Review of Prism+ E55 4K Smart TV

My decision to get this TV

I have seen this ad on my Facebook Feed for many weeks, and when my 5 years old 50" Sony TV finally was turning off by itself every few minutes, I decided that I seriously consider buying a new TV.

To be honest, I wanted to simply go to the store to get a TV as I needed to replace my TV, but this is a special period in Singapore. The Circuit Breaker where all the electronic stores like Harvey Norman, Best Denki, Courts, and Audio House are not open.

I went online and did my research and was planning to get another Sony TV as I had one remote control my PS3 and my TV before, but I could not really find one. Then comparing some 55" TV, I narrowed it down to a few brands -- Xiaomi, Samsung, Philips, LG, and Toshiba.

The various online sites seemed a little off the mark in terms of experience. Going to Lazada made me interested in yet another brand. TCL which seems to have a 55" at a decent price $699 and it has a useful feature of using the mobile phone as a remote. (like Xiaomi) Sadly, TCL TV was out of stock.

Looking at my other options, many of them say that the delivery time was 14 days. I did not really want to wait 14 days and decided to go to Shopee to search and somehow, the Shopee site was not stable and failed to load on various occasion and when it loaded, the cluttered page layout did not motivate me to even want to look at my options. I clicked on the Xiaomi TV which was in Singapore and the delivery date was in 25 days.

I checked the other online stores, and either their search function sucks, or they really did have not many options. Best Denki has TV sets for sale, but there is not much description available, and I don't even know how big the TV is. And finally, when I found the TV that was within my budget, I found that the delivery time was actually also about a week.

At this point, I decided to check and compare the various specifications of the TV and I did compare the Prism+ TV as well. Noting that some of the newer appliances did not really last as long as the older ones, I decided that 3 year warranty offered by Prism+, a relatively unknown brand was something that would give me some peace of mind.

I ordered the Prism+ TV on April 20, and the expected arrival date was in May - Late May. I was willing to wait and I just had to use my Mac Screen as a TV for the time being.

I was surprised as I got an email that my TV was coming, and it did arrive at my house about 2 weeks after I paid for it online.



Unboxing.

I bought the TV with a fixed stand, and the serviceman came and installed my TV quickly. There was no problem at all as I had many holes in my wall already and there were some that would fit the new mounts.

There was nothing special in the unboxing. I was disappointed to see styrofoam still used in the packaging. Looking at the whole TV and how it was brought out, it felt the same as my other TVs and I was not impressed by anything during the unboxing.


Specifications.
HDMI                       2
HDMI ARC             1
USB                          2
AV In                       1
Audio Out               1
VGA                        1

Functions: 
YouTube, Amazon, Netflix App
Can play most video formats, menu is not great but good enough to use and navigate.

Warranty:
3 years.


So again, there was not much that surprises me or impresses me, but at $599, I can't complain.




Review

After using my TV for a few days, trying out the various functions, here are some of my thoughts.


Pros: (Why I like this TV)

The pixels look pretty sharp and even with the sun shining into the house, I still had enough contrast to watch the TV. Image quality is amazing.

This is an IPS screen, so it has very good viewing angles. watching the TV from the side is also good enough. The color is vivid from all angles as you would expect from an IPS display.

There are built-in Netflix, YouTube, and Amazon buttons, so checking something on YouTube is quite easy. However, you run into the same problem as the other TVs which is the lack of a keyboard makes typing and searching hard. I added a wireless keyboard to the USB and this problem was solved.

The menus on the TV was quite intuitive. I could connect the WiFi without looking at the manual.

There is a ScreenCast Function which I can easily cast the screen of my PC to the TV. The display is good enough to display my UHD display as well.

I love that it has HDMI ARC connection. So when I connect the soundbar, I can use the TV Remote to control the volume.

It plays many different video formats, and I've even tried .mp4 .mkv and .avi files. It all works.

At only $599, I don't think any other IPS displays come close with all the SMART TV features.


Cons: (What can be better)

No Optical Port. My soundbar actually connects to the optical input and I cannot find one on the TV, so I have to use the HDMI ARC for the sound. Since there are only 3 HDMI outlets, one will be used for sound in this case.

The remote feels cheap and there is no quick screen resizing option on the remote.

The TV does not have much of a base in terms of sound, and this is solved by having a soundbar. The sound from this TV is decent. (This is expected as most TV do not have an impressive sound)

There are no apps to use my phone as a remote. (not really an issue here)

The black is not as "black" and you have to play with picture mode and contrast when watching at night. I watched some of my 4k Bluray and the AI for dynamic display was not smart enough, but with a few tweaks and turning on the HDR, you do get a pretty solid display for that price. Not perfect, but it can be tweaked. Tip: Turn off the backlight when watching at night.

This is a pre-order, so the uncertainty of when it is coming really tests your patience, especially when your TV is down.

Access to the ports behind the TV can be challenging. You need small hands and arms to put your HDMI from below the TV. So make sure all your HDMI cables are connected before you mount the TV.


Overall:

Would I recommend this TV?

For the price, I believe that this is hard to beat. I hope TV can last way after the warranty as I do like the image quality. If this lasts, I would definitely look out for more Prism+ products.




-- Robin Low

IP Man 4 Movie Review

IP Man 4 is your good old Kung Fu Porn. Story is built around some major fights which you can see from afar.

The storytelling method is very simple staightforward, following the death of Ip Man's wife, and Ip Man's son was not doing so well in school. The progression of the story was rather cliche, but the use of powerful moments of the little bits of information you get along the way is very well done.

So you end up with moments like this scene in previous Ip Man


Pacing of the story was quite well done. There are some story progression followed by fights every few minutes. I would say that many of these fights are not really that necessary, but as Kung Fu porn, hell, keep it coming...

From the trailers, you can already expect the various fights which you have seen. There are 2 major boss fights, one with the Karate Guy and the other with Scott Adkins. The build up of the fights and the choreography is well done, making the fight scenes very exciting.

The underlying theme seems very apt for today's climate -- racism. Well, there is little progress, but perhaps racism has became slightly better before Trump?

Well, overall, the movie has a very simple plot and action scenes are well done. Pacing is good and the fights are definitely worth the ticket price.

Plot and characters are pretty simply. You can tell the bad guy when you see them.

Just go watch it... ok?

-- Robin Low

Joker Movie Review

Joker is your standard villian in the DC universe, often seen battling Batman, and in this movie, it is a reboot of the villian in a different way. We use to see Joker as the man who fell into a vat of acid in the comics, but this movie adds a new twist.


And I like it.

"Joker" is set in Gotham, in an era, kinda like 1980's New York. Arthur Fleck, the main character in the movie is a disturbed man with a series of unfortunate incidents happening to him, transforming him into the Joker.

He starts off as a part-time clown, and gets beaten up to show the grim world where life is hard, unemployment is high and the city has no budgets for services. Yet there are Billionaires like the Wayne family living a a very different world.

The title Joker does not prepare you enough on how dark the movie is going to be. The whole movie has no humor and it is kinda depressing to watch Arthur getting into these situations.

Although this is a different story altogether, you still get to see Bruce Wayne and the death of his parents, which is pretty much expected. The twist of the movie blends in well with the problems we face today -- income inequality, and portrays it in a slightly manner.

It is indeed a bold movie, highlighting the plight of the villian as he becomes the joker, and a justification exercise on why the Joker ended up that way.

The pace of the movie was good. It did not feel preachy and there was not too much gore and violence. I did not feel that there was a high enough body count, but as most of the movie, it was just Arthur and not the Joker, it was ok.

I really enjoyed the movie, but I have to warn you. This movie is really depressing. It just gets worse. This is more like the beginnings of the Heath Ledger, and an interesting take indeed. 

If you are a batman fan, this movie is highly recommended.

-- Robin Low

Midvalley Southkey -- Does not invite motorcycle riders to go.

I tried going to this new mall for 3 times so far from the expressway off the causeway. There is a dedicated exit which has a nice ramp off the highway directly towards the mall, but the basement carpark does not allow motorcycles in, and there is a motorcycle parking area, but the barrier is closed and following the crumbling walls with water damage in this new building, it brings you out to the expressway again.

Yes, this is a new Megamall, and after a few tries, I decided to drive there, and managed to get parking easily. It cost RM$2 for the first 3 hours (even though it is very empty) and you can get a parking space if you drive. (For weekday afternoons. Expect evenings and weekends to be packed)

For motorcycles, sorry, you are not invited. Please avoid.

I was expecting this big mall to be interesting, however, it is more of the same. If you have been to KSL, City Square, this is more of the same... kind of new, with all the same stores.

This mall is however much bigger, filled with a lot of same stores you find in other malls and even when it is new, some of the sinks in the bathroom are not working.

Everything here feels expensive. If you are Singaporean, other than food, most of the things found here can be found in Singapore as well, no real reason to go. Yes, there is a Sogo, but I feel that Aeon is much cheaper and I'd rather go Bukit Indah or Terbrau.

Opened in April, this mall is still not fully occupied. Don't expect entertainment like Cinema...

If you are coming from CIQ by bus, just stay at City Square, you are not missing much. No point spending time and money to come to a similar mall, probably more crowded too, with empty shops.

Midvalley in KL on the other hand is much better, this Southkey seems to be sad looking for a new mall with rundown walls, water damage and not all the shops are opened despite being opened for 5 months?

Management seemed strict as I found several cars with clamps on. So do take note when you park.

So this mall, perhaps good for food selection (cheaper than Singapore) but everything else you can find in other malls in JB.

If you are riding a motorcycle, sorry, you can't park there.

-- Robin Low

Winnie-the-Pooh: Exploring a Classic - exhibition at the MFA #Boston

Winnie-the-Pooh: Exploring a Classic Exhibition going on at the MFA is FANTASTIC!

First published in 1926, Winnie the Pooh is one of the most famous children’s book characters of all time. This exhibition displays the original drawings, letters, photographs, and early editions, along with whimsical ephemera, take visitors on a journey exploring how the stories of Pooh and his friends Eeyore, Kanga and Roo, Owl, Piglet, Rabbit, Tigger, and Christopher Robin.

It has also opened my eyes on the author's (A. A. Milne) thoughts and ideas behind the character and how he had created characters that we can identify with. If you are a writer and want inspirations, this is an exhibition not to be missed.

It is still at MFA till Jan 6.

Don't miss it.

-- Robin Low

 

ASUS Zenbook Pro 15.6" Unboxing

I bought the ASUS Zenbook Pro 15.6 with an i7 processor, 512GB SSD Drive and 16GB ram with a GTX 1050 Ti 4GB video card.

There were several boxes that it came in. Firstly, there was an Amazon box, then an ASUS outer box, before you get to an inner box. The number of boxes created from just one laptop is quite amazing.

The laptop comes with a charger, 2 instruction booklets, an additional cable strap and the laptop.

Physically out of the box

The laptop which weighs 4 lbs actually feel pretty heavy compared to all my other 14" ultra portable laptops. It feels very dense and actually quite well built.

The keyboard has a good feel and the layout is comfortable for typing.

I would say, the location of the power button beside the [delete] button is simply poor design, but otherwise I do not have any other complain.

The mouse pad is responsive and the matt screen looks pretty good.

As I have several legacy software that does not work well on a QHD screen, this laptop is FHD and it does look pretty good and images and colors are pretty sharp.

After doing all the updates (about 30 minutes), the computer is ready to use. There was not a whole lot of updates to be installed.

There was no special design to raise the computer. It opens like a regular laptop, the matt finish on the laptop looks great. There are 2 speakers embedded on the side of the keyboard and they look pretty good.

The sides of the laptop contain a variety of ports. On the left side are an HDMI output and a pair of Thunderbolt 3 ports, while the right side has a headphone jack, microSD card slot and a pair of USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A ports.

It has a fingerprint sensor which may come in handy for fast logins.

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The Sound

The Zenbook Pro has very clear and loud speakers. The Harmon Kardon speakers did not disappoint. It could easily fill a small meeting room, and possibly even a mid sized conference room. It was quite impressed by the clarity but the bass is not very noticeable.

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The Screen.

I got the FHD version which has 1920 x 1080. The blacks are pretty black and images clear. The brightness of the screen is also very good. 

By looking at the photos comparing it with a color corrected screen to Pantone colors, I would say the images and colors are pretty accurate.

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Heat and Fan

While using this laptop and installing software, it was on my lap for 3 hours, and it still did not heat up enough to burn me.

One thing for sure, in a totally silent room, you can constantly hear the twin fans blowing. It was not noisy enough to annoy, but definitely audible.

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Battery Life.

The massive 73Wh 8-cell lithium-polymer battery seemed big, but after 4 hour of use, downloading software updates, installing software, browsing web, listening to music or watching a movie in the background while moving files, the battery is at 50% remaining. 

I would have to use more to have good assessment of the battery, but I could easily say that I probably would never get the 10 hours of battery life as claimed by ASUS. With my current estimation, I would say a 6 - 7 hour battery life would be possible for normal usage.

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Graphics

This is one of the few laptops I own with a dedicated video card. the GTX 1050 Ti with 4GB memory is pretty good in running even the newest games. 

I ran Mafia 3, PUBG on the computer and after optimizing the game, I do get 100+ fps which is very good at FHD settings 1080p. 

I would say that the graphics capabilities on this system is pretty good, however, the laptop seems to heat up considerably. 

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Overall

I would say that this is a good laptop. I paid around US$1,200 (Black Friday) for i7-7700, 512GB amd 16GB memory. with a GTX 1050 Ti video card, it is good for a few years of entry level gaming and possibly video editing. At this price, I would say it is a pretty good buy. (or you can shell out a little more for a touch screen)

The battery life is a little disappointing as my Surface Book at 1 year old gets much better battery life than this.

The laptop has speakers that sounds amazing and the screen is pretty solid for a FHD screen.

The weight is a little of concern. If given a chance, I'd probably get the 14" Zenbook instead of the 15.6" screen. The difference between 2.6 lbs and 4 lbs is quite significant. 

-- Robin Low

MIUI 10 on Mi Mix 2S

I just updated my Mi Mix 2S to the new MIUI 10.

There is not a lot of difference at the first. Dragging the screen up gets you the Google search, and dragging it down gives to the setting menu. Pretty much the same as MIUI 9.5.

At the start, my keyboard disappeared from my Facebook Messager and Facebook, and after restarting the phone, everything was fine again.

One thing I need to get used to is that now to close apps, you have to swipe left / right instead of up...

Holding on the app at the app switch screen allows you to lock the app, create a split screen or change settings on the app.

The timer now also has sound options for you to listen to natural sounds for the duration, sort of like a napping aid to help you relax.

The toggle app screen is also different.

I have yet seen significant improvements on the camera, calendar and other claims that MIUI 10 has over MIUI 9.5.

My phone was already running pretty fast with no lag, so there is not much difference.

Overall, I do like the new changes, and yes, there is a little need to get used to the new design. Overall, the UI and UX seem better, and nothing much is compromised except for the initial bugs I faced with Facebook, but all seemed to clear up once I restarted my phone.

I do like it and I would recommend that you update to the latest MIUI when you have the chance.

-- Robin Low