the issue of crashing and 720 dts/dd-1080 lagging on xbmc with himedia players is a key one, keeps popping up all the time. rightly so, as it is frustrating the player can't handle that. unfortunately, there is neither easy nor perfect solution. i share here a summary of what i know, tested n experienced up till now:

qualifier:
below is what i found with q5ii models. some other models are basically the same, it should apply. can't say for the rest.

consider the many combinations - q5ii/q6ii/q10ii/q16, emmc/non-emmc, firmwares 1.0.4/1.0.5/1.0.6, china/eng firmwares, xbmc 12.2/12.3/13.0, it is very easy to get lost and all gets screwed up!!

very simply:

.. for emmc models, get the latest 1.0.6 eng firmware from your seller. when u install it, it will auto replace your xbmc version with a himedia version 12.2. this is a customised version that will work well with streaming xbmc 720dts/1080. however, as it is an older xbmc version, some newer addons will not work. if u reinstall 12.3 later, the capability of handling 720dts/1080 vanishes - this is the drawback.

.. non-emmc still hasn't got 1.0.6 eng firmware. so, u either stay with 1.0.5 eng or go with 1.0.6 china. for either, u can remove yr existing xbmc and install the himedia 12.2 version, it'll work just like emmc model. to get this version, u need to get hold of the 1.0.6 emmc eng firmware, manually unzip it to find a file called xbmc_12.2_hiplayer.apk (unzip->userdata->app). place this file at root of usb drive and install on yr himedia using file manager like any apk.

take note xbmc_12.2_hiplayer.apk creates a special advancedsettings.xml file that deals with timeout and n errors.
.. for other models and firmwares, the only thing u can try is place this advanced.settings.xml into the userdata folder. as it only increases the cache buffer size, it will help stop crashing but does not help with dts/1080. it does not matter if xbmc is 12.2 or 12.3.

how to do that, read post#407, page 21:
https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/2594654/+400
it will be unrealistic to expect himedia to come up with a firmware with will handle xbmc 12.3 and gotham 13.0 720dts/1080 streaming for all old and new models so soon. but i hope they do eventually. i see that as one of the constant problems facing manufacturers and users alike - trying to catch uo with the latest technology, hardware, firmware, apps - at an affordable cost.

one thing to remember - himedia's unique and good value lies with the goodies that come with mangotv and hitv - chinese stuff. besides u-tube, browser, games, media playback, etc. xbmc is just another feature, much of it beyond their control.

wasn't expecting u to do that so quickly, no time to warn u on some details! there are ways to deal with this...

i assume u hv emmc model.
did u flash it using the restore pin button? or via settings update?
do u keep a backup of all system and user apps on ext usb drive?

for this 1.0.6 emmc eng firmware, i understood that due to copyright reasons, some apps can't be displayed on the launcher, so there is a need for a second launcher. i also understood that there is a unique sequence of pressing up-down-vol incr-vol decrease-repeat.... whatever... to bring up the second launcher where all apps will be shown... but i never got it to work, so can't help u there.

so, my solution was to install nova launcher - u can do it direct from playstore. after installation, u will see all the apps with this launcher. but there will be another problem... u may not be able to make this launcher permament, which means each time u power up, u see the orig launcher. so, u hv go to apps, launch nova to see all the other apps - which is a drag. my solution is to place a nova launcher widget on the himedia launcher, and place a himedia launcher on nova launcher. that way, i can toggle between the 2 anytime easily. i do not know if there is a better way to deal with it...

now, i can't remember everything... about about the missing apps, i am quite sure hitv is there, just hidden, which will show up with nova launcher. less sure about histore.

anyway, if u can't find them, there is way out:

hitv - unzip the firmware folder->system->app->HiTV_mvc_Q5II.apk
can install this 6.621mb apk file manually.

histore - if not there, pm me, i can try to email u the 1mb apk.

like we know, this machine is not idiot proof, needs quite a bit of work to make it work well, incl xbmc. very regretfully, it doesn't help that the seller has chosen not to respond to anything here anymore for whatever reason and other sellers are reluctant to help non-customers. so, we need to figure it out ourselves.

fyi, i hv also posted info in this other "himedia users" thread:
https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/1849024/+880

good that u cud bring out the 2nd launcher with some sequence. i 'll try again sometime!

mangotv is very good too - take time to check out the live hd stations and dolby digital 1080s movies. actaully, most of the stuff in mango is good quality, better than hitv. trouble is not all will stream well in hd, so choose sd if that is the case. between mangtv and hitv (my favs vqq and pptv), there is ample free new n old chinese stuff to watch, need nothing more.

histore... there is no link that i know off. i had saved the old apk, can try to email to u (hope 1mb goes thru), pm me yr email. some of them may not work anymore, obsolete...

lastly, i suggest u use es file explorer (file manager wun get to hidden files) to save on a usb drive: system apps, user apps and org.xbmc.xbmc. with these, u can flash anytime and restore some of the impt apps and files. very useful for xbmc if u keep going back n forth with 12.2, 12.3, 13.0...

it surely is a pity that the ts/seller doesn't come in anymore.

the machine is a good one, for its price. i am deriving good benefits from them.

i have no qualms about its overall performance albeit the stuff i have to grope. perhaps it's a blessing such that i now know something impt for my next android purchase.

in summary, i'll say this about himedia players:

.. excellent for chinese stuff, live and on demand
.. good for 3d, 1080p/dtshdma media playback, wired and wireless lan
.. good for browser, you-tube, google apps, cloudtv
.. reasonable for xbmc
.. a pity the chipset can't deal with xbmc 12.3 dts/dd/1080  and gotham 13.0 (gotham is going 13.1 soon)

so, depending on yr needs and wants, make yr choice.

but yes, my next purchase, probably in 1-2 yrs time, hopefully, there will be in the market a great machine with good support that suits me. we'll start a new thread then.

this one?
http://www.season-iptv.com/2014/Official_news_0124/33.html

total how many channels, price?

Yes, this 1, should be the official side of Season IPTV. I bought from the china seller recommended by this side too. Service is ok since he answered all my question at QQ.

Be note that, there are plenty of china seller for season service at taobao, also few local seller here who selling at pretty high price (around rm360 annually). I asked why they selling at such high price since official price is just 360rmb (around rm200), he answered me: "you can buy it much cheaper from taobao, but nobody will serve you if your id got problem".

But at last, i decided to buy from taobao as their service satisfied me, any problem just feedback at QQ, they will answer anytime. The forum also a place for feedback though.

I had played this service for whole night, so far so good, around 200++ channel in total and still increasing as you can see some testing channel is tag in stability testing. Almost half is HD channel and found hongkong drama channel is in super HD, i was "wow" by the picture quality.
So far, all famous china satelite TV are working and even streaming much better than cloudtv during peak hour.

For detail channel list, i think you can found on the mainpage. Conclusion, this season iptv, if you buy from taobao, is definitely worth its price and for sure, you will dump cloudtv away once u use it.

besides mangotv and hitv, check some of the apps in histore. there is one called pps.tv. this one has some dramas that offer a choice of mandarin and cantonese. again, limited.

in short, there is nothing good in cantonese unless u pay for cloudtv or season iptv or equivalent.

personally, i hardly watch hk dramas these days, now prefer the mainland mandarin ones!

How is the English Channel? Any thing like Discovery HD, National Geographic, Cartoon Network, Disney Channel, HBO etc! You know those popular channel in AStro.

not sure what u mean...

if u mean taking a screenshot for posting here.... i dunno how...

what apps is this?

May I know which Internet service provider u used? what is ur internet speed?

Hi Bro, Ca u pm me Q5II and Q10II best proce and and shipping fee to Penang . Thanks

the season iptv got the feature like cloudtv to enable second device in the same network to use the same account to watch the live channel?

Hmmm... Might wanna try season iptv. How are the Popular English HD channels? Any idea of pq on like a 50" inch led screen? Trying to avoid purchasing only to find out pq is quite crappy.

hearing u say this, i am quite sure the season iptv pq is good. becos i tot cloudtv hd channels are good enough!

after looking at the list of channels, this season iptv is very much like a combination of astro and himedia's livetv. for its price, it's unbeatable for those who watch a lot of these live channels.
only thing is the sports channels are lacking, does not occur to me it will have worldcup 2014 coverage...

i got alternative.... aotg!