Review of the Yandex.TV platform: smart TV in Russian

The world of operating systems for TVs, as strange as it may sound, is much more interesting and diverse than the world of operating systems for PCs (Windows, MacOS, Chrome OS and various builds of Linux) and for smartphones (here, in fact, only Android and iOS) . Yes, Android TV is common, but in fact, various manufacturers use their own developments: Samsung with Tizen, LG with WebOS, Hisense and TCL with Roku TV, Panasonic with My Home Screen. Well, in Russia a new player has appeared in this field, no longer tied to one brand or another.

The Yandex.TV platform is currently pre-installed on 18 models of the low and mid-price segment from various manufacturers - both relatively well-known ones, like Hyundai, and very few well-known ones. Today we will talk about a new TV platform using the Hi 55USY151X 55″ (2020) model as an example. This is a 55-inch TV based on an LCD matrix (VA) priced at 22,290 rubles - one of the most inexpensive offers with such a large screen.

We will devote a section below to television, but first we will talk specifically about the Yandex.TV platform.

⇡#"Yandex.TV"

Yandex.TV is based on the Android Open Source Project. But this is not Android TV with a changed sign, it is an independent smart TV system.

The lack of connection with Android, in fact, is immediately noticeable - a Google account is not required to launch Yandex.TV. But, of course, you will need a Yandex account - and when you first start the system, you will receive an incentive in the form of three months of free subscription to Yandex.Plus. Further, in order to watch films from the Kinopoisk HD catalog as freely as possible, you will have to pay from 199 rubles per month. The basic functionality of the platform will remain without additional charges.

The system interface is simple and clear - the emphasis is immediately on accessible content. On the main screen we see several films/cartoons available from the Kinopoisk HD library, recently used applications/functions and a vertical list of available functions, where Yandex tried not to separate everything by application, but to suggest consuming content: movies, TV series or videos from bloggers. There is also access to digital TV available on Yandex. There is also terrestrial TV - it is also supported, the TV works with all basic standards: DVB-T/DVB-T2+DVB-C+DVB-S/DVB-S2.

Moreover, the selection on the main screen gradually “mutates” to suit your tastes - the neural network understands that you watch more often and changes the selection to something that you are more likely to like.

You can search for content either by flipping through the interface screens or typing in the search, or by voice - of course, Yandex has built the voice assistant “Alice” into its TV platform. You can get her attention by pressing a special key on the remote control. She can tell you the weather, play a movie from the catalog or recommend a video, and also answer a general educational question right while watching. By the way, TV Alice can also manage Yandex smart home devices - if your home ecosystem already has some other gadgets from this ecosystem, you can configure this in the Yandex application. It’s also worth mentioning a special children’s mode that allows parents to hide unwanted content.

It is important to understand that Yandex.TV is making the first TVs for the Russian market with a full-fledged Russian-speaking voice assistant.

The remote control is small and simple, but quite ergonomic; You can understand what's what without looking at the instructions.

In addition to branded Yandex services, there is YouTube (without support for 4K resolution). Third-party applications for watching movies by subscription are the following: Okko, Tvigle, Megogo, ivi, TVZavr, SPB TV, Wink, MTS TV. They must be installed through a special section in the menu. There is no browser. The new smart TV platform fully satisfies the basic needs of the average consumer - authorization and navigation are simple, there is quite a lot of content, taking into account the available subscription services, and Yandex.TV is friendly with terrestrial television. I’ll add that the system “remembers” where you stopped last time, and if you interrupted watching a movie, you can resume from the same point; However, unfortunately, there is no submenu with recently watched videos and films.

There is also, of course, a built-in player - the TV understands MP3, WMA, MKV, JPEG formats.

Legendary TOP 20 best TV channels.

20. Russia 2 - Famous media throughout Russia. 19. RU.TV - A music TV channel that has earned its honorable 19th place in our Top TV Channels.

18. Yu - Federal TV channel. 17. 2x2 - First Russian TV channel, which broadcasts cartoons for audiences of all ages. 16. Friday - Federal Channel, which despite this remains entertaining. 15. Disney - The Disney Channel has reached Russia. The content translated into our language is broadcast for all fans of Disney cartoons. 14. Zvezda is a Russian TV channel that has been broadcasting films since the times of the USSR. 13. MUZ-TV - Music TV channel, which definitely deserves its place in our TOP TV channels.

12. TV-3 - Federal channel that broadcasts all sorts of mystical content and more! 11. Russia 24 - Federal news channel. And finally, we came to the TOP 10 best channels in Russia.

10. TV Center - A channel that takes its roots into the distant 90s and today tops our top 10 best TV channels. 9. Ren-TV - Channel with controversial content. Mystical and simply revealing programs that definitely find their audience. 8. Peretz - Federal channel, which produces its own content. 7. Home - Family channel that will give you many pleasant moments with your family. 6. Channel Five - A channel that definitely deserves its place in our top.

⇡#Hi 55USY151X 55″ (2020)

Now a few words about the TV we got - an example of how Yandex.TV works. The Hi brand (short for Hitechnic) is the Eldorado store chain’s own brand and, as is usually the case with store brands, it offers a very appetizing combination of price and characteristics. So in this case, we get a 55-inch TV with 4K support and an application for HDR (HDR10).

Hi 55USY151X 55″ (2020) is based on a VA standard liquid crystal matrix, for which 4K resolution is considered native. In fact, it’s not worth talking about the most “honest” pixel-by-pixel resolution here, as in the case of other ultra-cheap 4K TVs - this is achieved due to the special structure of subpixels and static dithering, which is fraught with artifacts that affect the clarity of the picture. This TV performs best when displaying Full HD images.

Also, don't take the HDR10 bid seriously. We are talking specifically about support for the playback standard, and not about honest display of content with full HDR. We measured the brightness and contrast of the panel. The contrast is really good - 4421:1, which is close to the declared one. Brightness is 224 cd/m2. This will be enough for the image to be more or less visible in a room in daylight, but the HDR10 standard requires a peak brightness of at least 1000 candelas. The TV uses LED backlighting - and its uniformity is quite good; there are no noticeable spots on the panel.

The image settings available in Yandex.TV are minimal - you can only adjust the backlight brightness manually. Color rendition is regulated by choosing from a set of presets.

The built-in media player only allows you to play files from an external drive connected via USB - you cannot upload them to the TV’s memory. However, this would be pointless in any case - the user has 4 GB available to install applications.

The interfaces are located on the rear panel. Looking sideways are two USB, three HDMI and a Common Interface service connector. Down - mini headphone jack, RCA, composite jack, coaxial jack, two digital ports for antennas and Ethernet. In addition to the wired method, the Hi 55USY151X 55″ (2020) can be connected to the Internet using Wi-Fi - a dual-band module is provided. There is also Bluetooth - the version and supported profiles are not specified.

The sound system is quite good - two 10 W speakers, naturally located on the rear panel.

Here we come to the TOP 30 best TV channels.

30. 1HD - An information site that brings useful information to the masses.

29. MATCH-TV - Federal sports TV channel.

28. Sport 1 - Sports channel.

27. 360◦ Moscow region - Federal channel in high definition.

26. EUROSPORT - One of the most famous sports channels around the world. 25. Moscow-24 - Information channel that tells everything a Muscovite needs to know. 24. Carousel - Federal children's channel, which is designed to entertain your children. 23. Moscow Trust - Cable-Moscow TV channel. 22. EURONEWS - News channel from Europe. 21. Mir is a TV channel that broadcasts to many countries.