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Hey guys, I have been reading this thread and there's a lot of information to adsorb and for someone who is not familiar with these media centres it can be pretty daunting.

So I was wondering would you guys recommend this box for someone who never used XBMC before and what is the general consensus here in regards to the recommended software setup for this box? It is difficult to keep track of all different software combinations that has been posted, so what works best?

Hey. Yes we could do with multiple threads to address multiple issues. It is a mine of info now this thread, but requires some digging.

To answer your question I would totally recommend this box (I have the Sumvision model) as I have now replaced an HTPC in my sitting room with this box. I'm single and watch around 25 shows a week plus some re-runs and movies so it gets a good work out.
I've posted an update recently on the previous page and as per that detail, the most recent firmware with ethernet patch has proven to be near flawless for me.
At only £60 it is totally worth a shot imo. The people here seem happy to help each other too, so if you get stuck you can always ask.

Yeah I know the Sumvision you're talking about; the Cyclone Android X2. Saw it on Ebuyer for £60. I gather you're using the spi_MX_20130510 and MX_20130506 and the XBMC apk taken from Mygica_A6_20130610 firmware update mentioned in the other post. Is that 4.1 or 4.2 Jelly Bean? I see poster dgcruzing bricked their due to an update. What's caused by an automatic update?

Yeah firmware as you stated (4.1). I have automatic updates turned off - too many times automatic updates have broken something (across various platforms). There are still a couple of niggly issues but nothing that I can't put up with. Worst case you sometimes need to stop playback and then resume. Not the end of the world and doesn't happen very often.
Can't comment on upgrade/downgrade issues. I've flashed the firmwares via recovery and applied the ethernet path from within the OS with the Upgrade app. All I need is for XBMC to work flawlessly; I don't really care about much else.