2016-05-16, 18:42
Verdict: B+
Overview:
This mini-review review will focus on Kodi and 3D MVC use. Thanks to Everbuying for sending me a sample. However, Everbuying did notify me that Beelink "has decided to stop manufacturing" it, which is unfortunate.
Beelink Pocket P2 is similar to the following:
- Lenovo Idea Centre Stick 300
- Intel Compute Stick (2015 version)
- Minix Neo Z64 Windows (it's a box, not a stick)
- Meegopad T02/T05, Wintel and similar Chinese Z3735F sticks
I recently did a review of Beelink's BT3, powered by Intel's Atom x5-Z8300, so was curious how the cheaper, slightly less powerful Pocket P2 would fare. Also, Intel's Compute Stick (2016 version) uses Atom x5-Z8300, so Intel itself opted for this over 2015's Z3735F.
Image Gallery:
Overall Features and Performance:
Beelink's Pocket P2 is a small, slim PC on a HDMI stick. While the small form factor is nice, for Kodi use, you really need to buy a USB Ethernet adapter (or ideally a hub like this), which will set you back $10-20. P2 only has 1 x USB 2.0 port, a micro USB (for 5V DC-in power), and a micro USB OTG port. This is why the Inateck 3-port USB hub with gigabit ethernet came in really handy to easily plug in my Logitech K400's dongle and a USB stick (with some apps to install), and also make P2 wired for Kodi and any serious local streaming use.
While the P2 has ventilation holes on its back, it did get rather hot-to-the-touch after 30-45 minutes of use. I didn't notice any performance issues however even after continued use for about 3 hours.
Given that the appeal of a stick form factor is kind of taken away with the addition of a USB/ethernet hub and power supply, why not just pick up Beelink's BT3 box for Kodi use and get a better performance?! That's the conclusion I came to anyway, also as it avoid needing a USB/ethernet hub. BT3 is probably worth $40 more than P2 (or really $20-30 more considering USB/ethernet hub addition), or anything Atom x5-Z8300 over Z3735F.
Kodi and A/V Performance:
Please refer to my Beelink BT3 review here as Pocket P2's performance was very similar. Only difference was that P2, wired via USB/ethernet hub, managed to play the Jellyfish bitrate clips up to 200Mbps without stutters, while the BT3 played even 300Mbps fine.
Navigating around Kodi and browsing large local libraries was fairly snappy. No lags experienced. I also tried live over-the-air TV via the Kodi HDHomeRun add-on and 720p and 1080i (MPEG2 ATSC) channels all played well.
As with BT3, Pocket P2 can't bitstream HD audio, but does decode the formats and passes as full multichannel PCM. Some mapping metadata is also lost, and you won't get any Dolby ATMOS and DTS:X support.
Several 3D MVC MKV's and 3D ISO's I tested all played excellent, via May the 12 Kodi MVC build. I used the pre-installed Intel graphics/audio driver set. I didn't notice any lip-sync errors or other video artifacts with 3D or 2D.
That Intel PQ, whether 3D MVC or 2D BD rips, is just jaw-droppingly good, whether on a cheap PC like P2 or a more pricey i3/i5 NUC.
Beelink Pocket P2 supports all framerates as expected. Tested '3:10 to Yuma', a VC-1 title w/LPCM 7.1 and my Epson 5025 projector showed it was receiving "23.97". The LPCM 7.1 audio also sounded great. And, speaking of VC-1, Pocket P2 plays VC-1 23.976 material without issues, but VC-1 29.970 wasn't completely smooth. I noticed ever-so-slight judder, while BT3 had perfect playback. This is obviously where x5-Z8300's power helps over Z3735F's. This was also noticeable with 29.970 MPEG2 1080i 4:2:2, where Pocket P2 fared slightly worse than BT3.
Also as expected, Pocket P2 supports HD Netflix via Windows 10 app, and Amazon VOD/Prime via a web browser like Google Chrome.
Wrap-Up:
So, what to make of the Beelink Pocket P2? It's a nice, tiny all-in-one Windows 10 PC on a stick. It's performance isn't quite as good as Beelink BT3's with x5-Z8300. For serious Kodi use with Pocket P2, which means wired, you also really need to invest in a $10-20 USB/ethernet adapter/hub.
Bottom line is if you really like the small form factor, and are okay spending $10-20 for a USB/ethernet adapter/hub, and don't care about interlaced VC-1, Beelink's Pocket P2 (or a similar Stick) will do the job rather well as an all-in-one Kodi solution. If you want something a bit more powerful, get an Atom x5-Z8300 based stick or box. For something with HD audio bitstreaming and zero issues with any video types, I'd suggest an Intel i3 or better NUC. But's that's in a very different league than what something like Pocket P2 was targeted for.
Beelink Pocket P2 can be had for about $75-80 online. That's pretty darn amazing for an all-inclusive PC w/Windows 10. It's too bad Intel recently decided not to make similar cheap Atom chips going forward, meaning probably the end of cheap HTPC's like this.
Overview:
This mini-review review will focus on Kodi and 3D MVC use. Thanks to Everbuying for sending me a sample. However, Everbuying did notify me that Beelink "has decided to stop manufacturing" it, which is unfortunate.
Beelink Pocket P2 is similar to the following:
- Lenovo Idea Centre Stick 300
- Intel Compute Stick (2015 version)
- Minix Neo Z64 Windows (it's a box, not a stick)
- Meegopad T02/T05, Wintel and similar Chinese Z3735F sticks
I recently did a review of Beelink's BT3, powered by Intel's Atom x5-Z8300, so was curious how the cheaper, slightly less powerful Pocket P2 would fare. Also, Intel's Compute Stick (2016 version) uses Atom x5-Z8300, so Intel itself opted for this over 2015's Z3735F.
Image Gallery:
watch gallery
Overall Features and Performance:
Beelink's Pocket P2 is a small, slim PC on a HDMI stick. While the small form factor is nice, for Kodi use, you really need to buy a USB Ethernet adapter (or ideally a hub like this), which will set you back $10-20. P2 only has 1 x USB 2.0 port, a micro USB (for 5V DC-in power), and a micro USB OTG port. This is why the Inateck 3-port USB hub with gigabit ethernet came in really handy to easily plug in my Logitech K400's dongle and a USB stick (with some apps to install), and also make P2 wired for Kodi and any serious local streaming use.
While the P2 has ventilation holes on its back, it did get rather hot-to-the-touch after 30-45 minutes of use. I didn't notice any performance issues however even after continued use for about 3 hours.
Given that the appeal of a stick form factor is kind of taken away with the addition of a USB/ethernet hub and power supply, why not just pick up Beelink's BT3 box for Kodi use and get a better performance?! That's the conclusion I came to anyway, also as it avoid needing a USB/ethernet hub. BT3 is probably worth $40 more than P2 (or really $20-30 more considering USB/ethernet hub addition), or anything Atom x5-Z8300 over Z3735F.
Kodi and A/V Performance:
Please refer to my Beelink BT3 review here as Pocket P2's performance was very similar. Only difference was that P2, wired via USB/ethernet hub, managed to play the Jellyfish bitrate clips up to 200Mbps without stutters, while the BT3 played even 300Mbps fine.
Navigating around Kodi and browsing large local libraries was fairly snappy. No lags experienced. I also tried live over-the-air TV via the Kodi HDHomeRun add-on and 720p and 1080i (MPEG2 ATSC) channels all played well.
As with BT3, Pocket P2 can't bitstream HD audio, but does decode the formats and passes as full multichannel PCM. Some mapping metadata is also lost, and you won't get any Dolby ATMOS and DTS:X support.
Several 3D MVC MKV's and 3D ISO's I tested all played excellent, via May the 12 Kodi MVC build. I used the pre-installed Intel graphics/audio driver set. I didn't notice any lip-sync errors or other video artifacts with 3D or 2D.
That Intel PQ, whether 3D MVC or 2D BD rips, is just jaw-droppingly good, whether on a cheap PC like P2 or a more pricey i3/i5 NUC.
Beelink Pocket P2 supports all framerates as expected. Tested '3:10 to Yuma', a VC-1 title w/LPCM 7.1 and my Epson 5025 projector showed it was receiving "23.97". The LPCM 7.1 audio also sounded great. And, speaking of VC-1, Pocket P2 plays VC-1 23.976 material without issues, but VC-1 29.970 wasn't completely smooth. I noticed ever-so-slight judder, while BT3 had perfect playback. This is obviously where x5-Z8300's power helps over Z3735F's. This was also noticeable with 29.970 MPEG2 1080i 4:2:2, where Pocket P2 fared slightly worse than BT3.
Also as expected, Pocket P2 supports HD Netflix via Windows 10 app, and Amazon VOD/Prime via a web browser like Google Chrome.
Wrap-Up:
So, what to make of the Beelink Pocket P2? It's a nice, tiny all-in-one Windows 10 PC on a stick. It's performance isn't quite as good as Beelink BT3's with x5-Z8300. For serious Kodi use with Pocket P2, which means wired, you also really need to invest in a $10-20 USB/ethernet adapter/hub.
Bottom line is if you really like the small form factor, and are okay spending $10-20 for a USB/ethernet adapter/hub, and don't care about interlaced VC-1, Beelink's Pocket P2 (or a similar Stick) will do the job rather well as an all-in-one Kodi solution. If you want something a bit more powerful, get an Atom x5-Z8300 based stick or box. For something with HD audio bitstreaming and zero issues with any video types, I'd suggest an Intel i3 or better NUC. But's that's in a very different league than what something like Pocket P2 was targeted for.
Beelink Pocket P2 can be had for about $75-80 online. That's pretty darn amazing for an all-inclusive PC w/Windows 10. It's too bad Intel recently decided not to make similar cheap Atom chips going forward, meaning probably the end of cheap HTPC's like this.
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