GI Genius HD PVR - Dual Linux OS Satellite Receiver (Enigma2) Full review
Here we go, this is the long awaited and all new GI Genius (Odin M7) , company Galaxy Innovations continues to produce new products and with this latest model, things really have been updated. They have produced this little gem for the budget level of the market, but its features, as we shall see are first class.
What we have tested for you is one of the first units that were produced, but despite this it arrived in its full retail packaging. The classic cardboard box decorated with a description of the main features of the receiver.
Inside the box we find the GI Genius (dimensions: 260x45x213mm), a small cardboard box to the right, contains the HDMI 1.4 cable, the remote control, the batteries, the external power supply unit and power cable, user´s manual and Warranty card from galaxy Innovations.
There are space for an internal hard drive for this receiver. The first photos of beta version of GI Genius shows 2.5" SATA hard drive (the ones that are used in most common notebook/laptop computers) fitted inside receiver. However the final version comes without any fitted platform for the 2.5" hard drive.
Gi Genius creates a rather stylish impression with its button less front and the 4-digit segment display that light up in bright white.Of course, there’s more than first meets the eye and a small flap hides a total of five buttons to control the receiver whenever the remote control is out of reach, as well as card reader and one USB 2.0 interface.
The back panel of the GI Genius comes equipped with almost all connection options you’re likely to ever require. Apart from the DVB-S/S2 antenna input there is HDMI for digital signal output, a coax digital audio output, three RCA jacks for stereo audio and composite video, a scart euro-connector, more three USB 2.0 interface for external storage media, WI FI usb dongle and other usb devices, an Ethernet socket as well as a mechanic power switch and connector for the external power supply.
I’ve tested plenty of remote controls, and the GI Genius type is right up there with the best. For one thing, this is thanks to its ergonomic shape and logical layout.
Although it is marketed as budget receiver, the build quality of the GI Genius meet even the most exacting demands.
Considering the fact that this is first dual boot receiver with Bordacom processor I decided to split this test report into two distinct sections as well. GI Genius has flash memory divided into two equal partitions, each of 128mb dedicated hosting two types of firmware (FW):Mara and Enigma2.
FW Mara
Galaxy Innovations Genius is shipped with, and automatically starts up with, the firmware called Mara.I quite like the look and feel of the Mara´s interface and it seems quite fast and logical in its design. Some worthy mentions include the graphical user manual which is available right on the box.After a brief walk through the OS Mara menu things seems simple for an ordinary satellite receiver user . The menu is easy to navigate through, great picture and sound even in SD channels The first test was the internet connection. There are three possibilities: Ethernet, WiFi and 3G. First I tried Ethernet connection- easy just plug in the cable- automatic DHCP enabled, Then I tried WiFi connection with GI WiFi on, after scanning available networks linking was performed without problems.Channel scanning went smooth, nothing new for me there. Mara FW has really nice web portal, similar to one in Spark, with lot of web applications, such as Opera, YouTube, You porn, Picassa, Weather forecast etc.
My external HDD receiver detects immediately! Pvr works, also I was able to play media files from my HDD without any problems. I tested MKV file with external subtitles and couple of AVI files.
There are several softcam emulators present in Mara, including Cccam and Camd35 among the others. Configurations is possible with Remote control or via USB.Honestly, Mara FW in many ways remains me Spark firmware from Fulan.
OK, its enough about Mara for now, because obviously , most will probably go for a third party E2 image and there are multiple choices for the GI Genius!
Enigma2
I tested Galaxy innovations Genius with Enigma2 images from AAF team , Sif team and OpenPLi.
The user experience with this receiver has been very good. Although GI Genius is labeled as budget receiver, the menus and zapping seem pretty fast and in general the receiver feels very stable. I measure the boot time at 82 seconds, which is not the fastest I have tried but still pretty fast.
The menus and general use is familiar to those of you with Enigma 2 experience. Of course the look of menu and general interface depends on the skin you install.
The GI Genius serves well as a media player, playing video, music stored on the external hard drive or your home network. Do not expect all file formats to be supported though, as of yet anyway. But common avi, wmv,flv and mkv files are handled pretty well.
PVR works as advertised. The single tuner of course put some restraints as to what you can not record and watch two different channels simultaneously.
Emulators work without problems. I tested the Cccam and Oscam , both run without any problem.
The OpenAAF image is one of the choices currently here in the middle of February 2013. The image comes pre-installed with Enhanced Movie Center, CoolTV Guide and plenty more plugins available via the plugin menu. Emulators and cams are available to download directly from the feed. Picture quality is good and there is good driver support in the OpenAAF Image for various usb devices wlan or usb tuners. I tested with WiFi USB Dongle Ferguson W02 and WiFi USB Dongle TP-LINK TL-WN721N.
Final words
After test driving the new GI Genius I can say that it certainly does not disappoint. It is a very successful Linux receiver for very affordable price. Galaxy Innovations Genius does exactly what you'd expect and it comes with super price what make this receiver revolutionary for this moment. If the firmware support will grow and more teams will join to support GI Genius (Odin M7), receiver will have the bright future.
