Vu+ Zero 4K Tested for You !!!

Ev0

Admin

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“The True UHD Zapper”

Vu+ announced the Zero 4K at the Anga Cable and Satellite fair in May 2017, so naturally people have been wondering what it is like, and if is a good entry point into the 4K satellite market.

So let’s take a look and find out.​
Hardware:
  • 1.5 GHz ARM Dual-Core Processor
  • 4GB Flash (eMMC)
  • 2GB DDR4 DRAM
  • LAN (10/100 MBit/s)
  • 1x Single DVB-S2X Multistream tuner (Single DVB-C version also available)
  • HDMI 2.0
  • HDR10/HLG support
  • 1x Common-Interface
  • 1x Smartcard-Reader (Xcrypt)
  • 1x USB 2.0
  • S/PDIF audio output optical (digital)
  • DiSEqC 1.0/1.1/1.2, USALS
  • External 12V power supply
  • Power Switch
  • Fanless Silent Operation
Software:
Advanced Linux Operating System
Media Player
Downloadable Plug-Ins supported
HbbTV
EPG supported
Unlimited channel lists for TV / Radio
Automatic & Manual Service Scan Supported
Multiple LNB control (DiSEqC) supported
OSD in many languages
Skin change supported​

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Inside the box:

I am testing a pre-production model here, therefore the contents of the final retail models may differ slightly.

On opening the box up, you find the following inside:

  • Vu+ Zero 4K Satellite Receiver
  • Remote Control (new model)
  • 2x AA Battery’s
  • High Speed HDMI cable
  • IR Sensor
  • Power Supply unit
  • Mains Power cable
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Appearance:

The Zero 4K is a small cube shaped box (the dimensions are (W x D x H): 140mm x 115mm x 50mm). The box is basic looking, it has a 2 tone gloss black and matt black finish, in a diagonal design, it looks good, the Vu+ logo on the front, has the power led behind it, so the logo glows when the box is powered on..​

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At the rear we find the connections available on the Zero 4K:

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  • 1x Single Fixed DVB-S2X Multistream tuner or 1x Single Fixed Cable Tuner
  • 1x USB 2.0 port
  • LAN (10/100 MBit/s) Port
  • S/PDIF audio output optical (digital)
  • 1 x HDMI 2.0 port
  • RS232 / IR Sensor port
  • External 12V power supply connector
  • Power switch

The Zero 4K has an HDMI 2.0 port which is HDR10/HLG compatible.


Inside the Zero 4K:

Looking inside the Zero 4K, at the rear left, is the single DVB-S2X tuner (or DVB-C tuner if you purchased that model instead). The tuners are fixed, so you cannot swap between them. The large black heatsink you can see on the right covers the Broadcom BCM 72604 1.5 GHz dual core 7000 DMIPS ARM v7 CPU, the card slot and CI slot are on the left and they are inserted from the rear, as you can see, there is no space for an internal hdd in the Zero 4K.​

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Getting started:

I connected my Zero 4K up to my motorised dish. I also connected up the HDMI cable to my TV, plugged an Ethernet cable from my router (there is no built in Wi-Fi on the Zero 4K), and then I connected the power supply.

With all the connections done, I flicked the switch on the rear and powered on the box for the first time.


First Power up and Flashing:

Before I did anything else, I let the receiver boot up, to make sure it was all working ok. Once booted and I was happy, I then proceeded to shut down the Zero 4K, pulled out my favourite usb stick, and loaded on the Black Hole 3.0.5 image for the Vu+ Zero 4K.

If this is your first Vu+ receiver, you will be pleased to know, that installing an image onto any of the Vu+ receivers is a very simple process. Simply grab a usb stick, format it in fat32 with your pc, download the BlackHole image from www.vuplus-commuinity.net (other images are available from different teams) and extract the zip file contents to the root of your newly formatted usb stick. Once this is done, plug the usb stick into the usb 2.0 port at the rear and then power the box on at the rear, the Vu+ logo on the front panel will start to flash in a slow (almost like it’s breathing) sequence, and when finished, it flash on and off to let you know that flashing is complete.

At this point you can power off the box and remove the usb stick.

It is a very quick and simple process and it doesn’t take long to reflash this box.

On first boot after flashing, you will be greeted with the setup wizard, just follow the simple onscreen instructions to setup your new Zero 4K.​

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Time to Play:

So first of all I decided to do a channel scan, which didn’t take very long at all, I scanned over 2000 services on 13°E in under 10 minutes.​

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If you would rather not wait, you can grab a channel list from the BH addons server, or choose one of the many available on the internet.

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With the channel scan done, I then added the EPG, I personally used CrossEPG

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The Zero 4K from a cold boot gives me a picture on my screen less than 30 seconds (time will vary depending on how many plugins, skins, plugins etc. are installed) and an enigma2 restart takes only 10 - 15 seconds (it is faster to boot and restart than the Ultimo4K, which I believe is due to it only being a single tuner box).

As already said there is no room for an internal hdd in the Zero 4K, however you can use a network hdd if you have a NAS setup (or another Vu+ box that has a hdd installed), using the Network & Mount points feature in most images.​

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However there is also a port on the bottom of the Zero 4K, which I believe is for the “PLUG” docking station that Vu+ intend to release soon.

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The “PLUG” docking station, will sit under the Zero 4K, and plug into the bottom of it, turning “The True UHD Zapper” into a fully-fledged PVR.

The Zero 4K is a Smart Box, which means you can install plugins on it, and it also supports HbbTV, and you can use IPTV channels in your bouquets, just like if you were watching Satellite or Cable tv.


Ultra HD:

The Zero 4K will output tv pictures at many different resolutions, so you do not need to have an Ultra HD tv to use this receiver, in-fact viewing 4K UHD channels on a 1080p tv makes you wonder if you even need a 4K tv as the picture is bright and clear even when downscaled.

However if you do have a 4K tv then you can set the Zero 4K to output at 2160p and this will do all the upscaling for you, obviously SD content does not look as good as HD and UHD, but it doesn’t do a bad job of the upscaling (probably a lot better than some of the cheaper 4K tv’s can manage on their own).

My TV is a 2015 model and therefore it does not support HLG. Due to this I do not get as sharp or clear a picture as I do in 1080p mode. I believe this issue will be resolved with a driver update, there was a similar issue with my TV when the Solo 4K was released. In 1080p mode, the picture is as sharp and clear as on any of the other Vu+ 4K receivers.

If you have some HDR content on your NAS drive it will also play that back too.


DVB-S2X Multistream Tuner:

The Zero 4K comes with single DVB-S2X tuner which also supports Multistream. This is the only box currently from Vu+ that supports DVB-S2X or Multistream (aka MIS). I am not going to go into what this means here, but I can assure you that it is working just fine. There is (at the time of writing this review) as bug in the displayed signal level from the DVB-S2X tuner, which seems to add approx. 35% signal to level displayed. This means on a transponder that you would usually see around 70% signal, will show as 100%, and therefore a lower signal level that is usually around 35% will show as 70% signal. This is just a cosmetic issue, that I’m sure will be resolved soon, with a driver update.


HbbTV:

The Zero 4K also supports HbbTV, just tune to a channel that provides the service (Vox Music on Hotbird 13°E for example) and press the red button, the Zero 4K will then use your internet connection to connect to Vox Music’s on-demand services.​

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IPTV:

As mentioned earlier, the Zero 4K gives you the option to use IPTV either from plugins, or directly from your channel list (bouquets), when using IPTV from the bouquets, it is just like watching TV directly from the Satellite or Cable tuners.


Kodi:

The Zero 4K (as with all Vu+ 4K receivers), supports Kodi, which means you have access to a huge array of multimedia addons, video, movie, music and radio streaming from the internet.


Blindscan:

The Zero 4K has Blindscan support. This at the time of writing this review, is working, however it is not perfect. A manual scan usually will find more services, than the Blindscan does on the same satellite. I am sure this will be fixed with a driver update in the future.


Conclusion:

The Zero 4K is a budget Ultra HD set top box and it certainly packs a punch. It has some features currently not even found on the flagship Ultimo 4K box.

Vu+ claim that the Zero 4K is “The True UHD Zapper” and to be honest, I think it is. I don’t see any other 4K set top box on the market that even comes close to the spec or performance of the Zero 4K for the same money.

It will produce some stunning pictures, and also has HDR10/HLG support.

The box has plenty of processing power, good flash space and plenty of ram.

For the money it has all the features you would expect and more, it is a budget receiver that punches well above its weight.

It is ideal for use in any room and as it comes with the IR sensor in the box, you could even hide it behind the TV if space is limited and when the “PLUG” docking station is released, it will become a fully-fledged PVR, making it great for the back room or bedroom.

So should you buy the Zero 4K ? Well only you can decide that. If you are just moving into the 4K era, then it’s certainly worth a look, however if you are a Satellite enthusiast and require both DVB-S2 and DVB-C connections, then you would probably be better off looking at the Solo 4K or the Ultimo 4K instead, as these will offer more flexibility.

Having a fixed single tuner, does limit things a little, also it only has 1 usb port, so that means if you do want to add another tuner, you will also need to use a usb hub, I have tested this with the Vu+ Turbo tuner, and a usb stick, and I can confirm it worked just fine, but I can’t comment on how well all usb hub’s and usb tuners will work.

It does also have those few cosmetic issue’s that I mentioned earlier, but hopefully it won’t take Vu+ too long to get ontop of those.

If you don’t have a 4K tv yet, but are looking for a new Satellite Receiver, then the Zero 4K should not be overlooked, it will give you those UHD broadcasts and downscale them so that you can watch them on your current tv, and this is something it does very well, the Astra and Hotbird UHD demo’s look stunning even on a 1080p tv set.


Review written by Ev0, BlackHole Team.
 

Attachments

  • Vu+ Zero 4K Review.pdf
    2.2 MB · Views: 467

rudiger

Vu+ Newbie
Don,t like it cannot play AVI files.
Don,t like problems with Diseq (SID not found in PAT)
Don,t like USB DVB-T RT 2832 not working (device recognized,no signal.)
All these things works on all VU+ receivers ...except ZERO 4K. Read that it has new MODERN kernel :furious:
 

Ev0

Admin
Don,t like it cannot play AVI files.
Don,t like problems with Diseq (SID not found in PAT)
Don,t like USB DVB-T RT 2832 not working (device recognized,no signal.)
All these things works on all VU+ receivers ...except ZERO 4K. Read that it has new MODERN kernel :furious:
This thread isn't about what you like or don't like.
It is MY review of the Vu+ Zero 4K.

If you want to moan about things that do not work, either start your own thread, or moan to the manufacturer.
 

Matrix10

Administrator
Don,t like it cannot play AVI files.
Don,t like problems with Diseq (SID not found in PAT)
Don,t like USB DVB-T RT 2832 not working (device recognized,no signal.)
All these things works on all VU+ receivers ...except ZERO 4K. Read that it has new MODERN kernel :furious:


Why not sell it ? If you do not like it ?

Zero 4K is the Box that gets the highest ratings from the users.
Actually probably the most popular box.

Of course there are still things to improve.
Probably the best box compared to the price and possibilities.

by the way no problems with Diseq

For the rest, contact the manufacturer.
 

rudiger

Vu+ Newbie
Can You give me a link with positive non commercial review!? All write about only one USB port, only 100Mbit LAN, not working AVI .Problems with Diseq are on 36E and 4,9E Viasat on all images, including original. I have read about it on Russian forums and feel myself. Only OpenATV 6.1 image works quite stable. Put the words ( sid not found in pat vu+) and You,ll see many links about this problem. Of course I wrote to VU+ Bugfix .But answer get only- wait, wait... Maybe someone can make image with the old kernel like all other normal working boxes!?
One of most popular box is ZERO HD, I had use it and it works fine. ZERO 4K is on sale only for a month and have too many bugs to be popular at this moment.
 

bogdanm

Moderator
.Problems with Diseq are on 36E and 4,9E Viasat on all images, including original.
Whot problem you have on this satelitę?
Im used diseq with 4 LNB and im see this satelite and im no have any problems.
 
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Matrix10

Administrator
Can You give me a link with positive non commercial review!? All write about only one USB port, only 100Mbit LAN, not working AVI .Problems with Diseq are on 36E and 4,9E Viasat on all images, including original. I have read about it on Russian forums and feel myself. Only OpenATV 6.1 image works quite stable. Put the words ( sid not found in pat vu+) and You,ll see many links about this problem. Of course I wrote to VU+ Bugfix .But answer get only- wait, wait... Maybe someone can make image with the old kernel like all other normal working boxes!?
One of most popular box is ZERO HD, I had use it and it works fine. ZERO 4K is on sale only for a month and have too many bugs to be popular at this moment.

When you buy a box and read the specifications
did you see more than one USB port and 100 Mbit Lan.
You are not.
I do not have to quote from other forums because I can test it myself
Diseqc and motor work perfectly.Multistream work perfect.
The only thing you wrote and does not work at this time is avi.
you're spreading black propaganda?

And fake tests and propaganda are not welcome here.
Look for another place.
 

rudiger

Vu+ Newbie
Maybe the problem is with my 8 port Diseq . I get (sid not found in pat) after some next channel switching on Viasat Baltic channels. Tried change a new satellites.xml, manual scanning every TP. No results. People from gisclub.tv write about this problem on 36E. I have used and tested many different receivers (DM 800 HD SE , VU Zero HD, Amiko Alien2, Openbox S6 HD and others) without any problems. Only ZERO 4K...I don,t know about difference in drivers and tuner sensitivity ( shows near 100% Quality and SNR) . Seems the problem is in the new kernel 4.1.20.
Sorry, but there are not many places about this receiver...I only write about my experience.
 

Matrix10

Administrator
Kernel , what kind of relationship he has with Diseq commands ??
It would be different if at least a few percent of the users had a problem
but you are the only one who reported the problem in this forum,and not just here, but also on the other forums I visit
and only on one satellite.
 

rudiger

Vu+ Newbie
Very strange, but I don,t have this problem on OpenATV 6.1 image. I can use it .I can try to change diseq ( but it works fine with all other receivers). I use Enigma2 receivers more than 10 years , no problems were before. I had buy USB hub and spdif- analog audio converter. I can live without DVB-T, rt 2832 worked fine on old ZERO HD but not on ZERO 4K. I can buy VU+ TURBO :lol: it costs only 65EUR instead 6,5 EUR for rt 2832!
I did mean not playing AVI files with new kernel. Today I read in VTI forum
Seems to be a limitation in the used Broadcomchip - not supported / no solution at this time
If it,s true, VU+ obligation is to call back all partial working receivers...
 

Ev0

Admin
I did mean not playing AVI files with new kernel. Today I read in VTI forum
Seems to be a limitation in the used Broadcomchip - not supported / no solution at this time
If it,s true, VU+ obligation is to call back all partial working receivers...
Why would they need to do that ?

Where do they advertise media features for this box ?

Where do they advertise that it supports avi ?

It is a BUDGET 4K HDR satellite or cable receiver, nothing more is advertised.
 

Matrix10

Administrator
If some diseqc switch works with one receiver and does not work with another
This does not mean the receiver is guilty.
Totally wrong finding.
The receiver must meet the Diseqc specification, but the same holds for the diseqc switch,
the entire cable installation and LNB.

When we add that you have a problem with just one satellite I think it's clear that your
problem is not the receiver's general problem.

To put the question to you
why far many users do not have these problems ?
 
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rudiger

Vu+ Newbie
I don,t know may I put in links to other forums. Please delete it if it,s against forum rules. If You can read Russian there is about the same problem on 36E. https://gisclub.tv/vu-zero-4k-obsuzhdenie/vu-zero-4k/30/
People from this forum found a solution for low speed LAN- they made a driver for ASIX AX88179 USB 3.0 to Gigabit Ethernet USB Adapter -they wrote that speed is not 1GBit/s but more than 100Mbit/s and high bitrate movies plays OK from NAS.
Matrix10- I tried multistreem (Zeonbud) with Your files on OpenBH image, working OK. Thanks! But I tried all Diseq conf (1.1+ 1.0 input, diseq repeats) and got long FTA Ukrainian channel switching (2-3 sec) or tune failed or not found SID in PAT...
Sorry, but all other VU+ receivers can play AVI files. Cheap superbudget 20$ Freesat v7 too...It,s not serious for great company...
There are little ZERO 4k users, only some in all forums. Future will show ...
 

Matrix10

Administrator
I wrote several times
Zero 4K software/image is not optimized yet
and there will certainly be fixes and improvements.
The problem with the first buyers is that they want everything fixed for a month or two even what does not exist
in the specifications of the receiver.
With the existing network speed I can watch any recordings
with WD Mybook live network HDD
As far as selling and interest for Zero 4K, it is growing very rapidly day by day.
At least I can see on forums I visit.
What it means is a box with lots of potential for an acceptable price.

I have box and I know what's coming out of that little box.
This is a little technological miracle to me as a technician
because this is the first box of such small dimensions .
Almost all that exists on the SAT TV sky is seen on it.
 
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scorpion007

Vu+ User
I received my new Zero 4K yesterday and it is very speedy, picture quality is clean and the colors seem alive on my 1080p tv. Vu+ could have sold this receiver for much more than they are and it still would be worth every penny. Please remeber this is a Beta image once it has had some updates this little box will become a beast. Thank you BH Team for your support.
 
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