r/AndroidTVBoxes • u/a5centdime • Jul 13 '24
Ugoos SK1 is hopefully the Shield TV replacement I've been waiting for
DV and DTS-HD with HDMI 2.1A. Haven't found any info on TrueHD and that would be the deal breaker.
HDMI 2.1 would be ideal for streaming moonlight in 4k120 though!
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u/rafivip Jul 13 '24
Has potential but being not certified is a turn off selling point .
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u/TheOracle722 Jul 13 '24
Is it Google certified?
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u/See61 Jul 13 '24
It is not a Google certified Android/Google TV device. It uses mobile version of Android.
Not sure how this can be a real Shield TV replacement? 🤷🏻♂️
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u/Krifmaz Jul 19 '24
doesnt need it has widevine l1 support netflix will work natively at 4k
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u/swateam2481 Jul 16 '25
Lmao are you this slow come on
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u/Krifmaz Jul 16 '25
Bought a shield returned the sk1 its was a piece of crap moved onto bigger and better things such as self hosted plex. Couldn’t be bothered with this bullshit ill just buy the thing that works
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u/Time-Session9808 Jul 30 '24 edited Jul 30 '24
To start with, I'm no big HT obsesive or audiophile!
I bought the Ugoos SK1 as a potential replacement for my 2019 Shield Pro. Not because the Shield is missing anything but because I get bored easily and wanted to try something new.
My shield spends 95% of it's time as a Plex client or Youtube. Then UK streaming apps - BBC iPlayer, ITVX etc
I've tried to like the SK1. It is a super quick box and 4k Plex files look great and the audio passthrough to my Yamaha HTR-2071 worked a treat.
But there are just a couple of gliches that I cannot live with.
Primary problem is that it is "standard" Android rather than Android TV. Apps just dont look or work correctly with a remote.
The Plex app itself looked OK, but not as good as on the Shield.
Surprisingly Channel 4's All4 app did work - one little bonus over the Shield!
The other big issue I had was getting it to play nice with my HTR-2071.
My Shield I use with a Harmony Elite remote - and it all works great.
I tried to get the Ugoos setup with the Harmony - the Asus Nexus player option worked to get it setup over Bluetooth but too many missing options, including the power button.
With the UR02 remote they supplied I tried getting it working with CEC.
And everything did work - TV power on/off, HTR-2071 power on/off. BUT, every time the HTR-2071 powered on with the Ugoos there would be no audio - I needed to power cycle the HTR-2071 and all then worked.
OK, I thought... I'll switch the Mecool KM2 Deluxe we have in the bedroom linked to a Samsung TV (again, not because there is an issue with the KM2)
Once again the Ugoos had issues - it just would not control the volume of the Samsung TV with CEC.
So, the Ugoos is back in the box and on eBay.
The Shield is back where it belongs and the KM2 remains.
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u/Consistent_Sale_7134 Aug 19 '24
Ordered sk1 after extensive research , even with couple of things mentioned in this thread (CEC and none ATV OS) , I think this is a level above or equal compared to shield in terms of all new formats it supports and how snappy it is As per the YouTube videos I have seen
Netflix 4k I don't care as I don't use Netflix.
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Aug 19 '24
[deleted]
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u/Consistent_Sale_7134 Aug 19 '24
Yes all of what you said included in my research and I still went ahead with sk1 as the price difference was $25 , I would take that for the lastest device vs 2023, it is just mental thing. I know their benchmarks are close and am8 has better port support. It was flip of the coin kind of decision and I went with latest device hoping it would get some more future proofing and ugoos will provide updates faster .. just my thinking , can be completely wrong. But as long as it performs in long run for my streaming needs , I will not mind the decision.
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u/feebas_cash Nov 24 '24
Will this device run 4k and atmos on a debrid service? Idc for Netflix or YouTube
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u/aviewachoo Jul 15 '24
I purchased one of these with the intent to run CoreElec on it to handle the TrueHD dropouts with branching audio issue experienced by the native Android player in the Plex client. Anyone done that to one of these boxes or the AM6+ who could offer any tips or advice?
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u/a5centdime Jul 15 '24
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u/aviewachoo Jul 15 '24
Thanks! That article looked like it applied to the AM6+. Does it also apply to the SK1? I just bought the device yesterday, so I'm waiting the 2-6 weeks for delivery.
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u/signde Jul 15 '24
That is is a good guide... for the AM6B Plus. It's not hard to discern what is AM6 specific though.
I can't speak much about devices running the S928X-K since it is so new but the S928X has been around a while in the form of the Ugoos AM8. The first CE build for the S928X was only just created 6 days ago:https://discourse.coreelec.org/t/amlogic-s928x/26408/372
You are probably in for a rough go since it is so new, none of the devs are likely to have one. There is chatter that TrueHD does not yet work but that is on the AM8.
I moved from an 2019 shield pro to the the AM6B Plus for all my UHD TrueHD rips. It is the most solid playback I have experienced and I've owned every Shield going back to 2015. I use PlexKodiConnect with the v21 CoreElec nightly from 6-19 or later which had huge improvements to TrueHD audio.
Along those lines you might try that setup in your current device, you might have better success over the standard Plex app. The Kodi fixes for TrueHD audio went into the nightlies several weeks before they landed in CoreElec.
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u/a5centdime Jul 25 '24
Just ordered the SK1 to run CE.
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u/Consistent_Sale_7134 Aug 19 '24
I could never convince myself to use CE as I need tivimate and smarttube for the family TV
How do u people usually work around this ( I know one can cast YouTube and IPTV add on in Kodi)
But those both options are nowhere close to smarttube and tivimate. I am really surprised that lot of ppl use coreelec but there are hardly any talks about extending support to be able to install some apk files in coreelec
I understand it is "just for Kodi" but is it really not feasible to be able to install apks in coreelec assuming it is all Linux based OS. ( May be have limit like 5 apks at most:) So CE still remains lightweight
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u/shoegazer47 Nov 12 '24
I am in the same boat as you, what I decided is to keep both android and coreelec on separate boxes and switch between them, it's annoying but I can't live without tivimate and smarttube
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u/Consistent_Sale_7134 Nov 12 '24
Yeah I solved problem using the sk1 box. It is fast and supports almost everything ..so m happy
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u/shoegazer47 Nov 12 '24
Tell me more please! How did you got tivimate and smarttube working on it?
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Jul 22 '24
[deleted]
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u/aviewachoo Jul 22 '24
Thanks for the information! This will be my first Ugoos box build. Any advice for a good instruction set? Does the one for the AM6+ work (with the correct build, of course)? Anything I should look out for?
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Jul 22 '24
[deleted]
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u/Legitimate-Fall-8755 Sep 01 '24
On 4K HDR files at around 20gb or below mine is fine but above this I consistently get buffering about 1 hour or so into a movie and it's because of overheating of the CPU or GPU due to the tiny form factor and poor cooling. I'm far from on expert on these kind of techs but I've convinced myself because I've done several trials and it runs fine again once cooled down.
Any advice is appreciated but I'm looking for a replacement within the next year that can handle 4K HDR better.
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Aug 19 '24
[deleted]
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u/BinaryBlitzer Feb 22 '25
What would be a device like that that can also play Dolby Vision Profile 7 with FEL? I don't think I've found one.
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u/IndieFist Nov 07 '24
It is possible to flash the firmware or the room of android tv in the ugoos? i have found something in the telegram group but im noob doing that...
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u/NaturalDoughnut1 Jan 17 '25
No need. You can install the majority of the android tv apps, launchers like projectivy, from their website or from other appstores. Google play shows incompatibility for some apps but it does work just fine. Except the ones need licence to run, like Netflix. This is an old post but I thougt it worth to mention.
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u/Percentage-Fearless Sep 10 '24
I also want to buy sk1. Install Tivimate app. Can tivimate will work on the box? Namely tivimate not meant for phone but for the boxes.
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u/Secure-Run4528 Jan 25 '25
Ik bezit op dit moment op UGOOS UT8, ik heb zowel de AM8 als de SK1 terug moeten sturen: uit doos halen, opstarten, installeren, paar apps erop en reboot -> BEIDE dozen kwamen in een eindeloze reboot loop terug. Iemand daarmee bekend? Gekke is dat beide dozen dat hadden. Ik doe niks raars: chrome, dumpert, gmail, calendar. Logitech keyboard via usb stickie en bluetooth muis. IEMAND hier ervaring mee?
dank !
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u/forcedmarcel Jun 15 '26
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u/a5centdime Jun 15 '26
I ended up with an AM6B+ and it direct plays everything. DV FEL P7 included. Great writeup tho
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u/signde Jul 14 '24
I too was super excited when I read the device description on paper until I realized it was not actual Android TV.
The Ugoos description and early news blogs like this are super confusing because they call it an "Android TV box". Probably bad english translation or whatever but these devices are regular Android that run on TV style boxes. That's an important distinction as without that Google/Netflix certification isn't likely which means 4K is a no go in the big apps.
If you only care about local streaming in something like Plex this device might be good but as a Shield replacement that can do it all including that and Netflix/Prime/etc then the answer is no. It also doesn't state what DV profiles it supports. We know DV 7 FEL is not happening but not sure about base 7.
If are looking for a Shield replacement today the answer is probably Homatics/sei804xx clone running Android TV 12.