I don't know exactly what all Geist et al, have actually seen in terms of material. Photos as we all know can be misleading. I'd say go to his talk and find out. Certainly the posture of the beast is important and each of the Sinosaurpoteryx seems to reside on its side. In my experience all extant birds, and I've looked at a lot of them, have feathers that with a tiny bit of careful looking can be identified as such.
Eye lashes and facial bristles are very hair-like, but always have barbs at the base.
Filoplumes, on the other hand, are extemely abundant on most birds. For a great proportion of their length, they lack barbs. But they are always present on the tips. Same for the neck of the Ostrich. This stuff feels like felt or soft material, but is feathers and feathers only.