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I haven't been on MP4nation for a while - primarily because I've been on slatedroid regularly for the last several months trying to optimize my relatively new Novo7A tablet. But I figured I'd report back with what I've found - because the updated models coming out in February hold a lot of promise, and MP4nation should seriously consider picking at least one of these tablets for the store.

A lot of reviews have been put out about the Novo7A - but I've seen no comments but my own about the Novo7A's 3D capability. In later firmware - 3D options showed up to play side by side, top/bottom, or anaglyph 3D content. The Novo7A has no 3D screen - so I figured it had to be for HDMI output. I impulsively bought a playstation 3D display over Christmas when the price dropped to $300. While I had problems with the playstation display (with active 3D shutter glasses) - I was blown away by the ability of the Novo7A to feed it 3D content. I tried SBS/OverUnder MKV's of a size up to 18GB - and they all played beautifully. The display immediately recognized the 3D signal.

I've since replaced the TV with a Toshiba passive 3D display, and I've gotten similarly great results. The 3D signal was immediately discovered and played back with no issue. In general I've been blown away by the Novo7A's media playback even with 2D files - and think the only restriction in later firmwares are files with more than 8 reference frames. With later firmware and using scripts on slatedroid, the remote control has been activated and works with the native player and mxplayer.

I think this tablet will have a permanent home as a media player in my house, feeding 3D content. My only complaints with the tablet are imperfect gameplay with high power games. I suspect the issue is the 512 megs of ram limitation, since some games stall or crap out when too much is going on. Asphalt 6 plays beautifully to a point. Later levels stutter or crash when there's too much screen activity. Backstab won't play unless you restrict the textures using chainfire . Shadowgun freezes during cut scenes, but is otherwise playable.

If these issues are resolved by the 1GB ram versions of the Novo7A due in February then this tablet is a definite winner. My only wishes were more RAM, a higher resolution screen, and bluetooth - and it looks like the first two are being addressed in the new generation. Limited bluetooth is currently enabled using dongles. I really think Raz and co should consider selling this new generation - because the features of these tablets, married to MP4nation's service - would be a great combination.

HI P
many thanks for the review, the 3D capabilities seem pretty interesting to an already interesting tablet, sounds like you are really putting it through its paces on the video player front and gaming front

so how is the battery life for you? or is it more or less permanently attached to the power socket?

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I've tested the battery a lot - since I've taken the tablet on a couple business trips to Poland. I think the Novo7A has great battery life. I get a minimum of 5 hours when playing HD rips through the USB port - I watched 3 movies back to back on a long plane ride. Up to 10 hours depending on how much wifi usage and heavy gaming I do.

One of the drawbacks of the tablet - is that most people report a poor wifi signal. My experience at home isn't too bad - with the wifi router on the 3rd floor, I still get a good signal throughout the house. By comparison to my phone - I get one less bar of wifi connectivity I'll say, though it's hard to get a relative measure.

Hi,

I need confirmation about the aspect ratio of the screen. Does everything look stretched on its display, e.g. circle icon looks oblate or f(l)atter than usual? (800x480 = 16:9.5 displays on 16:9 LCD screen). In other words, this tablet displays distorted image?

Thanks in advance for your confirmation.

If you mean whether there's any distortion in watching videos when going to a 16:9 TV screen - I don't notice any. I'm not sure if I'd be able to see the difference between 16:9.5 and 16:9 - but I believe it should be handling the aspect ratio correctly for two reasons: The tablet outputs a true 1080P signal when using the 2160P video player, and also - the video player has settings to choose the requested aspect ratio. IE - you can set the 2160P player to stretch to full screen (on the TV, the tablet is blacked out) or keep the original aspect ratio.

Though now that you point it out, the tablet home screen is a little distorted as is. Circular icons are slightly oval for instance. But this doesn't happen within apps, whether with movies or games.

A lot of sites are reporting the next generation as being available for sale - and provided the reviews are good, I think it'd be a great product for MP4Nation to pick up. The Aurora especially has a higher resolution IPS screen with reportedly great viewing angles - and it seems to be selling at about $20 higher than the original Novo7A. For the price, it seems a great bargain - since $20 is a great trade off for double the RAM and a much better screen.

The new generation (Advanced II, Elf, Aurora) are all running Honeycomb, which could be good or bad depending on how buggy it is. I almost impulsively bought an Aurora even though I definitely don't need it.

Thanks. I'm not talking about the movies. I'm talking about the icons, websites, and whatever displayed on the screen seem to be distorted. You said it only happens at home screen and won't be the case inside app. Could you confirm this? Because I would like to take the Chinese cheap tablet, but the distorted display is always bugging me.

Thanks

I can't confirm it for all apps - but in web browsing and game, I don't see any obvious distortion.

Rather than taking my word for it - I recommend that you look at online videos of the tablet to confirm whether there's any distortion that would bother you. I'm sure there's about a hundred videos showing the Novo 7Advanced, Elf, and Aurora in use - even just by searching youtube.

Thanks for the info PolloLoco, when did the Novo7A get the 3D playback?

Price/performance the Novo7a was a good bang for buck machine, i am looking forward to when Ainol bring it back.

Don't know exactly, but I seen that since quite a while in slatedroid.