As a reminder, the R_volution PlayerPro 8K, a new product distributed in a few weeks in France by HD Land, offers an experience close to that of the Zappiti players and the eponymous application, signed by the company of the same name which ceased its activities recently.
R_volution PlayerPro 8K, what developments compared to the R_volution PlayerOne 8K££££
To summarize, the R_volution PlayerPro 8K of course takes up all the specifications of the PlayerOne 8K with however some significant differences. First of all, a double slot for a 3.5'' 32 GB Sata hard drive, for a total storage capacity of 64 GB at the time of writing these lines. There is also a sophisticated linear power supply based on a massive toroidal transformer and an internal competition clock signed TCXO. Thus, the image and sound qualities are favorably affected.
R_volution PlayerPro 8K and R_video, 100% digital audio-video experience££££
The R_volution PlayerPro 8K therefore offers the possibility of ripping your own film/series or music discs onto the hard drive(s) of the player or onto the R_volution [abc]Nas[/abc] (network hard drive enclosure, see photo below), and then enjoying them in a completely digital way using a dedicated application, R_video. The latter, graphically superb with animated backgrounds, offers the film poster, all the associated technical information, its distribution, etc. The application also allows you to browse your library of titles via various filters (title, actor, director, categories, release date, length, etc.), to automatically group and manage sagas (Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Game of Thrones, etc.), to launch a trailer, etc. All with unprecedented speed.
In terms of image quality, the R_volution PlayerPro 8K is equipped with the ultimate in technology. Its new Amlogic S928X-K/J SoC, based on a Quad Core ARM A55 processor clocked at 2 GHz + a Quad Core ARM A76 chip clocked at 1.9 GHz + an additional core dedicated to system needs, offers enormous raw power, approximately twice that of the Realtek RTD1619DR embedded in the R_volution PlayerOne.
The R_volution PlayerPro 8K is therefore perfectly equipped to handle an [abc]Ultra HD[/abc] [abc]8K[/abc] 60 Hz signal up to [abc]HDR Dolby Vision[/abc]. In addition, [abc]AV1[/abc] compatibility allows you to enjoy the appropriate content available on YouTube. Of course, [abc]HDR10[/abc], [abc]HDR10+[/abc] are included and the VS10 mode (exclusive algorithm developed by Dolby Laboratories for 12-bit processing of HDR signals), which can be activated on demand on [abc]SDR[/abc] signals to convert them to [abc]HDR[/abc], and vice versa, offers a new image improvement. An [abc]Upscaling[/abc] [abc]Ultra HD[/abc] [abc]8K[/abc] is also present. It is also worth mentioning the support for [abc]DTS:X Pro[/abc] for audio decoding of all the main sound processes.
R_volution PlayerPro 8K, multiroom experience££££
Good news, in the presence of several R_volution players, the R_Share function allows a multiroom configuration to enjoy content in several rooms of a home. While it is possible to broadcast up to four [abc]1080p[/abc] quality signals simultaneously, [abc]streaming[/abc] is limited to two streams in 4K Ultra HD quality and only one in 8K. And to top it all off, the future R_Sync feature will perfectly and automatically synchronize content between the different players to resume playback exactly where you left off when moving from one room to another.
R_volution PlayerPro 8K, the connectivity££££
Before returning in more detail, later, to the characteristics of the R_volution multimedia player, a visual of its rear face informs us about its connectivity: an [abc]HDMI[/abc] CEC 2.1a output, an [abc]optical[/abc] output, two [abc]USB[/abc] ports (one 2.0 plus one 3.0) and an [abc]Ethernet[/abc] port. Namely, the R_volution PlayerOne 8K is marketed with an IR remote to control it even if it is hidden in a piece of furniture and the QMS (Quick Media Switching) technology is part of it to avoid, on a compatible broadcaster, black screens when changing sources.
R_video, better than the Zappiti reference?££££
For the rest, all the great functions popularized by the Zappiti application in recent years are here with the R_video application (available at the price of €5.99/month or €50/year, free for owners of an R_volution player): downloading subtitles, pictograms of all kinds to define and label content, posters of films signed R_video (the R_volution database has about 18,000 posters at the time of writing), parental control, customization of the user interface, reading of a film soundtrack while browsing, management of 24 Hz and 23.976 Hz signals…
A rack is of course still present to accommodate an internal 3.5'' Sata hard drive with up to 32 TB of storage capacity (two 16 TB partitions).
R_video, Dune player support in sight££££
After developing support for Zappiti players (see our news R_video: application compatible with Zappiti players), the developers of the R_video application are working hard on compatibility with Dune players.
Availability announced for October. Indicative prices: 1,299 euros.
Reminder of the key characteristics of the R_volution PlayerPro 8K:
• Type: Multimedia player
• Processor: Amlogic S928X-K/J (Quad Core ARM A55 at 2.0 GHz + Quad Core ARM A76 clocked at 1.9 GHz + additional core for system needs
• Ram memory: 4 GB
• Storage memory: 32 GB
• Cache memory: 1 MB
• Codec compatibility(s): AC3, [abc]DTS:X Pro[/abc], Mpeg, [abc]AAC[/abc], HEAAC, LPCM, [abc]Alac[/abc], AIFF, [abc]Wav[/abc], [abc]MQA[/abc], VSELP, [abc]Flac[/abc], APE, Ogg/Vorbis (up to 192 kHz/24 bits), [abc]HEVC[/abc], [abc]VP9[/abc], Iso 3D [abc]BD[/abc], Iso BD, BDMV, MKV, M4A, Mpeg-TS, Mpeg-PS, [abc]M2TS[/abc], [abc]Vob[/abc], [abc]AVI[/abc], Mov [abc]MP4[/ abc] ] (three 3.0 including one Low Noise) and 1 [abc]Ethernet[/abc] port.
• Output(s): 1 [abc]HDMI[/abc] CEC 2.1a output, 1 [abc]optical[/abc] output, 1 [abc]coaxial[/abc] output, 1 [abc]RCA[/abc] stereo output
• Gapless function: yes
• Other( s): [abc]Upscaling[/abc] [abc]Ultra HD[/abc]/[abc]8K[/abc], full auto-framerate function (frequencies 23.976/24/50/59.94/60 Hz), Widevine L1 DRM, dual 3.5'' Sata HDD rack
• Multiroom function: R_Share
• Rec2020 compatibility: yes
• [abc]HDR10[/abc]
compatibility• [abc]HDR Dolby Vision[/abc]
compatibility• [abc]HDR10+[/abc]
compatibility• [abc]Dolby Atmos[/abc]
compatibility• Connectivity: [abc]Wi-Fi[/abc] 6 Dual Band, [abc]Bluetooth[/abc] 5.2
• Application: R_Video
• Gateway function [abc]UPnP[/abc] ([abc]DLNA[/abc]): yes
• Consumption (On/standby): 39 W/0.02 W
• Dimensions (L x D x H): nc
• Weight: 9 kg