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Help A few questions on the G. Note.

Goddess Madoka

Goddess Madoka

Lurker
Greetings everyone.

I'm new to these forums and the Android community itself... So uh, if I'm posting in the wrong section, please help by directing me to the correct designated section.

Well, the purpose of my post is to ask a *few* questions... (Actually, quite a handful.)

Before I begin I would like state that I currently own an iPhone 3GS.

Up till recently, I was having my eyes set on the iPhone 4S... That was until I found out about the Galaxy Note.

That being said, I have qualms with the Gingerbread O.S. itself.. (It was the reason why I didn't really venture into Android territory in the first place.)

My main issue can be described as a craving for "smoothness" and "snappiness". I noticed that Android had an issue with it due to the lack of GPU rendering for the U.I.

That is, until Ice Cream Sandwich was announced.

The announcement that the G. Note would be receiving ICS next year only served as a delight for me.

The fact that the G. Note costs the same as a baseline iPhone 4S model (In Singapore, with a plan.) whilst boasting impressive features that surpasses the 4S was what that convinced me to switch over... to Android.

Well, not yet anyway. I still have ~2 weeks before I am eligible for a handset upgrade.

Alright, here goes...

1. Does the G. Note lag with a video wallpaper on? (Not the "Live Wallpapers") This also includes the scrolling of the Homepage.

2. Will the G. Note playback converted blu-ray rips (1280 x 720) smoothly with these specs:

- .mp4 file container
- H264 codec
- AAC audio
- ~8000kbps bitrate
- ~2GB filesize
- 23.976fps - 24 fps

(I don't mind using alternatives like .mkv or .avi, the important thing is the bitrate and the codec.)

3. I understand that Honeycomb currently natively supports the .flac audio format. Am I right in assuming that the G. Note (ICS) will also natively support this file format?

4. Can the G. Note support a 64GB MicroSD card? (I understand that it supports the 32GB variant.)

5. Will the G. Note recognize NTFS-formatted MicroSD cards? (In order to bypass the 4GB limit.)

6. Does Flash work on the G. Note properly? (For example, can flash games like Nanaca Crash be played?)

7. With it's current OS (Gingerbread), is the G. Note smooth in terms of swiping and gesturing?

I understand the list of questions are quite particularly long, along with the fact that some of my questions may have been asked and answered before.

However, I too have done a bit of homework regarding this matter... and also, the actual usage of a device cannot be compared to specs written on a paper.

Hence, that is the reason why I've decided to ask for some advice and answers from you guys -- people who have in depth knowledge and actual experience of the Android O.S. and the G. Note.

Any and answers to my questions will be appreciated.
Erm, Thanks in advance! (Sorry for the overly long introduction and post. As stated earlier, I'm new to Android so... yeah. >_<)
 
Welcome :)

Very specific questions and many of them I cannot answer but I do have advice.

I can tell you till I am blue in the face of how wonderful the Note is, but since you are new to it all I urge you to go and actually play with one in hand to see how it fits, maybe go armed with a MicroSD full of those specified ripped movies and just throw it at the Note and see how it handles them?

As for the fluidity I can tell you that it is as smooth as any Android is able to be, it is not immune to the occasion lag when navigating the home screen etc, but this is endemic to all Android devices and dont let anyone tell you other wise. But the Note is very well endowed and equipped as well as it can be in today's specifications, the Exynos at 1.4ghz is really as good as they come so know that you are buying the very top bracket of specs here.

Also if smoothness is your thing, iPhone 4s is smoother as i can put my hands up and say this. But what you get in smoothness in the Apple, you can bundle of useful free apps and mega flexibility in Android/Note. I will give a special mention to the Note's excellent email client with a seperate reading pane (like outlook) in landscape mode, this as far as i can tell doesnt exist elsewhere (maybe i am wrong).

Also Gingerbread have had a few version to reach decent maturity now and it crashes less than my iPad running IOS 5.01, and thats not a lie.

There it is, good luck.
 
Well, thank you. I've had the pleasure of actually trying out an Xperia Arc (and it's not even the Arc S) before, and to my surprise, it seemed to be incredibly smooth, without the lag and stuff.

The strange thing is, a display model Xperia Arc that I've tried "playing" with wasn't nearly as smooth.

Currently, I have tried the G. Note out, but it's only a display model, and using that as a reference point is kinda unfair (as mentioned above).

Also, the fact that ICS has been confirmed for the G. Note eased my worries of an unsmooth experience, for the most part. (and ICS looks gorgeous.)

Unfortunately, I haven't much friends who are really into Android (most of them are iPhone owners)... So yeah, I'm pretty much the first in my circle to enter the world of Android.

Still, thanks for your answers. I'll take them into consideration before I make my purchase. (Which reminds me, the phone is sold out on my carrier)

I think my issue now is whether to wait till ICS is released for the Note, or to get it earlier...
 
The hype surrounding ICS is warranted as it literally is the future, but like most things I wouldn't worry about it for now as it needs time to mature and get better, at the moment I dont think i can live without having no Flash support (big reason why i am with Android) and the whole face unlock farce is a bit of a joke to me. I patiently and eagerly wait for my Note to officially get ICS, as by then it should have reached some decent maturity.

The issue with lag I honestly dont think you will see it until you used it in proper real life and not in a shop sort of environment, I say this because you will never really be able to load the device unless you are out in the wild, in unexpected situations and needing something to work there and then. If that makes sense.

I have had a good introduction to Android as I owned the original Galaxy S from first release in 2010, at the time there was nothing like it and it blew my mind. Likewise, the Note is blowing my mind with its beautiful screen and mostly positive performance so far, and every person who has seen the phone has fallen in love with the screen, bar no one.

I have faith that you will find your device, and I have no problem vouching for the Note and fingers crossed, so far so good.
 
t sport 1978 said:
In the UK, the best that we've got is HSPA+ (only few spots in London at that), still technically 3G.

We dont have 4G or LTE yet.
Click to expand...

I assume, if you had the 4G LTE most of the lag would be gone or is it computer generated?

Here on Long Island, we are in the 4G LTE area but I wonder how strong it will be. A one bar 4G LTE would not be as fast as a 4 bar 3G, I suspect.
 
dlcpa said:
I assume, if you had the 4G LTE most of the lag would be gone or is it computer generated?

Here on Long Island, we are in the 4G LTE area but I wonder how strong it will be. A one bar 4G LTE would not be as fast as a 4 bar 3G, I suspect.
Click to expand...

No the lag that i speak of is not a network thing, but an Android thing. Just general navigating around the phone, using it, loading it and multitasking with it.

General load time and smoothness of swiping around.

Network speed of course plays a part when you are using something that is connectivity sensitive, but the difference would be like this:

Network lag: Time it takes to load a web page
Phone lag: Time it takes to load the browser app.

But even then 3G, 4G and LTE is all about the bandwidth, you still have to consider latency and contention with the network at any given time when you have a connection. All pretty random stuff to be honest, but as long as you have decent reception and not amongst hundreds of people, it all should be swell.

Hope that makes sense.
 
t sport 1978 said:
No the lag that i speak of is not a network thing, but an Android thing. Just general navigating around the phone, using it, loading it and multitasking with it.

General load time and smoothness of swiping around.

Network speed of course plays a part when you are using something that is connectivity sensitive, but the difference would be like this:

Network lag: Time it takes to load a web page
Phone lag: Time it takes to load the browser app.

But even then 3G, 4G and LTE is all about the bandwidth, you still have to consider latency and contention with the network at any given time when you have a connection. All pretty random stuff to be honest, but as long as you have decent reception and not amongst hundreds of people, it all should be swell.

Hope that makes sense.
Click to expand...

Makes sense but the loading of many apps, especially a browser, involves connecting online for one reason or another, especially for phone apps. A better example would be to load in an app like Sheets To Go, which is Documents To Go's version of Excel. On my BlackBerry, that snaps on in less then a second. Takes 5 seconds to load-in the BB native browser and believe me, it's never ever that fast. To load in a webpage from Twitter took 3 minutes and is still loading in. I think many apps store stuff online and that could be the cause of the lag, no?
 
t sport 1978 said:
Welcome :)


As for the fluidity I can tell you that it is as smooth as any Android is able to be, it is not immune to the occasion lag when navigating the home screen etc, but this is endemic to all Android devices and dont let anyone tell you other wise.
Click to expand...

Well, I have a rooted Samsung Galaxy S2 running the MIUI rom, and I never noticed any lags: it's all always very fluid, whether I am watching HD movies (dice player), surfing the web (dolphin browser hd) or playing hd games.
 
Hi guys.

Thanks for the various responses, they've also given me some insight into things I never considered asking (though on the safe side, my country has no 4G, not yet at least.)

However, it would be good if someone could give me an answer particularly with the video component of my question, because I'm kinda into that. (What better than to watch shows with such a gorgeous screen?)

Still, thanks for the responses. :D
 
Goddess Madoka said:
[...]2. Will the G. Note playback converted blu-ray rips (1280 x 720) smoothly with these specs:

- .mp4 file container
- H264 codec
- AAC audio
- ~8000kbps bitrate
- ~2GB filesize
- 23.976fps - 24 fps

(I don't mind using alternatives like .mkv or .avi, the important thing is the bitrate and the codec.)
[...]
Click to expand...

I can play this kind of files with my Samsung Galaxy s2 using "Dice player" with hardware acceleration, so I don't foresee any problems on the Note.

However, to be absolutely sure you could try posting a link to a small clip with these characteristics, and ask on the forum if anyone would be kind enough to test it on a Note. To be on the safe side, you may want to be sure it does not contain copyrighted material.
 
cdl said:
I can play this kind of files with my Samsung Galaxy s2 using "Dice player" with hardware acceleration, so I don't foresee any problems on the Note.

However, to be absolutely sure you could try posting a link to a small clip with these characteristics, and ask on the forum if anyone would be kind enough to test it on a Note. To be on the safe side, you may want to be sure it does not contain copyrighted material.
Click to expand...

cdl said:
Apparently yes:
Sandisk 64GB micro SDXC cards - confirmed working in the Galaxy Note - xda-developers
Click to expand...

Thanks for your replies!

Well, that's great news! However, it seems as though the G. Note can't detect ex-fat formatted SD cards... While that wouldn't be an issue with the 2GB files, files above 4GB could prove a problem... and splitting isn't exactly okay for me. >_<

Also, confirmation that it can handle such videos is quite reassuring enough. Perhaps I'll try uploading a clip, though the issue of copyright and my terrible upload speeds could be make things a little complicated.

Well, thank you for your replies.
 
Ryan Autry said:
I have a couple full 1080p bluray mkv on my note and it plays them flawlessly with the stock video player.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your reply! Erm, I hope you don't mind, but could you post the file specs here? e.g. (bitrate, filesize, audio format, etc..)

It would be very much appreciated. :D
 
Goddess Madoka said:
Thanks for your reply! Erm, I hope you don't mind, but could you post the file specs here? e.g. (bitrate, filesize, audio format, etc..)

It would be very much appreciated. :D
Click to expand...

Movie 1:

Format : Matroska
File size : 200 MB
Duration : 5m 2s
Overall bit rate : 5553 Kbps

Video:
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : High@L4.1
Format settings, ReFrames : 4 frames
Codec ID : V_MPEG4/ISO/AVC
Duration : 5mn 2s
Bit rate : 4684 Kbps
Nominal bit rate : 4908 Kbps
Width : 1920 pixels
Height : 1036 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 1.853
Frame rate : 23.976 fps
Colorimetry : 4:2:0
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.103
Title : H264 - 4908 Kbps
Writing library : x264 core

Audio:
Format : AC-3
Format/Info : Audio Coding 3
Codec ID : A_AC3
Duration : 5mn 2s
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 640 Kbps
Channel(s) : 6 channels
Channel positions : Front: L C R, Rear: L R, LFE
Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz
Title : Dolby Digital 5.1 - 640 Kbps

Movie 2:
Video: MPEG-2
Resolution: 1920x1080i
Framerate: 25fps
Bitrate: 18118kbps
Audio: MPEG1 48000Hz stereo 256 kbps
Time: 4:52
Extension: .ts
File Size: 655MB

Video 3:
General
Format : Matroska
File size : 114 MB
Duration : 3m 25s
Overall bit rate : 4,652 Kbps

Video
ID : 1
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : High@L5.1
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames : 8 frames
Muxing mode : Container profile=Unknown@5.1
Codec ID : V_MPEG4/ISO/AVC
Duration : 3mn 25s
Bit rate : 3 919 Kbps
Nominal bit rate : 4 000 Kbps
Width : 1 280 pixels
Height : 688 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 1.860
Frame rate : 23.976 fps
Resolution : 8 bits
Colorimetry : 4:2:0
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.186
Stream size : 95.8 MiB (84%)

Audio
ID : 2
Format : AC-3
Format/Info : Audio Coding 3
Codec ID : A_AC3
Duration : 3mn 25s
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 640 Kbps
Channel(s) : 6 channels
Channel positions : Front: L C R, Surround: L R, LFE
Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz
Stream size : 15.7 MiB (14%)

 
Ryan Autry said:
Movie 1:

Format : Matroska
File size : 200 MB
Duration : 5m 2s
Overall bit rate : 5553 Kbps

Video:
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : High@L4.1
Format settings, ReFrames : 4 frames
Codec ID : V_MPEG4/ISO/AVC
Duration : 5mn 2s
Bit rate : 4684 Kbps
Nominal bit rate : 4908 Kbps
Width : 1920 pixels
Height : 1036 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 1.853
Frame rate : 23.976 fps
Colorimetry : 4:2:0
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.103
Title : H264 - 4908 Kbps
Writing library : x264 core

Audio:
Format : AC-3
Format/Info : Audio Coding 3
Codec ID : A_AC3
Duration : 5mn 2s
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 640 Kbps
Channel(s) : 6 channels
Channel positions : Front: L C R, Rear: L R, LFE
Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz
Title : Dolby Digital 5.1 - 640 Kbps

Movie 2:
Video: MPEG-2
Resolution: 1920x1080i
Framerate: 25fps
Bitrate: 18118kbps
Audio: MPEG1 48000Hz stereo 256 kbps
Time: 4:52
Extension: .ts
File Size: 655MB

Video 3:
General
Format : Matroska
File size : 114 MB
Duration : 3m 25s
Overall bit rate : 4,652 Kbps

Video
ID : 1
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : High@L5.1
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames : 8 frames
Muxing mode : Container profile=Unknown@5.1
Codec ID : V_MPEG4/ISO/AVC
Duration : 3mn 25s
Bit rate : 3 919 Kbps
Nominal bit rate : 4 000 Kbps
Width : 1 280 pixels
Height : 688 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 1.860
Frame rate : 23.976 fps
Resolution : 8 bits
Colorimetry : 4:2:0
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.186
Stream size : 95.8 MiB (84%)

Audio
ID : 2
Format : AC-3
Format/Info : Audio Coding 3
Codec ID : A_AC3
Duration : 3mn 25s
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 640 Kbps
Channel(s) : 6 channels
Channel positions : Front: L C R, Surround: L R, LFE
Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz
Stream size : 15.7 MiB (14%)
Click to expand...

Wow, these are way beyond what I actually require. Well, that makes me relieved as hell.

Thank you very much for the info. :D
 
t sport 1978 said:
...Network speed of course plays a part when you are using something that is connectivity sensitive, but the difference would be like this:

Network lag: Time it takes to load a web page
Phone lag: Time it takes to load the browser app.

But even then 3G, 4G and LTE is all about the bandwidth, you still have to consider latency and contention with the network at any given time when you have a connection...
Click to expand...


Web page load times are also dependent on the phone's hardware/software capabilities...depending on content. The Flash heavy site tbs.com had slow page loads, as well as poor video playback performance, on my N900, which had full Flash support back in '09. Despite a Flash revision upgrade which improved performance, it still does not perform as well as my dual core Tegra 2 powered phone, nor my dual core Snapdraon's, on the same networks.
 
Goddess Madoka said:
Wow, these are way beyond what I actually require. Well, that makes me relieved as hell.

Thank you very much for the info. :D
Click to expand...

Still won't play .mkv's over 4GB. But there are apps that will seamlessly split the files for us.


The MPEG-2, ".AVI" had to be played through a 3rd party app.
 
Ryan Autry said:
Still won't play .mkv's over 4GB. But there are apps that will seamlessly split the files for us.


The MPEG-2, ".AVI" had to be played through a 3rd party app.
Click to expand...
I see. But I'm not really using .AVI so yeah.

I was wondering, but is it possible to send in .part zip files into the Galaxy note before unzipping the file within the phone itself?
 
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