What is Android TV BOX - turn your TV into a multimedia computer

Equipment and gadgets

06.06.20192563

The people need bread and circuses. There are no problems with the second point now. On sale you can find various set-top boxes for digital television that improve image quality. Smart TVs have appeared relatively recently. Some types of such technology even make it possible to connect your phone to a TV. TV boxes are also growing in popularity.

Characteristics - equipment

Let's start with the configuration :

• The console itself

• HDMI cable

• Cable for analog connection, “tulips”

• power unit

• Remote Control

• Instructions

Everything is standard and nothing extra.

Characteristics:

The model is not as weak as it might seem at first glance and will give odds to many smartphones.

• Processor – Cortex-A9 (Quad core) – four cores
• Video processor – Mali 400
• Built-in memory – 8 Gb
• RAM DDR3 – 2Gb
• Supports cards up to 32 Gb
• There is WIFI and a regular cable for connecting to the Internet.
• Resolution up to 1920X1080, via HDMI
• 2 USB ports
• SPDIF connector
• 3.5 mm headphone jack, also for connecting “tulips”
• OTG connector

As you can see, there is almost everything you need. Via USB it can support various devices, from mice and keyboards to video cameras. Everything installs quite quickly. Now the most interesting part, connecting to TV.

Top best Android boxes for TV in 2019

The ranks of television set-top boxes are constantly being replenished with new models, among which any user will find a device with the functionality he needs and an affordable price.

TV-box Beelink GT1 Mini

A miniature device slightly larger than a credit card. Despite its modest dimensions, it has high performance thanks to powerful internal hardware: a quad-core Amlogic s905x2 chipset, an ARM G31 MP2 graphics card, 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of flash memory. Supports DLNA and Miracast technologies, which allows you to transfer videos, music and photos from an Android or IOS device. It can connect to the Internet either wired via a gigabit LAN connector or over the air using a dual-band Wi-Fi connection. A special feature of this device is support for the new version of Android 8.1. You can control the console using your voice. To do this, it is integrated with Google Assistant and equipped with a remote control with a built-in microphone.

TV-box Beelink GT1 Mini has miniature dimensions (77 x 77 x 17 mm), making it easy to fit into any interior

Original Xiaomi Mi TV Box

A classic TV set-top box that has remained at the peak of popularity for a long time. The body is made of high-quality matte plastic with a rubberized insert on the bottom. Inside the case is the Amlogic S905X SoC, which has four cores clocked at up to 2 GHz. The device has 2 GB of RAM and 8 GB of internal memory. The gadget runs on Android TV OS. Controlled by remote control or from a smartphone using the Android TV Remote application, which can be downloaded from the Google Play store. Mi Box does not have an Ethernet port, so the connection to the Internet occurs via Wi-Fi. Among the features of the device, it is worth noting support for voice search, Google Cast technology, 4K video and surround sound.

In 2021, Xiaomi released the fourth generation of devices, updating their firmware to Android 8.1 and expanding the functionality of the remote control

Minix Neo U9-H

Neo U9-H is the latest flagship in the series of TV boxes from the Chinese manufacturer Minix. High-quality assembly, constantly updated firmware, support for Ultra HD 4K and HDR 10, Gigabit Ethernet, and high-speed Wi-Fi distinguish this gadget from similar competitors’ devices. The hardware is represented by an eight-core AMLogic S912-H processor with a clock frequency of up to 1.5 GHz, a Mali-820 MP32 graphics coprocessor, 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal memory. Dual-band Wi-fi 802.11ac with 2x2 MIMO provides fast speeds for media streaming. For a wired connection there is a LAN port with a bandwidth of 1 GB. Initially, the set-top box ran on Android 6.0 OS; at the moment, the system has been updated to version 7.1. The gadget is controlled using an IR remote control.

The Minix Neo U9-H set-top box is equipped with an external antenna that increases the range of the wireless network

Nexbox A95X Pro

Equipped with Amlogic S905W (4 core) chipset, Android TV OS, HD Netflix support and voice control, the A95X Pro TV box is one of the best among the basic level devices. The device has 2 GB of RAM, 16 GB of flash memory, and a Wi-fi wireless module operating at a frequency of 2.4 GHz. As for video playback, the set-top box supports all file formats, including 4K with 30 frames per second, and is also capable of streaming images and other content from the user's smartphones and tablets. For this purpose, support for DLNA and Miracast technologies is implemented. There are few pre-installed applications in the system, but they can be supplemented at any time with any compatible software from the Google Play store.

The Nexbox A95X Pro set-top box comes with a network adapter, a cable for connecting to a TV, and a control panel.

Mecool M8S Pro L

A mid-class TV-box in a black plastic case with many ventilation holes around the perimeter. High performance of the device is ensured by a powerful filling in the form of an eight-core Amlogic S912 chipset with a clock frequency of 2 GHz, a triple-core Mali-T820MP3 graphics processor, 3 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal memory. The M8S Pro L supports all major video file formats, including high-quality 1080p and 4K Ultra HD video playback. The user interface of the set-top box is easy to use and easily customizable, allowing you to add your favorite applications to the home screen. To broadcast content from mobile devices to the TV screen, support for Airplay, DLNA and Miracast technologies is built-in. Wireless Internet connection is provided by Wi-Fi 802.11 ac; for cable connection there is a LAN port with a bandwidth of 100 MB.

Mecool M8S Pro L is not prone to overheating even during round-the-clock operation thanks to the wide ventilation holes on the case

NVIDIA SHIELD TV

The most powerful and feature-rich television console along with Xbox One and PS4. Considered one of the best TV boxes for gamers. Thanks to high-performance hardware (NVIDIA Tegra X1 processor, 3 GB of RAM and 16 GB of flash memory), Shield TV allows you to play heavy games and play content of any format in high definition. Different versions of the console have different configurations: some have a familiar remote control, others have a hefty gamepad with many functions: from standard control keys to a volume control, a microphone for voice search and an audio output for headphones. A dual-band 802.11 ac Wi-Fi module is responsible for the wireless network, and a Gigabit Ethernet connector is responsible for the wired connection.

A powerful NVIDIA SHIELD TV set-top box with a futuristic design and a gamepad can replace a game console

iconBIT Movie SMART TV

A budget TV set-top box with a simple design and minimal functionality. It connects to the Internet both via cable and via Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n 2.4 GHz). Runs on Android 4.4 OS. It is powered by a quad-core ARM Cortex-A5 processor, has 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of internal memory. Thanks to the presence of four USB ports, you can connect a mouse, keyboard, flash drive or external drive to the TV-Box. Supported video formats: MKV, AVI, WMV, MOV, resolution: Full-HD. The set-top box is equipped with a convenient universal remote control, which can control both the TV box itself and the TV.

Despite the low cost, iconBIT Movie SMART TV has all the necessary connectors, from LAN, USB (4 pcs.) to AV, designed for connecting to analog TVs

Table: comparison of popular TV set-top boxes

Android set-top boxes are an excellent alternative to smart TVs. Compact, functional, easy to use, they can turn any TV receiver, even analogue, into a modern media center with Internet access.

Connecting to a TV

The set-top box is connected to an outlet via a power supply, and to a TV via an HDMI cable; I emphasize once again, it can also be connected to an old tube TV via tulips, but I don’t have such a need.

The connection is really elementary, a “first-grader” can handle it, so I won’t go into too much detail.

After that, on the TV we have a completely familiar Android desktop, with all that it implies.

I set up the connection via WIFI, everything works great, I can see a bunch of neighboring networks. Well, let's move on to opportunities

What is a Smart TV set-top box and how does it work?

Unfortunately, the presence of Smart TV negatively affects the cost of the device. Such TVs are more expensive than models without technology support. Therefore, people quite often opt for regular TV receivers without Smart TV. But what if you want to get access to smart television, but don’t have the money for a new TV?

In this case, an excellent solution is to buy a smart set-top box. It is a small device, usually rectangular in shape, which is equipped with everything necessary for Smart TV operation. The set-top box can be connected to any TV that has an HDMI connector. Thus, this gadget becomes an excellent replacement for expensive TV receivers. Moreover, on average a Smart TV set-top box costs 2-5 thousand rubles.

The inconvenience of a smart set-top box compared to a TV with a Smart TV is that a person will have to use two remote controls. One for the TV and the other for the set-top box.

Essentially, a TV set-top box with its operating system is an add-on to the TV software. By opening the set-top box section on the TV receiver, the user is presented with a new menu that provides significantly more options than an ordinary TV without Smart TV.

Possibilities

Games

These are all the games we know from phones and tablets, but of course “angry birds” can be easily installed (personally, I’m already sick of it), I installed another cool “shooter”.

Control takes place through the mouse (by the way, I found it very quickly). There are even quite heavy games, I haven’t installed them myself, but a friend has the same console, and has a wireless mouse and keyboard, “cutting” for a good cause! So you won't be bored

Movies and music

Almost all formats are played, from AVI to MKV. Music can be played in any format.

Skype

There is also one, and it works very stable and well, I connected a Logitech camera, and it worked just fine. No problem. You can easily communicate via Skype.

TV

There is a lot to think about here (not much about the downsides). On the one hand, there are a bunch of TV playback apps that you just install and watch, and they're free. On the other hand, Russian channels now seem to be tightening the screws more. Previously, it was possible to view channels such as TNT, STS, etc. on several applications. Now for some reason they are not there! Of course, there are a lot of other entertainment channels, but somehow we’ve already gotten used to them. However, such as “Russia”, “First”, NTV, Friday, etc., it’s all there, for example, I use the PEERS TV application (there are 58 channels).

I would like to note that every day a new application is released that you can install and try out. So it's not all bad here either.

The set-top box does not take much energy in idle mode, it turns off and turns on from the remote control. In principle, if you only need a TV, then you can only control it with the remote control. If you need toys and other multimedia, then a mouse is desirable.

Browser

There is a standard Android, you can also install almost any other, from Chrome to Opera. You can use it just like on a computer, especially convenient if a keyboard is connected.

Office

I would like to note that you can install an office and type documents or tables. Thus, this console practically replaces a computer. I’ll probably soon write an article about how to replace a computer with such a set-top box.

Seeing a photo is of course good, but I would also like to show a video, and in it I tried to tell as much as possible about ANDROID TV BOX.