[knubbze]

XBMC 13 can transcode AAC to AC3 so your receiver "sees" a Dolby Digital signal so all you need to do is replace the pre-installed XBMC 12. You need to set the speaker config option to 2.0 to get the transcode option. This works well in my experience.

But would setting the speaker config option to 2.0 mean that audio is output as 2-channel stereo, rather than 6-channel/5.1 (thus defeating the point)?

[bobones]

XBMC 13 can transcode AAC to AC3 so your receiver "sees" a Dolby Digital signal so all you need to do is replace the pre-installed XBMC 12. You need to set the speaker config option to 2.0 to get the transcode option. This works well in my experience.

But would setting the speaker config option to 2.0 mean that audio is output as 2-channel stereo, rather than 6-channel/5.1 (thus defeating the point)?

Counterintuitively, no it doesn't. Your receiver gets the full signal and will decode it to give you 5.1 or whatever.

I think there is a fair amount of confusion around these options in Gotham, but the bottom line is if AAC isn't getting output correctly from your non-AAC capable receiver as multichannel PCM then you can make XBMC transcode it to AC3 (Dolby Digital), but the option is only visible when speaker config is set to 2.0 (and passthrough enabled, and AC3 capable receiver selected).

[knubbze]

XBMC 13 can transcode AAC to AC3 so your receiver "sees" a Dolby Digital signal so all you need to do is replace the pre-installed XBMC 12. You need to set the speaker config option to 2.0 to get the transcode option. This works well in my experience.

But would setting the speaker config option to 2.0 mean that audio is output as 2-channel stereo, rather than 6-channel/5.1 (thus defeating the point)?

Counterintuitively, no it doesn't. Your receiver gets the full signal and will decode it to give you 5.1 or whatever.

I think there is a fair amount of confusion around these options in Gotham, but the bottom line is if AAC isn't getting output correctly from your non-AAC capable receiver as multichannel PCM then you can make XBMC transcode it to AC3 (Dolby Digital), but the option is only visible when speaker config is set to 2.0 (and passthrough enabled, and AC3 capable receiver selected).

Thanks for the clarification, that leads me onto a related issue - I was just told in the #XBMC IRC channel that Android-based XBMC can only output stereo audio - is this true? And if so, is the linux build for the ATV1200 still limited to 720p video output?

[bobones]

Nonsense on the stereo only part. XBMC will output multichannel PCM on HDMI or passthrough AC3, DTS, AAC etc. SPDIF can only handle 2 channels of PCM, but it can still pass AC3, DTS, AAC (which are compressed and encoded)..

Also ATV1200 will output 1080p, but unless a specific 1080p android kernel from Geniatech is used, it will be upscaled from 720p. If I recall correctly, 1080p with this kernel only works smoothly on the inbuilt media player, not with XBMC although someone can correct me here. There is no 1080p Linux version that I am aware of.

There are lots of goodies including that 1080p kernel are in Biatsch's dropbox https://www.dropbox.com/sh/1r3anv4hfubi5wr/Ss2bD31f9Q

BTW, I have 2 ATV1200s. One is running Gotham 13.0 on Android 4.1.2 using the Geniatech August firmware. I have no problems with this other than my remotes (IR and RF) are prone to skipping keypresses and repeating wildly and XBMC will revert to a default skin setting every once and a while (fixed by copying guisetings.xml to advancedsettings.xml). 1080p streaming over wireless-n and DD/DTS over HDMI is flawless. I am not sure if this is actually the best Android f/w currently available, but I suspect it is.

The other box is running the XDA developers MX Linux v1.0 which has a cut of Frodo known as 12.4. My remotes work fine on Linux (other than RF remote has no key repeat). XBMC works fine too, but I wouldn't claim it's better than Gotham on Android and quite a few xbmc options seem to have been stripped out. I've only had this box a couple of days, but I suspect it is freezing on me overnight as I have had to press the front panel power button to get it to respond. I believe this version overclocks the CPU and GPU which may cause heat and stability problems. I haven't tried any of the other Linux versions (Geniatech or Jynx), but I'm looking forward to a new MX Linux release with Gotham.

Bottom line is I would be content with XBMC on Android on the ATV1200 if I didn't have the problems I do with remote controls/keyboards, but no one else is complaining so it must only be me! Looking forward to the promised new Geniatech f/w with Android 4.2 and Linux with Gotham. (There is a Jynx gotham beta linux cut but DD/DTS passthrough does not work).

[knubbze]

Nonsense on the stereo only part. XBMC will output multichannel PCM on HDMI or passthrough AC3, DTS, AAC etc. SPDIF can only handle 2 channels of PCM, but it can still pass AC3, DTS, AAC (which are compressed and encoded)..

Also ATV1200 will output 1080p, but unless a specific 1080p android kernel from Geniatech is used, it will be upscaled from 720p. If I recall correctly, 1080p with this kernel only works smoothly on the inbuilt media player, not with XBMC although someone can correct me here. There is no 1080p Linux version that I am aware of.

There are lots of goodies including that 1080p kernel are in Biatsch's dropbox https://www.dropbox.com/sh/1r3anv4hfubi5wr/Ss2bD31f9Q

BTW, I have 2 ATV1200s. One is running Gotham 13.0 on Android 4.1.2 using the Geniatech August firmware. I have no problems with this other than my remotes (IR and RF) are prone to skipping keypresses and repeating wildly and XBMC will revert to a default skin setting every once and a while (fixed by copying guisetings.xml to advancedsettings.xml). 1080p streaming over wireless-n and DD/DTS over HDMI is flawless. I am not sure if this is actually the best Android f/w currently available, but I suspect it is.

The other box is running the XDA developers MX Linux v1.0 which has a cut of Frodo known as 12.4. My remotes work fine on Linux (other than RF remote has no key repeat). XBMC works fine too, but I wouldn't claim it's better than Gotham on Android and quite a few xbmc options seem to have been stripped out. I've only had this box a couple of days, but I suspect it is freezing on me overnight as I have had to press the front panel power button to get it to respond. I believe this version overclocks the CPU and GPU which may cause heat and stability problems. I haven't tried any of the other Linux versions (Geniatech or Jynx), but I'm looking forward to a new MX Linux release with Gotham.

Bottom line is I would be content with XBMC on Android on the ATV1200 if I didn't have the problems I do with remote controls/keyboards, but no one else is complaining so it must only be me! Looking forward to the promised new Geniatech f/w with Android 4.2 and Linux with Gotham. (There is a Jynx gotham beta linux cut but DD/DTS passthrough does not work).

Thanks for all of the info bobones; in that case the ATV1200 sounds almost perfect, except for that 720p->1080p limitation in XBMC :/ All that I am looking for is a reliable/stable/full-featured XBMC box which has no video or audio limitations; are you aware of any other/newer devices which you could recommend?

[seven7]

When the XBMC version 13 comes as a Linux Installation for ATV1200 ?
Seven7

[bobones]

When the XBMC version 13 comes as a Linux Installation for ATV1200 ?
Seven7

Now! http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost...tcount=767

[bobones]

Don't rush to install this as there is no passthrough audio at all. I guess this is still work in progress.

[davilla]

slackers if they can't get passthrough working on aml hardware

[Biatsch]

slackers if they can't get passthrough working on aml hardware

Why wont u go and help up a little bit , so almost everyone would be happy ...... For a good linux release of geniatech devices.... , me included




https://github.com/CoreTech-Development/...gic_Gotham

[MusicMan62]

Bottom line is I would be content with XBMC on Android on the ATV1200 if I didn't have the problems I do with remote controls/keyboards, but no one else is complaining so it must only be me!

I have this problem with the supplied remote and it's very infuriating. Missing keystrokes and occasionally going haywire with repeated last key presses which are difficult to stop. I have the Sumvision ATV1200.

Have you tried other remotes, eg Mele F10 or Minix A2 and do they fix the problem?

[bobones]

I have this problem with the supplied remote and it's very infuriating. Missing keystrokes and occasionally going haywire with repeated last key presses which are difficult to stop. I have the Sumvision ATV1200.

Have you tried other remotes, eg Mele F10 or Minix A2 and do they fix the problem?

It's not the remote. The supplied remote is an IR remote, but I also have the same sort of problems (maybe even worse) with an RF mini keyboard (on 2 boxes with 4 separate remotes). It happens with all the Android f/w I've tried (Sumvision, MyGica, Geniatech), but it doesn't happen with the MX Linux f/w, which suggest it's a software problem. The only issue I have under Linux is that there is no key repeat with the RF keyboard, which is a pain. I wish someone would point me in the right direction to fix these problems. XBMC under Android is great, but these remote hassles are a show stopper as far as I am concerned. My Crystalbuntu ATV1 with its simple remote is a dream to use in comparison.

[bobones]

OK, so far the only way I know to make the supplied IR remote behaviour tolerable is to disable key repeat. This is less than ideal, but it does stop the wild repeated key presses. You need to edit /etc/remote.conf and change "repeat_enable" from 1 to 0. This only affects the IR remote, not the RF keyboard. There is perhaps some combination of settings which makes the remote behave properly, but I don't know of it.

Does anyone know how to disable key repeat for RF keyboard under Android?

[davilla]

slackers if they can't get passthrough working on aml hardware

Why wont u go and help up a little bit , so almost everyone would be happy ...... For a good linux release of geniatech devices.... , me included




https://github.com/CoreTech-Development/...gic_Gotham

Because I already did it for them I'm one of the two persons that created the initial buildroot/android implementation that all existing ones are based on.

[MusicMan62]

How do you edit the remote.conf file? It is read only for me and I can't delete or overwrite it. According to root checker I am rooted.