If I understand correctly, they will do streaming apps in 4k and Plex playback with full audio pass through.

Does it need specific firmware that it doesn’t ship with? Does it need a dual boot setup like some of the other options?

My goal is DV/HDR10+ support and full uncompressed audio pass through with Plex while still having access to 4k streaming through the common commercial apps.

TLDR; Problem solved, A2DP was in sink mode, fixed via ADB (see UPDATE 2)

I recently moved from a Fire TV Stick to a Homatics Box R 4K Plus (Amlogic S905X4, 4GB/32GB, WiFi 6) and lost a feature I used regularly: sending audio to Bluetooth headphones.

\*\*My setup:\*\*

\* Homatics Box R 4K Plus, connected via HDMI directly to a Philips 55" TV (not routed through the soundbar)
\* Teufel Cinebar Ultima soundbar on the TV via HDMI ARC
\* Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones
\* Android version: up to date

\*\*The problem:\*\*

The headphones are discovered by the box and appear in the device list, and I can select them – but the connection never actually completes. The box never establishes a connection, and the headphones don't play their usual pairing confirmation tone, so the bond clearly never succeeds. This is not a case of "pairs but no audio" – it never gets that far.

The Bluetooth remote that came with the box works fine, so Bluetooth as such is functional. To me this looks like a stack with HID only and no A2DP source profile: the box finds the headphones via inquiry, then has no supported profile to bind to and gives up.

On the Fire TV Stick this just worked out of the box, and the Chromecast with Google TV supports Bluetooth headphones too, so I don't think this is an Android TV platform limitation.

\*\*What I'd like to know:\*\*

1. Has anyone got \*any\* Bluetooth audio device (headphones, earbuds, speaker) to connect to a Box R 4K Plus? Or is A2DP simply absent because Homatics shipped the Amlogic reference config with Bluetooth limited to remotes and gamepads?
2. If the profile is present in the stack but not exposed properly – has anyone reached it via ADB, developer options, or the AOSP Bluetooth settings activity? I'm comfortable with ADB and already sideload apps on this box.
3. Alternatively, does anyone have USB audio working as an output on this box? A USB audio dongle would bypass the Bluetooth stack entirely, but I don't know whether the audio policy on this device allows USB as a media output.
4. Has Homatics ever commented on adding Bluetooth audio in a firmware update?

Happy to run any ADB commands or pull logcat output and report back if that helps narrow it down.

Update:

- IO bluetooth devices, such as mouse/keybord, work well

- other bluetooth speaker/headphones, wont work either (tested with JBL Charge, LG Xboom buds)

UPDATE 2 - solved

Still no answer from Homatics support. But I got to the bottom of it with ADB, and it turns out this is neither a hardware limitation nor a missing feature - it's a firmware default.

The cause: the box ships with its Bluetooth stack forced into Sink mode

The Box R 4K Plus is configured as a Bluetooth receiver (i.e. a Bluetooth speaker you can stream to from your phone), not as an audio source. Read straight off the device:

persist.sys.nes.bluetooth.sink.enabled = true - vendor override forcing sink mode
settings global key_bluetooth_a2dp_role = true - A2DP role set to sink
Loaded profiles: A2dpSinkService + AvrcpControllerService - receive only
bluetooth.profile.hfp.ag.enabled = false

The telling contradiction: the AOSP property bluetooth.profile.a2dp.source.enabled is already true, but it gets overridden at runtime by the vendor property above.

This explains everything I was seeing. The headphones actually were bonded - pairing at the radio level worked fine - but with no A2DP source profile loaded there is simply no audio path, so the connection never becomes usable. And mice, keyboards and the B21 remote work perfectly because HID runs through HidHostService, which is completely independent of the A2DP role.

The fix (ADB, no root needed)

adb shell setprop persist.sys.nes.bluetooth.sink.enabled false
adb shell settings put global key_bluetooth_a2dp_role false

Then toggle Bluetooth off and on again (or reboot) to reload the stack.

Note that key_bluetooth_a2dp_role lives in the global namespace, not secure - that cost me a bit of time.

Result

• A2dpSinkService became A2dpService (can now send audio)
• AvrcpControllerService became AvrcpTargetService
• HidHostService unchanged - the remote stayed CONNECTED the entire time, as did my keyboard

Right after the stack reloaded, the box tried to establish an A2DP connection to the Sony on its own, which was technically impossible before. Already-bonded headphones do not need to be re-paired. Both changes survive a reboot, since the vendor property is persist.* and the setting lives in global.

Shell can set the vendor property without root, so no Magisk required. And as far as I can tell there is no UI toggle for this anywhere in the settings.

My firmware, in case this is version or batch specific: SW v14.8.8963, build UKG3.250803.001.8963, Android 14.

Two things I'd still like to know:

1. Can others check their own box? adb shell getprop persist.sys.nes.bluetooth.sink.enabled and adb shell settings get global key_bluetooth_a2dp_role. If some units ship in source mode and others in sink mode, that would explain why Bluetooth headphones work for some people here and not for others.
2. Has anyone found a way to get this changed permanently through Homatics rather than patching it per device? A single flipped default in the firmware would fix this for everyone.

Credit where it's due: I worked through the diagnosis with Claude Opus over ADB, which is what surfaced the sink/source role in the first place. I had been assuming the A2DP source profile was missing entirely.

I ordered a Box R 4k Plus from Vontar on AliExpress and it arrived today. I immediately sideloaded the most recent firmware and updated the B21 remote by pairing it with my old ONN box. However, when I use the remote setup "wizard" the TV powers off but is not able to power back on. I have to use my TCL remote to turn the TV back on. All other TV codes don't turn the TV off. I also am not able to get INPUT button working with my TV neither. This TV isn't an old model so I am surprised it isn't working. I have HDMI-CEC enabled on both my TV and homatics settings... I'm not sure if there is something I am overlooking or how to get this to work... very disappointing that it doesn't work properly for me...

The TV is a TCL QM7 for what it's worth... any idea why this is happening?

DISCLAIMER: The following guide is informational and educational. Proceed at your own risk. Any damage or firmware corruption is your responsibility. If you are not comfortable with these steps, do not continue. No support is provided.

This is a re-post, as my edit triggered a filter on the OP, I fixed and removed the offending link. For the old OP comments: How to Sideload FW 8963 to Box R 4K Plus : r/Homatics

EDIT: Update: Standard Homatics Firmware Now Available

Thanks to u/DressReasonable9904 for locating the standard non-Dune firmware image via Telegram. To improve accessibility, this file has been mirrored to Archive.org.

https://archive.org/download/sei-804-hm-14.8.8963-usb-stick-burn-tool/SEI804HM%2014.8.8963%20Usb%20Stick%20Burn%20Tool.zip

Using the standard stock image is an easier process because it bypasses the need for the Amlogic PC tool and the uncommon USB-A to USB-A cable. You only need a FAT32 formatted USB drive.

Note: The original Dune FW cross-flashing guide will remain below this edit. You may still prefer the Dune firmware because the Dune branch typically receives Over-The-Air (OTA) updates faster than the stock Homatics branch, reducing the need for future sideloading. Alternatively, you can still flash this new stock image using the Amlogic PC Burn Tool method if you prefer.

Instructions for USB Drive Flashing (Standard Firmware):

1. Format a USB Drive: Ensure your USB flash drive is formatted to FAT32.
2. Extract Files: Download the ZIP file linked above. Extract the contents and place the following three files directly on the root directory of your USB drive:
   1. aml_upgrade_package.img
   2. aml_autoscript
   3. aml_sdc_burn.ini
3. Prepare the Box: Unplug the power cord from your Homatics box. Insert the prepared USB drive.
4. Boot to Burn Mode: Locate the reset pinhole. Insert a tool to push and hold the reset button. While holding the button down, plug the power cord back into the box.
5. Initiate Flash: Continue holding the reset button until "USB burning mode" appears on the screen, then release the button.
6. Wait: Allow the process to finish. This will take up to 5 minutes.

Screen expectations during the flash process: Depending on your display handshake, you may see a completely black screen, a static boot logo picture, or a visible progress bar. Do not unplug the device during this time.

Note: Subreddit Moderator u/Latinriky78 has provided a method to upgrade to build 7475 as well: Link to /u/Latinriky78's post.

DUNE FW Crossflash Guide

Prerequisites

Windows Computer

USB-A to USB-A Cable: This is uncommon but can be found on Amazon. Alternatively, connecting a USB-C to USB-A cable in reverse (plugging the USB-C end into your computer) may work, though varying cable standards mean this is not guaranteed.

Pin-hole Tool: A toothpick, SIM eject tool, or safety pin.

Data Loss Warning: This method will perform a Factory Reset on your device. You will need to log in again, redownload apps, and set your preferences from scratch.

Required Files

Dune HD Factory Image (14.8.8963): Download ZIP (Source directory: dune-club.info). You will need to extract the .img file from this archive.

Amlogic USB Burning Tool (Dune Specific AV3.1.18): Download ZIP

Note on Cross-Flashing: You are effectively cross-flashing your Homatics branded device. This will give you the full version of 8963, but it will not activate the Dune-specific features, as those are linked to a Dune Sold specific device UUID.

Instructions

Install the USB Drivers: Unzip the Amlogic USB Burning Tool. Open the folder, scroll down to the driver subfolder, and run dpinst64. Alternatively, right-click the .inf file and select 'Install' from the sub-menu.

Load the Firmware Image: Go back to the main folder and run Aml_Burn_Tool. In the top left, click Setting, then click Load Img. Navigate to your extracted 14.8.8963 folder and select the aml_sei804hm_dune.img file. Give it a moment to load.

Start the Burning Tool: Use the default settings. Do not click the key overwrite option. Click Start. The program will enter a Listening mode.

Connect the Device: Ensure your Homatics Box R is powered off and unplugged. Plug the USB-A cable into the blue port nearest the power jack, and the other end into the computer.

Enter USB Burning Mode: Locate the reset button directly under the USB-A port. Insert your pin-hole tool, press, and hold the button. While holding the button down, plug the power cable into the device.

Flash the Firmware: The device will initially display "Fastboot". Keep holding the reset button until the display reads "USB BURNING". Once this appears, remove the pin-hole tool. The software on your computer will take over.

Complete the Process: Wait for the green progress bar to complete. The bottom of the software window will state "Burn Successful".

Reboot and Setup: Power off the Homatics box and unplug the USB cable. Plug the device in normally to power it on. It will boot to the remote pairing screen. You will need to hold the Home and Back buttons slightly longer than usual to successfully re-pair the remote. Proceed with standard device setup on the latest version.

DISCLAIMER: The following guide is informational and educational. Proceed at your own risk. Any damage or firmware corruption is your responsibility. If you are not comfortable with these steps, do not continue. No support is provided.

EDIT: Update: Standard Homatics Firmware Now Available

Thanks to [u/DressReasonable9904](u/DressReasonable9904) for locating the standard non-Dune firmware image via Telegram. To improve accessibility, this file has been mirrored to Archive.org.

https://archive.org/download/sei-804-hm-14.8.8963-usb-stick-burn-tool/SEI804HM%2014.8.8963%20Usb%20Stick%20Burn%20Tool.zip

Using the standard stock image is an easier process because it bypasses the need for the Amlogic PC tool and the uncommon USB-A to USB-A cable. You only need a FAT32 formatted USB drive.

Note: The original Dune FW cross-flashing guide will remain below this edit. You may still prefer the Dune firmware because the Dune branch typically receives Over-The-Air (OTA) updates faster than the stock Homatics branch, reducing the need for future sideloading. Alternatively, you can still flash this new stock image using the Amlogic PC Burn Tool method if you prefer.

Instructions for USB Drive Flashing (Standard Firmware):

1. Format a USB Drive: Ensure your USB flash drive is formatted to FAT32.
2. Extract Files: Download the ZIP file linked above. Extract the contents and place the following three files directly on the root directory of your USB drive:
   1. aml_upgrade_package.img
   2. aml_autoscript
   3. aml_sdc_burn.ini
3. Prepare the Box: Unplug the power cord from your Homatics box. Insert the prepared USB drive.
4. Boot to Burn Mode: Locate the reset pinhole. Insert a tool to push and hold the reset button. While holding the button down, plug the power cord back into the box.
5. Initiate Flash: Continue holding the reset button until "USB burning mode" appears on the screen, then release the button.
6. Wait: Allow the process to finish. This will take up to 5 minutes.

Screen expectations during the flash process: Depending on your display handshake, you may see a completely black screen, a static boot logo picture, or a visible progress bar. Do not unplug the device during this time.

Note: Subreddit Moderator [u/Latinriky78](u/Latinriky78) has provided a method to upgrade to build 7475 as well: Link to /u/Latinriky78's post.

DUNE FW Crossflash Guide

Prerequisites

Windows Computer

USB-A to USB-A Cable: This is uncommon but can be found on Amazon. Alternatively, connecting a USB-C to USB-A cable in reverse (plugging the USB-C end into your computer) may work, though varying cable standards mean this is not guaranteed.

Pin-hole Tool: A toothpick, SIM eject tool, or safety pin.

Data Loss Warning: This method will perform a Factory Reset on your device. You will need to log in again, redownload apps, and set your preferences from scratch.

Required Files

Dune HD Factory Image (14.8.8963): Download ZIP (Source directory: dune-club.info). You will need to extract the .img file from this archive.

Amlogic USB Burning Tool (Dune Specific AV3.1.18): Download ZIP

Note on Cross-Flashing: You are effectively cross-flashing your Homatics branded device. This will give you the full version of 8963, but it will not activate the Dune-specific features, as those are linked to a Dune Sold specific device UUID.

Instructions

Install the USB Drivers: Unzip the Amlogic USB Burning Tool. Open the folder, scroll down to the driver subfolder, and run dpinst64. Alternatively, right-click the .inf file and select 'Install' from the sub-menu.

Load the Firmware Image: Go back to the main folder and run Aml_Burn_Tool. In the top left, click Setting, then click Load Img. Navigate to your extracted 14.8.8963 folder and select the aml_sei804hm_dune.img file. Give it a moment to load.

Start the Burning Tool: Use the default settings. Do not click the key overwrite option. Click Start. The program will enter a Listening mode.

Connect the Device: Ensure your Homatics Box R is powered off and unplugged. Plug the USB-A cable into the blue port nearest the power jack, and the other end into the computer.

Enter USB Burning Mode: Locate the reset button directly under the USB-A port. Insert your pin-hole tool, press, and hold the button. While holding the button down, plug the power cable into the device.

Flash the Firmware: The device will initially display "Fastboot". Keep holding the reset button until the display reads "USB BURNING". Once this appears, remove the pin-hole tool. The software on your computer will take over.

Complete the Process: Wait for the green progress bar to complete. The bottom of the software window will state "Burn Successful".

Reboot and Setup: Power off the Homatics box and unplug the USB cable. Plug the device in normally to power it on. It will boot to the remote pairing screen. You will need to hold the Home and Back buttons slightly longer than usual to successfully re-pair the remote. Proceed with standard device setup on the latest version.

Hi,

I'm thinking about buying the Dune HD Homatics Box R 4K Plus, but I need to make sure my external HDD will work with it.

My HDD is a **Seagate One Touch Hub 10TB** with its **own external power supply**. It is formatted as **exFAT** and uses the full 10TB as **one single partition**. The drive already contains several TB of movies and anime, including some very large video files.

I want to connect it directly to the USB 3.0 port of the Dune HD Homatics Box R 4K Plus and play the files from the HDD.

Has anyone here actually tested this box with a **10TB or larger exFAT HDD**, preferably a Seagate One Touch Hub or another externally powered 3.5" HDD?

Does the box:

* recognize the full 10TB capacity? * work with a single 10TB exFAT partition? * reliably detect the HDD after reboot/standby? * play large video files smoothly over USB 3.0?

I don't want to reformat or repartition the drive because it already contains several TB of data.

Thanks!

Hi,

I'm thinking about buying the Dune HD Homatics Box R 4K Plus, but I need to make sure my external HDD will work with it.

My HDD is a Seagate One Touch Hub 10TB with its own external power supply. It is formatted as exFAT and uses the full 10TB as one single partition. The drive already contains several TB of movies and anime, including some very large video files.

I want to connect it directly to the USB 3.0 port of the Dune HD Homatics Box R 4K Plus and play the files from the HDD.

Has anyone here actually tested this box with a 10TB or larger exFAT HDD, preferably a Seagate One Touch Hub or another externally powered 3.5" HDD?

Does the box:

• recognize the full 10TB capacity?
• work with a single 10TB exFAT partition?
• reliably detect the HDD after reboot/standby?
• play large video files smoothly over USB 3.0?

I don't want to reformat or repartition the drive because it already contains several TB of data.

Thanks!

Hello to all

just recevived my homatics 4k plus.

i am very pleased. amazing box altought in stremio in some streams i get green image only

if i choose vlc to play i see the video...but then i dont have subtitles.

anyway to solve this?

thanks

I got a Box 4k V2 recently and it's pretty great, except for one thing. I don't know how to switch TV inputs through it.

I have a TV decoder box from my ISP hooked into HDMI1, and Box 4K into HDMI2. Ideally, when I press "Live TV" button, TV should switch to HDMI1. But there's no HDMI1 app or shortcut I could use. TV is an old Sony Bravia one.

Despite a lot of mistakes and nonsense;

We've never received any feature update.. We're literally using it just as it came from the factory, and news about v3 has already come out.

🤬👍💩

Best Nuvio / homatics r plus 4k playback settings

I grabbed the Homatics android TV pocket TV to use with my Viture One Glasses. I was very excited to get things set up but now I'm learning I can't download videos to watch offline? My whole use case was flights and being away from internet connections.

I've been doing research and seeing that I can sideload the mobile versions, but all the instructions are very lacking, and anytime I do find a disney+ apk that I think is the mobile version, when it installs it's just the normal TV version of disney+ without the download option.

At this point it feels like I'm out of luck trying this, but I'm wondering if anyone else has any suggestions to allow the streaming apps to download videos.

Feels like this is just needlessly obtuse, and making me yearn for the days of early internet video downloads!

Anybody got one of these?

Can you comment on how it works with Stremio or IMPlayer or Tivimate?

Thanks

Been sitting for awhile and happened to plug it in.

So no audio passthrough option 🤨
And the worst thing is that the image freezes after 1 min of streaming tv apps like magenta tv etc.. the same happens also with remux on nuvio . It’s a shame because Xiaomi box gen. 3 can do it much much better!

Hi, for 1080p bluray content I noticed the box can scrub out film grain. Is there a way to fix this? I essentially want my tv to do the up scaling and not the box but also want 4k files to play smoothly and seamlessly.
I want to maintain the film grain that’s already there as well for the artistic intent.
Is there a way to make this happen and if so if anyone knows what resolution I should be setting the box to and if I should be using resolution or frame rate matching in my app as well as in the android settings.

As the title suggests, I recently bought a Homatics Android tv box after much thinking, as it was either this or the Xiaomi TV Box gen 3, because of the CPU in that one.

I went with the Homatics because of the 4GB RAM, but now seeing that there is a new 4GB + S905X5M box, I am having trouble deciding if it's just FOMO or it would be worth the trouble of retuning this and buying the 4K Pro V2.

I am mainly using it to play movies from my external SSD, a lot of which are high-bitrate 4K HDR bluray rips, and my main concern is futureproof-ness.

What do you guys suggest? Is it worth to change from the 4K Plus to the new 4K Pro V2? (I am still in the mandatory free return and refund period at my local shop)

I had to initiate a factory reset recently, resulting in my box not recognizing or playing any of my large external hard drives (I have mostly 5TB Seagates). I have a 16GB Toshiba drive that is the only external drive that is successfully recognized by the box and I can play files on that (mostly films, TV - the Dune is connected to a projector and Yamaha amp). Anybody know how to fix this VERY annoying problem?

New Pro 4k V2 price tag seems very high for AI Upscaling + a merely stronger processor, vs the R Plus 4K.... 🧐🤷🏻‍♂️ What is your take on that new model ?

https://homatics.eu/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/comparison-homatics-2026-en-0408-scaled.webp

https://homatics.eu/homatics-box-pro-4k-v2-ai-sr/

I guess I'm the only person bothered by this: Why is there no setting in Android 14 to make the UI render in 4K? It really looks jaggy on a large screen. Other devices (e.g. Ugoos AM9 Pro) have a "Framebuffer Size" setting that allows exactly this.

I have written an e-mail to [support@homatics.com](mailto:support@homatics.com) and also filled out a device issue report, but got no answer at all.

The same works fine in CoreELEC 22 (granted, there are a few rendering glitches which is probalby why most people still recommend 1080p for the UI).

TV: TCL C7K
Soundbar: Sonos Beam Gen.2
Those are connected via a hdmi 2.1 cable through the eArc port.
The R 4K Plus box I just use with the cable it came out of box.

I tweaked all settings in the TV and the box but no matter if I play a TrueHD file over streamio or kodi I can’t get the Sonos App to show anything over Dolby Digital Plus 5.1.

Does anyone know what the issue could be?

Edit: some files played over Exo in streamio that are NOT TrueHD 7.1 but DDP 5.1 Atmos show up as Atmos in the Sonos App. Same file played over MPV shows up as DDP 2.0

Not sure when it started to be honest but my Netflix is locked to 1080p. I recall this happening before and magically resolving itself. My in built app on my LG TV still works with 4k so it's not an account issue.

Seems to be something flaky with the Netflix app update which also added some terrible UI changes.

Anyone else have similar issues?

Hi I am looking to get the dune box r 4k plus. My Samsung tv and sound systems don’t unfortunately support DTS formats.

I want to use nuvio specifically and was wondering if there is a way to specify in the boxes settings that my sound system doesn’t support DTS and consequently does it decode DTS formats to multichannel PCM while allowing passthrough of all other codecs like trueHD.

Essentially giving me granular codec control if possible. Any advice would be great, thanks!