CONCLUSION

   Dune HD released the Duo 4k exactly one year ago and they send us a sample almost 5 months ago but the truth of the matter is that with the initial firmware (the one preloaded on the device that is) things didn't go so well and thus we had to wait until some issues were resolved in order to carry out our tests. Fortunately even with the preloaded firmware playback via internal HDD was flawless but that wasn't the case when you used one of the USB 2.0 ports. Another issue was with the WiFi connectivity since it was mediocre at best and didn't even allow for online firmware updating (connection would just drop for no reason even with the router placed just 6 feet away). Took a few firmware updates for Dune HD to resolve these issues and so it has been clear sail ever since. The only slight problem we still have is with the responsiveness of the remote control when you have several devices connected onto the Duo 4k. This is probably due to the fact that the device is always looking for media files and so sometimes although you may press several buttons these actions will take several seconds to complete. Leaving out the issues we’ve had with the Duo 4k we do think Dune HD could had done a better job. First of all using an HDMI v2.0 video output would allow for even 4k@60p playback (quite important for some people) and second USB 3.0 ports would potentially produce even smoother playback (we used 70Mb/s bitrate files but the Duo 4k can reproduce even 100Mb/s ones and for those USB 2.0 might not be enough). These are not serious issues but I have to admit that I was hoping Dune HD would implement them in the Duo 4k (unless they plan on releasing another flagship in the near future).

   Just like its predecessor the Max the Duo 4k UHD 4K & HEVC Enabled Media Player by Dune HD is considered to be a high-end media playback solution and just like every other similar model that means it doesn’t come cheap. To be more specific currently the Duo 4k retails for USD576 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 459Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) a price tag which places it right next to several similar models (mainly from OPPO). Unfortunately we haven’t had a chance to check the equivalent model by OPPO to see just how good their very own media decoding chip does (compared to the SMP8758 by Sigma Designs) so we can’t comment on picture quality (we will try to get OPPO onboard for this). What we can say with certainty however is that the Duo 4k by Dune HD is among the top 4K HEVC enabled media players in the market today and that along with its plethora of features secured our Platinum Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- 4K HEVC Support
- DTS: X & Dolby Atmos Support
- Two 3.5” Drive Racks
- Hardware Features (Digital Tuner / Dual Band WiFi Module / ESS SABRE 32 Reference DAC)
- 3 USB Ports
- Optical & Coaxial Audio Outputs
- Coaxial Audio Input
- Interface
- Product Support

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- HDMI V1.4 (Up To 4k@50p)
- USB 2.0 Ports