2014-01-31, 07:01
Geniatech ATV1200
ATV1200 Enjoy TV Dual Core
Specs: check out the link for details. Details are easy to find with the help of your favourite search engine! It's a dual core ARM Cortex A9. 1 GB DDR RAM/4 GB flash drive. Has four USB ports, 1 SD card slot (up to 32 GB), ethernet, wifi, digital audio, an external antenna, HDMI and a bunch of RCA and composite ports (didn't know people used anything other than HDMI nowadays).
Why a review thread?: I'd been looking all over the place for a review on the Geniatech ATV1200 (http://www.geniatech.com/pa/atv1200.asp) but came up empty handed when I compared it to reviews on the G-box and Rikomagic devices. For that matter, the reviews on other Android TV boxes aren't particularly satisfying either when compared with the reviews you'd get for more mainstream hardware like laptops of phones.
So, here's the start of a thread for this device which seems to be quite popular even though there are relatively few useful reviews online. Add your own experiences.
Background: I was running XBMC 12.3 Frodo on an Apple TV 2, but, the Apple TV 2 was primarily used as a Netflix and occasional iTunes movie rental device. I never really like XBMC on it. Since Apple is rumoured to be coming out with a new Apple TV that will allow games (& who knows what else) to be installed in March I figured it was time for me to capitalise on the jailbreak value of the Apple TV 2 and sell it for about twice what I paid for it.
ATV1200 in action: It's not bad. XBMC is plenty fast (compared to the Apple TV 2) and menus are responsive. I'm warming to XBMC now on this box. Streamed videos from the internet play back without stutter on my wifi network (n connected to ADSL 7 Mbit+). It outputs video at 1080p if you're in 1080p mode but the Android interface is apparently upscaled from 720p if you're in 1080p mode.
Netflix: Netflix works. It plays back video without stuttering but that's about it. The interface for the Android app is designed for touch screen which means it is severely restricted with the Geniatech-provided remote. You'll need a mouse (wireless or wired) to use Netflix properly. What would fix this is if Netflix were to modify the interface of their Android app to allow for remote control control over the interface. I imagine their Google TV app has a different approach. I now have a Logitech K400 wireless keyboard/trackpad and it makes Netflix much more user-friendly.
Region restricted Android apps: I also like to have access to Dutch shows through the web interface and XBMC does give me access to those channels (through XBMC Online TV, aka XOT) but not in a particularly kid friendly way (alpha lists). I was able to install those Android apps from the Dutch Google Play store using a VPN and a Dutch play store account.
Android Interface: It looks like a custom interface more suited to the left-right-up-down nature of a simple TV remote control. Probably better than stock Android interfaces (I'm an iOS user on my phones so I have next to no practical Android experience). Could use a bit of sprucing up but it's functional.
So far so good. I've only been using it for a few days. It's certainly not as good as an Apple TV for Netflix playback but it does seem to do XBMC somewhat better.
Where'd I buy it?: A local Toronto computer store (TechSource/TechCity on Gerrard St) for ~$130. To buy ANY Android TV on-line would've been a bit of a headache for me and I was never quite sure how long I'd have to wait and whether the item was coming from China. The only brand that was easy to find on-line in any volume was the Rikomagic line of sticks, but, I am leery of so many chips packed into such a small package with that much heat being produced so I stayed away from them. I would've loved to try out the RKM mk902 but couldn't find a local source. In the end the ATV1200 seems to fit the bill, for now at least.
ATV1200 Enjoy TV Dual Core
Specs: check out the link for details. Details are easy to find with the help of your favourite search engine! It's a dual core ARM Cortex A9. 1 GB DDR RAM/4 GB flash drive. Has four USB ports, 1 SD card slot (up to 32 GB), ethernet, wifi, digital audio, an external antenna, HDMI and a bunch of RCA and composite ports (didn't know people used anything other than HDMI nowadays).
Why a review thread?: I'd been looking all over the place for a review on the Geniatech ATV1200 (http://www.geniatech.com/pa/atv1200.asp) but came up empty handed when I compared it to reviews on the G-box and Rikomagic devices. For that matter, the reviews on other Android TV boxes aren't particularly satisfying either when compared with the reviews you'd get for more mainstream hardware like laptops of phones.
So, here's the start of a thread for this device which seems to be quite popular even though there are relatively few useful reviews online. Add your own experiences.
Background: I was running XBMC 12.3 Frodo on an Apple TV 2, but, the Apple TV 2 was primarily used as a Netflix and occasional iTunes movie rental device. I never really like XBMC on it. Since Apple is rumoured to be coming out with a new Apple TV that will allow games (& who knows what else) to be installed in March I figured it was time for me to capitalise on the jailbreak value of the Apple TV 2 and sell it for about twice what I paid for it.
ATV1200 in action: It's not bad. XBMC is plenty fast (compared to the Apple TV 2) and menus are responsive. I'm warming to XBMC now on this box. Streamed videos from the internet play back without stutter on my wifi network (n connected to ADSL 7 Mbit+). It outputs video at 1080p if you're in 1080p mode but the Android interface is apparently upscaled from 720p if you're in 1080p mode.
Netflix: Netflix works. It plays back video without stuttering but that's about it. The interface for the Android app is designed for touch screen which means it is severely restricted with the Geniatech-provided remote. You'll need a mouse (wireless or wired) to use Netflix properly. What would fix this is if Netflix were to modify the interface of their Android app to allow for remote control control over the interface. I imagine their Google TV app has a different approach. I now have a Logitech K400 wireless keyboard/trackpad and it makes Netflix much more user-friendly.
Region restricted Android apps: I also like to have access to Dutch shows through the web interface and XBMC does give me access to those channels (through XBMC Online TV, aka XOT) but not in a particularly kid friendly way (alpha lists). I was able to install those Android apps from the Dutch Google Play store using a VPN and a Dutch play store account.
Android Interface: It looks like a custom interface more suited to the left-right-up-down nature of a simple TV remote control. Probably better than stock Android interfaces (I'm an iOS user on my phones so I have next to no practical Android experience). Could use a bit of sprucing up but it's functional.
So far so good. I've only been using it for a few days. It's certainly not as good as an Apple TV for Netflix playback but it does seem to do XBMC somewhat better.
Where'd I buy it?: A local Toronto computer store (TechSource/TechCity on Gerrard St) for ~$130. To buy ANY Android TV on-line would've been a bit of a headache for me and I was never quite sure how long I'd have to wait and whether the item was coming from China. The only brand that was easy to find on-line in any volume was the Rikomagic line of sticks, but, I am leery of so many chips packed into such a small package with that much heat being produced so I stayed away from them. I would've loved to try out the RKM mk902 but couldn't find a local source. In the end the ATV1200 seems to fit the bill, for now at least.
. Audio pass through, UG802, 2dark4u (I supposed I could look up the terms ;-).