Choosing a universal media player to connect to a TV

Choosing a universal media player to connect to a TV

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

A clear advantage of Android-based media players is their 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 Android Stick with a video camera and microphone in the device itself. Alas, the power of the Wi-Fi transmitter in the mini-PC leaves much to be desired, and to play 1080p video over the 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 are no models left on the market that are unable to play video files in Divx/Xvid, H.264 and MPEG 1/2 formats. As for audio files, you should pay attention to the presence of support for high-quality audio in DTS, Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby TrueHD formats. Some media players do not support sound in this format (due to the lack of a codec license or design features of the chipset), so it is better to avoid an unpleasant surprise in the form of a “silent movie” in advance.

As for containers, the popular AVI, MP4 and MKV can be 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 choosing a media player plague only fans of “full-length” Blu-ray and three-dimensional video. 3D-enabled movies are often distributed as ISO images or as file folders. Truly convenient playback of such videos can only be provided by media players that support the ISO BD3D standard, but with the caveat that navigation through the film will be carried out using the simplified BD Lite menu. Support for 3D HD video in other media players will be limited to “heuristic” launching of the M2TS file from the folder structure or a complete lack of support for the standard. Unfortunately, support for the full Blu-ray specification has fallen into oblivion along with optical discs. Aggressive lobbying against copy protection called Cinavia played a role in this.

Devices developed in close cooperation with content providers stand apart - in pursuit of copyright compliance and stimulation 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.

Controls

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 will not require additional skills for users of a TV or game console. Support for computer keyboards and mice is present in many models, but is of no practical use - multi-stage menus are easier and faster to master using the same remote control rather than using the mouse cursor.

Expert advice

When choosing a console, you cannot base it only on its cost. Not all expensive models differ in their characteristics and features from more budget ones. Sometimes you have to overpay for a brand. It is important to determine for yourself the additional and basic features you need, and select the appropriate device for these requirements.

The rating of media players will help you understand all the subtleties and nuances of some models. It is important to take this process as seriously as possible and use the maximum amount of available resources: reviews from real customers, expert analysis, consultation with a specialist in the store.

What is a media player

Almost from the beginning of mass distribution, TVs have been able to work with an additional device, for example, a VHS, DVD, Blue ray player. Today a media player can also be included in this group. Its main function is to play content. This is a less bulky device with convenient controls and great capabilities.

Important! Unlike older video players, it works with files recorded on internal or external memory. Depending on the functionality, it can play them from other devices or via the Internet.

A media player for a TV is needed if the built-in player does not support a large number of formats. With its help you can organize your own media library. For this, an external or internal drive is used; among the functions there is the ability to connect to a local network or the Internet. The latter will not only allow you to view content from online resources, for example, YouTube, but will also make it possible to set up IPTV broadcasting and download what you are interested in directly to your device or the HDD connected to it.

Let's list the main advantages of using a media center for your TV.

1. Small sizes. Even hard drive models are smaller than older CD players.
2. Omnivorous. A good media player reads any audio, video and photo formats. You no longer have to worry about finding your favorite movie in a format suitable for TV.
3. Ease of management. Sitting in front of a large panel with a remote control is much more convenient than, armed with a mouse and keyboard, controlling it through a connected PC.
4. A high-quality media player expands the number of connectors - this is often relevant.
5. Storing videos on a hard drive is more convenient and reliable than storing videos on multiple DVDs.
6. If you compare a media player with a PC, it is easier to connect (no need to pull wires) and is quieter.
7. Android models turn a regular TV into a smart one, and a high-quality set-top box is an excellent alternative to a cheap Smart TV, which rarely leaves a satisfied user.

Rating of the best media player models

The 2021 rating does not include top sellers, but models with the optimal combination of cost/quality/efficiency. This way you can get the best media player at an adequate price, with a wide range of features and reliable high-quality performance.

The TOP includes both well-known brands and those that are popular among a narrow circle of buyers, as they meet certain requirements. After studying the technical features, you can make your choice.

Apple TV 4K 32gb

The Apple TV 4K (32gb) media player provides the ability to watch movies in 4K HDR quality. In addition, everyone can activate interactive games and get the most out of Red Bull, Netflix, etc. apps. Large memory capacity allows you to store movies and photos.

Brief technical specifications:

• Dimensions: width and length 98 mm, height – 35 mm;
• Weight – 425 grams;
• The kit includes: instructions, power cable, remote control, Lightning/USB cable;
• Processor – A10X Fusion;
• Connection; IR receiver, Bluetooth 5.0, Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, HDMI 2.0a;
• Photo formats: TIFF, HEIF, GIF and JPEG;
• The remote control has a three-axis gyroscope and accelerometer. The battery lasts for several months without recharging.

The average cost is around 13,500 rubles. The media set-top box is rightfully considered one of the best and fully justifies its cost.

Nvidia Shield TV

Streaming media player model with HDR and 4K support. The cost does not differ from the previous model, but there are some technical features:

• Installed applications: PLEX, NVIDIA Games, Google Play store with music, movies and TV, Netflix, YouTube;
• Dimensions and weight – length and width 150 by 98 mm. Height is 25.93 mm, and weight is 250 grams;
• Video capabilities: 4K with HDR, resolution up to 1080p;
• Processor: NVIDIA Tegra X1 with 3 GB of memory;
• DTS-X surround sound and multi-channel Dolby Atmos;
• The hard drive has a capacity of 16 GB, but in fact you can use 11 GB;
• OS – Android 7.0;
• Connectivity: Captive Portal, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.1/BLE;
• Additional devices: IR blaster for control, microphone, remote control.

Attention! Software updates come directly from SHIELD (NVIDIA).

Google Chromecast

A fairly popular media set-top box that allows you to view not only any sites on the TV screen, but also online movies and YouTube channels. You just need to connect the set-top box to the HDMI of your TV and set up control via your tablet or smartphone. A remote control is not included in the package. There is support for Netflix, Google Play and the Chrome browser.

Technical features:

• One HDMI and one USB 2.0;
• There is Wi-Fi;
• Supports video formats: MOV, MKV, WMV and AVI;
• Sound: APE and FLAC;
• Pictures: PNG, JPEG, BMP, GIF;
• Weight and dimensions: 39.7 grams, height 13.8 mm, width and length 51.9 mm.

Attention! The Micro-USB connector is not suitable for data transfer, but is intended only for charging the battery.

Dune SmartBox

Dune SmartBox is a compact media player for playing audio, pictures and high-definition video up to 60 frames per second.

Specifications:

• Works on Android 6.0.1;
• Wi-Fi 802.11b;
• 2 USB 2.0 ports;
• Processor: Amlogic S905L/X;
• CPU: ARM 4-core Cortex A53;
• GPU: Mali-450 5-core;
• RAM: 1 GB;
• Flash: 8 GB;
• Ethernet: 100Mbit;
• Control from a tablet or smartphone;
• IR remote control;
• All the most popular audio formats: WAV, ALAC, AC3, OGG, MP3, FLAC, MPEG, AAC;
• Video formats: VIDEO_TS, MKV, ISO, MP4, MOV, AVI, VOB, etc.;
• Graphic formats: GIF, JPEG, BMP, PNG;
• Subtitles: VobSub, SRT, SSA/ASS, SUB, text;
• File system support;
• Weight and dimensions: 485 grams, width and length 101 mm, height 26 mm.

Xiaomi Mi Box 4K

Xiaomi is actively developing its own line of media set-top boxes based on Android TV. This stationary media player has the following technical characteristics:

• Processor – Cortex-A53 Quad-core 64bit;
• 8GB eMMC storage;
• Android 8.1;
• 4K video support;
• Availability of IPTV, 3D, torrent and browser;
• Services supported: Netflix and Youtube;
• Control panel via Bluetooth technology (can be controlled from a tablet or smartphone);
• Wi-Fi 11a;
• Contents: instructions, media player, power adapter, remote control;
• Dimensions and weight: length and width are 95.25 mm, height is 16.7 mm, and weight is 147 grams.

Apple TV

An excellent gadget for viewing multimedia, unfairly neglected by Russian-speaking users. The technical features are quite strong in relation to their cost:

• Memory: 40 GB;
• Wi-Fi 802.11n and 10/100 Ethernet;
• HDMI;
• Format support: H.264, protected H.264 with a bitrate of up to 5 Mbit/s and a maximum resolution of up to 1280x720 pixels with a frequency of 24 frames per second, 960x540 pixels and 30 frames/sec, respectively. MPEG-4 with a bitrate of up to 3 Mbit/s and a maximum resolution of 720x432 pixels at 30 frames per second. Containers m4v, mp4 and mov;
• Dimensions and weight: width and length each 197 mm, height 28 mm, weight – 1090 grams.

Rombica Smart Box

A popular media player with the ability to play video in 3D and 1080p Full HD. Other technical specifications:

• Video – MKV, MP4, AVI, MOV, MPEG-TS;
• Audio – WAV, LPCM, FLAC, APE, WMA, AAC;
• Pictures – PNG, BMP, JPEG, GIF;
• Subtitles – SUB, VOB, PGS, SRT;
• Two USB ports;
• Ethernet – up to 100 Mbit/s;
• OS – Android 4.4;
• Remote Control;
• ARM Cortex A7 processor;
• RAM – 1 GB;
• Built-in memory – 8 GB;
• Support SkyDrive, Google Drive, DropBox;
• Dimensions: width 135 mm, length 85 mm, height 25 mm. Weight 130 grams.

IconBIT XDS94K

Inexpensive but high-quality video console with the following characteristics:

• Processor – Cortex-A53, 64 bit, 2 GHz;
• Operating system – Android 5.1.1;
• Video output for HDMI 2.0, CVBS;
• Support 4K, up to 60 frames per second;
• Wi-Fi 5 GHz + 2.4 GHz (external antenna), Gigabit Ethernet (8P8C), Bluetooth 4.0;
• RAM – 1 GB;
• ROM – 8 GB;
• Four USB 2.0;
• Control panel with learning function;
• Dimensions – height 25 mm, length and width 100 mm.

Amibox X96

The media player is quite popular due to its low cost and high technical characteristics. Supports UHD 4K format up to 60fps:

• Android 7.1.2;
• Four cores;
• Processor: Amlogic S905W 64 bit Cortex-A53;
• RAM – 2 GB;
• Built-in memory – 16 GB;
• Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz;
• Lan: 10/100;
• Two USB 0$
• Ports: IR port, HDMI, AV output, USB 2.0, RJ-45, Micro SD;
• Contents: instructions, IR remote control, power supply, external IR receiver, HDMI cable.

HARPER ABX-332

The Harper ABX-332 media player has the following technical characteristics:

• Ethernet;
• Wi-Fi;
• Operating system: Android 7.1;
• Processor: Amlogic S912;
• Flash memory size: 32768 MB;
• Display;
• Remote control;
• Cooling: passive;
• Supports formats MKV, AVI, WMV, ISO, IFO, VOB, MOV, ASF, TP, TS, TRP, M2T, M2TS, MP4, MPG, DAT, FLV, MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4, XviD, DivX, H.264, WMV9, VC-1, WMA, AVCHD, AAC, OGG, WAV, FLAC, APE, RM, RMVB, JPEG, GIF, BMP, TIFF, PNG, HEVC (H.265), HEVC Main 10, VP9, ​​VP9 10- bit;
• HDMI 2.0 version;
• Wi-Fi 11n standard;
• Bluetooth, microSD;
• Dimensions – width and length 106 mm, height 18 mm.

To summarize all of the above, it can be noted that no matter what media player is chosen, the main condition is strict compliance with all individual requirements and rules.

How to choose a media center

You can choose the right media player for your TV by assessing its basic parameters.

1. Formats – this determines how versatile the player will be.
2. Availability of hard drive and its capacity.
3. Connectors for connecting TV. Ideally, there should be HDMI, but if this is an old HD TV, then you can stick to AV.
4. Internet access and connection method. It’s more convenient if the device has Wi-Fi.
5. Interface. If you have the opportunity to turn on the device before purchasing, you should evaluate how convenient its menu is and whether it has Russian language.
6. For Android devices, you should look at parameters such as processor and RAM. It is often difficult to figure out whether a chipset is good or not, but when comparing several models, you should choose the one with a higher clock speed and number of cores. The situation is similar with RAM: the more, the better.
7. Availability of additional connectors. A media player for a TV can be a way to connect other devices, for example, a speaker system or accessories - a mouse and keyboard. Therefore, it is worth looking at how many additional connectors are installed, and what they are.

Advice! If possible, you should clarify what kind of cooling is used. Often this information is not indicated by manufacturers, but it can be passive or active. The second option is obviously better, but the noise level is also higher.