Long time N2 (not +) & CoreElec user, and over the yesrs I keep checking in to see if any progress has been made on DV support… and I see, now, that progress HAS been made!
So, since I need to buy like 4 new boxes, I’m now considering the Homatics Box R 4K Plus (or the Dune version). Are there any negatives with it compared to how the N2+ performs on everything other than DV?
Also, probably a stupid question, but I understand that some Android components are still needed - so does CE still install as a standalone appliance?
No you will to install on usb but you can use emmc as storage. Odroid N2 is not supported by the latest AMlogic vendor kernel. No problems with Homatics box far although a little underpowered it plays everything you throw at it.
I’m in the same boat as you. I also don’t really understand the difference between the Homatics and Dune box, seems to be the same hardware in a different case. Would hate to change over and the interface became sluggish, but other than that with video decoding done in hardware, I’m struggling to understand how a s905x4 would be underpowered.
So far my favorite Kodi box was old Chromeboxes modded to boot OpenElec or LibreElec. Those things just nailed it with awesome interface performance and fast database management, great HD audio support, and perfect 1080p playback.
But then 4K came out. When I moved to the N2 with CoreElec it was awesome for 4K and audio support, but a definite downgrade in responsiveness and database speed (although in no way bad). However my N2 boxes have all been getting wonky and unreliable and need to be rebooted almost every day.**
So now I’m hoping to go with something with DoVi support. But… not sure I want to go to something that’s a little, err, “underpowered” for anything but decoding. Tempted by some of Dune’s other offerings and what they can support, but I don’t want to leave the Kodi ecosystem.
The Dune version seems to be the same Android base system, but with a concurrently running separate OS that hosts Dune’s proprietary playback software.
** Unrelated to this post, but what happens is after a half dozen video plays or database scans, it starts to get laggy - like lurching and sluggish to respond. I can now tell when it’s just beginning to happen by slight changes in how long it takes to do something. If I don’t immediately try to reboot it quickly gets worse until it locks up and is unresponsive. Sometimes I can hammer the REBOOT IR code and it might reboot 20-30 seconds later, otherwise I gotta pull the plug. I’ve tried two different N2 boxes (bought the same time), replaced the SD card and used a brand new CoreElec install, and same weird deal.
What that mean for you “little underpowered”? I have no lag in CE menu, work good, play all formats quickly. Not slower than my old GT-King. I use nfs share from my nas, and mariadb for server.
I was using the vim 4 so yes to me it will seem underpowered. The vim lacks Dolby Vision and audio pass through with no fix in sight. I’m happy with the 4k plus tho.
My Homatics box arrived yesterday - much sooner than expected. Look forward to getting it running, as soon As I grab a USB stick (I’m in limbo between moves and ALL my sticks got packed). I’ll assume there will be bugs; had that fun with early x86 Chromebox and N2 boxes too
Question - is there any point in getting a FAST USB stick for this box?
you can NOT “running separate OS” with android TV , it’s not allowed. Dune HD Media Center is a simple application can be downloaded https://dune-hd.com/dune.apk
I’m not saying you’re in any way wrong or anything - because I honestly don’t know - but Dune describes it as:
In addition to all standard Android TV features, you can also use Dune HD media center software, technically implemented as a concurrently running (in a special virtual container) Linux-based Dune HD OS, and easily accessible via a special app.
I suppose an OS running in a virtual container could be considered a simple application.
