Comparison Android TV Box X98 Plus 16 Gb vs Android TV Box X96Q 16 Gb

— Proprietary system. The operating system of the device is represented by the proprietary software shell of the manufacturer. Usually, such operating systems have an attractive and convenient menu. A proprietary operating system is developed directly by the manufacturer for the hardware resources of a particular model or a whole line, but has limited capabilities.

— Android (AOSP). This type of operating system is a modification of the popular Android OS, mainly notable for being open source. It is a versatile operating system that gives the user much more freedom to create changes and customizations within the system itself. At the same time, the installation and stability of certain applications on this platform are not guaranteed, and the overall system management was not specially “tailored” for large screens, which may cause some inconvenience. First of all, such solutions will interest users who understand the features of the Android OS, like to customize and control everything for themselves, and have time for this.

— Android TV. Devices of this type have full-fledged Android TV software, specially adapted to work on large screens. In accordance with the name, it is a type of Android OS, specially designed for such equipment. In addition to the common features of all Androids (such as the ability to install additional applications, including...even games), it has a number of special features: an optimized interface, integration with smartphones (including the ability to use them as a remote control), voice search, etc. Thanks to this, TVs with this feature are significantly superior in functionality to models with a “regular” Smart TV. Of course, a dedicated processor, graphics subsystem and memory are provided for the operation of a multifunctional OS, and the presence of such hardware resources is reflected in the overall cost.

— Google TV. Rebranding of the Android TV platform for TVs and smart consoles, or rather, a new shell on top of the operating system under the sign of the “green droid”, introduced since 2021. Among the innovations, it has a redesigned user interface, an improved knowledge base that more efficiently distributes content by genre and collects search information from the entire list of installed applications and subscriptions. The voice assistant now understands the needs of the audience better and provides a detailed list of what was found. A separate tab in the interface contains live broadcasts of current events, whether it be sports events or a rocket launch to Mars. Among other things, the aspects that involve the use of TV as a command post for managing a single ecosystem of a “smart” home have been improved in the system.

Bluetooth is a technology used to connect various devices wirelessly directly. In media centers and TV receivers, it can be used to broadcast sound to wireless headphones and acoustics, to work with wireless mice and keyboards, to use a smartphone / tablet as a remote control, etc.; specific functionality should be specified separately. Also note that the supported version of Bluetooth can be specified here. The newest and most advanced is Bluetooth 5.0, but here is a more detailed description of the different versions:

• Bluetooth v4.0. The version in which the "Bluetooth Low Energy" (LE) format was first introduced — in addition to regular Bluetooth (version 2.1 functionality) and the high-speed HE standard for transferring large amounts of information (introduced in version 3.0). Bluetooth LE allows you to significantly reduce power consumption when transmitting small data packets, such as request-responses about connection activity in idle mode. For the media centers and TV receivers themselves, this is not particularly important, but for portable equipment (especially miniature ones, where battery capacity is very limited), such functionality will be useful.
• Bluetooth v 4.1. Development and improvement of Bluetooth 4.0. One of the key improvements was the optimization of collaboration with 4G LTE communication modules so that Bluetooth and LTE do not interfere with each other. In addition, this ve...rsion has the ability to simultaneously use a Bluetooth device in several roles — for example, to remotely control an external device while simultaneously streaming music to headphones.
• Bluetooth v4.2. Further, after 4.1, the development of the Bluetooth standard. It did not introduce fundamental updates, but received a number of improvements regarding reliability and noise immunity, as well as improved compatibility with the Internet of Things.
• Bluetooth v5.0. Version introduced in 2016. One of the most notable updates was the introduction of two new modes of operation for Bluetooth LE — with an increase in speed by reducing the range and with an increase in range by reducing the speed. In addition, a number of improvements have been introduced regarding simultaneous work with numerous connected devices, as well as work with the components of the Internet of Things.

Wi-Fi is a technology used for wireless connection to computer networks and for direct connection between devices. In media players, tuners and video capture devices, it can be used both to access the Internet or "local area" through a wireless router, and to communicate with a smartphone, tablet, etc. The AirPlay, Chromecast and Miracast functions are also based on this technology. The specific set of Wi-Fi features should be clarified separately; here we note that in this paragraph the specific supported version of such a connection can also be specified. Here are the main current options:

• Wi-Fi 5(802.11ac). One of the newest (for 2020) standards. Uses the 5 GHz band (less crowded than used in earlier 2.4 GHz versions) for improved reliability and lower latency; and speeds can reach 6.77 Gbps with multiple antennas and 1.69 Gbps with a single antenna.
• Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n). The predecessor of the above Wi-Fi 5, the first standard in which the 5 GHz band was introduced — here it is used along with the traditional 2.4 GHz and is not supported by some devices with Wi-Fi 4. Data transfer rate — up to 600 Mbps.

Note that, in addition to the directly claimed Wi-Fi standard, the media centre, digital receivers and video capture devices usually provide support for earlier versions — for maximum compatibility with different devices.

A wireless technology that allows you to directly broadcast video and audio from one device to another directly over a Wi-Fi connection. At the same time, unlike AirPlay, transmission does not require a router and building a local network — it is enough that the receiver and transmitter are compatible with Miracast. One of the most popular ways to use this technology is to output a “picture” from a smartphone / tablet screen to a TV, and vice versa. A media centre or TV receiver with Miracast is useful if the TV itself does not support this function.

A variation of the SP/DIF audio interface that uses a TOSLINK fibre optic cable. Like the coaxial connector, the optical output uses a digital data transfer format and can work with multi-channel audio. At the same time, optical fibre requires rather delicate handling, but it is absolutely insensitive to electrical interference.

The model of the CPU installed in the media player.

This information is mainly of reference value: the processor is selected in such a way as to provide certain practical characteristics (maximum resolution, support for certain standards, embedded applications, etc.). So when choosing, you should focus primarily on these specifications. However, if you wish, knowing the processor model, you can find detailed data on it and evaluate the capabilities of the media centre to work with resource-consuming applications. This can be useful, in particular, if you choose an Android model (see above) and plan to use additional software intensively — the set of applications for this OS is very extensive, and some of them are quite demanding on system resources.

Also note that CPU data is often specified for advertising purposes — to emphasize that the device has a fairly advanced chip from a well-known brand. Among the most common brands of such processors are Allwinner, Amlogic, Rockchip, Realtek.

The clock speed of the CPU installed in the media centre.

On the technical side, the higher this indicator, the faster the processor works and the higher, accordingly, the overall system performance. At the same time, the CPU performance depends, in addition to the frequency itself, on a number of factors — architecture, number of cores, special design features, etc.; and the actual speed of the entire system is affected by performance of components other than the processor. In addition, manufacturers usually select processors in such a way that their computing power is guaranteed to be enough for all the features claimed for a media centre. Therefore, in this case, the CPU frequency is more of a reference parameter (and partly an advertising indicator that demonstrates the advanced specifications of the device), rather than practically significant for buyer.

Codec — from the phrase "Encoder-DECoder" — in this case is the format used for encoding digital video during storage/transmission and decoding during playback (without encoding, video data would take up an unjustifiably large amount of space). Do not confuse this parameter with the format of video files: different files of the same format can be encoded with different codecs, and if the corresponding codec is not supported by the player, video playback will be impossible, even if the file format itself corresponds to the capabilities of the device. And in models with online TV support (see "Features") this nuance also determines compatibility with a specific broadcast: the general format of the broadcast is indicated by the codec used for this.

In general, modern devices usually have quite extensive sets of codecs (one of the most advanced is H.265, AV1 codecis also popular), and there are usually no problems with video playback; in extreme cases, you can use special programs for transcoding files. As for specific codecs, detailed data on them can be found in special sources, but with standard use of media players, such details are not needed.

Remote control included with media center or TV tuner. In addition to the classic remote control with basic controls, there are manipulators with additional features.

— QWERTY keyboard. Such remotes, in addition to the standard set of keys for controlling the player (see above), have an alphabetic keyboard similar to a computer one. This is relevant primarily for media centers with support for social media and photo services — a keyboard with letters is needed at least to enter a login/password.

— With sensors. A kind of remote control that uses sensors instead of classic buttons. Such equipment is somewhat more expensive, on the other hand, the sensors give the remote control a stylish appearance, and in some cases they are more convenient than buttons.

— With voice control. A remote control equipped with a built-in microphone and capable of recognizing a specific set of voice commands. This control format is often more convenient than using buttons/sensors. At the same time, the set of supported commands can be different — sometimes it is quite limited compared to traditional remotes, sometimes vice versa (for example, it may be possible to type text using voice input); these nuances should be clarified separately. It also will be useful to find out the list of supported languages; note that English is almost guaranteed to be on this list, but Russian not always.

- Programmable. A universal rem...ote control that can be configured to work in conjunction with media players, TV tuners and other home electronics. By default, such remote controls are loaded with a database of signal codes for various types of equipment. To activate a specific device, they usually use a certain combination of button presses. Often programmable remote controls have teachable keys, a built-in gyroscope, an air mouse function and other similar options. The programmable buttons on these models are often dedicated to controlling the TV, eliminating the need for multiple remote controls. The service manual for them contains detailed programming instructions from the manufacturer.

— Programmable with voice control. An advanced type of programmable remote controls (see the corresponding paragraph) with a built-in microphone for issuing voice commands. Voice control is fully supported on set-top boxes running Android; together with conventional media players and TV tuners, you can make voice requests by speaking a phrase into the remote control. The exact implementation of voice control varies depending on the remote control model and the receiving device.

— Absent. The absence of a remote control is typical for network media players controlled from other devices — usually from a computer or from a mobile gadget through a special application.