6 (2017-08-27)

    Downloads: Index of /s912/8.2/8.1.6/
    Device trees: Index of /s912/8.2/device_trees/

    Source code: GitHub - kszaq/LibreELEC.tv at 8.1.6

    Changelog:

    • Kodi: update to 17.4 final
    • merge upstream LE 8.2 commits
    • improve Broadcom WiFi stability
    • revert QCA9377 firmware to 1.0.0-3 for improved speed and stability
    • use a custom R848 tuner driver to improve stability (thanks afl1)

    8.1.5 (2017-08-18)

    Downloads: Index of /s912/8.2/8.1.5/
    Device trees: Index of /s912/8.2/device_trees/

    Source code: GitHub - kszaq/LibreELEC.tv at 8.1.5

    Changelog:

    • Kodi: fix "no signal" during 3D autoswtich
    • Kodi: add non-linear stretch for HW-decoded videos
    • Kodi: don't use slide animations in Estuary by default
    • simplify Broadcom firmware config file
    • revert all RGB-related changes (this needs to be investigated further)
    • update qca9377 driver

    8.1.4

    Downloads: Index of /s912/8.2/8.1.4/
    Device trees: Index of /s912/8.2/device_trees/

    Source code: GitHub - kszaq/LibreELEC.tv at 8.1.4

    Changelog:

    • merged latest upstream LE 8.2 changes
    • libcec: prevent from stopping without a warning (forward ported patch from S805 builds)

    8.1.3 (2017-08-06)

    Remember to use an updated device tree!

    Downloads: Index of /s912/8.2/8.1.3/
    Device trees: Index of /s912/8.2/device_trees/

    Source code: GitHub - kszaq/LibreELEC.tv at 8.1.3

    Changelog:

    • merged latest upstream LE 8.2 changes
    • libamcodec: fix missing symbols (should fix loading aml platform in Moonlight)
    • updated qca9377 firmware
    • make images smaller by trimming unneeded firmware blobs (backported from LE master and added PCI firmware trimming)
    • libcec: bump to f2c4ca7
    • include Kodi patch from johngalt to always switch display mode on start - this should keep colorspace changes

    8.1.1 (2017-07-23)

    Remember to use an updated device tree!

    Downloads: Index of /s912/8.2/8.1.1/
    Device trees: Index of /s912/8.2/device_trees/

    Device trees with LIRC support: soon
    Source code: GitHub - kszaq/LibreELEC.tv at 8.1.1

    Changelog:

    • "full Nougat" kernel with 4K output fixed and lots of playback improvements thanks to johngalt work: [TESTING][S905(X)] 10bit/HDR/Dithering Test Builds & Discussion
    • fully rebased on LibreELEC 8.2 branch
    • improved update scripts
    • lots of other little improvements that I don't remember
    • fixed occasional freezing present on some devices
    • Kodi updated to b22184d (latest post-17.3 Krypton commit)

    8.0.2e (2017-07-04)
    Downloads: Index of /s912/8.0/8.0.2e/
    Device trees: Index of /s912/8.0/device_trees/

    Device trees with LIRC support: Index of /s912/8.0/device_trees_lirc/
    Source code: 8.0.2e

    Changelog:

    • Kodi: updated to a261e06
    • ffmpeg: updated to 3.1.9
    • media_build: reverted to 2017-04-17
    • fixed LIRC with meson-ir (for built-in IR receiver)
    • improved DVB-T scanning for built-in "K" series tuners
    • updated QCA9377 firmware
    • re-added ge2d patch to hopefully fix Hyperion

    8.0.2d (2017-06-27)
    Downloads: Index of /s912/8.0/8.0.2d/
    Device trees: Index of /s912/8.0/device_trees/

    Device trees with LIRC support: Index of /s912/8.0/device_trees_lirc/
    Source code: 8.0.2d

    Changelog:

    8.0.2c (2017-06-20)
    Downloads: Index of /s912/8.0/8.0.2c/
    Device trees: Index of /s912/8.0/device_trees/
    Source code: GitHub - kszaq/LibreELEC.tv at 8.0.2c

    Changelog:

    • Kodi:
      • updated to 21c2dba
      • added PR#12145 to improve SMB performance
      • faster start when "wait on network" is not selected
      • removed libamplayer.so error
    • switched to OpenSSL:
      • better performance, especially AES
      • fixes issue with certificates valid >20 years
      • LibreSSL libraries are included for addon compatibility - thanks to escalade for the idea!
    • re-applied H.264 decoder flag to fix live TV stuttering
    • enabled fq_codel in the Linux kernel to better deal with network congestion (thanks koenkooi)
    • kernel performance improvements
    • boot speed optimizations
    • added experimental support for CVBS output: if HDMI is not connected, Kodi will default to output mode provided by u-boot, i.e. CVBS on devices with that type of output
    • added PR#11159 to enable overriding disp_cap (for details: [AML] read display modes optionally from file by peak3d · Pull Request #11159 · xbmc/xbmc · GitHub)
    • added HDMI connection monitoring service: if disp_cap is empty, Kodi will restart as soon as you plug HDMI/turn on your device to provide all display modes.
    • added CXD2820R tuner module thanks to a patch from codesnake

    8.0.2a-experimental (2017-05-28)
    Downloads: Index of /s912/8.0/8.0.2a-experimental/
    Device trees: Index of /s912/8.0/device_trees/
    Source code: GitHub - kszaq/LibreELEC.tv at 8.0.2a

    A word of reminder: the builds are now undergoing very limited testing before going public. You can always downgrade to a previous Krypton build the very same way you upgrade!

    Changelog:

    • Kodi:
      • updated to 17.3 final
    • merged all changes from official LibreELEC 8.0.2
    • reverted kernel to Marshmallow version which means:
      • no more issues with 4K output
      • fractional frame rates can no longer be chosen in Kodi display settings - they turn on automatically during video playback
      • HDR handling is different - better or worse? I cannot decide, no equipment here
      • "full Nougat" kernel is in the works, no ETA!
      • compared to previous builds with MM kernel, VP9 playback on devices with 3GB RAM is fixed

    8.0.1l-experimental (2017-05-19)
    Downloads: Index of /s912/8.0/8.0.1l-experimental/
    Device trees: Index of /s912/8.0/device_trees/
    Source code: GitHub - kszaq/LibreELEC.tv at 8.0.1l

    Changelog:

    • Kodi:

      • updated to ce4d3ba
      • added PR#12074 to lower CPUGPU load when idle (thanks @peak3d and koen)
      • added the latest lateframes and VSync patches from afl1 after positive reports from users
      • fixed picture freezing after HD->SD channel switch
    • reverted some experimental kernel audio patches
    • reverted a CEC patch that caused it not to work sometimes
    • merged all upstream LE 8.0 changes

    8.0.1h-experimental (2017-05-14)
    Downloads: Index of /s912/8.0/8.0.1k-experimental/
    Device trees: Index of /s912/8.0/device_trees/
    Source code: GitHub - kszaq/LibreELEC.tv at 8.0.1k

    • Kodi:

      • re-added demux buffering up to 2 seconds that I removed in drain patch
      • reapplied: increase rendering thread priority - this has an effect only with sync playback to display turned on
      • amended lateframes patch to fix some stuttering it introduced
      • backported NFS chunk size patch from Kodi master
      • added a workaround for stalls on FF/RW or chapter seek
      • dropped chapter seek patch from afl1


    8.0.1j-experimental (2017-05-02)
    Downloads: Index of /s912/8.0/8.0.1j-experimental/
    Device trees: Index of /s912/8.0/device_trees/
    Source code: GitHub - kszaq/LibreELEC.tv at 8.0.1j

    • Kodi:

      • fixed a regression regarding high bitrate videos playback
      • added lateframe amendment to fix some stuttering (thanks to afl1 for an idea)
    • CEC improvement from GDPR-1
    • THD/Atmos fix
    • backported Ethernet driver from Nougat kernel
    • re-enabled suspend, remove all SDIO WiFI modules on suspend to limit crashing - suspend is still experimental!


    8.0.1h-experimental (2017-04-23)
    Downloads: Index of /s912/8.0/8.0.1h-experimental/
    Device trees: Index of /s912/8.0/device_trees/

    Changelog:

    • media_build drivers updated to 2017-04-17
    • Kodi:

      • fixed hardware decoding stuck at the end of video
      • reverted thread priority patch
      • updated framerate automation patch to switch resolution only when needed
      • reverted patch that added parsing of extended disp_cap formats - let's see if this fixes 4K for you


    8.0.1f-experimental (2017-04-16)
    Downloads: Index of /s912/8.0/8.0.1f-experimental/
    Device trees: Index of /s912/8.0/device_trees/

    Changelog:

    • audio-related changes:

      • re-applied LE kernel audio patches to fix 44.1kHz output
      • added WIP patches from Kwiboo to further improve kernel driver
      • fixed Dolby Atmos with patches from LE kernel
    • framerate automation changes:

      • improved Amlogic-Nougat style fractional frame rate handling in Kodi
      • reverted some kernel changes that may have caused blackouts
    • Kodi:

      • implemented drain in AMLCodec to fix 2 seconds missing from the end of video
      • increased renderer thread priority to fix some stutters


    8.0.1e-experimental (2017-04-08)
    Downloads: Index of /s912/8.0/8.0.1e-experimental/
    Device trees: Index of /s912/8.0/device_trees/

    Changelog:

    • Kodi updated to fc82741 (latest Krypton branch update)
    • new approach to fractional frame rates (a bit experimental but working OK here)
    • fixed choppy playback of some H.264 videos (e.g. UK DVB-T)
    • smoother playback menu
    • added a proper VC-1 fix from @peak3d
    • trimmed initramfs a little


    8.0.1c-experimental (2017-04-04)
    Downloads: Index of /s912/8.0/8.0.1c-experimental/
    Device trees: Index of /s912/8.0/device_trees/

    Changelog:

    • fixed some regressions after Nougat kernel changes import:

      • re-enabled output_rgb
      • re-enabled Frame Rate Automation
      • fixed picture freeze on H.264 stream error
      • fixed green screen in VC-1 videos
    • adjusted H.264 decoder parameters for videos up to 1920x1080 to fix playback of streams with high reference frame count
    • added a fix for VC-1 decoder from @peak3d to minimize stuttering on B-frames
    • adjusted audio parameters to improve analog audio output


    8.0.1b-experimental (2017-03-27)
    Downloads: Index of /s912/8.0/8.0.1b-experimental/
    Device trees: Index of /s912/8.0/device_trees/

    Changelog:

    • TEST: import video decoder and display changes from Amlogic Nougat kernel


    8.0.1a-experimental (2017-03-23)
    Downloads: Index of /s912/8.0/8.0.1a-experimental/
    Device trees: Index of /s912/8.0/device_trees/
    Source code: GitHub - kszaq/LibreELEC.tv at 8.0.1a

    Changelog:

    • Kodi updated to 17.1 final
    • merged all updates from LE 8.0.1
    • removed experimental Aml timing changes
    • fixed mali_fence related crash


    Alpha-preview4 (2017-03-15)
    Downloads: Index of /s912/8.0-alpha-preview4/
    Device trees: Index of /s912/8.0/device_trees/
    Source code: GitHub - kszaq/LibreELEC.tv at 8.0-alpha-preview4

    Changelog:

    • a bit more stable
    • WiFi power saving less aggressive
    • improvements/test patches from 8.0.0f build


    Alpha-preview3 (2017-03-09)
    Downloads: Index of /s912/8.0-alpha-preview3/
    Device trees: Index of /s912/8.0/device_trees/
    Source code: libreelec-8.0-sx05

    Changelog:

    • much improved GUI rendering performance

    Alpha-preview2 (2017-03-08)
    Downloads: Index of /s912/8.0-alpha-preview2/
    Device trees: Index of /s912/8.0/device_trees/

    Changelog:

    • Kodi updated to 9637da6
    • improved CPU performance by adding big.LITTLE scheduler
    • improved GPU performance (only a little!) by enabling DEVFREQ

    Alpha-preview1 (2017-03-03)
    Downloads: Index of /s912/8.0-alpha-preview1/
    Device trees: Index of /s912/8.0/device_trees/

    Changelog:

    • first build

    Nice. I'm flashing an sd card right now... :)

    Edit:
    It doesn't work on my H96 Pro 3GB/16GB box with the default dtb.img but I tried my own dtb img and then TADAM! IT WORKS!
    LAN (RTL8211): OK
    Wifi (AP6255): OK
    BT: OK
    CEC: Doesn't work
    Remote: Doesn't work
    USB keyboard and mouse: OK
    AAC, DD, DD+, DTS, DTS HS MA, TrueHD: OK
    multi chanel PCM: only stereo
    4k: plays only half screen

    Edited once, last by Pelican (March 4, 2017 at 9:44 PM).

    Quote from Pelican


    Nice. I'm flashing an sd card right now... :)

    Edit:
    It doesn't work on my H96 Pro 3GB/16GB box with the default dtb.img but I tried my own dtb img and then TADAM! IT WORKS!
    LAN: OK
    Wifi (AP6255): OK

    Just tried this on my H96 Pro 2GB/16GB, stayed on H96, no boot. How do you get the dtb? or can I try your's?

    Quote from kszaq


    Simply delete dtb.img from SD card.

    What can I say, Fanbloodytastic. I got it to boot. Remote is not working, but managed to plug in a keyboard & navigated around the menu,

    No sound though, audio is greyed out with Blue tooth, but in LibreELEC config, no blue tooth found.

    Thanks

    You probably have an old Android firmware that has an outdated device tree.

    If you don't want to update whole Android firmware, find the latest package on the internet, download "SD" update file and extract dtb.img from it to your SD card.

    Edit: After further consideration I may need to provide a few variants of device trees...

    Edited once, last by kszaq (March 3, 2017 at 9:49 PM).

    Quote from kszaq


    You probably have an old Android firmware that has an outdated device tree.

    If you don't want to update whole Android firmware, find the latest package on the internet, download "SD" update file and extract dtb.img from it to your SD card.

    Edit: After further consideration I may need to provide a few variants of device trees...

    I have found a couple of newer firmwares, for my device, I have a RAR file, but I don't know how to extract the device tree from them. :s

    I tried without any dtb.img:
    LAN not present. WIFI works, BT works, there is only BT audio device in audio settings-> no sound
    I experienced a couple of restart of Kodi and freezing too.

    Back to my dtb (which came from balbes150, he made it to use for armbian)
    I edited remote.conf copied to the root of the sd card contained about six remote unit data, I kept only the 0xfe01 factory code (my remote send this) and deleted the rest -> remote works now (the arrows at least)
    There is AML-M8AUDIO PCM and HDMI devices. sound works with both.
    Shutdown and suspend both works with remote,

    Atteched the dtb from balbes150: q912_otg.zip

    Edited once, last by Pelican (March 3, 2017 at 11:58 PM).

    How is this possible. As i understood the problem with LE on s912 was the lack of a framebuffer driver with the neccesary librarys. Has this issue been resolved? Did amlogic released the t820 linux driver?

    A few notes to clear things up:

    • For the moment please do not provide logs, device trees etc. First I need to fix a few things, e.g. resolution switching.
    • I will prepare and upload several device trees to try.
    • Amlogic has not released fbdev Mali libraries. This build uses libhybris and Android gralloc Mali driver - this is why the builds will always be experimental until proper Linux libraries are released (if ever).

    Hi Kszaq

    Hope you are doing good

    I just wanted to ask can you please help regarding 2 issues in Libreelec for S812 M8S+ (BCM4335 wifi)

    Everything works fine in Openelec 6.95.1.1 from kerber Amlinux but when updating to Libreelec 7.0.2 from Amlinux Wifi does not work and once its turned off, unit cannot be restarted from remote control (need to take the power cable out and then put it back to restart)

    Strange thing is when I am on version 7.0.2 when connected with ethernet cable at the startup, I get a pop up that says "Update available". I then go to Libreelec setting and check updates and it starts downloading a update file 7.0.2.001 file and it takes about an hour and then after the restart wifi starts working

    Could you please fix this up if thats ok and do a Kodi 17 version ( if not 16.1 will be good too) and do a proper zip and tar file for this box and I am happy to contribute/donate in anyway you would like. I am also happy to send you M8S+ box if need be.

    I can also send you Kernel and driver files if that helps.

    Please help

    Thanks