OSMC Vero 4k launched!

Forums › Home Theatre (including HTPC and EPG Collector) › OSMC Vero 4k launched!

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545 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1735727 13-Mar-2017 13:37

reven:

my problem with these is no netflix, no hulu etc. a single device for one app seems the wrong direction these days. true android tv boxes (not a chinese box running android), fire tvs etc are more bang for your buck.

Vero 2 had Android support with dual boot.

Also read that since Kodi 18 has Netflix support!

And for those that like to peek at the Kodi forums… v18 appears to have the Netflix, Amazon Prime, and EmulationStation/Retroplayer baking-in! The only reason I would suggest an Rpi3 over the Vero4K is if one has a NEED for a dualboot RecalBox/Retroplayer device Right Now.

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boland

545 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1736114 13-Mar-2017 22:15

More detailed review to come, but it's AWESOME! :D

steve2222

498 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1772557 29-Apr-2017 19:35

boland:

More detailed review to come, but it's AWESOME! :D

And???? he says with anticipation

driller2000

935 posts

Ultimate Geek

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#1772629 29-Apr-2017 21:16

boland: Android TV 6.0 doesn't get amazing reviews... But you're right that it's cheaper.

Really?

I love it on my Nvidia Shield - which is my main player in the HT room.

Its also why I got a Mi Box - which once the fw updated, is great value for $100 NZD.

Its also why I purchased a Sony 4k TV - as it has Android TV as the OS.

So yeah - I REALLY rate Android TV.

theoldfarter

233 posts

Master Geek

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#1797442 9-Jun-2017 18:41

boland:

More detailed review to come, but it's AWESOME! :D

Yes, would appreciate an in-depth review as I am wanting to replace my faulty Western Digital TV Media Player.

I will PM/Email you as well in case you do are not getting notification of posts to this thread.

boland

545 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1798315 12-Jun-2017 09:18

Hi guys sorry for the late review.

I've used the Vero 4K for about 3 months now, and I am very happy with it. Previously I had an Android MK III box from Aliexpress. Although quad core, it was pretty slow. Plus, that Android version wasn't made for TV.

Some good things about the Vero:

Awesome support. I've had some issues, and there's a response very quickly on the forums or via email.
It just works. While I work in IT, I hate to mess around with stuff like this. It just has to work (that's why I wouldn't buy a RPI). And that's what it's doing, it just works!
The OSMC skin is awesome! I never liked the Kodi interface, the OSMC skin is just great
The box is dedicated for OSMC, so great performance.
The remote is great, it's not IR, but RFID.

Some minor things I don't like:

No automatic library updates when a file is added. I've now added a plugin that updates the library every day. E.g. I know that the NFS protocol should be able to handle this, but nobody could help me on the support forum.
Updates cannot be installed automatically. It does download them in the background, but you still have to click "Install".
Unsure if DVD player works. I've got a left-over internal DVD player from my laptop. I've ordered a casing, still underway, but it's uncertain if this works at all.
Log files are not anonymous. E.g. with my Sonos, I can submit log files, and when I send the key to Sonos support they can access it.

Other considerations

Currently no Netflix support, but that's underway
While the remote is awesome, it's time consuming to type something. I've got a wireless keyboard for e.g. typing in addresses / server names / ...

Very minor though, I would recommend it to anyone looking for a media player replacement.

Just shout out if you've got any questions!

sn

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Geek

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OSMC

#1798320 12-Jun-2017 09:28

Thanks for the review! I'm glad you like our support. Even here, I'm keeping a close eye on things to make sure we can get you the best experience possible and nothing gets neglected.

I wanted to address some of your minor points:

If you'd like automatic library updates, you can install an add-on called Library Watchdog. This should ensure that your library is updated without having to manually scan. Alternatively, you can enable Library Scanning on startup and reboot each time you've added new content, but this is going to take a bit more time.
We will add support for automatic / unattended updates in future. For now however, we aren't doing this because we're not quite ready for this yet. We'd hate for a user to go to their device and find it non-functional and not even know their device had been updated. We release one update a month, and updates shouldn't take more than five minutes to install. So while this is on the roadmap, it's probably not something you'll see until the end of the year.
DVD playback should work, but you will need to power your DVD player with an external power supply if you're using one.
Logs are anonymous if you don't share the link with anyone. They can't be guessed trivially and you're more than welcome to PM me the URL of the logs personally on the forum so that only I can see it. Alternatively you can email them or upload them to Dropbox or another place. The key you send to Sonos is effectively the same as the code we give you when you upload logs: it's not necessary to share this code publicly.

Hope this clears things up. Thank you for your review and I hope we can keep improving things for you. As usual, if you need anything or have any questions, give us a shout.

Cheers

Sam

Equinox IT

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SumnerBoy

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#1798330 12-Jun-2017 09:37

How good is it having *the* Sam Nazarko on GZ!?! Appreciate your time and efforts pal!!

theoldfarter

233 posts

Master Geek

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#1798404 12-Jun-2017 12:12

Thank you for taking the time to post your review, I do appreciate it. :)

I have the original AC Ryan PlayON!HD PV73100P+ bought in August 2010.
It's still going well but can't pass-through the latest Audio formats.

In September 2015, I bought a WD TV Media Player (2nd Gen). It went well until January this year when it started to not 'see' portable HDD's plugged into it's USB ports. As time went by, some of the HDD's it previously recognized were not seen. (I have a lot of external HDD's)

I only use these players to play movies, concerts and TV programs that I have. I do not belong to any Streaming service. I do use YouTube but on other equipment like my TV and PS4. All of my Movies, etc, are stored on the external HDD's.

I was thinking about buying the nVidia Shield TV but it has so much stuff that I have no need for and that 'stuff' just puts the price up.

I will list my setup so you will understand what it is capable of.

Onkyo home theater receiver TX-RZ810 (4K capable).
Samsung 55" JS9000 LED TV. 4K screen.
Kef KHT 2005.3 sub/sat speakers (7.1).

Boland. I don't know what equipment you have. Have you played a movie utilizing either of these audio formats: Dolby TrueHD or DTS HD Master Audio, if so, all work as they should?

What about H.265, have you tried that?

If I do buy one, where did you get yours from?

What was the total cost?

It is so good to have a person from the company, on this forum.

sn

28 posts

Geek

Trusted

OSMC

#1798406 12-Jun-2017 12:19

Vero 4K will play TrueHD, DTS HD MA and even DTS:X

It supports HEVC (H265) in 8 and 10-bit formats. More info at https://osmc.tv/vero. The Vero 4K will automatically recognise attached HDDs and you can play content straight off them.

For NZ, best place to currently buy is from us. The price is £119 including free, worldwide shipping. We're looking for an NZ distributor in the future, possibly Nicegear as they already stock our remotes.

Sam

michaelmurfy

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#1798418 12-Jun-2017 12:51

@sn awesome to see you on the forums! Will be awesome if you could partner with Nicegear to stock everything.

Michael Murphy | https://murfy.nz
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theoldfarter

233 posts

Master Geek

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#1798459 12-Jun-2017 13:25

@sn

Been spending some time on your website. May I suggest you include a picture of the back of the Vero 4K, showing the connectors.

I will read up on your Forum but you are at the top of my list. :)

sn

28 posts

Geek

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OSMC

#1798463 12-Jun-2017 13:32

That's certainly not a bad idea at all. I plan to add a diagram in the future to make ports a little more clear.

For now, on the back, we have:

Power
IR port: the Vero 4K comes with an RF remote, but we have a lot of users that want to use an IR remote, such as a Harmony. The Vero 4K has a built in IR receiver but we also include an eye which can be plugged in to the back if the user wants to mount the Vero 4K behind the TV (kit also included); or put it in a cupboard.
CVBS (for 3.5mm audio and 480/576i video)
Ethernet port
HDMI 2.0a port
Optical audio out

On the side, we have 2x USB 2.0 and a micro SD card slot.

Sam

theoldfarter

233 posts

Master Geek

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#1798468 12-Jun-2017 13:43

I am not too technical in my knowledge but can get by. :)

I have 2 Harmony remotes. The One and The Ultimate One. You mention an inbuilt IR receiver but also mention an IR port at the rear.

My equipment sits in the open, can I control the Vero 4K, with my Harmony remote, without plugging anything into the IR port on the rear?

sn

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Geek

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OSMC

#1798478 12-Jun-2017 14:01

theoldfarter:

My equipment sits in the open, can I control the Vero 4K, with my Harmony remote, without plugging anything into the IR port on the rear?

Yes.

You either use a custom LIRC profile, or choose one of the presets like Xbox Remote and change your Harmony to use that profile.

Quite a few of our users have Harmony's, so can help you. The exact remote profile depends on the user's needs.

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