Android TV Box

xiaofan

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The OTA problem has been resolved. Look like Magisk Manager messed up the bootloader and that is why OTA updates failed.

Anyway, I use Phoenix Card to burn an official ROM from Tanix website (email address required), then I am able to carry out the OTA.

The Phoenix Suite and Phoenix USB Pro failed this time due to USB driver recognition problem for my Windows 10 laptop.

Ha-ha, now I learned the recovery for both Amlogic CPU based box and Allwinner CPU based box.

Hmm, do not upgrade to the latest 20190508 version. Now I got no sound problem. One user in Facebook reported the same problem.

Now need to troubleshoot the sound problem and may need to flash the firmware again...

All in all, this Tanix TX6 is really problematic.

Opened the box and I feel the thermal design is not correctly done which causes the overheating problem. They have a small heat sink on top of the CPU and then connect to a bigger heat sink on the bottom through a small piece of thermal grease cube.
 

xiaofan

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Hmm, do not upgrade to the latest 20190508 version. Now I got no sound problem. One user in Facebook reported the same problem.

Now need to troubleshoot the sound problem and may need to flash the firmware again...

All in all, this Tanix TX6 is really problematic.

Opened the box and I feel the thermal design is not correctly done which causes the overheating problem. They have a small heat sink on top of the CPU and then connect to a bigger heat sink on the bottom through a small piece of thermal grease cube.

Okay the sound issue goes away after reboot. I can get Audio from HDMI again.

But others are having problems with SPDIF output.

Using a USB fan to blow wind through the side brings down the temperature to about 55 - 65 degree C which is reasonable. So it is recommended to use TX6 with a fan.
 
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xiaofan

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Is there a way to remove Play Store nd Chrome icons from Home Screen? I can only add three of my own apps to home screen and they would be used more.....also better not to confuse family.

As for Alice UX, I am not a fan but you can add multiple apps to the home screen, just that you need to scroll through the icons using the remote or air mouse. You can also add a few apps in the setting section as well.

BTW, the left of the screen will also show the recently used apps.

Forget to mention that you can update the big icon on Alice UX as well. Use direction button on the remote to navigate to the big icon you want to change, press the menu icon (the icon above "2", with 3 lines, in between home button and return button), then you are able to select any app you like.
 
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xiaofan

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After I recovered my X96 Mini, I installed SuperSu from PlayStore again. And when it does prompt to upgrade the binary, I choose no. I also give up on the unroot hope.

At least it starts to prompt me when there is a root access (tested with Es File Explorer).

Thanks for the advice.

I will try this on other boxes over the weekend.

I got six rooted boxes.

SuperSu works for the X96 Mini, R69 RK3229 box and H96 Pro+, all running Android 7.1, in terms of being able to manage the app root access. SuperSu will prompt the binary upgrade and need to choose no in order not to brick the box.

The other box which has already SuperUser app (not SuperSU) installed to manage root access is the H96 Max+ RK3328 box running Android 7.1.

SuperSu does not work with Tanix TX6 Android 9 and TX5 Max Android 8.1 to manage root access. No prompt of upgrade, just say the su binary is occupied. It may well be a problem with Tanix since they seem to put some protection based on some web info.
 
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rockyy

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See no point in using Android TV box anymore as most of the apps I used to watch fantastic Movies are now either block or shutdown. Cannot access anymore ! 👎🤬😵
 

xiaofan

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SuperSu does not work with Tanix TX6 Android 9 and TX5 Max Android 8.1 to manage root access. No prompt of upgrade, just say the su binary is occupied. It may well be a problem with Tanix since they seem to put some protection based on some web info.

SuperSu does seem to work when I use the full unroot option for Tanix TX5 Max. It does not brick the box and it indeed remove the su binary.

Afte reboot, Aida64 and CPU-Z, and ES File Explorer all report that the box is not rooted.

Strangely SingTel Cast and SingTel TV Go still claim that the box is rooted and exit. Guess that they have other mechanism.

SuperSU does not work on Tanix TX6.
 
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xiaofan

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SuperSU does not work on Tanix TX6.

Now that I have a recovery Micro SD card in hand, I can try dangerous move as well. So I use Es File Explorer (enable root explorer and choose mount R/W ) and manually delete the su binary and two other su related files in system/xbin directory.

However this does not seem to work. The box will be stuck in the boot animation. So I have to recover the box again. Recover is really fast though.

BTW all the website has similar unroot instructions.
https://androidpctv.com/tutorial-how-to-remove-the-root-of-our-device-easy-unroot/
 
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xiaofan

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The point is installation of supersu.apk or superuser.apk will not brick the box, just remember not to update binary when prompted.

I can use superuser app to unroot the box easily. But not sure about this box as i dont have one with me at the moment.

It is very risky if the box can grant access to all apps without asking.

Thanks for the advice. Now I only have one box without proper app to grant the root access, Tanix TX6, which runs Android 9.0 and seems to be a problematic but popular box due to higher spec and low cost.
https://forum.freaktab.com/forum/tv...-box-allwinner-h6-4-32gb-dual-wifi-bt4-1-or-5

I will try other methods.

Anyway, this is not for average users.

So going back to the box recommendations, for most users, it is better to stick to boxes like Mi Box S which is officially certified by Google, not rooted, runs streaming apps well, Netflix 4k supported, supports Chromecast 4K, supports Google Assistant, runs apps like Singtel Cast, SingTel TV Go and TVB Anywhere+.

Just for security reasons, most users should go for unrooted box or at least those boxes which has the root switch. So this excludes most of the generic boxes, including all my rooted boxes, including the Tanix TX5 Max I have recommended.

Beelink GT1 Mini is said to have root switch. So does the lower end Tanix TX3 Max and TX3 Mini. Not so sure if SingTel TV Go and SingTel Cast work on them or not though.
 
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xiaofan

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Thanks for the advice. Now I only have one box without proper app to grant the root access, Tanix TX6, which runs Android 9.0 and seems to be a problematic but popular box due to higher spec and low cost.
https://forum.freaktab.com/forum/tv...-box-allwinner-h6-4-32gb-dual-wifi-bt4-1-or-5

I was hopping that Tanix TX6 as a good replacement for Tanix TX3 Max and TX3 Mini since the cost is only a bit higher but the performance should be quite a bit better. But then there is this thermal issue which makes me hesitant to recommend the box.

The box runs pretty smooth and 5GHz wifi performance is not bad. Just that I will recommend to run it with a fan to blow the wind from the side.

The root thingy is another concern now that I got more first hand experiences.

The other thing is that Tanix TX6 has too many variants, other than the OEM version (no Tanix logo) vs Tanix official version (with Tanix logo), there are other variants as well.

Tanix TX6 4GB/32GB, dual band WiFi, official version at US$45
https://m.gearbest.com/tv-box/pp_009531895270.html?wid=1433363

Tanix TX6 4GB/64GB, dual band wifi, official version at US$50
https://m.gearbest.com/tv-box/pp_009520485352.html?wid=1433363

Tanix TX6-A, 2GB/16GB version, 2.4GHz wifi only, official version at US$29
https://m.gearbest.com/tv-box/pp_009570088170.html?wid=1433363

Gearbest is selling this 2GB/16GB low cost variant cheaper than the lower spec Tanix TX3 Mini (US$29.77) and TX3 Max (US$31).

TX6-P, 2GB/16GB, 2.4GHz Wifi only, seems to be an OEM version of TX6-A.
 
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xiaofan

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So going back to the box recommendations, for most users, it is better to stick to boxes like Mi Box S which is officially certified by Google, not rooted, runs streaming apps well, Netflix 4k supported, supports Chromecast 4K, supports Google Assistant, runs apps like Singtel Cast, SingTel TV Go and TVB Anywhere+.

Just for security reasons, most users should go for unrooted box or at least those boxes which has the root switch. So this excludes most of the generic boxes, including all my rooted boxes, including the Tanix TX5 Max I have recommended.

As I mentioned before, there are popular unrooted boxes like the following.

1) Official Android TV OS device with Netflix certification to run Netflix at 4K, most users should go for this option

Mi Box S (MDZ-22-AB) and it's older generation counterpart Mi Box Global version (MDZ-16-AB)

Nvidia Shield TV and Nvidia Shield TV Pro

2) Official Android TV OS device without Netflix certification, not able to run Netflix HD. Starhub box is only good for Starhub Go users. Mecool boxes are a bit difficult to recommend because of mixed reviews.

Starhub Go Streaming Box
Mecool KM3, S905X2 CPU, 4GB/64GB
Mecool KM9 Pro, S905X2 CPU, 4GB/32GB
Mecool KM8, S905X CPU

3) Generic unrooted box
a) Minix NEO U9-H, Minix NEO U1

b) Zidoo boxes come with no root out of the box but they provide a root guide.
https://www.zidoo.tv/Support/guide/guide_target/b7ywTwiBwahKKmVViAFMcQ==.html

For rooted boxes, there are boxes with root switch.
a) Beelink GT1 Mini
b) Tanix TX3 Mini, TX3 Max, TX92, TX9 Pro, etc

Then for some rooted box, it is possible to unroot with apps like SuperSU.

There are benefits of rooted boxes for some power users, it is better to have a root manager app to grant or deny root access. Many generic boxes do not have such app and silently grant root access right, which is a security concern. You can try SuperSU but not update su binary.
 
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mankind66

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r3r7DFJ.jpg

 

xiaofan

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Beelink GT-King S922x now available at SG$150

Reviews on the way.
https://youtu.be/FEIjeb-H6HQ

The above review compares it with Nvidia Shield TV and you will know the result— NVidia Shield TV beats it comfortably, especially on the GPU front there is no fight.

On the other hand, NVidia Shield TV (US$170 on Amazon without Game Controller and US$190 with Game controller ) is still like 50% more expensive than Beelink GT-King (US$119) from Gearbest (usual price US$130).
https://m.gearbest.com/tv-box/pp_009608757058.html

The price will probably drop along the way. Previously for RK3399, only a few boxes are using it and the price is still high. Hopefully there will be more vendors joining the S922X side and the price will go down to around S$100 to S$120.

Still this is a niche product and most of the people will not need this, just like the RK3399 based boxes.

Potentially RK3399 Box will come down in price first, for example Magicsee N6 Max is now at US$100 for the 4GB/32GB configuration from Gearbest (usual price US$119.5).
https://m.gearbest.com/tv-box/pp_009237496768.html?wid=1433363
 
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xiaofan

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SuperSu works for the X96 Mini, R69 RK3229 box and H96 Pro+, all running Android 7.1, in terms of being able to manage the app root access. SuperSu will prompt the binary upgrade and need to choose no in order not to brick the box.

The other box which has already SuperUser app (not SuperSU) installed to manage root access is the H96 Max+ RK3328 box running Android 7.1.

Today I tried again SuperSu full unroot on the two H96 boxes.

For H96 Pro+ Amlogic S912 Android 7.1 box (3GB/32GB configuration), it is a success. ES File Explorer, Aida64 and CPU-Z all report no root. Just like Tanix TX5 Max. And it is the same for SingTel TV Go and SingTel Cast. They still refuse to run. So no point trying already for these two apps. Mi Box S is the best option to run them as both can be installed on Mi Box S. I do have Chromecast dingle which the two apps support as well.

For H96 Max+, SuperSu reports Su binary occupied and full unroot does not work but it does not brick the box either.

So now I got two boxes unrooted using SuperSU, two boxes have SuperSu managing root access and one box has SuperUser managing root access. Only Tanix TX6 has no proper app managing the root access.

The junk China mobile OTT box comes not rooted. It has no Google Play Store, runs old Android 4.4 and only has 1GB RAM, I am not really using it but rather just want to check how a repurposed low end telecom operator box can be useful or not -- it is indeed can be useful with the decent S905L CPU, fast dual band wifi and no Google service.
 

xiaofan

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For H96 Max+, SuperSu reports Su binary occupied and full unroot does not work but it does not brick the box either.

So now I got two boxes unrooted using SuperSU, two boxes have SuperSu managing root access and one box has SuperUser managing root access. Only Tanix TX6 has no proper app managing the root access.

For Tanix TX6, I used Es File Explorer (root explorer function to mount the system partition as Read/Write) to try again to manually delete the su binary and this time it seems to be successful.

SuperSu, Es File Explorer, CPU-Z all report the box is not rooted, as well as two root checker apps from Google Play Store. But AIDA still report root. Strange. I tend to think this may be an AIDA issue.

For H96 Max Plus, I tried again SuperSU full unroot again and remove the system superuser.apk which I forgot to backup (looks like not the same version as phh superuser). Now I have a bit of problem. I used ES File Explorer to remove the su binary in two locations but one location it seems to come back again. And ES File Explorer now says the box is unrooted but other tools report mixed results. Probably I will flash the stock firmware again and back up the system before next experiment.

All in all, looks like either SuperSU and manually delete will work. But please only try with boxes you have access to firmware only.
 

TheSnail

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Forget to mention that you can update the big icon on Alice UX as well. Use direction button on the remote to navigate to the big icon you want to change, press the menu icon (the icon above "2", with 3 lines, in between home button and return button), then you are able to select any app you like.


Many thanks for that.

Note, once changed cannot change back to AliceUX as the app is not in the drawer. Don't think it's a big problem as other apps carry out the functions.

It is a pity I cannot add an extra row, or two, since there is space on the UI.

I think my SH router WiFi might be too slow at providing a good stream, some video works and some stall despite 20MB buffer. This is the next thing for me to work on as I don't have a long enough LAN cable to compare.
 

xiaofan

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Many thanks for that.

Note, once changed cannot change back to AliceUX as the app is not in the drawer. Don't think it's a big problem as other apps carry out the functions.

It is a pity I cannot add an extra row, or two, since there is space on the UI.

I think my SH router WiFi might be too slow at providing a good stream, some video works and some stall despite 20MB buffer. This is the next thing for me to work on as I don't have a long enough LAN cable to compare.

By default the Alice UX icon points to Kodi. By the way, better remove the vendor installed Kodi and then install the official version from Google Play Store.

As for streaming, it depends on the app as well. TX5 Max has very good wifi. You can run speed test to see if the speed is okay or not. If the speed test is okay but your app is lagging, it is the problem with the app.
 
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