Choose a universal media player to connect to the TV. Overview of three HDMI sticks from Android-kino

Many brands that produce consumer electronics have at least one device among their models, which is the apotheosis of the entire brand line. We have repeatedly got acquainted with Rombica media devices, but we have only just reached the icing on the cake. The media combine, which will be discussed in this article, is a kind of "monster", in a good sense of this definition, of course. In short, this is an all-in-one networked Android mini PC with the ability to install a full-size hard drive, as well as some features that may not yet be fully exploited.

Completeness, design

The device comes in a large box with detailed technical specifications of the device, its interfaces, functions, pre-installed services and the package contents. All this, of course, in Russian.

Also on the packaging is printed the completeness of the player, which includes the following accessories:

• mains power adapter
• infrared remote control
• HDMI cable
• composite audio/video cable
• USB 3.0 cable
• detailed user manual in Russian

We hope this is the first and last thing you should not praise the manufacturer for: gloss. Top, sides and front of the player's body is black and glossy. Yes, such a design looks expensive, impressive, not everyday. But operating a glossy instrument will inevitably lead to intimate familiarity with clear fingerprints, the rapid appearance of microscopic scratches, and, of course, dust.

There is a window on the front panel, behind which an infrared sensor is installed, which picks up signals from the remote control, a little to the side there is a button for turning on the device with a two-color LED indicator. Pressing the button causes the machine to turn on or off with complete boot or system shutdown cycles. The right side of the case contains a slot for MMC, SD and SDHC memory cards with a capacity of up to 32 GB, two USB 2.0 ports for connecting external drives or peripherals, including a control one, and one USB 3.0 port for connecting high-speed USB drives.

On the rear panel of the player, the service connectors are located in the following order:

• digital audio output SPDIF (optical)
• USB 3.0 port for connecting to a PC as an external USB storage device
• LAN port
• HDMI input
• analog composite audio/video output (four-pin 3.5 mm jack)
• HDMI output
• power adapter connector
• exhaust fan
• swivel wifi antenna

On the left side of the case is a removable cover, fixed with a latch. Hidden under this cover is a SATA 3.5″ hard drive slot. There is an ejection spring inside the socket, the disk is inserted without much effort and is fixed with an internal latch. There are no additional fasteners for the disk, and they are useless - the HDD is held quite rigidly inside the case.

The metal bottom of the player contains ventilation holes and serves as a heatsink to which the heat from the hard drive is transferred. Excess heat is emitted by a quiet fan.

The player is easy to disassemble, there are no insidious hidden latches that love to break off. It seems that there is quite a lot of free space inside, but do not forget about the hard drive. Again, the larger the volume, the lower the risk of critical heating of the electronic filling.

The main board occupies a quarter of the player's area - it becomes clear what dimensions the device could have if there were no hard disk here. Due to the fact that the device is easy to disassemble without negative consequences for its presentation, we looked inside. In addition to the processor covered with a radiator, here you can see such components as the Genesys Logic GL850G USB controller, two Nanya NT5CB256M16CP 4-gigabit DDR3 memory chips and a Realtek RTL8723BS WiFi / Bluetooth module.

The included remote control is lightweight, miniature, and its rubber buttons give a distinct touch when pressed that feels more tactile than sound. At the top of the remote control there is a block of learning buttons, on which you can “hang” the commands of absolutely any household appliance that perceives infrared commands, from a TV and an audio receiver to an air humidifier or air conditioner. A few more buttons are programmed to quickly launch YouTube, Kodi, UltraHD player, music player, SourceIn, and the settings menu. Another button switches the remote control to mouse mode, while a cursor appears on the screen, which becomes possible to move using the joystick-like block of arrow buttons on the remote control.

Settings, performance

It takes about 30 seconds to start the player, after which a selection menu from two pre-installed shells appears on the screen of the TV connected to it:

But about the shells later, but for now let's study the hardware characteristics of the player. This information usually helps to give a rough impression of the potential of the device.

The default Android shell tends to provide as little information as possible. In contrast to this terseness, the Rombica shell information module provides more details. But exceptionally complete information can only be obtained with the help of specialized applications, for example, CPU-Z. True, here for the first time we encountered the impossibility of direct installation from the Play Market of some programs needed in the household. For example, such as the mentioned information package CPU-Z or the test program Epic Citadel.

The Google Play service, apparently, is not yet aware of the existence of our device, although the name of the player and information about it are correctly displayed in the list of devices connected to the account. But that's okay, we'll use the usual local installation of the APK file.

The information received seems strange. More precisely, one point, namely, the screen resolution, which here is only 1280 × 720 pixels. Of course, the device in question does not have any display - this information refers to a software virtual display that some applications run on the device operate on. Therefore, it is not clear how the media player, which, according to the declared characteristics, plays 4K video, has such a miniature screen resolution, albeit a virtual one. We begin to believe that all these values ​​received by the information application are taken from the data “driven” into the player’s firmware, and driven at random, and their practical value is close to zero.

The Rombica shell resembles the interface of a consumer media player, which is controlled by an infrared remote control with buttons. Indeed, some applications are easy to control with just one remote control, however, to fully utilize all the features and functions of the Android system, you still need to connect at least a mouse to the player. And even better - an air mouse, which does not require flat surfaces.

In addition to the standard Android settings, the player also has branded ones, where it is possible to determine the network settings by choosing a wired or wireless connection. Literally all existing TV standards, frequencies and frame sizes are available in the video output parameters. Sound settings are of particular interest, because here - attention! - there is a desired point for many RAW, which we will discuss separately. Finally, in the last item of the settings, the system update tool is hidden.

At the time of this writing (beginning of October), it was not possible to update - no new versions were found on the Internet. Well, right, the player is almost brand new.

The firmware update became possible in November. Of the innovations that the new software contains, it should be noted that it is possible to output audio in AAC format as a PCM stream. This is due to the rather rare - for some reason - the presence of AAC decoders in common models of audio receivers.

Traditionally, for the considered Android devices, we present the results of testing the set-top box in several common software packages. For clarity, a video is also presented that demonstrates the testing process in the 3DMark program.

The results of the Antutu test are unlikely to please users who are concerned about the number of synthetic parrots in their gadgets. The second test, which shows the capabilities of the device when processing 3D scenes, will also not please a fan of powerful pieces of iron. But this is the purpose of the player - watching video and TV, surfing the web, chatting on Skype, etc. If only it, this purpose, did not concern 3D games and other graphic applications that require significant resources.

Let's move on to checking network connections, namely, the maximum speed of the player's network adapters. After all, the ability to view video from network drives depends on it. To determine the network speed in practice, let's conduct an elementary test: copy the same file from the network drive to the internal HDD of the player, and then repeat the copying in the opposite direction, from the HDD to the network storage. And we will do all this twice, with wired and wireless connections.

That's it, the advantage of the player's fast Ethernet adapter. According to the data received, the player is able to play as much as 100-megabit video from network drives. Looking ahead, we note that this is completely true - 100-megabit videos shot by 4K camcorders and cameras, including those with the HEVC codec, are easily played by the player from both local and network media. Without any hint of slowdown.

The following network test, carried out using the well-known resource Speedtest, does not say much about the speed of the player's network adapter, but it shows what tariff plan for unlimited Internet connection a particular user (in this case, the author) "sits" on.

If the player is connected with a cable to a PC via USB 3.0, then it switches to the external drive mode. This resets the Android system to the selection of pre-installed launchers, and from that moment on, the system begins to obey only the commands of the infrared remote control. It's funny that while the player is connected to the computer as a drive, commands from the mouse and keyboard that are connected to the player begin to be transmitted to this computer! That is, all these control peripherals connected to the player start working as if they were connected directly to the computer. Oh yes USB.

In storage mode, the player appears as an external drive, which looks like a normal local HDD in the system.

The speed of copying from a PC to the player's hard drive when connected via USB 3.0 in our case was about 90 megabytes per second, and from the player's hard drive to a PC - up to 150 megabytes per second. It is clear that the recording speed here is limited by the capabilities of the HDD, which we equipped the player with. Yes, he is old, but for many years he has been faithful and unbreakable. And high-speed disks are especially useless for such systems as media players, storage systems or video surveillance systems.

Finally, about the sound! A little higher you could see a screenshot of the audio settings, which indicates the possibility of direct (RAW) audio output via HDMI and optical S / PDIF. According to the technical information that accompanies the player in question, the player supports direct output of the following audio formats: Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby Digital Plus, True HD and DTS Master Audio. Let's check? By itself!

To do this, connect our player to the HDMI input of the audio receiver, and let the HDMI video signal from this receiver go into the capture device - after all, we need freeze frames that prove the presence of multi-channel and HD sound. And here they are, freeze frames containing the information block of the receiver, which shows the format of the audio signal coming from the player to the receiver:

Complete success? Without a doubt. But it was an HDMI connection, allowing you to transfer absolutely any audio format. And what about the optical output of the player? Let's check again.

In general, it is predictably the same as in the case of HDMI, with the exception of the DTS HD format - it cannot be transmitted via optics.

Nevertheless, it turns out that there is a “secret” software stub in Android devices that prohibits the output of RAW sound. Another proof is the passport capabilities of the player in question, plus our elementary check. The point, it turns out, is not at all in Android as an operating system, but in the notorious boring patents. By the way, how many users of new Android devices have noticed the gradual disabling of hardware audio decoding in AC3 format? These are flowers, or there will be more - patent holders do not sleep!

In conclusion of the setup chapter, you need to remember the presence of HDMI in the player entrance. What can be said about it... Firstly, it is not transparent. That is, it works only when the player is on and only when a special application is launched, which is called: HDMI video input.

This application does not have any interface or settings, and launching the program turns on the display of the signal that is currently supplied to the HDMI input of the player. The following video demonstrates the operation of the HDMI In application when the video signal from another media player is input to the player in question.

But why would such a function be needed at all? After all, if the player (or camera, or mobile device) that we connected to the HDMI input of Rombica Cinema 4K has an HDMI output, then why be smart and build such complex chains? The first player (or camera, etc.) can simply be connected to the TV directly, since modern TVs probably have several digital inputs. That's another question. Perhaps this function of the HDMI input will be more fully disclosed in the next version of the player or in the next version of the Rombica firmware - for example, there will be a function to capture / record a digital signal, or even broadcast it to some online broadcasting Internet services. In the meantime, this ability to display the input video signal can be used in conjunction with one of the third-party applications that can video capture the display of a mobile device and / or broadcast it to the Web.

Video playback

It seems that it is high time to exclude from testing players such a stage as checking for their "omnivorousness". First, it's much easier to list the formats that a modern player can't play. And secondly, there are fewer and fewer such unreproducible formats. This also applies to the new HEVC codec, otherwise referred to as H.265. According to the technical documentation, the player in question is capable of hardware decode the following formats and play the following video and audio containers:

As for the formats that are not included in the list of hardware supported, the issue is resolved by playing such a video with third-party software players with software decoding.

Traditionally, first of all, we will check the ability of the device to correctly play video of the formats that are common today. To do this, we use the piggy bank of video files that we have, and we will give the playback results in a separate plate:

In addition to these template formats, the player does not shun other codecs, including FLV or VC1. However, much will depend on the software player used - each program may have its own set of decoders. The format alone cannot be handled by the device, no matter what software player you use: 10-bit AVC. Instead of a 10-bit video, a black blank is displayed on the screen, but the sound is still playing.

The set-top box supports connection to CRT (via composite output), Full HD and 4K TVs in a wide variety of standards, from analog 480i to digital 4096 × 2160 with a frequency of 24 (all modes) to 60 (not higher than Full HD) progressive frames in give me a sec.

Now let's touch on the question of the true resolution that our device delivers to the TV screen. Some devices - and we have already encountered such devices - can deceive by processing the image in the original size, but giving the usual “upscale” to the video output.

Checking the true resolution that the player is able to give out is very simple. To do this, you need to play a special video file in which there are horizontal and vertical lines that are one pixel thick and spaced from each other by the same pixel. When playing such a video, the player involved in forgery will be immediately identified - sticky lines will be evidence of cheating. Below is a part of a micrograph of a 4K TV screen, on which two test clips were displayed, with a frame size of 1920x1080 and 3840x2160.

It can be seen that the set-top box does not allow geometric transformation when playing a test video - the video is transmitted pixel-by-pixel, the set-top box broadcasts honest 1920 × 1080 and 3840 × 2160 pixels.

Features of hardware support of certain formats should be covered in more detail. In particular, it is necessary to close the issue concerning the frame size, its frequency and - most importantly! - the codec with which a specific video is compressed. Typically, hardware support for decoding individual specific formats lies in the ability of the processor to process a specific codec based on built-in algorithms, with frame size and frequency playing a large role here. For example, the player in question successfully plays video compressed with the H.264 codec, but the existing limitation does not imply hardware decoding of H.264 files with a frame size larger than 1920x1080. To play 4K video, it must be encoded with the new H.265 (HEVC) codec, and nothing else. This indicates the existence of a certain trend, according to which in the future all 4K video will be distributed only in the HEVC codec. While the outgoing AVC (H.264) will remain the role of a codec for a picture with a maximum frame size of Full HD. All of the above does not exclude options when not only 4K, but also Full HD video is encoded in HEVC - the principle of backward compatibility works.

In the next video, you can see how the device in the built-in software player successfully plays 4K video compressed by HEVC, but refuses to play video with the same frame size compressed by AVC. An attempt to open a 4K AVC video in a third-party player (MX Player) results in software decoding of the stream, which makes the file play jerkily, making it impossible to watch such a video.

For a larger view, click the Original Size button.

Perhaps this limitation on the frame size in AVC video will be removed in new firmware versions, however, we repeat, the very fact of such a limitation may indicate a global trend of switching to a new HEVC codec (at least in 4K video), and not developer error or omission.

Finally, one of the hard-to-dispute and extremely visual tests. We are talking about skipping or duplicating frames, which are allowed by many playback devices. These gaps occur for several reasons, for example:

• screen refresh rate does not match the frame rate of the video being played
• lack of hardware resources, network speed or video processor power

In the first case, the players try to smooth out the frequency mismatch by dropping or duplicating frames, doing it as evenly as possible to avoid obvious twitching of the moving image. If the device does not have enough resources, then these gaps become uneven, torn, which shows the extreme overload of the processor - it simply does not care about equalization, it is so overloaded. Such gaps are guaranteed to lead to strobe, twitching, and deprive playback of smoothness.

To check the correctness of displaying video files with different frame rates, we will use a set of test clips with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see Method for testing video playback and display devices). When testing, we used video with a frame size of 1920x1080 and different rates, from 24 to 60 fps, compressed by AVC, and 4K video at different rates, compressed by the HEVC codec (the reason why a different codec was used in different cases is described above) . The set-top box in question was connected to a 4K TV in the “oldest” mode - 3840 × 2160 with a frequency ranging from 24 to 30 Hertz, depending on the frequency in the video being played. Below is a table with screenshots taken with a second exposure, where you can see the test results and draw the appropriate conclusions. At the time of taking a photo, we intentionally display an information line on the TV screen, which indicates the current mode of the TV - frame size and screen refresh rate (please do not confuse this frequency with the marketing frequency, which, according to sellers selling TVs, can reach up to several hundred Hertz - these "Hertz" have nothing to do with the actual screen refresh rate).

There is not a single claim to the player. High-frequency Full HD is displayed as it should be, smoothly, smoothly, with uniform dropping frames (if playback is performed on a Full HD display at a frequency corresponding to the frame rate in the video, then frames will not be thrown out, of course). 4K video is also played without complaints to the player, but as long as the frame rate in such video does not exceed the maximum laid down in today's established standard, which is 30 frames per second. At higher values, the player, as you can see, goes into a rush mode with characteristic chaotic ejection of extra frames.

We must not forget that the player in question supports playback of any 3D formats, including vertical, horizontal and full-frame stereo pairs, and even full copies of 3D Blu-ray discs in ISO images. During 3D playback, any graphical controls that are drawn on top of the image are also rendered in 3D, without aspect ratio distortion.

In conclusion of the chapter, we will evaluate the ability of the set-top box to surf the web. The device loads web pages at a speed worthy of a not very powerful processor, with support for scripts and scripts. So, a video embedded in an article is played with sound directly on the page, without preloading and switching to full screen mode.

For a larger view, click the Original Size button.

We have already studied pre-installed service applications using the Rombica Smart Box Ultra HD Android set-top box as an example, as well as in a recent article Rombica Smart Box Ultra HD v002 Android set-top box and the Nemo TV service. We only add that the prefix in question supports all the described services with equal success.

conclusions

Playback of all common formats with their hardware decoding, support for proprietary services, initially exemplary localization, direct output of multichannel and HD audio, the ability to install a full-size hard drive as a capacious local storage, high-speed network and USB interfaces - these factors can be considered the main distinguishing features of the considered player. Positive, of course. If the cost of the player is a little lower, then it could be added to the list of positive factors. However, if we take into account the need to equip the device with a hard drive - and HDDs are very expensive these days! - then the total amount will be quite an impressive figure. However, the user will still make the final decision if he wants to get a device that perfectly reproduces any formats, including the still spreading HEVC.

Instead of an introduction, we would like to draw the attention of buyers to the reduction in cost and progress of Smart TV systems over the past year. The ability to connect drives and wide support for various formats are now available even in the most inexpensive TVs. This is great, but the functionality of the "boxes" threatens entry-level media players. Up to complete disappearance.

Players are different

The "injection" of multimedia functions into the TV today can be performed by several classes of devices: the successors of DVD players, computers and tablets paved their way to TV screens.

The most time-consuming type of media players are nettop class models. These avant-garde mini-computers impress with their compactness and stability, and the quality of components, the performance of ultra-low-voltage processors and desktop OS capabilities cannot be compared with the potential of other media players. All the power of computer browsers, content playback programs and file-sharing networks can now be obtained within a quiet and compact "box".

Nettops: media players outside - computers inside

The problem is that the domestic use of these, in fact, desktop computers is hardly compatible with the tasks of a set-top box. Choosing and buying a remote control, finding a suitable media shell and setting up a DVB tuner will require serious patience, and therefore turn the project into a long-term project. We leave this method to experienced and determined fans of the PC platform, and we offer you to get acquainted with the world of nettops in numerous news and reviews on the site.

The next subspecies of media players are devices based on Android OS. Attempts to endow TVs with the functionality of smartphones and tablets have become a trend in recent years: familiar and ready-to-use applications, OS adaptation to high-resolution displays, and inexpensive processors have had a positive impact on the spread of such devices. The disadvantage, as in the case of nettops, is the mediocre adaptation of the system to new controls: manufacturers have to “reinvent” the Android interface, taking into account the lack of touch input, and users have to get used to the specifics of using the “lazy” Air Mouse.

Standing apart among these media players are mini-computers of the Android Stick format. These miniature (the size of a large flash drive) devices are deprived of a digital tuner and have only an HDMI connector. But they can boast of an affordable price and a powerful operating system.

HDMI Stick - compact media players based on Android OS

The main role in the media player market is played by devices running Sigma Designs and Realtek platforms - direct descendants of hardware DVD and Blu-ray players. The loss of an optical disc drive is compensated by the introduction of streaming services, "omnivorousness" and, sometimes, a standard HDD connector in the media player case. Being more household than computer equipment, this class of devices rarely allows the installation of third-party applications and services. The efforts of the developers lie in the plane of ease of management and picture quality.

Classic IPTV set-top boxes are still relevant today

Our guide will focus on the last two categories of devices.

In the dark forest of characteristics

Buying a media player can be treated differently. Nothing prevents you from being guided only by the budget for the purchase of the device. And such an approach will not necessarily result in disappointment, since the functionality of even the most budget models today satisfies the needs of an undemanding user. We will try to identify priorities for those who want to get the most out of the media player with minimal investment.

Interfaces

The variety of interfaces in the era of digital broadcasting is fading, so a TV equipped with an HDMI input and support for resolutions from HD Ready and above will be an ideal candidate for connecting a media player. The digital connector will ensure maximum video quality and greatly simplify the output of multi-channel audio to your home theater. The HDMI specification allows you to transmit digital sound to acoustics in an unchanged form (bitstream technology), which makes it possible to use the full potential of a high-quality audio system on media players running Sigma and Realtek platforms. Things are worse for set-top boxes based on ARM Cortex chipsets. In their case, the sound potential is most often limited by the transfer of a stereo stream (LPCM) already processed on the set-top box to the TV.

When it comes to connecting a media player to an outdated TV, the situation becomes much more complicated. In the absence of an HDMI connector, you will have to choose from the following analog interfaces:

• composite output. Referred to on devices as AV Out or RCA. Uses familiar for the second decade "tulips" to output video and stereo sound. The quality of sound and video with this connection method leaves much to be desired, and if possible, we recommend using alternative connectors.

Composite interface

• component output. Referred to on devices as YUV Out or YPbPr. It is based on all the same "tulips", but the video signal is transmitted through several cables at once, and the final picture quality is the best among all available analog interfaces.

Component Interface

• scart. In fact, it is not an interface, but a "container" for transmitting an RGB image with low image quality by modern standards. Rarely found among media player connectors and, as a rule, it comes in the form of an adapter from a composite connector or an S-Video interface.

SCART socket

• S video. The least common interface in media players and TVs. Structurally, S-Video is a slightly better alternative to the composite connector. This development did not gain much popularity among TV manufacturers, and today it often catches the eye among the connectors of outdated computer video accelerators.

S-video connector

Media players with an analog tuner on board have practically disappeared from retail, and support for the DVB-T2 digital broadcasting standard has come in their place. The digital television network in Russia is rapidly expanding, but broadcasting in this standard is still far from widespread. The presence of a digital signal in a particular locality should be checked in advance on the website of the operator of the all-Russian digital television broadcasting or from local providers.

Form factor and network communications

The usual trick on video recorders with the definition of the flagship "by eye" is no longer relevant. In the media player segment, the bulkiest model is not always the most productive. The dimensions of the new players are dictated only by the number of connectors for connecting to a TV, as well as the presence of a hard drive compartment.

It is also not worth unconditionally giving preference to media players with a HDD connector: in the absence of a “home video library”, this function will very soon cease to be in demand. Connecting a media player to a PC, constantly removing the drive to write new files, or painstaking work with the web interface of a torrent client is tiring. But playing files from the local network will be faster and more efficient. In the case of an Android mini PC, an additional argument for this use is the characteristic lack of ports for connecting drives: the only USB connector is occupied by a wireless keyboard, and the weak current in the device does not allow connecting a USB Hub without mains power.

A capacious drive on board will shelter any collection of media files

Fortunately, media players without support for data exchange over the network are rare today. Even budget models are able to offer an Ethernet connector or Wi-Fi support for receiving content via DLNA or a Samba server. If possible, you should use the RJ-45 connector - wireless playback of Full HD video will require support for Wi-Fi 802.11n and the presence of a productive router in line-of-sight conditions.

The unequivocal advantage of Android-based media players is the support for social functions: clients for Facebook, VKontakte, Skype and other instant messengers work quickly and are always updated to the latest versions. Some media players are equipped with support for webcams via USB-OTG, and the second half of 2014 was marked by the release of the Android Stick with a video camera and microphone in the device itself. Alas, the power of the mini PC's Wi-Fi transmitter leaves much to be desired, and in order to play 1080p video over a network, you will most often need a USB to Ethernet adapter.

Playback formats

With some reservations, we can say that the "omnivorousness" of modern media players has reached almost peak values. Over the past few years, there have been no models left on the market that would not be able to play video files in Divx / Xvid, H.264 and MPEG 1/2 formats. As for sound files, it is worth paying attention to the presence of support for high-quality audio in DTS, Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby TrueHD formats. Some media players are deprived of sound support in this format (due to the lack of a license for a codec or the design features of the chipset), so it's better to avoid an unpleasant surprise in the form of a "silent movie" in advance.

As for containers, the popular AVI, MP4 and MKV are easily played even in budget models, which means that any modern model is suitable for watching movies in DVDRip, BDRip, BDRip-AVC and BDRemux standards.

Problems with the selection of a media player haunt only lovers of "full-format" Blu-ray and surround video. 3D movies are often distributed as ISO images or file folders. A truly convenient playback of such a video can only be provided by media players that support the ISO BD3D standard, but with the proviso that the movie will be navigated through a simplified BD Lite menu. Support for 3D HD video in other media players will be limited to the "heuristic" launch of the M2TS file from the folder structure or the complete lack of support for the standard. Unfortunately, support for the full Blu-ray specification has fallen into oblivion along with optical discs. The aggressive lobbying for copy protection called Cinavia played a role in this.

Devices developed in close cooperation with content providers stand apart - in the pursuit of copyright compliance and the promotion of purchases in online cinemas, media players receive a limited list of compatible codecs and / or streaming services that are relevant only to foreign audiences.

Governing bodies

The interface of the Sigma SDK and Realtek SDK operating systems was developed taking into account the capabilities of a standard remote control: therefore, controlling such media players does not require additional skills from users of a TV or game console. Support for computer keyboards and mice is present in many models, but it is of no practical use - multi-stage menus are easier and faster to master using the same remote control than using the mouse cursor.

The comfort of a TV versus the functionality of a computer

Media players running Android go to the other extreme: the lack of touch input in these products can only be compensated for by multifunctional remote controls with a QWERTY keyboard and Air Mouse mode, which are not particularly ergonomic. In the end, all Android Stick users are moving to control through a full-sized set of computer keyboard and mouse - controlling a media player from the couch will never be easy.

Performance and hardware platform

The confrontation between Sigma and Realtek chipsets is painfully reminiscent of the picture on the PC processor market. The Sigma Designs platform typically comes with a finer workflow and superior synthetic performance. The stability and speed of operation of the SMP series chipsets are overshadowed by the high cost of the platform for manufacturers - media players based on Realtek and Sigma that are equal in price will differ in functionality not in favor of the latter.

Realtek media processors are much more flexible. Thanks to a loyal pricing policy, they have become much more widespread. As is often the case in budget products, a number of annoying flaws have plagued RTD series platforms for a long time - experienced users of media players will nod in the direction of a well-known flaw, when video playback at a frequency of 23.976 frames / s was accompanied by constant jerks. The next negative moment occurred already through the fault of negligent manufacturers of set-top boxes: ventilation problems in models equipped with an HDD slot led to overheating and unstable operation of a whole family of media players. Today, all these problems have been eliminated, and the competition between the two chipset manufacturers is on an equal footing.

Comparison of the performance of these platforms can be done "the old fashioned way", guided only by the operating frequencies of the processor, however, the lion's share of the load in the SoC of media players falls on hardware decoders. The efficiency of content playback for these devices is beyond the competence of benchmarks.

Nevertheless, performance measurement in "synthetics" remains the only possible way to classify SoCs. Specialized multimedia processors and competing chips based on the ARM Cortex architecture can be divided into five classes (in descending order of performance).

For buyers who are not ready to analyze the market in search of the ideal media player, we have prepared a list of current Smart TV systems for any budget and needs. The market leaders will not necessarily appear among these products, but the ratio of price and functionality allows us to recommend these models for purchase with confidence.

Upvel UM-521TV

The UM-521TV media player is the most successful candidate for livening up the TV screen with social networking, online entertainment and other applications for the Google platform. The quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, and stock Android Jelly Bean will appeal to customers for whom timely access to news feeds and videos means much more than painstakingly selecting content for long-term viewing.

TVZor TVZ100ZT

The ideology of the TVZor media player goes against fashion - the model belongs to a small class of devices developed in collaboration with content providers. In the Russian market, a limited selection of streaming services rarely boasts of success with buyers, but the TVZ100ZT has every chance of turning the tide. For only 3,000 rubles, the buyer receives a media player with a rich bundle, a programmable remote control with a QWERTY keyboard, a DVB-T2 tuner, an online media library and a set of connectors for connecting to a CRT or LCD TV.

Unfortunately, there is no trace of the functionality of the Android system, and access to files on the local network is closed. But 20 stably working IPTV channels are supplemented with a pack of free series in the online store, and support for formats for digital media is in no way inferior to "full" and more expensive competitors. More details with TVZor TVZ100ZT

IconBit Movie3D IPTV

IconBit Movie3D IPTV

"Functionality over performance" - the Movie3D IPTV model is based on the obsolete Allwinner A20 chipset, and the proprietary shell adjacent to Android leads to extremely slow navigation through the device's menu. In contrast to these shortcomings, the player has a rich feature set and a reasonable price. Working with custom IPTV playlists, support for stereo pairs of the BD3D ISO standard, numerous streaming services and access to the Google Play app store cannot fail to please budget buyers. Beginners will also enjoy the abundance of free content, while experienced Android users will appreciate root access and the ability to install third-party apps. You can learn more about IconBit Movie3D IPTV in our review.

ASUS O!Play Mini Plus

ASUS O!Play Mini Plus

In the O!Play Mini Plus model, ASUS engineers chose not to get involved in the pursuit of smartphone features. The lack of support for Blu-ray ISO images and shortcomings in the online component will be accompanied by fair complaints from users. However, this model is aimed at practitioners and its main goal is to conveniently play content from local and network drives. Gigabit Ethernet, a card reader and an eSATA connector allow you to take any video and music fully armed. The level of implementation of these functions directly speaks about the quality of the media player. The presence of a composite output will allow you to play Full HD files even on older TVs. But among enthusiasts, O!Play Mini Plus is not respected, since the media player is based on the infamous revision of Realtek MD chipsets, which means that the device is completely closed for flashing at home.

Google Nexus Player

Google Nexus Player

Google presented its vision on what should be a set-top box based on the Android operating system. A model called Nexus Player, developed in collaboration with ASUS, is finally on sale. The interface and functionality of the base Android has been adapted for easy use on the TV screen and content streaming. The media player supports Google Chromecast functions, allowing you to broadcast videos, music and photos from your computer, smartphone or tablet to your TV screen. A distinctive feature of the interface is the automatic ranking of applications and multimedia files according to user preferences.

The basic kit includes a multifunctional remote control with an integrated microphone, and a game pad is available for an additional fee.

Nexus Player is based on the quad-core Intel Atom platform, clocked at 1.8 GHz. The graphics component is based on the Imagination PowerVR Series 6 video accelerator, and the memory subsystem has 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of internal storage. Wireless communications are represented by Wi-Fi 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.1, and among the communication connectors there is HDMI and Micro-USB. The cost of new items is 99 US dollars.

The Chinese produce a huge number of Android TV set-top boxes, but choosing a decent option from them is quite problematic. If the price does not matter, then you should not even look in the direction of the Chinese.

Nvidia Shield TV - the best Smart TV box

The Nvidia Shield TV on Android TV is simply the best solution on the market. The Tegra X1 chip used in it contains four Cortex-A57 and four Cortex-A53 processor cores (whereas Chinese set-top boxes for $ 20-30 contain only four Cortex-A53 cores). The NVIDIA Shield TV graphics system supports DirectX 12, OpenGL 4.5, NVIDIA CUDA, OpenGL ES 3.1, Vulkan API, and AEP (Android Extension Pack). Of course, all this is not enough for serious games, but Smart TV consoles are taken mostly not for games. In addition, if you have a powerful computer with an Nvidia graphics card, you can use it to play on a TV using an Nvidia Shield TV and an excellent joystick from this set-top box. Plus, you can subscribe to Nvidia's online service and play powerful games online. As for games, of course, the question is debatable, is it better to buy a game console or a gaming computer. But in any case, Nvidia Shield TV allows you to play much more resource-intensive games than Chinese Smart TV boxes.

In terms of video playback, the Nvidia Shield TV is excellent. In particular, this set-top box allows you to play video in resolution up to 4k at 60 frames per second, even if it is HDR video (high dynamic range). H.265/HEVC, VP8, VP9, ​​H.264, MPEG1/2, etc. codecs are supported. Automatic Frame Rate (AFR) is also present here - adjusting the display frequency to the video frame rate, so the video plays without unnecessary jerks.

In terms of sound, it's great too. Unlike cheap Chinese set-top boxes, there is support for DTS (pass-through - pass-through transfer of an audio stream to another device), Dolby Atmos and Dolby TrueHD (pass-through), DTS-X and DTS-HD (pass-through).
The remote control allows you to interact with the console using voice commands.
Also, the prefix allows you to control a smart home. You can give voice commands using the Google Assistant.

The prefix does an excellent job of playing "heavy" content over the network.
Of course, there is support for DRM (in particular, Google Widevine Modular DRM), which allows you to use subscription services such as Amazon Prime, Netflix, Vudu, Hulu, ... The latter, of course, are not very relevant for Russia, but there are problems with Russian online There are also no cinemas.

Peer-to-peer TV (p2p TV) from ace stream and sopcast works great on Nvidia Shield TV, which allows you to watch pirated TV channels broadcast from the "garbage" (a free resource with links to ace stream streams of peer-to-peer online TV), as well as.

The Nvidia Shield TV 2017 is currently running Android 7.1. Of course, this is the Android TV app store, which is different from the Google Play Market app store for smartphones and tablets. it contains applications optimized to work on the TV. But with the help of a third-party manager (such as Sideload Launcher), you can install many more applications.

The Nvidia Shield TV 2017 version no longer has an optical audio output, there is no SD card slot. The game controller no longer charges via USB, but it lasts longer on battery power, better feedback is better, plus the microphone picks up voice commands better.

Finding flaws in this TV set-top box is difficult. This is the best uncompromising solution on the market, although not the cheapest. But, unlike the Apple TV 4K, it is really worth the money, as it is very functional. Amazon Fire (Stick) and Roku, unfortunately, are not of particular interest to Russians. So if you don’t want the functionality of a network storage from a Smart TV set-top box, and the price doesn’t matter, then you just don’t have to read further. Moreover, high-quality Chinese are sold not much cheaper.

Chinese Smart TV boxes and Android media players: what parameters to pay attention to

For TV set-top boxes and network media players on Android, many single-chip systems (System-on-a-Chip or SoC) are used:

• Amlogic S905W, S905, S905D, S905X,


• Rockchip RK3128, RK3229, RK3328, RK3368, RK3399


• Realtek RT1295,


• AllWinner H2, H6


• Hisilicon Hi3798C V200,


• MTK MT6630, MT8693

In terms of speed, the popular Amlogic S905 is inferior to the S912, mainly only in games. Although, of course, it is important not to miss other points, in particular the speed of the memory, network, as well as the graphics subsystem.

As graphics processors in Smart TV boxes, ARM Mali-400MP, Mali-450MP, Mali-T720, Mali-T820MP3 are most often used (listed in increasing performance).

The cheapest set-top boxes priced at $ 15-30 are now sold mainly on Amlogic S905W (a stripped down version of S905), Rockchip RK3128, RK3229, RK3368, Allwinner H2. Such a set-top box can have 1GB RAM and 8GB ROM, although of course it is much better to choose 2GB RAM and 16GB ROM. More memory can come in handy in reserve. But you need to take into account the fact that when using alternative firmware, it may turn out that the extra amount of RAM cannot be used.

When buying, it is important to pay attention to support for a 100-megabit or gigabit network, Wi-Fi quality and ranges, USB 2.0 / 3.0 connectors, supported HDMI version (HDMI 2.0a is required to play HDR video and 4k video at 60 frames per second) , the presence of a memory card reader, the presence of an optical output (if you use it with appropriate audio equipment), the presence of a Serial ATA connector (for connecting a hard drive), the quality and functionality of the remote control (in particular, the presence of voice control and work as an air mouse ), 3D support, DRM support for online streaming services (Google Widevine Modular DRM, Microsoft Playready DRM, Marlin DRM, Verimatrix VCAS), the ability to download torrents or view without downloading. Here, of course, everything is very individual.

The cheapest set-top boxes allow you to watch Full HD video, although there may already be problems with 4k. They are almost guaranteed to lack support for DTS, Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-X, DTS-HD audio. Since most TV boxes now use passive cooling, it is possible that it is implemented poorly, as a result, throttling (skip cycles by the processor to avoid damage) appears and the set-top box slows down. But the biggest problem with Smart TV set-top boxes in the lowest and middle price segments is the lack of firmware updates and support for Automatic Frame Rate (autoframe rate). Moreover, this applies not only to the low price segment, and not only to nameless (noname) manufacturers.

Only a few manufacturers deal with firmware for set-top boxes: Minix, Ugoos, Himedia. Even the popular Xiaomi brand, unfortunately, did not solve the problem with the Automatic Frame Rate (autoframe rate) for its set-top boxes even in a year (not to mention the fact that most Xiaomi set-top boxes are designed for the Chinese market, so you need to tinker with Russification). The bulk of Chinese manufacturers, at best, release a couple of firmware and forget about support.

After dealing with regular firmware updates for an old Samsung Galaxy s3 phone and a total lack of support for the LG G Flex2, I don't feel like choosing a device to be abandoned anymore. Ideally, of course, I would like to have the support of a large community, because. sooner or later, the manufacturer will abandon the device anyway. In terms of alternatives, Nvidia Shield is unlikely to have competitors. Even the popular Amazon Fire TV (Stick) in the US does not have good enthusiast support.

Chinese Smart TV Boxes and Android Media Players: Recommended Devices

One of the most recommended set-top boxes is Minix U9-H on Amlogic S912-H (the H prefix means that Dolby Digital, DTS, DTS-HD decoding licenses are paid). This model has a good assembly and support. But at $135, you immediately wonder if it's better to add and buy an Nvidia Shield TV? Moreover, on Black Friday, the latter in the version without a joystick was offered in the USA at exactly this price.

A cheaper alternative is Ugoos AM3 on Amlogic S912. Dolby Digital, DTS, DTS-HD decoding licenses are NOT already paid here, but the set-top box is sold at a price of $87.

Of course, the price of 80-90 dollars does not suit many, I want an option up to 50 dollars. Luckily, the Ugoos AM3 firmware can be installed on the Mini M8S Pro 2/16 (but it should be the 1Gb LAN version, which has been disappearing from stores since the cheaper Mini M8S Pro C).
Smart TV boxes with Wi-Fi and BT adapter QCA9377/LTM8830 also allow you to install firmware from Ugoos AM3 without any modifications. The only thing that needs to be done is setting up the remote control. These options include Tronsmart Vega S96 and Alfawise S92.
There are also smart TV boxes that come with several options for wireless adapters, i.e. may be lucky or not. 2GB RAM options: Beelink GT1, TX8, H96 Pro. On CSA93, Sunvell T95Z Plus, Sunvell T95U PRO, you can also install firmware from Ugoos AM3, but the screen on the set-top box itself will not work.
In addition, there are consoles on which a modified version of the firmware from Ugoos AM3 is installed.
Of course, the Chinese can make some changes or incorrectly indicate information on the product page, the option with non-native firmware is more risky.

Recommended set-top boxes on Realtek RT1295 include Zidoo x8, x9s and x10. The Zidoo x9s has an external SATA port, while the X10 allows you to install a 3.5" hard drive inside the aluminum case. The beauty of the Realtek RT1295 is that both Android and OpenWRT can be installed on the set-top box, although the Linux kernel is the same. OpenWRT was originally intended for routers , but it is also successfully used in set-top boxes.Thanks to it, the network media player gets excellent network capabilities: SAMBA server, FTP server, torrent client, etc. Another feature of Zidoo x8, x9s and x10 is the HDMI input, the video from which can be shown as a picture -in-picture (picture-in-picture), as well as record video (up to 1080p30) with sound and even broadcast video over UDP protocol (for example, multicast broadcast of 1080p30 video and sound to several devices on the local network).Even if the video is recorded , you can continue to work with the prefix, although of course there are chances to spoil the quality of the recording.
If the Zidoo X9S can be purchased for $110, then the Chinese are already asking for $190 for the Zidoo X10. And these are sale prices!

Whether the prices for the Zidoo X10 are really justified remains a mystery to me. After all, for $ 250 on sales in the US you can buy "QNAP TS-251+ 2-Bay Personal Cloud NAS" - network storage with HDMI output and remote control. Since it uses an Intel Celeron Quad-Core 2.0GHz processor, and expands the RAM to 8GB DDR3L, we get a much cooler solution that allows you to install multiple Windows/Linux/UNIX/Android operating systems on virtual machines. Although, of course, these are devices of different directions, and QNAP TS-251 Plus is, first of all, network storage.

Aside from other Intel processors, I would not recommend Atom devices in any case, especially options with Windows and 2GB of RAM. The Intel Atom x5-Z8300 is a slow processor that, together with Windows, does not allow the use of Ace Stream, and even the responsiveness in the browser is worse than when using various single-chip systems Rockchip, Amlogic, Realtek,...

Of the recommended Smart TV boxes and media players not covered, Himedia Q5 / Q10 Pro on SoC Hisilicon Hi3798C V200 remained. Himedia Q10 Pro allows you to install 2.5" and 3.5" hard drives. Quality content, quality playback, auto frame rate, support for Bluray disc images, support for Dolby True-HD / Dolby True-HD ATMOS / DTS:X / DTS-HD MA, firmware update, Android 7 - all this ensures that the price will not be low. Now Himedia Q10 Pro can be bought for $159.99, although you can find options for $250-300. Please note that unlike Zidoo X10, there is no support for OpenWRT.

In general, choosing a cheap Smart TV set-top box is not an easy task. And even if the bailiff is recommended, this does not mean at all that the latest firmware version is devoid of problems (a vivid example is Ugoos AM3).

Do you need an Android box?

With such prices and / or problems, as well as the presence of Smart TV on the TV, you will think about whether a Chinese set-top box is needed at all.

If you want to watch Torrent TV and other Ace Stream broadcasts (including Discovery Science HD, Discovery HD, National Geographic HD, Nat Geo Wild HD, Animal Planet Hd, Amedia Premium HD, Fox HD, Fox Live HD, etc., then you can set up aceproxy (or other proxy) on your computer.Ace stream server can be installed not only on your computer, but even on Raspberri Pi or some NAS (in Docker), and even some routers allow you to install support for Ace Stream.

You can also install aRemoteFork on your Android smartphone/tablet and broadcast on Smart TV with ForkPlayer installed. At the same time, smartphones, even not the newest ones, often cope better with heavy content and Ace Stream than Smart TV boxes.

If you need to view videos and photos, then you can use the DLNA server, which can be installed not only on a computer, but also on a network storage or even some routers.

But of course, in the absence of Smart TV, you want to have at least some set-top box, including for watching videos from Youtube, Vimeo, simple games. In this regard, almost any device is suitable for an undemanding consumer. If only it was assembled with high quality and did not overheat.

Update (September 30, 2018)
Android TV boxes Zidoo X20, X20 PRO, as well as newer Z9S, Z10 based on SoC RTD1296 (based on a 4-core Cortex A53 processor and ARM Mali-T820MP3 GPU) appeared on sale. Compared to the RTD1295, the RTD1296 boasts an extra gigabit ethernet port, an extra USB 3.0 port, an extra SATA interface, and a higher RAM memory frequency.

Key employees of the Android direction left Minix, after which the quality of the firmware deteriorated greatly. The update to Android 7 turned out to be raw, without autoframe support and problems with direct audio output. I'll have to cross this company off my recommended list.

At the end of September, the first reference boards for Android TV boxes (TV boxes) on Amlogic S922X, S905X2, S905Y2, all with Android TV 9 support, were presented. . The first TV boxes based on the new Amlogic SoCs have already begun to appear.

Realtek has introduced a new SoC RTD1395, which contains the same 4 ARM Cortex-A53 processors, but differs in Mali-470mp4 graphics. In the near future, we are waiting for TV boxes on this SoC with support for Android TV 8 or 9.