Related
Sorry if I post this in the wrong place but I just have to ask!
I also posted a similar thread over in the Touch Pro forum, but I want your opinions as well sense you are already using the HD!
I have today the Touch Pro, but I am considering to buy a new device becouse of the GPS lag and poor video performance!
I am tired of bringing several devices with me every time I want to go somewhere just becouse my EXPENCIVE HTC device cant do what it is supposed to do!
I am looking for a device that can play videos smoothly, no gps lag and of course I want to be able to take good pictures without having to worry about blured out photos as much as I do on my device!
Lets face it, I have had alot of HTC Devices over the years and it´s always something thats wrong with them!
I am keeping my TP in case something changes in the future, but for now I do feal that I have to get myself another device that is working properly!
Now my choice is betweek the HD and samsund Omnia!
Do you guys have any experience about the omnia vs HD?
Or do you reccoment another device that is in your opinion even better?
Thank you all in advance!
Well for video performance, as long as you install the right software then the Touch Pro, Omnia and HD will all do a great job. The Omnia and HD have the bigger screen so they'll be nicer to watch.
I personally can't confirm as my HD hasn't arrived yet but apparently there is still GPS lag in the HD as it uses the same CPU and GPS chip as the Touch Pro.
Does the Omnia have GPS? If so, try an Omnia forum and ask about lag there. It might be the one for you (with the nice 16Gb internal storage!)
Oppressa said:
Well for video performance, as long as you install the right software then the Touch Pro, Omnia and HD will all do a great job. The Omnia and HD have the bigger screen so they'll be nicer to watch.
I personally can't confirm as my HD hasn't arrived yet but apparently there is still GPS lag in the HD as it uses the same CPU and GPS chip as the Touch Pro.
Does the Omnia have GPS? If so, try an Omnia forum and ask about lag there. It might be the one for you (with the nice 16Gb internal storage!)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes Omnia has GPS, but the question is where do I find an Omnia forum?
Thanks!
The QVGA and small screen puts me off.
However, I wish the Korean Omnia (T*Omnia) is available. It has the same resolution as Touch HD although still a small 3.3 inch screen. It has a television tuner, although I'm not sure if the tuner (T-DMB) works outside korea. It has flash for the camera too.
T*Omnia stirs my interest a lot. The question is whether and when Samsung will sell it outside Korea.
Someone mention he would try to get it from Korea, but I'm not sure if an English ROM is available.
It's 3.2 on the Omnia. Since when is 3.2 small? So 3.2 is small and I guess 3.8 is large?...
I have both and the HD outclasses the Omnia in virtually every respect ...other than the camera (and the Omnia's isn't that good) and the accelerometer (which has been disabled HTC in most applications out of the box). The HD is so slick that the faster processor in the Omnia isn't noticable and the mega-sensitive touch screen makes using the HD a comparative breeze (I've come from a Hermes so any other touch screen has to be an improvement), also the HD ships with an 8GB memory card.
Perhaps one other thing that the Omnia my have over the HD - the Omnia's got a lanyard hole!!
...gave the Omnia to my wife before you ask to buy it!
JTHM said:
I have both and the HD outclasses the Omnia in virtually every respect ...other than the camera (and the Omnia's isn't that good) and the accelerometer (which has been disabled HTC in most applications out of the box). The HD is so slick that the faster processor in the Omnia isn't noticable and the mega-sensitive touch screen makes using the HD a comparative breeze (I've come from a Hermes so any other touch screen has to be an improvement), also the HD ships with an 8GB memory card.
Perhaps one other thing that the Omnia my have over the HD - the Omnia's got a lanyard hole!!
...gave the Omnia to my wife before you ask to buy it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okey so let me get this straight!
Does the Omnia also have the GPS lag, or are you saying that HD does not have the lag?
Also, I read in this forum that the video playback is a no go without conversion on HD, is it the same on Omnia or can it play videos smooth out of the box without conversion?
I am a little confused right now!
Thanks!
branko.savic said:
Okey so let me get this straight!
Does the Omnia also have the GPS lag, or are you saying that HD does not have the lag?
Also, I read in this forum that the video playback is a no go without conversion on HD, is it the same on Omnia or can it play videos smooth out of the box without conversion?
I am a little confused right now!
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since omnia has intelxscale technology it is fully supported by coreplayer 1.2.5. I've been testing it thoroughly and I can assure you it plays videos smoothly like your pc. (180% 200% in coreplayer's test)
The only thing that made me sell my omnia was the smaller and lower resolution screen
3.2" WQVGA (240x400) vs 3.8" WVGA (480x800)
but in video performance, touch hd sucks with coreplayer due to no hardware support and be advices this issue hasn't been resolved with HTC for 2 years now (the same goes for other devices as well).
mkMoSs said:
but in video performance, touch hd sucks with coreplayer due to no hardware support and be advices this issue hasn't been resolved with HTC for 2 years now (the same goes for other devices as well).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You must be using a different device to me mate. Video playback is smooth with core player and everyother player i've used! Infact its the best i've ever seen on a mobile device!!!!! This question Omnia v HD is sooooo simple. If you want a smaller screen then you need the omnia, other wise it has to be the HD, it is simply the best device on the market!!!
donbronzi said:
You must be using a different device to me mate. Video playback is smooth with core player and everyother player i've used! Infact its the best i've ever seen on a mobile device!!!!! This question Omnia v HD is sooooo simple. If you want a smaller screen then you need the omnia, other wise it has to be the HD, it is simply the best device on the market!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I so agree with this... I've never been as blown away about video experience on a phone as with my HD... And note I say "experience" which is not just performance, but instead the whole picture. Huge screen, superb sharpness (which goes a long way in making all the difference between even the Korean Omnia and the HD) and any DivX I throw at it runs like a breeze.
Of course I don't use 4GB files to watch my movies, I am one of those old fashioned people who still think that 800MB files provide more than enough detail for a phone screen. If you are one of those people who think they can clearly discern between 800MB and 1,5GB files on a mobile device and feel that 800MB looks totally crappy, don't listen to me
Edit: Forget this post, it was nonsense based on a total lapse of reason on my part
But to make a more useful comment: I will always prefer the HD interface over the Panels thing.
Never liked that dangling stylus on the omnia - a bit of a girly thing
branko.savic said:
Sorry if I post this in the wrong place but I just have to ask!
I also posted a similar thread over in the Touch Pro forum, but I want your opinions as well sense you are already using the HD!
I have today the Touch Pro, but I am considering to buy a new device becouse of the GPS lag and poor video performance!
I am tired of bringing several devices with me every time I want to go somewhere just becouse my EXPENCIVE HTC device cant do what it is supposed to do!
I am looking for a device that can play videos smoothly, no gps lag and of course I want to be able to take good pictures without having to worry about blured out photos as much as I do on my device!
Lets face it, I have had alot of HTC Devices over the years and it´s always something thats wrong with them!
I am keeping my TP in case something changes in the future, but for now I do feal that I have to get myself another device that is working properly!
Now my choice is betweek the HD and samsund Omnia!
Do you guys have any experience about the omnia vs HD?
Or do you reccoment another device that is in your opinion even better?
Thank you all in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have come from the Omnia to the HD and I find the HD a much better device for me, so far I have not expierenced the GPS lag that is being mentioed a lot, i use iGO8 without any issues.
I have also watched 3 divx movies on the HD using coreplayed, again without any issues.
The camera is the standard HTC fare, it is good in ideal conditions and as I have said before it is only the fact that it is 5MP that makes it good, the Omnia camera is the best PDA phone camera I have ever used.
The HD has a built in stylus and not a "phone charm" dangling thing like the Omnia.
hope this helps
I have to disagree with the above commnets. I just got My HD yesterday from Orange. And I haven't installed any additional applications apart from coreplayer. I've tried running an episode of House 350mb divx/xvid file. And there isn't that much action in this program but I still get dithering/slow running. Also got a couple of movies on the card same format approx 715mb and again it doesn't run as nicely as I would have expected it to or have seen it to play (as the video on Youtube shows)
Any Suggestions???
I practically only got the phone for the nice big screen and so I can play videos on it. Not really bothered about a GPS lag.
Memory Card?
I've heard that the encoding of the program can cause it to stutter (in one of the many reviews I've read!) though it could also be the memory card you're using. Make sure its a decent class so that the read spead won't cause any issues.
For the people who think this device playbacks well on videos maybe you should do a little bit of search in this forum first...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=444494
kersh did some tests, none of the videos performed 100% (which means minimum acceptable playback speed)
For people not so demanding on video playback performance this might not be an issue, but as I said in other posts this as an advertised multimedia device is expected to perform excellent which is NOT...
I haven't noticed any extraordinary GPS lag compared to other devices using iGo8 (there's some little lag but it's natural as the GPS receiver is polled at certain intervals, which should be compensated by software "magic"). I also tried two external GPS receivers, one based on SiRF III, another one based on MTK, and haven't found any difference in this regard.
Video playback on HD is quite tolerable and I seriously doubt it'll match that of powerful Marvel-based devices, but that's the limitation of the Qualcomm architecture. In addition to a weaker processor, the device also has higher resolution which adds to the problem. Omnia's performance is vastly superior, not just in video. I don't know whether the HD's hardware accelerator is or will be used and whether this will help. That being said, you can watch movies on this device, it's not a 200MHz Touch or something. In some movies you'll notice occasional frame skips, in others it's quite smooth, but you aren't trying to substitute your big screen plasma with this, are you?
If these are the two applications you use the devices for, Omnia could make sense. However, the screen there is awful. Low resolution makes web surfing quite painful, in the overview mode you can't read fonts at all. Also, esthetically, the pixels are huge and very visible, which makes using the device much less fun. This turned me off completely.
Jigzuk said:
I have to disagree with the above commnets. I just got My HD yesterday from Orange. And I haven't installed any additional applications apart from coreplayer. I've tried running an episode of House 350mb divx/xvid file. And there isn't that much action in this program but I still get dithering/slow running. Also got a couple of movies on the card same format approx 715mb and again it doesn't run as nicely as I would have expected it to or have seen it to play (as the video on Youtube shows)
Any Suggestions???
I practically only got the phone for the nice big screen and so I can play videos on it. Not really bothered about a GPS lag.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i don't understand how you can disagree with my comments when they are my experiences with my device, anyway am not sure why you are experiencing stuttering and lags, but I have not had any so far, I have watched 3 700~mb divx movies and so far so good.
kao123 said:
i don't understand how you can disagree with my comments when they are my experiences with my device, anyway am not sure why you are experiencing stuttering and lags, but I have not had any so far, I have watched 3 700~mb divx movies and so far so good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just the fact that a movie is a 700MB divx doesn't mean much, they are quite different in terms of performance. In my experience, some play OK to fine, others skip frames visibly in dynamic scenes. It's nowhere close to even 416MHz Intel/Marvel devices, let alone the 600+MHz Omnia.
Purchased Omnia!
Okey, so I decided to buy the Omnia even if most of you voted for the HD!
Boy am I glad I did that!
I have spent almost this whole day testing the device, the first thing I tested was to copy a 1.2 gb Xvid movie to it, it played out of the box with it´s built in touch player so I did not even have to install CorePlayer! And do I even have to mention that it did not lag/stutter even once watching the whole movie, with alot of action scenes!
Then I installed TomTom 7 and BeeLine GPS and went out for a walk!
Testing BeelineGPS while walking was a whole different experience then with my Touch Pro, the compas view rotated and adjusted it´s position with every step I took! (With Touch Pro it only updated every 10 to 20 meters!) What a difference!
TomTom performed just as well, it followed my car exactly even in high speed!
And it is alot snappier then my Touch Pro even tho it has less ram! Rotating screen is an instant and overall performance is way better then the TP!
Bare in mind that I have installed custom speedy rom in my TP, and the Omnia is all original! Now imagine what this device can do with a custom rom!
I dont know about you, but I can just say that I dont believe I made a misstake with this device, but I have to keep testing it a bit more, just had it one day so far!
RI've had my tab for a few weeks now and am generally happy with it.
The things I'm pleased with:
Battery life - can't fault it so far
Build quality
App compatability - generally no issues
Web browsing and music are good
Screen is fantastic
Things I'm unhappy with:
The omission of an actual sd card slot is an annoyance
Stock u.i laggy (using adw now)
Mac compatablity is lacking.Kies is ok for it but by no means fantastic
My biggest disappointment has been video compatability or lack of it. A lot of my videos are now digitally encoded, some are ok on the tab, others have horrendous breakup. I've done as much research as possible into re-encoding these to suitable format but no matter what program and settings I use I can't get them to run properly. I'm getting to the stage of moving down the Ipad route. I'd post screenshots but apparentlly can't for another 8 posts
Did you get the large update to touchwiz recently? I actually started using the stock video player now, as I don't have any problems with the playback. Unless you are enconding in some off the wall format, I would think you wouldn't have any problems.
No on the touchwiz update as yet. I have limited net access in that some things are blocked. Glorious Afghanistan I'm checking every now and then as I can bypass somethings but it's not showing any updates.
In regards to video encoding I've used settings recommended in these forums and also trialled the pavtube program as well as numerous others including handbrake. Pulling my hair out over it!
i agree with you with the Video Support, coming from the Galaxy s phone the Tab almost doesn't play anything without converting and stuff on my phone it just play everything without a need for any video player other than stock
gazwkd said:
RMy biggest disappointment has been video compatability or lack of it. A lot of my videos are now digitally encoded, some are ok on the tab, others have horrendous breakup. I've done as much research as possible into re-encoding these to suitable format but no matter what program and settings I use I can't get them to run properly. I'm getting to the stage of moving down the Ipad route. I'd post screenshots but apparentlly can't for another 8 posts
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the same issue as you - pretty much everything I tried to play on the GT would break up or have other issues. I was about to return the tablet when I tried transferring a video over WiFi rather than Kies for the Mac. To my surprised it played flawlessly.
So, I rather suspect that your problem is Kies performing some sort of erroneous conversion on the video as it is transferring the video across to the tablet.
I don't use Kies for the Mac anymore, and always transfer files via WiFi, and seldom have any playback issues now.
Regards,
Dave
If you transfer photos/movies from a MAC via the current version of kies then these get corrupted...
I'll try the wifi tip cheers. Although a friend has a 5 year old laptop that I tried the converted videos on and the same breakup occured through vlc. No probs with any of the encoded videos through vlc on my mac pro though.
Tried the wifi tip and works Shame it's a little on the slow side but it'll do till there's a better way
Kies is definately broken for the mac, it hasn't corrupted every video I transferred but enough to really annoy!
Cheers for the tip
The touchwiz update is almost perfect IMHO, I had lags with vanilla ui but since twz update, I enjoy my tab except for one thing:
My fingers literally hurt from overuse of gab10.1!
Sent from my GT-P7510 using XDA Premium App
The Tegra 2 is not capable to decoding most HD video. The video accelerator (seperate from the GPU) is simply too slow and can not decode most h.264 profiles other than profiles which are obsolete (baseline for example)
Sorry folks, its not a problem with the actual software, its the Tegra 2 which is simply too slow to decode much of todays HD video.
Agreed. As an owner of both a Captivate and Tab 10.1 I am less than impressed with the video performance of this Tab. My Cappy blows it away.
Now the only thing the Tab has over the Cappy is support for legacy DIVX codecs. With the latest update all of my DIVX movies work. But the Cappy still runs laps over the Tab. A shame really. One step forward, two steps back.
You have to understand that Tegra 2 is a very old chip despite tablets just being released due to honeycomb delays.
All future tablet chipsets like the Tegra 3 and others will be able to decode any HD content without performance issues.
gazwkd said:
My biggest disappointment has been video compatability or lack of it. A lot of my videos are now digitally encoded, some are ok on the tab, others have horrendous breakup. I've done as much research as possible into re-encoding these to suitable format but no matter what program and settings I use I can't get them to run properly. I'm getting to the stage of moving down the Ipad route. I'd post screenshots but apparentlly can't for another 8 posts
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use Dice player, and u will see how all videos will played nice!
5thElement said:
You have to understand that Tegra 2 is a very old chip despite tablets just being released due to honeycomb delays.
All future tablet chipsets like the Tegra 3 and others will be able to decode any HD content without performance issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I won't count on that. The chipset used in Captivate is even older than Tegra 2. It's all about the drivers and matuality of the OS. HoneyComb just don't have much video codec support to be hornest. Tegra 1 chip in my Zune player plays 720p video better than Tegra 2 in my Tab. And there are 3rd party player app that can use Tegra 2 hardware acceleration to play videos that stock player can't. This is all software limitations in stock HC. Even when Tegra 3 comes out, HC as is will have the same limitation unless Google gets its act together.
I use dice player now, and my tab plays anything I throw at it. 1080p MKVs and avi files play awesome, even supports the multiple audio tracks and subtitles. No complaints here.
I personally don't need any more power in the tablet, it does everything I want it to do flawlessly.
I was trying to keep my HTC hero g2 touch more time but i've read about Atrix and it seems a amazing device with everything i need in a new android:
- full Hd decode
- good battery
- good gps
- good screen/resolution
- 'raw power' for future apps/games
- hdmi out
- good 'media center' with HD Media Dock
But it will be expensive for me to buy this phone - i'll order a unlocked Atrix from UK because in my country there isn't motorolas available. And the cheapest dual core Android here [LG optimus 2x] is locked to a carrier and almost the same price as a unlocked Atrix in UK.
So i would like to get some feedback about some issues i found reading some reviews and the Atrix XDA foruns:
- I've read that there are problems reading some HD movies/file formats.
This is a big issue for me, i don't want to watch movies on Atrix, but i want to use it as a media center, connected on HD media dock or directly to tv with hdmi cable.
Is it possible to see 1080p MKV [with DTS sound] movies?
- It's easy to unlock the phone bootloader and find rom's/kernel's/radio's for international Atrix? I found a lot of information but most are for at&t or bell, not international model...
- i think there are no cheap/low cost but reliable battery to use as second battery, so i guess if i want a second battery i need to order a original motorola battery, right?
My Hero is old but with elelinux roms and latest kernel is fast.. except for games.. .. But the main reason to buy a new Android is movie playback..
And i don't want to stick in a single core [720p capable..] Android, if i order a Atrix is for keep at least 2 years..
Thanks for the help in advance..
And sorry for any english mistakes..
Thanks
Mk_pt said:
I was trying to keep my HTC hero g2 touch more time but i've read about Atrix and it seems a amazing device with everything i need in a new android:
- full Hd decode
- good battery
- good gps
- good screen/resolution
- 'raw power' for future apps/games
- hdmi out
- good 'media center' with HD Media Dock
But it will be expensive for me to buy this phone - i'll order a unlocked Atrix from UK because in my country there isn't motorolas available. And the cheapest dual core Android here [LG optimus 2x] is locked to a carrier and almost the same price as a unlocked Atrix in UK.
So i would like to get some feedback about some issues i found reading some reviews and the Atrix XDA foruns:
- I've read that there are problems reading some HD movies/file formats.
This is a big issue for me, i don't want to watch movies on Atrix, but i want to use it as a media center, connected on HD media dock or directly to tv with hdmi cable.
Is it possible to see 1080p MKV [with DTS sound] movies?
- It's easy to unlock the phone bootloader and find rom's/kernel's/radio's for international Atrix? I found a lot of information but most are for at&t or bell, not international model...
- i think there are no cheap/low cost but reliable battery to use as second battery, so i guess if i want a second battery i need to order a original motorola battery, right?
My Hero is old but with elelinux roms and latest kernel is fast.. except for games.. .. But the main reason to buy a new Android is movie playback..
And i don't want to stick in a single core [720p capable..] Android, if i order a Atrix is for keep at least 2 years..
Thanks for the help in advance..
And sorry for any english mistakes..
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I cant answer all your questions but i can answer a few.
Im not sure about the MKV currently.
The "Bell" Atrix is an international version, so everything compatable with that will be good for your phone.
Any Rom made for the atrix is available on both versions(AT&T/Internationa) but to prevent a RAM issue a different kernal will normally have to be installed, I use Faux123 0.1.9 1.3ghz kernal which is unified for all devices.
I didnt come across a cheap second battery so i purchased a second motorola battery for about £20.00 which i thought was a good deal in the end.
Hope that helps
Thanks for your reply.
It helps to answer some of my doubts.
About the battery, £20.00 it's not expensive for a quality and good in mAh like the Atrix battery is, so when i order a Atrix i'll order the 2º battery [and media HD dock..] too.
About the roms, that's good to know.
But just one more question:
From what i understand, for a international Atrix [to use in Portugal - gsm, umts/hsdpa] i can use radios for the Bell [wich i think is a Canadian carrier], right?
This is important because radios affects not only the reception but also the battery life.
I would be grateful if someone could help with the MKV question.
As i said i want to use the phone as a media center - i want the Atrix to playback movies from the pc/nas or from the internal/sd storage..
Mk_pt said:
Thanks for your reply.
It helps to answer some of my doubts.
About the battery, £20.00 it's not expensive for a quality and good in mAh like the Atrix battery is, so when i order a Atrix i'll order the 2º battery [and media HD dock..] too.
About the roms, that's good to know.
But just one more question:
From what i understand, for a international Atrix [to use in Portugal - gsm, umts/hsdpa] i can use radios for the Bell [wich i think is a Canadian carrier], right?
This is important because radios affects not only the reception but also the battery life.
I would be grateful if someone could help with the MKV question.
As i said i want to use the phone as a media center - i want the Atrix to playback movies from the pc/nas or from the internal/sd storage..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On an Atrix 4G, you do get all of these you mentioned.
- full Hd decode
- good battery
- good gps
- good screen/resolution
- 'raw power' for future apps/games
- hdmi out
- good 'media center' with HD Media Dock
There are HD Games out and I have played them on my phone, and man should I not even think of complaining about this phone. When it comes to RAW power, this phone is a beast unleashed. 1GHz DC Processor really pulls out everything to display graphics at its best, and with 1930mAH battery, it is easy to pull a day worth of usage with considerably heavy usage.
.mkv files are playable or not, I can confirm when I get home tonight. I have never tried, so can't answer certainly. To find out which formats are supported, check it here. http://www.gsmarena.com/motorola_atrix_4g-3708.php. I have tried .avi file and it certainly works.
To unlock the bootloader, as "King_MSD" mentioned in his answer, yes, it is fairly easy if you follow the instructions properly. If not, you will end up screwing up your phone. Follow instructions here, http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1136261.
For me, this is more easier to follow. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1167373
I am pretty sure you can use different Radios on your international phone, just make sure, if there is any problems, you always have backed up your original files, so that incase if you need to fallback, you aren't out of luck.
To me, the best ROM i have used on my Atrix is AURA, with latest Build # 8, that phone is just flying. You would want to give it a shot once you get it.
You mentioned, you wanted to get a phone which would last you next 2 years, looking at what you have now, man, you should be easily getting 2 years out of this beast at least. This phone's processor is easily the best out there, looking at the trend, I don't feel an urge to upgrade to something more powerful in near future.
One thing you would want to notice, imo, phone gets hot at times, what I have noticed is when you don't use the default radio came with your phone, this happens. Even with AURA or Alien or any other ROM(they are all AT&T based ROMS and my phone is from Bell), so when I tried Bell Radio, I literally feel a huge difference and my phone is never hot anymore.
I have used Faux123's kernel and it makes this phone even faster, you would say this phone doesn't know a word, "LAG". It not only makes the phone faster, but also eliminates the reception issue. It should work fine for you.
Even if you stayed stock with Unlocked Bootloader and SuperUser Installed with LauncherPro on top, you would not regret owning this phone.
Good Luck.
Cheers!!!
Edit : Didn't need to wait till night to find out if .mkv file works or not. Found one on my laptop, tried on my Atrix, Good news is that it definitely works. You are in luck my friend.
creativedevil said:
On an Atrix 4G, you do get all of these you mentioned.
- full Hd decode
- good battery
- good gps
- good screen/resolution
- 'raw power' for future apps/games
- hdmi out
- good 'media center' with HD Media Dock
There are HD Games out and I have played them on my phone, and man should I not even think of complaining about this phone. When it comes to RAW power, this phone is a beast unleashed. 1GHz DC Processor really pulls out everything to display graphics at its best, and with 1930mAH battery, it is easy to pull a day worth of usage with considerably heavy usage.
.mkv files are playable or not, I can confirm when I get home tonight. I have never tried, so can't answer certainly. To find out which formats are supported, check it here. http://www.gsmarena.com/motorola_atrix_4g-3708.php. I have tried .avi file and it certainly works.
To unlock the bootloader, as "King_MSD" mentioned in his answer, yes, it is fairly easy if you follow the instructions properly. If not, you will end up screwing up your phone. Follow instructions here, http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1136261.
For me, this is more easier to follow. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1167373
I am pretty sure you can use different Radios on your international phone, just make sure, if there is any problems, you always have backed up your original files, so that incase if you need to fallback, you aren't out of luck.
To me, the best ROM i have used on my Atrix is AURA, with latest Build # 8, that phone is just flying. You would want to give it a shot once you get it.
You mentioned, you wanted to get a phone which would last you next 2 years, looking at what you have now, man, you should be easily getting 2 years out of this beast at least. This phone's processor is easily the best out there, looking at the trend, I don't feel an urge to upgrade to something more powerful in near future.
One thing you would want to notice, imo, phone gets hot at times, what I have noticed is when you don't use the default radio came with your phone, this happens. Even with AURA or Alien or any other ROM(they are all AT&T based ROMS and my phone is from Bell), so when I tried Bell Radio, I literally feel a huge difference and my phone is never hot anymore.
I have used Faux123's kernel and it makes this phone even faster, you would say this phone doesn't know a word, "LAG". It not only makes the phone faster, but also eliminates the reception issue. It should work fine for you.
Even if you stayed stock with Unlocked Bootloader and SuperUser Installed with LauncherPro on top, you would not regret owning this phone.
Good Luck.
Cheers!!!
Edit : Didn't need to wait till night to find out if .mkv file works or not. Found one on my laptop, tried on my Atrix, Good news is that it definitely works. You are in luck my friend.
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Great Post!
Thank you!
I already knew that Atrix [and other dual core Android's] run 1080p movies but I read there were some issues in some codecs/containers..
It was just to be sure because it's one main feature for my future phone.
I think that Nvidia has done a very good job with Tegra 2 SoC.. Plus the very good battery and other Motorola choices for this is device.. is realy a beast and a complete smartphone.
Thanks again..
MK
If you want to play H.264 high profile movie, DO NOT BUY Tegra2 based devices.
common 1080p(BDRips) are MKV(Container)+H.264 [email protected]~5.x+DTS/AC3 audio.
Tegra2 have hw limitations to play H.264 High profile.
My recommendations are
1. SGS2 : 1080p/1080i(it can de-interlace with HW)
2. Sensation(or Dualcore Snapdragon equipped devices) : 1080p capable but some shutter occur when you playing high bitrate movies.
3. Galaxy Tab(7inch) : can play 1080p
MKV container and DTS issues can be solved with Diceplayer.
or you could just flash a ROM which enables 1080p on the ATRIX.
After juami and ninhalo post's i google about possible Tegra 2 limitations playing H264 High profile..
Well, it seems that Juami is correct, Tegra 2 are limited in 1080p h264 to low profile wich is not a usual encode.
I already had added to cart on online retailer one Atrix and a HD media dock but i waited a bit longer for more replys in this post before the checkout and payment... And juami saved me..
I don't know much about movie file formats/codec's/containers so i didn't know how to search..
So i'll keep my old Hero until Motorola [Atrix 2/Tegra 3?] or HTC have a full capable 1080p device [and a screen with 3.8' or 4']. 4' screen for me is a little too big for me but acceptable.. Galaxy S II is way too big for a..'phone'..
Hi,
I'm interested in getting one of these newer quadcore Android TV boxes for media center. Mostly for use as XBMC and Netflix watching. This model looks good, but I can't get a straight answer from the web about whether it supports XBMC well enough for smooth video playback (avi's, mkv's, xvids...nothing big, about 5GB files).
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/HKPo...RAM-8G-ROM-Android-4-2-2-Quad/1064048320.html
http://www.geekbuying.com/item/T-R4...a-with-IR-Remote-Controller-Black-317424.html
I've heard that some people are using external players with XBMC because there's no support for hardware acceleration with these rockchip devices.
How is Netflix for these?
Thanks for any info.
coachclass said:
Hi,
I'm interested in getting one of these newer quadcore Android TV boxes for media center. Mostly for use as XBMC and Netflix watching. This model looks good, but I can't get a straight answer from the web about whether it supports XBMC well enough for smooth video playback (avi's, mkv's, xvids...nothing big, about 5GB files).
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/HKPo...RAM-8G-ROM-Android-4-2-2-Quad/1064048320.html
http://www.geekbuying.com/item/T-R4...a-with-IR-Remote-Controller-Black-317424.html
I've heard that some people are using external players with XBMC because there's no support for hardware acceleration with these rockchip devices.
How is Netflix for these?
Thanks for any info.
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Click to collapse
Any updates if this works now?
Can't answer for the KR-42 boxes, but on my X7, the video works fine in xbmc (with an advancedsettings.xml) Hardware acceleration is built into all xbmc android after Sept 1 (actually earlier don't know the exact date)... but you still need xbmc to enforce it.. look on freaktab.com for more on specific mini pcs if you are interested.. the price is right for what you get, if you ask me.
coachclass said:
Hi,
I've heard that some people are using external players with XBMC because there's no support for hardware acceleration with these rockchip devices.
How is Netflix for these?
Thanks for any info.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Netflix and 1080/720p are playing fine on T-R42. XBMC v13 gotham version 6 beta is working great with few bugs since it's a beta and it's hardware decoding, no external player required.:good:
fingers crossed for good luck
I ordered a T-R42 for $87 USD from Amazon and hope it's all good without annoying flaws. Geekbuying supports it on their blog, and Freaktab forums show a custom rom by "wasser". I'll update this thread once I get it. Cheers.
*EDIT* wasser custom rom newer thread here, his/her 1.2.4 release is there so far. Also found out that some devices now may have and in the future will have a low-end RK3188-T chip running at 1.4Ghz or slower. Here is a "black list" I found on freaktab forums, and it's forum thread here.
*EDIT* I received my T-R42 from Amazon, two days ago. The stock rom works fine with Ethernet, Wifi, Bluetooth playing videos, XBMC ( latest monthly or nightly from http://mirrors.xbmc.org ), MX Player and simple games. There was no root, so I had to install Moborobo phone tools to make adb work for rooting and followed a guide on Geekbuying blog. Wifi signal is good, just as strong and stable as a modern smartphone. (be sure to configure your wifi router to a channel between 1 and 11). I wanted to add some tweaks, so I got a "wasser" custom rom from freaktab. Some usb webcams work such as Creative VF0610 (tested myself) and Logitech C170 (not tested, but Geekbuying reports it works), but you need a good powered usb hub. Those webcams are maybe $10 USD on ebay or amazon. Wasser rom 1.2.4 did not work well. You're device may be better off. So I then tried 1.2.3, and I'm glad the this 1.2.3 rom works nicely with my T-R42. This rom appears to have a 720p kernel so 1920x1080 output is really 1280x672 (status/navigation bar at bottom takes 48 px). My circuit board is B351_V1.0 in this photo http://i.imgur.com/DavJg4P.jpg. I have read in freaktab forums there are at least three identifiable versions of the circuit board in the T-R42 device. One is V1.0, another V2.0 and the other V3.5. Howver, circuit boards with completely different markings or serial numbers are sometimes in these CS918/CS968/T-R42 box devices. Whatever board you may get in your box, I'm sure some someboy in freaktab forums can help or has already solved an issue. I recommend this device, only if like "tv boxes".
kadooosh said:
Any updates if this works now? (hardware acceleration)
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Click to collapse
yes. H/W acceleration using GPU does work. Check this XBMC thread for support. and download a monthly or nightly XBMC build from http://mirrors.xbmc.org (be sure to choose the right cpu architecture, "arm"). The latest monthly snapshot should work well http://mirrors.xbmc.org/snapshots/android/arm/
*EDIT* I will return my t-r42 to Amazon soon. I prefer a portable battery powered device with HDMI such as JXD gaming tablets http://www.jxd.hk yay! ^_^
My JXD s7800B gaming tablet works nicely with different games. Here's a demo of Dead Trigger 1 (youtube).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fc9oDNduzN4
I was hoping this tablet would support HD playback in Google Play Movies (since my Xperia Tablet Z doesn't - should have went with Note 2014), but no such luck, apparently.
A UK reddit user who got their Z2 Tablet already checked it and got the "HD playback not supported" message :/ (the message is shown in the quality selection dialog you get when purchasing a movie that can be both rented and bought - you can also look for a "HD" button in the lower-right corner when playing back a paid HD movie).
Maybe they might make it work afterwards, but since Tablet Z and all/most other Xperia devices don't support it either, I'm not holding my breath...
Sony support said to me that HD should be supported in Google Play Movies, though.
So I'll probably order it from them, then, they pretty much will have to either fix it or refund me if it doesn't actually work...
dsfdfsdfs said:
Sony support said to me that HD should be supported in Google Play Movies, though.
So I'll probably order it from them, then, they pretty much will have to either fix it or refund me if it doesn't actually work...
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Click to collapse
Rented hobbit: desolation of smaug, playback appears to be in hd. Options are certainly there.
davexeno said:
Rented hobbit: desolation of smaug, playback appears to be in hd. Options are certainly there.
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I have that same option on my non-HD-supporting devices as well. But do you have the the red HD button in the lower-right corner (right side of the total playback time) during playback as well? And/or is the actual download size bigger (1. click the pin to start download, 2. look at notification bar for the file size) when you have selected the HD option in your screenshot compared to SD option? (SD movie downloads are typically less than 1GB)
I will only get mine next week...
dsfdfsdfs said:
I have that same option on my non-HD-supporting devices as well. But do you have the the red HD button in the lower-right corner (right side of the total playback time) during playback as well? And/or is the actual download size bigger (1. click the pin to start download, 2. look at notification bar for the file size) when you have selected the HD option in your screenshot compared to SD option? (SD movie downloads are typically less than 1GB)
I will only get mine next week..
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Click to collapse
Just checked what you suggested. The download size is 0.8gb which certainly isn't hd. Playback now I have looked at it closely isn't hd either, nor do I have a hd notification during playback. I did however originally chromecast the rental and that did stream in HD via the chromecast.
Anything else if want me to check just ask
davexeno said:
Just checked what you suggested. The download size is 0.8gb which certainly isn't hd. Playback now I have looked at it closely isn't hd either, nor do I have a hd notification during playback. I did however originally chromecast the rental and that did stream in HD via the chromecast.
Anything else if want me to check just ask
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Too bad. I guess I'm going to have fun with Sony customer service next week, then.
dsfdfsdfs said:
Too bad. I guess I'm going to have fun with Sony customer service next week, then.
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Does their own store even do hd?
http://imgur.com/lDuQwQ6
No idea about Sony store, we don't have it here.
Anyway, I got my Z2 Tablet now, and Google Play Movies HD didn't work (as expected), and messaged customer service.
One thing I noticed is that the Z2 Tablet has Widevine DRM Security Level 3 ( http://source.android.com/devices/drm.html ), which I guess is not high enough for Movies (dunno if they require Level 2 or Level 1, though).
dsfdfsdfs said:
No idea about Sony store, we don't have it here.
Anyway, I got my Z2 Tablet now, and Google Play Movies HD didn't work (as expected), and messaged customer service.
One thing I noticed is that the Z2 Tablet has Widevine DRM Security Level 3 ( http://source.android.com/devices/drm.html ), which I guess is not high enough for Movies (dunno if they require Level 2 or Level 1, though).
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I just spoke to Sony Mobile support, they told me the device isn't officially released yet and doesn't get officially released until may. So when that happens hd playback support will be certified.
Daniel: We have not had a confirmed date incase it needs rescheduling but at this time its shceduled for Early May, sorry for the inconvenience.
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Google Support basically told me the same thing, the device has to be certified to play hd movies regardless of its specs or software. Something the manufacturer has to do, Sony Mobile.
For me Sony Mobile support said that DRM protected HD content is not supported, but that they would pass on the request/wish.
They didn't know anything about any certification when I asked.