Review – MP-G7 (Android TV) from AMEX DIGITAL
Today we have a review of a new product from AMEX Digital. It’s called the MP-G7 and it’s an Android media player soon to be available on the market. Will the AMEX product be able to keep up with the ever-growing android market? Find out below.
Introduction & Design
The MP-G7 Media Gate is running a custom version of Android 2.3 and is based on a dual core ARM Cortex CPU clocked at 1GHz with Full HD video processing and support for most common file formats be it video or sound. It also features integrated Wi-Fi (b, g and n), SD card reader, IR remote and also an unusual 2.5inch hard disk bay. On the back of the MP-G7 there is a host of connections including an optical digital audio out, HDMI v1.3a port (1080P), LAN, 2x USB and an optional digital TV tuner connection all in a neat, tidy package. Unfortunately there is no S-Video/Scart or VGA connection so you are limited to the type of TV you use. Our sample also came with a UK power supply.
As stated above the MP-G7 runs a version of Android 2.3 customized to run with the IR remote which is supplied with the device. Our sample came pre-set up in Chinese and with a few preloaded apps. I guess that AMEX checked the device was functioning before sending it to me and forgot to factory restore it. I connected up a USB mouse and managed to factory restore the device and it gave me a welcome screen which allowed me to choose my language, set up my Wi-Fi and also connect to my Google Account.
Unfortunately the MP-G7 does not come with a basic user guide so you may find it a little difficult to navigate the system unless you already have some familiarity with Android.
I did come across a few problems and one of them was a seriously outdated Android Market app; this means you could only find one or two apps which were actually worth downloading. It was great to see the official Market app on such a cheap device as most devices around the £150-£200 price range do not come with the official Market app but an alternative which is usually of a sub-standard quality with sub-standard apps.
I contacted AMEX and within a few days I had a reply and it also included a flash upgrade which gave me a later Market which allowed me to download known apps and also update the currently installed one. But there were still a few problems with the newer version. One of them was the apps were priced in $ and also I was having problems with apps updating (not downloading). So I sent my feedback to AMEX and again within a couple of days they sent me a new flash file with the latest Market which works so much better and I now get access to all the latest apps, movies and books.
Because the device works with various screen resolutions there is a tendency for apps to look fuzzy and stretched so you’ll have to do a bit of searching for compatible apps. A few that worked really well at 720p were: Angry Birds, Fruit Ninja and Jango Radio and all using a standard USB mouse. The device also comes preloaded with Adobe Flash Player 10 although the supplied version did not work with some apps but the new Market gave me the option to upgrade to version 11 which did work very well.
Use
Games
Our device arrived pre loaded with a copy of Fruit Ninja and Angry Birds both worked though very well (even at 720p!). With the new Market you have the option to download a wealth of new games to play using a USB mouse and keyboard although some games appear fuzzy/stretched and also sometimes the controls can be awful. This is of course because the game has not yet been developed for the device and not the hardware’s fault (keep an eye out for tablet developed games as they are more likely to work).
The MP-G7 supports various sound formats including MP3, WMA, WAV, AMR, ACC and many more. Dolby TrueHD is also available upon request. The integrated music app worked very well. I plugged in an SD card with a few albums and it picked them up instantly and allowed me to navigate through them and play the songs I wanted.
I also tried one or two internet radio apps, the most impressive being Jango. Jango is a streaming radio service that provides user customized music feeds. We found the app worked very well with nice sound reproduction over our 5.1 speaker system and with none of the annoying adds you now get so regularly with other services like Spotify.
Video
Video on the MP-G7 looked brilliant! The device supports a host of formats including MKV, MKV2TS, H.264, VC-1, AVS, RMVB, MPEG-1/2/4, DivX 4/5/6 and more. We tested a few videos and the one which I think really stood out was the free film Sintel which we downloaded in 1080P and stuck on a standard SD Card. The film looked sharp and full of colour and sounded good and the SD coped really well with no loss of frames. You have the option for subtitles (if you video supports them) as well as aspect ratio settings and a video resume option in case you wish to come back to the video later.
Conclusion
The MP-G7 is one impressive device boasting a wealth of features (thanks to the Android OS) including the official Android Market with access to thousands of apps and an impressive codec pack with almost any file format supported with the right app installed (there is even a fully fledged office suite free on the Android Market for those wanting to use this as a computer alternative). Another thing which this device has that others do not is continuous support and updates for it by AMEX. Since receiving the MP-G7 we have flashed 3 updates (all developed over the last few months) which shows that the company really are passionate about their new device and are striving to make it the best device on the market. With Android 4.0 (ICS) on its way to the MP-G7 in the next few months as well as DVB-T the question is can this Android TV keep up with the competition? I personally believe it can.
The company obviously wants to push this product and that is evident with the amount of support they have given us and the quick turnaround time to fix our problems; their customer service and tech support was exceptional, especially with the production of new updates for their device.
Well done AMEX!
Introduction & Design
The MP-G7 Media Gate is running a custom version of Android 2.3 and is based on a dual core ARM Cortex CPU clocked at 1GHz with Full HD video processing and support for most common file formats be it video or sound. It also features integrated Wi-Fi (b, g and n), SD card reader, IR remote and also an unusual 2.5inch hard disk bay. On the back of the MP-G7 there is a host of connections including an optical digital audio out, HDMI v1.3a port (1080P), LAN, 2x USB and an optional digital TV tuner connection all in a neat, tidy package. Unfortunately there is no S-Video/Scart or VGA connection so you are limited to the type of TV you use. Our sample also came with a UK power supply.
As stated above the MP-G7 runs a version of Android 2.3 customized to run with the IR remote which is supplied with the device. Our sample came pre-set up in Chinese and with a few preloaded apps. I guess that AMEX checked the device was functioning before sending it to me and forgot to factory restore it. I connected up a USB mouse and managed to factory restore the device and it gave me a welcome screen which allowed me to choose my language, set up my Wi-Fi and also connect to my Google Account.
Unfortunately the MP-G7 does not come with a basic user guide so you may find it a little difficult to navigate the system unless you already have some familiarity with Android.
I did come across a few problems and one of them was a seriously outdated Android Market app; this means you could only find one or two apps which were actually worth downloading. It was great to see the official Market app on such a cheap device as most devices around the £150-£200 price range do not come with the official Market app but an alternative which is usually of a sub-standard quality with sub-standard apps.
I contacted AMEX and within a few days I had a reply and it also included a flash upgrade which gave me a later Market which allowed me to download known apps and also update the currently installed one. But there were still a few problems with the newer version. One of them was the apps were priced in $ and also I was having problems with apps updating (not downloading). So I sent my feedback to AMEX and again within a couple of days they sent me a new flash file with the latest Market which works so much better and I now get access to all the latest apps, movies and books.
Because the device works with various screen resolutions there is a tendency for apps to look fuzzy and stretched so you’ll have to do a bit of searching for compatible apps. A few that worked really well at 720p were: Angry Birds, Fruit Ninja and Jango Radio and all using a standard USB mouse. The device also comes preloaded with Adobe Flash Player 10 although the supplied version did not work with some apps but the new Market gave me the option to upgrade to version 11 which did work very well.
Use
Games
Our device arrived pre loaded with a copy of Fruit Ninja and Angry Birds both worked though very well (even at 720p!). With the new Market you have the option to download a wealth of new games to play using a USB mouse and keyboard although some games appear fuzzy/stretched and also sometimes the controls can be awful. This is of course because the game has not yet been developed for the device and not the hardware’s fault (keep an eye out for tablet developed games as they are more likely to work).
The MP-G7 supports various sound formats including MP3, WMA, WAV, AMR, ACC and many more. Dolby TrueHD is also available upon request. The integrated music app worked very well. I plugged in an SD card with a few albums and it picked them up instantly and allowed me to navigate through them and play the songs I wanted.
I also tried one or two internet radio apps, the most impressive being Jango. Jango is a streaming radio service that provides user customized music feeds. We found the app worked very well with nice sound reproduction over our 5.1 speaker system and with none of the annoying adds you now get so regularly with other services like Spotify.
Video
Video on the MP-G7 looked brilliant! The device supports a host of formats including MKV, MKV2TS, H.264, VC-1, AVS, RMVB, MPEG-1/2/4, DivX 4/5/6 and more. We tested a few videos and the one which I think really stood out was the free film Sintel which we downloaded in 1080P and stuck on a standard SD Card. The film looked sharp and full of colour and sounded good and the SD coped really well with no loss of frames. You have the option for subtitles (if you video supports them) as well as aspect ratio settings and a video resume option in case you wish to come back to the video later.
Conclusion
The MP-G7 is one impressive device boasting a wealth of features (thanks to the Android OS) including the official Android Market with access to thousands of apps and an impressive codec pack with almost any file format supported with the right app installed (there is even a fully fledged office suite free on the Android Market for those wanting to use this as a computer alternative). Another thing which this device has that others do not is continuous support and updates for it by AMEX. Since receiving the MP-G7 we have flashed 3 updates (all developed over the last few months) which shows that the company really are passionate about their new device and are striving to make it the best device on the market. With Android 4.0 (ICS) on its way to the MP-G7 in the next few months as well as DVB-T the question is can this Android TV keep up with the competition? I personally believe it can.
The company obviously wants to push this product and that is evident with the amount of support they have given us and the quick turnaround time to fix our problems; their customer service and tech support was exceptional, especially with the production of new updates for their device.
Well done AMEX!
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