Tab A 10.1 (2016) HEVC support - Samsung Galaxy Tab A series Questions & Answers

Hi,
I'm looking to upgrade my trusty Nexus 7 (2013). I've been watching some HEVC / H.265 compressed TV shows / movies recently and the Nexus can't seem to cope any longer. This tablet seems like a good buy at under £200. I was also looking at the Huawei Mediapad M3 Lite and Lenovo Tab 4 8 Plus, all around the same price. I like the fact the screen can go over 500nits and I've got a Samsung S8 which I'm really happy with.
Would anyone recommend this as a good media consumption device? It'll mainly be used for Plex, Netflix and playing TV/Movies from the SD card. Can it play 1080p HEVC compressed files without a hitch? That's the deal breaker for me. I think this Exynos chip can decode H.265 native but I'd like to know what real-world use is like before investing.
Thanks in advance.

I have played HD Bluray 1080p on my Tab A 10.1 with s Pen. It plays it fine using VLC video player app. If I use the stock video app, I get no sound. I have both tablets: Tab A 10.1 & Tab A 10.1 with S Pen. The S pen version has a slightly bigger battery and 3 GB of ram. It's really difficult to kill the battery all in one day of use. I'm not a heavy user, so I rarely charge it.

Related

Galaxy Note vs Galaxy Player 5

I'm not going to activate the device on cell service... Mainly using for a mini tablet + VOIP phone + media player. I like the fact it can fit in my pocket (galaxy tab 7 is just a little too big for that)
But is upgrading from the player to the note good enough to justify the extra cost when I'm not going to use the cell radio?
Thoughts?
There are more than the gsm difference between Galaxy Player 5 and Note... so it may worth... but on the other hand some apps may not run on the other model.
Here are some differences to keep in mind, pertinent to your needs:
- Player is 480p; note is 800p + higher ppi = crisper images
- Notes screen is .3" bigger at 5.3"
- Players mic is on the top right side, so voip would be best with headset or earbud/mic combo or headphones + player in hand held to mouth; note can be held like a phone to ear or using player methods
Here are some differences not pertinent to your needs:
- note is thinner and lighter
- note has twice the ram @ 1GB (can run more simultaneous apps)
- note has a fast dualcore cpu vs players singlecore (great for gaming)
So the choice is yours. Me, Im a gamer, and at such large display sizes, I would pick the note in a heartbeat, just to play 3d games at an excellent framerate
my note also has no issues playing a 720p video encoded at 60fps without frame dropping and without sync issues, so i'd say the note gets my vote as an awesome media player.

Lg gpad 8.3 or nexus 7 v2 or galaxy pad 3 8

Just confused which one to go far , the prices are coming down daily ,
179 pounds for gpad and £ 129 for pad 3 8 ,
Google nexus 32 gb is 170 pounds
Want to use for browsing
Streaming from nas
Read books , games for kids ,
And movies
PDF e reader
Thanks
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LG G Pad. BTW, it's Galaxy Tab, not Galaxy Pad, and it has ultra lame specs.
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Sorry typo error
Do you recommend gpad
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EdenGottlieb said:
LG G Pad. BTW, it's Galaxy Tab, not Galaxy Pad, and it has ultra lame specs.
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Click to collapse
Lame specs? Depends on what you use it for. I have two of them (samsung galaxy tab 3 - 8.0) and the G Pad. Although my LG tablet has far superior specs, the Samsung tablet easily holds its own in video, reading, web browsing etc. Plus the screen is "much" brighter than the LG tablet. If you favor a dimmer screen, the LG is the way to go. Battery is roughly the same on them as well.
Build quality, the LG is definitely more premium with an aluminum back. However, if you are like me and immediately put your tablets in cases, there is literally no difference.
Also, I prefer the physical buttons on the base of the Samsung over the virtual ones on the LG. You get full screen real estate which is a nice bonus.
Given there is a big price delta between the two, perhaps you should provide something vaguely constructive. From your brief comments I can tell you have never used the Samsung tab or had it in conjunction with the LG or you would know how little difference there is in performance. Not to mention, the Samsung screen, despite being lower resolution has zero bleed and no blue line on the screen that many LG owners in this forum have reported. Also the Samsung does not overheat like the LG either...
I suppose if you are using bleeding edge Android games, the LG will come off better but otherwise, there really isn't much of a difference between them.
RobilarOCN said:
Lame specs? Depends on what you use it for. I have two of them (samsung galaxy tab 3 - 8.0) and the G Pad. Although my LG tablet has far superior specs, the Samsung tablet easily holds its own in video, reading, web browsing etc. Plus the screen is "much" brighter than the LG tablet. If you favor a dimmer screen, the LG is the way to go. Battery is roughly the same on them as well.
Build quality, the LG is definitely more premium with an aluminum back. However, if you are like me and immediately put your tablets in cases, there is literally no difference.
Also, I prefer the physical buttons on the base of the Samsung over the virtual ones on the LG. You get full screen real estate which is a nice bonus.
Given there is a big price delta between the two, perhaps you should provide something vaguely constructive. From your brief comments I can tell you have never used the Samsung tab or had it in conjunction with the LG or you would know how little difference there is in performance. Not to mention, the Samsung screen, despite being lower resolution has zero bleed and no blue line on the screen that many LG owners in this forum have reported. Also the Samsung does not overheat like the LG either...
I suppose if you are using bleeding edge Android games, the LG will come off better but otherwise, there really isn't much of a difference between them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i own a iPhone 5 32 gb
galaxy note 2 note 2 with 64 gb card
asus ft 300t 32 gb with dock with 32 gb card
and a sony tablets 32 gb with extra 32 gb card
all of them are running on stock roms ,
you can see that i put lot of stuff on them so wanted a tab with a expandable memorry card
just wondering as the lg gpad specs look good ,just wanted to know from someone who has used them to share there experience
i just want a tblet which should last for abit like teh functions but now a days the technology is moving so fast that i dont think its going to be possible
just thought as i was getting the lg gpad for 179 pounds and the samsung tab 3 8 is for 129 punds ,is it worth the extra 50 pounds spend or should i stick with the tab 3 .
will be just using it for the kids to watch movies from the nas and play games ,
browsing the internet and reading books on aldiko
RobilarOCN said:
Lame specs? Depends on what you use it for. I have two of them (samsung galaxy tab 3 - 8.0) and the G Pad. Although my LG tablet has far superior specs, the Samsung tablet easily holds its own in video, reading, web browsing etc. Plus the screen is "much" brighter than the LG tablet. If you favor a dimmer screen, the LG is the way to go. Battery is roughly the same on them as well.
Build quality, the LG is definitely more premium with an aluminum back. However, if you are like me and immediately put your tablets in cases, there is literally no difference.
Also, I prefer the physical buttons on the base of the Samsung over the virtual ones on the LG. You get full screen real estate which is a nice bonus.
Given there is a big price delta between the two, perhaps you should provide something vaguely constructive. From your brief comments I can tell you have never used the Samsung tab or had it in conjunction with the LG or you would know how little difference there is in performance. Not to mention, the Samsung screen, despite being lower resolution has zero bleed and no blue line on the screen that many LG owners in this forum have reported. Also the Samsung does not overheat like the LG either...
I suppose if you are using bleeding edge Android games, the LG will come off better but otherwise, there really isn't much of a difference between them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The major reason the Galaxy Tab 3 8 is lame is resolution. 800 * 1280! Are they not ashamed?! The Galaxy S4 has 1920*1080! When I saw it for the first time the low resoultion made me never consider buying it. Plus, it's much weaker.
OP, if there's such a major price difference, and it's going to be for kids to watch movies (they won't notice the resolution), get the galaxy tab 3 8. Here in israel the galaxy tab actually costs MORE than the G Pad! Absurd right?
BTW, you know there's a "kids edition" Galaxy tab right? Maybe you want to get that one for your kids. It's pricier and it's 7 inch, but comes with kids apps and is much sturdier.
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EdenGottlieb said:
The major reason the Galaxy Tab 3 8 is lame is resolution. 800 * 1280! Are they not ashamed?! The Galaxy S4 has 1920*1080! When I saw it for the first time the low resoultion made me never consider buying it. Plus, it's much weaker.
OP, if there's such a major price difference, and it's going to be for kids to watch movies (they won't notice the resolution), get the galaxy tab 3 8. Here in israel the galaxy tab actually costs MORE than the G Pad! Absurd right?
BTW, you know there's a "kids edition" Galaxy tab right? Maybe you want to get that one for your kids. It's pricier and it's 7 inch, but comes with kids apps and is much sturdier.
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As I mentioned, yes the Samsung screen is lower resolution. You owned one right? Try putting it side by side with an IPad Mini retina, and the G Pad and run the same video on each. Unless you have put a 9GB 1080P mkv file on it, there is literally no difference. Most tv files run at 480P and most movies run at 720P. Given that 720P is 1280x720, a 1280x800 tablet runs it native...
I'm not saying the Samsung is the best tablet out there, it clearly isn't. But for the price, it is a great device. It really comes down to what you use your tablet for the most.
I bought the LG (while owning the Samsung 8") exactly for the reason you mentioned; I wanted a higher res screen and more horsepower. The screen turned out to be much dimmer (something that bothers me to no end) and the extra horsepower does not run the apps I use any faster - video playback, web browsing, Moon+ reader for reading. If I played games on a tablet it might matter.
Here is my 3, Mini Retina, LG G Pad and Samsung 8".
Easy to compare when you have all of them at once.
RobilarOCN said:
As I mentioned, yes the Samsung screen is lower resolution. You owned one right? Try putting it side by side with an IPad Mini retina, and the G Pad and run the same video on each. Unless you have put a 9GB 1080P mkv file on it, there is literally no difference. Most tv files run at 480P and most movies run at 720P. Given that 720P is 1280x720, a 1280x800 tablet runs it native...
I'm not saying the Samsung is the best tablet out there, it clearly isn't. But for the price, it is a great device. It really comes down to what you use your tablet for the most.
I bought the LG (while owning the Samsung 8") exactly for the reason you mentioned; I wanted a higher res screen and more horsepower. The screen turned out to be much dimmer (something that bothers me to no end) and the extra horsepower does not run the apps I use any faster - video playback, web browsing, Moon+ reader for reading. If I played games on a tablet it might matter.
Here is my 3, Mini Retina, LG G Pad and Samsung 8".
Easy to compare when you have all of them at once.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have no problem with the brigthness. The resolution is less for movies, more for UI elements and tezt to look more crisp. And BTW - a 720p will look better on a 1080p screen than on a 720p screen, because of the small spaces between the pixels that are visible
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A lot of people is easily falling into the marketing tacticts of manufacturers.
Probably most of the people have 32" or bigger tv's with a maximunm resolution of 1080p, some people even has 1080i or 720p tv's and most of the people is happy with that.
But when a 8" device is sold with 720p screen people complain about it been low resolution, that's crazy...
By the way, I received my G Pad yesterday and as expected it have the light bleedign issue when using in potrait mode. I contacted amazon and they sent me a replacement today which has exactly the same issue. I'm starting to think that all the G Pad's have that f**ing light bleeding issue
I'm thinking if I should ask for a refund and get a Galaxy Tab 3 8 even if it's les powerful and will never be updated again
Mine gpad shows the 7 light bleed on the right side in dom light and the box wad open so will be going back
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I just need the G Pad to be brighter so that I can watch my movies. Otherwise it is perfect.
EdenGottlieb said:
I have no problem with the brigthness. The resolution is less for movies, more for UI elements and tezt to look more crisp. And BTW - a 720p will look better on a 1080p screen than on a 720p screen, because of the small spaces between the pixels that are visible
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Click to collapse
That makes no difference on 720P video or lower quality. It would upscale it according the resolution on the tablet which does not provide a clearer picture.
1280x720 does not look clearer than 1280x720 on a 1920x1200 screen...
Now if you are running at 1080P video on a 720P screen, then there is a difference as it has to downscale. However, not sure how many people run 9 or 10 GB files on their tablets.
RobilarOCN said:
That makes no difference on 720P video or lower quality. It would upscale it according the resolution on the tablet which does not provide a clearer picture.
1280x720 does not look clearer than 1280x720 on a 1920x1200 screen...
Now if you are running at 1080P video on a 720P screen, then there is a difference as it has to downscale. However, not sure how many people run 9 or 10 GB files on their tablets.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm telling ya, 720 looks better on 1080 for me! I have a very good eyesight and when a single pixel spreads on several pixels it looks better to me.
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EdenGottlieb said:
I'm telling ya, 720 looks better on 1080 for me! I have a very good eyesight and when a single pixel spreads on several pixels it looks better to me.
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Click to collapse
im happy with teh tab 3 8 ,its look better rather then reading the reviews ,
gpad going back tomorrow
I would lean towards the Tab Pro instead of the regular Tab. Resolution is incredible on the Tab Pro 8.4
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---------- Post added at 03:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:46 PM ----------
I also noticed a lot of light bleeding on two G Pads I had. And even on the one without light bleeding, the screen wasn't as sharp on the edges. Not a fan of the panel I guess. Nexus 7 is terrific. Just a bit too small for me to justify buying one when I have a Nexus 5. Tab Pro on the other hand is an excellent tablet, great display and faster than the Nexus 7.
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EdenGottlieb said:
I'm telling ya, 720 looks better on 1080 for me! I have a very good eyesight and when a single pixel spreads on several pixels it looks better to me.
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Click to collapse
And I am telling ya.. that it doesn't work that way. Sounds like you are suffering from the placebo effect. Because you think it's better you are perceiving it as such.
I'll explain one last time and if that doesn't work I'd suggest you google the concept.
720P video on a 1080P screen will not be clearer (nor will 480P, the resolution many HD tv programs still run at and the default setting for Netflix). The video player is interlacing and upscaling the video by filling in the unused pixels. It is not clearer unless as I have said twice, you are running a 1080P video on a 1080P screen.
Maybe all the video files you are watching are 10 or 11GB mp4 or mkv 1080P rips from bluray. If that is the case then yes, it will look sharper on a higher resolution screen that does not require software interpolation to fill unused areas.
I'd be willing to bet that if I put two screens side by side and ran an identical video and hid which tablet was which (one at 720p and one at 1080P) you would be hard pressed to determine which is which.
I have buddy's that swear their 1080P tv's are clearer with an HD cable box than they are with a 720P tv. Again, a misnomer. HD cable boxes (at least in Canada) run exclusively at 480P and 720P. There is no cable service in Canada that runs native 1080P. You pretty much need to run a bluray or 4k content to get that resolution "native".
The only place where this may vary is if you are using a tv with a crappy encoding interlacing/deinterlacing engine or an abysmally poor screen. A good 1080P screen vs. a terrible quality 720P screen may actually look better with 720P content because the tv is doing a better job at conversion.
On 8" tablets, it is moot. The pixels are so small to begin with (and most of the screens are made by one of 3 companies) that screen quality will not come into play.
I got my G Tab 8.3 on Friday for 200 British pounds. The tablet had the widely common 7 light bleed so I informed amazon and they sent me a replacement.
On Saturday I received the replacement, which unfortunately also had the light bleeding issue so I started to think if I should ask them for another replacement, ask LG to fix it or simply return it.
Today, Sunday I decided to return both LG G Pads and I bought the Galaxy Tab 3 8" for 130 British pounds.
As everyone knows the Galaxy Tab 3 8" has less resolution, worst cpu, worst gpu and less ram. But the screen is still pretty good, the speakers are better and the performance is still very good even with games like Asphalt 8.
In my opinion and considering that the light bleeding issue on the G Pad 8.3 is the common thing, I would suggest to go for the Galaxy Tab 3 8" if the price difference between both products is big (like it was in my case).
The Galaxy Tab 3 8" is worst, that's true. But it still performs pretty well and it doesn't have manufacture issues.
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Nexus 7 v2 hands down
N7v2 is the thing. If you are a technical person, do yourself a favor and read http anandtech.com/show/7231/the-nexus-7-2013-review (not just the summary - soldier on through the whole thing, it is interesting read). - UPDATE I cannot post urls, so had to mangle it
If you are not a geek. First thing first. Disclosure: I work for google (although not android core). With that out of the way, I've handled fair number of devices and feel comfortable sharing my experiences.
Tablets: I own lg gpad 8.3 proper (v500, not the gpe). It feels cheaply made - bill of materials... is not nice. Software is even worse: jerky, slow, and has a ton of crap(ware) that neither I nor you will ever need, yet there is no way to remove it. Sigh. gpad spec-sheet looks ok but as OEM LG managed to drive that device into ground. I hang around here mostly to see if it possible to run gpe software on it, but no dice so far, and even if they manage to do it - the update story is less than clear. I also own n7v2.
Samsung: do not touch(wiz). I do not own latest galaxy tab, but had previous models - forced myself to use it for about 2 weeks and gave it away to extended family. Could not stand touchwiz, slow, crapware - the usual complaints. I had Nexus 10 - nicely made device, but priced a bit too steep for my taste. On the phone front I owned nexus s, galaxy nexus, and galaxy s4 gpe from samsung. Passable experience but still not as smooth and fast as even nexus4, let alone nexus5. For the life of me I do not get why anyone would pay almost twice as much and have a worse experience than nexus5. General takeaway: samsung highest end products are fairly competent, but waaaay overpriced and perform oftentimes worse than competitors. Anything below highest end - do not bother.
N7v2 has the best BOM (bill of materials), touch latency and color reproduction. It is smooth, it is lean. The only real competitor to n7v2 out there [in my mind] is tegra note or tegra pad - whatever it is named now - it is EVGA made device and it gives n7 run for its money. The rest is... [to paraphrase coworker] suboptimal.
That said, if you absolutely must have 8" - go with gpad gpe. I generally do not recommend samsung products to friends and family (for full price). If you get it for third of the price - like I said, their highest end is competent. But I personally recommend GPe devices on play store - no extra crap, smooth-er experience than OEM versions, but unless you have specific requirements - get a nexus. Also read up on tegra pad - it is a bit different device but worth mentioning.
Cheers, -e
ebelin said:
N7v2 is the thing. If you are a technical person, do yourself a favor and read http anandtech.com/show/7231/the-nexus-7-2013-review (not just the summary - soldier on through the whole thing, it is interesting read). - UPDATE I cannot post urls, so had to mangle it
If you are not a geek. First thing first. Disclosure: I work for google (although not android core). With that out of the way, I've handled fair number of devices and feel comfortable sharing my experiences.
Tablets: I own lg gpad 8.3 proper (v500, not the gpe). It feels cheaply made - bill of materials... is not nice. Software is even worse: jerky, slow, and has a ton of crap(ware) that neither I nor you will ever need, yet there is no way to remove it. Sigh. gpad spec-sheet looks ok but as OEM LG managed to drive that device into ground. I hang around here mostly to see if it possible to run gpe software on it, but no dice so far, and even if they manage to do it - the update story is less than clear. I also own n7v2.
Samsung: do not touch(wiz). I do not own latest galaxy tab, but had previous models - forced myself to use it for about 2 weeks and gave it away to extended family. Could not stand touchwiz, slow, crapware - the usual complaints. I had Nexus 10 - nicely made device, but priced a bit too steep for my taste. On the phone front I owned nexus s, galaxy nexus, and galaxy s4 gpe from samsung. Passable experience but still not as smooth and fast as even nexus4, let alone nexus5. For the life of me I do not get why anyone would pay almost twice as much and have a worse experience than nexus5. General takeaway: samsung highest end products are fairly competent, but waaaay overpriced and perform oftentimes worse than competitors. Anything below highest end - do not bother.
N7v2 has the best BOM (bill of materials), touch latency and color reproduction. It is smooth, it is lean. The only real competitor to n7v2 out there [in my mind] is tegra note or tegra pad - whatever it is named now - it is EVGA made device and it gives n7 run for its money. The rest is... [to paraphrase coworker] suboptimal.
That said, if you absolutely must have 8" - go with gpad gpe. I generally do not recommend samsung products to friends and family (for full price). If you get it for third of the price - like I said, their highest end is competent. But I personally recommend GPe devices on play store - no extra crap, smooth-er experience than OEM versions, but unless you have specific requirements - get a nexus. Also read up on tegra pad - it is a bit different device but worth mentioning.
Cheers, -e
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Except no Micro SD, no IR Blaster on the N7. I owned both the 2012 and the latest iteration as well. Without a doubt the best 7" tablet out. Samsung's 7" models have always been sub par (except the Tab 7.0+ which was actually pretty decent for when it was out).
The thing is, comparing an 8" and a 7" tablet is kind of pointless. They are different size brackets. It's like comparing a compact car to a mid sized sedan. The extra inch of real estate (and narrow bezels on the Samsung and LG 8" tablets) makes for quite a difference in usage.
The G Pad feels cheaply made? I thought you owned one... The aluminum back makes it the most premium Android tablet to date and is very similar in quality to the IPad Mini. The Nexus 7 does not even come close in build quality. Seeing as the G Pad is selling for $250 currently, it is definitely a better deal if you were to compare them directly.
Screen, I have to say I agree with you there. The LG picture is excellent, great color saturation but it's far too dim for my taste while the N7v2 is incredibly bright.
Also software on the LG, most of the junk can be disabled or uninstalled outright. I was quite surprised/pleased by how much I could turn off. I currently have around 1.15 GB of free RAM at any given time.
Going back to my prior comment about size though. Once you go to an 8" tablet, personally I could never go back to a 7". It's just too small for web browsing. Reading and video playback is fine but the extra real estate makes a big difference elsewhere.
There is a reason Apple has sold millions of 7.9" Mini's and that every other manufacturer has jumped on the 8" form factor- it is the sweet spot for tablets. There is an 8" Nexus pending as well.
Seriously, what the hell? Cheaply made feel? Your out of your mind. The Gpad' body is premium buddy. The 600 processor is fast as hell. The ips display is beautiful. The reason you don't see that many roms is because stock and xposed is down right amazing.

[Q] Tablet for Steam in-home streaming etc?

I'm after a Windows tablet for in home streaming. Other uses will include Hearthstone and a spot of watching movies etc. Budget can go up to £200 I guess.
I'm currently looking at a few Chinese tablets, such as the Onda V891W, Onda V975W or even an Onda V919.
My desktop res is 2560x1440, with that in mind should I go for a 1920x1080 tablet or just go for these crazy 2048*1536 9.7 inch tablets?

Netflix HD and more on Mediapad M3

Hello. I am very interested in this tablet and I want to know if there is anybody using it with Netflix and if Netflix is streaming in HD or fullHD. I have the middle plan that allows for HD and fullHD when possible. I did not find an answer anywhere in the forums. It could help other people interested in it. I am also interested if anyone ran this app and checked for Widevine level there https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.androidfung.drminfo. This is showing beyond any doubt what is supports. It should have Widevine level 1 there to have Netflix and other streaming apps run in HD or more.
Edit: I asked on Softpedia forum and I found the answer. It has Widevine L3, it is not certified for HD or bigger quality streaming. The screenshot does not belong to me.
I have a plan that allows for HD and UHD and I have no problems with Netflix in this tablet. It works great.
You probably do not see that it is not HD. I already ordered one. It is not that easy to see it is not HD on a tablet, but it is ok. I am not bothered by this.
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That's my screenshot )
Check this review:
http://www.trustedreviews.com/huawei-mediapad-m3-review
"HD videos, either streamed through Netflix or running off a microSD card, also play without issues."
Hello @30adi, we meet again :laugh: I will read you review, I do not pay much attention to those websites, the reviews are not always that detailed, but I trust you
It is not my review, i just found it on the internet. I do not use Netflix to check if it's working properly.
I am pretty sure Netflix won't work in HD or more. That review is just like the others (regarding the video part), we all know that today a tablet should play HD/fullHD or even 4K videos without issues. I will run the video tests from Antutu as soon as I get the tablet. Streaming from Netflix/Amazon Prime/HBO Go is different than streaming an unprotected video file.
https://www.netflix.com/title/70297469
If you want to find out the Netflix bitrate and resolution supported on your device, play this video for a few minutes. The bitrate and resolution should be displayed in upper right. Note that for HD playback, Netflix also requires device certification. They have a list of Android devices that they support:
https://help.netflix.com/en/node/23939
It's pretty arrogant for a company to make it so difficult to access HD content from Android. I wouldn't give them my money.
HD video restricted at Level 3
Hi, just upgraded my tablet to Huawei M3 (from Nexus 7 2013). The hardware and resolution is quite high-end but I can't stream Netflix in HD! This link explains why:
https://www.xda-developers.com/android-netflix-hd-amazon-prime-video-hd-drm/amp/
I've been streaming Netflix HD for years with the Nexus 7 and when I run the app 'DRM Info' on my old Nexus it confirms it supports Level 1 Widevine DRM and thus provides genuine HD playback.
However, Netflix on the new Huawei M3 is restricted at 480p and the picture quality is very poor compared to the Nexus 7. DRM Info app confirms it is restricted to L3 Widevine and there appears to be no workaround until Huawei provide a firmware update. Unless anyone knows any workaround? DRM Info screenshots are at foot of post.
Other video content like BBC iPlayer HD is also restricted and someone also mentioned Amazon HD is also restricted.
I'm not keen on Apple or Samsung and try to support other manufacturers but it's really disappointing that 5 years after I bought my Nexus 7 my new M3 tablet is held back by Huawei.
There is also feedback on forums that the brand new Huawei M5 is also restricted in the same way, so that route is closed as well.
I'm still within the return period so I'm going to return it and really have to do my homework before I buy another tablet. Any ideas would be gratefully received ? Approx £300 budget.
@DougMacp: I do not know why you say resolution is restricted at 480p. I get a sub 720p resolution (960x540) and it looks good enough. Unfortunately there is no 7 or 8 inches tablet with DRM level 1 under 300 GBP, unless you are ok with an old device like Galaxy Tab S2.
Sub HD streaming
Thanks for reply. You seem to be right - tough getting hold of a non-samsung,non-apple 8 inch tab with L1 widevine. I don't see why I should be paying Netflix for HD and getting a low resolution that was common 15 years ago so I'll return the M3 and stay with the Nexus 7 for now.
The Mediapad M5 recently got L1 via OTA update, there's still hope
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@npg500: really? Have someone with a Mediapad M5 (the 8 inches version) save a printscreen of DRM Info app.
tmihai20 said:
@npg500: really? Have someone with a Mediapad M5 (the 8 inches version) save a printscreen of DRM Info app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It seems to be the M5 10.8 inch...
German thread: https://www.android-hilfe.de/forum/...kein-hd-streaming-moeglich.870606-page-3.html
@npg500: I read in the M5 thread that there are just promises for now. I highly doubt that ME would get Widevine L1 through an OTA update. Only M5 would, in my opinion.
Edit: M5 10 inches version did get the DRM update via OTA. It was confirmed on XDA too https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=76357800&postcount=165. Nice one. I did not find this thread before.
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Firmware B307 (June 18) still not better than L3
Gesendet von meinem BTV-W09 mit Tapatalk
Yes, it looks like Widevine level did not change (WiFi only version).
It looks like Mediapad M5 8.4 (WiFi only) is in the list of HD streaming devices (https://help.netflix.com/en/node/23939). I do not understand why the WiFi only version is there and not the LTE. Also, the LTE version for the 10 inches M5 is in the list too (not the WiFi only version). Really poor decisions by Huawei.
after sending several mails to the Huawei support I got feedback today from the development team that an OTA Update is currently work-in-progress to bring the L1 certification to the Mediapad M3 Lite soon
@dada124: that would be next to awesome, but Mediapad M3 also needs it. Such a big and good screen is not used at its full potential. I may even give up on watching Netflix on the TV (TV Netflix app was not updated at all, it is missing subtitles) or even on the hacked TV box.

Raspberry pi 4 vs Nvidia Shield Pro

Hey guys,
I have a doubt, I had a raspeberry pi 2 that broke down, just used it as a multimedia box (kodi and some addons).
at this point I wanted to replace the RP but I was unsure, I will just use it for the same, is it worth investing in the Raspberry Pi 4 or is it preferable to buy an Nvidia Shield Pro?
Thanks
Specifically as a media player, I would search for a used ShieldTV, any flat version (not the cylinder) for ~$100 or so.
I have used Kodi and Steam/GameStream on both rpi4 as well as the 2017 ShieldTV and much prefer the Shield TV for this purpose. The rpi4 just doesn't have the same 'oomph' with 4k videos and game streaming that the older ShieldTV has.
I'm told the 'tube' ShieldTV isn't bad, but isn't as good as any of the flat models, even the oldest 2015 model can outperform the tube, so try to find an old cheaper model.
See
https://www.reddit.com/r/AndroidTV/comments/e43rtt
for comparison to help guide you.

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