After launching its first batch of AOSP-based smart TVs, Xiaomi switched to Android TV interface due to the lack of supported apps on the previous software platform. More than two years after its initial launch, Xiaomi has become the leading smart TV brand in India in terms of sales.
But now Xiaomi has another idea and that is to turn every TV into a smart TV, especially keeping in mind the old TVs. Therefore, Xiaomi launched Mi Box 4K, an Android TV box that can connect to any TV or desktop monitor via HDMI and convert it into a screen running Android TV.
How is Mi Box 4K useful?
Using Mi Box 4K, you can turn any TV, screen or desktop monitor into a smart TV. If you're adventurous enough, you can even turn an older CRT TV or monitor into a smart TV using Mi Box along with the right adapters.
Mi Box can give any standard screen the superpowers of an internet-connected smart Android TV. This modular approach works in Xiaomi's favor since TVs, unlike smartphones, have a longer life cycle, and many people keep their TVs for five years, even seven or more, rather than upgrading them every time something comes out. it's a new technology.
Mi Box Xiaomi is not a new product. It was first launched in China and the US back in 2021 with Android TV 6.0 and updated in 2021 as Mi Box S, with a new design but the same hardware inside and Android TV 8.0 running on it. The Mi Box 4K appears to be a rebranded version of the Mi Box S that runs Android TV Pie out of the box.
Even though the previous version was released two years ago, the RUB 4,790 Mi Box 4K has the same hardware specs as the rest of the Mi TVs, and the only thing you need to add is the display.
It is powered by an Amlogic chip with a quad-core processor, coupled with 2GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. It comes with a Xiaomi Mi TV Bluetooth remote with a built-in microphone for communication with Google Assistant and shortcut keys for OTT apps like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and YouTube.
First impressions of Mi TV Stick
The device is extremely light and cannot be felt in the hand.
This is a huge plus because there will be no impact on the HDMI connector on the TV, which in theory could lead to damage. I received Mi TV Stick as a birthday present. But I thought about buying it before, because it is a full-fledged TV set-top box with Android TV, which costs only 3 thousand rubles. Considering the cost, this is a masterpiece, and I was wildly interested in studying it.
The set-top box itself is made in the form of a flash drive, but instead of USB it has HDMI 2.0.
Of course, you only hold this thing in your hands once, when you take it out of the box and connect it to your TV. But I still note that the body is made of damn nice plastic. No creaks or nicks for you. The Chinese did it so well that, really, there’s nothing to complain about.
Oh, no, there’s something to it...
The kit also includes a small extension cable for the HDMI input and output to most conveniently place the dongle in different connector locations on the TV.
To make the Mi TV Stick work, you need to connect it to power via microUSB . Of course, for 3 thousand rubles it’s a sin to complain about this connector, especially since the kit includes a suitable cable, even with a power supply. But Type-C would be somehow more familiar.
The power connector itself is located on the bottom edge, and therefore no wires stick out behind the TV, especially if everything is connected to the USB port on the TV itself.
Speaking of HDMI. It has CEC . In case anyone doesn’t know, this is a protocol with which you can turn on and off the TV and control the volume on it using the remote control and the functions of the connected device. All this is enabled optionally in the TV settings.
Of course, not the Apple TV remote control, but that’s okay too.
The Mi TV Stick also comes with an awesome remote control. It works via Bluetooth and uses two pinky batteries for power.
The body is made of matte plastic, so the remote control itself is light and not felt in the hand, and the location of the buttons on it is ideally adjusted to the thumb, so it is super convenient to navigate with it.
Among the installed services, Shameless was found on KinoPoisk, and voila - you can start watching.
There’s also a dedicated button for Google Assistant, and a cutout on top for a microphone, so you can find the movie or TV series you want without worrying about it by voice. A plus would be the search for all services. Still, Android TV is good at this.
What’s great is that the priority source is the one where you have an active subscription or where the content has already been purchased. In general, there is no strict integration with Google Play Movies and their imposition, and that’s cool.
Why is Xiaomi Mi Box 4K worth your money?
I've been using the Mi Box for over a week now and here are the reasons why it's worth every penny you spend on it. Xiaomi India lent us the Mi Box 4K for this short review. However, they did not in any way influence the content of this article.
4K on (almost) any display!
Mi Box 4K supports video playback at up to 4K resolution and 60fps and also supports HEVC video compression format. Technically, although the playback resolution is limited by the display you use with the Xiaomi TV Box, you can play 4K videos not only using a USB drive, but also on the YouTube app for Android TV, regardless of the display resolution.
I used a Full HD TV and as you can see below, YouTube can play 4K videos. It's good to see that Mi Box 4K is suitable for such tasks. With the DRMInfo app, we can confirm that the TV box supports the Widevine L1 license, giving it the ability to play premium content in high definition.
So, Mi Box 4K can play 4K videos on OTT apps like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hotstar or Sony LIV, as long as you have an Ultra HD TV and the required subscription plan.
Clean interface
Xiaomi's Mi TV line runs on a content detection interface - Patchwall. It is a content-centric interface filled with recommendations to make it easy for users to find new or relevant content.
While Patchwall is appreciated by many, it can make unwanted recommendations or be an extra layer of software for users who already know what they want to watch. And this is where Mi Box 4K excels. The device only comes with a stock Android TV interface, making it easy to navigate to whatever content users want to watch.
The Mi Box also comes without unwanted OTT apps like Zee5 or Voot pre-installed, giving you complete freedom to customize your TV as per your desires.
And how to work with it
When you turn it on for the first time, we connect the remote control and use it to configure the set-top box, or through a smartphone on Android. It couldn't be simpler. The set-top box itself runs Android TV (Android 4.4).
On the home screen, the user is greeted with a number of built-in applications such as YouTube, Netflix and others. Voice search for content is possible. Note that the international version has a Russian interface and Russian voice dialing .
Voice control is simple - “OK, Google” and off we go. It has its own application store designed for TV set-top boxes. Download, install, watch. It's simple.
For Android TV there is a special version of the Google Play store containing applications only for this platform. All programs are well controlled by voice.
In the settings, you can enable the ability to install applications not from the store , so installation can easily take place from a USB flash drive. It's incredibly convenient.
Initially, YouTube, Netflix and “Play Movies”, ivi and MEGOGO are pre-installed on the media set-top box, nothing more, essentially. The rest is downloaded from the store.
Let's start watching on Xiaomi Mi Box
Most federal channels have their own applications for Android TV. I don’t see the point in delving into the design of each application; you can evaluate this for yourself.
A cool feature - if ATV detects that the application provides television programs, it immediately integrates them into the “TV Channels” application. This is convenient because all kinds of channels will be collected in one place. It's kind of like cable, only free.
In addition, there is support for Chromecast, which allows you to watch movies, TV series, and more via casting from a smartphone or computer. No special application required.
Interestingly, you can watch films not only through special programs, but also FROM A FLASH DRIVE . And there is nothing complicated here either.
Go to Settings -> Storage and reset -> External storage. And in this section we look at the contents of the USB flash drive. Click on the central part of the remote control and the movie starts playing.
Previously launched applications cannot be called up. And if you exit the program and run it again, you will return to the same place where you left off. This is especially convenient when watching movies. And everything works exactly the same when you turn on the console.
And what's important is that there are no ads here.
We have already reviewed the Chinese version of the Xiaomi TV set-top box, but as it turned out, it has one big problem - advertising.
So, when watching a video, some kind of commercial could appear, or the same thing happened when playback was stopped. Agree, this is most annoying when watching a movie.
The international version of Xiaomi Mi TV Box does not have this drawback. During the entire period of use, I did not see a single intrusive banner or promotional video. Situations in the applications themselves do not count - local developers are in charge there.
Plug-n-Play functionality
Mi Box 4K comes with the same hardware (no screen) as some of the new entries in the Mi TV lineup. But the main advantage here is mobility.
This portability can be used in many applications: you can take your media player with you and go to a friend's house for a movie marathon or house party, or you can simply take it with you on vacation so that you are not limited by poor satellite TV or, worse, pay TV programs in hotel, and you won't need to reconnect your subscriptions to an unknown set-top box.
You can even connect Mi Box to a projector via HDMI or even VGA using a converter. This versatility makes the Mi Box 4K a practical and worthwhile product.
SDR to HDR
Like the latest Mi TV lineup, the Mi Box 4K has SDR to HDR functionality . You can toggle this setting to upscale standard dynamic range (SDR) content to high dynamic range (HDR) content.
Typically this feature works with any TV that supports any of the HDR formats such as HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Digital, HLG or Technicolor Advanced HDR. Built-in HDR support on your TV is a must, otherwise the feature may not show noticeable results even when enabled.
With the SDR to HDR option enabled, dynamic range is expanded across the entire user interface; Simply put, the bright parts of the display become brighter and the light parts become lighter.
Parts of the interface where this change is reflected include the Android TV launcher, Play Store and all apps. But this HDR effect appears static, meaning the contrast does not change with each new frame and does not change throughout.
3.5mm headphone jack and USB port
Mi Box 4K also has a headphone jack. Interestingly, this same port also serves as an optical audio port. The headphone jack allows you to listen to audio in private without disturbing anyone else.
It is also possible to connect a Bluetooth headset to the Mi Box for wireless audio, but this may require a delay of about 2 seconds as it has Hi-Fi support. We actually tried them with the OnePlus Bullets Wireless 2 and there is noticeable audio lag.
In addition to the headphone jack, the USB port can come in handy if you want to watch some pre-loaded content, listen to music, or look at some photos from your hard drive or USB flash drive. You can also download apps on Mi TV that may not be optimized for Android TV or may not be available on the Android TV Play Store.
General characteristics
The set-top box is built on the basis of a 64-bit 4-core Amlogic S905X central processor, complemented by a Mali-450 chip for video processing. The equipment is equipped with 2 GB of Nanya Technology RAM (version 4C has 1 GB of memory) and an additional 8 GB storage device (manufactured by Samsung). Supports outputting information to a television display using a standard HDMI connector. An AV standard plug is provided for connecting old-style television receivers or monitors.
Description and characteristics of the Mi Box 4C TV set-top box.
The electronic components are placed on a single circuit board, which is equipped with a steel plate. The metal element is designed to dissipate the heat generated during the operation of electronics. There are additional metal shields on the microprocessors. The design of the set-top box includes a stereo audio amplifier assembled on the SGM89000 chip. The device has 2 channels, connected to the AV output.
The equipment allows you to view photographs or graphics recorded in JPG, BMP, GIF or PNG formats. The built-in wireless controller allows you to connect additional equipment, such as Bluetooth headphones. The sound volume is adjusted using buttons located on the control panel.
It is possible to connect smartphones (for example, Redmi 6 or Note 7) via Bluetooth to view content recorded in the device memory.
To use voice control, you must turn on the microphone (the activation button is located on the remote control). The intelligent assistant is able to recognize voice commands given by different users. Keywords are used to activate or disable applications, and an algorithm for checking for software updates is supported. The user can request weather information or update the calendar, but all commands must be given in Chinese only.
Dolby Audio and DTS 2.0 with digital output
Mi Box 4K comes with DTS 2.0+ digital output, delivering high fidelity and brilliant surround sound when using a home theater system with a 5.1 channel setup (or fewer speakers). The amplified audio signal can be transmitted through either a 3.5mm audio jack or an optical audio cable.
If you are using multiple input sources with your TV and your home theater is connected to the TV instead of the Mi Box, you can still get surround sound. This means that the audio signal sent to the TV is sent directly to the home theater system without processing or compression.
Mi Box 4K also comes with Dolby Audio support which enhances the surround sound experience. Netflix, for example, supports up to 5.1 channels via Dolby Audio. Dolby Audio and DTS are compression standards from competing companies, and having support from both companies provides users with better quality.
Unique, tasteful design
It is made in a minimalist style, tastefully: a small square-shaped box with smoothed corners, closer to the front and side edges. Very pleasant to the touch . And somewhat similar to sea stone.
From below we are greeted by a small round stand. On the front side there is an IR receiver and an LED indicator. The main elements on the back are the power jack, USB, HDMI, AV combo port and 3.5mm audio jack. Dimensions - 101 x 101 x 20 mm.
The body is made of high-quality matte plastic, which is not good. Traces from hands and dust will be clearly visible - you will have to wipe the console often. However, I have no complaints about the assembly, quality of workmanship and materials.
Data savings and dual-band Wi-Fi
Mi Box 4K can play videos at a maximum resolution of 4K. When you're streaming content in 4K resolution—or even Full HD—you need a fast, reliable connection. To ensure this, the Android TV Box comes with dual-band Wi-Fi that allows you to stream content without any interruption.
My Wi-Fi router, connected to a 100 Mbps line, is in the room next door to where the TV is, and in that room I get download speeds of about 15 Mbps on 2.4 GHz, compared to download speeds of 75 Mbps I get on a 5GHz connection. Therefore, a faster 5GHz connection ensures viewing without buffering or delay in terms of achieving the best resolution.
In countries like India, where Wi-Fi penetration is still quite low, people can often use mobile hotspots as a source of Wi-Fi connections. Knowing this, Xiaomi India has introduced a data saving feature to the Mi TV lineup in India. This feature prevents excessive consumption of mobile data.
Xiaomi claims that only about one-third of the data is consumed compared to using a Wi-Fi connection. This happens by suspending any background activity and optimizing the resolution of streaming content. Keep in mind that Mi Box users are the ones who are shying away from upgrading to a smart TV, perhaps due to budget constraints, so this feature becomes more useful in this context.
Performance testing
Despite the use of a 4-core processor, the set-top box shows a performance of no more than 25,000 points in synthetic tests of the AnTuTu application. The result is considered low for a portable set-top box. The global version of Mi Box 3 using the standard Android TV operating system has 2.8 times higher performance. Testing the memory bus bandwidth shows a speed of 3 GB/s, which is 2.5 times less than the results obtained when testing the Mi Box 3.
Testing the communication channel with the Internet shows speeds of up to 60 Mbit/s, which is the standard for a Wi-Fi wireless controller. When installing a third-party utility, the set-top box provides viewing of a FullHD video signal via YouTube. The equipment supports broadcasting movies in 4K standard recorded on external drives. The picture freezes and the console body does not overheat.
Metal radiators are used to cool the processors; fans are not provided in the design. During operation with maximum load, the temperature of the radiators reaches 75°C; after reducing the load, the temperature drops to +55...+60°C in 1-2 minutes. Based on the results obtained, the efficiency of the cooling system is considered sufficient.
HDMI CEC
The Mi TV 4K supports CEC over HDMI (HDMI Consumer Electronics Control), which means you can control it using your TV's remote control or, conversely, control your TV using the remote control you get with the Mi Box 4K.
In Android TV settings, you can choose to have everything controlled by a different remote control. You can choose to turn on Mi Box and TV, play/pause, or navigate the interface with the same remote control.
