KDLINKS A300 TV Media Player Review

KDLINKS A300 Android TV Box

The A300 is the new android box from KDLINKS, having already reviewed the KDLINKS A200 and being impressed l was looking forward to seeing what the A300 has to offer.

Build quality is always very good from KDLINKS and this is often reflected in the price. As the owner of many discarded cheaper units choosing purely on price alone often leads to android boxes that are simply not fit for purpose.

One of the unique selling points of the A200 and the A300 is that they have an interior caddy that will support a 3.5" HDD. Being able to fit a cheap 3.5" Hard Drive internally maintains the sleek STB look of the unit.

Performance

The A300 has a Quad-core Cortex A9 CPU running at 1.5 Ghz, this is comparable to the popular Amlogic S802 featured in other popular high end android devices.

Combined with the Octa-core Mali-450 GPU the Cortex CPU the A300 is capable of running 3D games at a high quality and with high frame rates. The Mali-450 GPU is well supported across the board and support for hardware decoding is built into Kodi.

Memory specification is also very good, 2GB DDR3 RAM and 16GB DDR3 is more than enough for all modern android apps and games.

The Gigabit LAN speed is exceptionally fast with over 20MB/s being reached. Wifi (2.4Ghz a/b/g/n) reception is strong and reliable using the large antenna.

Video and audio support is fantastic, this box handles Dolby Digital 5.1/7.1, TrueHD 5.1/7.1, DTS-HD MA and DTS-HD with ease. The A-300 supports 4K and playbacks 4K at up to 4K30 smoothly making this the best box on the market for viewing 4K.

Interface and XBMC/Kodi

The A300 runs on Android 4.4 KitKat and the google Play Store is preinstalled.

A well designed version of Kodi comes preinstalled as well, as you can now download Kodi frmo the Play Store directly this is not so important but is nice all the same.

Kodi runs like a dream on this box, as you might expect from the hardware used. The interface runs smoothly and is slick if unspectacular.

The full sized remote works well at controlling the box and the IR learning function means it can be used to replicate your own remote controls.

Video Demo: A300 Gameplay and Kodi Demonstration

Connectivity and Internals 

Connectivity is handled excellently by KDLINKS with a HDMI 1.4 connector plus an older composite AV connector.

S/PDIF + coaxial optical audio handle audio, there is also a SD card slot and an external SATA.

There are 2 USB 2.0 and 1 USB 3.0 connectors, this is excellent as it can be surprising how quickly you find something to use up your USB ports.

REVIEW SUMMARY

I could sum up this box easily by just saying 'fantastic', but that's just lazy, so here goes.

It handles every audio or video you can throw at it with ease, playback is smooth and crisp.

Most people will connect a large Hard drive to their android box at some time or another and having the option to use a cheap 3.5" Hard Drive internally is a neat solution, l an surprised more manufacturers have not gone down this root. If you have used other cheaper android boxes in the past i can soocomepprent that you get what you pay for, this is more expensive than most boxes but is easily worth the extra outlay.

The major problem with this box is the availabilty, hopefully this will soon be rectified and more people can rave about this great device.

For

• Internal 3.5" HD caddy
• Android 4.4 KitKat
• 2GB  RAM
• Mali 450 Octo-Core Graphics
• 16GB Internal Flash Memory
• Build quality
• 4K Video Playback
• Google Play Store & Kodi
• IR Learning remote

Against

• Price
• Availabilty

Element Ti4 Review - Android Tv Box

Introducing the Element Ti4 Quad Core Android TV Box

I came into this review knowing very little about the Element Ti4 and l admit to being very impressed, 

The specs are at the very top end for android tv boxes and the box comes pre-installed with Kodi and many other apps including Youtube, Facebook, Spotify and Skype to name just a few.

It uses a pleasant if slightly uninspiring user interface but everything works quickly and smoothly.

Performance

Hardware is the highest spec available in the market at the minute when it comes to android tv boxes, a quad core S812 running at 2.0GHz is as fast as it gets.

The graphics are handled by the top of the line Octa-Core Mali-450, this enables the box to handle all Hd graphics and even 4k resolutions are handled well.

Interface and XBMC/Kodi

The G-Box has the standard Android 4.4.x Kitkat operating system which is wrapped up in a custom launcher. The G-Box Experience Launcher is really rather good,it uses a large colored tile carousel which is divided into separate sections.
This windows 8 metro navigation style works well with either a standard remote, mouse or air mouse.

Kodi 14 the latest XBMC incarnation comes preinstalled. Also included is the Total XBMC easy addon installer which allows the easy installation of virtual every XBMC addon from within the program itself.

This really does help with the ease of use for those new to using Xbmc/Kodi. Kodi itself is on the front screen of the interface but is named media center.

Video Review and Unboxing: Element Ti4 Quad Core Android TV Streaming Media Box  

Connectivity and Internals 

The connectios are the standard for these type of boxes, with a HDMI, power and ethernet. There are only 2 USb ports, although this is the typical l would still prefer to see 3 with one being a high speed 3.0.

Optical out is nice for those with a home theatre setup, many people will be using this box as a media center hub.

Memory can be extended by SD card up to 32 GB.

The remote has been changed to a much better air mouse design, this is a great upgrade.

Normal remote control navigation is handled with one side of the remote and text input can be handled using the mini keyboard on the other side.

REVIEW SUMMARY

There is very little that can be faulted with this Element Android box.

Lightning fast and able to handle 4K video with ease because of its impressive hardware.

The newer air mouse is also a nice addition, these are so much better than the standard android fair.

For

• Android 4.4 KitKat
• 2GB  RAM
• Mali 450 Octo-Core Graphics
• 16GB Internal Flash Memory
• Amlogic s812 Quad Core 
• 4K Video Playback
• Google Play Store & Kodi
• Custom Metro style Interface
• New air mouse remote

Against

• Only 2 USB Ports

KDLINKS A200 Android HD Media Player Review

Introducing the KDLinks A200

This box oozes quality, it has to be one of the best looking boxes l have seen. 
The abilty to fit an internal Hard Drive is a great boon, you can stick a 3.5" HDD  upto 4TB inside the box and store and stream video to your hearts content.
It comes preloaded with the Google Play Store and also XBMC / Kodi.

Performance

The A200 uses the Dual Core Cortex A9 processor, this is more than capable of running an android box although many boxes are starting to use a Quad Core processor.

A Quad core processor will offer a slightly nippier feel when navigating or starting apps, although the A9 will still run everything smoothly.

Graphics are handled by the Mali-400MP2 GPU, again there is now an improved Mali chip (the octocore) but the 400MP2 does a fine job of running the latest games quickly and looking nice.

Where the box does excel is in its ability to play virtually any media file you can throw at it.

Interface and XBMC/Kodi

The G-Box has the standard Android 4.2.2 operating system preinstalled, the custom launcher is fairly sparse but it gets you to where you want to go quickly.

Streaming your content is handled very well by the box itself or you can use the excellent xbmc/ kodi media center software to handle streaming content.

Xbmc /Kodi is a brilliant piece of media software, you can find videos from all over the net and stream them directly, check out xbmctotalinstaller for adding apps easily.

KDLinks Interface and video Review 

REVIEW SUMMARY

This is an excellent box which has adequate hardware to view streaming content, play android games and use apps.  The Hard Drive internal caddy is very nice, great for using this as a storage/streaming system.

A USB 3.0 port is also a nice addition, allowing fast transfer rates between devices.

The device is shipped with a very inadequate manual, although this is somewhat remedied by a faq aspect to their website.  

For

• Internal Hard Drive Caddy
• A USB 3.0 port

Against

• Terrible Documentation
• Only Dual Core

Matricom G-Box Q Android Tv Box Quad Core Review

Introducing the G-Box Quad

Matricom produced one of the best dual core tv boxes in the MX2 and now they have entered the Quad Core market with this G-Box Q.
The hardware used in thios new android box is certainly impressive, an amlogic quad core processor and the Octocore Mali GPU to handle the graphics. 

Now we just need to find out how it all hangs together.

Performance

The Mali-450 Octocore Graphics chip is capable of handling even the very latest 4K Ultra HD movie files, 1080P playback is super smooth even when streaming.

The increased processing power of the Quad core over a Dual core processor is very noticeable when starting apps or switching through menus, everything feels responsive with no lag or hang time.

Interface and XBMC/Kodi

The G-Box has the standard Android 4.4.x Kitkat operating system which is wrapped up in a custom launcher. The G-Box Experience Launcher is really rather good,it uses a large colored tile carousel which is divided into separate sections.
This windows 8 metro navigation style works well with either a standard remote, mouse or air mouse.

Kodi 14 the latest XBMC incarnation comes preinstalled. Also included is the Total XBMC easy addon installer which allows the easy installation of virtual every XBMC addon from within the program itself.

This really does help with the ease of use for those new to using Xbmc/Kodi. Kodi itself is on the front screen of the interface but is named media center.

G-Box Interface and video Review 

Connectivity and Internals 

 One area which is slightly disappointing is that there are only two USB ports, you can also connect by bluetooth or use a USB hub but it just seems that two ports can be used up fairly quickly.

2Gb of DDR3 memory and the 16 GB of internal flash put this firmly at the top of the pile in terms of spec. The Qualcom 5G 802.11ac Gigabit Wifi mean that the streaming of files should not be choked by the hardware, no more buffering when streaming HD Files!

The included remote is adequate but it can soon become a chore to use for the built in keyboard, an air mouse or remote/keyboard hybrid could soon be high on your wish list.

REVIEW SUMMARY

All in all this is a very good android Xbmc Tv box, the specs are very high.
With Google Play Store and Xbmc /Kodi already installed and an easy to use interface this is a great Tv Box that the whole family can use.

More than two USb ports would have been nice, but that is my only gripe.

For

• Android 4.4.4
• 2GB DDR3 Memory
• 16GB Internal Flash Memory
• Quad Core
• 4K Video Playback
• Google Play Store & Kodi
• Latest 802.11ac WiFi
• Custom Metro style Interface

Against

• Only 2 USB Ports

Matricom G-Box MX2 Review

The G-Box MX2 has been around for a while now but we thought we would take another look and see if it could still hold its own. 
The G-box comes with XBMC/Kodi preinstalled and offers full access to the Google Play Store. 
This little box can easily turn any Tv into a Smart TV and beyond!

Connections:

Similar to any number of other devices the MX2 is a small black 4.5 x 4.5 inch square box, the 4 USB 2.0 ports are definitely a plus point although a USB 3.0 port would have been great for external Hard drive file transfers.

Internal wi/fi is a standard 802.11b/g/n, although the Ethernet Port will always offer a faster more reliable connection.

As well as the HDMI v1.4 output the composite Audio/Viedo out may be useful for older Tv's. Coaxial SPDIF Digital output is also a good feature for surround sound system owners.

Performance:

The Amlogic A9 Dual Core Neon processor and Mali Dual Graphics processors cannot compete with the newer Quad Core and octo Core processors but are still able to stream 1080P and play most Play Store games.

Ondemand Tv apps and XBMC itself perform well, but maybe not quite as smoothly or as responsively as newer boxes.

REVIEW SUMMARY

While the Matricom G-Box MX2 is a very capable android Xbmc/Kodi TV box it has been superseded by newer quad core boxes, it really is worth paying a little more. The later G-Box Q  has four times as much processing power as this model and has the later Android 4.4.x installed.

For

• Over-The-Air updating
• 8GB internal storage
• Fully Customisable
• Low Price
• Lots of Ports and Connections
• 4 USB Ports

Against

• Dual Core
• Not Android 4.4.x OS
• No USB 3.0 Port