Related
I purchased one from my local uk currys yesterday and have used it quite a bit since and I I have to say since i am very dissapointed,
The Bad
web browsing is slow and laggy as the pages do not load totally e.g the page loads as your scrolling down even after waiting,
flash video playback in browser often crashes the tab causing it to restart itself, camera is bad in low light conditions,
you cant exit apps properly as even if you select to exit in the apps menu they stay in the multitask panel running in background (unless you go in and stop them with the honeycomb built in task killer),
gameplay is not toally smooth on the game I have tested (nova 2) it plays relatively smooth however seems to pause slightly at times like a frame skip[edit since last archos update it force closes even after reinstall], i also tried n64oid which was slow loading and the on screen controller froze,
angry birds loads but the screen image is not smooth as the pixels have been stretched however plays well (i couldnt care less about angry birds anyway but it just shows that the screen resizing can cause graphics issues.
I have issues with moon reader ebook reader as it does not want to only change page when i swype as soon as it gets to the next chaper page it will only skip chapters
The Good
media playback with files loaded on the device is good they play back smoothly through the hdmi and I had no trouble with the files I put on it.
youtube app playback is looks good.
screen quality is nice very vibrant colours etc
battery life is good.
the stand is useful
honeycomb is much more user intuitive than any before it
wifi signal isnt too bad in the room next to the rooter I get over half.
the issue I have is that my herotab c8 is faster for browsing web pages doesnt seem to lag, very rarely restarts itself and can view flash in browser without crashing my tablet, also I can root it and install chainfire which means gameplay is brilliant when playing nova 2 (better than archos tablet however colours etc are a little washed out compared to archos ) I can remove my memory card from its external slot and change it for a different one and it instantly reads the new one unlike the archos where I cannot even see the card in folders.
if im missing something that has hampered my experience please advise as I am giving this to the end of the week and will more than likely return it if it stays like this.
Soulclaimed
Yeah I did the same, the amount of FC was upsetting. The sound card (from what i've read) is pressed in to the back of the screen and any slight pressure creates the ripple on the screen. Not bad for the money, but not great
i dont believe i have the screen defect but all the other problems are beginning to be frustrating, because of the specs i dont know whether to return it as if they implement the specs and features properly in future firmware updates this should be a great tablet, although someone said on another post that they dont have the lag or freezes or automatic rebooting or game issues that i have listed above so im sort of wondering if my device is defective.
edit i also find that it wont output the image properly to a 32 inch 720p tv as as the tv tries to play as 1080p but cant and the tablet nor the tv have options to change this
Had a bit of screen lag, not no more than my Desire HD, so cant really complain too much about it.
I thinking about sending it back but its shipped from France, and that gonna be expensive.
Yeah the screen defect is what swayed it for me, if that goes out of warranty im stuffed!
The only thing I can complain about is the screen defect, that in my opinion is bareable... for the web browsing experience, all you have to do is install Opera Mobile from the market and that problem is solved... about the "lag", change launcher and go for ADW EX, with that it's fast as a rocket... apps stay "open" after you close them because that's how Honeycomb works, it keeps stuff in the background so that they can open up faster next time. Overall It's actually a pretty good tablet, it's not perfect and yes it's very "delicate" software wise, but once you get used to how you treat it, all is fine... remember It's an incredibly cheap tablet with all the functionalities of the most expensive...
---------- Post added at 06:08 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:07 PM ----------
related to the SD card, I have had no issues with reading/changing card
I love my archos g9 Turbo.
jutley said:
I love my archos g9 Turbo.
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Click to collapse
same for me!
My brother has the archos 80 g9 16GB turbo version and it runs perfectly no lag no force closes or anything and games run great aswell and videos run smooth and the screen is brilliant only a little problem from pressure on the back of the screen but it is a tiny area and 99% of the time not visible so not a problem.
but my dad bought the 80 g9 250GB turbo version which the only problem is the hard drive is slow and it crashes a bit too often and its now crashed and wont boot past the unlock screen and the screen wont respond so ive got to see if i can fix that now but the flash version of the tablet i think is brilliant especially for the price
I love my 80 g9!
Sent from my VM670 using XDA App
Alas mine is the 1ghz version only and even after update problems persist there is even a Lag from the keyboard as I type this I have
Hi all
Bretticus said:
but my dad bought the 80 g9 250GB turbo version which the only problem is the hard drive is slow and it crashes a bit too often and its now crashed and wont boot past the unlock screen and the screen wont respond so ive got to see if i can fix that now but the flash version of the tablet i think is brilliant especially for the price
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Click to collapse
Hi guys,
I'm about to buy the archos g9 250GB but I searched here at XDA to know more about this tablet and to see if the HDD version is good and fast enough... and I can see here that the fastest and most stable version of this tablet is the archos g9 10GB Turbo... but this one is expensive in Israel (About 425$) than the 8GB version (About 337$)! But the 8GB version has the ARM Cortex A9 1.0GHz Dual Core while the 16GB turbo have 1.2GHz Turbo version: OMAP™ 4 smart multi-core ARM CORTEX A9...
So I want to know which one is the best for my Dad, He just need a simple tablet to surf the web sometimes, watch Videos on the web (Flash players) etc... so the 250GB HDD could be a "nice to have" feature, but if it's to slow, Then I prefer the 8GB version...
and as I mentioned the "Turbo" is expensive here... so which one it's gonna be? the 8GB or the 250GB?
Thanks! I think that i'm gonna buy that tablet tomorrow, so I'll be happy to get some answers from you guys, 10x again
GadgetAvi said:
Hi guys,
I'm about to buy the archos g9 250GB but I searched here at XDA to know more about this tablet and to see if the HDD version is good and fast enough... and I can see here that the fastest and most stable version of this tablet is the archos g9 10GB Turbo... but this one is expensive in Israel (About 425$) than the 8GB version (About 337$)! But the 8GB version has the ARM Cortex A9 1.0GHz Dual Core while the 16GB turbo have 1.2GHz Turbo version: OMAP™ 4 smart multi-core ARM CORTEX A9...
So I want to know which one is the best for my Dad, He just need a simple tablet to surf the web sometimes, watch Videos on the web (Flash players) etc... so the 250GB HDD could be a "nice to have" feature, but if it's to slow, Then I prefer the 8GB version...
and as I mentioned the "Turbo" is expensive here... so which one it's gonna be? the 8GB or the 250GB?
Thanks! I think that i'm gonna buy that tablet tomorrow, so I'll be happy to get some answers from you guys, 10x again
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Avi,
I bought this tablet (Turbo 16G version) for my wife a week ago.
Actually AFAIK the Turbo version sold here (in Israel) is just an overclocked version of the non-turbo, since the real turbo version should be 1.5Ghz and have a different processor model.
Anyhow, the web browsing is fine, but beware that Flash works really bad on it.
I don't know if it works well on other tablets or not, but on this one it will freeze constantly during play.
Also I tried Mako VOD/Hot VOD apps and though they run, they won't play any video (except an occasional commercial now & then), but I don't know if it's because of this specific tablet, or because of the Flash issue.
Youtube apps works well, and so does streaming files from other computers.
Hey there mike,
I see that you are from Israel to, where did you buy it? BUG? or some other place?
so you don't recommend for the 16G version huh?
and as I can see here the 250GB version is not stable and very slow... so what’s left is that 8GB version which is the chipset one anyway here in israel...
but I see that there is a great deal at BUG stores on the 250GB, the price is almost same as the 8GB version, SO i Really thinking if I should buy the 250G or the 8G... :\
And about flash players - I test flash players and flash based Websites on my Samsung galaxy S2 and my friend's Motorola XOOM
and all flash players worked great, specially the JWplayer and the JustinTV players...
about Mako and other Israeli VOD sites, most of them are not in real flash, the players are flash Based UI, but the actual Video is WMV and not even FLV or MP4... so they won't work on android devices, but there are Dedicated applications for Mako on the Android market... try it...
10x anyway dude, I think I'm goanna jump to bug and play with this device and then see if it's Goanna be the 8G or the 250G...
Thanks...
Ok guys, never mind, I bought the Asus transformer eventually... I checked that Archos, and it's a Cute tablet, but the quality is mid range, and yes, sadly the one that I wanted purchase was with that known screen defect!
soulclaimed said:
Alas mine is the 1ghz version only and even after update problems persist there is even a Lag from the keyboard as I type this I have
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what keyboard are you using? standard Android or market app?
I have had same lag randomly on older 80g9 8gb & new 80g9 16gb 1.5ghz turbo.
what is causing this? I've been using Perfect Keyboard app and love it but wonder if its the issue
Only stock i installed others but only stock appears maybe i missed some settings....
soulclaimed said:
Only stock i installed others but only stock appears maybe i missed some settings....
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Click to collapse
That kinda sucks that its not the keyboard app. getting other keyboards active is more of a pain on these, I can't remember exact procedure but keep messing with settings and you'll get it.
try Perfect Keyboard app from market, it takes a while to get used to & adjust but for a free app its very nice, I had mine tuned and comfortable to work within a week and I can't stand any other now, I'm typing mostly with thumbs on split landscape w #pad in middle and cool arrow keys at bottom that are like a mouse for cursor positioning
over's tab said:
That kinda sucks that its not the keyboard app. getting other keyboards active is more of a pain on these, I can't remember exact procedure but keep messing with settings and you'll get it.
try Perfect Keyboard app from market, it takes a while to get used to & adjust but for a free app its very nice, I had mine tuned and comfortable to work within a week and I can't stand any other now, I'm typing mostly with thumbs on split landscape w #pad in middle and cool arrow keys at bottom that are like a mouse for cursor positioning
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Click to collapse
Since its not a big brand name here I cannot sell my archos g9. I'm getting the transformer prime and dock when they show up in stores here. I want to try it before I buy.
Sent from my ARCHOS 80G9 using Tapatalk
like my archos 80 g9 verry much low price fine machine
I wouldn't say it's a piece of junk..but the first one crapped out on me, the cheap usb charger connectors that are only loosely soldered onto the mother board probably broke, got an RMA replacement, had it for a month or so, and the stupid damn 2 foot cord is so short, the tablet gets knocked off of things so easily that it broke the usb connector right out after a 3 foot drop. Pissed me off :/
Hello,
First let me start off by saying this forum has to be the best thing that happened to cellphones since Java and Flash!
Anyways, what I wanted to know is I have the opportunity to upgrade to the i9300 for 150-200$ + my phone traded in, I just wanted to know if the International can handle Dead trigger with less lag? I have tegra 3 Stuff enabled and just wanted to know what to expect!
Thank You guys!
Why would you want to get an international? Besides better dev support and slightly better CPU/gpu, our S3 is still a beast with the S4 processer and 2GB of RAM. Anyways to answer your question, of course the international will run Dead Trigger flawlessly
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium
If you buying phone purely or mostly for games then international all the way.
US version is good all around if your not heavy gamer.
ghost77 said:
If you buying phone purely or mostly for games then international all the way.
US version is good all around if your not heavy gamer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I traded up and tbh it seems like there are a lot of biases going around, the experience for now is much smoother overall...maybe its a placebo effect or maybe in the long run this will get slower too but for now everything responds much faster.
Not trying to start anything I just think ppl need to be well informed so they know what to purchase. The international is definately smoother for now and loads apps faster off hand. The international seems to also have FM Radio. The 3G though seems MUCH slower. I mean noticeably slower, sometimes I'm downloading @ 200 KB/s. Also the Ram does fill up fast, just with basic use I'm at 750 megs.
Hope this helps any potential upgrades, purchasers or just knowledge junkies
Also off hand, standby seems to be better on battery for international while use is better on the US. The last about the same from start to finish, but the US has LTE which drains battery more, so I give the nod to the LTE version for battery!
There also seems to be 4 options in Locations Services instead of the 3 in the LTE model, Use wireless netoworks, Use GPS Satelittes, Use Sensor aiding and Location and Google Search. I only remember 3 options in the LTE model.
Thanks for all the replies I'll report back once I get it rooted and running Dead Trigger!
-Another thing I noticed is the international seems to detect my 5 GHZ Wifi Signal, while the Rogers phone couldn't.
Adreno 225 can handle any intensive ggame like Mali mp4 or tegra 3. I currently own s3 adreno, it handles any game I throw at it with breeze, plays hd movies like a champ, plus its 2GB ram for awesome multitasking and with lte makes it a bigger deal IMO.
Dead trigger with high gfx settings plays fine on mine.
Sent from my SGH-I747M using xda premium
tarick09 said:
Adreno 225 can handle any intensive ggame like Mali mp4 or tegra 3. I currently own s3 adreno, it handles any game I throw at it with breeze, plays hd movies like a champ, plus its 2GB ram for awesome multitasking and with lte makes it a bigger deal IMO.
Dead trigger with high gfx settings plays fine on mine.
Sent from my SGH-I747M using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree...there isn't a game out there right now that the Adreno 225 can't run with ease...Dead Trigger runs like a champ on mine...
tarick09 said:
Adreno 225 can handle any intensive ggame like Mali mp4 or tegra 3. I currently own s3 adreno, it handles any game I throw at it with breeze, plays hd movies like a champ, plus its 2GB ram for awesome multitasking and with lte makes it a bigger deal IMO.
Dead trigger with high gfx settings plays fine on mine.
Sent from my SGH-I747M using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did a test for both, and they both start off lagging at the beginning, but the mali handles the rest of the level better. The frames also don't dip, while the adreno did dip, although not too noticeable you could see where the frame rates would dip. The Adreno did amazingly I agree, but it also lagged when getting certain kills, and by lag I mean 1 second freezes! Let's just say the Adreno is a little prone to hiccups once in a blue!
The International also loads into levels faster, but I did find A LOT of bugs when doing the stupid free Gold crap on international....I still haven't gotten my netflix Gold or some the games wouldn't boot properly on the international. One of the Gambing games took 5 tries before it loaded, while on the US it loaded after 2 tries.
Also I do also notice a slightly longer time it takes from going to PLay store back to Dead Trigger, the Krait seemed to handle this better, or it might be the extra Ram headroom.
Lte isn't a big sell for me because @ 1 GB max bandwidth I'm in no hurry to use it all the time and I'm mostly at school which has wifi . 2 GB of ram is a major Loss, but I can't feel it yet. Most likely when we see more development for the phones, we might see some emulation that the US phone can do that this can't, or Virtual machine or w.e.
The other thing I really like is the menu fluidness. It's noticeable on international, it just feels smoother after the phone has been on for a while it's still kept its fluidness, when I remember my friend's Girlfriend tested out my phone (US at the time) because she liked it, she asked why the transitions were so laggy (at the time I had less Widgets running which really shocked me).
As of right now, I'm really pissed the international wasn't available as the base model so users can see the difference for themselves.
-Another thing, the International if your using it while it's plugged into your computer, it will not charge! LOL even if it says it's charging the percentage will either stay the same or go down if your doing intense stuff. The US version just raised up slower
Will report any more changes I see.
P.S the international version I'm using still has it's bloatware! :S I'll see what happens to ram when that is killed off!
Ok, so I just ordered a Mi Max 128GB/4GB for Black Friday (from geekbuying) and was wondering if this device can actually support OpenGL ES 3.2, and I am asking if it can support it hardware-wise cause I know it won't work on android <7.0, so anyone know?
Adreno 5xx series GPU's have full support for EGL 3.2 with Android extension along with Vulkan support. So it's expected that they will be supported in Android 7~7.1.
Edit: & Android 7.0.1 is definitely coming (probably early next year in stable update):
http://en.miui.com/thread-420161-1-1.html
Zola III said:
Adreno 5xx series GPU's have full support for EGL 3.2 with Android extension along with Vulkan support. So it's expected that they will be supported in Android 7~7.1.
Edit: & Android 7.0.1 is definitely coming (probably early next year in stable update):
http://en.miui.com/thread-420161-1-1.html
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Click to collapse
Thank you, that's what I was expecting as well but even on Qualcomm's site the specs of the 510 are not clearly stated, also good to know we will in fact get 7.0.1 (although I plan to stay away from MIUI).
This should mean we might even be able to get at least somewhat decent Wii&GC emulation on this device in the future which is pretty exciting for me since there are still a lot of games I bought and never got around to finishing or even playing.
Ranomez said:
Thank you, that's what I was expecting as well but even on Qualcomm's site the specs of the 510 are not clearly stated, also good to know we will in fact get 7.0.1 (although I plan to stay away from MIUI).
This should mean we might even be able to get at least somewhat decent Wii&GC emulation on this device in the future which is pretty exciting for me since there are still a lot of games I bought and never got around to finishing or even playing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't have to high hopes that Dolphine emulator will fly on Adreno 510, the driver's especially sheder compiler are far cry from anything good also hardware capabilities (EGLS 3.2, Testilation engine & Vulkan compatibility) don't count much without proper & good driver's support. On the current Android gaming scene A510 is wonderful but it won't shy with Dolphine (nothing will, best behaviour you will have with New Rogue series [Imagination Technology] but their is no any newer SoC for Android with it we will see how will MTK X30 behave 2Q next year).
Edit: By the way this whose a best deal for it when I searched wanting to buy a full prime one in the mean time I decided not to go with it & instead both a 3/32GB S650 version in land where I live. But search again me by you can find a better deal.
https://toponedigital.aliexpress.com/store/group/Xiaomi-MAX/342812_507286278.html
Best regards.
Zola III said:
Don't have to high hopes that Dolphine emulator will fly on Adreno 510, the driver's especially sheder compiler are far cry from anything good also hardware capabilities (EGLS 3.2, Testilation engine & Vulkan compatibility) don't count much without proper & good driver's support. On the current Android gaming scene A510 is wonderful but it won't shy with Dolphine (nothing will, best behaviour you will have with New Rogue series [Imagination Technology] but their is no any newer SoC for Android with it we will see how will MTK X30 behave 2Q next year).
Edit: By the way this whose a best deal for it when I searched wanting to buy a full prime one in the mean time I decided not to go with it & instead both a 3/32GB S650 version in land where I live. But search again me by you can find a better deal.
https://toponedigital.aliexpress.com/store/group/Xiaomi-MAX/342812_507286278.html
Best regards.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did not say it would fly but it would have at least somewhat decent performance which for me means playable, especially since most of the games I want to play are for GC not Wii and are RPG games (except perhaps the Sonic Adventure games but I can play the DC version of those if the performance is too bad), the only few Wii games I would like to play would anyway not be practical (if possible at all) because they use the huge mess that the Wiimote is (mainly Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World).
Plus I have seen Snapdragon 808 with the 7.0 dev preview (OpenGL ES 3.2 supported) running Dolphin quite well and even with lower performance that would be enough for me.
Either way I would probably end up starting the games and not finishing them for a long time as I keep doing, start them while traveling and then too busy with College and stuff to finish them and then start an other game (like I did with 7th Dragon 3 on my 3DS, Tales of Eternia for PSP and countless others) but it would still be nice to know I at least have the possibility of playing those games on the go.
Well A518 can all A418 on S808 can & probably a little more in time when drivers support all capabilities along with games/emus. Then that is settled its enough for you & it is a pleasurable experience to play on such a large display.
Best regards.
Before anyone says game streaming I wanted to know if there was any other features that I should consider when deciding over a cheap android box and the shield. I owned a cheap android box for 2 years and it was really good but it was slow and never got updates but kodi worked perfectly until 17 update, but it's hard justifying a $300 price tag for the 16gb over $50 for the cheap one.
1. CPU performance, much faster then any s912, especially it have active cooling make it can keep in full speed, if you use any old amlogic box you will know you just can't decode any 1080 hi10p due to either the HW decoder not support or CPU not fast enough for SW decode. The shield can do it by CPU with 50-70%cpu usage max. Also although newer amlogic such as S912 support h265 but it is very buggy, the shield TV on the other hand is very stable.
2. For Android gaming I don't think you can find any android box in this size/price can better then it. Sure you can get a x86 box but that will much more expensive and larger.
3. Support 1080 ycbcr 422 12bit , I don't have 4K so dunno what is support, but as I remember there are no other cheap android box will support this output. (Sure you will need to take care the HDMI version mismatch problem if you got AVR)
If you will not use Plex and don't need IR then I suggest you just get the 16GB version, by the way I attach a 128GB USB stick to store my mame rom, much faster then hdd version.
Previous I use mi box and some other android box, but I can say shield TV is the most problem free and the fastest one for me.
$50 android boxes are junk, period. These things should be illegal to sell in USA. The manufactures are horrible at support & you never get updates. The only time a cheap android box is worth buying is if there are active private developers. Here's where the price difference matters, your $50 box lasted you 2 years. I've had my shield tv for almost 2 years & my guess is it'll still be alive & kicking in 10 years & still be my main media center. The shield tv was released as a future proof device, meaning it has a long life span while the $50 junk boxes have a very short limited life span hardware & software wise, you'll be replacing these types of boxes every 2 years.
Since when was the 16GB version $300?!
What feature(s)?!
In One Word... Widevine L(evel)1 support. (Ok tht was Two Words, whatever...)
Why is this a big deal? In Two Words this time. Amazon, and Netflix. In full UHD, let alone FHD. Your ~50$ 'Droid Box most likely will never have it. The only exception to that rule would be the Xaiomi Mi Box. Which like the Shield TV is a licenced AndroidTV Box. Which is based on the well known AmLogic S905 SoC. I have no ideas on how, or if Amazon will ever be ported to it. For now I gather it's a bit of a Shield exclusive. But, Netflix should be fine, along with the other usual suspects.
There is also the Gaming, and Emulation side of the Device, that puts it well ahead of the competition. With its small but exclusive Titles under the nVIDIA Lightspeed Studios. But, that may not be enough to convince a mass take up of it considering the initial cost.
If all you need is a cheap Kodi Box than by all means. You could pick one up, and gamble that you get a working one. Note I got burnt TWICE with an AmLogic S912 SoC Device. The first One cooked itself, while using Chrome, and the Second came with a defective WiFi Chip. So you take your chances with an unknown when buying One of these Devices.
When it comes to Updates, you'd be lucky to see a few Bug fixes before whoever's in charge gets bored, and moves on. nVIDIA have been supporting the Shield TV since it came out in 2015, and they will probably still be supporting it for a while yet with the 2017 version.
One last thing you might like to know about Kodi, and these Cheapo Boxes. Unless those Manufactures get off their butts, and code their CODECs to Android spec. Kodi will only ever function in Software mode only. Which will have a major impact on Video performance. Alas I don't know if the Mi Box also has that problem. Given its a specialized AmLogic build, perhaps not? But, a native Netflix App does not a Kodi make.
Of course there is One other thing that separates both the Shield TV, and the Mi Box. (Which I hinted at earlier.)
They are both Licenced AndroidTV units. And, in case that isn't quite clear to you. Then a word of caution to you. AndroidTV ≠ Android (e.g. Some generic 'Droid Box.), You should expect to see virtually nothing in the (AndroidTV), PlayStore. Certainly nothing like what most People probably imagine, after getting off the PlayStore on their Samsung Phablet. And, you can thank Google for that!
se1000 said:
Since when was the 16GB version $300?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably since nVIDIA weren't able to meet the demand for the Device which drove Scalpers to scalp it along with the Pro for Upwards of 600€'s, and no I wish I was making that up. The only time the Shield came down to reasonable levels, was just before they announced the Shield 2 (a.k.a. The Shield TV Slim), which was rightly rejected by those who already had a Shield. Seeing that I was able to get a used '15 Pro for 'round 200€ back in January. Good luck finding one now, for that price. If I wanted to spend nearly 300€ on a used One. I would rather just buy the new '17 Model for a fraction more. (i.e. 329€).
Ichijoe said:
What feature(s)?!
One last thing you might like to know about Kodi, and these Cheapo Boxes. Unless those Manufactures get off their butts, and code their CODECs to Android spec. Kodi will only ever function in Software mode only. Which will have a major impact on Video performance. Alas I don't know if the Mi Box also has that problem. Given its a specialized AmLogic build, perhaps not? But, a native Netflix App does not a Kodi make.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are correct on this, most cheap android box had broken mediacodec support, as KODI remove the amcodec support so either 1. switch to old version/spmc which have amcode, 2. SW decode, but the cpu not fast enough most of the time.
the google version of mi box's mediacodec are ok, but it still cannot hw decode hi10p (main reason I switch from mi box to shield tv)
DummyPLUG said:
You are correct on this, most cheap android box had broken mediacodec support, as KODI remove the amcodec support so either 1. switch to old version/spmc which have amcode, 2. SW decode, but the cpu not fast enough most of the time.
the google version of mi box's mediacodec are ok, but it still cannot hw decode hi10p (main reason I switch from mi box to shield tv)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Outside of actively getting off my [REDACTED] to search for some hi10p Materials, back when I was still knee deep in Linux VDR (i.e. HTPC). The chances of actually encountering anything actually encoded at 10bits is extremely rare. And I do likes me some KissAnime. So I would chalk it down as a nice to have feature, and not the Killer One, that Widevine Level 1 is. As only the Select TVs running ATV, or the MiBox, and Shield TV are capable of such high end DRMs, for legaly being able to watch Netflix in either FHD, or UHD.
Since those other Boxes only have Widevine Level 3. You'd be lucky to watch Netflix in 480p MAX!
So for me that's a bigger deal going forward. Mores the pitty that the MiBox is virtually useless outside of North America though.
Not going into hard core comparison as far as audio support and video support but just general laymen comparison.
As reference current devices I own a A95x cheap android box, Fire TV Sticks, Nexus Players and 2nd Gen Fire TV, Roku2, Shield TV Gen 1
1. Performance - I didn't think the difference would be that huge since I mainly just use streaming services and apps like Netflix and Kodi to name a few but it's noticeable even in just those two areas. My FTV2 was snappy I thought compared to my other devices but the Shield just Launches apps quicker and goes through local and internet streams a lot smoother. Not a gamer but I have used them and let kids use them to try games and again just performance is amazing.
2. Ease of use my gripe with the a95x cheapo is It was IR remote and the interface just sucked. FTV2 and FTV sticks had their own interface over Lollipop and this too I am not a big fan of. Nexus Player and Shield TV are very straightforward and use the Leanback Launcher IMO easier to use and get google play store unlike Amazons offerings.
3. You get what you pay for. It's an investment that hopefully it will last. Performance wise I'm not worried about having to get a new box for a while now. Also the build and the remotes just are more appealing with the metal finish and all and they are rechargeable (yes the drawback is it's not replaceable batteries). It's running official Android TV yes the Playstore is limited for TV devices but for average user that doesn't want to side load and just works great out of the box it's perfect.
If cost is an issue like it was for me just wait for a deal or find one used if you're willing to take the chance. I just got my 1st gen Shield 2 weeks ago because I bought it used for $120 and had I tested it beforehand I never would have bought my a95x, fire tv sticks. I am happy with the Nexus Players I scored those for $40 but it's discontinued and my FTV2 but the Shield TV kicked those devices out of the family room and now those are in mine and kids bedrooms.
If performance isn't a huge deal then I wouldn't upgrade. If it is but cost still too high there are alternatives Fire TV (Just ew Amazon interface) and Nexus Player (Discontinued) or Mi box (Owned for a month and returned it performance wasn't as good as Nexus Player).
I have 2 fire sticks, a firetv box, and the new version of the shield TV. The shield is fast and responsive, but I don't think its performance justifies the price. If you not going for game steaming... I would just use a firetv box. Kodi performance is on par.
Here is my problem with the shield TV. Ram. For its price point I would expect 4gb of ram. This was a huge mistake I feel when they released the new version.
Don't get me wrong, I love my shield but if I didn't get mine for 175 with a deal, I would have not got it.
I couldn't disagree more with the majority of what's been said. It is true that the shield is an investment. It's worth it in the long run to get a shield. Talks of "4gb of ram" are comical at best. You want 4gb of ram buy a jetson tx1 for $500+ The point is, 4gb of ram isn't required when you have a constant power source. Take the Nintendo switch for example, yea sure it's basically a jetson tx1 (4gb ram) but clocked at a much lower speed to run on battery.
I would say it depends greatly upon how you want to come to the Shield TV. If your looking at it as just another in a long line of 'Droid Boxen, then that is how you will see it. If your like me, and your coming in from the huge running costs of an HTPC, with VDR Recording capabilities. Then the Shield becomes self-evident. As it can do those same jobs in a much tighter Footprint, and use just a microfraction of the Electricity to do it. Everything else is just a nice bonus. e.g. The Games, Emulations, Android itself.
So no Op is correct the Shield TV isn't the right answer for everyone. If for example Op wanted just the cheapest Box to do the most basic streaming (Amazon, Hulu, Netflix HBO Go, etc....), Then the Amazon Fire TV, would be right up his street. But IIRC, that only had 2GB of RAM, not that you would need it.
Also, if you want extra storage, you're better off getting the 16GB model and adding an external HDD. The way Nvidia set up the Pro model is kinda dumb - everything (including the system ROM) runs on the HDD, not flash, so it's really slow. It's also not user-replaceable without voiding the warranty and a lot of hassle. 4 TB portable drives are a bit over $100, so you can get a lot more storage for almost the same price.
Mogster2K said:
Also, if you want extra storage, you're better off getting the 16GB model and adding an external HDD. The way Nvidia set up the Pro model is kinda dumb - everything (including the system ROM) runs on the HDD, not flash, so it's really slow. It's also not user-replaceable without voiding the warranty and a lot of hassle. 4 TB portable drives are a bit over $100, so you can get a lot more storage for almost the same price.
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That might be true... But it's not like you couldn't just clone the contents of the Original SSHD, and then write that to the heavier, faster SSD. There are at least Two Threads on that subject, that I'm personally aware of. As to it being slower? That only applies when doing things like unlocking the Bootloader (a precursor to rooting), or factory resetting it where in both cases it'll take the best part of 2h to complete. Under day to day use However, I greatly doubt there is any major difference in the overall speed.
Also the newer Slim (and, light) Shield TV, also lack a few things, like the IR Port (for Harmony Remotes), and the OTG MicroUSB Port, and worse of all the MicroSD Slot.
Also one thing about Adopted Storage, e.g. adding external Storage. Just because you could add a 4TB SS/H/DD, doesn't give you licence to go 'round installing everything to your heart's content as not everything will be installed to External (Adopted), Storage and you will most likely be scratching your head about not having enough Space to install some Game even if you have the best part of 4+ GBs left inside in your External Storage. Just the way it is on my Phablet alas Adopted Storage is kind of a lie. As I see it.
If you replace the Pro HDD with an SSD, you're paying $100 just for the hard drive bay. (Edit: I did not realize the Pro hardware was basically unchanged.) Also, I would not recommend using an HDD as adopted storage anyway. Better to leave it as NTFS since Android network transfers are so slow.
Finally, it is possible to boot the Shield TV from an external SSD. You need a special boot image (MM only unfortunately) and an SSD in a USB enclosure. It's a bit tricky to set up but works pretty well. A Nougat version is in the works.
Ichijoe said:
That might be true... But it's not like you couldn't just clone the contents of the Original SSHD, and then write that to the heavier, faster SSD. There are at least Two Threads on that subject, that I'm personally aware of. As to it being slower? That only applies when doing things like unlocking the Bootloader (a precursor to rooting), or factory resetting it where in both cases it'll take the best part of 2h to complete. Under day to day use However, I greatly doubt there is any major difference in the overall speed.
Also the newer Slim (and, light) Shield TV, also lack a few things, like the IR Port (for Harmony Remotes), and the OTG MicroUSB Port, and worse of all the MicroSD Slot.
Also one thing about Adopted Storage, e.g. adding external Storage. Just because you could add a 4TB SS/H/DD, doesn't give you licence to go 'round installing everything to your heart's content as not everything will be installed to External (Adopted), Storage and you will most likely be scratching your head about not having enough Space to install some Game even if you have the best part of 4+ GBs left inside in your External Storage. Just the way it is on my Phablet alas Adopted Storage is kind of a lie. As I see it.
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Try enable force app install on external in developer options, I had no problem to save everything to my USB.
The cheap "4K Android TV" series from Walmart, built by Funai but branded as Philips, is extremely affordable and seems to be unlocked. Has anyone had any luck getting these to run alternative firmware (Lineage?) or even stock Android TV?
Mine is extremely buggy (forgets the date/time, causing HBO and other streaming apps to crash, etc) and extremely slow. Many times apps never fully exit, eating up the limited RAM available. Newer apps refuse to install from the Play Store (even though I'm able to force install them by downloading the APK) which tells me there's some sort of poorly-coded identification going on.
I was able to figure out some hardware specs:
It reports the board/device as "freesia" and the hardware/platform as "maxim" - the quad-core ARM Cortex A53 chip runs at 1400mhz (rev r0p4) and it has 1.5GB RAM and 4GB internal storage. The built-in graphics report as Mali T820 (ARM) (vulkan integrated gpu 1358996kb) running at 1920x1080.
I've updated it as far as the factory updates will go to Android 9 Pie.
I'm new to doing much with Android but I write software for a living so pretty comfortable hacking this thing if people can give me a few pointers!
Rooting a Funai Philips Android TV
I've got a 65-inch 4K Funai/Philips Android TV. Is this TV rootable or flashable? The OS is so laggy on this device it makes it almost unbearable to use. Opening specific screens takes seconds because of all the quirky animations. I'd much rather...
forum.xda-developers.com
The above has users who have unlocked fastboot etc, and have achieved root through the OTA firmware
Thanks. Do you know what it would take to go beyond that? I asked on the Lineage subreddit but they basically have rules against talking about anything but official builds, so it's kind of a catch 22.
andsat said:
Thanks. Do you know what it would take to go beyond that? I asked on the Lineage subreddit but they basically have rules against talking about anything but official builds, so it's kind of a catch 22.
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To be honest? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Lineage for TVs seems far fetched,
You’d need to find a person who’d spend their time to build a rom for your TV.
Don’t know much about ROM development
It's already been done for other devices. Here's one for Raspberry Pi https://konstakang.com/devices/rpi4/LineageOS18-ATV/
how does one get/obtain the ota firmware ? I still have an unupdated bootloader unlocked 75 inch model and would like to do some stuff with it. i have been waiting to connect it to the internet because i didn't want to be lock into or out of anything until i was ready.