Xiaomi Mi TV 2 - Setup and English UI Interface (firmware ver. 1.1.92)

Happy New Year 2016 all! (this post is a bit overdue as I was sharing these tips in the Xiaomi MIUI forum first)


I had recently purchased a Mi TV 2 55" with soundbar and sub-woofer from an ecommerce site during Christmas and it was delivered just a few days ago .

The first thing I had wanted to go was obviously to change the User Interface from Chinese to English Language. There were a few threads on this forum giving suggestions as well as on YouTube.

When the TV arrived, it came with firmware version 1.1.70 (Stable) and thanks to Alex's thread and video, I was able to use "XH Home for TV" to access the settings and change the language. (Thanks to @Alexfenix: http://en.miui.com/thread-117856-1-1.html).

Even with the tips available and not being able to read or understand Chinese, I found myself having to trial and error with the options available till I found the right one . Hence I decided to produce a step-by-step video guide.

So to produce the video, I decided to do a Factory Reset, however unknown to me the TV had automatically updated it's firmware to version 1.1.92 (Stable). After the reset, I found that I was NO LONGER ABLE TO INSTALL "XH Home for TV". I started to panic and tried & error again as there was no tips or video regarding 1.1.92.

I FOUND A WAY , and it is using "Shafa Market" & "Shafa TV Launcher".

Below is a step-by-step video of what I did and I hope it helps you guys feel more comfortable about this TV and it's interface.

A short video of when;

• the Mi TV 2 is first started up,
• connecting to WiFi,
• sound bar & sub-woofer, and
• the sound test & Dolby surround demo.

A short video of the Mi TV 2 and the app, CloudTV which I used to watch live television channels streamed online.

Philips Driving Camera CVR300 - Finally the one

Our first purchase of a car camera was a horrible failure. So for our second purchase we decided to go for a more reputable brand.

On 5th April, we saw walking at Ikano Power Centre (IPC) and Popular Bookstore was having a Fair on the ground floor, and we saw one of their concessionaire called Ascom. They were selling projectors, storage devices and car camcorders. They had three models available;

• CVR700 (RM499) - has a built in GPS logger
• CVR300 (RM399) - has a rotatable camera
• CVR200 (RM369)

My first instinct was to check the prices online, and I had the Lazada mobile app installed. From my previous posting you’ll noticed I’d made numerous purchases online as it was more economical, but this time I was shocked.

Lessons here:

• Not everything sold online is cheaper from physical stores.
• Don’t believe the claims of so called ‘discounts’ - do more survey & comparison.

Hence our second purchase of a car camcorder is the Philips Car Driving Recorder CVR300 for RM399.00. On top of already great price, we gotten 3 x RM10 book vouchers from Popular (there was an ongoing promotion for every RM120 spent, a RM10 voucher will be given).

Here are the videos of the Unboxing, and Usage experience;

[Updated, 20 April 2015] Here are some sample videos that have been uploaded unto YouTube.

The videos were not edited in anyway prior to uploading to YouTube. The camera was set to record at Full HD 1920x1080 30fps 16:9. Time stamp enabled. Audio disabled.
 
If you wish to view the original video files, please click here.

Here is the list of the Philips Car Driving Camera model CVR300 detail specifications;

Video Quality
Resolution

• Full HD(1920x1080p) at 30 fps
• HD (1280 x 720p) at 60 fps

Formats

• AAC Audio compression
• H.264 video compression
• MP4 files format

Photo Resolution

• 5MP

Camera
Picture resolution: 12/8/5/3MP

Lens & Sensor
Lens: 4G Wide Angle
Sensor: 1:3.2 inch, 5MP CMOS
File format: MP4
Video format: H.264 video compression, AAC Audio compression

Recorder features
Video loop recording: 3/5/10 min
Motion Detect function
Record auto start at power on
Auto save at power off
Microphone mute in recording
Date stamp

Lens & Sensor
Lens: 4G Wide Angle
Sensor: 1:3.2 inch, 5MP CMOS
File format: MP4
Video format: H.264 video compression, AAC Audio compression

Display
Resolution: 480(RGB) x 240
Auto screen switch off: off/1/3/5min
LCD size: 2"

Digital Storage
Recording Media: Micro SD card (class 6 or higher, up to 32GB)

Connectivity
USB: Mini-USB port
HDMI: 1080i/720p
Microphone: Stereo directional microphone
Speaker: Built-in

Battery & Power
Charge Time: 10min
Power supply: 5.5V DC
Backup battery: Built-in 300mAh lithium battery
Life: 2 Min for last capture backup

Dimensions
Product dimensions (WxDxH): 50 x 25.5 x 100 mm
Product weight (g): 55.5 g

Accessories included
User Manual

• Simplified Chinese
• Traditional Chinese

Suction cup mount
USB cable
Car Charger: 12V Power adapter with 2.5m long cable

Xiaomi Yi Action Camera - My Very First Action Cam.

Capturing memories, I have an entry-level Sony camcorder and a compact camera from Samsung (W250F), and most of the time I take photos and videos with my Xioami Redmi Note 3G phone. So I normally wonder how people can spend hundreds to thousand of ringgit to buy something that small - I am referring to Action Cameras.

I must admit that I have no experience with these type of cameras, and since the prices of these gadgets are deemed high (to me), I did not explore or research further. However on 2 March 2015, Xiaomi launched an action camera called 'Xiaomi Yi Action Camera' that cost only RMB 399 (converted to approximately MYR 233.96) - that caught my attention!

I thought it was within my price range but alas it was only available in China and knowing from history how long it takes for Xiaomi to launch new products in Malaysia, I was left dishearten again. On 26 March 2015 I saw the camera on my usual online shopping site, Lazada and it was priced at RM 349.00 and after applying a discount code for 10% off, I secured the item at RM 314.10. The item was 'Sold & Fulfilled by Lazada' and it came with '1 Year Supplier Warranty'.

Since this was my very first action camera, I was very excited! & I was going to make sure I studied it properly and find out how to maximize the my enjoyment using it. Below are the videos of my review of the Xiaomi Yi Action Camera and also the accompanying App.

Xiaomi Yi Action Camera (JAT Part 1: Unboxing)

Xiaomi Yi Action Camera (JAT Part 2: Functions & Usage)

Xiaomi Yi Action Camera (JAT Part 3: App Connection & Settings)

Xiaomi Yi Action Camera (JAT Part 4: Maximizing The Experience)

And here is a playlist of videos captured from the camera;

• The first five videos are captured during the night time driving around residential roads to highways. Some videos have 'Lens Rectification' enabled.
• There are two videos during the morning and one in the afternoon. 'Lens Rectification' enabled.
• Two videos driving during the evening, and one is of them was in the rain.

 

Below are some sample photographs taken indoors and outdoors (click to enlarge);

A view overlooking a car park - taken during high noon

A view overlooking a car park - taken during high noon

On the roof of an industrial lot.

The indoor open area of Sunway Pyramid

Visual Effect

The car park of Citta Mall, Ara Damansara

Lens Rectification ENABLED

Lens Rectification DISABLED - default

Citrus Zinger Bottle (2.0)

During a walkabout after dinner I spotted that a local supermarket, Aeon (www.aeonmalaysia.com.my) has started selling bottles similar to the Citrus Zinger Bottle. There were two sizes available, 428ml which cost RM29.90 and another larger one, 628ml which cost RM39.90.

Mine was cheaper, 28 OZ (approx 828ML) for RM14.55 (find out how I got the best deal here). I looked around the bottle sold at Aeon and I could not find any information on where the bottles were made. Mine had imprints at the base of the bottle;

Citrus Zinger 28 oz. www.zinganything.com. 

Patent Pending - BPA and EA free - Made In Taiwan

Tips to improving the bottle (D.I.Y. style)
After using the bottle for some time now, I am quite satisfied with it and the added lemon flavour to my drinking water.

Then a friend suggested that after each drink of the lemon water, I should rinse my mouth with plain water. This was because the lemon can corrode my teeth (she claimed). Since I am not a doctor nor a dentist, I did the only logical thing - Google for the information. There were some articles and write-ups but nothing definitive.

I thought it was too much hassle to drink lemon water and then plain water each time. So what choice do I have now?

One option to reduce the effect is to drink through a STRAW.
Prior to my online purchase, I had seen citrus zinger bottles with straws fixed unto the top cap. I felt it was not necessary, and the fixed straw will obstruct me if I choose to drink from the unscrewed cap. 

Remember my walkabout earlier? well knew of a brand of bottle supplier called 'Bros' (www.bros.com.my) that sell a wide range of plastic drinking bottles that comes with colourful designs, various sizes and accessories. The best thing of that brand was they also sell replacement parts.

I found one pack of replacement straws for their 550ml and 750ml bottles which only cost RM7.90.

The Outcome
The Bros straws was the appropriate length for my bottle but due to the juicing apparatus, the straw could not go all the way down & was protruding on the top. No worries, the top portion is made of rubber which is bendable. Alternatively, you can snip/cut off the excess.

Another plus point is if I do not wish to use the straw anyone; since it is not fixed to the cap, I could just take it out, wash it and store it (for use at another time).

All in all another satisfied purchase and enhanced experience.

What other ways can you think of improving your experience? feel free to share in the comments below.

JAT’s Trick to getting the Best On-line Deals

In my first few posting I mentioned about items that I had purchased online (Bayers Dual Stage Slow Juicer and Citrus Zinger Bottle). In the past, when I was looking for stuff and appliances, I will go from one (physical) shop to another to compare prices, quality and have a feel of the product. The only things I was comfortable purchasing online were plane tickets and hotel reservations.

These days, I have grown accustom to purchasing various items online. There are so many online purchasing sites, deals, and (so called) group/bulk purchases. To name a few that I frequent;

• Groupon (www.groupon.my)
• Streetdeals (www.streetdeal.my)
• MyDeals (www.mydeal.com.my)
• Living Social (www.livingsocial.com)
• Lelong (www.lelong.com.my)
• Lazada (www.lazada.com.my)
• Qoo10 (www.qoo10.my)

Different sites offer different types of deals, some may focus on food, some on electronics and some are all-encompassing. Now with online purchases, one cannot physically check on the quality and have a feel of the product, however I still wish to make sure I get the ‘best’ deal.

Do I go from one online site to another to search and compare prices?
There is a trick that I use and it is an online site called bigsale.com.my. This site has a section called ‘Daily Deals’ that pulls information from numerous online sites (like the above) and consolidates them together to one single site.


If you are looking for something specific, you can enter your ‘Search’ name and then ‘Sort By’ price for example (click on the image to enlarge). Remember the slow juicer I purchased, I use this trick to search for it.

This trick allowed me to;

• Compare Prices of products matching the search.


• To see if the product is being sold on multiple online sites.


• If it is sold on multiple sites, is their ‘Value’ and ‘Savings’ the same? – this to be important (to me) because I have seen different sites selling the same product (identical brand & supplier) but their value and savings are different. This indirectly tells me that someone is lying.


• To find similar products but at a more economical cost.


• Compare other finer details like ‘delivery time’, ‘warranty periods’, and possible hidden charges/conditions (e.g. meal/food deals that only valid on non-public holidays – pay more (surcharge) if you wish to use it on public holidays).


• See how many OTHER people are comfortable buying that item or deal. It is not a hard-and-fast rule but my thought is if more people are purchasing it there is more likeliness I can find reviews about it online.

Once you're comfortable with the amount of information you have, click on that specific deal and it will direct you to the site offering it.

So there you have it. I hope this post has been helpful to you, and please feel free to share your thoughts on how you get the best deals online in the comments section below.