Is this Dune HD streamer box going to be a major disappointment ?

[Seeker47]

Recently acquired a Dune HD AV1 4K, but so far have only verified the network connectivity, done a firmware update, installed a few apps, and looked over the Settings. There is no sign of Netflix, anywhere. YouTube reports that it is NOT SUPPORTED on this device ! Amazon Prime Video is supposedly installed -- it was strangely listed under Android Apps though, along with Kodi -- but when the Amazon icon is clicked on, nothing happens. The two USB ports are 2.0, not 3.0. So this device looks to be falling way short of the claims that were made for it. Also that it may be a "weak sister" among the various streamer / player boxes that I've collected. Streaming wise, I could be looking at Zilch. (They also claimed that it had a good Internet browser built-in, which would make it a real outlier among these devices.) The next step will be to see how it does on local files playback, particularly for HEVC / x265.

[johns0]

Sounds like a dud,if you want to play every type of media best to go with an xbox x series,if too expensive then look for a blu-ray player that will play most video files.

[Seeker47]

My Oppo BR decks (10X series: I have one upstairs & 1 downstairs, a 103 & a 105, one being a Darby edition, but I lose track of which is which) will handle a lot of that, and are often the preferred 'Go To' because I get better controls via their remotes, but there are a few audio and video codecs that they will whiff on. The Nvidia Shield running VLC for Android normally covers those less cooperative formats. I was hoping that Dune might provide the next big step forward, but it seemingly fails to offer those primary basics that nearly all of my (several) prior streamer / player boxes had ! That said, Dune proliferates with so many models you cannot keep track of them, at price points ranging from their low end (mine) out to well in excess of $1500. Mine was NOS / new in box, but I can't tell how old that model may be. The USB 2.0 ports might be a clue. It did jump a few version #s with that firmware update.

For me, even though it's a 2017 model, my Nvidia Shield remains the unchallenged King of the Hill. This recent Dune purchase was mainly an affordable experiment. There had been considerable discussion about the Dune brand, among the "more exotic" options like Zapitti. I had thought that a Netflix gateway app was a universal given . . . though I don't know what NF's licensing model is like. I mean, my 12 year old WD Live TV device has it, even though its app is now so outdated that it no longer works properly.

[fooledagain]

Another cheap option with limitations is a Roku box. It plays most file types. I got burned with the Zapitti and have considered the Dune models but probably won't get one in light of your review. Another option is to set up Plex or Jellyfin (even on a cheap windows machine) and have complete file compatibility.

[Seeker47]

I have one Roku box, upstairs, and also bought a couple for elderly relatives, because it has by far the easiest, most accessible User Interface, with scarcely any learning curve.. A true Lowest Common Denominator. But I personally never liked their interface or software, and was majorly miffed when they dropped YouTube, in what someone told me was just a transitory licensing feud with Google, later corrected ? Their very limiting degree of control over what the user can or cannot do is -- as the Brits say -- naff. It is the polar opposite of all the granular control the Shield allows you, albeit with much more complexity and learning curve. Also naff is their "Must Register a Credit Card With Us To Activate Your Account" policy. I don't think you can side-load "unapproved" apps like VLC or Kodi on a Roku box, either.

It may very well be that the costlier, more exotic boxes from Dune, Zapitti, and another brand I can't recall at the moment, have been massively over-hyped. But I don't know what the higher Dune models might offer. My experience so far does not exactly entice me to spend the $$ to find out !

I've watched YT videos stating that Shield is tired, old-hat, don't buy one in 2025. Yeah, well, Prove It ! They haven't, and they can't. What's better out there ? (I've never even been a gamer, and that is half of the Shield's claim to fame.) I know for sure that it ain't gonna be Walmart cheapies like Chromecast: too lacking in features and controls, too primitive.

The ultimate answer is -- of course -- a good HTPC. That will play everything, plus do a lot more. It would have to be very compact though, to fit in with my setup. Possibly a NUC-based one ? I'm a longtime fan of the Shuttle XPC line, but just never found the right candidate among their models. I've kept specs for a great many of their models. Things like the need for an external power supply for some of them were a minus factor, in my view.

[Seeker47]

I'm not averse to spending money, when the result is worth it. Some found the Shield to be too expensive, at around $200, and seldom discounted. But it proved to be a very good purchase here.

[4kblurayguru]

Dune didn't claim netflix playback or usb 3.0 on this product, I'm reading the product page right now

Sounds like a dud.

no, on the product page dune says Widevine L3 and not certified for Android TV, it's for local playback, hard drive and NAS.

[Seeker47]

Dune didn't claim netflix playback or usb 3.0 on this product, I'm reading the product page right now

Sounds like a dud.

no, on the product page dune says Widevine L3 and not certified for Android TV, it's for local playback, hard drive and NAS.

What about the Amazon Video gateway that was showing up, but was non-working ?
I'm glad I did not sink that much into this this purchase. It was around $100.

Just out of curiosity, I'd like to learn what -- if any -- higher models in their line might cover these deficits, what the model #s are, and their price points.

[4kblurayguru]

I don't know about the amazon thing but if they use Widevine L1 it wouldn't work anyways.

higher models in their line might cover these deficits, what the model #s are, and their price points.

On their website, they recommend 3 certified models, 2 are sold out. The only one left is $150.

[Seeker47]

I don't know about the amazon thing but if they use Widevine L1 it wouldn't work anyways.

higher models in their line might cover these deficits, what the model #s are, and their price points.

On their website, they recommend 3 certified models, 2 are sold out. The only one left is $150.

There's a plethora of their models available on eBay, some even NOS / NIB, or described as spares someone decided they didn't need, like this one that costs 10X what my model did:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/127046115644

But it looks to be more the size of my Oppo BR deck. I'm just not accustomed to seeing these devices not offering NF, Amazon, Hulu, etc. -- out of the box -- which I thought had become the norm and a baseline. Don't think I'd buy anything else that was likewise lacking.

The other hoity-toity brand that I was struggling to recall was Zidoo, The description seems to have a considerable amount of overlap with some of the Zune models. More of the over-hyped segment that comes up short on actually delivering ?

[usually_quiet]

I bought an onn 4K Pro Streaming Device with Google TV from Walmart for $50 to play 4K files from a USB stick. Those who have both this device and a Shield TV (I don't) say the Shield TV is better, but at $50, the Onn 4K Pro was fine for my purposes. There is a good review here: https://www.androidfaithful.com/review-onn-4k-pro-the-50-streamer-that-rivals-100-devices/

I have tested it (although not extensively) for playing 4K files from an exFAT-formatted USB stick using VLC and Kodi. It worked. I have also successfully used it with Amazon Prime and YouTube. It should also work with the Android versions of other streaming apps.

[HemLok]

I bought an onn 4K Pro Streaming Device with Google TV from Walmart for $50 to play 4K files from a USB stick. Those who have both this device and a Shield TV (I don't) say the Shield TV is better, but at $50, the Onn 4K Pro was fine for my purposes. There is a good review here: https://www.androidfaithful.com/review-onn-4k-pro-the-50-streamer-that-rivals-100-devices/

I have tested it (although not extensively) for playing 4K files from an exFAT-formatted USB stick using VLC and Kodi. It worked. I have also successfully used it with Amazon Prime and YouTube. It should also work with the Android versions of other streaming apps.

I've been using the onn 4K Pro for ~8 months. For the cost I'm impressed. I use it to stream from my local library via Plex and Emby as well as for streaming via Android apps from Amazon, Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Max, Paramount+, Peacock TV, Youtube, Tubi, Roku TV, Pluto TV, BYUtv, Curiosity Stream, Electric NOW, Fawesome, Sling TV, The CW, Xumo, Film Rise, etc. The only thing that I haven't done is play files off a storage drive directly connected to the device.

Edit: The price difference between the onn and the Dune isn't huge. The Dune supports HDR10+ and the onn supports Dolby Vision. The streaming apps issue with the Dune sounds annoying. For a single solution to stream locally, play files locally, or streaming from the internet, I would go with the onn 4K Pro.

[usually_quiet]

I've been using the onn 4K Pro for ~8 months. For the cost I'm impressed. I use it to stream from my local library via Plex and Emby as well as for streaming via Android apps from Amazon, Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Max, Paramount+, Peacock TV, Youtube, Tubi, Roku TV, Pluto TV, BYUtv, Curiosity Stream, Electric NOW, Fawesome, Sling TV, The CW, Xumo, Film Rise, etc. The only thing that I haven't done is play files off a storage drive directly connected to the device.

Edit: The price difference between the onn and the Dune isn't huge. The Dune supports HDR10+ and the onn supports Dolby Vision. The streaming apps issue with the Dune sounds annoying. For a single solution to stream locally, play files locally, or streaming from the internet, I would go with the onn 4K Pro.

If I had a Samsung TV instead of a Sony, I might be disappointed with the onn 4K pro's lack of support for HDR10+. However, my Sony TV can display video with Dolby Vision but not HDR10+ and Dolby Vision is slightly more common than HDR10+ so the lack of HDR10+ is not an issue for me and, I suspect, many other consumers.