Upgrading From Mag254

[swantzilla]

I have had a MAG254 for a few years but I rarely use it because of choppy video and lack of Dolby Surround. I have a 4K TV and a surround system that all the HDMI cables from the various sources connect to.

Can I find answers to a few questions? All Video/Audio connections are HDMI.


1: Will the choppy video be eliminated? (Crawls on the bottom of the financial and cable news channels are especially noticeable)

2: Will the TV shows as well as the movies be in Dolby Digital surround? (If available) My MAG254 provides stereo only.

3: Will Netflix and YouTube 4K Videos play in true 4K? Also will Netflix have Dolby Digital audio?

4: How does it play with HDCP? My surround receiver is not HDCP compliant but will pass 4K.

5: And a touchy question......Dreamlink T2 or Formuler Z7+? Which will work better with 4K? The Formuler has twice the RAM.


I have researched the 2 boxes and both say they both will do Dolby Digital audio but does the content provider actually send the Dolby Digital audio on the program and movies? (Rocket for example) I know Netflix does send Dolby Digital as well as HDR content and I see the box has an app for that.

Thank you for reading and your input.

[Sam1]

I don't see any choppy video. I watch CNN/BBC and didn't notice any issues.

Regarding audio - Yes. As long as the iptv channel has DD, it is received in the receiver. You can set the audio output to RAW and let the receiver work on the multi channel input

I have Denon receiver & it works that way with Dreamlink T2

I doubt whether T2 is HDCP compliant. Netflix for sure need HDCP for displaying anything in HD format. I guess Youtube 4K the same.

[swantzilla]

Thanks Sam,
Played with the 254 last night. I noticed the USA TV channels are choppy and the video is a bit washed out. This is obvious with channels that have a crawl at the bottom. It is like frames are being dropped. I have not checked any non-USA channels. On the other hand the movies look very good with no discernible choppiness but no Dolby Surround.

HDCP is used on the signal source (sending) side. It detects whether the receiving side is authorized to receive 4K. If the new 4K Dreamlink boxes do not need see an HDCP enabled device it should just go ahead and pass the 4K signal. My HT receiver is not HDCP capable (Yamaha RX-A3030) but will pass a 4K signal. The FireTV needs to see a HDCP device so I have to connect it directly to the TV and run the audio back to the HT receiver.

I don't see any choppy video. I watch CNN/BBC and didn't notice any issues.

Regarding audio - Yes. As long as the iptv channel has DD, it is received in the receiver. You can set the audio output to RAW and let the receiver work on the multi channel input

I have Denon receiver & it works that way with Dreamlink T2

I doubt whether T2 is HDCP compliant. Netflix for sure need HDCP for displaying anything in HD format. I guess Youtube 4K the same.

[Sam1]

Thanks Sam,
Played with the 254 last night. I noticed the USA TV channels are choppy and the video is a bit washed out. This is obvious with channels that have a crawl at the bottom. It is like frames are being dropped. I have not checked any non-USA channels. On the other hand the movies look very good with no discernible choppiness but no Dolby Surround.

HDCP is used on the signal source (sending) side. It detects whether the receiving side is authorized to receive 4K. If the new 4K Dreamlink boxes do not need see an HDCP enabled device it should just go ahead and pass the 4K signal. My HT receiver is not HDCP capable (Yamaha RX-A3030) but will pass a 4K signal. The FireTV needs to see a HDCP device so I have to connect it directly to the TV and run the audio back to the HT receiver.

Netflix HD/4K will not work on a non certified device without HDCP compliant(yes from source). The nextflix app on dreamlink is a browser based app and not like the regular android app. I guess amazon prime also may not work or give full HD because of the same HDCP certification issue(I didn't tried it)

HDCP is for content protection(like unauthorized recording). For HDCP certification, the device cannot be designed to copy,it must not transmit high definition protected video to non-HDCP receivers; and DVD-Audio works can be played only at CD-audio quality by non-HDCP digital audio outputs

So to conclude, if you have a 4K recorded/copied content on local HDD or network share, dreamlink T2 can play it in 4K, but no 4K/HD from reputed apps like netflix/amazon

[swantzilla]

Netflix HD/4K will not work on a non certified device without HDCP compliant(yes from source). The nextflix app on dreamlink is a browser based app and not like the regular android app. I guess amazon prime also may not work or give full HD because of the same HDCP certification issue(I didn't tried it)

HDCP is for content protection(like unauthorized recording). For HDCP certification, the device cannot be designed to copy,it must not transmit high definition protected video to non-HDCP receivers; and DVD-Audio works can be played only at CD-audio quality by non-HDCP digital audio outputs

So to conclude, if you have a 4K recorded/copied content on local HDD or network share, dreamlink T2 can play it in 4K, but no 4K/HD from reputed apps like netflix/amazon

Good info, thank you.

I will just have to use the Netflix/Amazon apps in the TV for 4K material.

I have seen that there are some 4K movies available using Kodi. I have read that streaming them does not work well. What about recording them for later viewing?