The Zidoo X9 media player has impressive specifications and is armed with many features. It is a unique product thanks to its HDMI input, and video recording function, which records content on the player's internal memory and generally works pretty well, although there is still space for further improvement.

The promised 4K H.265 playback also makes the X9 stand out the competition. The player's performance is great, and its storage performance (eMMC and USB 3.0) is also good.

As happens with all media players, some parameters need further improvement, such as and Kodi. But Zidoo's development team has been very active and has already released several firmware updates that fix issues and further improve the player, so we are expecting them to keep up with the good work.

The Zidoo X9 media player retails for $129.00 over Amazon .

Below you see a list of what we liked about the player and what needs further improvement. Of course, any of the issues listed below can change as new firmware updates are being released:

Positive

• The HDMI input recording function works as promised
• Plays 4K H264 and H265 (HEVC) Video files perfectly using the included VideoPlayer app
• It can output Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks from HDMI (with some limitations)
• Very good picture quality
• Subtitles can be displayed perfectly and it support demanding Greek/Korean/etc encodings
• High AnTutu Video Benchmark (698 points)
• Dual Wifi Antennas for maximum reception
• Good build quality (aluminum)
• Two USB2.0, one USB3.0 and a microSDHC slot
• 2GB ROM and 8GB internal storage
• Unique and easy to use GUI
• OTA updates (at least once per month)
• ZidooRC app for Android is very useful
  

Negative

• HDMI-CEC function is not available
• Front LED needs an option to be turned off completely within Android menu
• Doesn't support 24p (hz) playback feature (either automatically or forced) YET (promised with future firmware update)
• KODI needs much work to have perfect playback
• Mstar MSO9810 chipset only supports 5.1 tracks, while with 7.1 audio tracks, the player seems to crash
• DTS soundtracks seems to have a slight distortion at least with our A/V system
• Android gaming even with the ZidooRC App isn't very handy, you need to get a gaming pad