G-BOX Rockchip 2918 Gingerbread - Really plays and outputs FullHD

[Dual_HD]

I really don't this title is correct, it can not playback 1080 H.264 HP file

 

[mindsurfer]

Thanks KGILLA. So now only if the firmware set the output scale from the default value 160 to 240, in order to display bigger icons/fonts, then it would be a very perfect box. See what I get on the other Telechip box which stock firmware set output scale at 240

Please can you describe in details where this scale settings can be changed?
What is you Android version and what UI is set?

 

[mindsurfer]

hi
i found in this site a firmware for box
xxx://www.dayflycn.com/Downloads.asp
but no change log

with rk29xx-imagetools-v21 i unpacked this rom
but i don't know change and repack

for control this box with your phone you can tried droidmote serveur an droidmote client
but first we must rooter this box

sorry for my english

si

 

[mafani]

Please can you describe in details where this scale settings can be changed?
What is you Android version and what UI is set?

there is an app called LCD Density allows the root change the scale to different values.

 

[mindsurfer]

there is an app called LCD Density allows the root change the scale to different values.

Thanks.
But what is the UI on the pic? Is it default Android UI?

If yes how it can be switched to?
Currently I'm usin LauncherPro and can choose only between it and default tv box ui

 

[mafani]

try VTL Launcher

 

[Dual_HD]

I will buy one and test 1080P full HD playback and give a report.

 

[bthoven]

Thanks.
But what is the UI on the pic? Is it default Android UI?

If yes how it can be switched to?
Currently I'm usin LauncherPro and can choose only between it and default tv box ui

This is the UI from another Telechip box which I owned before. LauncherPro is better, especially after you set the lcd density to 200 to 240. The above UI is from a box with lcd density 240.

 

[lightrayz]

Hi bthoven, thank you for the great review. I am very keen to get this box but need a few more questions answered. Hope you can help.

1. Some sellers state the box supports RM/RMVB, MPEG, MKV, AVI, FLV, VP8 video playback. No mention about other formats. Other sellers claim it supports more formats including AVI, FLV, 3GP, 3GPP, MOV, MP4, DAT, MPEG, MPE, MPG, M2V, ISO, VOB, MP4, 3G2, MKV, TS, M2TS, M3TS, M4TS, M5TS, MTS, M4V, FLV, FLC.

I have Full HD videos from my Sony and Canon Videocams with M2TS, MTS and other formats and am wondering if you have tried playing these files on the box.

2. Does the box come loaded with the Apps and Gmarket like that shown in the seller's website?

Many thanks for your help. I'm new to Android and all this talk about root etc is kinda exciting for me.

p.s. you got yours from aliexpress H-ZONE TECHNOLOGY CO LTD. Are they any good?

 

[bthoven]

Hi,

I do not own this box now and can answer only a few of your questions. Please note that though the box looks the same outside, the pre-installed apps might be different. This depends on the request of your reseller to the manufacturer.

Hi bthoven, thank you for the great review. I am very keen to get this box but need a few more questions answered. Hope you can help.

1. Some sellers state the box supports RM/RMVB, MPEG, MKV, AVI, FLV, VP8 video playback. No mention about other formats. Other sellers claim it supports more formats including AVI, FLV, 3GP, 3GPP, MOV, MP4, DAT, MPEG, MPE, MPG, M2V, ISO, VOB, MP4, 3G2, MKV, TS, M2TS, M3TS, M4TS, M5TS, MTS, M4V, FLV, FLC.

I've not tried every format you listed above, only know that mpeg, mkv, 3gp, 3gpp, mp4 are working. Some format, e.g. avi, is just a container generic name which format inside could be any.

I have Full HD videos from my Sony and Canon Videocams with M2TS, MTS and other formats and am wondering if you have tried playing these files on the box.

2. Does the box come loaded with the Apps and Gmarket like that shown in the seller's website?
Mine preloaded with Youtube, Map, Flash, etc. However, I don't like the idea of pre-installed apps because you may not to be able to upgrade such apps due to them residing in the system folder (unless you can root your box). Those apps could be downloaded and installed from the included Android Market.

The Android Market in my G-Box is of rather old version (no green sidebar panel), but no problem finding most apps I want.

Many thanks for your help. I'm new to Android and all this talk about root etc is kinda exciting for me.

p.s. you got yours from aliexpress H-ZONE TECHNOLOGY CO LTD. Are they any good? Sorry, I can't remember the seller. Don't expect they can be of any help when there is any problem because some sellers don't even know their product that well.

The price in Singapore is quite high, in exchange of local support and warranty. Buying from Chinese online store, you have to be prepared for poor support, in exchange of a much cheaper price.

 

[yric39]

About launchers:
Download several launchers and Home switcher. With help the last you can test all of them and choose the launcher you like. Do not forget to set by default what you choosed.

 

[mafani]

I try the 3g firmware by diferent reasons, one of them is in this firmware i have no problem with the menus or subtitles during a playback over the av output.

but there is no weather service, and the resolotion is too high for a normal tv.

after install the lcd density and configure it to change the density in the boot, i dicide to turn back to one of the previous firms in the topic before the 3g's

well... i can pass thru the g-box logo and the device never loads the launcher...

i don't know what to do... is there any other way to load a firmware?

thanks!

EDIT:

Well, i discover the factory reset menu!
near the power in there's a little hole acces the factory reset menu. Holdong whild turn on the device, appears the fatory reset menu where i can do a factory reset or load an update.img from sdcard or usb.
I can navigate the menu with the volume buttons in the remote control...but i didn't know how to select an option!

 

[guscunha]

I think I have good news.

I have unpacked and repacked the kernel successfully. I have tested much yet but I will tell you exactly what I've done.

I unpacked the update.img (which has the kernel and all the initial apps in it)
I deleted apps that I don't want to be pre installed in my box like: gmail, facebook, youtube, himsn, netflix, games, and twiter. I still need to remove talk.apk because I am not in the USA and this only works in the USA.

I repacked with cramfs (which is read only system to consume less space and it is the way the original is packed) and re-installed in my box. It works just fine, it does seem to be more speedy.

Read more about cramfs here cramfs - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I am trying to find a better FREE launcher. At the moment I am trying ADW launcher which works fine but the pre set buttons on the remote control still link to the previous launcher (gboxlauncher.apk) which I am still keeping just for safety but after I find a better launcher I will replace it completely. I don't know hot to link that buttons to the pages in the ADW launcher, any help here would be appreciated.

BTW to unpack and repacked the update.img I used RK29xxImageTools_v2.1 (You will find this by searching on google)

I will not publish my changed update.img because I am testing it.

I am doing all of this to find a way to stream movies from my home network in high resolution. At the moment when I am stream movies from my network/laptop they are not in high resolution. If I stream them from the sdcard or from youtube they work just fine.

Oh the other thing I've done was to install density changer and set it from 160 to 240 so I can actually read what is written on the tv and see the icon images better-No I don't wear glasses

I will probably pack the kernel with density changer in it next time.

The next thing I will do will to replace the busybox binary file in the kernel which is outdated and can't be replaced cause the system is cramfs.

Oh I have tried something else with no success. I unpacked the gboxlaunch.apk but the reverse engineered code is not readable. If I had the source code for it I could try to optimise it.

Cheers,
Gus.

 

[Bangalter]

WOW, Guscunha, that's great!.You've opened the door to make custom firmwares. With this, we don't need to root the device. I have one question. How can I pack and copy the "file.img" of the device to a USB or a SDCard?.

I would change a lot of things as I think the android version was taken from a smartphone.

Thank you, sir!.

 

[guscunha]

Hi Bangalter,

Thank you for thanking me

I didn't copy the files from the device, it might be possible if you have a male to male usb cable-which I don't have, instead I copied one of the update.img mentioned above on this forum and started from there.

This box has lots of potential if we give a special attention to customise the software that it runs on I think we can get some very satisfactory results. I still have lots of testing to do and to connect more devices to the box but we can't forget that honeycomb is just around the corner and things should be much better then (if it gets ported to rockchip).

Cheers,
Gus.

WOW, Guscunha, that's great!.You've opened the door to make custom firmwares. With this, we don't need to root the device. I have one question. How can I pack and copy the "file.img" of the device to a USB or a SDCard?.

I would change a lot of things as I think the android version was taken from a smartphone.

Thank you, sir!.

 

[Bangalter]

I think I'll buy that USB cable, it only costs 2 euros. Any idea how can I pack the image file?.

 

[maja69]

DJ Droid-GBOX V0.1
Versione: 0.1
Lingua/e: Quelle disponibili dalla Base [preimpostata italiano]
Creatore: MaJa & udK
Data di rilascio: 13-01-2012
Descrizione: DJ Droid-GBOX V0.1,first rom for GBOX

 

[maja69]

Here my ROM
Note:
The forum is in ITALIAN language, if you can not write in Italian please use google translate

 

[mafani]

Bangalter near the power input is ther a a little hole. If you press and hold it and turn on the device appears a menu with the option to load an update.img from sdcard or usb. Try it. I want to do it because my device gets stucked in the G-BOX boot logo. I discover this method and can change the option in the menu, but i can't select one.
Try to update from the usb. If you do, tell me how did youselect the option please.

After read again your post Bang, chage the image name to update.img ang put it on a sdcard. When you restart the device, it ask you for an update.

 

[maja69]

Now I'm work on v0.2 of DJDdroid G-BOX in next version I'll try to get a system r / w

 

[clamel]

I think I'll buy that USB cable, it only costs 2 euros. Any idea how can I pack the image file?.

Hello, this is my guide about unpack/repack images.. it is in italian. but you can use google translator embedded in the page

rk2918 - Creazione di una Custom Rom per dispositivi (rooted) [clamel.netai.net]

bye

 

[maja69]

I try the 3g firmware by diferent reasons, one of them is in this firmware i have no problem with the menus or subtitles during a playback over the av output.

but there is no weather service, and the resolotion is too high for a normal tv.

after install the lcd density and configure it to change the density in the boot, i dicide to turn back to one of the previous firms in the topic before the 3g's

well... i can pass thru the g-box logo and the device never loads the launcher...

i don't know what to do... is there any other way to load a firmware?

thanks!

EDIT:

Well, i discover the factory reset menu!
near the power in there's a little hole acces the factory reset menu. Holdong whild turn on the device, appears the fatory reset menu where i can do a factory reset or load an update.img from sdcard or usb.
I can navigate the menu with the volume buttons in the remote control...but i didn't know how to select an option!

you MUST have a Keyboardan try all key you can see sam key move select bar and other confirm your choise

 

[mafani]

i not have a usb keyboard, but i want to try with it!
yes, i can move with different options with volume up/dpwn on remote control.

anyway, i finally update the firmware thru my computer!!

i'm very happy to have my toy back again

i will write a post with the instructions to connect the device to a windows computer!

 

[maja69]

i not have a usb keyboard, but i want to try with it!
yes, i can move with different options with volume up/dpwn on remote control.

anyway, i finally update the firmware thru my computer!!

i'm very happy to have my toy back again

i will write a post with the instructions to connect the device to a windows computer!

Good!!
The guide for this is very usefull

 

[sara elmoghazy]

regarding to mafani post about update firmware from pc can u please send us steps to do that , and another question , i want to use the same launcher exists in device but just change background color and logo , can i use device launcher and make some changes and reuse it , if yes ,how???

thanks alot for ur help