#then they sent us a video of it working perfectly fine (with a different cable)

[mcdolann]

🤍 dream machine 🤍

[eldritchsurveys]

o96.

Have you ever had a bonfire on the beach? >> Nope. I’ve attended a bonfire in the forest, though, which was quite lovely.

Are you skilled when it comes to working in the kitchen? >> Not particularly. I can do the basics and that’s about it.

When was the last time you went to a campground? >> A few years ago, in Brooklyn.

Do you listen to music while driving? >> Sparrow is the driver and she plays her iPod. We’d switch up but the adapter is a Lightning cable and therefore doesn’t fit my phone. (In Wednesday’s car, the radio does what it wants -- except when Friday’s fucking with it, of course.)

Is there a movie you currently want to see? >> Sure, there are a lot of movies I want to see.

When was the last time you hung out with people younger than you? >> Well, Sparrow’s younger than me.

What is the closest blue object to you? >> A Black Panther blanket.

How much did you spend on your last shopping trip? >> I don’t remember.

Do you wish you had a better cellular plan? >> No, it’s fine for my purposes.

Are you good at buying gifts for people? >> I’d like to think so. I certainly don’t stress out about it as much as most people, which I think has its own benefits.

Would you consider yourself to be generous? >> At times.

Have you ever recieved an autograph from a celebrity? >> Yeah, a couple. But usually I got autographs from band members.

When was the last time you laughed so hard you cried? >> I don’t usually laugh hard enough to cry. Hard enough to lose my breath, yeah. Not so much cry.

Are you currently studying for your driver's lisence? >> No, but I did get to drive for the first time last weekend, and it was exhilarating. And not as difficult as I’d convinced myself it must be (so my first thoughts, before I started second-guessing, were right after all)! I’m still leery about getting on the road with actual other drivers, even in small-ass Wayland, but... I’ll get there eventually, I guess.

Have you ever gone over your cellphone plan by accident? >> Yeah, years ago.

Are you in a relationship with the last person you kissed? >> Sure.

Ever done something that at the time didn't bother you, but it did later? >> Yep.

Can you honestly say you've been drunk before? >> I can honestly say that.

Where did you get your last bruise from? >> I don’t remember the last time I was bruised. It takes a lot to bruise me.

Have you ever argued with a person of authority, and won? >> I don’t think so.

Is there a certain color of eyeshadow you prefer, if you wear eyeshadow? >> I like metallic shades.

Have you ever been addicted to mints? >> No, but I am somehow addicted to mint itself. I’m always huffing my lip balm because it has peppermint in it, lmao.

Are you a person that likes to take chances? >> Sure, sometimes.

Would you consider your life to be great right now? >> Sure, why not.

When a friend confides in you with their problems, do you listen? >> Sometimes. If that’s all they expect me to do, is listen, then yeah, it’s a lot easier. It’s when people want me to react a certain way that I have to determine whether I’m in the mood for that or not.

Do you have a piece of technology that should be dead, but it's still going? >> That reminds me of a netbook I used to have, Gilead, that I had to keep resurrecting because I couldn’t afford a new machine. It was definitely on borrowed time and performed horribly but I had no other option. When I finally got enough money to buy JARVIS, literally the day I brought JARVIS home Gilead gave up completely (probably with a sigh of relief, if computers could sigh). It’d done its best for me and finally it could rest. I don’t think I’ve ever appreciated a machine more in my life than I did Gilead, even when I was frustrated with it.

When it rains, does it put the damper on your mood? >> Sometimes. Also, heh, damper.

What was the latest you stayed up in the past week? >> Probably around 1a.

Have you had an awkward situation with someone recently? >> Not to my knowledge.

Do you always seem to be losing your bobbypins? >> I don’t have any in the first place.

When was the last time you found something overwhelming? >> It probably had something to do with sensory overload. Or video games.

Going anywhere next year for vacation? >> I’m not sure, what with Sparrow going back to school and the wedding towards the end of the year.

Ever sent drunk texts? >> I’ve sent texts while intoxicated, but I think even my intoxicated texts were at least coherent. One time I texted Sparrow while tripping and it might have taken me about a half-hour to type it but it came out perfectly clear in the end, so.

Do you remember the dream you had last night? >> No, I just remember the part that had Hallie in it (probably because that’s the last bit that happened before I woke up).

How many dresses do you own? >> About 5 or so.

Do any of your friends seem like a brother or sister to you? >> No. I don’t know what that would feel like, and what would make it different from friendship.

What bothers you more, cigarette smoke or cigar smoke? >> Cigar smoke, it’s more fragrant and harder to breathe through.

What do you think of Leonardo DiCaprio? >> I think he’s neat. The Oscar-related memes were really funny for a while, and then he won one and killed the meme. :p

Have you ever seen a movie that messed with your mind? >> Sure. I used to prefer movies like that. I still kind of do, but I also can’t watch them all the time like I used to.

Do you look good in hats? >> Not most of them. It’s the lack of hair.

Can you see a noticeable difference between DVD and Blueray? >> I can’t, but that’s a personal handicap.

Is there a song you're currently listening to on repeat? >> No.

Are you going to make a mega wish at 11:11 on 11/11/11? >> I don’t think I did.

Speaking of numbers, do you have a lucky one? >> Nah.

What do you think musical artists who use autotune? >> I don’t have an opinion. I prefer not to listen to Autotuned singers most of the time, but I don’t judge them or anything.

Have you ever held hands with someone for no reason? >> There’s always a reason.

Has anything surprised you today? >> I don’t recall.

When was the last time you played a video game? >> I played Pillars of Eternity 2 earlier today. I didn’t think the Beast of Winter DLC would be so tedious and full of annoyingly difficult enemies, but I’m suffering through it because Rymrgand is my goth-god fave.

Have you ever just watched flames from a fire & just thought about things? >> Sure.

Are there any musical albums coming out soon that you can't wait for? >> I don’t even know what albums are due out.

Have you talked to your significant other today? >> Yeah.

Have you ever sat down and eaten an entire cake by yourself? >> Nooooo.

Do you have perfect vision? >> I don’t know if it’s perfect or not, but I do know it’s pretty damn good.

Is there something you want to buy right now? >> Not at this moment. Unless it’s tickets to see Wardruna in Boulder and the matching transportation tickets. :T

Do you know anyone who can speak Gaelic? >> I don’t think I know anyone personally that speaks it fluently.

When it comes to eye color, do you have a preference? >> No.

What was the most unique pet you've owned? >> Vivek used to have a baby krogan. Its name was Snuggles. 

Is your hair currently dyed? >> No.

Has something annoyed you recently? >> Probably.

Do you like Doritos? >> Nope.

When you buy clothes, do you always try them on first? >> Not always. I often regret that, but.

Have you used bugspray recently? >> No.

Do you enjoy swimming in the ocean? >> I enjoy being near the ocean, but I can’t swim, so I usually just stay in the part where the tide flows in.

Have you ever bitten through your lip by accident? >> No.

Are you good at coming up with dares? >> No.

Do you know someone with the last name Brown? >> Probably.

Is there somewhere in the world you would never go? >> War zones, most likely.

Have you ever tried to sew or knit anything? >> Yes. Oftentimes I succeeded.

Has someone ever told you something that left you speechless? >> Probably.

Has something ever happened to you that seemed like it was from a movie? >> Well, yeah.

Do you find yourself to be a believer in love at first sight? >> Not particularly, but I won’t profess to know other people’s experiences.

Or perhaps, do you believe that there's that "someone" out there for you? >> I mean, there’s definitely people out there who mesh well with me. I’m in a relationship with one of those people, so there’s evidence.

Does money really matter to you? >> Of course it does. I like not starving to death in a cardboard box in an alley, after all.

Is there something you want to do, that you swear you will, no matter what? >> I don’t think I can make that sort of promise.

Do you know anyone who is a germaphobe? >> Yes.

Have you ever just laid out and watched the stars? >> No, but I probably should one day.

Is there a song that gets you pumped up no matter what? >> Skindred’s got a couple songs like that. Sound of Madness by Shinedown is another good one.

How about a song that soothes your anger or sadness? >> I Know It’s Gonna Happen Someday by David Bowie. I mean, it also makes me sad, but like... a different kind of sad. A sweeter sad.

Have you ever cheated at a card game? >> No.

Tell me what colors you're wearing right now? >> Grey and black.

Have you ever wandered around drunk with your friend? >> Yep. And high, and tripping balls.

Are you longing for the day that you'll be an adult? (If you're not already) >> I am already an adult.

Have you ever felt like your heart actually stopped? >> No.

Are you a fast runner? >> I don’t know, anymore. I used to be, I think.

What's something you've vowed to never eat? >> Hm.

What emotions do you associate with the color blue? >> Calm, gentleness, melancholy, contentment, heaviness, apathy. Depends on the shade.

Do you have a "poker face"? >> Yeah.

Are you good at holding back your laughter if needed? >> Nope.

Do any of your friends shamelessly burp or fart in public? >> I used to have a friend that did.

When was the last time you had a good cry? >> I don’t know. Most cries are mediocre at best.

Has anyone ever told you they wanted to marry you? >> Yes.

Is there a soundtrack to a movie that you absolutely love? >> There are several soundtracks like that.

Do you have a place where you keep your keepsakes? >> No.

Have you ever had a "thumb war" with someone? >> Yep.

What's your favorite style of jeans? (Skinny, boot cut, flare, etc) >> Skinny and bootcut.

Have you ever owned a diary/journal with a lock and key? >> Yeah, my first diary as a child was like that.

Do you have trouble sleeping if you sleep anywhere else but home? >> Yep.

Have you ever been so unfortunate to suffer from a hangover? >> Nope.

Do any of your friends have particularly annoying habits? >> I mean, probably, yeah. 

Is there someone you know who can never mind their own business? >> Yep, lmao.

If you need a job, will you take whatever you can get? >> ---

When you were little, what movie did you watch over and over? >> I wasn’t allowed to do that.

Do you rely on caffeine to keep you awake sometimes? >> Nope. Caffeine makes me hyper-aware of my heartbeat and paranoid and shit, so I avoid it.

When it comes to tests or exams, are you a crammer? >> ---

Time goes by faster as you get older, don't you find? >> No. Check back in 20 years.

Have you ever had a panic attack? >> Yes.

Do you own anything made of silk? >> Nope.

Is there anyone you know who looks like their dog? >> LOL no. But I’ve seen that phenomenon in photos.

Are you deathly allergic to anything? >> Nope.

Have you ever had a mouse in your house? >> Yeah.

Has anyone you trusted ever backstabbed you? >> I don’t know, maybe?

Do you recycle? >> Not regularly.

Do you know what you want for your dream house? >> ---

Have you ever seen the movie the Notebook? >> Nope.

Trying to put yourself in someone's shoes can be difficult at times, true? >> LMAO “at times”...

If you download torrents, what torrent program do you use? >> uTorrent.

If you go to school, will this year be different? >> ---

Do you own a trenchcoat? >> Yeah, technically, but I can’t wear it because it’s too small. >:|

The last person you kissed, have they ever done something special for you? >> Can Calah is always doing things for me.

Do you know anyone who DOESN'T have an ex? >> I don’t think so.

Are you able to count to ten in another language? >> Yes.

Is there something you know you have to do, but haven't done it yet? >> Not at this moment.

Is anyone you know really religious? >> Probably.

Can you sing? >> Yes.

Have you ever read "Gone With the Wind"? >> Nope.

If you look back at pictures of yourself from years ago, do you hate it? >> Hell no, I love older photos of myself. They’re adorable.

Have you ever used the photo editing site "Picnik"? >> Oh yeah, I remember Picnik.

Are your eyebrows naturally thick? >> Yep.

Is there someone that likes you and won't leave you alone? >> Not in an unwanted sense.

Has an animal ever taken a strong dislike to you? >> Probably.

When was the last time someone gave you a hand written letter? >> Rez did, with a package she sent me a few months ago.

Has someone ever told you how they felt about you in a letter? >> I don’t think so.

Have you ever told someone else how you felt about them in a letter? >> I don’t think so.

Do you find emails to not be as personal as letters? >> No.

Enough about letters, have you ever broken the law? >> Yes.

Have you ever attempted to cut your own hair? >> I cut my own hair every few weeks. I’m going to do it again tomorrow morning.

Has speaking in front of people ever made you sick? >> Nope.

Do you follow a lot of bands and musicians on myspace? >> I used to, back when it was active.

Have you ever wanted to tell someone how you felt, but never did? >> Yeah.

What was the last movie that made you teary-eyed? >> Oh, god, The Equalizer 2 ruined me.

Do you have a lucky or special coin? >> No.

Do you find you have a lot of notebooks that aren't close to being filled? >> No. I don’t buy notebooks anymore for that exact reason, no matter how pretty they are. I know better.

Do you love ice cream cake more than normal cake? >> No.

Do you sometimes write "lol" when in reality, you aren't laughing? >> Yep. At this point it’s reflexive more than anything else.

Have you had a piece of jewellry that turned your skin green? >> Yeah, so I don’t wear it anymore.

Do you check your email daily? >> I have a Chrome extension that alerts me to new emails, so yeah, I do end up seeing my emails daily.

Is there anyone you know who's in any way, paralyzed? >> Not anyone I know personally, unless it’s someone online who doesn’t talk about it ever.

Your significant other, are they shorter, taller or the same height as you? >> Sparrow is an inch taller than me. Can Calah is generally a little shorter than me, by his own preference.

Is there a certain type of music you love but don't tell many people about? >> Nope.

Do you know all the words to your national anthem? >> Yeah.

Have you ever breathed in helium? >> Yeah. Highly recommended.

Are you currently hungry? >> Nah.

Do you try to be confident and positive about your future? >> I don’t try to be anything about the future.

The truth all comes out when someone is drunk, true? >> Untrue. Maybe in some cases, yes, because alcohol tends to amplify what’s already going on with people... but I wouldn’t take what someone says in a drunken tirade super-seriously unless I had good reason to (based upon sober interactions and prior knowledge of the individual). 

Just a random question, but can you tap dance? >> Nope.

No one really bothers with the legal drinking age anymore, do they? >> ...What?

When was the last time you felt disappointed in yourself? >> I don’t remember.

How about feeling disappointed in someone else? >> I don’t remember.

For you, do you commonly feel more jealousy or envy? >> Envy.

Do you rely on the heads/tails flipping of a coin sometimes for decisions? >> Sometimes, yeah.

Do you have any specific chores you do around the house? >> I do the vacuuming most often.

Have you ever owned a garden? >> No.

Who was the last person to text you? >> Sparrow.

Does a blank sheet of paper sometimes prove to be inspiring? >> Not for me, it doesn’t.

For you, does comfort or fashion come first in dressing? >> It really is a combination of both. Luckily, most of the fashion I like is made to be comfortable, so.

Have you had two friends that absolutely hated each other? >> Yeah.

Do you ever find yourself trying to be the referee amongst your friends? >> Nope. I’m over that shit. Kill each other if you like.

Is there someone who always gives you inspiring advice? >> No.

Everyone has a role model. Who's yours? >> Apparently I am not “everyone”.

Do you ever "play drums" on tables or other hard surfaces? >> Yeah, sometimes.

Has a laptop ever burned your legs? >> Yep.

Do you know anyone who has a scar through their eyebrow? >> Yeah, actually, but I don’t remember who... weird.

Do you feel compelled to brush your hair hourly? >> Hell no.

Who was the last person to flip you off? >> Sparrow, because we do that to each other for the lulz.

Give me a list of the objects currently close to you? >> Okay, nah.

Are you doing anything the day after tomorrow? >> Yeah, hopefully going to the Grand Rapids Public Museum to see the Be the Astronaut exhibit, which I’d been hype as shit for.

Anyone's birthday coming up soon? >> Someone’s, I’m sure. Oh, Vlad’s is towards the end of the month, yeah.

Would you ever wear fake eyelashes? >> I’d try it but I bet they’d make me overstimulated.

Do you make the effort to smile at people? >> Sometimes, if I feel like it.

Are you good at following directions? >> If I feel like it.

Have you ever just screamed really loud in an attempt to feel better? >> No.

Are you in any way, still a child at heart? >> Sure.

Quality triumphs over quantity, correct? >> For the most part. There are always exceptions, I’m sure.

Have you ever danced when there was no music playing? >> Probably.

Do you have someone that you can just act a fool with and not care? >> Probably.

Have you ever listened to the uilleann pipes (Irish pipes)? >> I don’t think so, unless I have and didn’t know what they were.

Do you like Laffy Taffy? >> Sometimes. I don’t really eat candy much, though.

Is there any food within an arm's reach of you right now? >> Yeah.

From where you're sitting, can you touch a wall? >> I could if the back of this futon wasn’t in the way.

Would you ever stand at the bow of a ship & yell I'm the king of the world? >> Maybe, lol.

Do you know anyone who every second word they say seems to be a curse? >> Eh, not really.

Have you recieved a text today that made you go "wtf"? >> No.

When at a restaurant, do you put your napkin on your lap? >> Yeah.

Is there a saying you always seem to be using? >> I don’t know, I can never remember this sort of thing on command.

Are you even feeling the least bit tired? >> Yep. It’s bedtime after this. It’s actually over my bedtime because I underestimated how long it’d take me to get through this.

Is there currently any caffeine or alcohol in your system? >> Nope.

Do you prefer electric or manual pencil sharpeners? >> Electric is fine.

Are your biceps at all noticeable? >> Not so much anymore.

Have you ever seen a walrus? >> Not in person.

Do you have a preference: white erasers or pink erasers? >> My preference is good erasers.

Did you ever have one of those easy bake ovens as a kid? >> Nope.

When it comes to dropping food, do you believe in the 10 second rule? >> No, because it’s scientifically unsound. If I do eat food off the floor, it’s while knowing that I’m taking a risk.

When it comes to driving, do you know about the 2 second rule? >> I don’t know about that, no.

If given the opportunity, would you ride on a camel? >> Hell yeah, I’d at least try it.

Do you believe that cellphones actually do cause cancer? >> I don’t fuckin know. Existence causes cancer, tbh, so hey, whatever.

Is there anyone you know who won't get one because of this belief? >> I don’t know anyone like that, no.

When people you know cry, does it make you feel like crying too? >> Nope.

Laughter is universally contageous, right? >> Not necessarily. But I am more likely to laugh when someone else is laughing, because I like to laugh (and find a lot of shit funny).

[dropswisdom]

EM95 was sent to me courtesy of the nice people at ENY, so thank you all, and especially Kelvin, for the fast communication and help. ENY is a chinese manufacturer that mostly produces OEM models for other companies. I have already reviewed another of their boxes – the EKB368 (Z4) based on Rockchip’s RK3368 SOC.

EM95 is the new and first home branded S905 based model from ENY. It was designed to keep a low price tag while still providing more than adequate video performance.

What’s in the Box?

As can be seen in the unboxing clip, and the photo below, the included bundle is basic: EM95 TV Box, DC Power adapter, HDMI 2.0 cable, IR Remote Control, and a User manual. It matches the budget oriented hardware inside the box – 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of storage.

Looks

Unlike the first S905 box I tested, the Minix Neo U1, the EM95 is a simpler design without an external antenna. Its antenna is built into the box. The box is the standard square shape with grey lines

Specifications

Chipset Amlogic S905 Quad-Core ARM Cortex-A53 CPU up to 2.0 GHz (DVFS) GPU Penta-Core Mali-450 up to 750 Mhz ( DVFS) Memory / Storage 1GB DDR3 / 8GB LAN Ethernet:10/100M, standard RJ-45 Wireless Support IEEE802.11 b/g/n Bluetooth Bluetooth 4.0 (AP6212) OS Android 5.1 Video Output HDMI 2.0 (CEC and HDCP 2.2 ) , 4K X 2K @60 fps Audio Output / Input HDMI out, 3.5 mm AV Port, SPDIF (optical) Power DC 5V/2A Peripheral Interface 3 * USB 2.0 Host, 1 * SD/MMC card reader, 1 * SPDIF, 1 * 3.5mm Headphone Jack, 1 * HDMI(A type Male), 1 * RJ45 LAN Port Packing Included 1 * EM95, 1 * Adapter(DC 5V/2A), 1 * HDMI Cable ,1 * IR Remote Controller,1 * Quick Guide

Benchmarks and Testing

All benchmarks have been repeated 3 times and results have been averaged to give a more accurate reading:

* Antutu Benchmark

The Antutu benchmark tests single core performance over multi-core as it is a better indication of the performance of one device over others in most situations. The box shows that it’s single core performance is not the highest which is consistent with the S905 being a more “budget-y” SOC and not really meant for the high end products. Its location in the 6th place is still not too far from the S812 and RK3368 based boxes. * Recently, Antutu benchmark has been updated to version 6 which uses different parameters and sub-tests, so the graphs are still based on the older 5.7.2 version for comparison, but here is the result of the new (6.0.0) Antutu version: 35516

GPU Mark Benchmark

GPU Mark tests 3d gaming performance and also provides a normalized score according to the used screen resolution (for a more accurate result). The test is quite short and should be taken as a supporting result to that of the more serious 3D Mark benchmark.

A1 SD Benchmark

A1 SD Benchmark tests RAM and flash memory speeds. As can be seen in the provided graphs, RAM is much faster (by a factor of about 40) than flash memory – that is why it’s in smaller amount and is also volatile (does not keep its contents after a reboot). The EM95 surprises here with a third place in the RAM copy speed chart, and a respectable fifth place in the internal and SD card read/write performance chart.

PC Mark Benchmark

The PC Mark benchmark tests run several productivity tests and the U1 performed well in most of them. It reaches fifth place – partly due to the low amount of work RAM, but still very close to the results of Minix new star – the U1.

3D Mark Benchmark

3D Mark benchmark is considered as one of the best ways to test 3d performance on Android (and other platforms). Again, poor results due to the use of the older/weaker Mali-450 GPU and lower clock speed. And still one place bellow the U1.

Bugs & Issues

1. Google play store would not allow to install nearly all of it’s apps and games selection, giving this message instead: “your device isn’t compatible with this version” – This was quickly sorted out by the manufacturer by a firmware update. The fix did not work at first, but after a few reboots it did. However, google play services still do not work properly, but the next firmware update expected in a few days should correct it among other things.

2. 10 mb bug. Unable to copy to, rename on, or delete from connected USB drives. in my case it’s a 1.5 TB hard drive that works perfectly when connected to any other TV box. This is a known issue with ALL S905 out so far.

3. Add-ons installation – it requires repeat action almost every time since some dependencies fail to install. the installation succeeds the second time, but this happened in any Kodi version I tried (the 16 beta included, and SPMC 15)

4. Backing up XBMC/Kodi/SPMC to a folder either on the external USB drive or a Micro-SD card failed. (“not writable” error) It seems that small files can be written correctly to the targets, but bigger files just refuse to write. The targets are formatted in NTFS, and I was using compression in the backup add-on.

5. ES Explorer, a popular file manager is unable to retain passwords for network locations (SMB shares) and asks for them anew even though “remember password” tick box is checked.

6. Torrent streaming Kodi Add-ons still do not work (pulsar, Kmediatorrent and so on) in Kodi or Kodi variants.

Keep in mind that this is a brand new model and that those are most likely growing pains that will be ironed out in time. All issues have been reported to ENY and should be dealt with in future updates.

Add-ons that did work (tested) were: Earthcam, and SALTS. I will start testing a few selected Kodi Add-ons to let people have a better real-world picture of the devices I test.

Network performance

Network performance has been tested using Speedtest.net Internet speed measuring app, in WiFi and in Wired mode. My Internet connection is 200 Mbit Synchronous Fibre connection:

WiFi – 2.4GHz

Wired connection (Internet over Powerline – AV500)

Video Playback testing (Using KODI)

Resolution Video Format Local Playback Network (Wi-Fi/LAN) Playback 720p (1280*720) AVC (High@L4.1) Playing correctly Playing correctly 1080P (1920*1080) AVC (High@L4) Playing correctly Playing correctly  2160P (3840*2160) HEVC (H.265) Playing correctly Playing correctly 4K (4096*2304) AVC (High@L5.1) Playing correctly Long Pre-buffering (on Wifi. PLC over LAN is worse with stutter and buffering) 4K TS HEVC files HEVC (H.265) 10Bit Playing correctly Long Pre-buffering (on Wifi. PLC over LAN is worse with stutter and buffering)

Video playback is quite great. 10 Bit TS files that never worked before are now playing quite well, but bandwidth still affects playback, and the heavier the file is, the more of an issue it is. Wi-Fi performance is mediocre at best, and wired LAN (over Powerline) performance is lacking as well. ENY noted that the next build of the box will have better network performance.

Gaming performance

The EM95 comes pre-rooted, and for review purposes it is quite an important requirement. However, it did not help in this case as the measuring app (GameBench) did not work, so the results are all subjective:

Asphalt 8 Airborne – a 3d graphic intensive racing game. Game performance is fine in standard settings. It is not completely smooth, but is more than playable. I cannot offer frame rate count due to the reasons mentioned above.

Angry Birds 2 – a popular 2d action game. The gameplay was mostly smooth with a few stutters/jerks (both in picture and audio) along the way. The loading times were a little slower than I expected. Overall, a mediocre to good experience. The GPU/RAM handling may need some polishing to avoid these issues in the future, and it may also have to do with the “Google play services” bug that does not allow games to use it for game play tracking.

Walking War Robots – an online robot warfare game that requires a game-pad (I don’t have a game-pad). Game loaded fast and frame rate was quite satisfactory. The A2 Lite gyro function did not work with the game, so only directional arrows were used.

EM95 Conclusions

Did I like it? Not as much as other S905 boxes. It needs a few more firmware rounds to get where it should. The hardware compromises that were made means there is no Dual WiFi, and that cuts the box’s ability to run heavier videos smoothly. However, the manufacturer is aware of the issues, and promises to iron out bugs in the next firmware or two.

Would I recommend it? Yes, for the budget minded. The box still needs work, but the price (down to about 54 USD) is quite good, and it is a good performer (even with the lower RAM and storage) that is more future proof than the more expensive S812/RK3368 rivals.

The EM95, like all ENY boxes, comes pre-rooted. However, be aware that it comes with SuperUser app which does not open correctly, and you might want to install SuperSu and let it uninstall its predecessor.

So, you like it? You can buy the EM95 for a low price of 55.98 USD here:

AliExpress.com Product – 2016 Streaming Media Players EM95 Android TV Box Amlogic S905 Quad Core Android 5.1 DDR3 1G Flash 8G HDMI 2.0 WIFI 4K 1080p Kodi

[Updated] Review | ENY EM95 S905 TV Box EM95 was sent to me courtesy of the nice people at ENY, so thank you all, and especially Kelvin, for the fast communication and help.

[narutofoxlover]

A Fishy Dilemma: A MerJack AU Ch. 1

     Sean looked up at the tall building in front of him. He had gone back to college about a year ago to become a whale biologist. And now he was just a few months away from graduating. All he had to do now was take a month long internship at a job that pertained to his major. And so here he was in front of a marine research lab called the Aquatic Genome Research Organization. AGRO for short. Apparently the place specialized in isolating specific genome sequences in aquatic species for medicinal purposes. He took a deep breath before pushing the door open and going inside.

    He was greeted by a fairly nice lobby with a large fish tank full of exotic fish. A prim looking woman wearing glasses looked up at him from a desk. “Excuse me sir do you have an appointment?” She said, a look of disdain on her face when she saw his green hair. “Uh no.I’m supposed to start interning here today under Dr. Bunsen.” He replied. “Let me see your paperwork,” She sighed, clearly not in a good mood. He quickly handed her his papers, eager to get started and get far away from her. She sorted through them and tapped a few keys on her computer. “Alright everything’s in order. Please wait here while I get you a name tag. Another intern will be here shortly to take you to where you’ll be working,’” She said, getting up and going into another room off to the side. She came back out a few minutes later with a plastic clip-on name tag. She went back to her desk after handing it to him and he sat down on a chair to wait for the other intern

     A few minutes later he heard the elevator ding and a girl around his age stepped out. He was surprised to see that her bangs were dyed purple and the rest of her black hair had purple and blue streaks. Well at least he wouldn’t be the only one here with dyed hair. He watched as she tucked a strand of purple hair behind her ear before glancing around the room. She started walking his direction once she spotted him. “Hi.Sean W. McLaughlin right? You’ll be interning with me under Dr. Bunsen?” She questioned. “Yeah that’s me. But feel free to call me Jack,” He said, shaking her hand. “Nice to meet you Jack. Just follow me and I’ll take you to Dr. Bunsen’s lab. You’ll be needing a lab coat but since we don’t have one specifically for you yet you’ll have to borrow an extra one,” She said, smiling and leading him to the elevator.

    The stood in silence for a few moments as the elevator went down a few floors. “So, Jack. You wouldn’t happen to be Jacksepticeye would you?” She said somewhat nervously, trying to break the ice. Jack grinned. “I take it you’re a fan?” “Yeah. Been watching for about two years now. So what are you doing here?” She asked, kinda embarrassed. “Well you know the whole ‘whale biologist’ joke? I’m actually going to college to be one. Thought it might fun,” He replied. “Oh.Well that must be interesting. I’m here for extra credit on my zoology degree,” Sara said. “Whatcha studying zoology for?” Jack asked. “It’s a requirement for veterinarians if they want to work on exotic animals,” She replied. “Cool! So your gonna fix up injured animals? That’s really nice,” Jack said. “Thanks. Its been of dream of mine since fourth grade,” She said as the elevator doors opened.

    She lead him over to a locker room where extra lab coats were kept. “Just grab one that fits and clip your name tag on,” She said. Jack put one on and attached the name tag. “Now I look like Doctor Shneeplestein!” He joked, putting on the goofy accent. “Well come on Shneeple, your helping me deliver samples of serum the doctors are working on to the various workstations,” Sara said, laughing. He followed her over to a table covered in various vials and beakers full of strange liquids. “We’re handing out this serum today,” She said, pointing at a batch of beakers full of a glowing, green, goo-like, liquid. The shade of green kinda reminded him of the color of a septiceye. He helped her load the vials onto a cart and they started wheeling them over to the workstations.

    Awhile later a doctor asked them to take a vial over to Dr.Bunsen to take a look at. It had the same liquid as before but the doctor said they had been altering the formula. Sara was going to take it but Sean offered to deliver it for her. “Alright.Just be careful okay? There are some loose computer cables near Dr. Bunsen’s office and you do not wanna trip with that vial. Who knows what would happen if any of the serum got on you,” Sara cautioned. “I’ll be fine. I’m not that big of a clutz,” Jack said, brushing off her warning. Little did he know that, by not taking her warning seriously, he was setting himself up for a life altering accident.

    He whistled casually as he walked down the sterile, white hallway, following the signs to Dr. Bunsen’s office. As he drew near the office he walked past the computer lab. A cart of laptops was by the door and several cables lay on the floor by the cart, hanging off of the laptops. He wasn’t really paying attention as he walked over them and his foot got caught on one of the cables. He stumbled, losing his grip on the vial as he put his hands out to break his fall. The vial shattered on the floor and some of the thick liquid splashed on him. His right hand landed on some of the glass and gave him a deep laceration, some of the liquid getting into the wound.

   He quickly got to his feet, looking around to see if anyone had seen what happened. The halls were empty. He cleaned up the mess as fast as he could and went to the restroom to clean up his hand. He winced as he pulled out a shard of glass and rinsed out the bleeding cut. Yeah that was gonna need stitches. As he left the bathroom he ran right into Sara. He quickly tried to hide his hand behind his back but she saw the cut almost immediately, not to mention the green goo still splattered on his lab coat. “You tripped didn’t you? Ugh come on, let’s go patch up your hand,” She said, dragging him along to the medical bay. She sat him down on a cot and rummaged through some cupboards before pulling out a needle and some thread,as well as some disinfectant and gauze. The thread was the dissolvable kind typically used for stitches.

   "Uh wait shouldn’t I be going to the hospital to get my stitches?“ Jack said uncertainly. “I’m perfectly qualified. Stitching up a person is no different from stitching up a dog. Besides, the nearest hospital is an hour away and that gash should be dealt with right away. The longer it’s open the more likely it is to get exposed to infectious bacteria,” Sara explained, pulling up a chair so she could sit in front of him. “If you say so,“Jack said. She seemed to be pretty knowledgeable about this so he would take her word for it.

  "Alright now this is gonna sting okay? And we don’t have anything to numb you up so you will feel it when I start stitching. So try to be still and concentrate on something else,” She said as she doused some gauze in disinfectant. Sean winced as she dabbed gently at the cut. He watched her closely with his piercing blue eyes as she threaded the needle. He glanced at the floor, concentrating on cake and cookies as she started stitching him up. He saw her pants legs had ridden up slightly and was surprised to see a ton of scars on her legs, especially the right one. No wonder she knew so much about this. He couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to her to have caused them.

    He was startled by Sara suddenly speaking up. “You don’t have to stare you know. You can just ask. I’ve gotten used to people’s curiosity,” She said, finishing up the last stitch. Jack looked away, embarrassed that he was caught staring. “What happened to your legs?” He finally asked, curiosity getting the better of him. “Got hit by a truck in the crosswalk on the way to school back in eleventh grade. Ended up in the hospital for nearly two months. Not the first time I’ve been to the hospital for something serious and it wasn’t the last either. I’m practically a walking medical disaster. My family jokes that I’ve been poked with needles so much that I have the veins of a druggie,” She said, joking a bit to lighten the mood.

   "Wow. I’m so sorry,“ Jack said, not sure what to say. Sara shrugged. "Eh you get used to it. My medical history would put Markiplier’s to shame. And he’s been through a lot too,” She said. “So you watch Mark too huh?” He said, trying to change the subject. “Yeah. I came across you first though. It was after seeing him in a couple of your vids that I started watching him,” She replied. “Huh. Usually it’s the other way around,” Jack said, surprised. Sara put some gauze over the stitches and wrapped his hand up. “You should leave that on for a few days and change the wrapping every twenty four hours so it doesn’t get infected,” She said. Jack nodded.

    The rest of the day was fairly uneventful, other than Dr. Bunsen telling him to let them know if he started experiencing anything odd so they could make sure the serum didn’t do anything to him. He recorded a couple videos after getting home and sent them off the Robin before heading to bed. That night he had a strange dream about the ocean. When he got up in the morning his hand itched like crazy. He went into the bathroom and carefully unwrapped the bandages. He was startled to see that the gash was already starting to knit itself back together. The small amount of new skin was kinda bumpy and had a slight sheen to it.

   He figured his eyes were probably just playing tricks on him, taking a shower before he wrapped his hand back up again. He felt strangely rejuvenated after the shower, almost as if the water had breathed new energy into him. He scrolled through his Twitter as he sat down for his morning coffee. He smiled when he saw Sara had messaged him, she had told him her Twitter account so they could chat when not at the facility. ‘Morning!You feeling okay today?‘ Was her message.’ Yeah fine. Better than fine actually. Thanks for asking.' He messaged back. When he finished his coffee he grabbed his now goo free lab coat from the dryer and headed to AGRO.

    Things were going pretty good. He helped Sara with her tasks and they had a few good laughs. They ended up eating together during their lunch break. Around two o'clock though he started to feel a little woozy. And his hand was itching something fierce again. The dizziness and nausea eventually got so bad that he had to excuse himself and go the restroom. He leaned up against the sink for support, waiting for the room to stop spinning. Getting tired of the incessant itch in his hand he tore the bandages off, the stitches coming off with the gauze. He stared at his hand in shock. The gash was completely gone. And in it’s place was a thin layer of gleaming green and blue scales.

    He quickly pinched himself to see if he was dreaming. Ow! Nope, definitely not dreaming. He stared closely at his hand, inspecting it carefully under the light. Did that serum do this? He swayed as another bout of dizziness hit him. Ugh what was going on? He was about to leave the bathroom to try and get help when his legs went completely numb, falling out from beneath him. He cried out in pain when his head smacked against the tile floor. His vision was getting hazy when he heard someone calling his name.

    “Jack? You okay in there? Jack? Come on answer me! Sean!?” He heard Sara shout worriedly. He called out weakly before slumping against the floor, suddenly exhausted. His whole body felt numb and tingly. He couldn’t bring himself to look when Sara burst into the room. “Oh my God! Sean!” She cried before hurrying over and kneeling down beside him. She grabbed his head in her hands and turned it so he was facing her. His eyelids felt heavy and he struggled to stay awake. “No, no, no! Stay awake Sean! Help is coming! Just stay awake!” She said, getting increasingly worried.

  When she started to cry he weakly lifted his hand and brushed the tears away. She stared into his eyes and he watched as several different emotions flickered through them. He was too tired to recognize the specific emotions. His eyesight grew increasingly dark and after a few minutes he finally blacked out to the sound of people rushing into the room. He felt like he was floating in a dark, endless ocean, drifting to and fro on the waves. The feeling soothed him as his last bits of consciousness faded away.

(( @magic-marvin-protection-patrol @chase-brody-protection-squad @ego-protection-squad ))

Next chapter: https://narutofoxlover.tumblr.com/post/164432061781/a-fishy-dilemma-merjack-au-ch-2

[hellotechsgeeksfan]

At the base $6,000 price the 2019 Mac Pro is a terrible value packing minimal specs like an 8 core processor 5 ATX graphics 32 gigabytes of RAM in a measly 256 gigs of storage.

So the question is why in the world would Apple sell this computer at that price and who would pay up to fifty-three thousand dollars for it and why but in this video we're not only going to answer those questions but will also tell you seven specific things The Mac Pro offers that you can't find anywhere else.

But before we get into that and what we wish Apple did differently we want to take a minute to show off some of the features that make it seriously impressive first off the design looks very unique and it's also very solid built out of mostly high-strength aluminum and stainless steel the tower is smaller than expected yet weighs over 40 pounds on our lower end config not only does the lattice pattern on the front and back look really cool and does an okay job at grating cheese it also allows for a massive amount of air to flow through the case while retaining its strengths taking the case off is shockingly easy and the internals look really clean the various locking mechanisms are engineered incredibly well making it easier and quicker to replace components than on basically any other computer you literally won't find a cable on the inside because a Mac Pro doesn't use them every single connection from powering the fans to the graphics cards happens with metal contact connectors and even with that the Mac Pro scored an impressive 9 out of 10 repairability score from iFixit the fans have a design that we haven't seen on any other machine and it led to whisper-quiet performance even when we pushed our mac pro to the max in our thermal performance video it packs a beast of a motherboard with 8 PCI Express card slots 4 of them supporting full 16x speeds as well as dual 10 Gigabit Ethernet it supports up to 12 Thunderbolt 3 ports 1.5 terabytes of RAM and not only one but 2 which is of the most powerful graphics cards ever made.

The Mac Pro is basically the Lambo of computers it's got the Lambo design it's got Lambo performance it's over-engineered like a Lambo it's got a state-of-the-art system like a Lambo and it's also priced like a Lambo. And just like a Lambo is obviously not meant for regular people that need to get from point A to point B the Mac Pro isn't meant for the average or maybe even above-average computer user there's a recent coffee shops don't use consumer-grade espresso machines that you can buy for five hundred dollars sure they can get the job done but they're not gonna perform as well and they're not going to be anywhere near as reliable even a coffee stand run by a small business is going to be using a commercial grade espresso machine that could cost up to $10,000 and beyond and that's what a workstation computer like the Mac Pro is it's a commercial-grade machine that gets things done as fast and reliably as possible and it doesn't come cheap.

There are companies like studios that render movies like frozen or Jumanji - that will literally spend millions of dollars every year just on paying their employees alone so for any company that can utilize the power of the Mac Pro it's actually not expensive if buying a high price reliable Mac Pro can help their employees save time by running their programs faster they will actually save money in the long run through higher efficiency alone. Now you might be thinking why not just buy a reliable Windows workstation instead of a ripoff Mac Pro right well we actually made a video where we compared the Mac Pro to six other Windows workstation brands and surprisingly the Mac Pro is actually a bit cheaper in most of the comparisons and on top of that, there are seven specific things the Mac Pro offers that you can't get anywhere else things that we think will sell a lot of Mac Pros. But first, let me give a huge shout out to micro Center for making our Mac Pro content possible micro Center has 25 stores nationwide with an impressive variety of electronics from gaming VR computer parts like processors graphics and everything else needed to build or upgrade a PC or Mac micro Center has been an Apple-authorized dealer since 1980 they have a dedicated Apple Department with highly trained Apple sales associates.

Aside from the iPhone Micro Center carries the full line of Apple products and they have the largest selection of third-party products made for Mac income into a local MicroCenter today and talks in one of their Apple experts to order the specific Mac Pro configuration that best suits your needs check the link to find a location near you or browse all of micro centers Apple products back to the Mac Pro for those people or companies who use Mac OS based apps and need the most performance they can get the new Mac Pro is an answered prayer previously the best performance they could get is an iMac with an 18 core processor 256 gigs of RAM in a limiting Vega 64 X graphics card the new Mac Pro raises the bar to what most people would call overkill like supporting up to a massive 1.5 terabytes of RAM and up to a 28 core processor even the Mac pros mid-range 16 core processor now outperforms the best 18 core option in the iMac Pro yes the iMac Pro is a better value at the base price but if you spec them up.

The Mac Pro actually gives you better performance at a lower price another thing that's exclusive to the Mac Pro is the afterburner card which boosts video editing performance when working with pro res which is the industry standard professional codec for editing video we tested it out with our $13,000 mac pro and during playback of a key prores footage we noticed that CPU usage went from around 70 percent down to 2 percent meaning that the afterburner card was taking care of the workload we also saw improved render times in various tests especially a key pro res and of course you can't get the afterburner card on any other machine and it won't work in each of you either.

If you want to see a detailed review of the afterburner card use a link another thing you can't get anywhere else is incredible amounts of expandability while also getting great reliability with Mac OS like getting up to 12 Thunderbolt 3 ports in duel 10 Gigabit Ethernet while still having extra PCI Express slots left over.

Now some of you may disagree that Mac OS is more reliable than Windows but last year rescue comm a computer repair service revealed data that shows off the number of repair calls they received per computer brand and Apple scored the highest reliability school by far and in 2015 IBM switched out 90,000 PCs to Macs and they found that they had to call in for tech support around two times less than when they previously used pcs and 73% of their employees said they wanted another Mac when it was time to upgrade.

There's also the option of building a Hackintosh to get upgradeability and Mac OS together but companies won't do that since it's illegal and for small businesses like ours Hackintosh is a pain in the reliability department we actually used two of them a few years ago and spent way too much time troubleshooting instead of working so we switched them out for genuine Macs another thing you can't get.

On any other branded system is an incredibly silent cooling system from our testing our mid-range Mac Pro model was the only computer we've ever tested that can run both a CPU stress test and a graphic stress test at the same time without the fans audibly kicking up at all it's so quiet that it almost feels unnatural and there are people who will pay for that we also think apples $6,000 Pro display Tex your is going to sell a lot of Mac Pros simply because it's a better deal than a lot of the other professional reference monitors out there and is packing a much higher 6k resolution Apple's graphics cards are the only ones out there that have Thunderbolt 3 ports that are required to power the pro display XDR so even if you were to somehow connect the display to a Windows workstation PC it would most likely be limited in one way or another like only working at 4k resolution or not supporting 10-bit color or HDR defeating the purpose of the display.

And finally, AMD built the most powerful single graphics card in the world the Vega 2 duo exclusively for the Mac Pro offering 64 gigabytes of HBM to memory and 28.4 teraflops of performance compared to the more expensive Quadrille RT x 8000 with 48 gigabytes of slower memory in 16.3 teraflops a performance technically the Vega 2 duo has two GPUs on one card but with infinity fabric link and apples metal to framework, they work as a single GPU similar to a raid 0 hard drive doubling both the memory and the bandwidth. So basically if you want this level of graphics and memory performance you have to get a Mac and it has to be the Mac Pro.

Apple sent a 3d graphics to do lunar animations a new Mac Pro to test out for their work and that's actually what they use to do 3d animation for the latest Jumanji movie they said they love the Mac Pro because the 32 gigs of memory in the graphics card allowed them to get over five times more frames per second during playback which allowed them to review change in preview all of their work at quote lightening speed while avoiding the need to create proxy textures and models.

And the best part is that they weren't using a $53,000 Mac Pro like a lot of people are led to believe is the price of the Mac Pro the model that they received was actually under $20,000 so in reality, if you're working with graphics a twelve or sixteen core with 192 gigs of ram will honestly be enough just like what lunar animations received and for programmers photo editors or logic Pro users the base 5 a DX graphics will be perfectly fine and if you're connecting to an ass server like we do the base 256 gigs of storage is enough for most, for example, iMac Pro is still only using around 110 gigabytes of storage but we still think Apple should have given us a one terabyte SSD as standard realistically most high-end professional configurations will likely average around $15,000 now that's not cheap but far from the outcry about the $53,000 Mac Pro in a decent value compared to other workstations.

The Biggest complaints we hear from PC enthusiasts is that the Mac Pro doesn't use PCI Express 4.0 and that the Xeon CPUs price to performance is much worse compared to the just release chips from AMD and we completely agree with that now this really isn't apples fault but Intel's for not innovating while charging a ton of money and while we wish Apple used those brand new AMD processors this Mac Pro has been in the works for multiple years so Apple would have had to delay the Mac Pro to switch to using AMD processors but for the future we seriously hope Apple will make the switch now the low-end $6000 model is honestly a horrible value unless you plan on upgrading it yourself but there's a reason for that price adjusting for inflation apples high-end desktops have always started at around $3000 but this year it starts at double the price with specs that seem a bit underwhelming but there's actually a sensible reason for it let me explain the previous map pros ran into various limitations like the 2012 model not having enough PCI Express slots or having a power supply so weak that it forced users to rig up external power supplies to run multiple graphics cards the 2013 trashcan Mac Pro also-ran into major thermal limitations not being able to keep the graphics cards cool but this time around Apple made sure that every Mac Pro comes equipped to properly sustain a maxed-out system featuring a massive 1,400-watt power supply which is utterly over Kayla for the base model.

Every Mac Pro also packs a top-of-the-line motherboard with tons of room for upgradeability in a cooling system that's built to be able to properly cool a 28 core for GPU system while staying quiet yes the Mac Pro is expensive but it gives you a lot of options but now and later if you're a small business owner who wants to get the most value you can buy the base model operate it yourself and save thousands of dollars while at the same time big corporations can configure the Mac Pro how they want it right out of the gate but in terms of upgradeability it's incredibly quick and easy like we showed in our everything you can upgrade on the Mac Pro video we were able to easily add in our own M.2 SSD save over $2000 on 192 gigs of RAM add in our own graphics cards and we even removed the socketed CPU and found better value options you can upgrade to.

Apart from the high base price is Apple trying to get a little extra profit since they are losing money by allowing you to upgrade everything yourself but even then it's not that high once you consider market value prices for all the parts a similar motherboard packing close to the same features would cost two thousand dollars alone the Mac pros custom-built an extremely solid case as compared to cases priced close to $1000 in the are still cheaper and easier to manufacture than the Mac Pros that's close to $3,000 already without mentioning any of the performance or silent cooling components and then adding in the rest of the base parts gives the total price up to about five thousand dollars so the Apple tax isn't really as bad as people think whether you're buying a base model and upgrading yourself or buying an already spec top model from Apple the beauty of the Mac Pro is that you're getting a combination of three different things high performance right now upgradeability four years down the road and reliable Mac OS software to keep your work running efficiently and based on the feedback from businesses with a high budget and workloads demanding enough to warrant such powerful machines along with the fact that both the Mac Pro and XDR display are back-ordered between three weeks to two months we would say that the new Mac Pro is a big success for Apple if you enjoy this review make sure to check out some of our other reviews right over here and below if any case if you have queries on this review we'd like to thank my Crescenta for helping make this review possible thanks for reading this blog and we'll see you in the next interesting review on the latest products.

[news-mashable-yahoopartner-blog]

I miss the days before everyone was addicted to streaming services

FOMO, recognized by many as a soul-crushing feeling of missing out on something wonderful, is brought on by a variety of different circumstances.

The sensation is pretty common nowadays. It can hit when you see friends engaging in a Twitter discussion without you, or co-workers posting photos from a happy hour that you missed. I've experienced a ton of FOMO in my 25 years of life, but one of my least favorite forms is the FOMO that arises when people are bonding in front of me over a movie or television show I've never seen.

As someone who loves television and hates feeling left out, whenever this happens I find myself thinking, "GAH, I miss life before streaming services."

SEE ALSO: Learning to let go of your entertainment backlog

Now you might be thinking to yourself, well, if you really loved television you'd think streaming was the best thing since sliced bread DVD box sets. And I do. I have Netflix and Hulu subscriptions and spend so many hours in front of my television that I've surely left an imprint in my couch. But all the different platforms, hundreds of exclusive originals, and subscription prices in the world today really pile on the pressure.

I can't help but feel like a movie and TV show version of Ash Ketchum, in the sense that I GOTTA WATCH 'EM ALL. But I can't. So here I am, longing for the days before streaming — a time when tuning into the latest shows felt like a far more relaxed and even playing field.

The problems with streaming

Think about it: Today we've got streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and HBO Now. And those are just some of the most popular.

I can't even think about Sling TV, and all the other cable alternatives out there right now, so for the purpose of this article let's concentrate on those first four. Each costs money and each creates its own original content, so if you don't have subscriptions to all of them, you're definitely missing out on something.

If you don't have Netflix, you're isolated from hundreds of originals, including one of the greatest romantic comedies the world has seen in years. You're also woefully behind in the Marvel Universe, there's a good chance you've never experienced Stranger Things, and you have yet to be blessed by the Fab Five Guardian Glow-Up Angels that are the cast of Queer Eye!

No Hulu? That means no Handmaid's Tale, no Casual, and where the HECK are you watching re-runs of The Mindy Project? 

While I personally have access to all those brilliant programs, I don't have HBO Now, which means I've sadly never had the pleasure of seeing other great shows like Insecure or Veep. It means that during Game of Thrones season I walk into the office every Monday unable to participate in my colleagues impassioned discussions. And I'm fine with that, but it doesn't mean I don't feel left out.

Believe it or not, the most devastating streaming FOMO I have yet to experience isn't related to not knowing what's up in Westeros. It comes from not owning an Amazon Prime account.

For years I was perfectly content living a Prime-less existence, considering I almost never purchase anything on Amazon.com. But in 2017, everything changed. The Golden Globe-winning Marvelous Mrs. Maisel came out, and I, a die-hard Amy Sherman-Palladino fan since Gilmore Girls first aired in 2000, was unable to experience the magic. I don't feel I should be isolated from content simply because I don't want a Prime account. Like, put that shit on the CW or something, please! 

After a week of listening to people rant and rave over Marvelous Mrs. Maisel's characters, writing, and performances my sadness transformed into anger, and my internal grudge against streaming was born. 

It's not just TV...

Sadly, the stresses of streaming aren't simply confined to television — they're creeping into the music world, too. (Lookin' at you, Bey and Jay.)

Apple Music and Spotify are over there duking it out, while Tidal's keeping quality Queen content under lock and key, making non-members feel like they're shamefully living under a cultural rock for days on end. 

Ugh should I download Tidal??? Having major FOMO rn pic.twitter.com/uK9gFCasiN

— Andrew🥂 (@_AndrewC17) June 17, 2018

Thankfully, I used an HBO free trial to watch Beyoncé's Lemonade live — because I fear that level of FOMO would have sent me to my grave — but I still had to wait until it was no longer a Tidal exclusive to listen to the actual album. 😒

So while music streaming gives you access to such an overwhelmingly wide library of music, there are cases like when Beyoncé drops an album, for example, in which you can't have timely access unless you pay for a certain subscription. It's straight up peer-pressure, and it's infuriating.

Hello? Is anyone out there?!

Beyond the basic FOMO, streaming stresses lie in the race to binge-watch after an entire original season drops, the overloaded queue, and the feeling that there's simply too much content to consume.

The fast-paced viewing life is fun sometimes, but once in a while I can't help but miss the days of waiting a week between single episodes to find out what happens next, knowing the rest of the world was doing the same. Now there's cable AND streaming to worry about!

While writing this article I began to wonder if I was alone in my love/hate feelings towards streaming, so I sought out some thoughts from my fellow binge-watching colleagues.

Turns out Entertainment Reporter Kellen Beck gets overwhelmed by streaming services, too. "I like streaming, but the pressure of watching everything is something I do not like," Beck said — a topic which he explored further in this piece about coming to terms with your massive entertainment backlog.

But Mashable Culture Writer Martha Tesema offered another perspective, explaining she personally feels far less FOMO nowadays than she did growing up without cable. She likes the fact that streaming lets her watch things on her own terms and that watch shows whenever, wherever. All very valid points.

The solutions

The way I see it, there are a few way to conquer the overwhelming exclusivity of streaming services. The first, and what I'm sure many seem is the easiest, is to succumb to the stress, pull out your wallet, and subscribe to them all.

But you know what? I refuse. In this frustrating scenario, you drop a pretty penny on streaming services for what? Dozens of exclusives and loads of repeat content that exists across multiple platforms? Not to mention an unbearably overwhelming amount of content that you'll likely never have time to even put a dent in... No thank you. 

I'm a millennial, and I don't know if you've heard or not but if I ever want to buy a house I shouldn't even spend money on avocado toast — let alone splurge on more than two streaming subscriptions.

Another problem-solving trick of the trade I've been enlightened on is to simply share accounts. Find a friend, a family member, essentially anyone who's willing to save a few bucks and work out a deal to share passwords. Maybe you can pay for two services and share your password in exchange for their passwords for the other two services. That way everyone's happy! 

And of course, there's always the Keep Creating New Emails To Take Advantage Of As Many Free Trial Sessions As Needed option. But honestly, that can become a lot of work.

The future of FOMO

When cable TV ruled the world visual entertainment felt more like a leisurely reward and less like a race to educate yourself for the purpose of keeping up with pop culture. There were still different packages and premium channels, sure, but you could pick what you want, pick what you didn't and it was done. Everything was in one place and it was glorious.

But it's 2018 and streaming — with all its frills, bonus packages, and competitive content — looks like it's here to stay for a while. It's messy but it's reality, so I guess it's time to stream on and  embrace that FOMO, people.

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WATCH: 10 of the best TV shows that made it to 10 seasons

[gunnersalley]

Gun Review: FMK 9C1 Gen 2 | Gem or Junk?

FMK is not shy about showing their patriotism and love of the Armed Forces.   Some people who have shot the FMK 9c1 Gen 2 have deemed it the ‘American Made Glock’ and the company itself has made some pretty bold statements about how well it performs.  I wanted to see for myself just how this 9mm pistol stacks up to the many others I have fired over the years.  You may have never heard of them before because while they are by no means a new firearms manufacturer, they don’t have the same exposure as the big names in the industry.  FMK Firearms is a company based in California that basically only produces two models, their 9C1 G2 semi-automatic handgun and a 9mm AR Carbine named the JRC.  They are proudly 100% American and brazenly show their unapologetic patriotism throughout their website’s branding, as well as on their guns with inspiring phrases etched into them, like: “Proudly American” and “Thank you Armed Forces.”  FMK 9C1 Gen2 Overview:     This FMK 9mm Pistol is their take on the Glock 19, and when you compare the dimensions of the two guns, it gives you an idea of just how similar they are. They are both made from polymer, are semi-automatic compact firearms, and chambered for 9mm.  They have a similar capacity at 14 and 15 rounds, respectively.  While the barrel lengths are very similar, the 9C1 comes in with a slightly smaller footprint than the Glock 19 and is a bit lighter.    9C1 G2 & G 19 Gen4 Specifications   The similarities between the two pistols do not end at the dimensions.  The procedure of disassembly for the 9C1 is exactly the same as that of a Glock.  If you’re a lefty you are out of luck, because just as with the G19, the magazine release on the 9C1 is not ambidextrous and is only set up for right-handed shooters.  The FMK 9C1 Gen 2, like the Glock 19, comes with a rail so you can mount that pistol light or if you want to take your training to the next level and analyze your shooting fundamentals, you can use the rail to mount your  Mantis X .  The overall ergonomics of the gun are similar to a Glock, and if you like the grip angle and slide height of Glock’s pistols, you won’t have any trouble transitioning.  While there are plenty of similarities, there are also some major differences, like the shape of the slide.  Glock slides are utilitarian and boxy. While they are not pretty, they serve their purpose well.  The 9C1′s slide has a much different shape and profile.  It has a tapered angle on top, making it slightly more narrow along the top surface.  There are also adequate serrations on the rear of the slide behind the ejection port.  The 9C1 has a loaded chamber indicator on the back plate, which is very easily seen as well as tactile for low-light chamber checks. Finally, the slide stop is very long and serrated, making it easy to engage and disengage.    Inside The FMK 9C1 G2   That black colored section of the backstrap is a rubber insert that is not removable and was added to help with felt recoil and grip comfort.  It also has shallow finger grooves on the front of the grip, which some folks love, and others hate.  The FMK 9mm Pistol is unique in that it ships with a different trigger depending on what state you live in.  For those of us living in freedom, the 9C1 ships with what is called their Fast Action Trigger (FAT).  The FAT is your typical striker fired 5 lb trigger with a trigger safety built into the trigger shoe.  For those living behind enemy lines, i.e. California and Massachusetts, the 9C1 will come with a double action only trigger.  And of course, for those states where carrying more than 10 rounds causes politicians to lose their minds, FMK will ship neutered magazines that make sure you are in compliance with the local law.  A final, important difference is the price.  The FMK 9C1 Gen 2 comes with an MSRP around $400.00 while the Glock 19 gen 4 is around $550.00 dollars.  For some, $150.00 dollars may not seem like a huge difference, but when comparing them, it is important to understand they do fall into different price categories.  That leads us to these questions: Does a lower price mean cheap and unreliable? Does that saying, “you get what you pay for” mean anything here? If I spend more will I get a better product?  Let’s dive head first into the FMK 9C1 review …  Initial Impressions:  First, and this is probably quite trivial, the box the gun comes in is cool.  Not only does it have a ton of padding, but as you can see, the box has a spot that will easily accommodate cleaning gear and a box of ammo.  Something that I think is great, is that the gun comes with two sets of sights, which, to my knowledge, is unique and a nice addition. This FMK 9mm pistol also comes with a bottle of CLP and the required cable lock.  I was actually blown away by the quality of the owners manual.  The 54 pages of color instruction describe everything you could possibly want to know about the firearm as well as the company. Finally, they also provide two 14 round steel, flush magazines with the gun.  The gun I was sent came with a Flat Dark Earth (FDE) frame, but they are available in five different colors. I liked its look and shape, and it was pleasant on my eyes.  The dull, parkerized-like coating on the slide seemed to provide an exceptionally good grip.  The angles of the slide were subtle and I found that the serrations were deep enough that they did their job.  The frame felt like any typical polymer gun does, and was ergonomically correct.  The area where the trigger guard meets the frame is cut higher than what I am used to on a Glock which allows for a higher and more comfortable grip.  There are finger grooves on the front of the grip, but they are relatively shallow, especially when comparing them to a Glock.  I found the texture on the grip to be perfectly acceptable, not too rough or too slick.  I have small hands, and I found the magazine release to be quite easy to operate.  I could easily reach it without having to adjust my grip or reach for it, and while I have seen people complain about the magazines not dropping free from the gun, both of mine dropped free whether they were loaded or empty.  What’s kind of funny is that I loved the slide stop so much that I mentioned to a fellow instructor that I wished I could put it on my Glock. It’s longer and serrated so you can easily engage it, but at the same time it is very streamlined and does not stick out far.  Maybe I’m old-school, but I prefer to do a brass check to confirm that I have a round in the chamber rather than rely on a device. However, the loaded chamber indicator works well, and some folks love them.  I read somewhere that the tabs used to take the gun apart have caused people problems because they are more recessed than those on a Glock.  I honestly found no difference between them and was able to disassemble the gun without an issue.        Trigger:  I found the trigger to be pretty soft and have quite a lot up uptake.  There is no crisp ‘wall’ that you will feel before the trigger breaks and the shot is fired, but the reset was actually pretty short and sweet.  If I were to compare a stock Glock trigger versus the FMK’s Fast Action Trigger, I would say that the Glock’s trigger feels better out of the box.  To what degree is it better?  To me, the stock Glock trigger isn’t much better than FMK’s is. Then again, trigger feel is definitely subjective in many ways.  I have pulled the trigger on many different manufacturer’s guns, and have felt far worse triggers than this one.  Fit & Finish:  It may look like the 9C1 has interchangeable backstraps like the gen 4 but it does not.  The black part of the backstrap is a dense, rubber insert that was added to reduce felt recoil and give the shooter some comfort.  I’ll let you know about this unique feature in my conclusions.  Now, where the Glock does have a leg up on the FMK is the fit and finish of the frame.  The slide was pristine and like I said I liked the finish.  The frame, however, had some finish details that were not as refined.  There were a couple tiny marks from what I would say are seams from the injection molding process, and the base of the grip (under the mag well) is not as smooth as the Glock.  All of this is purely cosmetic and has no bearing at all on the function of the gun, however, I like to dig with a fine tooth comb for pros and cons.    Is this the American made Glock?   Lastly, and I wasn’t entirely sure where to stick this part, but it bears mentioning, the Glock has a thick, metal guide rod, whereas the FMK 9C1 has a guide rod that is thinner and made of polymer.  How Does it Shoot?  A co-instructor, Mark and I put close to 400 rounds through the gun (as you can see by the dirty gun in the pictures). I found the reliability to be outstanding.  Early on, I had one failure to eject (stovepipe).  Not exactly sure what caused it, or if it was somehow shooter induced, but that was the only stoppage of the entire day.  I was waiting for the gun to have some hiccups here and there but it ate the FMJ ammo like a champ.  The ergonomics felt incredible and we were both amazed at how natural it felt in our hands. I think it is important to note that Mark has hands that are quite large, and mine are rather small.  I say this is important because the gun felt fantastic in both sets of hands.  The rubberized backstrap insert gave the grip a nice ‘soft feel’ and didn’t cause any fatigue on the hand.  This can sometimes happen after shooting hundreds of rounds with guns that have aggressive grips.  The sights were just your standard, factory sights.  Nothing out of the ordinary there, however even at around 25 yards plus, I was easily able to consistently hit a 6-inch steel plate.  Again, several looks back and forth between Mark and I trying to figure out how it was possible this budget gun was running so well out of the box.  You can see some of the shooting in the accompanying video.      Final Thoughts:     I have shot many different guns over my time instructing.  One thing they all have in common is that none are flawless.  All guns, regardless of price or manufacturer, have some things that are good and some that are bad.  The  FMK 9C1 Gen 2  is no different.  Is it perfect? No, I found some finish issues that would really make the gun look more refined.  Was it 100% reliable? Well no, I did have one failure, which is well within acceptable standards considering the gun had never been fired before.  One thing I needed to get an answer to was how the rubberized backstrap would hold up with wet, sweaty hands.  The fear was that the rubbery material would become very slick when wet.  I found that the rubber did not at all become any slicker than the rest of the gun when my hands were wet.  In fact, I would say it retained grip better than the bare polymer with wet hands.  I have read some reviews saying they have had reliability issues with this 9mm pistol and that their magazines did not drop freely.  I did not experience any of these issues and perhaps the users who experienced these issues had older models or just got a lemon (it does happen).  What I can tell you for sure is that for a $400.00 gun, this exceeded every expectation I had.  It functioned, felt great in the hand, ate different types of ammo, was accurate and in my opinion, looked darn cool.  By the way, if you’re still wondering how patriotic FMK really is, the 9C1 comes with this super motivating back plate!     Need help deciding on a gun for self-defense?   Check out this article, and learn about some of the factors to look for .

https://www.concealedcarry.com/gear/gun-review-fmk-9c1-g2/

[lorrainecparker]

Art of the Shot: Mindhunter cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt

Shot with a tailor-made RED camera, the RED XENOMORPH, auteur David Fincher chose cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt to helm camera for his latest, and possibly most ambitious project, the 10-episode Mindhunter series. Based on the novel Mind Hunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit, Messerschmidt lensed actors Jonathan Groff and Holt McCallany during  the extended production as they play FBI agents Holden Ford and Bill Tench. Focusing on the precocious criminal psychology work of the 1970s, the show centers on the duo as they attempt to understand the mind of a serial killer. Mindhunter is available to watch via Netflix now.

MINDHUNTER

David Alexander Willis: You’ve had considerable experience in camera, lighting and electric, and as DP you’ve helmed several shorts and episodics along the way. When and why did you start to make the move from gaffing to camera? It must be an incredible honor as a filmmaker to be working with David Fincher! He’s considered to be a meticulous director. What was it do you think that gave him so much faith in you as his eyes on this extended series?

Erik Messerschmidt: I started as an electrician and grip out of film school and eventually moved into a career working as a gaffer. I was fortunate to work for some amazing cinematographers along the way; many whom became my mentors and close friends. Jeff Cronenweth, ASC and Claudio Miranda, ASC have been particularly amazing teachers. I had always thought of shooting as a long-term goal and I would periodically shoot small shorts, music videos and little jobs for friends. Jeff invited me to join him as his gaffer on the film Gone Girl and it was there that I met David Fincher for the first time. Gone Girl was a great experience for me. It was a very collaborative set and I was fortunate to be invited to participate on a creative as well as technical level.

When Fincher called about Mindhunter I was of course incredibly honored. It was a tremendous opportunity. David is extremely meticulous and detail oriented but he also has a specific aesthetic that percolates throughout every visual decision on the project. He and I share a lot of the same sensibilities, so it was a good match I think.

Erik Messerschmidt

DAW: It’s not a secret that David Fincher tends to do a lot of takes. On top of that, you’re shooting at massive 6K resolution, in what I can only assume are top-shelf bit-rates? I imagine you may have been blazing new grounds with the DIT situation on this? The crew must be top-of-their-game to be able to orchestrate such an exponential amount of footage across a ten-episode season? What were the demands there?

EM: I didn’t use a DIT on Mindhunter. The goal was to streamline the process as Fincher likes to work very quickly and efficiently. Our on-set data workflow was not unlike film. We had a loader who managed our cards; he then sent them to editorial twice a day, where the editorial staff ingested and processed the footage using a NextLAB system. The beauty of that system was we often had dailies posted to PIX later the same day – or before call time the following day. We shot with a standard RedGamma3 look and processed with that correction so we didn’t grade dailies. I like working that way, it’s similar to making a one-light work print with film. I could see if our lighting wasn’t perfectly matched or if my exposures were off. I don’t like doing any live-color grading or fancy LUTs on set, as I feel you can easily start chasing your tail. I’d much rather make those decisions in the controlled environment of the DI and view a simple gamma curve and neutral color balance out of the camera. If I can get the dailies to look close to the way I want with lighting and exposure, I can always fine tune in the grade later.

The RED XENOMORPH camera

DAW: The one-of-a-kind RED XENOMORPH made by RED for David Fincher was the only cam on this show? What was the genesis of this camera; was there something the production felt was missing from other available camera systems? I’m guessing with all the built-in wireless functionality, we should look forward to seeing a lot of unique remote and drone footage?

EM: The RED XENOMORPH design concept is something Fincher has been talking about for a long time. It’s an attempt to get back to the time when we could put a lens on the front of the camera and mag on the back and roll. These days we stick all sorts of aftermarket boxes on cameras to satisfy various needs. Timecode boxes, focus motors and MDRs, video transmitters, on-board monitors, etc. All these devices require power cables and the camera can quickly turn into a big mess. David said “look, if we need all this stuff, let’s build it into the camera.” So that’s what RED did for us. I think it’s great because we can put the lens and battery on and be shooting within minutes, all while maintaining the functionality the assistants need.

DAW: I know that David Fincher likes to stabilize for 4K deliverables, which Netflix requires, with extra framing. Was that the case here? The 33mm imaging circle of the Summilux-C lenses cover more than Super35, but they’re a bit smaller than the standard RED DRAGON 6K sensor; there weren’t any problems with vignette or his typical stabilization workflows?

EM: We framed for a 5K extraction within the full 6K aperture of the RED DRAGON sensor. This “look-around” area outside the reticle was used for re-framing and stabilization if needed. The extraction was ultimately scaled for a 4K delivery. There is a little tiny vignette with the wider Leica Summilux-Cs on the full 6K aperture, but we didn’t worry about it much.

DAW: The CW Sonderoptic Leica Summilux-C lenses are a relatively new system, why did you choose them for the Mindhunter series? Were there any favored focal lengths or other lenses during the course of the shoot?

EM: Fincher and Jeff Cronenweth had used the Summilux-Cs on Gone Girl and had a good experience with them. They are a nice compact lens system. The fact that all the lenses are the same size is particularly helpful to the assistants. I shot most of the show between T2-2.8. There were a couple instances where I needed to shoot near wide open, but I tried to keep it consistent as I like the focus fall off and depth of field characteristics of those apertures. Day exteriors I tried to work around a T4. The Summilux-Cs are remarkably flat and sharp lenses, but they do have a little bit of personality, which is nice I think. It’s important to me that the lenses are consistent in terms of color and contrast between sets. These were all spot on. We shot almost the entire show on the 29mm and 40mm lenses with the 65mm being used for some close-ups. I think we used the 18mm once.

DAW: Jarred Land posted a picture of the Plate Van prototype built by Global Dynamics United, a company owned by RED Digital Cinema’s Chief Design Officer, Matt Tremblay. It was designed with your co-DoP, Christopher Probst, and David Fincher. Did you get a chance to play with this system, and there must have been lots of other kinds of fun tech that came into play during this long shoot? What is it about the needs of Mindhunter that have required so much inventive new equipment? Red Digital Cinema, being a great fan of David Fincher’s work, seems to have given this production a kid-in-a-candy-store level of access to their technology?

The Ultimate Plate Van™ I helped create for David Fincher and his upcoming series, Mindhunter. 11 Red Epic Dragon cameras all controlled via one master switch from inside the luxurious bench seating in the Mercedes Metris Minivan. Designed between Fincher, Jarred Land @instajarred, key grip Eric Budlong @mtnbikethis and myself. The idea behind the setup is, 11-12 cameras are rolled simultaneously covering all pre-determined angles, focal lengths, heights and degrees of tilt that will be shot of the actors in the corresponding picture car on our custom greenscreen process stage. @reddigitalcinema @camtec_mpc . #reddigitalcinema #mindhuter #davidfincher

A post shared by Christopher Probst, ASC (@probstdp) on Sep 9, 2017 at 6:34pm PDT

EM: Chris Probst, Fincher and Jarred Land at RED did an amazing job developing the van for our driving plate photography. We shot all our driving work on stage using a video wall system provided by VER and the plates we shot also served as our interactive lighting content. We had developed that specific system on Gone Girl and David had used something similar on House of Cards.  The van uses 11 RED cameras placed in 5 locations to capture all the background plates. We would line up all the car coverage in advance on stage with each director. Data like lens height, tilt, pan angle and focal length was recorded; then when we shot the plates those data points were used to set each camera position. The resulting plates dropped right in the green screen mattes with very little de-warping or perspective skewing needed. It was pretty turnkey.

David has a long history with Red Digital Cinema, starting with The Social Network and they were an incredible resource on Mindhunter. He is a director who likes to use technology to solve production problems and increase efficiency so the motivation isn’t really about the toys, it’s all driven by the work.

DAW: David Fincher directs four of the episodes himself, alongside directors Dane Tobias Lindholm, Andrew Douglas, and Asif Kapadia. Cinematographer Christopher Probst helmed two episodes, while you were lead for the majority of this first season on the other eight episodes. With so many chefs in the kitchen, how did that break down in terms of preproduction, planning and coordination? Were there any tough decisions for you about who got to shoot what?

EM: One of the unique challenges of television can be reconciling all the creative visions of different directors into one cohesive visual approach. It all starts with strong leadership at the producer level and having Fincher there as a sounding board for myself and the other directors was invaluable. A huge part of my role was to help the directors use the camera in ways that fit within the visual frame work we had designed for the show, so the storytelling felt consistent.

We didn’t have a steadicam for example, nor did we use handheld cameras, which a lot of directors are used to these days. If a director wanted to tell the story in one shot, or move the camera, we might paint out dolly track, roll on the floor and stabilize the shot, or use a crane. I was fortunate on Mindhunter to have prep time between episodes to work with each incoming director in pre-production and scout with key grip Paul Goodstein and gaffer Danny Gonzalez. This was invaluable. With the exception of Fincher, each director shot two consecutive episodes, so the show was a lot like making five little movies in a row instead of one long series.

  The post Art of the Shot: Mindhunter cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt appeared first on ProVideo Coalition.

First Found At: Art of the Shot: Mindhunter cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt

[dropswisdom]

MXQ-4K was sent to me courtesy of the nice people at ENY, so thank you all, and especially Kelvin, for the continued help and support.

[yasr_overall_rating]

ENY is a chinese manufacturer that mostly produces OEM models for other companies. I have already reviewed two other of their boxes – the latest being EM95 based on Amlogic’s S905 SOC.

MXQ-4K is the new and first budget RK3229 based model from ENY. It was designed to keep a low price tag while aiming to provide more than adequate video performance.

What’s in the Box?

As can be seen in the unboxing clip, and the photo below, the included bundle is basic: MXQ-4K TV Box, DC Power adapter, HDMI 2.0 cable, IR Remote Control, and a User manual. It matches the budget oriented hardware inside the box – 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of storage.

Looks

The box design is simple, square black and plastic-y. with a notification led on the front, and no physical on/off button.

Specifications

Chipset Rockchip RK3229 Quad-Core(1.5GHZ) GPU Quad-Core Mali-400MP2 Memory / Storage DDRIII 1GB / Nand Flash 8GB LAN 10/100 BaseT, standard RJ-45 Wireless 802.11 b/g/n OS Android 4.4.2 Video Output HDMI 2.0 (CEC and HDCP 2.2 ) , 4K X 2K @60 fps Audio Output / Input HDMI out, 3.5 mm AV Port, SPDIF (Coaxial) Power DC 5V/2A Peripheral Interface 4 * USB 2.0 Host, 1 * TF/MicroSD card reader, 1 * SPDIF, 1 * 3.5mm AV port, 1 * HDMI(A type Male), 1 * RJ45 LAN Port Packing Included 1 * MXQ-4K, 1 * Adapter(DC 5V/2A), 1 * HDMI Cable ,1 * IR Remote Controller,1 * Quick Guide

Benchmarks and Testing

All benchmarks have been repeated 3 times and results have been averaged to give a more accurate reading:

Antutu Benchmark

The Antutu benchmark tests single core performance over multi-core as it is a better indication of the performance of one device over others in most situations.

Results for the MXQ-4K are quite poor. It manages to come one place before last, but it makes little difference. It is a budget box, but we’ve seen budget boxes which performs much better in this day and age.

GPU Mark Benchmark

GPU Mark tests 3d gaming performance and also provides a normalized score according to the used screen resolution (for a more accurate result). The test is quite short and should be taken as a supporting result to that of the more serious 3D Mark benchmark.

Again, the results show that if you want to use this box to play games – better get more money and look elsewhere. This box is NOT for gaming.

A1 SD Benchmark

A1 SD Benchmark tests RAM and flash memory speeds. As can be seen in the provided graphs, RAM is much faster (by a factor of about 40) than flash memory – that is why it’s in smaller amount and is also volatile (does not keep its contents after a reboot).

The poor results indicate a deep issue with either the firmware optimization, the memory controller or all the above. Let’s hope that it will be improved upon in future firmware updates.

PC Mark Benchmark

The PC Mark benchmark tests run several productivity tests and the MXQ-4K came last. As this suite of tests look at all kind of general tasks, it shows that this box is aimed mainly at Kodi and should really focus on that.

3D Mark Benchmark

3D Mark benchmark is considered as one of the best ways to test 3d performance on Android (and other platforms). MXQ-4K performed slightly better than a couple of other boxes, but it does not help since it still shows a massive weakness when it comes to 3d performance.

Bugs & Issues

No shutdown/reboot/recovery option. Off button on remote simply put the box to sleep mode.

No working root solution in official firmware.

Video crash, artifacts buffering and stutter in 4K content. Including crash and reboot in 10 bit TS content.

All three games tested ended abruptly mid-game with a crash and reboot.

IR Remote control frequency interferes with other devices. In my case it was a standing fan. (This is not an uncommon issue with quite a few chinese TV Boxes)

Keep in mind that this is a brand new model and that those are most likely growing pains that will be ironed out in time. All issues have been reported to ENY and should be dealt with in future updates.

Network performance

Network performance has been tested using Speedtest.net Internet speed measuring app, in WiFi and in Wired mode. My Internet connection is 200 Mbit Synchronous Fibre connection:

Video Playback testing (Using KODI)

Video playback testing was done with the latest official Kodi (16.1) as well as SPMC 16.3:

Resolution Video Format Local Playback Network (Wi-Fi/LAN) Playback 720p (1280*720) AVC (High@L4.1) Playing correctly Playing correctly 1080P (1920*1080) AVC (High@L4) Playing correctly Playing correctly  2160P (3840*2160) HEVC (H.265) Artifacts and crash Artifacts and crash 4K (4096*2304) AVC (High@L5.1) Buffering  and stutter Buffering  and stutter 4K / HD / FullHD HEVC (H.265) 10Bit Artifacts and crash Artifacts and crash

Video playback testing shows that even though this box is targeted at UHD content, it is not there yet. It may have the right hardware, but the implementation of software and optimization is poor and holds it back.

Two comments though:

I also tested the 4K/UHD content mentioned here with the built-in video player app, and it played (at least the local copy I tested) almost perfectly. The Eutelsat 10 bit demo file started stuttering a bit, but did not crash or cause a reboot. This tells me that the issue is with the firmware and Kodi optimization. There are Rockchip optimized Kodi versions out there, and a good example is Zidoo which customized a Kodi variant for its own RK3229 based X1 II model. But that takes engineers work hours and of course costs. OEM products usually do not get that level of investment.

After my bad experience with the stock firmware, I did some digging, and found that there is a rooted minimal firmware available. Trouble was, my box refused to boot into Bootloader mode which is a basic requirement when it comes to flashing new firmware. Using the recovery button inside the SPDIF jack did not help either. Eventually, I managed to boot into bootloader mode using “adb reboot–bootloader” from the android tools SDK. After flashing the new firmware, and uninstalling Kodi (works in this version), I installed a specialized Kodi version with Rockchip optimization from a talented programmer nicknamed “SuperCeleron”. This solved most of the issues – all of the promised formats (10 bit included) work almost smoothly. There are small stutters and I only tested locally, but This is a hugely better experience with this box.

The Kodi version used was taken from here: http://freaktab.com/forum/tv-player-support/rk3688-devices-aa/beelink-rk3368/566253-kodi-16-1-rc3-for-rk-by-superceleron and my thanks to the chef (“SuperCeleron”)

** Remember: I take no responsibility as to what you do with this information, and if it bricks your box – that is on YOU. But, if you want to try this, make sure your box is the one with esp8089 wifi controller, because if you use this firmware on another variation with realtek wifi, you won’t like the result..

In any case, I uploaded a zip package with the custom firmware, custom Kodi APK file, Rockchip flashing driver and tool Here. You can give it a try if you know what you’re doing, or just opt for other options.

  4K/UHD file tests

Gaming performance

The MXQ-4K supposedly comes pre-rooted, but when tested with a root status check app, it appears that it isn’t (root may be broken).

Asphalt 8 Airborne – a 3d graphic intensive racing game. Played quite smoothly.. until maybe two minutes into the game when the box simply rebooted.

Angry Birds 2 – a popular 2d action game. Again, played not too slow or jerky, but rebooted shortly after starting moving through the first stage.

Walking War Robots – an online robot warfare game that requires a game-pad (I don’t have a game-pad). And once again, run fine but rebooted after a few minutes.

MXQ-4K Conclusions

Did I like it? Not particularly. The firmware is very premature. I feel that this SOC can show much better and definitely more stable performance than it did. It’s a very cheap box, but it still should perform better.

Would I recommend it? Not at this stage. Perhaps with some optimization and work on the firmware, it can actually stand up to its promises, but currently it is not a UHD capable box.

So, you like it? you can buy it here for mere 27.99 USD: MXQ 4K TV Box

Review | ENY MXQ-4K RK3229 TV Box MXQ-4K was sent to me courtesy of the nice people at ENY, so thank you all, and especially Kelvin, for the continued help and support.

[dropswisdom]

The new Neo U1 from Minix is the latest and greatest from the leading TV Box manufacturer in the market. It is based on the successor of the S805, but is pitted against S812 and RK3368 devices – mostly for one reason: as the new generation of SOCs, it supports 10 Bit video decoding. Meaning, it can basically play all the video formats out there (not really, but mostly).

This review unit was sent to me courtesy of the good people at Minix, so thank you all, and especially John, for the helpful communication.

What’s in the Box?

As can be seen, the box contains the following: the Neo U1 S905 TV Box, MiMO Dual Wi-Fi Antenna, DC Power adapter, HDMI 2.0 cable, USB OTG cable, Micro-USB cable, and the basic IR remote control.

Items

Looks

Not much to be said regarding the look of the box, as Minix uses the exact same design (saves on production and design costs) in each and every model. It is still simple and elegant with the embossed logo on the top, a new IR sensor on the front, and a multitude of ports on the side and back of the box.

Specifications

Chipset Amlogic S905 Quad-core 64 bit Cortex A53 GPU Penta-Core Mali-450 GPU Memory / Storage 2 GB DDR3 / 16 GB EMMC LAN Gigabit (10/100/1000M) Wireless 802.11ac 2 x 2 MIMO Dual-band WiFi (2.4 GHz / 5 GHz) Bluetooth v4.1 OS Android 5.1.1 Video Output HDMI 2.0 (4K/2K 60 FPS) Audio Output / Input HDMI out, 3.5 mm Headphone Jack, SPDIF (optical), 3.5 mm Microphone Jack Power DC 5V / 3A Peripheral Interface 2 * USB Host, 1 * Micro SD card (TF card) reader, 1 * SPDIF, 1 * 3.5mm Headphone Jack, 1 * HDMI(A type Male), 1 * RJ45 LAN Port Packing Included 1 * Neo U1 1 * Adapter(DC 5V/3A), 1 * HDMI Cable ,1 * IR Remote Controller,1 * Quick Guide, 1 * Product Brochure

Benchmarks and Testing

All benchmarks have been repeated 3 times and results have been averaged to give a more accurate reading:

* Antutu Benchmark

The Antutu benchmark tests single core performance over multi-core as it is a better indication of the performance of one device over others in most situations. The box shows that it’s single core performance is not the highest which is consistent with the S905 being a more “budget-y” SOC and not really meant for the high end products. It is still in the top 4 and not too far from the S812 and RK3368 based boxes. * Recently, Antutu benchmark has been updated to version 6 which uses different parameters and sub-tests, so the graphs are still based on the older 5.7.2 version for comparison, but here is the result of the new (6.0.0) Antutu version: 38260

GPU Mark Benchmark

GPU Mark tests 3d gaming performance and also provides a normalized score according to the used screen resolution (for a more accurate result). The test is quite short and should be taken as a supporting result to that of the more serious 3D Mark benchmark. The U1 had issues completing GPU Mark benchmark properly and froze either mid-test or upon the result screen. Issue has been reported to the manufacturer for correction.

A1 SD Benchmark

A1 SD Benchmark tests RAM and flash memory speeds. As can be seen in the provided graphs, RAM is much faster (by a factor of about 40) than flash memory – that is why it’s in smaller amount and is also volatile (does not keep its contents after a reboot). The RAM performance is similar between the new Minix and the Probox2, as both are using a similar chipset. But in both Internal and External SD card tests, the Probox2 seems to take a backseat to the new Minix, probably due to a better implementation of a memory reader/controller.

PC Mark Benchmark

Work performance, Photo editing, Writing and Web browsing Scores

The PC Mark benchmark tests run several productivity tests and the U1 performed well in most of them. It came second only to RK3368 based boxes which have the advantage of four more cores..

3D Mark Benchmark

3D Mark benchmark is considered as one of the best ways to test 3d performance on Android (and other platforms). The U1 did not shine in it, coming as number five out of seven in the running. As this is the budget chip of the new AMLogic generation, it is understandable.

The U1 got a new update to firmware version 003 over the weekend (11 December), which was aimed at solving some of the issues that were encountered – especially regarding video playback. However, even with the update and a specialized Kodi version made for Minix, there are still issues:

1. Long pre-buffering for heavy videos (25mb and up) – even if played from local storage

2. Degraded audio noticed in both 4K 10bit TS demo file (http://www.andytather.co.uk/Panda/Files/Video/UHD_PQ_Dive_to_New_World.ts) and in a standard 1080p DTS (2 channels) encoded film (The.Hard.Way.1991.1080p.BluRay.x264-HD4U) may be in others as well. sounds like clipping.

3. Volume bar bug – appears randomly on the screen without any remote control interaction.

4. Low volume audio. Even when defined to keep audio amplification settings on all videos, many (or all) start with low volume.

5. 10 mb bug. Unable to copy to, rename on, or delete from connected USB drives. in my case it’s a 1.5 TB hard drive that works perfectly when connected to any other TV box. Update: when testing with a smaller, 500 GB USB drive, the drive was correctly recognized (size wise) inside ES explorer and allowed copying of files. This indicates to a size related issue with the 10 mb bug. Both drives were formatted in NTFS file system.

6. Reverts to 720p. Upon reboot (not sure if it happens every time, but it happened at least twice so far), the screen resolution reverts to 720p (from 1080p) even when the “return to default resolution” is set to “off”.

7. Add-ons installation – it requires repeat action almost every time since some dependencies fail to install. the installation succeeds the second time, but this happened in any Kodi version I tried (the 16 beta included, the XBMC for minix offered with the firmware upgrade, and SPMC 15)

8. Backing up XBMC/Kodi/SPMC to a folder either on the external USB drive or a MicroSD card failed. (“not writeable” error) It seems that small files can be written correctly to the targets, but bigger files just refuse to write. The targets are formatted in NTFS, and I was using compression in the backup add-on.

9. ES Explorer, a popular file manager is unable to retain passwords for network locations (SMB shares) and asks for them anew even though “remember password” tick box is checked. 10. Torrent streaming Kodi Add-ons still do not work (pulsar, Kmediatorrent and so on) in Kodi or Kodi variants.

11. GPU Benchmark froze either in mid test or at the end of it, forcing to use “home” button and kill the program.

Keep in mind that this is a brand new model and that those are most likely growing pains that will be ironed out in time. All issues have been reported to Minix and should be dealt with in future updates.

Video Playback testing (Using KODI)

Resolution Video Format Local Playback Network (Wi-Fi/LAN) Playback 720p (1280*720) AVC (High@L4.1) Playing correctly Playing correctly 1080P (1920*1080) AVC (High@L4) Playing correctly Playing correctly  2160P (3840*2160) HEVC (H.265) Playing correctly Playing correctly 4K (4096*2304) AVC (High@L5.1) Playing correctly Long Pre-buffering (on Wifi. PLC over LAN is worse with stutter and buffering) 4K TS HEVC files HEVC (H.265) 10Bit Playing correctly Long Pre-buffering (on Wifi. PLC over LAN is worse with stutter and buffering)

Antutu Video Tester

Video playback is quite great. 10 Bit TS files that never worked before are now playing quite well, but bandwidth still affects playback, and the heavier the file is, the more of an issue it is. Wi-Fi performance is noticeably better (especially AC/5GHz connection) than LAN over PLC.

However, when testing the latest Kodi version (16 Beta 4), I was able to use the WiFi bandwidth and play most of the heavy files consistently. Of course, once there are peaks that exceeds the measured rate (around 85 Mbit/s) the video will start to buffer. There were also a few dropped frames and skipped frames, but as long as it did not buffer, the playback was quite smooth.

Network performance

I tested the network performance using the popular Speedtest.net application from the play store. I tested both WiFi (the fastest WiFi supported – in this case 802.11ac), and wired connection (in my case AV500 Ethernet over power line). My home connection is a synchronous 200 Mb Fiber connection so it would not inhibit the testing (but the Ethernet over power line connection does):

Wired (Ethernet over Power line) connection

WiFi – 802.11ac connection

Gaming performance

Rooting became available over the last few days, and for review purposes it is quite an important requirement. \

I am now able to measure frame rate and resource usage:

Asphalt 8 Airborne – a 3d graphic intensive racing game. Game performance is fine in standard settings. It is not completely smooth, but is more than playable. I cannot offer frame rate count due to the reasons mentioned above.

Angry Birds 2 – a popular 2d action game. The gameplay was mostly smooth with a few stutters/jerks (both in picture and audio) along the way. The loading times were a little slower than I expected. Overall, a mediocre to good experience. The GPU/RAM handling may need some polishing to avoid these issues in the future, and it may also have to do with the “Google play services” bug that does not allow games to use it for game play tracking.

Walking War Robots – an online robot warfare game that requires a game-pad (I don’t have a game-pad). Game loaded fast and frame rate was quite satisfactory. The A2 Lite gyro function did not work with the game, so only directional arrows were used.

Conclusions

Did I like it? Yes. As can be seen, on the top, I’ve given it the highest marks I gave any box, even with the list of bugs and mediocre 3d performance. I believe TV boxes are measured more by their video/audio playback performance – unless there are other issues that make them mostly unusable as anything else. In this case the general performance (gaming, web browsing, working) is quite satisfactory even if not the best. Minix has come out with the best (so far) S905 64 bit box in its class. It can play pretty much any video/audio file, and aside from no support for some new HD audio formats (DTS: X and Dolby Atmos) due to lack of licensing, it is another impressive high quality release.

Would I recommend it? Definitely. It still got some rough edges, but with Minix’s excellent support, I am sure it will shine much better in the future. And it is quite future proof.

UPDATE: A first rooting solution has been presented as of yesterday (14 December) on freaktab forum: http://freaktab.com/forum/tv-player-support/amlogic-based-tv-players/minix-aml-devices-x6-x8-etc/543706-root-minix-neo-u1-root-method

And a second one, easier by recovery: http://forum.tronsmart.com/forum/vega-s95/1454-tronsmart-vega-s95-root-method#.VnT_A-h96Ul

The rooting solution has already been reported to work. When I get the time, I will root the box and add information regarding the game performance – if the measuring tools work (rooting does not guarantee it).

The Minix Neo A2 Lite Air mouse (and keyboard) Mini Review

When you buy the Neo U1, you may also get the Neo A2 Lite Air mouse bundled with it.

What makes it so great? It is one of the most comfortable air mice I ever used, and it’s also quite versatile thanks to the included keyboard.

It is compatible with Android, Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.

It takes 2 standard (or rechargeable) AAA batteries which goes on both sides of the Air mouse. (keyboard side)

Range could not be tested seriously (the room is not spacious enough), but the responsiveness is quite good and the buttons are of the softer, quiet kind.

The keys arrangement is quite good, although somewhat different than other remotes. It does not take long to get used to.

Switching to the A2 Lite from another (Minix) air mouse I have (the Neo M1), is like moving up from a banged up Beetle VW to a Mercedes. The experience is on a completely different level and makes the TV box usage that much more enjoyable.

The “Lite” in it’s name refers to it’s bigger brother, the A2 which adds one more function: a built in Speaker and Microphone for voice commands and sound recording.

However, it is not  be aware that it is relatively bulky and heavy for a remote. If you have small hands, you may be better off with another, smaller product. Also, the mouse function reverts to remote function very fast once the remote loses it’s line of sight. On top of that, I was not able to use the Gyro functions on the (two) games I tested.

Neo A2 Lite Conclusions

Did I like it? Most definitely!

Would I recommend it? Yes. I haven’t tested it with other boxes, PCs or devices, but from past experience with other Minix remotes, I am sure it will perform on the exact same level.

I give it…  4.2/5 Stars – Great, with the only thing missing (and I am nitpicking) is true game-pad functionality (the gyro did not work in the games I tested)

So, you like it? You can buy the Neo U1 for 15 USD less, with this discount code (kodilU1) at Geekbuying (minus the A2 lite air mouse) which brings the price down to USD 114.90, Or with the A2 Lite and the same coupon (kodilU1) to bring the price down to 134.90 USD.

[Updated] Review | Minix Neo U1 S905 TV Box & Neo A2 Lite Air Mouse The new Neo U1 from Minix is the latest and greatest from the leading TV Box manufacturer in the market.

[dropswisdom]

This review unit was sent to me courtesy of the good people at Tronsmart, so thank you all, and especially Jim, for a very helpful communication.

Today I review a second box (so far) from Tronsmart: Vega S95 Telos. This box is one of the new generation of boxes based on the AMLogic S905 SOC, and like Eny EM95, and Minix Neo U1 before, it supports 10 bit TS video playback – which makes it one of the most advanced TV Boxes out there.

What’s in the Box?

As can be seen, the items included in this package are quite standard.. Power adapter, HDMI cable, IR Remote control, User manual… all aside from the SATA cable which is included to allow for the connection of Hard drives directly into this box!

Looks

The S95 Telos is a black box with matte finish and the company logo embossed in shiny black on its top. It is remarkably skinny and light. No rubber legs are to be found, but it also means it will be easier to attach it to the back of your TV – if you so wish.

Specifications

Chipset Amlogic S905,Quad-core 64-bit ARM® Cortex™-A53 GPU Penta-Core ARM® Mali™-450 Memory / Storage 2 GB DDR3 / 16 GB eMMC 5.0 Storage LAN Gigabit (10/100/1000M) Wireless 802.11ac Dual-Band Wi-Fi(2.4GHz/5.0GHz) ap6335 Bluetooth Bluetooth 4.0 OS Android Lollipop 5.1.1 Video Output HDMI™2.0,up to 4K @60Hz,Supports HDMI-CEC Audio Output / Input HDMI out, SPDIF (optical) Power DC 12V / 2A Peripheral Interface

3 * USB 2.0 Ports

1 * SD card slot

1 * SPDIF

1 * HDMI 2.0 port

1 * RJ45 LAN Port

1 * SATA port

Packing Included

1 * Vega S95 Telos

1 * Adapter (DC 12V/2A)

1 * HDMI 2.0 Cable

1 * IR Remote Control

1 * SATA cable

1 * User Manual

Benchmarks and Testing

All benchmarks have been repeated 3 times and results have been averaged to give a more accurate reading:

* Antutu Benchmark

The Antutu benchmark tests single core performance over multi-core as it is a better indication of the performance of one device over others in most situations. The box shows that it’s single core performance is not the highest which is consistent with the S905 being a more “budget-y” SOC and not really meant for the high end products. * Recently, Antutu benchmark has been updated to version 6 which uses different parameters and sub-tests, so the graphs are still based on the older 5.7.2 version for comparison, but here is the result of the new (6.0.0) Antutu version: 35393

GPU Mark Benchmark

GPU Mark tests 3d gaming performance and also provides a normalized score according to the used screen resolution (for a more accurate result). The test is quite short and should be taken as a supporting result to that of the more serious 3D Mark benchmark.

A1 SD Benchmark

A1 SD Benchmark tests RAM and flash memory speeds. As can be seen in the provided graphs, RAM is much faster (by a factor of about 40) than flash memory – that is why it’s in smaller amount and is also volatile (does not keep its contents after a reboot). The RAM performance is better than the Minix Neo U1, which helps the general performance. But in both Internal and External SD card tests, the S95 seems to take a backseat to the new Minix, probably due to a better implementation of a memory reader/controller in the latter.

PC Mark Benchmark

The PC Mark benchmark tests run several productivity tests and the S95 did not show great performance. (concentrate on the work performance score). It may be due to lack of optimization in the firmware and may get better in time.

3D Mark Benchmark

3D Mark benchmark is considered as one of the best ways to test 3d performance on Android (and other platforms). The S95 did not shine in it, coming right after its competitor – the Minix Neo U1. As this is the budget chip of the new AMLogic generation, it is understandable.

Issues and Bugs

1. Google play games crashes on opening

2. Volume bar bug – appears randomly on the screen without any remote control interaction.

3. 10mb bug. Unable to copy to, rename on, or delete from connected USB drives. in my case it’s a 1.5 TB hard drive that works perfectly when connected to any other (non S905 based) TV box.

4. Backing up XBMC/Kodi/SPMC to a folder either on the external USB drive or a MicroSD card failed. (“not writeable” error) It seems that small files can be written correctly to the targets, but bigger files just refuse to write. The targets are formatted in NTFS, and I was using compression in the backup add-on.

5. Torrent streaming Kodi Add-ons still do not work (pulsar, Kmediatorrent and so on) in Kodi or Kodi variants.

Keep in mind that this is a brand new model and that those are most likely growing pains that will be ironed out in time. All issues have been reported to Tronsmart and should be dealt with in future updates.

Network performance

Network performance has been tested using Speedtest.net Internet speed measuring app, in WiFi and in Wired mode. My Internet connection is 200 Mbit Synchronous Fibre connection. Notice that in comparison to Minix Neo U1, it has room to improve, although it shows a respectable performance (WiFi wise):

5 Ghz (802.11ac) WiFi Speed

AV500 Internet over Powerline (wired) Speed

Video Playback testing (Using KODI)

Resolution Video Format Local Playback Network (Wi-Fi/LAN) Playback 720p (1280*720) AVC (High@L4.1) Playing correctly Playing correctly 1080P (1920*1080) AVC (High@L4) Playing correctly Playing correctly  2160P (3840*2160) HEVC (H.265) Playing correctly Playing correctly 4K (4096*2304) AVC (High@L5.1) Playing correctly Long Pre-buffering, and some jitter (on Wifi. PLC over LAN is worse with stutter and buffering) 4K TS HEVC files HEVC (H.265) 10Bit Playing correctly Long Pre-buffering (on Wifi. PLC over LAN is worse with stutter and buffering)

Video playback is quite great. 10 Bit TS files that never worked before are now playing quite well, but bandwidth still affects playback, and the heavier the file is, the more of an issue it is. Wi-Fi performance is noticeably better (especially AC/5GHz connection) than LAN over PLC. Tronsmart includes a Pro version of a customized Kodi player called VidOn. It has support for DTS-HD & Dolby TrueHD, pass-through, 3D MKV, 3D BDMV and 3D ISO playback, as well as BD-J menu navigation. However, be aware that VidOn is considered as a company that employs low tactics and circumvents Kodi’s GPL in order to sell their product (by using “XBMC” in their name instead of “Kodi”).

Gaming performance

Rooting became available during testing, and so Frame rate and resource usage can be measured:

Asphalt 8 Airborne – a 3d graphic intensive racing game. Game performance is fine in standard settings. It is not completely smooth, but is more than playable.

Average frame rate was measured at 41 Frames per second, while CPU usage was at 26 % and 298 MB of RAM were used.

Angry Birds 2 – a popular 2d action game. The gameplay was mostly smooth with a few stutters/jerks (both in picture and audio) along the way. The loading times were a little slower than I expected. Overall, a mediocre to good experience. The GPU/RAM handling may need some polishing to avoid these issues in the future, and it may also have to do with the “Google play services” bug that does not allow games to use it for game play tracking.

Average frame rate was measured at 32 Frames per second, while CPU usage was at 13% and 255 MB of RAM were used.

Walking War Robots – an online robot warfare game that requires a game-pad (I don’t have a game-pad). Game loaded fast and frame rate was quite satisfactory.

Average frame rate was measured at 30 Frames per second, while CPU usage was at 15% and 247 MB of RAM were used.

Conclusions

Did I like it? Yes, as can be seen by the high marks. I think that even though it performs somewhat lower than it’s direct competitor – the U1, it also costs less and poses a real alternative to Minix.

Would I recommend it? Definitely.

UPDATE: A first rooting solution has been presented recently (15 December) on Tronsmart forum: http://forum.tronsmart.com/forum/vega-s95/1454-tronsmart-vega-s95-root-method#.VndtOuh96Uk

I have verified that it works.

So, you like it? To buy it, for 85.21 USD go here: Tronsmart Vega S95 Telos 2G+16G Quad Core Dual WiFi Android TV Box

For a cheaper model (Meta) which differs in Wifi module used, less storage space, and no SATA support, you can save some money and buy it for 71.50 USD: Tronsmart Vega S95 Meta 2G+8G Quad Core Dual WiFi Android TV Box

Thanks for reading! please like and share!

Review | Tronsmart S95 Telos S905 TV Box This review unit was sent to me courtesy of the good people at Tronsmart, so thank you all, and especially Jim, for a very helpful communication.