Wilco Posted January 14 Posted January 14 On 13/01/2025 at 9:24 AM, xPLAYRZx said: After a few days of testing the Z3000 Pro (firmware V1.2.01) with various movies, I encountered some of the reported issues, and two in particular stand out: Video Freezing While Audio Continues: Occasionally, the video freezes while the audio keeps playing. Skipping forward or backward resolves the issue, but it's quite disruptive and pulls you out of the movie experience. Random HDMI Re-syncs: The device intermittently triggers an HDMI handshake for no apparent reason. This causes the screen to go blank for several seconds before re-syncing, which is very disruptive. These issues are deal breakers for me. I use my Zidoo players solely for movie playback, and if it can't handle that reliably, it defeats the purpose. I've tested the same media on other Zidoo models and alternative players without encountering these problems, so I can confidently rule out file or network issues. Most of my media is in BDMV format, with some ISO and MKV files, and these problems occur across all formats so far. For now, I'll be waiting on a firmware update to address these issues before considering the Z3000 Pro as a permanent part of my setup. It's disappointing, to say the least. Expand Bummer. I am yet to open mine lol. What are the return options, if any?
xPLAYRZx Posted January 15 Posted January 15 On 14/01/2025 at 9:10 AM, Wilco said: Bummer. I am yet to open mine lol. What are the return options, if any? Expand I’ll wait a bit before deciding whether to return or sell the device as I'm hopeful for a firmware fix. Honestly, I’m not surprised by the issues, just disappointed. It’s frustrating to accept that many tech products follow a "fail forward" approach, where manufacturers release them with known issues, driven by time-to-market pressures, product complexity, cost-cutting, or leveraging post-release feedback and updates (essentially using customers as beta testers), which ultimately results in a poor customer experience. In my experience, Zidoo is one of those companies. These media players are quite niche, and none of the options - Zidoo, Dune or Zapitti R_Volution have perfected their products. No matter which one you choose, you'll encounter some issues, and I hate that this is the reality. On the bright side, I was able to watch two full movies without any issues—hooray! The player also feels noticeably faster with load times and navigation, which is a nice bonus.
Kaynin Posted January 16 Posted January 16 On 13/01/2025 at 9:24 AM, xPLAYRZx said: After a few days of testing the Z3000 Pro (firmware V1.2.01) with various movies, I encountered some of the reported issues, and two in particular stand out: Video Freezing While Audio Continues: Occasionally, the video freezes while the audio keeps playing. Skipping forward or backward resolves the issue, but it's quite disruptive and pulls you out of the movie experience. Random HDMI Re-syncs: The device intermittently triggers an HDMI handshake for no apparent reason. This causes the screen to go blank for several seconds before re-syncing, which is very disruptive. These issues are deal breakers for me. I use my Zidoo players solely for movie playback, and if it can't handle that reliably, it defeats the purpose. I've tested the same media on other Zidoo models and alternative players without encountering these problems, so I can confidently rule out file or network issues. Most of my media is in BDMV format, with some ISO and MKV files, and these problems occur across all formats so far. For now, I'll be waiting on a firmware update to address these issues before considering the Z3000 Pro as a permanent part of my setup. It's disappointing, to say the least. Expand Yep, they're deal breakers for me too. Just far too annoying to tolerate. Keep us updated if the problems get sorted but, in reality, shouldn't be present in the first place. 2
Administrator StereoNET Posted January 16 Administrator Posted January 16 I've found Zidoo very responsive in firmware fixes and bugs in the past. Fingers crossed its resolved promptly. 1
Guest Posted January 16 Posted January 16 On 15/01/2025 at 6:04 AM, xPLAYRZx said: No matter which one you choose, you'll encounter some issues, and I hate that this is the reality. Expand Given the complexity of these products, and ever evolving requirements due to changes in technology, there will NEVER be a glitch free unit. There is always a previous generation unit with most of the glitches ironed out, but many people want the latest, greatest... Rather than venting here, you are more likely to get the Zidoo developers attention on their forum.
RCADees Posted January 16 Posted January 16 On 13/01/2025 at 9:24 AM, xPLAYRZx said: After a few days of testing the Z3000 Pro (firmware V1.2.01) with various movies, I encountered some of the reported issues, and two in particular stand out: Video Freezing While Audio Continues: Occasionally, the video freezes while the audio keeps playing. Skipping forward or backward resolves the issue, but it's quite disruptive and pulls you out of the movie experience. Random HDMI Re-syncs: The device intermittently triggers an HDMI handshake for no apparent reason. This causes the screen to go blank for several seconds before re-syncing, which is very disruptive. These issues are deal breakers for me. I use my Zidoo players solely for movie playback, and if it can't handle that reliably, it defeats the purpose. I've tested the same media on other Zidoo models and alternative players without encountering these problems, so I can confidently rule out file or network issues. Most of my media is in BDMV format, with some ISO and MKV files, and these problems occur across all formats so far. For now, I'll be waiting on a firmware update to address these issues before considering the Z3000 Pro as a permanent part of my setup. It's disappointing, to say the least. Expand Very unfortunate but it seems this is the way of the Zidoo. I got the Z9X early last year which after about 6 months simply died. Then I got it replaced under warranty and for a few extra dollars for the Z9X Pro. It had been working flawlessly with 4 HDDs attached to it. I couldn't believe my luck! No issues! is this really possible? It never got as hot as the previous one and was definitely faster. A new software update was released. Ohhhh stupid me, trusting Zidoo with their software. I got the prompt so went ahead and updated, what can go wrong right? Surely they test these things before they get released. I mean, it is not the first machine that Zidoo releases and they have now been in business for a number of years right? Well, the next thing that happened was that it would not read all of the drives. Is like some of the HDDs were never there. Plus another couple of annoying little things. Nothing had changed in the set up, only the updated software version. I posted in the Zidoo forum for help. I was given various tests and things to change etc, etc, etc. And the Zidoo forum masters did not believe me either. I was getting the run around. The software version was the only thing that had changed. But I was pushed back, I was told to fiddle with the cables (which I did ), I was told to power the HDDs separately (which I did and bought a powered USB device) etc, etc, etc. And do this, and do that, and try this and try that. Have you turn it on and off? But nothing fixed it. What a waste of time and effort. I felt my life was slipping through my fingers... and fast. What is it that Einstein said the definition of insanity is?: "Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result". So I continued with my logic that the only thing that had changed was the software version and to fix it the original version would need to be installed. But the machine would not let me downgrade the version. I pushed the point with the shop and the Zidoo forum of returning the machine back to the previous software version as per my logic. So I went back to the retailer and pushed the point. Once again I was received with skepticism and a bit of disdain and they did not think this was the issue. They agreed for me to leave it with them as they would contact Zidoo head quarters for advice as surely, it couldn't be the software. Finally they agreed to revert it back to the original software version. Two weeks later they did it and all of those issues had disappeared. Problem fixed, but all up, it took about 4 weeks without a lot of movies. Luckily I still have all my blu ray and 4k discs which never fail. This episode made me reconsider and stock up on those movies I really like and invest in an extra player to do this. So I bought a Panasonic DP-UP9000. It is sad that after so many generations of these machines, they still seem to be so far away from ideal. Generation after generation it is always the same deal, the software, the glitches. By the time the glitches are minimized a new Zidoo version is released. Then the cycle starts all over again. New machine, new glitches. My Zidoo Z9X Pro is handy, but I don't feel that I can rely on it for this serious movie business. So every time I am near it, I hold my breath, walk in tippy toes and don't even whisper a word.... just in case.
Administrator StereoNET Posted January 16 Administrator Posted January 16 My brand new Mercedes has been back to Merc for safety recalls (software revisions) and software updates 3 times in as many months. Not a single piece of hardware involved - all software related (which oddly, they can't seem to do OTA despite 'net connectivity, but that might be a good thing). Point is, it's not just Zidoo with bugs. Everything these days is released before being ready. I get it. Each revision of our forum software (and custom written Classifieds plugin) is extensively tested on a seperate server (exact same configuration), but until we release it here, only then do we find situations that just couldn't be replicated in testing with a small group of people.
xPLAYRZx Posted January 16 Posted January 16 On 16/01/2025 at 4:09 AM, Snoopy8 said: Rather than venting here, you are more likely to get the Zidoo developers attention on their forum. Expand The issues I've encountered have been noted on the Zidoo forums, and I’m confident they’ll be resolved in a future update. However, this doesn’t excuse Zidoo or any other manufacturer from releasing under-cooked products. These aren’t niche problems or obscure feature glitches—we’re talking about a movie player that can’t even play movies properly! Now, imagine this kind of product being sold at major retailers. Would this be tolerated? Absolutely f@#$ing not. The fact that this isn’t a mainstream product doesn’t lower my expectations for a well-tested, polished product. The approach many hi-fi and tech companies are taking is incredibly frustrating for customers. Admittedly, I contribute to the problem by continuing to buy and use the products. What really makes things worse is the cumulative effect of having a room full of "high-end" products, all with the promise of "it'll be fixed in the next update." That gets old very quickly. RCADees' comment below also captures the shared frustration. On 16/01/2025 at 7:33 AM, RCADees said: It is sad that after so many generations of these machines, they still seem to be so far away from ideal. Generation after generation it is always the same deal, the software, the glitches. By the time the glitches are minimized a new Zidoo version is released. Then the cycle starts all over again. New machine, new glitches. Expand I think it was @Wilco that asked earlier if the new players were performing well. The answer is no, no they're not working well.... at least not yet. 1
RCADees Posted January 16 Posted January 16 On 16/01/2025 at 9:23 AM, xPLAYRZx said: this doesn’t excuse Zidoo or any other manufacturer from releasing under-cooked products. These aren’t niche problems or obscure feature glitches—we’re talking about a movie player that can’t even play movies properly! Expand And this is why Zidoo and many others will continue to remain in the obscure side of things. Some of these players are worth thousands and thousands. Surely they should work properly? It seems like these are machines that are design for the person who has lots of time and patience in their hands and buys not as a movie player, but as a project player. A bit like buying a model plane to glue and put together over a number of months so that one day it can fly for a short period of time until the new model comes out. But without the annoying software.
Administrator StereoNET Posted January 16 Administrator Posted January 16 I'm just going to put this out there. Given the vast majority of these devices don't run native Android operating systems, more often than not do not come with Play Store natively installed (requiring a workaround to install the Play Store), and are therefore considered devices to play local media (99.9% of the time that will involve torrents or illegally sourced content), as opposed to being used for streaming services (which they just not do well), is it by design that these product fly under the radar? Is this the reason they don't go mainstream and are not stocked by more prominent retail outlets? I don't know. I'm just trying to think bigger picture here. Yes, we understand they can play BD-back ups and home movies. But we all know who the typical customer is and what they are using it for. I recall a hardware manufacturer was shut down/sued in recent years due to the device's ability to access illegal content. Can't remember much of the details now.
betty boop Posted January 16 Posted January 16 On 16/01/2025 at 9:23 AM, xPLAYRZx said: The issues I've encountered have been noted on the Zidoo forums, and I’m confident they’ll be resolved in a future update. However, this doesn’t excuse Zidoo or any other manufacturer from releasing under-cooked products. These aren’t niche problems or obscure feature glitches—we’re talking about a movie player that can’t even play movies properly! Expand xPLAYRZx... i applaud you for not putting up with the sh!t of under cooked products that manufacturers push out half baked .. this sh!ts me no end ... the good news is there are makers that dont subject their owners to having to be fully paid up beta testers ! as a note i found the same with the ever solo a8 (made by same company as zidoo) .... and its not like i bought it straight on release.. i bought fair while down the track, if read the owners thread will see as soon as i got it i was spotting issues left right and centre ? why ? especially when so easy to spot ? why so long after release where these issues still there ? why weren't reviews of the device pointing out these issues..why does the owner base and user base put up with this kind of thing ? why do reviewers not call it out ? it took an update or two and it is stable now.. which is good... hopefully zidoo gets there... we shouldn't put up with stuff like this not when costs thousands ! none of this stuff is cheap... the more we accept the more makers and manufacturers think its ok to bung stuff like this out.. when it is not ok ! 1 1
xPLAYRZx Posted January 17 Posted January 17 On 16/01/2025 at 9:14 PM, StereoNET said: I'm just going to put this out there. Given the vast majority of these devices don't run native Android operating systems, more often than not do not come with Play Store natively installed (requiring a workaround to install the Play Store), and are therefore considered devices to play local media (99.9% of the time that will involve torrents or illegally sourced content), as opposed to being used for streaming services (which they just not do well), is it by design that these product fly under the radar? Is this the reason they don't go mainstream and are not stocked by more prominent retail outlets? I don't know. I'm just trying to think bigger picture here. Yes, we understand they can play BD-back ups and home movies. But we all know who the typical customer is and what they are using it for. I recall a hardware manufacturer was shut down/sued in recent years due to the device's ability to access illegal content. Can't remember much of the details now. Expand I don't believe these devices are intentionally designed to stay under the radar. After all, who wouldn't want to sell more products? I suspect the lack of the Play Store and supported streaming apps stems from the certification requirements and associated costs of Google Mobile Services (GMS). While I'm not familiar with the specifics of GMS agreements, I do know that devices must meet certain performance, security, and user experience standards. Combine that with the likely hefty fees Google charges, and it’s easy to see how this could quickly become unfeasible or too complex for some manufacturers. I agree that many users of these devices may not be sourcing all their content legally, but how end users obtain their content isn't Zidoo's responsibility, much like how peer-to-peer file sharing, in and of itself, isn't illegal. In principle, this isn't different from using any other media player, like an Apple TV or Nvidia Shield. Customers typically install Plex or a similar app, and play their content (except for Blu-ray playback). I've had my Nvidia Shield for nearly 10 years, and it has never randomly performed an HDMI re-sync, dropped audio, frozen video, or exhibited any similar issues. Not even once. As for Zappiti, I believe they shut down in 2023 due to "legal challenges," likely tied to copyright issues. Their situation probably wasn’t helped by offering a product that enabled one-touch Blu-ray ripping and running a cloud service to provide metadata for that content. While great for consumers, this approach likely didn’t hold up well in court I'm not a legal expert, so I won’t attempt to navigate the complexities of global copyright laws. However, I believe the discussion about content sourcing distracts from the core issue: manufacturers delivering a product that performs as advertised. On 16/01/2025 at 11:34 PM, betty boop said: why so long after release where these issues still there ? why weren't reviews of the device pointing out these issues..why does the owner base and user base put up with this kind of thing ? why do reviewers not call it out ? Expand Couldn't agree more. I'm sure that if retailers and reviewers provided honest feedback about products, and this was reflected in sales, manufacturers would start paying attention. I know these rants probably won’t change anything, but they could help others avoid frustration by sharing real-world experiences and setting expectations when buying these devices. You might not get this from my recent comments, but I’m actually a fan of Zidoo products, and maybe that’s why it bothers me more. Consider my complaints as opportunities in disguise! 3
Administrator StereoNET Posted January 17 Administrator Posted January 17 On 17/01/2025 at 12:47 AM, xPLAYRZx said: Combine that with the likely hefty fees Google charges, and it’s easy to see how this could quickly become unfeasible or too complex for some manufacturers. Expand I suspect you're right. On 17/01/2025 at 12:47 AM, xPLAYRZx said: I agree that many users of these devices may not be sourcing all their content legally, but how end users obtain their content isn't Zidoo's responsibility, much like how peer-to-peer file sharing, in and of itself, isn't illegal. Expand Also agreed. And I'm not defending any one, simply thinking of all perspectives. There was a case recently - not related to Zappiti (I think it was an IPTV box manufacturer) where the "hardware" manufacturer was taken to court and IIRC, the manufacturer lost. On 17/01/2025 at 12:47 AM, xPLAYRZx said: However, I believe the discussion about content sourcing distracts from the core issue: manufacturers delivering a product that performs as advertised. Expand Fair enough. Wasn't trying to take the distract the topic. I agree entirely on firmware and software issues - it shouldn't happen in 2025. But it does, and will continue to happen (as mentioned above in my case even with Mercedes!). I think the best outcome is how proactive the company is in resolving those issues. I still run and use a Zidoo for a few years now, and in use by the whole family. Not a single issue, zip, none. Flawless, in fact. Their firmware has been stable for some time now since that model has been out a few years now.
stuj Posted January 17 Posted January 17 Ill second what Marc has said, I’ve been an owner of multiple Kodi / popcornhour / core elec box’s as well as the Zidoo both the z9x and z9x 8k. All of these have had the same cycle of firmware update / problems / fixes ad infinitum. Sure there might be some glitches occasionally but on the whole they haven’t skipped a beat here also. We can talk about this all day in terms of why, but it wont alter anything. Me im happy to simply enjoy these boxes…
RCADees Posted January 17 Posted January 17 On 16/01/2025 at 9:14 PM, StereoNET said: therefore considered devices to play local media (99.9% of the time that will involve torrents or illegally sourced content), Expand This comment is interesting because thinking about it, if Zidoo calculates that most of their users are the torrent etc type, then it makes sense to target this crowd. This allows them to justify the software which require people who do understand and have the time to fiddle with it to test it etc even though their modus operandi will never lead them to be mainstream. And perhaps this is their business model. Make good enough hardware and release it for people who like to play with it until it works, it is part of the Zidoo hobby I guess. They are probably making enough money as it is and have no desire to expand. It is what it is. On the other hand this type of product should be sold with big labels on the box, warning that this is an experimental device for people who like to experiment. Then at least some of us would be warned. Interesting that we're talking about torrents when in fact I play copies of my own purchased movies and many files I have are my own home videos which I have edited over the years and most do ok in the Zidoo, but not all of them. I was surprised it wouldn't play an AVI file. Go figure.
stuj Posted January 17 Posted January 17 On 17/01/2025 at 7:39 AM, RCADees said: This comment is interesting because thinking about it, if Zidoo calculates that most of their users are the torrent etc type, then it makes sense to target this crowd. This allows them to justify the software which require people who do understand and have the time to fiddle with it to test it etc even though their modus operandi will never lead them to be mainstream. And perhaps this is their business model. Make good enough hardware and release it for people who like to play with it until it works, it is part of the Zidoo hobby I guess. They are probably making enough money as it is and have no desire to expand. It is what it is. On the other hand this type of product should be sold with big labels on the box, warning that this is an experimental device for people who like to experiment. Then at least some of us would be warned. Interesting that we're talking about torrents when in fact I play copies of my own purchased movies and many files I have are my own home videos which I have edited over the years and most do ok in the Zidoo, but not all of them. I was surprised it wouldn't play an AVI file. Go figure. Expand What does it matter what you play with it, just get on with life and enjoy the machine ? 1
xPLAYRZx Posted January 17 Posted January 17 On 17/01/2025 at 12:55 AM, StereoNET said: I think the best outcome is how proactive the company is in resolving those issues. Expand Absolutely, and Zidoo is among the better companies at doing this and usually proactive in addressing bugs and optimising playback features. It's part of why I keep buying their products. On 17/01/2025 at 6:20 AM, stuj said: im happy to simply enjoy these boxes Expand I'm pretty sure that's the objective for anyone buying them. 1
Hi-Fi Whipped Posted January 17 Posted January 17 Is anything computer based perfect? Not that I’m aware of, I’ve lost count of devices I own with firmware updates that only say “bug fixes”. id be more worried if I purchased a product that was no longer supported and it had problems, would mean it’s quickly turning into a brick! issues at the start of life will be worked out, I had a NAD c658 I purchased when they were just released, had some issues and firmware slowly but surely fixed them until it was bullet proof and free of issues, so it’s not just the obscure brands that have these types of issues. my z9x Pro has been running without issue since I picked it up 2nd hand so it’s just a matter of time until the latest iterations have their bugs ironed out.
xPLAYRZx Posted January 17 Posted January 17 On 17/01/2025 at 12:04 PM, Hi-Fi Whipped said: so it’s just a matter of time until the latest iterations have their bugs ironed out. Expand That's the hope. Although my two-generation-old Z1000 Pro (RTD 1619DR chipset) isn't flawless, it's proving to be significantly more stable and reliable than the latest AML S928X-based devices. 1
Wilco Posted January 23 Posted January 23 ANNNNDDDDD after all this talk and most likely being the cause of this meaningful and in-depth discussions, my 3000 is STILL IN THE BOX I had an emergency work trip so could not even open the damn thing after I had purchased it.
drummerboy01 Posted April 10 Posted April 10 I am having problems getting the TMDB to find any movies on my UHD3000. When searching for poster art it finds nothing yet the other two work. I have read that many people are having the same issue but no solution.
GaryT Posted April 10 Posted April 10 (edited) Known issue on the Zidoo Forum, TMDB changed something and you will have to wait for it to be patched. It's affecting things other than Zidoo too, my media server is having issues pulling from TMDB too. In the meantime, if you are technically handy you can manually add metadata to the files with something like TinyMediaManager which can pull from multiple sources. Edit, looks like they have put out a hotfix patch for now, available here for most models. edit edit: Scrap that they have a proper update to the HT app now, see here for your model in particular. Edited April 10 by GaryT 1 1
drummerboy01 Posted April 10 Posted April 10 (edited) On 10/04/2025 at 1:59 AM, GaryT said: Known issue on the Zidoo Forum, TMDB changed something and you will have to wait for it to be patched. It's affecting things other than Zidoo too, my media server is having issues pulling from TMDB too. In the meantime, if you are technically handy you can manually add metadata to the files with something like TinyMediaManager which can pull from multiple sources. Edit, looks like they have put out a hotfix patch for now, available here for most models. edit edit: Scrap that they have a proper update to the HT app now, see here for your model in particular. Expand Thanks Gary I actually found it. I was about to post the same thing. She’s all up and running now and scanning no worries. It was a little bit of a headache but I got there. Changed from Home Theater 4.0 to 5.0.. Thanks Gary Edited April 14 by drummerboy01
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