Type: Media player stationary
Output resolution: 4K (3840 x 2160)
CPU: 2-core MT8693 Cortex-A72 + 4-core Cortex-A53 64 2.0GHz
GPU: Power VR GX6250
RAM: 2GB LPDDR3
Storage device: 8GB eMMC5.0
Dual WiFi: 2.4/5GHz 802.11a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.1+ EDR (Enhanced Data Rate)
Enter exit: HDMI 2.0 x 1, USB 2.0 x 2, power interface
Power consumption: 100~240V 50/60Hz input 12V, output 1.2A
Decoder Format: HD MPEG1/2/4,H.264,H.265,Xvid/DivX4/5/6
Video format: 3GP,AVI,FLV,M2TS,MKV,MOV,MP4,MPEG,TS
Audio format: AAC,APE,FLAC,MP3,OGG
Photo Format: BMP,GIF,JPG,PNG
Dimensions: 100mm x 100mm x 25mm
Weight: g 190 g
✔ PACKAGING AND COMPLETE SETThe seller did not stint on the packaging, the parcel arrived in a large cardboard box.
Additionally, a bag with healing Chinese air, an adapter for a European plug and a box of TV set-top boxes wrapped in several layers of bubble wrap. 
There is nothing remarkable in the external video of the box, the standard minimalism in the style of . 
Inside, in additional cardboard protection, there is a prefix. 
The insides of the box. 
General set of TV set-top boxes. 
There is little useful information in the instructions, like all Xiaomi products for the Chinese market, all information is in Chinese. 
In the package, the manufacturer put two alkaline batteries, also under their own brand. 
The power supply is made in a similar form factor as the set-top box. 
The power supply is branded and produces 12V and 1.2A. 
Plug. 
HDMI cable, also did not forget to brand. 
The remote is very similar to the remote from the previous version of the set-top box, but a second function has been built into the “Home” button, namely voice search. 
The remote control is paired with the prefix via Bluetooth, in addition, the remote control has a gyroscope and an accelerometer, which can be used as a game pad. The coating is a pleasant soft touch. 
Dimensions, like most remotes for TV set-top boxes. 
In order for the remote control not to fly out of your hand into the TV during the game, the manufacturer put a lanyard in the kit. 
The lanyard is made quite high quality, even a plastic ring for tightening on the wrist is present. 
With the appearance, they also decided not to bother too much, they took and flattened the router, released a little earlier, a little. 
Well, the truth is, the edges are a little more rounded. The plastic coating does not collect fingers, but the dust will be visible well. 
The left and right sides of the attachment are “empty”, but with holes for air circulation. 
Holes occupy almost the entire area of the side face. 
At the back of the set-top box there are two USB ports, an HDMI port and a power connector for the set-top box. The manufacturer did not install external antennas, although looking ahead, the board has interfaces for connecting them. 
Just like on charging, the logo is almost invisible, especially since it is also sealed with a transport film 
The logo is present everywhere, even on the back of the console, I think this is already superfluous, but as it is. Four rubber feet are glued to the bottom of the console along the edges. 
Attachment dimensions 100mm x 100mm x 25mm. The weight of the console is 190 grams. 
A fairly large number of Chinese set-top boxes require improvement in terms of cooling. Xiaomi decided to save buyers from this and inserted a massive radiator inside the console, and also provided it with a fan. But I can reassure lovers of silence, as the fan turns on after 65 degrees Celsius, quickly brings down the temperature and stops. 
The radiator is attached to the body of the console with four screws. 
The board is separately mounted on 4 screws. 
Everything is covered with metal plates. 
As far as I had enough, understanding in circuitry, the manufacturer brought out WiFi antennas in the left and right corners. 
At the same time, at one of the corners there are connectors for connecting an external WiFi antenna. 
The Mediatek MT8693AAOV chip, which, according to Xiaomi, should be 80% more productive than in the previous set-top box. 
In light of global warming and other savings, many questions arise regarding the electricity consumption of various devices. This TV box consumes up to 10W at peak load, around 4.5W in operating mode, and up to 2.9W in sleep mode. 
✔ RUSIFICATION, GAPPS AND MENUAt the first start, the prefix is not happy with the fact that everything is completely in Chinese.
But that's not a problem, doing English is a matter of about 5 minutes. To do this, you need to download the startSettings application and install it using the built-in video player, after allowing the installation of applications from dubious sources.
We enter the settings and select the third item. 
Next, the second from the top and in the window that opens, select the first button. 
Now open the regular media player. 
On the remote, press the arrow to the left and get into the menu for viewing and selecting files. We first connect the USB flash drive with the application recorded on it. 
Select startSettings.apk and in the window that opens, click on the second button. 
After a second installation of the application, an additional Settings icon will appear on the desktop. Having opened which, we find ourselves in the settings menu familiar to Android 5. 
Go to languages and select English. 
And now even the native settings menu has become almost all in English. Why almost everything, since some of the settings remain in Chinese. 
Some settings are duplicated, but some of the settings, like a remote control or a gamepad, can only be opened from the "proprietary" settings menu. 
To whom 5 gigabytes of internal memory is not enough, in this menu you can change the data storage location from internal memory to a USB flash drive or hard drive. 
Sound and resolution settings. 
Setting up the control panel and gamepad from Xiaomi. 
You can check the system information for updates. 
Which appear quite often, for example, there is already 1.4.15, and the installed version is 1.4.0. 
More familiar settings interface. 
Attachment information. 
Root is obtained by installing kingroot, and Russification using morelokale2 or when connected using ADB without the need to get root. 
We choose Russian. 
At the end of the review, I post a video with instructions for Russification, root and installing gapps.
All necessary software -
As a result, you should get this picture. 
A big plus for the Xiaomi people for implementing the interface
PlayMarket works flawlessly and without crashes. 
Using the remote control, you can search for videos or applications, but you will not succeed if you are not Chinese, you do not understand Russian. 
There is no curtain, instead there is an interactive button, by clicking on which the notification window opens. 
Of the two gigabytes of RAM, on average, more than 700 remain available, but it all depends on the current work and tasks performed by the set-top box. 
It is very quick and easy to set up a wireless display and transfer the screen image to a TV. 
If there is more desire, then the set-top box can be controlled using a smartphone by installing the MiTVAssistant application - 
There were no problems with IPTV playback, playlist from edem. 
Online playback using ex.ua, also without problems. 
Indian cinema, only for connoisseurs. 
But the NOW online cinema started up without any problems, but viewing is prohibited according to the license. 
With Tunein, you can listen to a huge number of radio stations from all over the world. 
Youtube will have to be tweaked a bit, as I don't really like the mobile look on the TV screen. 
But there were no problems with playing content with resolutions up to 4K. 
Since we have already talked about playback capabilities, then after downloading the Antutu tester from the playmarket, you can see that the set-top box coped with 99% of the video. Only with one video there were problems in the form of twitching of the picture. 
2K and 4K videos play without problems. 
In the video test, the set-top box scored 1027 parrots. 
To watch the video, I recommend installing the MX player. When viewing a test video, no distortion is observed when displaying an image. 
When viewing 4K video from an external drive, there are no brakes or artifacts. 
System information from CPU-Z. 
System information from AIDA64. 
And from SpetsDevice. 
As far as I understand, the sensors are recognized not in the console itself, but in the connected control panel. 
The gyroscope, accelerometer and built-in remote control microphone work flawlessly. 
WiFi signal 2.4 and 5.0 GHz in the same room as the router. 
Speed measurements at 2.4 GHz. 
Tests of RAM and internal memory. 
Recording to the internal memory of the set-top box from an external 2.5 "hard drive connected via USB 2.0 is 24-25 Mb / s. 
In Antutu tests, the set-top box scores 61456 parrots, which is a very good indicator even for smartphones, not to mention a TV set-top box. 
But in the rank of Antutu it takes only 25th place. 
IceStorm tests refused to run, with an incomprehensible error. 
In Geekbench, the prefix is \u200b\u200bgaining 1515 and 3190 parrots. 
In the Vellamo test, the prefix shows quite good results. 
And it occupies, if not the TOP place in the ranking, then it is confidently in the top five. 
In the Citadel on ultra-high quality - 46.8 frames per second. 
In the Bonsai benchmark, the console is gaining 3323 parrots with 47.4 frames per second. 
Even after lengthy tests, the temperature did not rise above 72 degrees, while in a very short time it dropped to an operating temperature of 55-62 degrees. 
With such iron with games there are no problems. In this arcade, for example, it is convenient to play using the remote control, jumping from track to track using the arrows on the remote control. 
But playing Asphalt with the remote control is already much more interesting, since any tilt of the remote control causes the car to turn in the direction of the slope. At first, a little unusual, but then, when you get into a rage, you really understand why you need a lanyard. 
A single press on the shutdown button sends the prefix to "sleep" a long press - the reboot and shutdown menu. 
Review unboxing and insides.
English installation instructions.
ROOT / Gapps and Russification.
Tests and opportunities.
Xiaomi Mi Box S (MDZ-22-AB) is the direct successor of Xiaomi Mi Box (MDZ-16-AB). There were no significant changes in hardware. Both the box itself and the remote control have been changed in the direction of cost reduction. But in the software part, the box received the Android TV 8.1 system. In general, despite the obvious disadvantages that you will learn about in the review, Xiaomi Mi Box S is still a unique (not to be confused with the words “good” or “bad”) device on the market without obvious competitors in its price niche - a box with certified Android TV system and certified by Netflix.
Xiaomi Mi Box S (MDZ-22-AB) provided by the store for review gear best 79,99$ . The price is quite high, but for various promotions it can reach up to $55.
Specifications
| Model | Xiaomi Mi Box S (MDZ-22-AB) |
| Housing materials | Plastic |
| SoC | Amlogic S905X |
| RAM | 2 GB |
| Flash memory | 8 GB |
| USB | 1 x USB 2.0 |
| Memory card support | Not |
| Network interfaces | Wi-Fi 4, 5 (802.11a/b/g/n/ac, MIMO 1x1) |
| Bluetooth | 4.1 |
| Video outputs | HDMI 2.0b (up to [email protected] Hz with HDR) |
| Audio outputs | HDMI, S/PDIF (Mini Toslink/Miniplug), analog |
| Remote controller | Bluetooth, with microphone |
| Nutrition | 5.2V/2.1A |
| OS | Android TV 8.1 |
Equipment and appearance
Boxing comes in a bright cardboard box.
Inside: set-top box, remote control, HDMI cable, power supply, quick start guide in several languages.
Branded power supply (AY11BA). Plug type A (American/Chinese). Voltage 5.2 V, maximum current up to 2.1 A. Cable length approx. 110 cm. DC connector 4 x 1.7 mm.
The board is neat. Works via Bluetooth. Powered by two AAA batteries, they are included.
The materials are not the same as those of the Xiaomi Mi Box remote control - in the hand it feels like a cheaper product. D-pad rattles, i.e. does not sit tight. The D-pad feels less tactile (due to its flat shape) than the previous version.
The microphone hole is on the end.
The box itself is very compact. The case is made of matte plastic. Weight about 150 grams. Size 95x95x17 mm.
On the front is a barely visible white LED indicator. It glows when the device is working.
There is nothing on the sides. Rear: analog audio output combined with optical S/PDIF (Mini Toslink/Miniplug), HDMI, USB A 2.0, power jack (DC 4 x 1.7 mm).
On the bottom cover only plastic legs.
Disassembly of the device and cooling system
The bottom cover is very tight on the latches. Removable with any flat plastic tool.
All key elements on the underside of the board are hidden under a metal shield. It's soldered to the board.
Unscrew 4 screws and remove the board.
On the front side of the board, all key elements are also hidden under soldered metal screens. The location of the SoC through the thermal substrate is in contact with a large metal plate in the upper part of the case. The Wi-Fi/Bluetooth antenna is wired on the board itself. The analog sound amplifier is based on the SGMicro SGM89000 controller. You may notice that Xiaomi Mi Box S has lost the IR receiver, which was unofficially present in Xiaomi Mi Box. In general, there is nothing to complain about - the ultimate minimalism (but sufficient) in circuitry.
The 15-minute stress test runs without throttling with consistent peak performance. The maximum temperature is not more than 50 °C.
Software and overall stability
Xiaomi Mi Box S comes with Android TV 8.1 system. This is a standard Android TV system based on the Amlogic SDK with some modifications from Xiaomi.
For those who do not know how Android TV 8.1 differs from the regular version of Android 8.1, I will briefly list some of the differences:
- No navigation bar and status bar.
- Hard fixed launcher (home screen) - Google Home Launcher. It displays only those programs and games that are adapted for Android TV. Under certain conditions, Google allows the manufacturer to replace the launcher.
- Global voice search in installed programs / Google Assistant.
- A number of unique features, such as special channels (former recommendations), special alerts, picture-in-picture on the main screen, etc.
- The interface is adapted for TV screens and control from the remote control (D-Pad and voice) or gamepad.
- Google programs and services are also adapted to TV screens and remote control.
- The Google Play Store for Android TV only contains apps and games adapted for Android TV (interface and remote/gamepad control).
- There is support for Google Cast (on certified boxes).
You can install any programs. But remember that the Google Play Store for Android TV only contains apps and games that are adapted for Android TV. All other programs can be safely installed via apk, Aptoide TV (illegal software), etc. For programs that are not adapted to Android TV, you may need a mouse. Here you also need to take into account that in some programs that require a mouse, it may not work correctly on Xiaomi Mi Box S. These are bugs in the Xiaomi Mi Box S system. For example, the appearance of a phantom cursor, incorrect processing of the left mouse button click, etc.
The ideology of Android TV is based on simplicity. But if you start to fight it (“I need it, like in a smartphone, and I want to control everything with a mouse”), then negative impressions await you. If you accept its ideology, and all your current programs are adapted for Android TV, then you will simply enjoy the system.
It is also important to understand that Android TV is currently the only official boxing system from Google. The certification of the regular Android system for boxes has been discontinued for more than two years. In the near future, you will not see boxes from A-brands or from operators with a regular Android system.
Xiaomi has redesigned and merged Settings (in the Amlogic SDK, settings are separated into two programs). Localization into Russian is not complete. Translated elements of the general Android system (i.e. by Google itself) and part of the settings from Amlogic. What is added by Amlogic is mostly untranslated. For example, screen settings, sound output, etc. in English.
Firmware version with all updates at the time of publication of the review OPM1.171019.011.430. The firmware uses the 64-bit kernel version 4.9.61. But the Android layer itself is 32-bit.
The behavior of the Global Search / Google Assistant is slightly different from, for example, the Nvidia Shield TV. Apparently, the difference is in the version of the Google program (it is responsible for the search), which is installed on the box. I will give a particular example. In the Google Play Store, you click the Global Search button and search for Kodi. Nvidia Shield TV prioritizes results from the Google Play Store program (priority is given to the results of the active program), i.e. everything is logically correct. And in Xiaomi Mi Box S, the priority is given to global results, only by pressing Down, you will see other results, including in the Google Play Store. At the same time, in some programs, the priority is still given to the results from the active program.
It is also worth noting that the Google Assistant still does not fully work with the Russian language in Android TV. Those. only basic search and basic commands. Although on smartphones it has been working fully for almost a year.
There is no root support in the system and you cannot add it.
In general, the system works stably. There are no critical mass problems and bugs in the system. On the network, you can find possible complaints about the work of HDMI CEC, sleep mode, Wi-Fi, etc. But it should be borne in mind that in terms of the number of sales, Xiaomi Mi Box S is comparable to sales of all “Chinese” boxes combined for the same period of time. The more sales, the more possible complaints.
Remote, gamepads and HDMI CEC
The board can be called very good. Only the shape of the D-pad (flat) causes criticism. The central button differs tactilely from the ring. The remote works via Bluetooth. Microphone with excellent sensitivity, you do not need to bring the remote control closer to your mouth, voice recognition works clearly. The call button for Global Voice Search / Google Assistant does not need to be held for the microphone to work, just press once to call. The microphone is activated programmatically by the system if necessary.
There is a complaint about the work of the Global Voice Search. The sound level display when you speak a request is delayed, which can be misleading. Those. you start talking, and the level image displays silence and only starts to change after a while.
The launch buttons for Netflix and Live Channels are handled differently on the system. Those. you will not be able to remap them to other programs, for example using Button Mapper or Key Remapper.
The button with nine dots brings up a window of all installed programs in the system.
I note that the menu of previously launched programs is not activated in the system for easy switching between programs, a quick return to the previous program and for forced closing of programs if necessary. Those. neither by double or long pressing Home this menu is called up (although such an opportunity is provided in Android TV), which for some may add discomfort in use.
Pressing the Power button on the remote puts the box to sleep. A long press brings up a ridiculous one-command power menu (this menu is carried over from the Amlogic SDK, and Amlogic has enough sick designers and "wonder" managers).
The box can be brought out of sleep mode only with the power button of the standard remote control. If necessary, you can enable the "Keep screen on" feature in the "Developer Options" settings. The partial sleep mode will work and the box can be woken up by any RF remote control.
Support for different HDMI CEC functions varies from one TV model to another. I have yet to come across any Android box that has perfect HDMI CEC support with all TVs, even different TVs from the same brand. On Amlogic boxes, HDMI CEC support has never been good (mainly due to selective power functions and lack of volume control). Support for HDMI CEC is enabled in the settings.
HDMI CEC working with a Samsung test TV (just for example, because your picture may be different):
- You send the box to sleep using the remote control from the box, the TV turns off (goes into standby mode) - yes.
- Wake up the box using the remote control from the box, the TV turns on - yes.
- Turn on the TV with a regular TV remote control, the box wakes up - yes.
- Turn off the TV with a regular TV remote, the box goes to sleep - yes.
- The TV remote can control the box - yes.
With boxing, I tested two gamepads - GameSir and Xiaomi. GameSir G3s failed to connect to the box (this is the first case when a specific gamepad fails to pair) - I'm just stating a fact, I didn't understand the problem in detail. Everything worked fine with the Xiaomi gamepad.
Performance
The set-top box uses the outdated Amlogic S905X SoC - 4 ARM Cortex-A53 cores up to 1.5 GHz and a Mali-450 MP GPU. This is a budget SoC. In general, the system works acceptable, if you do not load it with several simultaneous tasks. For example, if the system updates the software through the Google Play Store, then it is better to refrain from using the box, because the operation becomes uncomfortable. S912 or S905X2 are just rockets compared to S905X. For 3D games, this SoC is not intended at all due to a weak GPU. You need to understand that the main thing in Android boxes is media functionality, i.e. VPU and implementation of its capabilities in software. But the processor and GPU must have enough power to work with the device comfortably. S905X provides a comfortable level, but on the verge.
The interface is displayed at a maximum resolution of 1920x1080. Even if you select 3840x2160 on your system, the interface and all programs will continue to run at 1920x1080 and scale up to 3840x2160. As with many boxes, only SurfaceView objects can output true 4K resolution (which is what media players and some games use). In fact, it doesn't matter at what resolution to run test programs and games - at 1920x1080 and 3840x2160 the result will be identical.
For convenience and clarity, I will compare performance with boxes on Amlogic S905X2.
| Xiaomi Mi Box S (S905X) | S905X2 | |
| AnTuTu v6 (Shared Index / GPU / CPU) | ||
| Geeckbench 4 (Singe/Multi) | ||
| Google Octane | 3100 | 4100 |
| Xiaomi Mi Box S (S905X) | S905X2 | |
| 3DMark Ice Storm Extreme | 4200 | 5500 |
| Bonsai | 25 fps | 46 fps |
| GFXBenchmark T-Rex | 11 fps | 13 fps |
| GFXBenchmark T-Rex 1080p Offscreen | 11 fps | 13 fps |
Most 2D games worked reasonably well.
Game streaming via Nvidia GameStream (Moonlight), stream 1080p60, 30 Mbps - decoder output latency up to 40 ms for H.265. In this case, a violation of uniformity is visually visible once per second. In principle, you can play many games (here it is important to note that the Keenetic Ultra router was used, you will learn the details in the network interface test).
Internal and external drives
In the fresh Xiaomi Mi Box S system, about 4 GB of internal memory is available to the user. Not much, but if you do not install games, then for most tasks it will be enough with your head. Moreover, if necessary, you can use a USB storage device (for example, a flash drive) in the internal memory expansion mode.
The linear and random write speed of the internal flash memory is low. Reading speed is good for boxes.
With support for file systems on external drives (in the role of an external drive), everything is bad.
Network interfaces and network services
There is no Ethernet support in the box. If necessary, you can use USB adapters based on the Asix AX88179 controller (USB 3.0 > Gigabit Ethernet) and get a speed of about 250 Mbps. The most popular and proven adapters are from Ugreen.
The Broadcom controller is responsible for the wireless network (I won’t name the exact model, because the controller is hidden under a metal screen) with support for Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, MIMO 1x1.
The tests were carried out using iperf 3. The iperf server is running on a computer that is connected to the local network via Gigabit Ethernet. Key R is selected - the server transmits, the device receives.
The box was 5 meters from the router through one reinforced concrete wall - this is the place where I test all Android boxes and mini PCs. The line connecting the box and the router runs through the wall at a 45 degree angle. For you to understand, I don’t have a goal to find out the maximum Wi-Fi speed of a particular box 1 meter from a router without obstacles (it doesn’t matter to me whether it will squeeze 200 or 300 Mbps there). I am modeling a typical case and all boxes are tested under the same conditions. I only test with the 5 GHz band (if the box has such support).
This time Keenetic Ultra (KN-1810) and Xiaomi Mi Router 3G (Padavan) acted as a router.
| Keenetic Ultra | 167 Mbps |
| Xiaomi Mi Router 3G | 108 Mbps |
For all the time of testing, there were no complaints about the work of Wi-Fi. The work was stable, there were no disconnections and reconnections.
There are no network file services (server and client) in the system.
Support for direct audio output and audio decoders
The Xiaomi Mi Box S system contains decoders (decoding and mixing in stereo) Dolby Digital and DTS. They are in both MediaCodec and StageFright.
An Onkyo receiver was used for direct sound output tests.
HDMI direct output in Kodi (17.6):
| Dolby Digital 5.1 | DD 5.1 |
| DTS 5.1 | DTS 5.1 |
| Dolby True HD 7.1 | Not |
| DTS-HD MA 7.1 | Not |
| Dolby Atmos | Not |
| DTS:X | Not |
Video decoder support, video playback, auto frame rate
Xiaomi Mi Box S has an HDMI 2.0b output. Resolutions up to 3840x2160 @ 60Hz, 10bit with HDR10 are supported. You can choose color coding in Settings. The interface is displayed with a maximum resolution of 1920x1080. Even if you select 3840x2160 on your system, the interface and all programs will continue to run at 1920x1080 and scale up to 3840x2160. As with many boxes, only SurfaceView objects can output true 4K resolution with HDR support, and they are used in many players.
The system has a non-switchable noise reduction for video(this can be seen with the naked eye even without tests).
I did not notice any problems with HDR10 output (in UHD Blu-ray). HDR to SDR conversion is supported in case you need to watch HDR content on an SDR TV. Amlogic's conversion is not perfect (and it can't be perfect), but one of the best.
Deinterlacing System
Deinterlacing does not work in either StageFright or MediaCodec. Only one of the two fields is displayed. Those. at the output of the decoder for interlaced video streams, you get half the frame rate and half the vertical resolution.
Video playback
Boxing handles almost any current content in Kodi (17.6) on NAS. Any UHD BDRemux played without problems (when connected via Keenetic Ultra). 2160p60 files and streams encoded with H.265 Main10 also play without problems. 2160p60 streams encoded with H.264 (for example, from some action cameras) do not play well because the H.264 decoder in the S905X does not support these options (only 2160p30 or 1080p60 H.264).
Autoframerate
About autoframerate
For those who don't know, I'll briefly talk about autoframe... Autoframe is the automatic setting of the screen frequency (and in some cases the resolution) according to the frame rate of the video being played (and in some cases the resolution). Autoframe provides uniformity, which is part of the smoothness.
Take for example a movie on a Blu-ray or UHD Blu-ray disc. Most of this content is 23.976 fps (frames per second) content. For simplicity, we will assume it is 24 fps.
Your device (box) outputs data in 3840x2160 mode at 60 Hz (as you set in the system settings). How to output a 24 fps movie at 60 Hz, i.e. turn 24 fps to 60 fps? The most trivial way, and it is also used on the vast majority of media players, is the 3:2 pull down conversion. Here is its meaning in the picture:
Two frames are made from the first frame, three from the second, two from the third, three from the fourth, and so on. Thus, you got a conversion of 24 frames > 60 frames. But this conversion has a negative effect, which is called the judder effect (use Google search to understand the extent of this problem, and what actions are being taken to solve it, which famous companies are involved in this) - unevenness. Those. in reality, some frames are displayed longer in time than others. Imagine that a ball is flying (24 frames). The first frame is displayed 1/30 sec, the second 1/20 sec, the third 1/30 sec, the fourth 1/20 sec, etc. Uneven flight, "twitching" ball. No problem if there is no dynamics in the video. But as soon as the dynamics begin (does not matter, vertically or horizontally), then all this manifests itself.
But as soon as the sweep frequency is 24 Hz, then everything will fall into place. There will be no transformations, because no need to adjust the 24 fps sequence to 24 Hz. Each frame will display an equal amount of time - 1/24 sec. The balance will be perfect. The ball will fly evenly. This is what autoframerate (a generalized concept) exists for. When starting a video stream, the player program (if it is a modern autoframe rate) or the system (if it is a system autoframe rate) sets the screen frequency so that it matches the frame rate in the stream or is a multiple of it.
Let me also remind you about the types of autoframerate ...
Autoframerate implemented in a particular program specifically for a particular box (i.e. using some proprietary functions or system commands of a particular box). This is old school and the worst way to implement autoframe on box.
System autoframe. It can be implemented either through separate StageFright and MediaCodec libraries with output to SurfaceView, or for two at once. In fact, this is a universal crutch. Programs do not even know what autoframe is and that the output mode is changing. Because Since this is a universal solution, this kind of autoframe can cause problems in some cases. For example, in some programs, intermediate switching may occur when rewinding, in IPTV managers, unnecessary switching may occur when switching channels, etc.
The so-called modern autoframerate is an API that Google introduced back in the Android 6 system. An API similar in functionality is in the system from Amazon, and is in the tvOS system from Apple. But this API was implemented in the system only by a few box manufacturers. Its essence is that the program can change the resolution and frequency of the display at its discretion. These changes concern only the program itself, and not the system as a whole. This is the most correct and ideal implementation of autoframerate in programs, because everything is under their control, and not a system that cannot take into account special cases. That is why it is sometimes called modern autoframe for simplicity. The most popular programs that support modern autoframe: Kodi, ViMu, Perfect Player, Plex, Archos, Amazon Video, etc. And there will only be more such programs.
Xiaomi Mi Box S does not support any kind of autoframe. Xiaomi recently released a test update for the Mi Box with support for the so-called modern autoframe. So there is every chance that Xiaomi Mi Box S will still receive autoframerate in the future.
MVC MKV and BD3D ISO in Kodi only play in 2D.
DRM, Google Cast and legal VOD services
Xiaomi Mi Box supports Widevine DRM Level 1 and HDCP 2.2, Microsoft PlayReady DRM and CENC. Those. many legal VOD services will work without problems.
There is an official Netflix certification, 4K with HDR10 is supported.
There is full support for Google Cast.
Illegal VOD services and playing videos from torrents directly
There were no problems with content from HD VideoBox (various sources) in ViMu.
To check the playback of torrents directly, I used TorrServe. Apart from the general problems that can arise when playing through TorrServe, almost all UHD BDRemux that I tried played well using Keenetic Ultra. And with Xiaomi Mi Router 3G, all BDRemux and BDRip that I tried were played.
IPTV
IPTV from EDEM, OTTClub, Rostelecom (Wink), Beeline, etc. worked perfectly. There were no problems. Perfect Player with HW+ decoder switched channels in a fraction of a second.
With torrent TV services (streams with interlaced video of the original quality), everything is bad, because. systems lack deinterlacing in both StageFright and MediaCodec. Those. high-quality reproduction of such channels on Xiaomi Mi Box S is impossible - the frame rate is halved and the vertical resolution is halved. At the same time, there were frequent jams associated specifically with boxing, and not with the work of torrent TV at a particular point in time.
YouTube
2160p60 videos played without problems. In 5.1 audio (AAC) video, only stereo was output. HDR support is still not available in the official YouTube client for Android TV (Google is in no hurry to include it in its own product).
Conclusion
Is the Xiaomi Mi Box S good? More yes than no. For little money, you get a working box out of the box that does not need to be flashed, modified hardware, etc. We got it out of the box, turned it on and went to install the necessary programs. It will suit consumers who are undemanding in terms of video and sound quality, who want simplicity and convenience, a fresh Android TV system, and the use is limited to watching IPTV (with progressive video streams), legal and illegal VOD services, watching videos from NAS, broadcasting videos and photos on TV, 2D games, etc. For cinephiles who care about high-quality work with media content (auto frame rate, direct audio output, UHD Blu-ray, etc.), this box is not suitable. For those who want to watch torrent TV (a free version of IPTV with excellent quality but low stability), this box is not suitable. For those who like to play games (3D, game streaming), this box is not suitable. For those who like to use a browser on TV (there are still such people), this box is not suitable.
Let me remind you that Xiaomi Mi Box S (MDZ-22-AB) can be purchased at gear best. At the time of publication of the review, its price in the store was
The market for set-top boxes based on Android TV can hardly be called saturated. And although a large number of people are satisfied with models such as the outdated Nexus Player or the brand new top Nvidia Shield, the choice among Android set-top boxes can hardly be called good: there is much less diversity on it than, for example, in the smartphone environment. Companies just don't see the point in producing something that will be sold in small quantities, especially when you consider the Google Chromecast, which has eaten a significant market share.
Xiaomi Mi Box 3s is a small black box with rounded edges that runs Android TV and supports 4K resolution with HDR mode. It includes a minimalistic touch remote control. All this wealth is very inexpensive - in our retail it can be found for about 4,000 thousand rubles. It is worth noting that Xiaomi has released its set-top boxes before, but this model is one of the first to run on a full-fledged Android TV.
Google needs the support of manufacturers to promote its Android TV OS, and the Mi Box 3s is one of those devices. But will this device live up to expectations and can it completely replace the Chromecast? Let's try to find out.
Mi Box 3s comes in a small minimalistic box, inside which the set-top box itself, an HDMI cable, a charger, a remote control and instructions in Chinese were found. The material of the console is a nice matte slightly textured plastic. The thickness of the device is only 10 mm, which is not much more than the thickness of most smartphones. It is easy to hide behind the TV if necessary.
Below is a rubberized ring that serves as a stand. This material is great for slippery surfaces. All ports are hidden at the back. The only thing that stands out against the black background of the console is a small Mi logo. In addition, during the operation of the set-top box, a small LED is on, which does not interfere at all.
The Bluetooth remote is also made in a minimalistic style. It weighs nothing at all - and this is taking into account two AAA batteries, which, by the way, come with the remote control. The main control buttons are the up-down-right-left buttons, which are located on a large circle. There is an OK button in the center. The circle itself is touch-sensitive - when making circular movements on it with a finger, for example, the text input cursor jumps either to the beginning or to the end of the text field; otherwise, there is almost nowhere to use it. It would be logical to hang a video rewind function on it, but this does not work. In addition, there are power buttons, return back, exit to the home screen, call the context menu and volume control.
As already mentioned, Mi Box 3s comes with an HDMI cable, which, in principle, is not bad, since a number of other budget set-top boxes do not have it. Its length is approximately 1 meter. The length of the charging cord is also small - all the same meter. This can cause some problems with the position of the set-top box, given that the power connector is round, not a standard USB Type-C or microUSB, and the charging cord is inseparable from the charger.
Installing the set-top box is very easy: just plug in the power and connect the Mi Box 3s to the TV via an HDMI cable. Then you can simply switch the TV to the desired input and follow the on-screen instructions using a very convenient remote control.
Mi Box 3s runs on Android TV version 6.0.1. After a little initial setup of the Wi-Fi connection, a rather concise start menu appears, which for some reason was originally in Indonesian, since it was easy to guess from the icons in the menu how to change the language to English. There is no Russian language.
In the start menu, there are search icons by voice or text at the top. When you click on voice search, an error is generated, which is understandable - there is no microphone in the console. Text search finds videos on Youtube, everything is correct here.
One gets the impression that in front of us is a set-top box reflashed by craftsmen, the device menu looks so raw. By default, the following applications are installed: Youtube, Google Play, an application for launching media files from a USB flash drive or over the Media Explorer network, and the Sideload Launcher application, with which you can access all device settings. Two types of settings are available: firmware settings and standard Android settings. Some settings are not available: for example, we were unable to access some app installations.
You can install various applications using Google Play. Video apps work fine (we tested Youtube and Vimeo), even at 4K resolution (and the console only gets a little warm), but there were some problems with some games. For example, Minion's Rush crashed and would not run again; Asphalt 8 prompted us to enter our age, which we couldn't enter from the remote; but Hill Climb Racing started up and worked great. Perhaps a joystick is needed for this. By the way, it is worth noting that there is not much built-in free memory - only about 5 GB, so many games cannot be installed.
The function of playing files from a flash drive is available: video, music and photos. It is also possible to connect to a shared folder on the network, it is enough to know the ip-address of the device. To do this, just go to Media Manager and click the “Add device” button.
In general, that's all. You can still delve into the settings: connect a Bluetooth joystick, change the Wi-Fi network, change the time settings and other settings. It is worth noting that not all settings are translated and sometimes inscriptions in Chinese come out, as well as the fact that the device is for some reason displayed as Android Shield.
Summing up, we can say with a high degree of certainty that Mi Box 3s is not a device for everyone. Its most obvious competitor in this price range, the Chromecast Ultra, is a better choice in our opinion because it's easier to set up and much easier to control, although it does require a smartphone. Of course, it has fewer features, but otherwise it looks like a much more solid and complete product. For half the money, you can get a regular Chromecast, but you need to keep in mind that it does not support 4K resolution.
In general, if it were not for the flaws in the firmware, then Mi Box 3s could be safely recommended for purchase. Now it can be advised only to those people who do not need games, but desperately need Mi Box 3s chips: a separate remote control, the ability to connect their drives or shared folders over the network. In this regard, it certainly looks much better than its competitor from Google.
Hello, dear fans of Chinese gadgets. In today's article, we will talk about interesting media players, which are called TV Box or TV set-top box, or TV box. Who is more comfortable. True, we will talk, so to speak, about flagship models from a very well-known company. Meet Xiaomi M i TV Box 3 (international version).
Considering how quickly this manufacturer releases new products to the market, it is not surprising that several Mi TV Box 3 are now on sale with various set-top boxes: 3rd, Enhanced Edition, 3S and 3C. In general, they are quite similar, but there are differences. Chinese companies like to release a dozen models with similar characteristics. Let's see what happened this time.
TV box Xiaomi Mi TV Box 3 4K – specifications overview
So, according to tradition, to begin with, let's go through the main characteristics.
- Android: 3rd (4.4); Enhanced Edition (5.1); 3S (6.0); 3C (5.1)
- HD support : 4K UHD
- Formats: MKV, AVI, WMV, MOV (for all models); Enhanced Edition + MP4; 3S and 3C + RM, RMVB
- Codecs: H .264, VC 1 (H .265 for all except 3rd)
- Audio: MP3, WMA, FLAC, APE, DTS
- HDMI : 2.0 (rd - 1.4)
- Interfaces : Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth, USB 2.0 Type A
- Outputs: stereo audio, composite video (the Enhanced Edition does not have these)
- RAM: 1 GB (3S); 2 GB - the rest
- ROM: 4GB (3rd and 3C); 8 GB (Enhanced Edition and 3S)
- 3rd chip: Amlogic AML8726-M3
- Chip u Enhanced Edition: MediaTek MT8693
- 3S Chip: Amlogic S905X
- 3C chip: Amlogic S905
Contents of delivery
Package
Set
Of course, the prefix has become widespread in China. In Russia, it is also sold, but users prefer to buy in online stores, where they can save a lot. Xiaomi Mi TV Box 3 TV boxes are delivered in boxes typical for the manufacturer with branded logos. The scope of delivery is approximately the same for each model:
- power unit;
- HDMI cable ;
- instruction;
- IR remote control; (for 3S Bluetooth-remote);
Appearance TV box Xiaomi Mi TV Box 3 4K (international version)
It's more interesting here. All solutions, in addition to the Enhanced Edition, are presented in a stylish streamlined body. The design is really original and sets Xiaomi Mi TV Box apart from the competition. The case is made of plastic, but the color scheme is the same: black. Interfaces for connection are placed on the back side. The Xiaomi logo is emblazoned on the top. Everything looks beautiful, but not very practical - plastic quickly collects dust.
But the Xiaomi Mi TV Box 3 Enhanced Edition media player is made in a more classic style. It is represented by a familiar box with smooth edges. Interestingly, the model is sold only in white, including the remote control. Like its counterparts, the Mi TV Box 3 Enhanced Edition has all interfaces placed on the back. On the upper part is the company logo, and in front there is a lonely LED.
If we compare the TV Box Mi TV Box 3 in terms of design with other Chinese set-top boxes, then the former have a zest in the form of smooth edges that look very elegant. It is unlikely that Xiaomi devices will seriously outperform competitors in the same segment in terms of the quality of materials.
A few words about remote controls
By design, each set-top box from the Mi TV Box 3 line has the same remote control. Looks pretty stylish and nice. It is noticeable that the manufacturer was inspired by Apple technology. For all versions of media players, it is black, only the Enhanced Edition stood out, which has a white remote control.
Looks great, but quickly gets dirty, which is not surprising. The remote control is not only good in appearance, but also a pleasure to use. There are a minimum of buttons: power, volume, home, back, menu and a five-position navigation button.
It is worth noting that all Mi TV Box 3 remotes, except for 3S, work via infrared. That is, the user needs to direct it exactly to the console. Mi TV Box 3S received a Bluetooth remote control that works wirelessly.
It no longer needs to be accurately directed to the TV box, you can even hide the device behind the TV - everything will work. Among other things, it supports voice commands. They recognize the voice clearly, there were practically no false alarms. A very handy feature.
Interfaces
As already mentioned, all Xiaomi Mi TV Box 3 are equipped with a set of necessary connectors placed on the back side. First of all, we are greeted by a port for connecting the power supply. The second indispensable connector can be called HDMI. By the way, the cable to work with it is included.
Only the Xiaomi Mi TV Box 3rd media player model received the HDMI 1.4 version, the rest have a “fresher” version - 2.0. Next we have USB ports. All set-top boxes of the Xiaomi Mi TV Box 3 line, in addition to the Enhanced Edition, have one version 2.0 connector. Enhanced Edition has 2 ports. Work flawlessly, quickly and stably. However, Enhanced did not get an audio output, which the rest of the Xiaomi Mi TV Box 3 can boast of.
What modern gadget will do without wireless interfaces. All Mi TV Box 3 consoles received Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Interfaces allow you to connect various peripherals, via Wi-Fi it is possible to access the Network and so on.
Operating system and hardware
In the review of Xiaomi Mi TV Box 3 TV boxes, one cannot fail to mention the most important characteristic - the operating system. Here, of course, the “green robot” is used, which opens up a lot of possibilities. In the description of the characteristics, the Android versions for each of the models are already indicated.
A special shell from Xiaomi is used, which makes the OS more convenient for smart TV. A serious drawback is the translation into Russian - Xiaomi Mi TV Box 3, following the example of other manufacturer's equipment, is delivered in Chinese. You will have to tinker a little to get to English and Russian, since the Internet is full of instructions. And the interface, in principle, is intuitive.
With the "stuffing" is still more interesting. Xiaomi Mi TV Box 3rd is powered by Amlogic AML8726-M3 and is assisted by 2GB of RAM. The user has access to 4 GB. Mi TV Box Enhanced Edition received MediaTek MT8693, which complements 2 GB of “RAM” and 8 GB of permanent memory.
3S turned out to be one of the most powerful in the line thanks to Amlogic S905X and 2 GB of RAM. For storage of media files also 8 GB. 3C, one might say, is a light version, on board of which the S905 is coupled with 1 GB of RAM and 4 GB of permanent memory.
The smoothness of the interface is provided on each of the consoles. If you are going to seriously load the TV Box with resource-intensive programs and games, then you should choose a model with 2 GB of RAM. Persistent memory isn't that important as there are USB ports for external storage.
In work
Each of the media players of the Xiaomi Mi TV Box 3 line proved to be the best in practice, as evidenced by user reviews. The only significant drawback is the official Chinese language, which has to be changed manually.
All Xiaomi Mi TV Box 3 consoles support 4K video quality. There are no problems with the launch of popular formats. Quality at a decent level. The operating system and the presence of Wi-Fi allow you to watch high-definition movies and TV shows online, play games, communicate on social networks and much more.
Comparison with other Chinese models
Smart set-top boxes for TVs are all the rage these days, so it's no surprise that the market is littered with a bunch of models with a wide variety of features. The Xiaomi Mi TV Box 3 tv set-top box received a rather original design, but this set-top box cannot boast of unique hardware or capabilities. It is enough to go to AliExspress to understand how many analogues there are. And cheaper.
Android TV set-top box looks interesting today. Pretty pretty, not inferior in performance, and most importantly, received 16 GB of internal memory. Not bad, right? It is not inferior to Xiaomi Mi TV TV boxes in terms of a set of interfaces, and the OS is relevant here, in addition, there is support for the Russian language out of the box.
The remote control, of course, is purely Chinese. It is inferior in convenience, and it looks worse than what comes with Xiaomi Mi TV Box 3. Perhaps the main thing in which the NEXBOX S905X surpasses its competitor from China is the cost. Its price is approximately 2000 rubles (against 4300 rubles).
Another example would be a prefix with a simple name. A complete copy of the above at an attractive price. After going through the catalog, you can pick up a dozen more copies of Xiaomi Mi TV Box 3.
In defense of media players from Xiaomi, one can put forward the fact that they have repeatedly become pioneers, receiving new processors or an unusual set of functions. A serious difference from the one-faced Chinese TV boxes is an elegant design that brings Xiaomi Mi TV Box 3 closer to Apple's branded solutions.
Here we add optimized work, high-quality materials, a convenient remote control, which is a pleasure to use. While most competitors of Mi TV Box 3 have the same remote controls, which still have a long time to work on functionality and ergonomics.
The prefix from Xiaomi becomes part of the interior of the room, which you don’t want to hide away behind the TV. The same cannot be said about many Chinese TV boxes, which took a lot from Xiaomi.
In today's review, Xiaomi Mi Box 3s is considered - a TV set-top box based on Android OS. The device serves to expand the capabilities of a regular TV: it allows you to connect to streaming services Netflix, iVi and Google Play Movies, can work with YouTube and install applications from the Google Play store, plays music and video files.
The Xiaomi Mi Box 3s prefix has the following characteristics:
- OS - Android TV 6.
- The central processor is a quad-core Amlogic S905X-H clocked at 2 GHz.
- Graphics Processing - ARM MALI-450
- Device memory - 2 GB of RAM, 8 GB of internal flash memory.
- Network Connections – Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Dual-band Wi-Fi 2.4GHz/5GHz, Bluetooth 4.0.
- Dimensions and weight of the device - 100x100x20 mm, 175 grams.
Compression formats H.264 (AVC / MVC), H.265 HEVC, VP9 Profile-2 are supported in resolutions from 1080p to 4K and frame rates from 30 to 60. Also, the manufacturer claims support for HDR 10 and HLG HDR.
Equipment and stuffing
The set-top box comes with a Bluetooth remote control, an HDMI cable for connecting to a TV, monitor or projector, a power supply, instructions and a warranty card. Mi Box 3s is sealed in a bright orange box.
The box has been updated and is now made in a bright orange color.
In appearance, the device stands out with smoothed corners and a matte black color. Dust and hand marks are clearly visible on the material. The base is rubberized for greater stability, the set-top box is difficult to drop even when connecting cables and large flash drives. The overall design is minimalist, no frills.
The front panel of the device is almost empty, there is only an IR signal receiver from the remote control and a status indicator. There are four connectors on the back: power, HDMI, USB 3.0 and a 3.5 mm audio jack.
The remote control is small: 15 centimeters long, weight about 60 grams. Due to the shape and connection of the edges, it is comfortable and does not slip in the hand, it runs on two AAA batteries. On the remote you can find a circular joystick, volume control, function buttons "OK", "Home", "Back", "Voice input".
Mi tv box control panel is not cluttered with extra buttons About the "iron" of the console itself, we can say that it is enough to use the main functionality. During the tests, no microlags or freezes were found, Xiaomi Mi Box works like a clock. The filling of the device according to the Antutu benchmark is approximately the same as Xiaomi Redmi 3, so we do not recommend overloading the set-top box with heavy applications. Most games will work, but on minimum settings.
Using the Xiaomi Mi Box TV Box
At the first start, you need to connect the remote control to the set-top box by turning on the device and bringing it closer to 20 centimeters. After connection, the device is configured using the remote control or smartphone. You will be prompted to select a working language, enter a password for a Wi-Fi connection and connect to a Google account. The main screen includes:
- search from the same Google, with the ability to use the remote control as a microphone for voice input;
- Google recommendations based on previously viewed content;
- non-removable tabs Netflix and Redbull TV;
- system settings at the bottom of the screen.
The functionality of the applications is the same as on a smartphone, except in a more simplified form for the remote control. Among the shortcomings, one can note the lack of native support for a number of games and applications on Google Play and the inability to minimize the application by launching it later from the same place. Xiaomi Mi Box does not save the state of the program when you exit to the main screen, so when you start Youtube, you will again find yourself on the start page, and not on the last launched video.
Android TV interface By default, the Xiaomi Mi Box 3s android device does not have its own video player, so you will have to install it separately. Works great with all file formats, support for MKV, AVI, WMV, MOV, RM, RMVB is declared. There are also no complaints about the operation of the network, it catches perfectly both in the jammed 2.4 GHz and in the freer 5 GHz.
In general, Mi Box, like the vast majority of similar set-top boxes, can be used as:
- media player, with the ability to stream video from a PC or smartphone;
- a device for surfing the Internet, showing presentations and making video calls;
- an extension for the Smart TV function on any regular TV;
- IPTV set-top box with a subscription to any content provider you are interested in.
If desired, the Mi Box can be reflashed for use in other systems or for additional functions.
Features of Android TV and Mi Box 3 marked S
For those who use an Android set-top box for the first time, it is important to understand that the system is different from what can be seen on smartphones. The interface is primarily made for remote control and voice, and half of the applications from the Play Market will not work due to incompatibility. There is also a plus: in the store you can find special applications for Android TV, which are not available from a regular phone.
The interface cannot be changed by means of the user, in contrast to the smartphone OS Android. Also, you will have medium-severe problems when trying to get Root access to the system, this cannot be done using standard methods (although, of course, there are loopholes).
Xiaomi Mi Box 3S differs from the version without the letter S in the following upgrades:
- the graphical interface (GUI) has been redesigned, the Patchwall artificial intelligence system is now used;
- an updated model of the Amlogic S905X-H processor with hardware audio decoding is used, which seriously increases the processing speed of audio files and reduces the load on the system;
- the flash memory has been updated from eMMC 5.0 to eMMC 5.1, in connection with which the maximum read speed has been increased from 400 to 600 MB / s;
- A touch joystick has been added to the console.
In general, in online stores you can find a whole zoo of android set-top boxes from Xiaomi.
Xiaomi Mi Box International Version - the original device, developed in conjunction with Google, can be found by the words "international version" or "international version". Doesn't really differ from 3S
Mi Box mini is a small set-top box based on Android 4.4.2 in Chinese and without the support of Google services. Weak processor with 4 cores and a frequency of 1.3 GHz, 1 GB of RAM and 4 GB of ROM, connects only via HDMI 1.4.
Xiaomi Mi Box 3c is a model also for the Chinese market with reduced memory (1 GB RAM, 4 GB ROM) and an old version of the processor. Software and services are Chinese, do not confuse.
Xiaomi Mi Box 3 Enhanced Edition is a top model with a bundle of 2 and 4-core Cortex processors, an improved GPU and a large number of sensors in the remote control (gyroscope, accelerometer) for linking gestures to the control of the set-top box. Also known as Xiaomi Mi Box Pro in Europe.
For most systems, there are both official and unofficial Russian and European firmware. Xiaomi Mi Box 3s is officially localized in the CIS and fully supports the Russian language.
Video review
You can buy Mi Box 3s in the AliExpress store for $55.
Would you like to buy such a prefix? Write your answer in the comments.