How Open Electricity Market Works in Singapore?

30 March 2018

 

Introduction

It was recently announced that starting from 1 April 2018,  Singapore would open up its Electricity Market also to households and small businesses that consume electricity less than SGD$400 per month.  Previously,  only those bigger consumers can join the electricity market.  

The new scheme will start from Jurong with a soft launch and gradually opens up to the rest of Singapore so that over 1.3 million households and small businesses can join the electricity market.

 

What is the Open Electricity Market?

Simply, it is just a market for buying and selling of electricity;  hopefully,  the consumers can get cheaper electricity through competitive buying and selling of electricity.

In the older days,  electricity is always generated by PUB (former SP Group) who will also deliver and sell the electricity to its consumers directly at fixed and regulated rates.  

About 20 years ago in 1998,  the Authority started the Singapore Electricity Pool (SEP) to "test" the workings of the market.  Real retail marketing started only in July 2001 when they allowed only those consumers having 2 MW or more power requirement to buy electricity from the retailers.  This market has since opened up to smaller consumers but only now,  they will open it to the 1.3 million households and small businesses in Singapore.  

How the Open Electricity Market Works?

Basically,  2 groups of people will be serving the consumers;  the retailers and SP Group.   

The retailers will buy electricity directly from the Generating Suppliers (Generators) through Singapore Electricity Pool and sell the electricity to the consumers at a rate inclusive of all fees and costs.   SP Group will continue to maintain the electricity networks and infrastructure in the background,  bringing and delivering electricity to the consumers. SP Group will also read the meters as usual.

In the open electricity market,  the consumer will have to sign a contract with the retailer of his choice.   The contract will spell out the condition of supply and also the contract period (usually 12 or 24 months) for the discounted electricity price.

 

Do I have to Join?

It is not compulsory for consumers to join the electricity market and switch from SP Group to a retailer. Consumers who prefer to stay with SP Group to buy electricity at the fixed and regulated tariff can continue to do so.  No further action will be required.  Consumers can always join or switch to a retailer at a later date.

Where can I get more details?

The exact detail of the open electricity market is outlined in this handbook

https://www.ema.gov.sg/cmsmedia/Handbook/NEMS_111010.pdf

Additional materials can be found in the EMA websites

https://www.openelectricitymarket.sg/home

tnyurl :  https://tinyurl.com/ya7fopyy

Panasonic Washing Machine Vibration and Wobbling

30 March 2018

Introduction

Just bought a Panasonic Top Load Washer NA-F75S7 for about SGD$275 with a 5% rebate from Lazada,  Singapore.  The delivery was fast,  all done within 3 days. We have used Hitachi washing machine that lasted more than 20 years;  then a Samsung washing machine that broke down after 4 years in operation.

This Panasonic is one of the cheapest and the most popular model.  We like its spin rinsing function that many other machines did not have.  It really makes washing cleaner.   But there were a few problems with this machine and one of them was that it took a longer time to wash and spin.

Why?

We discovered that the rinsing and spinning cycle repeats itself as shown in this video.  The timer jumped from 9-minute back to 14-minute during the spinning cycle.

We understand it is part of the design as it was stated clearly on the machine as shown below to carry out the "Unbalance Recovery".   But this was almost a daily affair making washing a nightmare.   We also discovered that the machine vibrated and wobbled a lot during the spinning cycle.  That could have contributed to the problem.

The Options

We have 2 options

1.      Return the washing machine as it was still within 14 days from the delivery date; 

2.      Keep the machine and try to fix the problem without voiding the guarantee.

We chose to keep the machine as we anticipated that the other machines of the same range might have similar problem. 

How to Fix?

The machine wobbled partly because the floor wasn’t flat.  Fortunately,  the machine came with a mounting adjuster but we could solve some wobbling but not the vibration problem.   We tried to redistribute the clothing nicely before washing.  This helped little to reduce the frequency repeats in the rinse and spin cycles. 

Why Vibrate?

The machine is just too light.  The casing is like made from sardine can materials.  Someone on the web forum suggested to add weight within the machine but we have chosen to add a support at the back as shown below

Whats’ Needed?

1.      One piece of 2 x 3/4” wooden strip,  about 3 feet long and cut into the following length

a.       2 pieces of 15” long to be attached to the wall and the machine

b.      2 pieces of 3.5” long as spacer

2.      1 piece of 3/16” thick  rubber sheet that can cut into 4 Nos of 3/4”x 2” rubber stud;

3.      Tools; for example, wood saw,  nails,  wood screws,   hammer etc

Step by Step

After cutting the wooden plank and rubber sheet into pieces assemble them like as shown in the following picture

 

Drill holes in the wooden plank to the exact dimension to match the holes on the washing machine.  

Fix the whole bracket to the wall as shown in the above  picture

Remove the 2 back panel screws to allow the timber frame  to be screwed onto the panel

 

The completed assembly is as shown

 

Performance

The machine performed perfectly in every washing cycle without any wobbling or any vibration.  It has never miss a "step" ever since we have fitted the timber frame..

YouTube Original or SMART YouTube for MiTV?

23 March 2018

YouTube is not a native Apps in MiTV.   This is because YouTube  belongs to Google and Chinese don’t use Google and its services in China  One can test it by resetting to factory default and the Youtube app will not be replaced.   

As a budget TV,  MiTV did not pay for the use of Google and its services but as MiTV users,  one is free to add and use Youtube.       

There are 2 versions of Youtube available:  namely,  the original YouTube for Android TV and the Smart YouTube TV

What is the basic differences?

Function	Original YouTube for Android TV	SMART YouTube TV
Owner/Designer	Google LLC	Smart YouTube TV
Latest Version Mar 2018	2.02.08	6.12.82
Website		https://smartyoutubetv.github.io/
APK download link	From here	from  here
Special Version for MiTV2	Not available	From here
Special note	Select version for arm64 under architecture with nodpi
Sign-in	Not available. As the sign-in button is pressed,  it return to the previous screen	Available through a handphone that has already logged into Youtube.  Just follow sign in instruction given
Advantages	Constantly upgraded.  The latest version is 2.02.08	V6.12.82
Forward and backward scrolling	Picture to picture searching	No picture to picture searching
4K support	Available.  Only those supported by MiTV.	Available.  Only those supported by MiTV
Resolution	Default depended on type of video; max 1080p	Can play 2K but not 4K on Xiaomi TV
Tested for use	In MiTV4 but cannot sign in	In MiBox mini/2S, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, MiTV3 and MiTV4

Which Version is Better?

If one is going for quality and better access to upgrading facilities, such as forward and backward scrolling etc,  the original version would be a better choice. But if one has to access to the YouTube video playlists and also storing some video links for viewing later,  Smart YouTube will be the one to choose.   I would recommend keeping both if there are enough memory space in MiTV.

Original YouTube has Picture to Picture Searching 

Smart YouTube TV has Sign-in Capability

Other Articles About Xiaomi TV or Box 

Can be found here
tinyurl :  https://tinyurl.com/ydgtfnjw

Introducing ES File Explorer to MiTV Fans

23 March 2018

MiTV lacks a lot of features.  One of them is the file explorer or Manager.  Should one needs to explore the content of the local hard disk,  the memory files and the various apps whether hidden or not,  one could try the most popular apk called “ES File Explorer”

What does it do?

ES file explorer can do almost everything from 

1.  searching a file in any folder whether it is stored in MiTV or external SD cards,  2.  zip and unzip files and share files with friends,  

3.  search for various apps,  

4.  link to cloud drive such as Google drive,  download and operate any app,   

5.  view and edit text, view picture and video files etc.  

6.  Start up apps or files in USB thumb drive

Most important of all,  ES File Explorer can do app backups and store the apps in SD cards, hard drives or in the cloud drive such as google drive.

Where can I download?

From these places

1. Uptodown website  https://es-file-explorer.en.uptodown.com/android
2. Mediafire website  http://www.mediafire.com/file/r33daxwdx16que1/es-file-explorer-4-1-7-1-22.apk

How to operate?

 Here is the full manual for the operation  http://www.estrongs.com/eshelp/en/ES_File_Explorer_User_Manual3.0.htm

What are the most Common Features

However,  the most commonly used features in ES File Explorer for  MiTV are as follows:

1.  Backup the apps

MiTV does not have facility for backing up the apps.   Once doing a system reset,  all the uploaded apps will be gone  and one will have them reinstalled one by one  using thumb drive through the USB port.  Presently,  a lot apps used for handphones cannot be used for backing up the apps in MiTV.  An example of how to backup the apps in MiTV is shown here.

2.  Apps Managing

One could reorganise the apps and rearrange the apps for ease of viewing and retrieving.   One could also add or install or copy,  paste and delete or move the apps or files to other folders in the sd card or cloud drives or to the folders within MiTV’s internal storage

3.  Viewing the files

Within or without the MiTV’s internal storage and memory.  One can also browse the apps or files downloaded using Google Chrome or other apps

4.  Downloading and Uploading to Google Drives

An example is already shown in Backup the Apps above. To access google drive,  look for this symbol in the Apps section.

 

Select the Google drive and it will ask for user email address and log-in password automatically

Conclusion

The above is just a short and simple  introduction of ES File Explorer.  There are still many more functions and capabilities waiting for one to explore and discover.   

ES File Explorer can do many things no other File Manager can do better,   It is a must have app in any MiTV.

Other Articles About Xiaomi TV or Box 

Can be found here

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Is 4K XiaoMi TV4 really a 4K Quality TV?

21 March 2018

Introduction

Many people doubted that MiTV4 was a 4K UHD TV because many could not play downloaded YouTube 4K UHD videos smoothly on the television.  This article will explain why and how to test if MiTV4 or any TV is a 4K UHD TV.

What is a 4K UHD TV?

It tells about the picture or video quality of a TV.  The ordinary analogue TV has the lowest picture quality.  The High Definition (HD) TV (the 720p or 1080p format) has higher picture quality.  4K UHD TV has the best picture quality and it has at least twice as much resolution as HD TV.   Naturally,  4K UHD TV will demand much more broadband bandwidth or hard disk storage spaces.  It will require a network speed of around 13 Mbps to play video properly.

Problem Watching 4K Movies

Watching some 4K UHD movies downloaded from Youtube can be a pain as there will be lags playing the movies;  that is if one downloaded movies of the wrong video format onto a thumb drive and watches the movie from there.   However,  one can still watch 4K UHD movies directly using YouTube without any problem as the movies have already been downgrade automatically to HD quality for viewing;  alternatively,  one can first convert the Youtube video into the correct format using a 4Kdownloader which can be downloaded from here  or here.

Why there is Video Lags?

MiTV does not have compatible hardware decoder called  VP9 to play 4K UHD  movies download from YouTube.  There are basically 3 types of 4K Video encoders/decoder for 4K UHD videos:   the libvpx (VP9), the x264 (H.264) and the x265 (HEVC).  MiTV4 and many other Chinese made TV use H.264/H.265 encoders whereas Youtube 4K UHD videos uses VP9 encoders.   

Why MiTV has No VP9?

This has something to do with cost of production.  Xiaomi is actually a TV made for Chinese market and Chinese don’t use Google;  but VP9 is a format developed by Google.   However,  VP9 is an open and royal free video encoder where users will not by charged for using such as viewing Youtube movies; but,  VP9 is a patented product and the use of which for producing devices or videos will not be free and will require licensing.

H.264/H.265 Vs VP9

These 3 formats are quite similar in terms of performance as shown in the following chart;  actually, H.265 is almost identical to VP9.  What one downloaded a 4K movie quality from Youtube is always in VP9.  If one has to upload a H.265 video to Youtube,  one would have to downgrade it first to H.264 or convert it to lower quality before uploading it to Youtube. 

How To Test 4K UHD capability?

Where to Download Demo 4K Movies?

There are free movies clips available in H.264 format for testing and most of them can be found in the Chinese apps;  for example 魔力视频TV版 (download and type 4K to search) or the various test demo from here.   

To confirm that MITV4 has 4K UHD video capability,  one could use a 4K Tester that can be downloaded from here or here.

What is in the 4K Tester?

When one starts up the tester,  one would be greeted with this page.  Press Start button to start the test

On completion of successful test,  the follow screen will appear.   The  left hand side shows the HD quality equivalent to 1008p whereas the right hand side shows the 4K UHD picture quality which is much more finer  in words and in pattern.

The following up picture tells what type of TV screen.

How Can MiTV4 play Youtube 4K Movies?

Without the VP9 decoder,  there is no way for MiTV to play Youtube 4K UHD movies.  However,  one can root MiTV4 and use a separate firmware in ROM which has in-built VP9 decoder.  The other way is to wait for Xiaomi to upgrade the firmware which may involve licensing fee.   Presently,  there is no software VP9 decoders available.

Other Articles About Xiaomi TV or Box 

Can be found here
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Google :   https://tinyurl.com/y7hozsja

The Alternative to Google Play for Xiaomi TV

17 March 2018

https://tinyurl.com/y869j6xr

Introduction

Google Play has  a lot of Android Applications or Apps.  It is always a must to use in any Android device.  However, Xiaomi TVs or TV boxes has a special ROM designed for Chinese market that does not use Google Play.   Many overseas users  tried very hard to install Google Play but failed.   In short,   Xiaomi TVs or TV boxes must be rooted to install Google Play.

How to Install Additional Apps?

Present way,  side loading through the USB port every time or use file manager like ES Explorer or Google Chrome.

Any Alternative?

There is none so far except for an App called Aptiode-TV.  Even Xiaomi manufacturer has no choice but to obtain  license from Google to use Google Play which means additional cost to the users. 

What is Aptiode-TV?

Aptoide is just like Xiaomi having its own Android Smart TV or set-top box and they came up with Aptoide TV app that has a list of all the apps specially selected for  Andriod TV.   This  Aptoide TV app could be sideloaded to Xiaomi TV using this APK and thereafter,  use it just like Google Play without the need to side load the Apps everytime.

Step by Step

1.  Download the APK from http://m.aptoide.com/installer-aptoide-tv?lang=enre

     or from here.

2. Side load it to Xiaomi TV using this method

(http://skyjuiceiswater.blogspot.sg/2018/01/install-youtube-and-google-chrome-in.html)

3.  Fire up Aptoide-TV in the Apps Store of Xiaomi TV 

 4.  This screen will come up

5.  One can install all the Apps just like Google Store..They have Youtube,  Google Chrome,  Netflix, games.  videos and many more for use in Android TV and bet most of the apps can be used also  in Xiaomi TV.. However,  the videos and games download must comply with MiTV specification in order for them to work.  Have fun

Update: 20 March 2018

File Note:  There are 2 versions of YouTube TV available in Aptiode-TV app:  the original Yoube TV (as shown above)  and the Smart Youtube TV.  The former does not allow user to sign in.    It will just return to the last page.      The latter has  a mod that was specially designed for MiTV users to sign into Youtube account using handphone.

The advantage of signing into Youtube allows users to store their playlists.   It also allows users to view uploaded Youtube files.

The Smart Youtube can play most of the Youtube movies but may have difficulty playing videos linked from external source if the default in the linked video is to play on the original Youtube TV.

To find the Smart Youtube TV to upload to MiTV,  just press the search button on the top left hand corner of Aptiode app and type "Smart Youtube" to search. 

The installation is straightforward.  Just follow the instruction given.

Other Articles About Xiaomi TV or Box 

Can be found here

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Google:   https://tinyurl.com/ycmubf5s

How to Identify and Block URL of Advertising Site in Smart TVs; for example, Xiaomi TV

17 March 2018

Introduction

Many smart TVs and some Apps for TV have lots of disturbing full screen advertisements that will force viewers to take few seconds to watch them.  The worse kind is when the advertisement use some unsupported video or image files that could freeze up the TV;  for example,  Xiaomi TV,  requiring a reset of the TV.   This article will describe an easy way where one can identify and get rid of these unwanted advertisement.

 

What you will need?

1. A router that has web browsing history or logging capability;
2. Plenty of patient

Note:  This works only for those ASUS or routers that has web history function

Which Router To Use?

Most routers have  web browsing history or logging capability;  for example,  ASUS router has a web browsing history in the “Adaptive QoS” section

Netgear,  in their “log” section,  TP-Link in the System Tool.

Consult the user manual of one’s router or google  to find out how to access the web browser history or logging location in the router.

This article will take ASUS router as an example.

Step by Step Procedure

1. Log into the router by typing the home URL address of the router in any browser;  for example  192.168.1.1 and one will go to the above home page;

2. Click “Adaptive QoS” and select “Web History” tab and one will reach the main page of web history or log.  Click the on-off button to turn on  the “Web History” function.  If the page is not empty;  click “Clear” to wipe the page;

3. Now go and turn on the TV or device and select the page or app where one has found the unwanted advertisement.  Observe and note down the names of the advertisement.  In this example,   the  advertisement was from “iqiyi” about their latest TV shows;

4. Come back to the “Web History” page,  one should find out there will be some loggings;  if not,  click “refresh” button or turn to other pages and come back to the “Web History” tab.  Once there is a list,  look for the name of the TV or device.  In this example,  the device is  Xiaomi TV.  the client's name was “Beijing Xiaomi Electronic Co” as shown;

5. Click the  “All Client” drop down box and select “Beijing Xiaomi Electronic Co”,  the following page will appear.
   
   
   
   
   
6. Find the URL address with “iqiyi” and the URL is “m.iqiyi.com”;

7. Now block the URL using the “Fire Wall” function as described here.  Note that as “iqiyi.com” also offers other TV programs,  do not just use “iqiyi.com” to block the URL as it will block all the URLs that have “iqiyi.com” in it;

8. After having blocked the URL,  test the TV to check if the advertisement  is gone;  if not,  repeat step 7 using other URL address having “iqiyi.com” for example.

What are the Alternatives?

There are a few other alternatives like using special ad block DNS addresses. This might work for some but not all the advertisement.  Also,  there may be  some security problem plus it may not filter all the correct advertisement. 

Other Articles About Xiaomi TV or Box 

Can be found here

Tinyurl : https://tinyurl.com/yaeyrb39

Google :  https://tinyurl.com/y87fu36m

Reference:

1.  How To Skip Advertisement in Xiaomi TV/Box