Emporium

To test further, I just paired a super cheap BT headset (so cheap/generic that it is seen as "Bluetooth music" )

OK, sounds like crap (but that is just the headphones themselves) and a little bit of latency detected (again probably the headphones), but it worked fine on BuzzTV5 LiveTV and this time I even tried youtube and it was fine also.

Would be great if you  had another set of earphones or even a BT speaker to test.   Have you checked using your phone app, if they have the latest firmware installed on the headphones ?

Downloads can be found under Android\Data\BuzzXR4000.TV\Files\Movies  (on your external drive)

As DU mentioned, you can use a file explorer app to transfer them, or if you have a USB->SATA adapter, just do it directly on your PC.

However keep in mind that Dumping files back into that directory after reformatting, does NOT mean that you will see them under VOD recordings, since they are tagged in some internal xml (or similar) meta file which includes their location.  Once you reformat the drive it is quite possible that it will be seen as a different drive to Android.   But you will be able to use VLC to play them.

I just paired my Bose QC45 headphones with my U5, and had no issues with sound on both LiveTV and VOD that I tested.  LiveTV is set to Primary player and VOD on backup.

When you are watching a LiveTV channel, and you press the Green button in full screen, what Audio options are there ?  Is there an audio track showing and selected ?

If I get a chance I'll try some other headphones later.

Is this for Scheduled recordings, or recording started manually (hitting record button) while watching a LiveTV channel ?   Have you tried both ?

To schedule a recording, the easiest is to go to the GUIDE view (ie: EPG) and then go forward a bit and select a show, and it will ask you if you want to create a reminder, or schedule a record. 

Do you by any chance have another set of BT headphones, just to test ?

Earlier today I tested a set of Bose QC45 SE BT headphones on my Classic and X5 and they worked perfectly with BuzzTV 5 (I did not test with other apps).    Tomorrow I can test with my U5, but I'd be surprised if the U5 behaves any differently than the X5.

And I regularly use a cheap set of BT earbuds in the bedroom with my 4900, and it works fine with buzztv5.

Do you have any custom settings configured in your sound section ?

Anyhow, I will test a few pairs tomorrow on my U5.

Just tried it with a brand new 120GB SSD (fresh out of the package - yes I still have a pile left over from an old project).  Installed in U5, it saw it, and asked to format it as portable storage, which I did.   Then shutdown, removed and put into laptop and it was exFAT.   Not complaining

HEY... You know something...   I just took the Toshiba HDD (which I tested in the U5) and put it on my USB->SATA adapter to put it on my laptop to clear it, and I was surprised to see, that the U5 actually created and formatted the partition as exFAT... Nice !!!

And I know it was the U5 that created it, because I had just deleted all the partitions, I did not create one, the U5 created it.

1 minute ago, dishuser said:

4gb

You are correct.. Max file size limit is 4GB.. I keep mixing it up with the max partition size of 2TB    But still 4GB is still limit on downloading good bitrate movies, and could be source of frustration when it keeps truncating.  It is fine as long as you know the limits. 

But Android with no root, is no simple task to blow away old partitions.  I just installed an old 500GB Toshiba Laptop drive (left over from SSD upgrade) I had lying around into my U5, and since it was a windows main drive before it had 3 partitions (system reserved, main os, and recovery).  There was no simple way on Android to erase it all and reinstall.  And 2 out of the 3 partitions were showing as ejected.   Took drive out, connected to my laptop, went into disk management, and just deleted all volumes (usually I do it from command line - diskpart - list disk - select disk 1 - clean  ; but this time I figured I'd do it as a typical user would with UI), and then installed in U5 .   It then recognized the drive, and allowed me to format it as portable storage and use it (and rebooted 2 or 3 times, and downloaded 2 TV series episodes and had no problem with it disconnecting).  Sure it is FAT32, but it works for now with limitations considered.

Anyhow, I removed it and put back my 240GB SSD    It is silent, does not get hot, and when playing back, all REW/FWD through commercials is instantaneous.  And a small SSD is dirt cheap these days.

10 minutes ago, Jean Couture said:

I have a U5. All recordings start but stop immediately. 00.00:00 is the recorded time. I check for updates and the unit tells me it has the latest update from Aug 2023. Why will it not find this update that is supposed to correct the recording issue???

Latest update from August means nothing.  From your Updates screen, can you post your firmware version (V2023xxyy), and software version 5.0.xxx please.

Also, does your IPTV service use MAC or XC API login ?  Does your service allow more than 1 simultaneous connection ?

Under PVR options, have you configured your recording and download destinations ?

48 minutes ago, Jean Couture said:

My WD Blue SSD worked well but I needed to re-format it within the U5. I did this and now I get the message ready to eject. I remove it and I get the message drive not found. Impossible to reformat within the U5. All I get from tech support is to format it in a PC. Definitely a bug.

Next time, if you need support, please start your own thread instead of bumping a 1yr old thread.

Android can format an HDD, but by default android will only format using FAT32, which is not recommended, since FAT32 has a 2GB file size limitation which will end up being an issue if you ever want to download any VOD, and most movies today are >2GB.  Hence why it is recommended to use a PC, and therefore you can format to exFAT.   Also, Android provides limited access to external devices for deleting existing partitions and recreating them. There are some 3rd party apps, but unfortunately, due to 'security features' in Android, many of those apps will need ROOT access to do it (which these boxes to not provide - for good reason).

When you go into your Settings->device preferences->Storage, is your drive listed under "device storage", or "removable storage" ?

The U5 can create a partition and format it (in FAT32 however), however the drive needs to be free of any older partitions (which android boxes can't by any easy method, manipulate them).  Reformatting the same partition is not the best option.  Any recent Android (not specific to the any buzz box) will only offer you to erase and format "as device storage" (something I hope android finally drops - since it is useless anymore).

A PC (with a small USB to SATA cable) to delete the existing partitions, and then recreate a new one and format as exFAT is the best way to do it.

OK.. I just borrowed my kids headphones (Got them each a pair of Bose QC45 SE for xmas - from Costco)

When I initially tried, it would see them (identified as Bose QC45), but when you tried to pair, it would come back with a basic message "could not pair".

Tried 5 or 6 times.  I was about to give up, and as it was in the pairing process (just before giving me an error message), I reached towards the Classic to unplug it, to plug my X5 to it, to try also, and bingo, it actually paired.   So I don't know if it was my hand reaching close and acting as some sort of antenna, which helped, but it paired.  

I proceeded to unpair it, and tried at least 4 or 5 times, and it paired flawlessly after that.  I was quite impressed that watching some new programs, the latency was close to 0.

I unplugged the box, plugged it back in, and it was a repeat again of not connecting.. This time I just reached my hand over the box again and it successfully paired.. And then proceeded to unpair and repair with no issues a number of times..  Very strange, but I did manage to get it to pair.

Have you installed the "Bose Music" app on your phone, paired headphones and checked to see if there is any firmware update ?  Sometimes firmware update can help with connection issues.

I have a better question... Will it really make a difference on a media box ?    

Have you checked under Settings->Device Preferences->Display and Sound->Advanced sound settings, and make sure that S/PDIF is still turned on ?   

It can happen sometimes after a s/w update some settings, like S/PDIF and Force Max Volume, will sometimes toggle.  I know it is not ideal, but it does happen sometimes.

No "virtual" CEC turned on (further down in the CEC menu) ?

Because we remotely sent you a virus.   

Good luck in getting any support with your attitude in other threads.

6 hours ago, ismael said:

yes it shows that you are a good developer who has been in IT for a long time. you react like a developer. but I'm not going to insist, it's useless, we have two literally different points of view.

I am not in IT, and refuse to consider myself in IT.   I am in s/w engineering, and even though I am no longer coding myself, I do review code, and UI designs for very large products.

Yes we have 2 different point of views, and that is healthy.   I have many different customers all over the globe and priorities and what is important varies from one side of the globe to the other.  And we often sit down and find compromises.  But being arrogant like you and assuming that YOUR way is the best way, only way and the way it is supposed to be, turns people off and extinguishes any desire to work with you.

Enjoy you other boxes.

1 hour ago, ismael said:

You're right, make fun of me with this photo. and then I'm the arrogant and rude one. no worries, I regret having bought this U5 and I will ask if I can return it and get a refund. Because it's one thing when a product doesn't meet my needs, but it's another thing when someone laughs at me. Because we have different logics

Hate to tell you, but YOU were the one who came in here all arrogant and full of themselves.  Instead of asking questions, you dictated the way things SHOULD be.  It's your way or the highway.

1 hour ago, ismael said:

without wanting to be pretentious, how many of your users have tested all the latest iptv boxes? I don't want to give you a list of the boxes I tested. But again your product is good. But for a product in this price range (high end), there are things that are incomprehensible to me.

Formuler has almost perfect from a software point of view, but their image quality is less good because of Realtek. Amlogic has better image quality.

...

Formuler has let down MANY, MANY users over the years.   They have had many ups and downs.  And their software is far from perfect.  There is NO perfect software.  And there is no perfect hardware.  And your statement about the "best on the market" is pointless.  No such thing, unless you pretty much have a monopoly.  Everyone has different needs, different expectations, and different things that are important to them.

And your setup is not exactly a "typical" setup either.

In terms of the number of boxes most of us here have tested, here is a small sample of the ones I regularly test, and others have more.  And this is just the buzz boxes (xpl3000, StreamPro G1, xrs4500, xrs4900 x2, E1, E2, ST4000, HD5, B5, E5, Classic, X5 AI, X5 AX-C, U5, etc..).

Formuler King ?  That's a laugh.. Most people I know that buy buzz boxes are doing so because they are fed up with that.  Like I said earlier, every device has it's pros and cons.  That is why there are choices out there.

You are free to have your opinion, and as you said earlier, it is obviously not for you.

You may be in IT, but I've been doing low level coding since the days of the VAX machines, and I agree with allaboutbuzz.  You don't add a feature that can potentially cause all sorts of issues for your users.  I deliver multi-$M devices on a weekly basis and if I did that, we would not be in business.  If amlogic could add an option to poll the device to see what could be "safe" option, then I am sure they would have.  And maybe in the future (in another chipset), they might.  It is every makers choice to abide and follow the recommendations from the chip manufacturer, and if you don't like it, you go elsewhere.

I leave my remote to control just my box.   All my buzz boxes are set to shutdown also.  I don't care for suspend, and have NEVER used restart on any box, in 20+ years.  Restart is useless.  When things act up, you really DO want to pull the power form the box, since it is often internal hardware registers that need to be reset, and only way to do that 100% is to pull the power, when for caps to drain a few seconds and then plug it back in.

The BT200 and BT250 have 4 learn IR keys to be able to learn TV remote buttons (volume, power, sources, etc..).  I don't use the "source" button - since the buzz is the only box connected to it, but I have learned the "sleep" key from my TV so I can turn that on instead  

1 minute ago, ismael said:

but no volume control of the TV, which it really anoying when you pass to a channel with dolby ... anyway I understand that buzztv boxes are not for me. 

I had a lot of hope in this box and in the future p6. but it's going to end that I'm going to sell my box.

I see no advantage for me, boxes are more expensive and do not match my logic.

Does not match your logic ?  your logic wants stuff simple for the old user... yet if it doesn't suit your specific setup, then you don't like it.  There is no perfect box out there.  There are compromises with all of them.  You can't satisfy them all.

All this over TV volume buttons.  Damn, would have loved to see your reaction in the good old days..

8 minutes ago, ismael said:

sorry I did not see the answer from Emporium. It's a solution which works

But what do you think, it will not be a good option to have in recently watched bot "menus" ?

The list with season 1, season 2, etc and also the menu play, continue watching

In my opinion, I used to prefer to see things separately at least on that list (even if they are episodes of the same series).  That list, in my opinion, should be for stuff that you have NOT completely finished watching.  Once it is watched, I would have preferred for it to no longer be on that list (automatically be removed).  I just remove them manually (no big deal), since I know other people will use it for completely different reasons.

And with introduction of Multiple Favorites groups option nowadays, Each member of the family just tags their own favorite shows they want to watch, so the "Recently watched" category is not something I pay much attention to any more.  Actually on my main box, I have actually hidden the recently watched category, and just add everything I want to watch in my favorites and then remove them as I go through them.   My kids had a tendency of starting different movies, watching 10 minutes and then moving to the next, so the recently watched list was just cluttered.

Just now, dishuser said:

how many volume up/down buttons does remote have?

on my bt-200/250 I have 2 sets

The U5, comes with the BT300/400 remote, so only 1 set.

But the issue in my opinion is more this:

Quote

...Because on some channels/movies with dolby sound the box does not allow you to control the volume ... 

I like the BT200/250 remotes    2 sets of volume buttons.. and 2 power buttons.  One for the buzz box, and one (learn-able buttons) for your TV.

I hate all the CEC stuff, because it is hard to define what takes priority over what.  People want the power button to shut off the whole system, YET, they want to also be able to control things independently.

When you search for a series (or find it in one of the other categories), don't press OK on the series.  Go on top of it, and hit "yellow" button to add it to favorites.

Then when it is in your favorites, it is the TOP of the menu that is bookmarked, so when you select it, you will subsequently have the full menu, with all the seasons..  If you add only the season itself (or a specific episode) to favorites, then it will only be that specific season.

I have never "programmed" my BT300/400 remotes for my X5 or U5.  I have paired the BT, so I can control the box.  I turn off all CEC (so no interaction between the TV and box). 

That way, the only thing I need to do is press one button on the TV to turn it on (the TV volume is always set at 65%), then sit on the couch with my Buzz Remote, turn on the box (with the buzz remote), and control everything with my BuzzTV remote (including volume).  And you can turn the box on/off at will with no issue.  Don't need to overthink it.

I hate to tell you, but your TV is a variable here also.  Because I have my U5 connected to a basic HP 1080p monitor and the color space settings work fine.   OK, I don't have all of those option you show above, but the option is NOT grey...  It is selectable, and changeable.

So honestly.. I don't see it needing any bug fix

So that just goes to show you, that just because YOU tried everything YOU think you can try, it does not automatically mean the box has a bug.  There are MANY things that come into play, and your TV is still one of them.

1 minute ago, ismael said:

maybe I want only my box works ... 

Then learn to ask for help to determine the source that is causing the problem.   Not just making statements and assumptions. Sometimes you'll be surprised on the outcome.

After your provider tried with an E1, did he RESET your MAC account ? 

As mentioned, many servers have upgraded slightly to "try" to minimize brute force attacks, and now use DeviceID and serial numbers to marry subs to specific boxes.  so if you test with one box, you may need to do a reset on the account if you want to use it with another box (just changing the MAC is not always enough).  Just saying.  I sometimes forget to do it for my customers sometimes when I test with my box.  It's simple, but he just need to remember to do it.