It is now very easy to turn any “stupid” LCD TV into a smart TV. You can use an Android TV box like Google’s Chromecast or any other of the wide variety of devices that add the ability to stream content from your computer or your phone to your older LCD TV. You can also install a dedicated TV box if you want to have more features on your TV for a bit bigger price.
There is no shortage of choices too. Android TV boxes are not only very easy to find these days, but they have also become very affordable. Before you go on the hunt for a good Android TV box for your LCD TV, here are some things you need to know.
Output Resolution
While most Android TV boxes can be pretty affordable, not all of them may offer ah high resolution output through HDMI. Some of the more older models and cheap ones can only output a maximum of 720p, so you will get less resolution and you will not be able to enjoy your HQ media you get with the more expensive devices.
The majority of TV boxes you can find on the market, are either 4k or 1080p output via HDMI or Display Port. However, you should get 4k-able devices only if you have a TV that supports it because if you don’t you will not be able to use the full potential of the device.
There is one thing you will need to keep in mind when comparing the output resolutions, and that is the type of media you will be playing on the TV box. If you have many high-quality offline media files on network storage or on a hard drive, they will run without any problems. If you plan on using streaming services such as Hulu, Netflix, Amazon, etc. make sure that you have a fast enough internet connection to stream at the best quality.
If you are looking for a good TV box, check out VISSONTECH to turn your basic TV into a smart TV.
Performance and Specifications
Android TV boxes are very similar to Android mobile phones. They rely on the ARM Cortex processors for their processing power. Popular boxes such as the Ebox Q-Box and the DroidBox T8-S use an octa-core processor that is made by Amlogic, although with different clock speeds. The processor is then paired with at least 1 or 2 GB of RAM. This is the standard specification if you want to deliver a smooth experience to the users.
Some of the Android TV boxes come with bigger RAM or even with their own internal storage that can go up to 1 TB. A faster processor and more RAM will translate to better multitasking and better performance with media playback.
Support for bigger storage
Lastly, make sure you check out the TV box’s support for external storage. Most, but not all devices can come with a built-in hard disk slot, so you can install your HDD directly. Other devices can only use USB connections for external storage. Other devices can also support cloud storage or networked drives, so you can also connect to a storage this way.