Current good options for Media Players with proper codec/format support?

[Cromefire_]

Hi, I just upgraded my audio setup, to a full Atmos/DTS:X setup (7.1.4), but what I find myself looking for is a good option for Media Players (used in conjunction with Kodi).

 

First my requirements (or at least what I which for; with descending priority):

• Full HDR support: My TV does HDR10, HDR10+ and DV, and so should the player
• Support for the HD audio codecs: TrueHD and DTS:X, as I have heights and wanna be able to use it.
• Support for AV1: I have some AV1 stuff and want to continue to transcode my library to AV1, so if can save some space.
• (sorta optional) Low latency 4K@60 HDR decode: I use Sunshine/Moonlight from time to time and if I could properly stream my games in HDR that would be supuer cool (although it's hard to find out and I not sure if it even exists in that form).

 

Of course I did a bit of digging already whether there is an obvious choice and I came up with the following so far:

FireTV Cube (Gen 3):

Should do 1-3, 4 unclear, my current max has a lot of latency there. It a bit pricey (I mean not to expensive, who wants to spend more than necessary) and of course it hast FireOS, which I find to be hot garbage.

 

Apple TV:

Should do 1-2 (it doesn't do AV1 I think) and probably even 4, but it's expensive as well and hate Apple, so using the device without and Apple devices around might prove a real challenge.

 

Chromecast with GoogleTV:

Does 1 (although it struggles with certain DV content in kodi), probably not 2, definitely not 3 and 4 is unclear. I have one so I could atLeast test TrueHD.

 

Shield Pro:

Doesn't do HDR10+, does No. 2, but on 3, most likely 4. Really no AV1 and no HDR10+ kills it.

 

HTPC/RPi:

Only HDR10, but has HD codecs I think and AV1 might be doable (definitely on amd64). 4 unknown, but might work (especially on an and64 platform). Sadly the HDR support is pretty bad...

 

Future CC with Google TV:

Probably all four, but the problem is of course it's in the future...

 

FireTV 4K Max (my current player):

Does 1 and 3, but no HD audio formats and HDR game streaming is pretty slow.

 

 

Based on this I'm currently leaning towards the FireTV Cube, but maybe I'm missing something here... It really seems like a mess where there's no good option, especially since DV and HDR10+ is impossible on non-proprietary hardware (the HTPC really is dead...) and I really want HDR10+ if possible.

 

If it's any help (probably not):

• TV: Panasonic HZW1004 (also known as HZ1000)
• AVR: Denon X3800H
• Current media player: FireTV 4K Max (Gen 1?)

One addition, something that works with Netflix and other streaming services as well would be pretty good as I do use it sometimes, that seems to kill a lot of the Android TV boxes though.

Edited March 5 by Cromefire_

[aggie113]

The most recent options of Android boxes should meet your needs.  I'm running one from Zidoo, but many variants are out there.

[Cromefire_]

3 hours ago, aggie113 said:

The most recent options of Android boxes should meet your needs.  I'm running one from Zidoo, but many variants are out there.

But as far as I understand they usually don't to DV if they're from some smaller manufacturer, right?

[Cromefire_]

5 hours ago, aggie113 said:

The most recent options of Android boxes should meet your needs.  I'm running one from Zidoo, but many variants are out there.

Okay, just checked them out, seems they do. Their top of the line model looks cool, but also 350€ or so is pretty expensive and I'll have to see if I can get it here, but might give that a try...

 

Also does it that Netflix certification thingy (ESN)? I think Netflix was kinda f'ed up about which devices are supported...

 

Edit: Just checked and nope Netflix and other streaming services usually don't seem to work... I do mostly stream local but I also use some streaming, so as cool as this is hardware wise, proprietary stuff strikes again and immediately kills it...

[aggie113]

Does your smart TV not have Netflix as an option?  Honestly you can have more than one device to cover your spectrum and I would advise against getting an expensive Android player box unless you really want those extra features.  My Zidoo is pretty basic but I just need it for decoding files as my NAS stores everything elsewhere.

[Cromefire_]

On 3/6/2024 at 4:55 PM, aggie113 said:

Does your smart TV not have Netflix as an option?  Honestly you can have more than one device to cover your spectrum and I would advise against getting an expensive Android player box unless you really want those extra features.  My Zidoo is pretty basic but I just need it for decoding files as my NAS stores everything elsewhere.

Yes it does, but the UI of MyHomeScreenOS is horrible and I'd have to switch and couldn't use Netflix from KODi and I really like having just everything inside of KODi (to be clear all of these things are first world problems, but hey)...

 

After more searching I also found the FireTV 4K Max Gen 2 supposedly supports HD audio, so I'll try that. I still don't like FireOS, but it doesn't seem there are many alternatives currently that can do it all...