Top 7 - Best set-top boxes for TV | TV Tuners | TV Set-top boxes with OS

Not long ago, Microsoft released the new Windows 10 to the market, and Chinese manufacturers immediately responded with new devices. The fairly well-known company Tronsmart is no exception, releasing its new X5 on the Z8300 processor with support for USB 3.0 and a 5 GHz WiFi network. In terms of characteristics, the set-top box keeps up with the times, but is everything as smooth as in the advertising brochures, please read on. There is already a full review - link, I was hoping for cooling fixes from the manufacturer and the main emphasis was on temperature. And also, since this is mainly a TV set-top box, there are video tests and games, for example, tanks.

✔ PACKAGING AND APPEARANCE

The Tronsmart company does not particularly strive to change the packaging, changing only the name, characteristics and photo of the set-top box.

The console was isolated as much as possible from external influences.

General equipment.

A little instruction.

The AC adapter outputs 3A at 5V.

Quite a thick HDMI cable.

Equipment

There's not much to talk about here. The user is greeted with simple packaging made from recycled paper, suspiciously reminiscent of boxes from Xiaomi devices. At least that was the case in the past.

Inside, in addition to the TV box itself, you can find a power supply (5V, 3A), an HDMI cable and very short, but clear instructions on where to start. For seasoned users the manual is useless, but for beginners it may be useful.

Regarding the package, I have only one complaint: both the power cable and the HDMI cable itself are very short.

The length of both does not exceed 1.2 meters, which is extremely insufficient.

Below is an example of the only possible option for installing a box next to the TV in my home environment.

While the HDMI cable can be replaced with your own (I have my own, three-meter cable), the cable from the power supply cannot be replaced. It is tightly fixed to the charger, so you will have to think about how to place the TV box closer to the outlet and to the TV too.

✔ TV BOX

The form factor is already standard, a square with rounded corners.

The top part is glossy, fingerprints remain.

On the front there are two USB 2.0 ports, a 3.5 jack for headphones or speakers and an on/off button.

The right and left sides of the console.

On the back there are the following connectors: power, Ethernet 100 mb/s, HDMI, USB 3.0 and a slot for a micro SD card.

At the bottom there are a huge number of holes for cooling and air circulation, BUT...

If you do not take into account overheating, then the Trosmart company has thought out the console quite well, even small anti-slip rubber feet are available.

The dimensions of the console are 11*11.5*2.6 cm.

Weight is 212 grams.

Top – 7 consoles

So, in total, this material will consider seven devices, which in general can be classified into one main category - TV Box, and not just the so-called Android TV and so on.

TV tuners

TV tuners are the most simple and budget set-top boxes, which are designed only to receive a digital free television signal.

"BBK SMP145HDT2"

Product on E-catalog

This set-top box, which can be purchased for less than 1,000 rubles, is not yet the most budget-friendly offer on the market, but the products of the well-known domestic company BBK fully justify their cost.

This set-top box has everything an average user needs who plans to use their TV only to receive 20 free channels, and they are supported at the state level.

pros

• Availability of the EPG (Electronic Program Guide) function – detailed information about the TV program;
• Availability of video recording function;
• Small dimensions;
• HDMI connector;
• Good signal reception even at a considerable distance (but the selected antenna model also has a special influence here).

Minuses

• Inconvenient remote control with small buttons;
• Instability;
• Imperfect connection between plug and connector;
• No HDMI cable included.

"D-COLOR DC1002HD"

Product on E-catalog

This set-top box is equipped with a MaxLinear MXL608 tuner, which allows you to carry out fairly productive processes, for example, recording video in good quality.

"DC1002HD" has minimum dimensions of 168x95x38 mm, which allows you to install the set-top box almost anywhere, which, of course, is suitable for installing electronic devices.

The given model is the most widespread on the market due to its accessibility and good functionality, as well as:

pros

• MPEG4 AVC H.264 SD/HD support;
• Extended warranty period up to 2 years (depending on the stores where the console is purchased);
• Durable housing;
• Informative front panel.

Minuses

• Unfinished appearance of the menu;
• No HDMI cable included.

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Oriel 963

Product on E-catalog

It’s worth noting right away that this receiver comes without the cables needed to connect to the TV.

As tested in practice, and as noted by many users, “Oriel 963” is characterized by high image quality, as well as the speed of the menu and the overall control interface.

The presence of the SONY CXD2861/CXD2872 tuner and the Ali M3812 processor allows you to receive a signal at a sufficient distance from the towers and with the presence of various interference, and also comfortably work with multimedia files connected to the USB port.

In older builds of the set-top box, some buyers note that long periods of inactivity (1 year or more have been reported) lead to errors that neutralize all attempts to launch the main menu and generally make the device work.

The manufacturer himself has already noted that this issue is being resolved by regular flashing, which can be downloaded directly from the manufacturer’s website.

pros

• High speed;
• Durable housing;
• Advanced functionality;
• High-quality image;
• Basic installation and configuration.

Minuses

• No cables included;
• Errors may occur due to prolonged downtime.

In this category, it is worth noting once again that the devices are as simple as possible. Therefore, you should not expect full-fledged Smart TV functionality from set-top boxes costing 1,000 rubles (or a little more).

They will not work with external media with a capacity of 1TB or more, so it makes no sense to attribute this to the negative aspects of their work.

It is necessary to sensibly assess their direction and not expect excessive heights.

If you need more powerful devices, then pay attention to the three options below.

TV set-top boxes with operating system

These devices are popularly called “Smart set-top boxes” due to the existing operating system, which turns the device into a kind of smartphone familiar to many.

Depending on the manufacturer, “Android”, “tvOS”, “Linux” or “Windows” are installed as the operating system, in general all the most common types of software.

When choosing a “smart set-top box,” you should pay significant attention not only to the device itself, but also to the TV to which you plan to connect.

For example, there is no point in buying a set-top box that supports 4K images if you have a TV that does not support this format, and also if your Internet connection simply cannot provide a high-quality and uninterrupted connection.

It is also necessary to pay attention to the following criteria:

• “Connection interfaces” - the required number of USB/HDMI ports, the presence of RJ45 at low Internet speeds, etc.;
• “Format support” - this also includes support for various memory cards, image formats, audio and video files. For example, AVI, MP3 and JPG to MKV, FLAC and TIFF, etc.

"Xiaomi Mi Box International Version"

Product on E-catalog Product on Aliexpress

The Xiaomi brand has long established itself in the market of not only serious electronic devices, but also some small gadgets and equipment for the smart home.

What are Xiaomi products famous for? Variety and budget quality. Yes, that’s right, quality can also be budget-friendly, despite modern economic trends.

“Mi Box International Version” recently received correct localization in Russian, which users in our country have been waiting for for quite a long time, since they previously had to deal with the Chinese interface.

Let's talk about the pros and cons right away:

pros

• 4K UHD support;
• Supports DLNA, AirPlay, MiraCast;
• Availability of Wi-Fi module;
• Support for online services;
• High-quality image and sound;
• Fast operation of the operating system without a huge number of unnecessary elements - the possibility of individualization;
• Voice search;
• Compact size and stylish appearance.

Minuses

• Lack of LAN port;
• There may be errors when installing new updates;
• Small amount of memory, considering how Android gets clogged;
• There is only 1 USB port.

And now in more detail about the shortcomings. If you have already thought about purchasing this model, then with a greater degree of probability we can say that you have seen many reviews like:

— “constant freezes/freezes or wi-fi constantly drops out” — the problem should first be looked for in the connection itself, for example, set up traffic distribution among devices, create a schedule, or contact your provider to increase the speed limit.

In addition, errors of such content cannot characterize the device as a whole, since most of them are individual.

Otherwise, with the release of the latest updates (the operating system was updated to version 8), key controversial points were eliminated, which turned the “Mi Box International Version” into one of the best budget TV Boxes.

"Beelink GT1 Ultimate"

Product on E-catalog Product on Aliexpress

TV set-top boxes of the Beelink brand are also quite well known among users and have been in demand for many years now.

Perhaps the main feature is the low cost, since the filling and functionality are more than interesting:

pros

• Memory 32GB;
• Android 7.1 + update to a newer version;
• Gigabit Ethernet port;
• 4K UHD support;
• Supports DLNA, AirPlay, MiraCast;
• Wi-Fi 802.11ac support;
• Supports micro SD, micro SDHC memory cards;
• 3GB RAM;
• Supports most formats and codecs.

Minuses

• Despite the presence of 4K UHD, picture quality may be reduced;
• There were freezes and interruptions in the display of the image.

If we compare “Beelink GT1 Ultimate” with the same “Xiaomi”, then even despite the higher cost, the more famous Chinese brand is superior to its opponent in terms of price/quality ratio.

This model is not without its advantages and, in general, due to the lack of clearly winning competitors, the “GT1 Ultimate” deserves attention.

If we talk about similar analogues, then you can pay attention to:

• "HARPER ABX-332";
• "Invin X92 32Gb";
• "Ugoos X3 Pro";
• "Rombica Smart Box Ultra HD V003".

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"Apple TV 4K"

Product on E-catalog

A clear leader who does not even think of leaving his pedestal is a device from the well-known brand “Apple”.

Despite its high cost, and the presence of a huge number of lower-cost competitors that are not much inferior in terms of functionality, Apple TV 4K continues to be an active participant in the market.

The set-top box is equipped with a powerful Apple A10X Fusion processor, 3GB of RAM and 32GB or 64GB of Flash memory.

Of course, Apple TV has full support for all its services, interfaces perfectly with smartphones and tablets, and provides the same level of quality as stated by the manufacturer.

pros

• HD 4K UHD support;
• Support for online services iTunes, Apple Music, Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Showtime;
• Voice assistant Siri;
• Fast operation of the tvOS 11 operating system;
• Support for third-party devices in the form of speakers and gamepads;
• High-quality picture and sound.

Minuses

• Siri does not work in Russian;
• No USB (which is usual for products of this brand).

In general, this set-top box does not require a wide disclosure of its capabilities - it has long proven itself, especially among users who own several Apple devices.

TB Box – gaming solution

Product on E-catalog

The last device that will be discussed in this article will be “NVIDIA SHIELD TV”.

This is not just a television set-top box with enormous functionality, but also a game console with a solid store of modern AAA projects.

NVIDIA SHIELD TV supports the cloud gaming service GeForce NOW, which has gained a good reputation in the gaming community, despite the latest rumors circulating on the Internet.

What does Nvidia offer us:

• 64-bit NVIDIA Tegra X1 processor;
• 3 GB RAM and 16 GB internal memory;
• Operating system Android 7.0 (Nougat) based on Android TV and Google Cast;
• Streaming game service NVIDIA GeForce NOW™, NVIDIA GameStream™, NVIDIA Share;
• 4K HDR support;
• Wi-Fi 802.11ac;
• microSD slot, USB 3.0 – 2 pcs, HDMI – 1 pc and gigabit Ethernet.

The appearance of the console deserves special praise, since the design is made according to all the high standards of modern gaming devices - this is a pronounced aggressiveness (highlighted corners or other geometric elements) and a combination of black and green.

As for the device’s direct operation as a set-top box, NVIDIA SHIELD TV produces excellent image quality, which can be the envy of Apple TV.

We would like to highlight that using this model requires connecting an external drive, preferably a solid-state one, since given the capabilities of the set-top box, 16GB will clearly not be enough.

Otherwise, the main points of the console’s operation include:

pros

• High performance;
• Support for management services for the Smart Home system;
• Support for Kodi media player;
• Constant replenishment of the game store;
• Voice control.

Minuses

• No HDMI cable included;
• Lack of support from some applications from the regular market.

Is NVIDIA SHIELD TV worth the money, which is about 20,000 rubles? Answer: “It’s definitely worth it, if you are able to provide the set-top box with adequate support from the TV and Internet connection.”

✔ SOFTWARE AND TESTS

Keeping pace - the manufacturer installed Win 10 OS.

Initially everything is in English.

But changing the language is very simple, you just need to download the required “language pack”.

As for the load, there is about 800 megabytes of free memory, the processor is loaded by a quarter, and the disk by more than 60%.

System information. Windows is activated and quietly receives updates.

Video adapter settings.

Device Manager.

For 10, the disk is of course too small; you will need to redirect the cache and other “my documents” to an external disk or SD card.

✔ TESTS

General information using Windows.

NovaBench returned 322 parrots.

Information from 3Dmark.

Performance test from WinRAR.

As for disk tests.

Copy speed from external HDD via USB 2.0. Unfortunately, when connected to USB 3.0, the disk started up, but was not recognized by the system.

Information from AIDA.

LinX + HwInfo test

✔ BIOS

AIDA didn't expand on the topic much, but I didn't expect such advanced BIOSa settings.

There really are a lot of settings.

Additional Information

Support for 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz WiFi networks is declared.

The speed at 2.4 GHz is unexpectedly low.

The speed at 5.0 GHz is also not encouraging.

Speed ​​when connecting an Ethernet cable.

TV video tests

I frankly expected more, if the fullHD video set-top box loses, then it copes very poorly with increasing bitrate and resolution.

4K, however, like 2K, played with brakes. But the most important thing is that the heating rose to 90 degrees C when playing.

✔ GAMES

The temperature of the set-top box immediately after switching on.

Some games simply refused to be installed, most likely due to Windows 10, but the popular WOT, although it took a long time to download, was installed and launched.

It's quite playable, there are some slight stutters, but overall it's quite playable.

The temperature, although high, is not 90 degrees, as when watching the video.

It's optimal to play arcade Sonic.

Technical specifications of Wintel Pro CX-W8 (or W8 Pro)

• Intel Atom (Cherry Trail) x5-Z8300 processor (4 cores, 64-bit) with a frequency of 1.44 GHz
• Intel HD Graphics 200 - 500 MHz
• RAM 2 GB DDR3L-RS 1600 MHz
• native memory 32 GB (about 18.86 GB actually available)
• storage expansion with Micro SD cards
• Windows 10 OS
• communications: Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.0

A little more detail about the installed processor. This 64-bit chipset was introduced in the second quarter of last year. It is produced using a 14-nanometer process technology. The base frequency is 1.44 GHz, but it can be overclocked to 1.84 GHz at peak load. The cache memory is 2 MB.

✔ TOTAL

If we weigh all the not very significant advantages and a large number of disadvantages, then I cannot recommend the set-top box for purchase.
I tried to combat overheating even with the help of a processor cooler, connecting it via a USB tail, but it was useless; the temperature, although not so actively, was growing to critical values. Unexpectedly low WiFi speed. Brakes with 2K and 4K video playback. I'm glad that set-top box manufacturers have started installing USB 3.0, but in this model the external hard drive refused to be recognized. Until the manufacturer eliminates these shortcomings, I think it makes sense to take the proven MINIX NEO Z64 Z64W.

The product was provided for writing a review by the store. The review was published in accordance with clause 18 of the Site Rules.

Windows TV Box

Why do we choose Windows consoles?

Set-top boxes operate under different operating systems - Android, Linux, Windows, etc. Windows media player is the best choice for those who want to turn their TV into an almost complete analogue of a home computer, but with a larger screen. Thanks to the small black box you will be able to:

• Don't waste time learning unfamiliar operating systems if you've never used anything other than Windows.
• Run familiar applications on TV, including creating and editing Microsoft Office documents, Adobe Photoshop, etc.
• Use a multifunctional, stable, convenient and well-protected product, such as Windows 8.1 and Windows 10.
• Connect peripheral equipment to the TV - keyboards, mice, trackballs, joysticks, gamepads, USB flash drives, DVD and Blu-Ray drives, external hard drives, web cameras and printers.
• Go online from TV - visit your favorite websites, communicate on social networks, on forums, read and send email, make online purchases, download files, etc.
• In addition, you will be able to use the world's largest database of games and programs, many of which are free. And also a huge library of films, music, recordings of television programs and e-books. And this is only part of the possibilities, because there are also operator services - subscription to IP TV channels and much more.

What does a modern media player consist of?

This is a miniature computer, and inside it:

• 4 or 8 core processor;
• a video card, or more precisely, a graphics adapter, is the same as those installed in modern smartphones;
• from 2 to 8 GB of RAM and 16, 64 or 128 GB of permanent memory;
• Bluetooth, Ethernet, WiFi network adapters, as well as DLNA and Miracast interfaces.

And outside (optional):

• SD card slot;
• 1-2 USB ports (or micro USB);
• connectors for connecting a TV - RCA, HDMI or AV;
• headphone port;
• port for connecting a power supply.

The set-top box may include a remote control.

By the way, some models of media players presented in our store are equipped with two operating systems: Windows and Android. They provide users with even greater opportunities - access to mobile applications and games from Google Play or Windows Store. If you find it difficult to choose which TV box is best for your family or those for whom you are buying it as a gift, this offer is for you.