Maybe ebay / paypal can help getting you a refund?
If out of luck - then contact main distributor to see if they can help getting it unbricked, contact in my earlier post - worth trying
Ugh that sucks. This is why I will never buy a box anywhere but Amazon. If you donât like it or it doesnât work you just walk into your local Whole Foods, drop it on the counter, and your refund is processed by the time you get home. And as a bonus you can pick up some Groceries too
that works great if you live in a town/city with a whole foods store ![]()
And Iâve been noticing that Amazon is posting this on most everything these days.
âMost items can be returned for a refund or replacement/exchange within 30 days of delivery as long as they are in original or unused condition. For eligible items, you can enjoy free returns at many locations near you. For information on an itemâs return eligibility, please check the product detail page before placing your order. After placing an order, you can find relevant information on an itemâs return eligibility in your Order History.â
Yup Amazonâs return policy is the best IMO. Being able to just walk into a Whole Foods, dump it on the counter (Donât even need packaging) and get an email about your refund before you even get in your car
Got my Z12 within 5 days after ordering on Amazon, so with their quick shipping and returns policies, itâs a no-brainer to order from there. I set it up on the same 65â Oled that I use for my AM9 so I could do an apples for apples comparison over the past week. I didnât like the Formuler stock launcher very much and installed Projectivy, which is more customizable. Running both boxes with HDR I found the picture with the Formuler was somewhat brighter than the AM9 but the upscaling options/settings and 905X5 processor on the AM9 definitely gave a clearer, sharper picture with more contrast. Audio sounded about the same. The remote on the AM9 works more seamlessly than the Z12âs as it turns on the TV as well as the box from the same power button and connects the AM9 automatically to the proper HDMI input, which the Formuler remote does not do. This required using my tv remote separately to steer the Formuler to the proper input. Both remotes will control the tv or soundbar volume, but you have to set your soundbar maximum volume level with your soundbar remote, then use your device remote to further adjust the volume downward to your comfort range. From a performance and custom video and audio settings/options standpoint, the AM9 clearly exceeds the Z12. The hardware monitor settings in the AM9 is also something the Z12 does not have. The metal case and large heatsink on the AM9 also do a better job of keeping the device cooler. The AM9 also costs substantially less with better hardware performance. Most, if any advantage that the Z12 will have over the AM9 is limited to the Android TV operating system, (for those who consider this a must have feature), and the proprietary MyTV 3 player app, which some people really like, (I donât and prefer simpler players to set up, like IBO Pro player.) But, as we often say here, to each his own.
Where I live in Canada the same company that delivers it to your door will also pick up your return at your door, no box required. ![]()
I certainly learned my lesson the hard way not knowing that an out of country location would brick a Formuler device. Never gave it a thought of the location I was hooked to when I began updating the software on it when I first fired it up. Maybe one day I can find out how to unbrick it if I can connect with the right person who has the the instructions on how to do so. I ordered my Z12 Ultra from Amazon day before yesterday & had it yesterday so I got it in 1 day. I got all the updating of the software done, loaded a boatload of apps in to it & then things got super sour! Upon an update for the BT3 remote which if I remember correctly was 2.0.2 I hit a wall of remote function failure. Although I had set it to my tv to control the sound with the tv control, but it refused to switch to it stuck on using the system sound. Interesting also is that it has a 0-25 volume bar like a cell phone up the right side instead of the prior Z11âs blue bar on the center bottom. I tried the manual pairing with the tv remote head to head, tried the IR remote from my Z11 Pro Max, & about every thing else, rebooting, whatever I could think of yet it wonât work to correct the problem. It worked fine before the update so itâs got to have something to do with the remote update causing trouble. So I hit the dreaded factory reset losing about 4 hours of hard work setting things up, & yet the problem still existed. Then I thought I didnât try the BT1. I got my BT1 remote out that was already set up for my Sony & BOOM! That remote worked! I have no clue exactly why neither the IR remote or the BT3 wonât work when the BT1 does, but I was kicking myself in the tail for not trying that remote BEFORE I done the factory reset. I hated losing all the work I done setting things up, but oh well, wasnât the first time & surely wonât be the last. If any of you hear anything about this issue please pass along but I figure it will be a wait until a remote app update comes along that will fix it. I do know my Sonyâs remote is a RF remote, not an IR remote so it may be a factor somehow. I have a 2022 Sony in the bedroom that is the very same 90 series Bravia & mine is a 2023 series 90 bravia of exactly the same other than the year & the remotes for the 2 will not cross each other, either one will not work the other tv. With them being RF I guess that is a good thing so I am not tripping my wifeâs to get my A$$ thrown in the doghouse messing hers up! ![]()
Donât forget You may have the remote with two sound keys. On on the left face and the other is on the right side of the remote and I mean on the side not the face and if you have the silicone cover itâs very hard to see.
Hey thanks Mike! Man my heart sunk when I seen these hidden buttons. They are really more underneath too. These buttons are extremely uncomfortable to use at all even, plus like you said, unmarked & well hid by the silicone case. I put the batteries in and slid it right in the case never noticing the extra buttons. Now the weird thing is why in the world did they put tv volume buttons on the right side with the system volume being controlled by the top regular volume up/down buttons? They must have been smoking some pretty good weed when they designed it like this!
I donât mind having the extra system buttons, but those should be on the side of remote for system, not on top. My heart sunk thinking back on all the time I wasted on the app installs over this. I donât know if there is a way to fix it but that sucks! Thanks again man!
Hey you are most welcome. I spent about 2 hrs trying to get the damn Z12 to control my Samsung equipment and especially the volume I completely gave up and then took a look at the remote button map and went wtf where are those damn volume controls that show on the right in itâs picture. So I took a real close look and went WTH is this? Two volume controls on one remote. They must have way higher thc stuff than I do. Damn they must have been bloto. I only found this out after I disconnected my Z12 and threw it in a drawer. Havenât hooked it up since. I may one day but I may not. ![]()
Hey Miki. Itâs like a fight with the wife. Sure youâre mad at the Z12 right now, but youâll get over it and get it out of the box again.
Iâm using mine as a backup to my AM9 as the Z12 has a bit more brightness than the AM9 when HDR is enabled.
I couldnât stand the color of that cover so I removed it right when I took it out of the box. I agree, what in the heck are they doing putting that volume rocker on the side of the remoteâŚterrible!
A condom for the remote. Now we can all practice âsafe viewingâ!![]()
How to program a button
- Press and hold the TV button on the GTV-BT3 until the small LED light starts blinking.
- Press the specific button on the GTV-BT3 that you want to program (e.g., the power button).
- Press and hold the corresponding button on your original TV remote.* Release both buttons when the LED on the GTV-BT3 stops blinking and turns solid, indicating the code has been learned.* Repeat this process for each button you wish to program.
Yup thatâs one of the button map pics I found. Note on the right side the little direction line with a dot ends on the face of the remote. Thatâs not where it is located. I am a super fussy person and absolutely abhor inconsistencies and especially from makers of equipment but in particular from engineers. Testing ? What testing? Throw it out to the masses theyâll figure it out.
Unfortunately mine would never control my system no matter what way I tried, even after the update that added Samsung codes.
Man it wasnât funny with all the time I spent loading apps in to it & then factory resetting it not even knowing those buttons were there, but at least I am not alone to be bitten by this very stupid mistake. I donât even use it. I am using the BT1. Formuler really had their head in their rear on this one! At least all of this up here now for others to read may save somebody else from having it happen to them.
Ok folks, I decided to do some geekbench tests. We all know how falsely Formuler claims this new Z12 Ultra has a faster processor which is a total lie. I have seen it in print from them & I am sure you all have too. The reality is yes it does work a little faster than the Z11 Max, but this is because of the Android 12 operating system mainly handling processing a little better than Android 11. I have noticed that playlists load in a little quicker, downloads are slightly faster & a few other things, but itâs not the flagship they claim it to be. I bought one because of the living room main unit Z11 Pro max is either dying or has major software issues. I still need to hard reset it using the inside button of the 3.5mm jack to see if I can salvage it. It is my only hope to save it. Anyhow, I figured if I have to buy another I might as well get one to have for the living room primary tv. I do believe that the audio I am getting from my new Ultimea Skywave X70 beast is far better on the Z12, although I donât know what all it is doing for itâs benefit. For that reason alone I am happy with that result from the Z12 Ultra. Anyhow here are 3 links to pull up the results, & on your computer brain you can pull up all 3 in 3 windows & go side by side to see all the results. I will admit much of it I am greek on what they mean in parts of these tests, but it does tell a story of FACT of just how much Formuler isnât being straight with all of us on the Z12 capabilities. For my Kinhank G1 box I also done test on the results are hereâŚ. SDMC G1 - Geekbench For the Z11 pro max the results are hereâŚâŚ https://browser.geekbench.com/v5/cpu/23877210 For the Z12 Ultra the results are hereâŚ. FORMULER Formuler Z12 Ultra - Geekbench - - I have looked through all of this & you can see the numbers on every one is a little better on the Z12 Ultra, but this has to be due to the operating system improving things a little, but as the proof is in the pudding as they say here that itâs no where near anything special overall. It is interesting because it proves the point that the Z12 Ultra is over bragged up for being what it is not.
Great post! I should have known that as well due to download speeds being very slow when VPN is on. On these streaming devices, the faster the CPU, the faster download speeds with VPN on.
Awesome post.
Just another example of how we have to ignore the Pro,Ultra, Super Dee Duper marketing speak.
Hereâs the Ugoos AM9 for comparison also. And this is what Ugoos calls their âmid-tierâ device. Sometimes the hyperbole marketing can backfire and create expectations that the hardware canât meet.
https://browser.geekbench.com/v6/cpu/13886170
I get how the smaller box makers will be more expensive due to lack of scale, but I really think the Formular boxes are priced a little high. I do like how they are pushing IPTV software to improve and remote design too. (Even if they seem to make some head scratching decisions
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