The MeCool Chronicle part 1 - M8S Pro L Initial Impressions

by npaladin2000

Ok, so my first impression is that this thing looks cheap and tiny. Second thing...wow, it runs real AndroidTV? With DRMInfo pre-installed? Oh, interesting. Pretty responsive too Anyway, we've got Google Widevine L1, Microsoft Playready is supported, Adobe Primetime is NOT supported. Still, this means we're good for HD video from Netflix, GPM, Hulu, and the like, and I've got screenshots to prove it, as soon as I get them uploaded. I like the remote too, though frankly anything is an improvement over the SHIELD remote.

One thing I did notice is that the power button on the remote actually powers the frigging device off instead of putting it to sleep. And there's no Power icon on the main launcher to use to put it to sleep. This is not good. Also, as expected, no Chromecast. CEC audio controls don't seem to work, but I've had the thing hooked up for a grand total of an hour so far. I'll be doing some more extended evals, and I'll run some benchmarks too, if I can figure out how. I haven't written reviews in over 10 years though. :)

EDIT: the default behavior of the power button on the remote is to power off but it can be changed in the settings to "sleep" instead. However, there's ZERO way to do volume control over CEC and power over CEC also doesn't seem to work properly. Not the end of the world given the price point but definitely important to keep in mind.

joazito

I also bought this thing. Can confirm everything you mentioned, especially the lack of Chromecast support, so I'll stick with my Mi Box.

npaladin2000
windagony

you should replace the heatsink or add a fan

i imagine thermal throttling kicks in real quick given the size of the oem heatsink - i didn't even bother to turn mine on with it, and chucked the fugly case while i was at it too

Y2Bogus

Since it supports PlayReady DRM, does Prime Video work?

lolboahancock

Mibox has chromecast built in though. Your china box doesn't. So that's a huge no go

npaladin2000

I need benchmark suggestions here. Obviously this thing can't really handle 3DMark.

Fdsn

Does it play movie files with DTS/Dolby audio? What happens if you try to play it? Will it play with no sound, or it will atleast give basic audio without the DTS effects?

Does it support 5.1 surround sound? If yes, how and is it good?

Does it support writing to a usb without having to make the usb an internal storage? This is the main reason why I am not buying mi box which doesn't allow you to write to an external hard disk without formatting and making it an internal hdd which can then be not connected to any other device. The other option mibox provides is Read-Only permission, which is again not useful.

looun
bluemax23

Can you please check in the user manual (which I cannot find for download anywhere) if M8S Pro L supports composite audio/video output? None of the stores selling it have detailed description of the available ports. Thanks :)

hoagiesingh

I bought this box recently and Netflix fails to start. I have done uninstall and reinstall and cleared cache. No luck. Has anyone seen this or found a solution?

Waggmans

Is this an official Android TV box? I bet you can't stream Netflix in 4k on it.