Best Media Players for TV 2022

With the advent of high-speed and affordable Internet, you no longer need to buy discs or cassettes with movies and music. Now all entertainment content can be found on the Internet, and for this it is not at all necessary to turn on a desktop computer or laptop. For those who are used to “the old fashioned way” to sit with the remote control at the TV, and want to watch only programs that are interesting to them, they came up with an interesting device – media players. Let’s talk about the best of them.

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Editor’s Choice

1. ZTE ZXV10 B866 (from 4990 rubles)

An interesting model among the best media players for TV 2022 is a device model from a smartphone manufacturer.

Among the advantages of the player is a stylish look, powerful filling, the presence of an analog port for old TVs and the ability to watch TV shows from special sites for free. If desired, you can install a program for watching TV via the Internet. The entire interface of the set-top box is optimized for remote control. You can even control the device with your voice – the console has a built-in microphone.

Features:

Quad-core processor 4 GHz, 1,6 GB RAM, Android 2

Advantages and disadvantages:

2. HARPER ABX-332 (from 7170 rubles)

A complete omnivorous “combine” that turns your TV into an interactive entertainment center.

On board a powerful media player 3 GB of RAM, 4-core processor and a separate graphics core. The body of the player is completely made of plastic, pleasant to the touch. The device is distinguished from other players by a small display located on the front – it shows the time and status of connecting the device to the network. The system in the player is open, which means that third-party applications, such as players or games, can be installed on it.

Features:

Quad-core processor 4 GHz, 2 GB RAM, Android 3

Advantages and disadvantages:

3. Okko Smart Box (from 2990 rubles)

A tiny device from a video service. Such a device is easy to hide behind the TV and simply forget about its physical existence. Despite the fact that it was originally designed to work with the service of the same name, the media player will be able to play YouTube videos for you. The device has a closed system, which means that you can not just install “left” applications. Perfect for those who do not need unnecessary manipulations with memory cards, hard drives and firmware. Due to its compactness, it only works via wireless Internet.

Features:

Quad-core processor 4 GHz, 1,8 GB RAM, Android 2

Advantages and disadvantages:

What other media players for TV are worth paying attention to

4. Mi Box S (from 4800 rubles)

Compact and affordable device model from China. For 4800 rubles you will get everything you need to have in a modern model of a “smart” set-top box for a TV. The player runs on Android, which means that you can install an infinite number of programs and games. True, the version here is already old, but you should not wait for updates. The power of the player is enough to play video in 4K format. A big minus is that it only works with wireless Internet, which can sometimes fail.

Features:

Quad-core processor 4 GHz, 1,9 GB RAM, Android 2

Advantages and disadvantages:

5. Rombica Cinema 4K v01 (from 3850 rubles)

An advanced and affordable set-top box, but on a very old version of Android. It should be noted right away that as many as 3 USB ports are provided here – you can connect data storage devices and input devices, if necessary. Also, the player has a separate hard drive compartment, to which the device can download your favorite movies and series. If necessary, you can increase the memory using an SD card. Only a small amount of RAM can spoil the feeling, but you will notice this only when working with video in ultra-high quality. A cooler is used for cooling.

Features:

Quad-core processor 4 GHz, 1,4 GB RAM, Android 1

Advantages and disadvantages:

6. NVIDIA SHIELD (from 32,5 thousand rubles)

Perhaps the most gaming-advanced model in our selection of the best media players for TV in 2022. The famous graphics card manufacturer fits a powerful central and graphics processor into a tiny body, which is suitable for working with a beautiful picture of modern games. In this device, all the emphasis is on the gaming component, but you can also watch YouTube videos or listen to music. The player comes with a convenient gamepad and remote control with voice control. It is logical to buy such a device in a family where there are children who are interested in video games.

Features:

8 GHz 1-core processor, additional video processor, 3 GB of RAM, Android 7.

Advantages and disadvantages:

7. Apple TV 4K 32GB (from 13,7 thousand rubles)

An advanced and expensive prefix from the “apple” manufacturer. The Apple ecosystem is good for those who are used to constantly paying for content. There are built-in paid services for Netflix, Apple Music, HBO and Showtime – it will be difficult to just take and download the last season of your favorite series. Californian developers have installed their own powerful processor and 3 GB of RAM into the media player – this is more than enough even for 4K video. The player comes with a remote control with voice control and a set of wires necessary for connecting. There are no ports other than HDMI and power in the set-top box.

Features:

6GHz 2,4-core processor, optional video processor, 3GB RAM, tvOS

Advantages and disadvantages:

8. MXQ Pro 4K 1/8 Gb (from 1990 rubles)

The most affordable model on our list of the best TV media players. For two thousand rubles, the buyer will receive a device ideal for watching TV shows. Running at least some games on the player with just one gigabyte of RAM will not work. But there are four USB inputs, an output for analog TV and the software ability to install various applications for watching movies and TV shows for free. You can connect wireless headphones, a mouse, or a keyboard via Bluetooth.

Features:

Quad-core processor 4 GHz, 1,9 GB RAM, Android 1

Advantages and disadvantages:

9. Rombica Smart Stick Quad v001 (from 2770 rubles)

Another small player for a reasonable price. The main advantage of such a device is the compact size of the “whistle”, which can be hidden right behind the TV. The processor power and the amount of RAM are enough for streaming video or simple card games. The user himself will be able to choose what to use – the standard Android menu or a pre-installed shell with a convenient set of applications. Over 100 free TV channels can be watched via the Internet. An unpleasant minus is the lack of controls; to work, you need to purchase a mouse or remote control.

Features:

Quad-core processor 4 GHz, 1,2 GB RAM, Android 1

Advantages and disadvantages:

10. Google Chromecast Ultra (from 7500 rubles)

A solid hybrid of a media player and a wireless signal receiver for a TV. With the help of a small “tablet” you can start broadcasting applications from your phone screen directly to your TV in 4K format in two clicks. There are hundreds of programs and games for Android and iOS that work with Chromecast technology – Youtube, Netflix, HBO and others. This media player has no extra inputs and outputs. In order to save space, the developers fit the wired Internet connector into the player’s power supply.

Features:

Quad-core processor 4 GHz, 1,4 GB RAM

Advantages and disadvantages:

How to choose a media player for your TV

Together with the seller of the consumer electronics store Sergey Uvaltsev we will understand the intricacies of technology and choose the best media player for TV 2022.

In fact, any media player for a TV is a miniature computer hidden in a compact box. Despite its modest size, you can connect all devices from the “big brother” to such a device – remote controls, mice, keyboards, hard drives and acoustics. Another feature of media players is a simplified interface. It is configured so that you can control the full functionality of your PC with just one remote control while lying on the couch.

Media player format

All devices are divided into two types – “key chains” and “boxes”. The dimensions of the first slightly exceed the dimensions of a standard flash drive. Such devices can only receive video from a phone or PC. The second option is a full-fledged “boxed” version of the media player. There is already a set of interfaces for connecting control devices or storage media. The dimensions of the “box” are comparable to a small notebook or a router, but such media players have much more possibilities.

Operating system

There are already three main options – Android, Windows and tvOS. As a rule, most devices run Android, Windows players are not so popular in Our Country, and Apple devices are suitable for owners of Apple technology who want to create a single multimedia system at home.

Features

As in a standard computer, this item is responsible for how pleasant it will be to work with a media player. You can hardly like a twitching video picture or constant messages about the lack of RAM.

The processor of the set-top box is responsible for processing the image on the screen. You should not buy a device that has less than two processor cores with a clock speed of less than 1,5 GHz. Another important parameter is RAM, it should be at least 1 GB. A plus in the console will be a separate video processor. The amount of internal memory is not the most critical parameter, since you can always buy a separate SD card or hard drive.

Interfaces

The more of them in the console – the better. The “gentleman’s” set of interfaces in the best TV media players in 2022 is at least one USB port, one HDMI, a memory card slot, Ethernet, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. A TV tuner is necessary for those who plan to connect a media player to an external projector and watch TV programs through a bundle of devices.

Some models have space for an external hard drive and a tulip connector for older TVs. All “boxed” media players are powered by an external power supply, so there should be a free outlet nearby.