Android is not only available on mobile phones, it is also integrated into a wide ecosystem of devices, from smart watches through WearOS to smart TVs with Google TV to TV Boxes through Android TV. But also, also available in vehicles with Android Auto and many others...
If you want to know what Android TV Box is, what it is for and how to get the most out of it, you have come to the right place. In this article we are going to solve these and other questions you may have about this device, such as where to buy it, what applications to install...
What is Android TV Box
Android TV Box is nothing more than a small device managed by Android TV that we can connect to any television through the HDMI port. This device is designed to take up very little space, so it fits almost anywhere.
It includes a remote control with which we can remotely manage all the applications that we have installed (we will talk about this later). Although they can be used to play games available on the Play Store, their main use is to enjoy streaming video platforms.
What is an Android TV Box for?
In fact, most users who buy an Android TV Box do so to turn their old TV into a smart TV for very little money. Some users also use it connected to their smart TVs when the TV's operating system works very poorly, jerks, pixelates the videos...
As I mentioned above, this type of device connects to a television through the HDMI connection, this being the only requirement of the television to be able to connect an Android TV Box.
Being managed by a version of Android, from this type of device, we can access the large number of applications available in the Play Store, which allows us to install any application from any streaming video platform such as YouTube, Netflix, HBO Max , Disney+, Amazon Prime Video…
Is it worth buying an Android TV Box?
If you want to enjoy any streaming video platform on any TV you have in your home, with an HDMI port, the most convenient and cheapest solution is to buy an Android TV Box.
The best-known devices of this type are those manufactured by Xiaomi, although we can find a wide range of brands that offer us similar devices at somewhat lower prices.
The installation of this device is just as simple as connecting a mobile phone to your home Wi-Fi network and you only need to connect it to the television through the HDMI port, a cable that most devices include in the content of the device box .
In addition to producing from any platform via streaming, we can also use it to view our photos from Google Photos or any other cloud storage platform in a much more comfortable and simple way than through our mobile, especially when we have a view at home .
Best applications to install on an Android TV Box
Being a device designed to consume streaming video, the best applications that we can install on it are precisely those: Netflix, HBO Max, Disney... above all, in the most basic models, models designed exclusively to play streaming video.
If we have a large library of videos on an external hard drive, through Plex or Kodi, we can use the VLC application to access that content through the network or the hard drive that we connect to play any type of content, without any codec limitation.
Of course, do not expect to play content in 4K quality on the cheapest devices. In the market, we can find models compatible with this resolution, however, they are only designed to play it via streaming or through our network, not the content with this resolution that we have stored on a hard drive connected to the device.
But, in addition, the more expensive models with higher features are ideal for enjoying the different games that are available in the Play Store, although for this it is necessary to connect a control, either from a Sony or Microsoft console or well a cheap bluetooth controller that we can find on Amazon.
Best Android TV Boxes
In addition to Android TV Boxes, we can find other equally attractive alternatives on the market in terms of functionalities, such as Amazon's Fire TV Stick or Google Chromecast with Google TV.
The main difference between Android TV Boxes, Fire TV Sticks and Google TVs is that the latter are designed to exclusively consume content via streaming.
Although it also allows us to install applications and connect a remote control, due to the lack of storage, it is not advisable. In addition, we do not have the same freedom when it comes to installing applications from any source, as we can do on any Android TV Box.
Regarding prices, if we talk about Fire TV Stick, we talk about a price range that goes from 29,99 euros of the basic model, the Fire TV Stick Lite, up to the more than 100 euros that the Fire TV Cube, the most complete device with the most options of all Amazon models.
For its part, Google offers us a single model of Chromecast with Google TV, a model that we can find for about 60 euros both on the Google website and in other online stores such as PC Components, MediaMark...
If we talk about Android TV Box, we can talk about the Xiaomi Mi TV Box S, one of the most complete devices on the market with Android 8.1, 2 GB of RAM, 8 GB of storage, compatible with Dolby + DTS and connection by cable and via Wi-Fi. -Fi.
This device around 60 euros on Amazon. This device has a rating of 4,5 stars out of 5 possible after receiving almost 2.000 reviews.
If the features offered by Xiaomi Mi TV Box S fall short, we can opt for the Android TV Box, a device managed by Android 11 (according to the specifications), 4 GB of RAM, 32 GB of storage and a processor 4 core. In addition, it includes a USB 3.0 port and support for 5 GHz networks.
The price of this device is 50 euros on Amazon.