Pre-release Update #1

[futeko.com]

Copied from the email we just sent to Q5/Q10 Pro mailing list subscribers.

For latest Q5/Q10 Pro info sign up to mailing list here: http://www.futeko.com/products/MP068.php

"
Q10 Pro samples have been in the hands of testers across the world for about 2 weeks. The good news is that the early firmware is excellent and close to everything works as expected.

HD-Audio, 4K60, 10bit colour, 192kHz audio, 3D-ISO, multi-channel LPCM are all working as expected. Auto-frame rate switching also works, and 23.976 playback is smooth.

Image quality surpasses expectations. The new HiSilicon ExpressEngine2 is an advance on the previous generation and image quality exceeds that of Q5/Q10 4K3D.

At launch there will be a wrapper solution for Kodi. This has the big advantage of enabling all chipset features for video launched from Kodi and allowing any version of Kodi to be used. There is work being done on integrating chipset features into Kodi, but this is unlikely to be available at launch.

More info is available on our updated Q10 Pro product page: http://www.futeko.com/products/MP068.php
Product launch is still scheduled for late March. Despite the firmware being advanced there is still work to be done on finalising hardware and getting full production up and running. We'll notify you via this list when we start taking pre-orders, it's likely to be ~ 3 weeks before launch.

We will continue to post updates on our site, forum, and via this list. The next update should contain photos of the final production product.
"

[hdmkv]

Nice summary.

Only comment I wanted to add is the bugs/issues uncovered so far should all be fixable. No real showstoppers .

[skank]

Very cool!
Keeping an eye close

[futeko.com]

Nice summary.

Only comment I wanted to add is the bugs/issues uncovered so far should all be fixable. No real showstoppers .

At this early stage it's looking great.

Still ~ 6 weeks until launch so I'm sure the small bugs you and others have identified will be ironed out.

[hdmkv]

Yep . This box has potential to beat even nVidia Shield for 4K performance . It's that good... just need some minor-ish annoying issues fixed (which, like I noted, should be fixable).

[Se7en]

Looking forward to a Q5 pro really liked my Q5 4k3d
May I ask will there be any chance of a Q5 pro with black casing??
And I don't mean a Q10 pro 

[jaes]

 +1 for black casing as well if possible

[Nice Monkey]

I hope SD-card support is a Full Size slot (for plug & play) and of the SDXC type? SDXC is far superior to SDHC not only for sizes above 32 GByte but above all regarding performance.

Good to know is whether a SAMBA Server function is included? The Dual Ethernet port is not mentioned anymore.

Persons who did the tests probably are able to fill these gaps.

[afss]

Hello, I have an Open Hour Chameleon (OHC) and would be looking to upgrade to the Q5 Pro if you could confirm it will be able to output 10bits at the HDMI interface (when using colorspace 4:4:4 or 4:2:2). Please, could you  confirm ?

The OHC can play 10bit files, but it downgrades to 8bits at the HDMI interface.

[futeko.com]

I hope SD-card support is a Full Size slot (for plug & play) and of the SDXC type? SDXC is far superior to SDHC not only for sizes above 32 GByte but above all regarding performance.

Good to know is whether a SAMBA Server function is included? The Dual Ethernet port is not mentioned anymore.

Persons who did the tests probably are able to fill these gaps.

SD Card is full sized.

Dual Ethernet is a feature of the chipset but Q10 Pro will only have one Ethernet port.

The other questions I'll have an answer tomorrow.

[futeko.com]

Hello, I have an Open Hour Chameleon (OHC) and would be looking to upgrade to the Q5 Pro if you could confirm it will be able to output 10bits at the HDMI interface (when using colorspace 4:4:4 or 4:2:2). Please, could you  confirm ?

The OHC can play 10bit files, but it downgrades to 8bits at the HDMI interface.

I'm fairly sure it outputs 10bit at the HDMI interface, but I'll get a definitive answer tomorrow from Himedia.

[afss]

Hello, I have an Open Hour Chameleon (OHC) and would be looking to upgrade to the Q5 Pro if you could confirm it will be able to output 10bits at the HDMI interface (when using colorspace 4:4:4 or 4:2:2). Please, could you  confirm ?

The OHC can play 10bit files, but it downgrades to 8bits at the HDMI interface.

I'm fairly sure it outputs 10bit at the HDMI interface, but I'll get a definitive answer tomorrow from Himedia.

Much appreciated !

[futeko.com]

I hope SD-card support is a Full Size slot (for plug & play) and of the SDXC type? SDXC is far superior to SDHC not only for sizes above 32 GByte but above all regarding performance.

Good to know is whether a SAMBA Server function is included? The Dual Ethernet port is not mentioned anymore.

Persons who did the tests probably are able to fill these gaps.

Samba server is included in firmware same as Q10 4K3D.

SDXC cards are not supported, just SDHC.

[Nice Monkey]

Samba server is included in firmware same as Q10 4K3D.

SDXC cards are not supported, just SDHC.

Thanks for asking! Good to hear Samba is included again.

I wonder why SDXC is a problem. Hisilicon Chipset limitation?  Lollpop has no problems with it for sure. It will get popular very fast now that most Smartphones support it and exFAT used on it by default will become the new universal File System exchange standard replacing the outdated FAT32. Lollipop supports exFAT by default too. It is not a limitation impose by Android.

Maybe Himedia/Hisilicon can dig into this a bit and reconsider support? For all aspects the Q10 Pro is really future proof but this looks like a missed element to me.
Both phones and cameras will be doing recordings on SDXC cards very quick, above all many cameras have full size easily swappable SDXC cards already.

I even foresee that specifically high-end SDXC cards with UHS-II specs will start to nibble on the SSD market fairly quick. Much easier to handle and almost identical regarding performance. It is amazing what these tiny things  (even micro)  can do. 

[LLChris]

Now that everyone's talking about how the Q10 Pro's image quality surpasses even highest expectations  I was wondering how the image quality is compared to non Android media devices. I have an outdated Popcorn Hour A-210 (no high bit audio decoding, stutters with high bit video) yet its Sigma VXP video engine post processor never ceases to amaze me. Its crisp and crystal clear image and truly authentic black more than once made guests question if I was bs'ing them and playing from original BD via high end AVR. So, compared to Sigma's VXP where does Hisilicon's ExpressXEngine range? If anyone had both and could help me out with some flowery comparisons.

Secondly it slightly worries me to not read anything about operating noise. The Q10's do have a small (thus loud?) fan after all.

Any information on these two things would be highly appreciated.

Best,
Chris