Specifications
- Operating system: Google Android TV 6.0
- Processor: Amlogic S905, 4 cores Cortex-A53, 2 GHz
- Graphics: MALI-450
- Video support: VP9 Profile-2 up to 4K x 2K @ 60fps
- H.265 HEVC MP-10 L5.1, up to 4K x 2K at 60fps
- H.264 AVC HPat L5.1, up to 4K x 2K at 30fps
- H.264 MVC, up to 1080P at 60fps
- HDR10/HLG HDR
- Memory: 2 GB RAM, 8 GB built-in eMMC
- Network: Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Dual-band Wi-Fi 2.4GHz/5GHz, Bluetooth 4.0
- Dimensions: 101x101x20 mm
- Weight: 176 grams
Introduction
Despite the fact that almost all new TVs are somehow equipped with built-in online TV viewing functions, various kinds of multimedia content and Android support, special set-top boxes for TVs continue to be released to expand their capabilities.
The Xiaomi Mi TV Box gadget is just such a device. It has Android TV system, allows you to connect to YouTube, Google Play Movies, Netflix, iVi and more, install Google Play apps, play and listen to music. In general, everything that a smartphone can do, only on the big screen.
Comes with a Bluetooth remote control with a microphone. With it, you can control the prefix by voice requests. By the way, the remote in some games acts as a joystick.
"Iron"
The Xiaomi Mi TV Box is powered by the AMlogic S905 chipset: 64-bit 4-core Cortex-A53 processor with a frequency of 2 GHz, 28 nm, Mali-450 graphics. There are no questions about the speed of the set-top box: everything is fast and smart, without microlags. In Antutu, it scores only 36,000 points - about the same as budget MTKs like 6737.
RAM 2 GB, built-in memory 8 GB, of which about 5 GB is available.
However, this is Xiaomi. From the first time I couldn’t connect my account, I had to tinker a bit with synchronization. Further, I encountered errors in programs a couple of times, neither flash drives nor disks were connected to the USB port. I solved the problem with USB by installing a new version of the OS, since it downloaded and installed itself.
As for toys, the prefix is not intended for serious "din", however, they will still go, but at the minimum settings.
Under the load of the processor, the body of the set-top box heats up within reasonable limits.
Working with Xiaomi Mi TV Box
After turning it on for the first time, you need to connect the remote control, then configure the set-top box using a Google Android phone or manually. Everything is quite simple.
The main screen is represented by a Google search (you can use the remote as a microphone and the phrase “Ok Google”), recommended content (depending on what you were looking for or watching), a quick launch of certain programs. Long-pressing the OK button on an icon will allow you to move it left or right, or delete it. Xiaomi recommendations (Netflix and Red Bull TV) cannot be removed from the screen.
At the bottom of the screen are settings and connecting to a Wi-Fi network. The settings consist of "Device", "Settings", "Remote and Accessories", "Personal". You can see each item below.
I think there is no special point in talking about working with Google Play Movies or YouTube content: everything is quite simple and clear, just like on a smartphone, only in a slightly more convenient form.
Unfortunately or fortunately, the system does not allow you to search and download all applications from Google Play, the set-top box recognizes only what can work on it, so you will have to transfer games or programs separately to a USB flash drive or disk. One more point: it is impossible to call previously launched applications (or I could not find how). Moreover, if you exit to the main screen, for example, from YouTube, and start it again, the application will be activated again, and not from the same place. When you turn on the screen saver, a similar situation occurs.
With video playback, everything is in order, the gadget "pulls" almost all formats and codecs, but for this one way or another you will have to install a video player, by default Mi TV Box is not equipped with a player.
The Mi TV Box device “spins” videos up to 4K at 60 FPS (“fed” everything in a row - from MKV to ISO, H264 / H265), HDR, Dolby Digital Plus and DTS sound are supported. The device can act as a Google Cast.
The quality of Wi-Fi signal reception is excellent and stable, no oddities or glitches.
Conclusion
My opinion about any set-top boxes is this: if you already have a TV with Smart functions, it plays video, has a minimum number of applications like ivi.ru, MeGoGo and Google Play Movies on board, then you don’t need a set-top box. For example, I have an inexpensive TV from LG on WEB OS, purchased almost 4 years ago. WEB OS is not the best solution, but even it has all the necessary programs for watching online TV, in addition, the device itself works with disks, flash drives, and so on. Therefore, I probably do not need to purchase something like Xiaomi Mi TV Box. The only caveat: sometimes you need to watch videos recorded with the H265 codec, and my TV no longer understands this format.
If we are talking about a specific thing - Mi TV Box, then this is a cool fast set-top box for convenient and comfortable viewing of video content via the Internet. To date, Xiaomi Mi TV Box costs 7,990 rubles in the official Xiaomi store in Russia (mi-shop.com). Plus, buying from us is an adequate firmware with Russian language, with Google Play services and a guarantee.
Also, Mi Box is easy to find in Chinese online stores at a price half that of the official one in Russia. However, such a purchase will probably lead you to the w3bsit3-dns.com site or back to the seller;)
Smart TV set-top box on Android is a relatively new product on the market and not all people know how to choose it and what are the differences between different models. Therefore, we will give the most basic tips for choosing and consider the 5 most popular designs to date.
To put it simply, those who have an unstable Internet or a too slow connection need to take a prefix with their own memory.
And now in more detail. Smart TV devices are divided into two types:
- With your own memory. Various files, personal data, cache and other data are loaded from it.
- Without own memory. Everything is the same there, only this information is stored in the cloud storage.
Accordingly, if the Internet is bad, the data may simply not be loaded from the cloud. That is why you need to be aware that even the most productive set-top box will not work normally with a weak connection.
More specifically, you need to take into account the connectors that are on the TV. If this is not done, then a situation may arise when you simply cannot connect the purchased device, and it will be useless.
All connectors can be divided into two groups:
- Old. These are VGA and AV (in the common people "tulip"). These can be found on older samples.
- New. The most common is HDMI. It has the best speed and quality of data transfer.
Therefore, before buying, inspect your TV and make sure that it has the appropriate connectors. To help you, we give you images of the connectors mentioned above.
Rice. No. 1. HDMI, VGA and AV
Different set-top boxes may have different functionality, so before you buy, you need to understand what you want from it, that is, what it should do.
To make it easier for you, here is a list of 10 main functions that modern Android set-top boxes perform:
- Watching videos from a flash drive or the Internet.
- Watch videos from torrent trackers (no need to download files).
- Youtube Kids (for children).
- Regular Youtube.
- Watching TV channels (in some packages you will have to pay for such a service, but the amount is always small - up to $ 2).
- Games. The console can work as a game console emulator. It will run old games from Dendy, PlayStation, as well as regular Android games.
- Video communication.
- Listening to music.
- Listening to the radio.
- Listening to audio books (everything has its own program).
Now you can choose what you need. Write it down on paper and take it to the electronics store. And if you buy online, study the list of features of each model and build on your list.
Rice. No. 2. Skype on TV
In the case of Smart TV set-top boxes, you will not be able to find any "pitfalls" and ways to save money. If smartphones can be bought on Aliexpress cheaper than in regular stores, then in this case this is not the case.
There is a direct relationship here: the more expensive, the better, the more productive.
Again, if you buy a smartphone, then it is quite possible to buy a cheap model with high performance. This is not the case with attachments. A cheap Smart TV device will work for a very short time, it will fail, turn off (even with a stable Internet connection). You just throw this thing away after a week. So save not worth it, buy quality items right away!
Remember: A normal Smart TV set-top box cannot cost less than $50.
5. TOP 5 best consoles
Fifth place. Apple TV Gen.4
A very miniature thing that will be a great addition to any interior. It's a neat rectangular black box that's customizable with other Apple gadgets. We are talking about the iPhone and iPad.
Among the pre-installed widgets, you can find a lot of useful things. True, now their number has been greatly reduced.
It also has some games, however, you, of course, will not wait for modern graphics and high performance.
Apple TV Gen.4 has a remote control with a minimal set of buttons. The RAM of this device is 2 GB. Inside is the proprietary Apple A8 processor.
Worth such a treat $170 USA.
Rice. No. 3. Apple TV Gen.4
Fourth place. MINIX NEO X8-H PLUS
For reference: MINIX is one of the leading manufacturers of Smart TV set-top boxes for TVs. Its products are always very popular in the market and are a priori considered to be of high quality.
As in other models, NEO X8-H PLUS has a branded Minix Launcher shell, which looks quite impressive and evokes only pleasant emotions in work.
This device also has 2 GB of RAM. Processor - Amlogic S812. This is not a very well-known model among fans of smartphones and tablets, but popular among connoisseurs of such devices.
The console itself is also very small and neat. She has an antenna.
Among the pre-installed programs are Netflix, YouTube, CloudTV and others. You can watch TV channels and other videos with complete peace of mind. There is also an app store.
Price - 225 bucks.
Rice. No. 4. MINIX NEO X8-H PLUS
Third place. Nvidia Shield TV
Nvidia decided not to bypass the console market and released several interesting devices.
Shield TV has as much as 3 GB of RAM, so there will be no problems with speed. An NVIDIA Tegra X1 processor runs inside. In addition to the remote control, there is a gamepad included. The design of all elements is simply amazing!
Even if you don't intend to buy, just check out the Nvidia Shield TV at your local electronics store. Reminds me of Xbox, but has its own signature features. First of all, this device is aimed at a gaming audience. With all this, such a device is also worth $225.
Rice. No. 5. Nvidia Shield TV
Second place. HiMedia Q10 Pro
Flagship, friends! There is not much to say here. All at the highest level. 2 GB of RAM, a lot of applications as standard, a variety of connectors.
The last point is worth dwelling on in more detail. There is USB3.0, and the same "tulip", and LAN (for the Internet), and HDMI, and more. You can even insert coaxial wire. Roughly speaking, if you want, you can connect an iron to the HiMedia Q10 Pro.
The cost of such a device 300 dollars.
Rice. No. 6. HiMedia Q10 Pro
First place. Dune HD Solo 4K
This unit is lower in specifications than the other devices on our list, but it can install a hard drive and has a Dune Store.
In fact, these two advantages interrupt everything that any other device can boast of. From the box, it has a lot of widgets, and this is no longer Netflix and the like, but something closer to the user from the post-Soviet space. For example, there is Megogo and oll.tv.
In general, a very neat and multifunctional thing.
Price - $275.
Rice. No. 7. Dune HD Solo 4K
Good luck in choosing and shopping!
These inexpensive devices are becoming more and more popular. But, nevertheless, still not everyone knows about devices such as Android TV boxes. If you are in the subject, then this article is not for you, because today there will not be a complete and detailed review of a particular box with its full analysis. This is a general focus material and today I will talk about why you should pay attention to TV boxes (Android TV boxes) and why you should not overpay for a feature such as SMART TV when buying a TV.
So, what is a classic Android TV box? This is a small plastic box, inside of which there is a board with a processor, memory, soldered ports, etc. and the whole thing works under the control of the Android OS.
In the vast world of gadgets, TV boxes have their own separate world with their brands, their processors, their differences from each other. Like smartphones, TV boxes fall into different categories - budget solutions are the most popular, but there are also more expensive options for more demanding users. And even the most affordable boxes, which cost as little as $25-30, easily replace and even surpass the SMART TV feature that TV manufacturers charge us extra money for. I will say more: in our time, SMART TV is an absolutely unnecessary function that forces you to use exactly the software that the manufacturer has provided, and the hardware in TVs is usually weak, which is why the whole thing does not work very fast. Therefore, when buying a new TV, first of all, focus on picture quality and a normal set of interfaces. And it is the TV box that will help you make your TV truly smart. This box will turn even an old TV set into a real multimedia center. Connection is possible even to ancient kinescope TVs, but for this the set-top box must have an AV output, and there is no point in this, because. picture quality will leave much to be desired.
I started using TV boxes in 2014, having bought a simple set-top box on Aliexpress.
I used it for 3.5 years, did not reflash, did not repair, and it is still in service. Runs on pure Android old version 4.4, has 2 GB of RAM, 8 GB of internal memory and a budget Rockchip RK3188 processor. Of course, now this boxing is already of little relevance, but nevertheless, it still copes with its tasks today.
But let me show you a more recent set-top box, which is now used in my living room in conjunction with the main TV.
This Mecool M8S Pro W is also a budget option that costs about $40. Despite the fact that the box does not have an external antenna, it catches WiFi even better than the old box, which has an external antenna. Inside, there is a 4-core Amlogic S905W processor, 2 GB of RAM, 16 GB of internal memory, a memory card slot, 2 USB ports, HDMI and AV output, and if desired, the set-top box can be connected to the Internet via a wire - there is also a network connector.
Connecting to a TV is elementary - using an HDMI cable, which is necessarily included in the package.
Different consoles may have different launchers. Here the interface looks like this:
In fact, this is a full-fledged Android in this case, version 7.1.1. And all the settings are very familiar to us - they are the same as in any Android smartphone. Of course, there is the Market, through which you can install any application on your TV box. In addition, the Market has many programs that are aimed specifically at use in set-top boxes. This includes various software for viewing IPTV, online cinemas, media players, galleries, etc. In the end, you can open a regular browser and find any content through Google or Yandex for further viewing. In general, full-fledged Android with its huge database of applications allows you to satisfy all the entertainment needs of the user. And all this on your TV screen.
Why do I use budget consoles? Yes, because my TV is not 4K, and a budget option is enough to watch FullHD video. In addition, the main purpose of the set-top box in my house is to watch movies online. If you want 4K content or if you plan to play games through a console, then you need to look at higher performance TV boxes, for example, based on the Amlogic S912 processor. Nevertheless, even such a budget box as mine allows you to comfortably play most Android games: you can connect a gamepad and go! By the way, my Mecool M8S Pro W does not have a Bluetooth module, for me this is absolutely not critical, but it is present in many other models.
Another question that confronts newcomers to this topic is how to control the console? Here you have several options. The boxes come with simple remotes, but this method of control can hardly be called comfortable.
Some consoles support smartphone control. You can connect a regular mouse and control with the cursor. But immediately after buying my first set-top box, I ordered the so-called. air mouse (Air Mouse). This is a remote with all the necessary buttons, with a keyboard and, most importantly, with a gyroscope inside, which allows the cursor on your TV screen to repeat the movements of the remote control in space. That is, the cursor always follows your hand. Really handy stuff.
But there are some pitfalls in this topic, and they are related to the fact that TV boxes in China are usually produced by no-name manufacturers who try to save money on everything and most often do not support their devices in terms of software. Because of this, many models have software flaws, and hardware jambs also occur. Example? Please! Here is the Tanix TX28 prefix:
Here is not the weakest RK3328 processor, 4 GB of RAM, 32 GB of user memory, there is even a small screen and the price is more than $60. That is, the set-top box is not the cheapest, it copes well with 4K 60 fps content, and the Tanix brand itself is far from the worst in the world of Android set-top boxes. But this box has a bug - when watching movies through a browser, especially through Chrome, the set-top box periodically reboots and, as far as I understand, this is due to overheating - the temperature under load reaches 83 degrees. Apparently, the model is not thought out constructively and there are problems with heat dissipation.
Therefore, before buying, I strongly recommend that you read user reviews. For example, on the w3bsit3-dns.com forum you can find a topic discussing any more or less common set-top box from China. But other people's reviews also need to be able to read. If something does not work properly in some specific tasks for one of the users, this does not mean at all that the prefix is not suitable. After all, you must admit that most of you, if you buy a TV box, then mainly for watching video content, and not for some narrowly focused tasks such as streaming, etc. But you can’t relax with the Chinese, so you need to choose carefully. Companies such as Xiaomi also produce their TV boxes, Mecool, Beelink and other Chinese brands have worthy models. The choice is yours! And if you haven’t used TV boxes yet or didn’t know anything about them at all, I advise you to try. There is meaning in this and not a small one.
- a pretty good set-top box on the Android 5.1 operating system. A small cost will attract even more attention, because a device of order will cost $52 . For this price, the user will get good modern functionality and fast performance, which will be provided by the 64-bit Amlogic S905 processor, which includes 4 ARM Cortex A53 cores with a decent clock speed of 2 GHz. The manufacturer equipped the smart set-top box for the TV with a small amount of 1 GB of RAM. This is enough to watch videos in FullHD or UltraHD format. You can even download not very demanding games or install almost any application.
As for the total memory, the 8 GB built-in flash drive will obviously not be enough to store high-quality movies, so there are four USB 2.0 ports through which you can connect a larger external drive. The gadget also supports a slot for SD memory cards. To connect to the Internet, a LAN connector is provided with a maximum speed of 1000 Mb / s. Wireless features are represented by Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. There is a dedicated HDMI 2.0 connection for connecting to a TV. The device also supports a download manager using the HTPS protocol and viewing IPTV digital television.
If you liked the MXQ Pro TV Box and you decided to buy an Android TV box, then you can't go wrong with choosing this model. For a nice price, the user will get pretty good performance and a large set of installed applications. True, most of them are simply not needed, but you can always download the programs you like through Google Play.
Quite an interesting media center, which uses not a new, but very good central chip called Realtek RTD1186DD, which allows you to play 3D video content via HDMI version 1.4. Also, this processor supports such sound standards as DTS and Dolby Digital. This system also includes support for 5.1-channel audio. For this, the corresponding audio outputs are provided on the rear panel. Two operating systems are definitely a plus, but this is a moot point. The device has two operating systems - RTD OS 4.5 and Android. It is not clear which version of the Google software shell, but most likely version 2.3.
Of the features, we can note support for a conventional 3.5-inch HDD computer drive. Simply remove the cover, install the hard drive on special holders, secure and connect via SATA cable. If desired, you can even mount hard drives for a 2.5-inch laptop. This option is significantly cheaper than buying an external drive to connect through one of the two USB 2.0 connectors or a single USB 3.0. Also on the rear panel you can find a LAN connector with speeds up to 1000 Mb / s and an optical audio output.
We decided to buy an android TV and paid attention to this model - you can be sure of the choice. Although the cost of this gadget is not the lowest and ranges from $140 , the TV box has its own interesting advantages, including a nice design and support for all possible video and audio codecs. It also includes Full HD high-quality 3D cinema and a built-in amplifier for 5.1 audio connection for creating a home theater along with wireless Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
The next Android TV set-top box is notable for its very nimble characteristics. The device can be safely called a mini-computer that connects to a large TV panel and turns it into a multimedia station with a lot of possibilities. The device runs on a fairly recent version of the operating system from Google - Android 5.1. This OS is familiar to most users, since the majority of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets use it. It will be easy for the user to understand the controls.
As for the characteristics, high performance is provided by an 8-core processor chip called Rockchip RK3368, which has ARM Cortex-A53 cores with a frequency of 1.5 GHz each. Pretty good performance for watching videos in high quality UltraHD and installing games and entertainment applications on the big screen. The amount of RAM is also a good size at 2 GB, which is enough for most programs. A shared 16 GB drive will suit most users, because you can always connect an external drive and even more than one through the two USB 2.0 ports that are present on the case.
Another device supports wireless connections Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a microSD slot for memory cards. There is also a mandatory connection to the Internet at 1000 Mb / s via the LAN port and a connection to a TV via an HDMI connector. If you decide to buy an android prefix Enybox EKB368, you will have to fork out for $95 , which is quite affordable and relatively inexpensive for such a device.
This device called deserves to stand next to your large diagonal TV panel. Characteristics have very good performance for creating a multimedia entertainment center. This is watching movies and other video content in the new modern UltraHD format, and of course FullHD resolution is supported. It will also be possible to download undemanding games and install a lot of applications running on the operating system of the latest edition of Android 5.1. The system will interest you with its compact size and quite affordable cost within $85 .
The internal stuffing consists of the Amlogic S905 processor, which boasts the speed of 4 cores and a high clock speed of 2 GHz. This is more than enough for most modern Andeoid programs. A modest amount of 1 GB of RAM should not be embarrassing. For watching movies, listening to music and even simple games, this is more than enough. The shared drive is also not very capacious and is 8 GB. To increase the volume, you can not do without an external hard drive, which is connected via USB 2.0, which is on the device case.
You can use microSD memory cards, for example, from a camera to view the footage directly from the android set-top box for the Rikomagic MK06 TV. There is also HDMI and wireless communication channels Bluetooth, Wi-Fi. There is a mandatory port for a LAN network with speeds up to 1000 Mb / s. This smart TV set-top box is very good and you can safely opt for it.
A very attractive smart TV set-top box running on the latest Android 5.1 operating system. The device is attractive not only for its good specifications and pleasant appearance, but also for its affordable price in $60 . Quite an average among the many models, especially in the Chinese market. The media center will provide an opportunity to watch movies in 4K UltraHD format and download applications for entertainment, including undemanding games.
The specifications of the Android TV box include a quad-core processor called Amlogic S905, which includes in its 64-bit architecture ARM Cortex A53 cores clocked at 2GHz each. The amount of RAM is not very large and is 1 GB, which is enough for all the entertainment on the TV panel. The total memory is also very modest and has a size of 8 GB. But here you can always increase the storage space for video content using an external drive by connecting it via USB 2.0.
If you are interested in the device and decide to buy an android set-top box for a TV, you will also get support for Bluetooth wireless options, Wi-Fi and wired HDMI connections for connecting to TV and a LAN port for creating an Internet network at speeds up to 1000 Mb / s. With the device you can plunge into the world of entertainment on the Android OS.
Smart TV functionality is significantly inferior to a PC, so those who dream of a computer with a TV-sized screen should find out what Android TV Box is and how to use it to make your TV smart.
What is an attachment for?
The fact is that almost any modern TV can be a regular monitor for a computer (they have such a function initially) and if you purchase a TV Box, which is actually a tablet without a display, you can eliminate, at least partially, many of the shortcomings of Smart TV.
Manufacturers, in the hope of increasing sales, are trying to give TV elements of similarity with the PC, but so far they have not been very good at it. Although you can already connect USB drives and the Internet to them. Therefore, the capabilities of Smart TV are much weaker than those of an Android tablet, not to mention a full-fledged PC.
The Android tv box can improve the functionality of a TV (almost any, even with a cathode ray tube), which can turn it into an almost full-fledged computer or turn an ordinary TV into a real Smart TV. This is easy to do if you have the necessary cables and do all the work correctly.
For TVs with an HDMI connector, the set-top box is connected through this connector with a special HDMI cable; older TVs can also be connected using a cable, colloquially called a "tulip".
So it makes no sense to specifically purchase a Smart TV, since the problem is easily solved by purchasing a TV Box based on multi-core processors and having powerful graphics accelerators.
And if you add a solid amount of internal memory and the possibility of expanding it with MicroSD cards and connecting hard drives, then you will have a real full-fledged computer with a huge screen, and not a functionally cut down to obscene and periodically slowing down Smart TV.
What are its benefits
I will try to list the main advantages of the smart tv android tv box:
- A modern set-top box allows you to make TV “smart”, while not requiring too much Internet speed, unlike Smart TV.
- It allows you to watch videos of almost any format and resolution on your TV without restriction.
- A large number of USB ports allows you to connect to it, if necessary, a full keyboard and mouse.
- With the Android set-top box, you can take advantage of all the functionality of the Play Market, and not just the small app stores of LG or Samsung, which allows you to organize viewing thousands of programs after selecting the appropriate applications.
- You can connect a webcam, headphones, speakers and microphone to the set-top box from any manufacturer, not just branded ones from the TV manufacturer.
- For fans of computer games, the set-top box provides much more opportunities than Smart TV, allowing you to play your favorite Android games.
The owners of the android smart tv box will especially please the owners of the android smart tv box in places where it is not possible to connect cable TV, providing thanks to the Internet the ability to watch your favorite TV channels.
You can install almost any application from Google Play. It is possible to connect a WEB-camera and use all the features of Skype, you can surf social networks and Internet sites, you can watch IPTV or connect a hard drive to it, downloading torrents to it, you can watch YouTube videos or movies online by going to this to any online cinema. Everything that was previously possible to do only on a tablet or Android smartphone can now be done also through a TV.
And if we add here the low cost (in comparison with Smart TV) and the compactness of the device, then all this gives 100 points ahead of such a TV. Once you understand what an Android TV Box is, you will be able to understand the real value of this device.
