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Zappiti / R_volution Owners & Discussion Thread


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5 hours ago, Marc said:

Sadly this suggestion made no difference. 

Lumagen suggests all cables are min 2m... is this really a thing? Why?

This looked relevant to the length question Marc ; not so much the audio delay/skipping..

https://hdtelevizija.com/en/2016/03/13/does-hdmi-cable-length-affect-input-lag/

 

If youve initiated passthrough in your Lumagen maybe switch off things like frame insertion and processing in your displays and see if things get worse as the video pases quicker

Edited by cwt
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7 hours ago, Marc said:

Sadly this suggestion made no difference. 

 

You have undoubtedly tried a number of things by now, Did they include changing settings in the Android setup menu?  Things such as in developer options,, set the flag to ignore EDID ,  fix output for color space and dynamic range so as to prevent hdmi  "thinking time"?    These have made differences in video delay times to  some people but not others so  I have no idea if it will work.

 

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9 hours ago, Marc said:

Sadly this suggestion made no difference. 

Lumagen suggests all cables are min 2m... is this really a thing? Why?

I just learned this recently in one of Jim Peterson's recent youtube vidoes,  HDMI cables were designed to work at longer distances so he says that's a good safe length. It may still work at shorter distances still but can be twitchy. 

How many devices in the hdmi chain do you have Marc? 

Process of elimination, straightest path; source player direct to preamp/processor, then re-introduce other devices into your chain until you nail down which component is the culprit. 

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For those interested , these are the power supplies used in Zappiti.  

 

This is  the configuration for Zappiti Pro.  Linear power supply with R-Core Transformer.

 

 

1435504197_ScreenShot2020-10-12at1_55_49pm.thumb.png.47bba9650c08fd9fb38c16fdfa5cb734.png

 

And this is the standard supply used on One, One SE, Duo , Mini.  Standard 12V Switch mode power supply .   zappiti-alimentation-duo.jpg

 

 

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16 minutes ago, TP1 said:

 

For those interested , these are the power supplies used in Zappiti.  

 

This is  the configuration for Zappiti Pro.  Linear power supply with R-Core Transformer.

 

imageproxy.php?img=&key=6052995cfa95af68

And this is the standard supply used on One, One SE, Duo , Mini.  Standard 12V Switch mode power supply .   

 

 

Although your personal recommendation is go with a One SE/Duo/Mini paired with an external lienar PSU like the Uptone Audio JS-2?

 

 

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3 hours ago, hifiman said:

Although your personal recommendation is go with a One SE/Duo/Mini paired with an external lienar PSU like the Uptone Audio JS-2?

 

 

 

I already had the PSU so the decision was easy.  I think the JS-2  is about as good as you can get for such PSU's  (  5-12V DC LPSU) but since I haven't done a comparison with a Pro , it would not be wise to venture  an opinion on how they would compare.   

 

From purely a cost perspective,  the Pro would be cheaper than say a Duo/JS-2 combination but it could still be worth it if the unit was going to power another device as well.  If JS-2 was not being considered, I can't recommend any other PSU to power the Zappiti since the ones I have tried were not up to the mark IMO.  They did offer some improvement over standard SMPS but did not fully exploit what Zappiti is capable of. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

FWIW I bought the Z.Player Pro 4K HDR  in May 2020. It is used only for movies and videos, the Zappiti has a *long* way to go to be a serious audio player.

 

For picture quality though, the best solution is not to use HDMI and the Zappiti at all. PowerDVD 20 on an i7 streamed over CAT5e to a Sony KD-55A8F (so called smart TV) provides substantial and lower noise than HDMI ever could.

The only real drama with networking is punching through the firewall with rules that allow Miracast. For convenience, an IPad is used with Microsoft remote Desktop app to control PowerDVD.

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20 minutes ago, One and a half said:

the Zappiti has a *long* way to go to be a serious audio player

 

I wouldn't use it for audio, I agree. I think audio was a "add-on" rather than it's primary purpose.

 

22 minutes ago, One and a half said:

PowerDVD 20 on an i7 streamed over CAT5e to a Sony KD-55A8F (so called smart TV) provides substantial and lower noise than HDMI ever could.

The only real drama with networking is punching through the firewall with rules that allow Miracast. For convenience, an IPad is used with Microsoft remote Desktop app to control PowerDVD.

 

It sounds far from convenient to me. The thing that appeals to me with the Zappiti is the single remote, and uncluttered and smart interface for one click movies.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Really impressed with my Zappiti One 4k HDR. 

 

I think these units really punch way above their weight. 

 

The only think I haven't been able to resolve is audio from the soundbar. 

 

I have a Samsung TV with accompanying soundbar. I can watch the TV with the audio coming out of the soundbar however with the Zappiti connected to the TV the sound comes from the TV speakers only. Not sure why. Zappiti coupled to the TV by HDMI cable only. 

20201101_120827.jpg

20201101_120758.jpg

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4 hours ago, ghost4man said:

The only think I haven't been able to resolve is audio from the soundbar. 

 

I have a Samsung TV with accompanying soundbar. I can watch the TV with the audio coming out of the soundbar however with the Zappiti connected to the TV the sound comes from the TV speakers only. Not sure why. Zappiti coupled to the TV by HDMI cable only. 

 

Do you have the TV and sound bar connected through the HDMI port that supports  Audio Return Channel (ARC) ?  Alternatively, can you try connecting Zappiti to TV through the soundbar? 

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6 hours ago, TP1 said:

 

Do you have the TV and sound bar connected through the HDMI port that supports  Audio Return Channel (ARC) ?  Alternatively, can you try connecting Zappiti to TV through the soundbar? 

I will have a look at these two options.

The Zappiti is connected with a single HDMI cable to the TV. The soundbar is by way of optical cable to the TV.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Looking at getting one of these units. Not sure if I can see a benefit of anything above the mini considering all my media is on a external NAS but happy to here endorsements for higher end models.

 

I was watching a review. See 11mins in

 

It shows the browsing speed/loading of thumb movie posters. Looks quite slow and chunky compared to my HiMedia Q10 Pro (that has different issues and looking to move on from it). What's everyone real life experience with browsing? 

 

So far I'm either Shield pro or one of the Zappiti's. 

 

Cheers 

Edited by Johnny_Boy
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It is a touch slow when streaming from a NAS, yes. I can agree with that. It's not unusable though.

I still haven't solved my slow audio HDMI sync problem but learned to live with it.

New problem now though is despite 2RU empty space above it, it's still getting hot and starts doing random things.

I've now removed it from the rack and have it placed on top, and that problem has gone away. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

I came from a popcorn hour VTEN (4K non HDR), which happened to die and which forced my hand to seek other players as cloud media also went into vacuum, I came across the Zappiti and never looked back.  I currently own the Mini 4K HDR and One SE and used to have the Pro.

 

The menu system in the pro is quicker but when you come down to comparing the features of the three I just mentioned, I believe the Pro is overkill for what can be had with the Mini and One Se as they're essenetially the same video/ and somewhat audio wise. I think you're better off with something like the Mini or One SE and spend the extra money on a NAS.

 

The only major difference is that the Pro has 2 HDD bays and the new remote which I really liked, whilst the One SE has 1 HDD bay and non for the mini.  I use the One SE in our home theatre and the HDD bay does come in handy and I do miss the dual drive bays and the Mini we use in our bedroom. If you really want dual HDD bays then there is also the DUO 4K HDR offering. I don't know about the new Duo but the Zappiti's with HDD bays are fanless so I'm not a fan of putting high capacity HDD's that will produce heat and nowhere for it to escape in a hurry.  You run the risk of overheating your internal circuitry.

 

Like all media players, they have their quirks and faults, which is to be expected and no one media player is perfect.  I think people get too harped up and nit picking over small issues, otherwise get a bluray player. I've learned to live with all these quirks and faults and I think Zappit have done a great job.  They're always sending out new firmware updates and they finally sorted out the page up/down function finally but it came.  ;)

 

The zappiti's are small and sleak looking and great for home theatre use but against having a PC in the theatre room acting as a media player/NAS.

 

If you're really super serious about home theatre and have the money to splash out for a decent player I would bypass the stock Pro and instead go for something like the audiocom edition or look at other offerings in the market.

Edited by pasadena
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Like Pasadena, I own the Mini and the One SE.

As a bachelor, I enjoy a 6 seat home theatre with friends and a dedicated stereo room for solo listening where there is no driver or ear nearer to a wall tham 1.86 metres...that sort of thing. No WAF. at all!

Death of a SotM SMS 200 got me looking for a replacement. A Pro-Ject S2 streamer was bought and returned on account of dreadful software. So laggy. At the same time I was frustrated with the clunky streaming over ethernet of my old Oppo 95 to the home theatre. NO SUBTITLES over Dlna. I own a lot of subbed movies.

So I bought the Zappiti Mini. Brill!!! All that I wanted from a media streamer/player. Then I moved it out of curiosity to my stereo room and put Zappiti Music player on my Android 10" tablet for control without the tv on. Good. I like the Zap software better than the Volumio Pro-Ject collaboration.

How did the Mini sound? Ho Hum to be honest. Smeared and lacking a bit of punch. Yes, I even like a bit of punch with my Tallis!

Then I noticed that the Zappiti fr. website will sell you an Ifi Ipower 12 v. I got one in Oz for $80 delivered.

The sound came alive and was focussed... and well up to the SotM /Pro-Ject S2 standard. So now the mini is my go-to player...usb hdd 2,5 plugged into the mini...no computer or ethernet. Control via the tablet. No tv. Oh yes...note the default is to downgrade 96 and 192 khz files to 48khz, so go to settings...developer options.

https://zappiti.uservoice.com/knowledgebase/articles/1919443--lossless-audio-native-sampling-rate-up-to-24-bit

So I bought a One Se to go in the home theatre. It has a dedicated audio out via hdmi that I thought would beat the optical out of the mini. Plugged into the receiver with HDMI audio, and it passed the higher grade audio formats and I am happy.

Last week, I put the Ifi Ipower on the Zappiti One SE [I have an oled 65 " tv] and yes, the video is clearly better. I am about to purchase a 2nd Ifi Ipower for the Se. Life is too short to fart about moving a ps to save $80.  At least for me, with cabinets to be threaded through and arthritic joints to boot.

Conclusion.

Zappiti [external ps models] are a great video media player and can be a good audio media player if fed by a well filtered power supply of reasonable cost.

https://addictedtoaudio.com.au/products/ifi-ipower-low-noise-power-supply?variant=5004397117472

Edited by smiledon
spelling dnla instead of dlna
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  • 2 weeks later...

Are Zappiti the new Oppo. I remember when Oppo were the go to dvd players for value / performance. Now they are no more in this market but Zappiti looks the goods. Watching and reading this thread and a few others with interest for my next home theatre purchase

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Yes its comparing apples and oranges to an extent as there is 1 problem  that a oppo or pana can do that the current realtek chipped zappitis cant ; and that is dolby vision  B|

 

Because the dv metadata is piggybacked on the lossless it is extremely difficult to remux the 2 streams together in say a mkv or m2ts container . It has to be done in an iso or bdmv folder - being lossless [ which is of course a giant file ]  

 

It all comes back to sony and who they give dv licences too ?

 
Quote

 

Hardware Support (Marketing Director, or Executive, Zappiti) commented  ·  March 24, 2019 4:32 AM  ·  Flag as inappropriate

support@zappiti.com
The actuel Realtek chipset is not and will notbe compatible with Dolby Vision. Only the next generation of Realtek chipset will be compatible. The next generation of Zappiti media players based on the next Realtek chipset should be be not available before middle of 2020.

 

 

 

Edited by cwt
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3 hours ago, Lazz said:

Are Zappiti the new Oppo. I remember when Oppo were the go to dvd players for value / performance. Now they are no more in this market but Zappiti looks the goods. Watching and reading this thread and a few others with interest for my next home theatre purchase

 

Oppo 203 and 205 still give a better 4K performance than Zappiti and similar devices. Zappiti is very good nevertheless..   Oppo can even  play 4K BDMV folders from an attached SSD as 4K Blu-ray Discs with menus etc.    However, Zappiti's 2k content is exemplary  and I use it for most content, but  Oppo is still used for 4K

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18 hours ago, TP1 said:

Oppo can even  play 4K BDMV folders from an attached SSD as 4K Blu-ray Discs with menus etc.

 

So can Zappiti. :)

 

18 hours ago, TP1 said:

Oppo 203 and 205 still give a better 4K performance than Zappiti and similar devices.

 

But it can't match the Zappiti for management of a library and cataloguing of meta data etc.

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  • 2 months later...

I am thinking about getting a Zappiti pro 4k hdr as a replacement to my old Popcorn A-500 that is officially at EOL. I come from both a musical and engineering background and like to pursue circuit diagrams  and flow charts etc -  all the nerdy things as well as art and music!   One question I would like an answer to where are the downloaded Fanart and Poster images along with synopses stored?  Do you need an internal disc/s (I will be installing 2 anyhow)  for this? I will be using my QNAP NAS for my existing video files as I'm doing for the A-500

 

The A-500 has a memory slot where you can store the operating firmware and the fanart/posters etc repository is stored there leaving the NAS solely for the video files or you can install a small hdd for the same including some local video files.

 

I've downloaded the quick start manual but is there are more detailed publication?  Many thanks

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18 hours ago, netmask said:

One question I would like an answer to where are the downloaded Fanart and Poster images along with synopses stored? 

 

Good question. I don't believe they are stored locally. I don't have internal drives but instead store all my local content on a NAS. When you fire Zappiti up (don't forget you need Zappiti Server running somewhere local too), it scans your content and in my case creates a Zappiti subfolder where your content is. I just checked that directory and there is a small .dat file. I will make the assumption that this .dat files stores all the information about your library, but that fanart/posters etc are stored on the cloud. When you boot Zappiti you can see it logging into your account etc.

 

18 hours ago, netmask said:

Do you need an internal disc/s (I will be installing 2 anyhow)  for this?

 

Negative. As above, I don't have any internal discs (but do have NAS). 

 

On further thought - in addition to my NAS, I also have a NUC in my rack in the garage that is running Zappiti Server. I'll have to remotely login and check if the poster info etc is actually being stored on that machine instead (quite possible).

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Another possible issue I might have.

 

At the moment there are 3 media players in my household, I'm replacing the unit in the home theatre with the Zappiti.  They all feed from the NAS where all the video files reside, a QNAP 851

 

Each video title is in it's own folder named by its title  and inside that folder is the video file and a subtitle srt and background art and poster art jpg files. There is a NFO file as well. These will be required for the other two machines (not Zappiti) in the household.

 

Q: Will the presence of the additional files poster art, NFO etc interfere with the operation of the Zappiti?

I really can't delete the helper files for the other machines.

 

If it doesn't like those helper files, push come to shove I can install a spare 10TB drive I have in the Zappiti and copy all the video files onto it, I don't mind doing that as it will provide a backup

 

 

 

contents.JPG

QNAP_FileStructure 01.JPG

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Taking a wild guess here, but I don't think it should be a problem. Zappiti pulls that data from its own sources and stores it in the .dat file.

I have all my movies in one giant folder with no sub-folders, and it seems to just find the movie files only and add them to the db.

I am using those same movies and folders for Plex in other rooms and there seems to be no issues.

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