Ordered on Sunday afternoon, opted for amazon's 5-7 day free delivery, got it this afternoon. Very fast Shipping. Didn't bother with the fancy remote just yet. Now to figure this thing out.....to be continued...
Unpack and plug it in, as previously mentioned it starts updating right away. After update was complete I tested how it would play videos from my computer through the network. It works about the same as another dlna device I have. Although I don't like the layout, having to go through file by file which I have hundreds of tv shows / movies doesn't seem the most intuitive. It's also possible I could change the view setting for a better layout which I didn't look for a whole bunch.
From loading pages, switching apps etc, it's fast, really fast, just as other reviews have said. Something about a 8 core video something or other and quad core processor.
Initial setup is done with wifi, connected to network good and started update soon after automatically.
Went into kodi (labeled media center on home screen) haven't downloaded any new repositories yet to get the best add ons (1channel, Phoenix etx) I guess it comes with one built in already.
I d/l'ed a hgtv program, you tube, sportsnet 3. Opened up hgtv and proceed to play the first thing there. House hunters.
This is where I'm at now, as I've seemed to have encountered a problem. It'll play great, amazing picture and sound......for about 10 seconds then it starts buffering.
Back to the home screen, there is a browser tab, open that and go to a speed test page thinking its probably my wifi. It's coming up with only 2.88 d/l, and 2.18 u/l. Go upstairs to where my main desktop (hard wired internet) and wifi router are located and perform the same test from the same website. I'm getting 13.3 D/L and about the same U/L as the G box.
This is also down from when I also tested the other day, possibly it's a peak time right now not sure.
So now I'm not sure, I don't even know how possible it's going to be to get a wired Internet connection to that box without running it under doors and down the stairs.
Default res is 720p, I temp dropped mine to 560(or something around there) and this time the same video loaded a bit quicker and is running continuous. This is ok, although I'd like to be able to leave it on 720 without buffering issues.
I cranked my res up to 1080 and have had no real lag problems even with my 5 Mbps internet. I did have a bug where the date reset to 1970 and the time was off by 2 hours. The date is important because you can't access any thing created after the system date so I had to manually override the date and time.
My first app installed was speed test which gave me 4.77 down and 0.44 up.
Unpack and plug it in, as previously mentioned it starts updating right away. After update was complete I tested how it would play videos from my computer through the network. It works about the same as another dlna device I have. Although I don't like the layout, having to go through file by file which I have hundreds of tv shows / movies doesn't seem the most intuitive. It's also possible I could change the view setting for a better layout which I didn't look for a whole bunch.
From loading pages, switching apps etc, it's fast, really fast, just as other reviews have said. Something about a 8 core video something or other and quad core processor.
Initial setup is done with wifi, connected to network good and started update soon after automatically.
Went into kodi (labeled media center on home screen) haven't downloaded any new repositories yet to get the best add ons (1channel, Phoenix etx) I guess it comes with one built in already.
I d/l'ed a hgtv program, you tube, sportsnet 3. Opened up hgtv and proceed to play the first thing there. House hunters.
This is where I'm at now, as I've seemed to have encountered a problem. It'll play great, amazing picture and sound......for about 10 seconds then it starts buffering.
Back to the home screen, there is a browser tab, open that and go to a speed test page thinking its probably my wifi. It's coming up with only 2.88 d/l, and 2.18 u/l. Go upstairs to where my main desktop (hard wired internet) and wifi router are located and perform the same test from the same website. I'm getting 13.3 D/L and about the same U/L as the G box.
This is also down from when I also tested the other day, possibly it's a peak time right now not sure.
So now I'm not sure, I don't even know how possible it's going to be to get a wired Internet connection to that box without running it under doors and down the stairs.
Any suggestions?
That's interesting about the view thing you mentioned. Sounds like the same thing my wdtv does when it hiccups with the network shares. I can't see anything new I've added to my pc, and I have to scroll through every single song, picture and movie I have in that media directory to find what I'm looking for. Hope that gets figured out here with the Gbox.
It's weird that you're getting such a low dl rate relative to your ul rate downstairs from wifi. That's gotta be a wifi issue since your hardwired connection ratio is more what I would expect (13.3./2.8). Argh, that's gonna be a pain having to run an ethernet line that far. How old is your router? A year or so ago, we were having wifi issues. I think Comp suggested a new router as mine was several years old. I invested in a new one and problem solved.
I'm always impressed when I'm working in newer homes and they're completely wired with this stuff in mind. One central location for all the required hardware (modem/router, etc.), and every room is hard wired with ethernet. Luckily, our house is so small that pretty much nothing can physically be more than 25' away from the router!
I'm gonna have to do some self editing when talking to my wife about this thing and try and remember not to mention that we might be able to get the hgtv stuff. I got rid of cable tv hoping I'd never have to see stuff like House Hunters ever again.
Default res is 720p, I temp dropped mine to 560(or something around there) and this time the same video loaded a bit quicker and is running continuous. This is ok, although I'd like to be able to leave it on 720 without buffering issues.
This will definitely be a deal breaker for me if we can't get this figured out. If I can't watch something in at least 720p, I'm not watching. I'm still thinking this is a wifi problem in your situation though.
I cranked my res up to 1080 and have had no real lag problems even with my 5 Mbps internet. I did have a bug where the date reset to 1970 and the time was off by 2 hours. The date is important because you can't access any thing created after the system date so I had to manually override the date and time.
My first app installed was speed test which gave me 4.77 down and 0.44 up.
Good to know, but it could make for an interesting TV theme night. "What's on TV dear?" "Well, Green Acres, Beverly Hillbillies and The Honeymooners."
Wired for media box and computers, wifi for tablet and phones.
Reading up on this stuff quite a bit for the past week or so, I have heard several comments by people saying they were having trouble with 1080p and 720p with wifi for media boxes like the Gbox. Most are suggesting a wired connection. I think this thing comes with a pretty serious wifi receiver from what I can remember, but I guess that would come back to the strength of signal your router is putting out. That's just a guess though.
Wired for media box and computers, wifi for tablet and phones.
Reading up on this stuff quite a bit for the past week or so, I have heard several comments by people saying they were having trouble with 1080p and 720p with wifi for media boxes like the Gbox. Most are suggesting a wired connection. I think this thing comes with a pretty serious wifi receiver from what I can remember, but I guess that would come back to the strength of signal your router is putting out. That's just a guess though.
Bill you are now officially a pokerforum techno geek as well. It has been added to your title.
Absolutely correct. Ubet's issues are definitely his wireless bandwidth and despite Moose's claim that 4.x is enough download bandwidth to stream it is right on the hairy edge of being ok. Any glitch, or hiccup will cause breakup of the signal. I tell clients you really need 8+ to get consistant streaming and more if you have more than one device doing much.
Wireless will work fine as long as you have a decent router putting out a decent signal without too much infrastructure between the router and receiver.
Bill you are now officially a pokerforum techno geek as well. It has been added to your title.
Good to know my 20-25yr old computer sales and service experience didn't go to waste. I assume this new certification means a significant salary increase correct?
That's interesting about the view thing you mentioned. Sounds like the same thing my wdtv does when it hiccups with the network shares. I can't see anything new I've added to my pc, and I have to scroll through every single song, picture and movie I have in that media directory to find what I'm looking for. Hope that gets figured out here with the Gbox.
It's weird that you're getting such a low dl rate relative to your ul rate downstairs from wifi. That's gotta be a wifi issue since your hardwired connection ratio is more what I would expect (13.3./2.8). Argh, that's gonna be a pain having to run an ethernet line that far. How old is your router? A year or so ago, we were having wifi issues. I think Comp suggested a new router as mine was several years old. I invested in a new one and problem solved.
I'm always impressed when I'm working in newer homes and they're completely wired with this stuff in mind. One central location for all the required hardware (modem/router, etc.), and every room is hard wired with ethernet. Luckily, our house is so small that pretty much nothing can physically be more than 25' away from the router!
I'm gonna have to do some self editing when talking to my wife about this thing and try and remember not to mention that we might be able to get the hgtv stuff. I got rid of cable tv hoping I'd never have to see stuff like House Hunters ever again.
Actually my wdtv has always had (IMO) the best setup and organization for going through folders and files. The G box is quite possible a view setting which I haven't even gone back to check yet, b4 that part is given a bad rap.
My Internet issue is more then likely a router problem. It is a modem/ router, the one directly from Rogers, the one you rent for $x.xx/ month. Got it about 2.5 yrs ago when we signed up with them. The modem is unfortunately at just about the opposite end of the house, but I do have other junction points running elsewhere that I'll try and tie into, or at least temporarily until I verify the unit works correctly with a wired connection.
And as for the resolution, I only dropped mine down to test the same videos again too see if they would run smoothly. That was just a test and not a permanent fix. I'm pretty confident it's a weak wifi signal, or the router isn't allowing enough bandwidth out via wifi for this to run efficiently.
This is my first android device ever, I thought I was going to be overwhelmed with a whole new OS and interface but it is actually quite easy to navigate with what seems like unlimited settings or options available which is a nice feature.
To download apps, I assume they would go onto the matricoms home screen? And they can be d/l'ed from the google play store?
Yep, when mine isn't screwing with my network shares the view and organization of the wdtv is great. I just keep forgetting how to reset it back to a workable state and get frustrated so I just stop.
Good to hear about the interface on the Gbox being relatively easy to use. When I read unlimited settings, that can be both a good and bad thing. Sometimes it can get a little overwhelming when troubleshooting things. You end up using certain combinations that conflict, or can't find a setting that's buried beneath so many submenus.
As for dl'ing apps, Moose will have to respond to that one. I've got no idea. Just got a huge paycheque yesterday (first one since before Christmas! GC's are so much fun to deal with) so I'm considering ordering one of these things later today. We'll see how much money I have leftover once I pay off some other bills and do a little forecasting.
Actually my wdtv has always had (IMO) the best setup and organization for going through folders and files. The G box is quite possible a view setting which I haven't even gone back to check yet, b4 that part is given a bad rap.
My Internet issue is more then likely a router problem. It is a modem/ router, the one directly from Rogers, the one you rent for $x.xx/ month. Got it about 2.5 yrs ago when we signed up with them. The modem is unfortunately at just about the opposite end of the house, but I do have other junction points running elsewhere that I'll try and tie into, or at least temporarily until I verify the unit works correctly with a wired connection.
And as for the resolution, I only dropped mine down to test the same videos again too see if they would run smoothly. That was just a test and not a permanent fix. I'm pretty confident it's a weak wifi signal, or the router isn't allowing enough bandwidth out via wifi for this to run efficiently.
This is my first android device ever, I thought I was going to be overwhelmed with a whole new OS and interface but it is actually quite easy to navigate with what seems like unlimited settings or options available which is a nice feature.
To download apps, I assume they would go onto the matricoms home screen? And they can be d/l'ed from the google play store?
I may have found something for this. Can we assume that the android operating system is the same on all android devices? Tablets etc.? The only android device I have used is my nexus 7 so I'm not exactly familiar with any others.
Anyhoo, did a google search and found this. At least you'll be able to recognize some of the symbols:
Your a life saver Bill! That was exactly what I needed. Thanks a ton. I also just spent 10 minutes on tech support from Florida asking of they could direct where to change it. I even asked if he can just tell me "settings- 4 row down- 3rd row down- select English. But nope, I was seconds away from wiping all data and restoring from a back up USB method that he told me.
Actually my wdtv has always had (IMO) the best setup and organization for going through folders and files. The G box is quite possible a view setting which I haven't even gone back to check yet, b4 that part is given a bad rap.
There are two ways to play the folder navigation in Kodi. The short version is that "Files" mode will show you everything based on the folder structure, whereas the built in "Movies" and "TV Shows" options will base everything from the metadata. I have always used "Files" mode to give me the ability to set things up exactly how I like it (It still uses all the metadata - just doesn't rely on it) Since the default is to rely on metadata, it does confuse people when things look weird starting out. Skins will affect the look of both your network shares AND your streaming apps - so you can actually make Genesis etc look beautiful with a bit of work. You can also add/remove/change all of the menus, so you don't have to click through submenus etc. Last step is to enable "kiosk mode" which disables changing the viewtypes etc - this will lock in your settings and give you a polished experieince.
Anyway, get everything installed and set up the way you want it, then if you want I'll try to walk you guys through some skinning and menu customization. You can literally make it look however you want. On mine I've been running the Aeon Nox skin for 5 years now and its always been my favorite - but to mix things up I recently moved everything over to "Rapier" and am enjoying it so far aside from a few kinks I'm still ironing out.
Keep fucking around with it, I do reccommend using english over Korean though.
Your a life saver Bill! That was exactly what I needed. Thanks a ton. I also just spent 10 minutes on tech support from Florida asking of they could direct where to change it. I even asked if he can just tell me "settings- 4 row down- 3rd row down- select English. But nope, I was seconds away from wiping all data and restoring from a back up USB method that he told me.
Holy crap. That's great that it worked. I honestly had no idea what I was talking about and just hoped all Android devices ran the same way. Kind of risking looking like a moron.
Before I found that link I was about to suggest the factory wipe and restore. Glad you didn't have to go through that. We should keep the instructions for that process (usb restore) or at least a link to it in this thread.
I have a feeling we might catch up to the Making a case for Atheism thread in terms of posts here. We're almost half way there!
All of their user guides and info are posted on their website-support-wiki-gbox q. The info for a USB restore is posted there.
There is also a matricom support forum with a wealth of information.
After much hassle I'm now wired!! I did many speed tests today on wifi. Got a high of 13 D/L and a low of 1.2 D/L. Switched to wired and it jumped straight to 36 D/L! I upped my res to 1080 and went straight to the videos that were lagging b4 and they couldn't run any smoother now!
Still haven't added any add ons in kodi yet, but now have a better understanding of the unit and am starting from a good and fast clean slate.
All of their user guides and info are posted on their website-support-wiki-gbox q. The info for a USB restore is posted there.
There is also a matricom support forum with a wealth of information.
After much hassle I'm now wired!! I did many speed tests today on wifi. Got a high of 13 D/L and a low of 1.2 D/L. Switched to wired and it jumped straight to 36 D/L! I upped my res to 1080 and went straight to the videos that were lagging b4 and they couldn't run any smoother now!
Still haven't added any add ons in kodi yet, but now have a better understanding of the unit and am starting from a good and fast clean slate.
Makes sense.....I'd always hardwire it given the choice
This will definitely be a deal breaker for me if we can't get this figured out. If I can't watch something in at least 720p, I'm not watching. I'm still thinking this is a wifi problem in your situation though.
Lol....you must have hated television pre 2008 and despise dvds
I can't wait for 3 years from now when 1080p becomes unwatchable vs 2160p...hee hee.
Lol....you must have hated television pre 2008 and despise dvds
I can't wait for 3 years from now when 1080p becomes unwatchable vs 2160p...hee hee.
I hated TV long before that, and I never really got into the whole DVD thing.
I probably shut off the cable TV tap around 2005 or 06. Pretty much when I started getting excited about poker.
To be quite honest, I missed out on a whole generation of programming. Kind of went through a lengthy period of just not watching much of anything. I enjoy silence at times.
Comments
Ship it!!
Ordered on Sunday afternoon, opted for amazon's 5-7 day free delivery, got it this afternoon. Very fast Shipping. Didn't bother with the fancy remote just yet. Now to figure this thing out.....to be continued...
Must be a lot of TV watching couch potatoes on this forum.
Initial thoughts
Unpack and plug it in, as previously mentioned it starts updating right away. After update was complete I tested how it would play videos from my computer through the network. It works about the same as another dlna device I have. Although I don't like the layout, having to go through file by file which I have hundreds of tv shows / movies doesn't seem the most intuitive. It's also possible I could change the view setting for a better layout which I didn't look for a whole bunch.
From loading pages, switching apps etc, it's fast, really fast, just as other reviews have said. Something about a 8 core video something or other and quad core processor.
Initial setup is done with wifi, connected to network good and started update soon after automatically.
Went into kodi (labeled media center on home screen) haven't downloaded any new repositories yet to get the best add ons (1channel, Phoenix etx) I guess it comes with one built in already.
I d/l'ed a hgtv program, you tube, sportsnet 3. Opened up hgtv and proceed to play the first thing there. House hunters.
This is where I'm at now, as I've seemed to have encountered a problem. It'll play great, amazing picture and sound......for about 10 seconds then it starts buffering.
Back to the home screen, there is a browser tab, open that and go to a speed test page thinking its probably my wifi. It's coming up with only 2.88 d/l, and 2.18 u/l. Go upstairs to where my main desktop (hard wired internet) and wifi router are located and perform the same test from the same website. I'm getting 13.3 D/L and about the same U/L as the G box.
This is also down from when I also tested the other day, possibly it's a peak time right now not sure.
So now I'm not sure, I don't even know how possible it's going to be to get a wired Internet connection to that box without running it under doors and down the stairs.
Any suggestions?
My first app installed was speed test which gave me 4.77 down and 0.44 up.
It's weird that you're getting such a low dl rate relative to your ul rate downstairs from wifi. That's gotta be a wifi issue since your hardwired connection ratio is more what I would expect (13.3./2.8). Argh, that's gonna be a pain having to run an ethernet line that far. How old is your router? A year or so ago, we were having wifi issues. I think Comp suggested a new router as mine was several years old. I invested in a new one and problem solved.
I'm always impressed when I'm working in newer homes and they're completely wired with this stuff in mind. One central location for all the required hardware (modem/router, etc.), and every room is hard wired with ethernet. Luckily, our house is so small that pretty much nothing can physically be more than 25' away from the router!
I'm gonna have to do some self editing when talking to my wife about this thing and try and remember not to mention that we might be able to get the hgtv stuff. I got rid of cable tv hoping I'd never have to see stuff like House Hunters ever again.
This will definitely be a deal breaker for me if we can't get this figured out. If I can't watch something in at least 720p, I'm not watching. I'm still thinking this is a wifi problem in your situation though.
Good to know, but it could make for an interesting TV theme night. "What's on TV dear?" "Well, Green Acres, Beverly Hillbillies and The Honeymooners."
Edit: both moose and wildbill
Wired for media box and computers, wifi for tablet and phones.
Reading up on this stuff quite a bit for the past week or so, I have heard several comments by people saying they were having trouble with 1080p and 720p with wifi for media boxes like the Gbox. Most are suggesting a wired connection. I think this thing comes with a pretty serious wifi receiver from what I can remember, but I guess that would come back to the strength of signal your router is putting out. That's just a guess though.
Absolutely correct. Ubet's issues are definitely his wireless bandwidth and despite Moose's claim that 4.x is enough download bandwidth to stream it is right on the hairy edge of being ok. Any glitch, or hiccup will cause breakup of the signal. I tell clients you really need 8+ to get consistant streaming and more if you have more than one device doing much.
Wireless will work fine as long as you have a decent router putting out a decent signal without too much infrastructure between the router and receiver.
Good to know my 20-25yr old computer sales and service experience didn't go to waste. I assume this new certification means a significant salary increase correct?
Actually my wdtv has always had (IMO) the best setup and organization for going through folders and files. The G box is quite possible a view setting which I haven't even gone back to check yet, b4 that part is given a bad rap.
My Internet issue is more then likely a router problem. It is a modem/ router, the one directly from Rogers, the one you rent for $x.xx/ month. Got it about 2.5 yrs ago when we signed up with them. The modem is unfortunately at just about the opposite end of the house, but I do have other junction points running elsewhere that I'll try and tie into, or at least temporarily until I verify the unit works correctly with a wired connection.
And as for the resolution, I only dropped mine down to test the same videos again too see if they would run smoothly. That was just a test and not a permanent fix. I'm pretty confident it's a weak wifi signal, or the router isn't allowing enough bandwidth out via wifi for this to run efficiently.
This is my first android device ever, I thought I was going to be overwhelmed with a whole new OS and interface but it is actually quite easy to navigate with what seems like unlimited settings or options available which is a nice feature.
To download apps, I assume they would go onto the matricoms home screen? And they can be d/l'ed from the google play store?
Hmm, modem and router in one. Never had one of those. I ended up getting a Dlink router and haven't had any problems since. I think this is the one we have:
Wireless AC1600 Dual Band Gigabit Router Delivering Premium Performance for Intense Home Networking Demands | D-Link Canada
Good to hear about the interface on the Gbox being relatively easy to use. When I read unlimited settings, that can be both a good and bad thing. Sometimes it can get a little overwhelming when troubleshooting things. You end up using certain combinations that conflict, or can't find a setting that's buried beneath so many submenus.
As for dl'ing apps, Moose will have to respond to that one. I've got no idea. Just got a huge paycheque yesterday (first one since before Christmas! GC's are so much fun to deal with) so I'm considering ordering one of these things later today. We'll see how much money I have leftover once I pay off some other bills and do a little forecasting.
I think I am going to go straight to a Flymote. This one that has the secondary IR controller on the back.
Buy iPazzPort 2.4GHz Mini Wireless Fly Air Mouse Wireless Keyboard w/ IR Remote - Black
Got better reviews than the ones we were looking at.
Don't ask me how, but a little help getting out of this? Seem to be stuck
Nice one!
Anyhoo, did a google search and found this. At least you'll be able to recognize some of the symbols:
http://liliputing.com/2013/02/how-to-change-the-language-on-android-tablets-chinese-english-etc.html
There are two ways to play the folder navigation in Kodi. The short version is that "Files" mode will show you everything based on the folder structure, whereas the built in "Movies" and "TV Shows" options will base everything from the metadata. I have always used "Files" mode to give me the ability to set things up exactly how I like it (It still uses all the metadata - just doesn't rely on it) Since the default is to rely on metadata, it does confuse people when things look weird starting out. Skins will affect the look of both your network shares AND your streaming apps - so you can actually make Genesis etc look beautiful with a bit of work. You can also add/remove/change all of the menus, so you don't have to click through submenus etc. Last step is to enable "kiosk mode" which disables changing the viewtypes etc - this will lock in your settings and give you a polished experieince.
Anyway, get everything installed and set up the way you want it, then if you want I'll try to walk you guys through some skinning and menu customization. You can literally make it look however you want. On mine I've been running the Aeon Nox skin for 5 years now and its always been my favorite - but to mix things up I recently moved everything over to "Rapier" and am enjoying it so far aside from a few kinks I'm still ironing out.
Keep fucking around with it, I do reccommend using english over Korean though.
Holy crap. That's great that it worked. I honestly had no idea what I was talking about and just hoped all Android devices ran the same way. Kind of risking looking like a moron.
Before I found that link I was about to suggest the factory wipe and restore. Glad you didn't have to go through that. We should keep the instructions for that process (usb restore) or at least a link to it in this thread.
I have a feeling we might catch up to the Making a case for Atheism thread in terms of posts here. We're almost half way there!
There is also a matricom support forum with a wealth of information.
After much hassle I'm now wired!! I did many speed tests today on wifi. Got a high of 13 D/L and a low of 1.2 D/L. Switched to wired and it jumped straight to 36 D/L! I upped my res to 1080 and went straight to the videos that were lagging b4 and they couldn't run any smoother now!
Still haven't added any add ons in kodi yet, but now have a better understanding of the unit and am starting from a good and fast clean slate.
Lol....you must have hated television pre 2008 and despise dvds
I can't wait for 3 years from now when 1080p becomes unwatchable vs 2160p...hee hee.
I hated TV long before that, and I never really got into the whole DVD thing.
I probably shut off the cable TV tap around 2005 or 06. Pretty much when I started getting excited about poker.
To be quite honest, I missed out on a whole generation of programming. Kind of went through a lengthy period of just not watching much of anything. I enjoy silence at times.