Zidoo Z9X 8K Android Media Player King Of TV Boxes 2024
What’s up friends, and welcome back to another new and exciting Android TV box review. So these days when it comes to high-performance boxes, we usually hear about brands such as Nvidia Shield, UGOOS, and Beelink. We have already seen the high-end model from UGOOS for 2024 the SK1, and I’ve already rated it as the best Android box for the year. Well, that is until the Zidoo appeared out of nowhere and released this bombshell model, joining the conversation about who is the best for 2024. Introducing the Zidoo Z9X 8K Amlogic S928X-K penta-core Blu-ray Android TV box.
So we have already seen Zidoo’s capacity to produce high-end boxes, but they were usually built on the Realtek chipset. In this model, they made a switch to the Amlogic S928X-K which we have already seen in the SK1. So if you are a hardware enthusiast, let’s see who reigns supreme as the King of Android boxes for 2024. My full review begins right after this. So let’s get started. So the contents of this package though similar to most boxes are slightly different. So for standard contents, you have the box itself and this is the new Z9X 8K model. A Zidoo V11 model infrared remote,
with IR learning. You get a very high-quality HDMI cable. Unusual in this package is one SATA cable for connecting external hard drives and SSDs. A 12V 2A 24W DC power supply. A manual for the remote, and this is the V 11 model so it does not feature Bluetooth. A warranty card, and a QuickStart guide. For design, Zidoo has maintained its standard using an aluminum body, and on its surface, you have a list of all its premium features. And these include 8K resolution. HDR10+. DTS audio.
Dolby vision. And Dolby Audio. For Connecting peripherals, at the back. It has one HDMI 2.1 port. One a gigabit LAN port. A reset button. One USB 3.0 port.
One 3.5 mm audio output socket. One optical audio port. An on off switch. And you have two WIFI6 antennas. To its left you have a pair of USB 3.0 ports. And its SATA connector for connecting to external hard drives and SSDs. And to its right you have two USB 2.0 ports, and an RS232 connector. At the front you have an LED display.
And to its base has four antiskid rubber feet with lots of ventilation holes. Zidoo is one of the few manufacturers with their own custom-designed user interface, alongside brands such as Tanix and BuzzTV. So the first startup features a wizard that you can skip and go straight to the launcher and return to it using the shortcut in the apps section. Once completed it will not reappear after restarting. So this is their latest launcher called ZIUI Cancer which indicates that this could be their third version. It features a horizontal bar for its main
icons that cannot be changed, and if you scroll down you will access its shortcut section where you can add numerous shortcuts and scroll through them. Back to the top, you have a date and time widget along with a weather widget. You also have the option to change its wallpaper, but the wallpaper only applies to the shortcut section and its apps section. The launcher was built using Android TV OS so it does not feature a navigation bar or status bar with system controls. Please note! When you connect to the Internet you will be prompted to update the firmware. However, this latest version does not include the Google play store or play services.
If you would like the firmware that includes the Google play store Zidoo provides what they call a G-version that you can download from their website and update via USB. So once you complete this firmware update using the G version you will then get access to the Google play store and Google play services. So ZIUI’s settings area looks quite different from your standard Android settings area, but you need not to worry because it’s the same settings just in a different layout, and it’s designed to be user-friendly with a direction pad and okay button. So under its about information, it shows here that its operating system is Android 11 and its firmware version. If you would like to access the default Android settings area you
simply click on advanced settings, however, it’s missing all hardware settings such as display and audio. For those settings, you will find them in the ZIUI interface. So this interface has a lot of unique firmware features and they are out to give brands such as UGOOS and TOX a run for their money. So bear with me as I do a walk-through of all these features. So the first menu is called playback. This section pertains to the playback of
self-hosted videos and Blu-ray formatted videos. You have auto framerate switching options. You have bookmarking options to determine if you already watched video, and can remember where you paused to resume watching. You have subtitle and audio default settings so you wouldn’t have to set them each time you watch a new video. You have function keys where you can change each key assigned to special function for video playback. You have play mode options. You can enable or disable Forced subtitles. You can select your Blu-ray region to be compatible with your Blu-ray disc or Blu-ray files.
And it has a digital signage mode this is to set a video playlist to begin playing as soon as you turn on the box. And you have the option to set your desired playlist. Under display you have up to 8K resolution. However, I am yet to own an 8K TV, so when my TV is connected it only detects up to 4K 2160p up to 60 Hz. Under color settings here you have options for 8K color gamut, and the option to enable enhanced color format to facilitate 8K displays. Under HDR settings you can set the user interface to display in HDR or SDR, and separately, you have auto HDR for video playback, and the option to set various formats such as HDR10, HDR10 plus, HLG, and Dolby Vision always on. It comes with an EDID feature for proper compatibility when connecting to Blu-ray drives via its SATA port. You can also set a custom EDID. However,
that option is recommended for professionals so leave it alone unless you know what you are doing. For display adjustments, you have screen scale adjustments. And custom color adjustments. It comes with an advanced AI image and video upscaling feature. Now this is not just an on-off switch. You have AI video and image enhancement, where you can set the level of the enhancement, and whether you would like to display an overlay in the top left corner.
You also have AI super-resolution feature. This enhances the display of connected devices such as Blu-ray players, cable TV, and optical disc, for an enhanced 4K viewing experience. You can select its super-resolution level, as well as display its status via an overlay in the top right corner. It comes with an HDCP switch, and this is essential if you intend to connect official devices such as Blu-ray players that use HDCP protection. You can set the resolution of the user interface between 1080p and 4K. This is another important feature if the UI appears too small when connected to 4K or 8K TVs, you can set it to 1080p for better viewing. Or you can set it to 4K for higher resolution, and it also allows
you to view YouTube in true 4K resolution, without being cropped into a 1080p frame. You have screensaver options. And the option to change its wallpaper from three preloaded images, or you can upload your custom wallpaper. Under audio. You can select your audio source input between HDMI,
optical audio, and analog audio via its 3.5 mm headphone jack Under HDMI setting, they give you the option to select weather to allow the box to choose the audio output decoder automatically, or you can manually select LPCM 2 channel, or RAW format. You can enable downmixing to play videos on TVs that don’t support highly compressed formats such as DTS HD-MA and TrueHD. You can downmix them to basic DTS or AC3 plus.
You have an audio delay playback to allow AV receivers to detect the correct audio format when switching between videos. You have volume level protection. You can set a volume limit. And you can enable audio passthrough. Under optical audio setting you have similar features such as the option to select its output decoding format. An interesting feature under optical audio is its
ability to play DSD audio format which is an audio format that’s quite difficult to play. However, you have the option here to convert DSD format to PCM and DSD over PCM. And I will play a DSD audio file file during media segment. You can control the max sample rate output. You can control and delay the optical output to prevent a popping sound when connecting the optical cable. You have volume-level protection.
Max volume limiting. An audio passthrough. You have USB audio output with similar audio options for DSD, delay playback, and volume protection. And you can play Apple formatted audio also. Under network. You have your Wi-Fi settings. Ethernet LAN option to enable auto DHCP. You can select whether you would the LAN port lights behind the box on or off. You have your Bluetooth settings. SAMBA server option.
And you have the option to use the box as a Wi-Fi hotspot. Under the last menu labeled other. You can change the language from 52 various languages. You have HDMI CEC options. You have power startup and standby options. You have sleep timer options.
Front panel LED display settings. You can switch your default keyboard. Date and time options. Settings for the weather widget. Firmware update options. Firmware reset options.
You can enable error logs. And its about information. In this about section you have advance settings where you can access the legacy Android settings area. You can enable developer options but there is no menu for it. However you can simply install a developer option app from the play store and you can gain access. Missing from these options are Built-in screen rotation to portrait mode, and a root switch. However Zidoo provided root access via their special app called one key root.
Though I have not seen the version available for this is Z9X 8K model. So that’s its firmware features, So with the shift to the Amlogic S928X-K, it’s now right up there with brands such as UGOOS and TOX in terms of features. So this is what its apps section looks like and have already installed some benchmarking apps and other apps of my own, but apps to take note of are: An APK installer for sideloading of APKs. A CD application. This is the app that
plays physical Blu-ray and DVDs from drives connected to its SATA port via its SATA cable. You have an advanced Clear Manager that features a task killer, a cache cleaner, an app uninstaller, and an app launch manager. It has a control center app for using your mobile phone as a remote control for the box. For managing and playing different types of
media it comes with a Home Theater app, an Image Player, a Media Center, and a Music player app. The last app to take note of is the shortcut keys app. However, this app pertains to the V12 model and not the V11 model as it does not have colored shortcut keys. Let’s have a look at its system and hardware information.
So it’s an Amlogic chipset, and it runs on 6 GB of DDR4 RAM, and 64 GB of eMMc internal storage. According to its product description, its Bluetooth version is 5.2. Its CPU as already mentioned, is the Penta core Amlogic S928X-K processor, consisting of a quad-core cortex A55 clocked at 2.0 GHz, and a single-core cortex A76 clocked at 1.89 GHz, with a maximum CPU clock speed of 2.0 GHz configured in 32-bit mode. So yet again we are disappointed that 64-bit is not being made available for us users. Its display and graphics are powered by the Mali
G57 MC2 GPU with Open GL ES version 3.2. Its Wi-Fi six adapter provides dual-band 2.4GHz + 5 GHz Wi-Fi. Its Android TV OS version is Android 11 and it’s currently it’s not rooted. Under devices shows that is GPU has Vulkan support API version one point one. Under temperature, it shows that its SOC has an idle operating temperature of 45°C. Under codecs, it has the full range of decoders
for the playback of 4K HDR, HLG, AV1, Dolby Vision videos, and surround audio decoders such as Dolby Atmos EAC3, Dolby Audio EAC3-JOC, AC4, and DTS HD. And that’s its system and hardware information. Moving on to its ability to play movie streaming services such as Netflix, Disney Plus, Prime Video, and Max. The DRM information shows that it has Google Widevine level one with the highest level currently of HDCP protection which is HDCP 2.3. It does not have an official Netflix ESN license but with a modified version of the app, you can get at least HD 1080p with this Widevine level and DRM protection and of course with your paid HD subscription. Along with this DRM level its firmware is
not rooted as shown here by the root checker app. I have contacted Zidoo about the option of root access, and they indicated that they are not allowing root access for this model due to the DRM level. So even though it does not have an official Netflix ESN, due to its Google Widevine level one with HDCP 2.3 HDMI signal encryption, with your paid HD subscription, you can play movies up HD 1080p resolution only, with a special version of the app. If you can’t find this special version, send me an email at tvboxstop@gmail.com and I'll be happy to share it with you.
As mentioned this is the V 11 remote and it works via infrared. It has some IR learning keys and backlit function. But it does not feature Bluetooth. For Bluetooth function you will have to request the V 12 model. However as an alternative It comes with a mobile remote-control app that you simply scan the QR code on the screen to install the app .
What is surprising about this app is that instead of giving you a direction pad and keyboard, touchpad feature, or gamepad option the app gives you the whole ZIUI interface on your phone. And whatever you do on your phone executes on your display. It was a bit confusing at first but once you understand it it’s quite advanced. If you click the cast button, you will get Moving on to watching YouTube videos. As mentioned you can set its UI resolution to 4K and this will allow you to watch YouTube videos in 4K 2160p resolution with HDR without being cropped into a 1080p frame. Here in the stats for nerds information, it shows the resolution and the viewport as being 2160p.
What makes the Z9X stand out from the rest is its ability to play original Blu-ray CDs or DVDs connected via its SATA port. So if you have a Blu-ray player that uses a SATA connection like those you use on your desktop PCs or laptops you can connect them directly to the box and play your Blu-ray CDs. This SATA port can also be used to connect external hard drives, SSDs, CD players, and other storage devices that has a SATA connection.
If you recorded a high-quality video with your DSLR or high-end mobile phone, and you would like to convert them into Blu-ray or DVD format, you can do so and play them with full menus on this box. Here is a demonstration of one of my YouTube videos that I converted into Blu-ray format. The menu player gives you all Blu-ray functions such as chapters.
Audio and the language switching options. And Subtitles in various languages. So Zidoo with their Z9X Pro and Z9X 8K models are the only two boxes on the market currently that have this Blu-ray capability, which puts them one step ahead of the competition. So that was Blu-ray. I’ll now test its 4K HDR10, HDR10+, AV1, HLG,
and Dolby Vision video playback capabilities. If your TV does not have an overlay feature to show which format is being played the ZIUI interface has that feature built in so it, and it helps to confirm the file format being played. However, if your TV does not support a particular format it will not be displayed. So this is HDR10. If you press the info button on the remote here it overlays its video details. This overlay is a cool impressive feature.
It comes with the AV1 decoder and it displays as HDR10 for this video. If you press the info button here it shows the video format is AV1. This is a Dolby Vision video but it does not have surround sound audio. If you press the info button on the remote, here it shows the audio as AAC 2.0. Here is another Dolby Vision video but this one is encoded with Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital plus. This is an HDR10+ video, but my TV does not have that decoder. However in the advanced audio settings, you can set Dolby Vision to override the role of HDR10+ as it’s a higher format, but it also indicates that the video is HDR10 plus by pressing info button. It
also shows the audio as Dolby Digital. And by final video is an HLG formatted video and it triggers the feature on my TV. So as you can see Zidoo and ZIUI are one step ahead of the competition with video playback with included decoders as well as an overly feature for hardware enthusiasts to confirm their various formats. So after seeing it play all those amazing video formats, there is no doubt that it can also play all surround sound audio.
So here it’s connected to my 7.1 AV receiver using HDMI passthrough configuration, with audio passthrough disabled in the audio settings area. So here in this video, it can play Dolby Atmos. Next, it plays Dolby Digital+.
For DTS audio it can play DTS HD Master audio. From Dolby Vision videos it plays Dolby Surround. It can play the highest form of Dolby audio which is Dolby TrueHD. And it can play DTS X. As promised, I would show that it can play DSD audio but unfortunately, my AV receiver cannot process that are difficult format, and displays PCM. So if you have a DSD receiver, it would be fully compatible with this box. So I switch to optical audio and just to see what format you can get.
And the myth around optical audio is confirmed. You can get Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital plus, and Dolby surround only. You don’t get DTS HD Master audio but DTS neural X, you don’t get a Dolby TrueHD but Dolby Digital, and you don’t get DTS X but DTS neural X. This is over optical audio I am referring to. Well, everything looked great up to this point, well that is until I tried installing my favorite Android games.
The Play Store which is the Android TV version is very limited in what you can install when it comes to Android games. You can sideload a lot of games, but many of them that are not compatible. Those that manage to install play well on the highest graphics settings without overheating, as temperatures maintain within the 60s. If Zidoo wants to compete with models such as the SK1, they would need to update the Google Play Store and play services also, because some games are not accessing my Google Play Games account. Let’s take a look at its benchmarks and where it ranks on my TV Box rankings chart.
First the benchmarks of its RAM copy speed and its internal storage. Its 6GB of DDR4 RAM has a RAM transfer speed of 17,149 MB/s. Its 64 GB of internal storage has a read speed of 158 MB/s, and a write speed of 149. In benchmarking the speed of its dual Wi-Fi 6 bands and its Ethernet LAN port I was really impressed with the performance of its network adapter. I’m currently running a 315 Mbps network via a Wi-Fi 6 router, and from my testing, the results show that its 5 GHz band and its gigabit ethernet LAN port maxed out the speed of my network. What was even more impressive was its 2.4 GHz band maxed out at around 199 Mbps. So it has excellent Wi-Fi and ethernet LAN transmission.
Benchmarking its CPU’s single core and multicore threading performance, the Geekbench 5 CPU benchmark delivered a score of 409 single core, and 754 multicore. Benchmarking its Mali G57 GPU with Vulkan support produced a 3DMark wildlife test score 980 with an average fps of 5.90. And my last benchmark is the comprehensive Antutu benchmark and it produced a score of 286,912. So let’s now see where it ranks of my chart. So I’ve entered the Z9X 8K into my rankings chart and based on its Antutu benchmark it ranks at position 7 at the time of recording this video which is right below the SK1 and the AM8. So for those looking for the best Android boxes to buy you can use this chart, and based on their price, rank, and unique firmware features, you can determine which box is right for you.
So to view this chart see the link in the description below is this video. In summary, Zidoo has diffidently joined the conversation as to which is the best Android box for 2024. Despite having most of the features seen in the UGOOS SK1, no other box on the market, not even the Nvidia Shield has Blu-ray and Dolby Vision playback capabilities for original Blu-ray discs, and self-hosted 4K Dolby Vision video files, and Blu-ray file format. No other box on the market can connect to SATA external drives, DVD drives, and Blu-ray drives and power them directly. They provided Google Widevine level one with HDCP 2.3 protection so you can get Netflix in HD via a special Netflix app,
but in doing so suffered a trade-off for some features you can only get on the mobile version. And with that said, the question remains. Is the Zidoo Z9X 8K the best Android box for 2024? I am asking this in a direct comparison to the UGOOS SK1 and the UGOOS AM8. It’s really
difficult to choose at this point until I get another firmware update from Zidoo. What are your thoughts? Leave them in the comments section below. However, if you have seen enough and Z9X 8K surpasses your expectations with its awesome Blu-ray video playback capabilities and ZIUI interface, then it’s currently being sold on Amazon for $279 at the point of making this video. So if you are interested see the link in the description below while stocks last. As usual these links are affiliate links, and when you use them, I earn a small commission on your purchase so thanks in advance for using my links.
Special thanks to Zidoo for sending their latest 8K model for review. If you enjoyed the video give it the thumbs up to show your support and it also helps a whole lot with the search engine rankings. If you are new to my channel don’t forget to like and subscribe before leaving to be notified about open box deals, new video releases, and giveaways. Thanks for taking the time out of
your busy schedule to watch is video stay connected and see you in the next one.
2024-09-10 23:35
