👉🏾 🌵 ⤵️ We structure the information on Android boxes and analyze what a normal prefix should be able to do. 🈲 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 👩🏽

Hello everyone, I have a small blog where I sometimes look at an interesting technique for me, including Android consoles . This year, the third time I almost completely rewrote this section, because Chinese firms - namely, they are the main manufacturers of Android smart boxes - are dying like flies and second-tier manufacturers are suddenly becoming leaders. Just because the previous leader went to retire (yes, it's about you, Minix and Zidoo). The text, it seems to me, turned out to be quite structured, and, after some refinement, I moved it here.

Considering now many are leaving for remote or quarantine, I decided that it was time to talk about modern Android consoles. The fact is that the correct android box "makes" the functionality of any smart TV. This becomes especially relevant in light of the fact that manufacturers have learned to block the functions of their smart TVs, depending on their own ideas about the correct and legal, and not the fact that they will not “tighten the screws” even further. Thank God, a high-quality smart TV set-top box is a cut above any smart, it is easy to configure and change to a more productive one in the future.

Under the cut, we will talk about what a modern console should be able to do, what to look for and which model to choose - there is an extremely simple choice, limited to only three models at the beginning of 2020. Well, the development of the situation with the coronovirus suggests that now is the time to take care of the prefix, because we can have long, long evenings in front of the TV.

Lyrical digression

On our Internet, the recognized authority on Android TV boxes is Kyrie1965Actually, thanks to him, meticulous reviews of consoles appeared for a long time, the format of which (reviews, of course) continues to be copied by other authors. Well, his posts are completely cited as scripture on the forums. On Habré, too, there are several excellent posts on the topic of boxing, most likely related to finishing the environment, but this is no less useful. In truth, this guide should have been written by Kyrie1965. But, apparently, it did not work out. Therefore, we hope that the expert will come to comment and if that, in a unique style, correct me :).

What is a modern Android TV set-top box capable of?

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Most “Smart TV set-top boxes” are made in China and are, in fact, a regular Android tablet with powerful stuffing, to which many USB inputs are added and the display is deprived. As with Android tablets, progress does not stand still, and manufacturers rivet 2-3 models a year on different processors. Since there are a lot of manufacturers, there are also a huge number of models, which leads to terrible confusion. The funny thing is that most consoles are based on the same hardware and differ only in the quality of execution, the tendency to overheat, and, most importantly , the degree of firmware glitch.

Before moving on, let's clarify a few concepts that will be important when choosing a console.

Android TV

As a rule, consoles come with two fundamentally different interfaces. The first is regular Android, on which a slightly redesigned launcher adapted for working with the remote control is “pulled”. Pluses of this option: this is a regular android, on which you can put any application, both from the play market and from the explorer. In my opinion, such a prefix is a little easier to customize - i.e. customizable to your needs. An example of such a prefix is Cube X2.

The second option is a specially modified version of Android, called Android TV. It is released by Google and it was originally designed to work with a TV. Its distinguishing feature is a multitude of interactive desktop icons, voice control and a special application store designed only for programs adapted to the TV screen. The operating system is separately licensed, and, as a rule, Chinese manufacturers of the second tier do not have money for it or the hardware is not sufficiently productive. Examples of consoles with Android TV: Nvidia Shield and Xiaomi Mi Box S.

Obviously, Android TV is prettier and by default, voice search works fine in it. Moreover, Google with some periodicity updates the system adding new functions to it. It’s also obvious that Android TV is more suitable for licensed content. Whereas “non-licensed” applications like HD Videobox are installed on it with additional shamanism.

An additional drawback of Android TV, for me personally, is the inability to fine-tune and use the “what gives”, while the “bare” Android has more room for maneuver. Thank God, on good inexpensive consoles, you can try both options and decide for yourself what you like best.

Autofreight

The second feature is autoframe. In fact, this is a fine tuning of video content for the TV refresh rate. Example: usually a video contains 24 frames in one second (remember the horror stories about the 25th frame?). Standard TV refresh rate: 60 frames per second. Since 60 is not evenly divided by 24, the system decides to display some frames of 33 milliseconds, some of 50 milliseconds. As a result, we have a twitchy image, especially in dynamic scenes. Someone sees this, someone does not. If you are among the first, then you have to carefully choose the prefix.

The autoframe adjusts the output of frames by setting the screen frequency corresponding to or a multiple of the frame rate in the video. There are two types of autoframes: systemic and modern. The system is set immediately at the system level and tries to be applied everywhere. Sometimes this causes a malfunction in applications, buggy rewind, or the choice of an incorrect mode. The so-called “modern” autoframe works more finely and is configured in a specific application, but only a small number of manufacturers have it. Naturally, it is better to buy a prefix with a modern Autoframe.

Interlacing

Problem with picture number 2: interlacing. A large number of videos are stored in the so-called interlaced format. Those. when each frame consists of two interlaced halves and is displayed alternately.

Such a picture either sticks out of two, which leads to the so-called comb. Or the second half of the frame is not shown at all, which leads to jerking, lowering the frequency of the video and its detail. As you know, it’s problematic to watch such a video normally. Especially on a good TV. So in good consoles, this problem is solved by the so-called smart interlacing that runs on the fly. But, not every console has it.

Shumodav Amlogic

Amlogic processor chip. By default, many consoles include the so-called noise reduction. Those. A filter is applied to the video in real time that removes parasitic, according to Amlogic, noises. On high-definition content, it’s more likely to interfere than to help, as it makes the image “soapy”. Therefore, the function of disabling it is very desirable.

WiFi and wired connection

Everything is clear here. Since we watch heavy videos, including With a resolution of 4K, we need a good data channel to the console. If we have a good router and the signal normally “finishes” to the prefix, you can do without WiFi. If not, then only the wire. And here two nuances are important: how good the receiver is in your set-top box and whether it has an input for the wire.

And now, armed with this knowledge, let's go over the current consoles.

Choose a TV box for yourself

As in any business, manufacturers of Android consoles have several objective leaders. Moreover, the concept of leader is changing very quickly. Yesterday it was Minix and Zidoo, the second tier was Ugoos, and the third was a lot of consoles like Mecool, Beelink and others. For 2019, Minix almost died, Zidoo tried to leave the premium consoles sector and could not stand the transition. As a result, Ugoos moved from second to first place, and it is not a fact that it will stay there for a very long time - its updated Ugoos AM6 prefix is slightly inferior in price to Nvidia Shield, which makes the purchase almost meaningless. However, Ugoos has some great budget Cube X2 / X2 Pro consoles and an updated Cube X3 / X3 Pro. But first things first.

The best android console

So, at the beginning of 2020, objectively the best prefix is Nvidia Shield. Despite sharpening the game, she has an excellent and powerful hardware and licked firmware, allowing her to be a recognized leader.

It only spoils the price in the region of 15-16 thousand rubles in the USA or 20-21 thousand in Russia. In my opinion, this is a lot to watch a movie. Moreover, there are cheaper alternatives. Nevertheless, if you are also tuned for serious games, or just love all the same, nothing better than Shield to find. Well, according to the experience of the previous edition, the prefix practically does not age and for many years remains an unattainable leader.

Pros:

The most powerful hardware, great wifi
The presence of a modern autoframe, the ability to properly remove interlacing
Android TV
Great firmware and long support
There is a wire connection (LAN)

Another important plus for gamers: working with GeForce NOW - a cloud-based game service that allows you to "run" heavy AAA games on the console. In fact, you only get a picture that streams from a remote service. Since you already have a joystick in the kit, we can say that for this money you also get a modern game console.

You can read more in this topic on Habr.

For a comfortable game, you need a channel with a bandwidth of at least 15 Mbps. In this case, you can expect a video stream with a quality of 720p and 60 fps. If you want to play with a resolution of 1080p and 60 fps, then the throughput should be higher - better than 30 Mbit / s.

Minuses:

Price only

Adequate price

After Shield go the first-tier Chinese companies. Until recently, these were Minix and Zidoo and Ugoos (I do not mention the famous Xiaomi, because it is a little off to the side and I will explain why below). The first two companies produced high-quality TV boxes, which differ not only in flagship functionality, powerful stuffing and good build quality, but also in very high-quality firmware. But they quickly “blown away” and now the leader is Ugoos.

Again, until recently, the best prefix from this manufacturer was Ugoos AM3 worth about 5 thousand. However, a budget prefix, released under a sub-brand called X2 Cube, has recently appeared (note that the name does not mention the parent company, however, the prefix is developed, manufactured and accompanied by Ugoos. This allows us to speak about high-quality hardware, high-quality firmware, and long-term support).

Pros:

The price is 3.5-4 thousand rubles
Well-known manufacturer, and as a result licked firmware and a long update
It has access to the chip manufacturer and can remove errors that are not available for fixation to third-tier manufacturers.
The presence of a modern autofreight, the ability to properly remove interlacing
"Naked" Android. In theory, this is a minus, but on w3bsit3-dns.com there are third-party firmware that adds Android TV to the console. You can try regular Android with a wide range of settings and Android TV. Therefore plus

Minuses:

Periodic marriage reports with power supply. Thank God, there is a regular Micro USB 2A, i.e. Normal PSUs from modern smartphones are suitable. If you buy on Ali, then I traditionally love Ugreen.
Not very tenacious WiFi. Those. he is normal, but there is better.
There is no DRM protection, which does not allow you to receive licensed content from Netflix, etc. resources in maximum quality.

In addition to the X2 Cube, there is a modification Pro with a green stripe on the lid. It features twice as much memory (4 / 32Gb) and an improved power supply. It costs 1-1.5 thousand more, but it seems to me that there isn’t much point in buying it. As a rule, 2Gb of memory for the eyes is enough for 99% of the tasks of any Smart TV set-top box. The only “but” arises if you intend to install a browser and open many tabs + install 2-3 instant messengers. In this case - yes, the RAM is very necessary. But in other cases, I repeat, the performance of the X2 Cube is beyond the eyes.

A similar situation with the updated prefix X3 Cube / X3 Cube Pro / X3 Plus (again, the difference between the models in the line due to memory). This set-top box differs from X2 in the more powerful Amlogic S905X3 processor versus S905X2 in the previous set-top box (it is believed that the performance from the upgrade increased by 10-15%). However, in this case too, I see no reason to overpay, because, I repeat, the X2 Cube's performance is enough for all common tasks.

Xiaomi for licensed content lovers

Aside, there is a prefix from Xiaomi Mi Box S. This is a high-quality set-top box with Android TV 9 on board that looks like an Apple TV. The main advantage is the licensing of services such as Netflix, Youtube, etc., which allows you to receive video in maximum quality. For other consoles, quality is cut from the idea of combating piracy.

The prefix implements the idea of minimalism very well. There is only a set of necessary, according to Xiaomi, interfaces and technologies. Well, the most humane price of all the official set-top boxes with Android TV.

Pros:

The price is 4-4.5 thousand rubles
Well-known manufacturer, and, as a result, licked firmware and a long update
Availability of a modern autofreight
Android TV