How easy is the Q5 to use?

[Blunderbussgonzo]

Greetings.  I hope this is the right section for my question, if this is not the right place apologises.

I have popped back to England to see my family and have decided to update my parents old blu ray player to a Q5, but I am wondering how user friendly it is for the non tech savvy? I was looking at a sumvision for its simple point and shoot ease of use, but it seems very outdated when compared to the Q5. The Q5 will be mainly used in combination with external hard drives to watch films, I would like to add a Logitech keyboard if that is possible?

I was reading about the firmware upgrading process having to reset the unit,  if the firmware was upgraded via the software updates does that make a massive difference, will apps and settings return to default or stay as they were?

Many thanks.

[futeko.com]

It's very easy to use if you just want to attach USB hard drives and watch films.

Q5 Pro boots to a home screen with icons, you choose the media center icon and it shows a list of attached storage. From there you would just navigate through the folders to what you want and press OK.

Using Kodi or other more sophisticated media management software is slightly more complicated but not extremely so. It just takes a bit of playing around to get used to how it works.

In terms of changing settings to get video and audio output as you'd want, it depends on what you're playing. For 1080p with the box attached to a normal stereo TV it will all work as supplied. For 4K and multi-channel audio you will have to set some settings (GUI settings via settings menu) to get output optimal for your hardware (i.e. setting the box to 5.1 channel sound if you have a 5.1 receiver).

After an OTA software update apps and software should stay as they were.

[Blunderbussgonzo]

Thank you so much for the detailed response.

It literally will be to play back 1080p media so I won't have to fiddle with the settings at all, and using the media centre sounds like it will be perfect for my parents to navigate to the hard drive media without getting lost.

I am going to order Logitech MK320, I assume the drivers will install once I plug the receiver into the Q5pro?

Sorry I don't know what OTA means,  as long as it can be done via the Q5pro box without having to use a flash drive and resetting the box I am certain I can explain where to go for updates in the settings menu.

Many thanks.

[futeko.com]

The Logitech will work first time you plug it in without drivers. Android (and Linux on which Android is based) is like that.

OTA just means the firmware is delivered 'over the air', or in this case via the internet. You'll get a pop up notification on the box saying 'here is a new firmwarem it does this, do you want to install it?'. It's very simple and if your parents have any doubt they can just say no and install at a later date.

[Blunderbussgonzo]

Thank again for answering everything,

I have one final question before I order the Q5pro. Will this recognise a JBOD? The JBOD will have 3Tb seagate drives in it?

Many thanks.

[futeko.com]

Thank again for answering everything,

I have one final question before I order the Q5pro. Will this recognise a JBOD? The JBOD will have 3Tb seagate drives in it?

Many thanks.

It depends what you mean by JBOD.

Q5 Pro will recognise multiple USB HDDs attached to a USB hub. It will also work fine with most USB SATA HDD docking stations.

Or do you mean something more complex than that?

[Blunderbussgonzo]

The JBOD I had in mind would be this one https://www.amazon.co.uk/ICY-BOX-IB-3640SU3-External-System/dp/B009DH5Q2S

If that is not compatible then I can use single hard drive enclosures.

Thank you.

[Nice Monkey]

The JBOD I had in mind would be this one https://www.amazon.co.uk/ICY-BOX-IB-3640SU3-External-System/dp/B009DH5Q2S

If that is not compatible then I can use single hard drive enclosures.

Thank you.

You need to be sure it supports GPT for HDD > 2TB. Use a similar box from Fantec QB35US36G  instead which for sure works. They have Full RAID versions (seen as 1 big HDD) and Plug&Play versions (seen as 4 individual drives). The only disadvantage of the Fantec is that it has a noisy fan (replaced it) despite including 3 fan speeds.

The RAID version can also be configured as JBOD (Just a Bunch Of Drives). JBOD is not Plug&Play as a rebuild is needed when changing any drive just like real RAID variants require. JBOD allows a mix of different HDD types and sizes though which is unadvisable/ineffective with RAID.

[Blunderbussgonzo]

Thank you for your reply. As my vacation is coming to an end soon waiting on deliveries is not a luxury I have, so I think I will stick with grabbing a set of 3 x 3TB external drives.

Thank you so much to everyone who has contributed on this thread.