Wi-Fi
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.
CPU
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.
RAM
The amount of RAM installed in the media player.
In general, this volume is selected by the manufacturer in such a way that the device can normally cope with the tasks that are claimed for it. On the other hand, all else being equal, more RAM usually means faster performance. This parameter is especially important if the media player runs under the Android OS (see above): such firmware allows the installation of additional applications that may have rather high requirements for RAM.
As for specific values, by modern standards, a device with more than 2 GB of RAM is considered a
fast media player.
