Do I need to upgrade my Q5 HiMedia box in order to run Kodi 17?

[uptown47]

Hi all,
In November 2015 I bought a HiMedia Q5 box and it has served me well.

As I'm sure you know, Kodi 17 is out now and I received a message telling me that I need to upgrade to the new Kodi.

I have read that my HiMedia Q5 can't run the new Kodi as it is running an older verison of Android (maybe someone here with more knowledge can confirm this??).

So I just wondered if someone could give me advice on the best way to proceed?

Am I better to sell my old box on ebay and then buy a brand new HiMedia box? (.. and, if I was to do this, would someone else be able to make use of my old box - I wouldn't want to sell a box that is basically useless as I don't want to inadvertently rip someone off)?

Or is there a way to scrub this box and install a new Android operating system on it and then install the new Kodi etc?

Or is the box basically a dead duck now that needs throwing away and I need to invest in a new box (if so... is there an equivalent to the Q5 that I can buy or you would recommend)?

Lots of questions, I know, but I would really appreciate some help and advice with this as I've tried Googling and searching and I'm getting contradicting information and it's all a bit of a muddle to me.

Thanks for any help you can give me.

:-)

[futeko.com]

[uptown47]

That's great. Thanks for the info.

I'm glad I can sell my old Q5 with a clear conscience and I'll look into a Q5 Pro.

Thanks again :-)

[uptown47]

Right, I've bought a Q5-Pro from you now. They are delayed shipping until after Easter but that's fine.

Hopefully it will give me a couple of years decent service like the last box I got from you.

Keep up the great work guys and I hope to continue to be a satisfied customer for many years to come.

There a couple of my mates who bought Q5's at the same time as me so I'll pass on your remarks about the Q5 Pro and they may choose to upgrade as well.

Cheers :-)

[Rob]

https://www.tech2guides.co.uk/how-to-install-kodi-17-on-android-below-5-0
Bit late I know but apparently a Kodi 17 version that works with Android 4.4.2 , seems new and not much tested yet though.

[uptown47]

Thanks Rob.

I've purchased a shiny new Q5 now but I'll direct whoever buys my old Q5 to that just in case they'd like to try it.

Thanks for the info :-)

[Loulou]

Hi,

I will never buy again a Himedia, expensive and no more update after 2 years. 

I prefer to buy other chinese brand with mali T820 3GB up to DDR4 for Half price. 

You can be sure that your shiny q5 Pro is not so new and a new one will be soon on sale with no more support for yours.

Greetings

[uptown47]

Each to their own Loulou. Sorry you've had a bad experience.

I've had a few good years out of my himedia and hopefully the same with this new one. 

[futeko.com]

Hi,

I will never buy again a Himedia, expensive and no more update after 2 years. 

I prefer to buy other chinese brand with mali T820 3GB up to DDR4 for Half price. 

You can be sure that your shiny q5 Pro is not so new and a new one will be soon on sale with no more support for yours.

Greetings

You can be sure the Chinese Mali-820 (Amlogic 912 I guess) box won't run half the apps you want, won't run Kodi properly, will last a year tops before stopping working, and will have no firmware support at all. Ever.

[newave]

[futeko.com]

The difference is the chipset used.

Q5 4K3D uses a HiSilicon Hi3798CV100 chipset from 2014. 4K30 max.

Q5 Pro uses a HiSilicon Hi3798CV200 chipset from 2016. UHD 4K60, HDR.

Firmware for Q5 Pro cannot be installed on Q5 4K3D.