Month: December 2025

The Multiview App for Apple TV and Android / Google TV Review

I came across an neat cord cutting app last night called Multiview. As its name implies, it can run four simultaneous OTA broadcasts on a single screen using an HDHomerun network tuner. The Apple TV version can also ingest streams from Tablo and Plex – including FAST streaming services.

You can check it out in my latest review.

Multiview is available on both Android and Apple platforms, including Apple TV, Google TV, Android TV, phones, and tablets. It feels a bit like the YouTube TV multiview experience but without the subscription attached.

The app costs ten dollars as a one-time purchase, and there’s a free trial that provides enough time to see whether it fits your needs. I paid for the pro version of the app myself, and the impressions here are entirely my own.

The software is still early in its life, and that shows through some bugs and quirks. The developer is active on Reddit and open to feedback, which makes the rough edges feel more manageable. Even in its early state, the app demonstrates how much innovation can come from small developers in the cord cutting space, especially when they build around open hardware like the HDHomeRun tuners the app relies on. I’ve used HDHomeRun devices for years, and their openness has always encouraged creative third-party projects like this.

Building out a layout inside the app is simple. I was able to pull in four OTA channels, switch audio between them just by moving the cursor, select one stream to go full screen with a button push and switch the layout to two-up or three-up configurations when needed. The app lets you save these layouts so you’re not rebuilding them every time you want to watch. Switching between these presets feels quick on the latest Apple TV hardware.

There’s also a program guide that resembles a traditional grid interface. It loads in all of the OTA channels your tuner sees. Occasionally it hangs, but backing out and reopening usually resolves it. Some of that may be tied to how many channels my Plex server exposes, since the app can merge OTA channels with Plex sources when Plex is connected.

The Plex integration currently works only on Apple TV. It brings in Plex’s FAST channels alongside OTA channels, which makes for some interesting multiview combinations. I did find that a local Plex server is required at the moment and that Plex accounts with two-factor authentication enabled don’t connect properly yet. After switching to an account without two-factor enabled, everything worked. Once connected, I was able to place OTA channels right next to Plex FAST channels within the same grid.

ATSC 3.0 support is present but mixed. The app will tune video from an ATSC 3.0 HDHomeRun, but I couldn’t get audio working in my market. The developer says it works where he is, so it may depend on local conditions. Encrypted ATSC 3.0 broadcasts don’t work at all, as expected, since they remain restricted by broadcasters.

I also tested the app on my iPhone, where it works similarly to the TV version, and on an Android TV device. The Android build currently supports only HDHomeRun sources and feels a bit slower on lower-end hardware. My Nvidia Shield had trouble running it, locking up during tests, while Walmart’s Onn 4K box handled it more reliably, even if it didn’t feel quite as fluid as the Apple TV.

The free demo gives you three fifteen-minute sessions along with the ability to watch a single channel without limits. For anyone trying to follow several games or events at once, the app offers an interesting option to experiment with.

You can find it on the Apple App Store here and the Google Play Store here.

Why Are People Scalping the Kodak Charmera Keychain Camera?

Blind-boxes are all the rage, something usually reserved for collectible toys like Labubus rather than electronics. But now Kodak, or rather a Kodak licensee, has jumped into the fray with a blind-box keychain camera that actually works!

Check it out in my latest Gadget Picks Channel review.

I ordered one months ago at B&H out of curiosity (compensated affiliate link), and it finally arrived this week. The first surprise was how small it was. It feels closer to a toy than a traditional camera, with a color and design you won’t know until you open the box. I happened to get the one I was hoping for, which matched the artwork right on the packaging. There are seven designs in all, with a “rare” variant being a transparent version.

The specs set expectations pretty quickly. The sensor sits at around 1.6 megapixels, and the camera comes without an SD card, though it does accept cards up to 128GB. It stores only two photos internally, so an SD card is essential if you plan to use it for more than a quick test. The back screen is tiny and offers only a few basic modes: photos, videos, and some built-in filters and frames that vary depending on which design you unboxed. Navigating the menus is simple enough, and taking a photo triggers a little mechanical-style snap sound.

The results look like something out of the late 1990s. The images immediately reminded me of my first Kodak digital camera from 1997, which also hovered around a megapixel. The look is soft, noisy, and decidedly retro, which might actually be part of the appeal for some buyers. The frames and overlays add a novelty factor, especially the one tied to the specific model I received.

Video is where things really fall apart. It records at 1440×1080 in a 4:3 aspect ratio, but the footage is jumpy and lacks any stabilization. The audio is thin and the overall experience feels more like a proof of concept than a practical feature. Still, it technically works, and some people may find charm in the limitations.

The Charmera sells for about thirty dollars at retail, although that price doesn’t mean much at the moment. Supply is tight and scalpers have pushed resale prices well beyond what the camera delivers.

I’m putting this one over on my Gadget Picks Channel, where odd little items like this tend to show up. If this is the kind of thing you like stumbling across, you’ll probably enjoy whatever shows up next—there’s always another curiosity around the corner.

Plex on the Steam Deck (sponsored post)

I’ve done a lot with Plex over the years, but never have I run it on my Steam Deck. Since the device is effectively a handheld Linux PC, it’s possible to run the full Linux Plex desktop application on it and access media the same way you would on a computer.

In my latest monthly sponsored Plex video, I step through installing and running both the Plex and Plex HTPC clients and demonstrated them running on the Steam Deck.

The process starts in the Steam Deck’s desktop mode rather than its usual gaming interface. From there, I went into the Discover app store, searched for Plex, and chose the desktop version instead of the HTPC edition initially.

The desktop app supports media downloads for offline viewing, which the HTPC version doesn’t, so it made more sense for someone planning to take content on the go. After installing it, I found the app under the multimedia section, signed into my Plex account, and confirmed everything worked.

To integrate Plex into the handheld’s regular Steam interface, I opened the Steam client in desktop mode and added Plex as a non-Steam game using the little plus icon at the bottom of the library interface. Once added, I rebooted back into gaming mode, and Plex appeared in the library under the non-Steam tab. I wasn’t able to make the icon show up properly, though I’m sure there’s a method tucked away in the settings somewhere. Even without the icon, the app launches like any other game.

Running the desktop version inside gaming mode takes a little control adjustment. The trackpads can work as a mouse, and Steam’s controller templates can remap the controls however you want. I set mine to a simple mouse-only profile, though the touchscreen works too. Navigating Plex this way feels natural enough, and the download option appears just as it does on other desktop platforms for Plex Pass users. My Steam Deck is one of the originals that doesn’t have an HDR display, and with only a 720p resolution, it makes sense to choose smaller download sizes when storage is at a premium.

Playback was smooth in my testing. A 4K Blu-ray rip of Jurassic Park—a Dolby Vision disc—played back without issue over my LAN, tone-mapped appropriately, and looked fine on the Deck’s display. Local network streaming especially felt quick and responsive. As a client device, the hardware seems more than up to the task. I wouldn’t run a Plex server on it, though; the AMD processor in the Deck doesn’t support hardware transcoding, and the whole idea of carrying a server around isn’t practical anyway. But if you wanted to do it there’s no restriction on it.

For those who prefer a TV-style layout, the Plex HTPC app installs from the same app store and works as expected. It responds quickly, though like the desktop app it requires a bit of controller mapping for navigation. The tradeoff is that it doesn’t support offline downloads. Depending on how you like to use Plex, either app may be the better fit.

What surprised me most is how naturally the Steam Deck functions as a portable media player once everything is set up. Since many people already travel with the device to play games, adding Plex creates another use case without much effort. And with all the power packed into the hardware, it behaves very much like a small PC that happens to have a built-in screen.

If you’d like more Plex topics explored in future posts or videos, feel free to suggest them. I’m always collecting ideas as I work through this series.

Disclosure: This video was sponsored by Plex, however they did not review or approve it prior to uploading.

Geekom A8 Mini PC Review

It’s a new week and that means another new Mini PC review! This time we’re taking a look at the Geekom A8, a nicely compact unit built around a Ryzen 8745HS processor. Mine arrived with 32 GB of DDR5 RAM and a 1TB Lexar NVMe SSD already installed. You can find it over at Amazon (compensated affiliate link).

Check out my full review here!

The processor inside delivers eight cores and sixteen threads, enough to handle the usual mix of browsing, office work, and general multitasking without strain. It also supports up to four 4K60 displays at once, or a single 8K display.

Opening the case took a little more effort versus the A8’s competitors. When I removed the protective metal plate, one of the Wi-Fi antennas pulled loose from the radio. The Wi-Fi/Bluetooth card sits beneath the NVMe SSD, so reattaching it means removing the drive first. It would likely happen every time the system is opened, so while the RAM and storage are upgradeable, I wouldn’t plan on doing it often. The A8 only has a single NVME storage slot which is occupied by its included storage.

The build is otherwise very solid. The top and sides are metal, the bottom plate snaps back together cleanly, and the footprint is small. Port selection is decent with dual 10-gigabit USB-A ports in the front, a headphone jack, dual HDMI on the back, and two USB-C ports that can output video. One of those USB-C ports offers 40 Gbps USB4 with Thunderbolt compatibility, while the other tops out at 10 Gbps. There’s also 2.5-gigabit Ethernet, another 10-gigabit USB-A port, a USB 2.0 port for peripherals, and a full-size SD card slot.

Network performance was mixed. Wired Ethernet delivered full 2.5-gigabit speeds in both directions, but the Wi-Fi 6 connection wasn’t spectacular during testing, which is common on compact metal-cased systems.

Power draw stayed modest: around 8–10 watts at idle and up to about 90 watts under load. The included 120-watt adapter comfortably handles peak use, which may appeal to anyone looking at this as a low-power desktop or small server.

Performance in everyday tasks matched expectations. Websites loaded quickly, office workloads were comfortable, and the fan stayed effectively silent with light use. A 4k 60fps YouTube stream produced a couple of dropped frames over time, something that may be fixed through future graphics driver updates. A Browserbench Speedometer score of 23.3 put it in line with other systems using similar chips.

In video editing, 4K60 timelines with simple cuts and transitions played smoothly, but heavy effects and color grading slowed things down as expected. An eGPU could help, though pairing one with a system at this price pushes the whole setup into gaming-PC territory.

Games ran better than I expected. Cyberpunk 2077 at 1080p on low settings hovered between 45 and 50 frames per second in busier areas, occasionally touching 60 in simpler scenes. No Man’s Sky exhibited similar behavior, with ground performance in the mid to upper 40s and higher frame rates in space. For casual gaming, it works. Older console emulation was strong too: PS2 titles like Burnout Revenge ran at full speed in my testing.

On 3DMark Time Spy, the system scored 3,347—about the same as other mini PCs using this chip and close to some recent gaming handhelds. A 99% pass on the 3DMark stress test suggested the cooling system avoids throttling. Even under sustained load, the fan noise stayed relatively low compared to many machines in this category.

Linux support looked solid. The latest Ubuntu release detected the Wi-Fi, Ethernet, Bluetooth, video and audio hardware without issues, and 4K60 output worked as expected. Applications performed similarly to the Windows side, making it a candidate for a Linux desktop or light server.

After spending time with the unit, I liked its size and overall build quality, even if the antenna placement complicates upgrades. The performance is strong for the form factor, the thermals are handled well, and Geekom backs it with a three-year warranty and a 90-day money-back guarantee.

Disclaimer: Geekom sent this Mini PC to the channel free of charge for review. However no other compensation was received and they did not review or approve my review before it was published.

Nintendo Switch 2 Game-Key Cards Explained

I picked up a physical copy of Star Wars Outlaws for the Switch 2 (compensated affiliate link) on a black Friday sale the otherday. But unlike games on the first generation Switch console that ship the actual game data on the cartridge, the Switch 2 games often ship on “Game-Key” cards that are essentially a physical key to unlock and download a digital version of the game.

You can learn more in my latest Gadget Picks channel video.

When I inserted the card, the system immediately began pulling down about 25 gigabytes of data. It’s the kind of download that takes a while, so I let the console do its thing. The card itself is still required after installation, so the game will not load or stay loaded without the cartridge inserted.

This game goes a step further, requiring an Ubisoft online login before being able to play. After logging in, I tested what would happen without connectivity. Switching the console to airplane mode triggered warning messages, but the game did eventually offer an offline mode. It’s unclear how long it will allow offline play before asking to phone home again. At minimum, it does boot and run without a network connection once authenticated.

The game itself performs better than I expected on the new Switch hardware. For a large open-world title, it feels surprisingly at home on the system.

Ubisoft has said their decision not to ship the full game on a cartridge has more to do with cartridge speed than manufacturing cost, claiming the consoles internal or SD-based storage offers faster data streaming.

Even so, they could have included the data on a cart and copied it over during installation. That would have given players a long-term fallback if the download servers disappear in the future. Recently I looked back at some digital purchases I made, with many of my purchased iPhone app store games no longer available to download.

Sometimes a simple retail purchase turns into a small investigation, and in this case it revealed another step in the slow drift from physical games to digital tokens. Not quite the future the old cartridges prepared us for, but here we are—tapping plastic to download data and hoping the servers stay alive long enough for one more play session.

One advantage a physical Game-Key allows for is selling the game when you’re done playing it. That is one thing digital store purchases do not allow for. Given how well Switch games tend to hold their value, it’s still possible to live in this new digital world while keeping some degree of transferability.

That is, of course if Nintendo keeps the download servers active well into the future.