Advantages of an Android box with digital terrestrial

Those who want to keep their TV from a few years ago without losing the advantages of new apps and new transmission technologies can opt for an Android box with built-in digital terrestrial, so as to connect it to any TV (even without support for the new digital terrestrial).

You will therefore be able to have a smart device, on any TV, with an Android operating system, with Google TV, open to the installation of apps and games and including TV channels.

READ ALSO -> What is the difference between Google TV, Android TV and Android Box?

1) Digital Terrestrial Support

Support for digital terrestrial is essential to be able to view traditional television channels.

If we are looking for a way to continue using the old television without scrapping it, the TV Box with Android allows us to keep it support for traditional TV while also adding a Smart componentso you can install all your favorite apps.

The TV Box chosen must be compatible with the new digital terrestrial DVB-T2 HEVCas well as having the number of video outputs necessary to support any television (HDMI but possibly also AV output or the old SCART output).

2) App Android su TV

The TV Box must be compatible with the multimedia apps that we already use on our phone or tabletso you can manage them without always having the phone in your hands.

Among the recommended apps that we can install via the integrated store (or already present by default in the initial equipment of the TV Box) we find:

• YouTube
• Netflix
• Amazon Prime Video
• Disney+
• RaiPlay
• Kodi
• VLC
• Plex

All apps that we normally also find on Smart TVs but which in this case we can exploit for a long time, given that they receive the same updates released for Android smartphones (on Smart TVs, however, the manufacturer manages the updates.

If we want to install the apps available as APK, with an Android TV Box we will be able to do it without any problem, given that installation from unknown sources is available; all we have to do is download our APKs from the browser or upload them to a flash drive and read them from the TV Box file manager. On APKs we invite you to read the guide above how to install android apps from APK files.

Among the pre-installed apps or those to be installed immediately we couldn’t mention Kodi separately, with all its plugins and installable extensions it is without a doubt the best app to use on a TV Box!

We can learn more about Kodi by reading ours guide to getting started with Kodi: setting up and adding content.

3) Gaming

We can use the TV Box for play Android video games on the TV screen. All recent TV boxes have good graphics capabilities and are able to run many games even in 3D. Unfortunately, some games ask you to turn or tilt the device (such as racing games that ask you to move the smartphone) so they will not work.

Furthermore, although the hardware is capable of reproducing 3D graphics, the control system is not that good (because it is not touchscreen). To fix this we can use a remote control app, as I will show you in the next chapter.

For further information we can read our guide to 100 best free Android games to download.

4) Remote control

To really express the potential of the TV Box to the fullest, including for playing games, we recommend installing the app CetusPlayto be installed both on the TV Box and on our Android phone or tablet.

By starting the app on the TV Box, the device and then on the phone we can gain control of the keyboard, launch apps remotely, use a mouse cursor (and therefore move and click like on a PC), turn off and (in some cases) turn on the device.

We can read our guide on this type of app how to control Android Box with smartphone.

5) Multimedia files on local network

If we have installed DLNA servers on our home network, we can read our media collection using Kodi or any other app that can read network streams. In this way we no longer have to manually move the downloaded films and TV series, but we can play them immediately in the living room via the TV Box.

On this topic we can read ours DLNA server guide come on how to connect a NAS to your TV to watch movies and videos.

6) Buying guide

The best Android TV Boxes that you can buy at the moment are the following:

• Telesystem DECODER ts up t2 4k (86€)
• Strong SRT420 4K UHD 2 IN 1 (71€)
• TIM VISION Box (by subscription)
• Vodafone TV (by subscription)

These are the only models we recommend you focus on, so as to be sure of being able to launch all your favorite apps at maximum quality and get android certified.

Conclusions

In conclusion TV Boxes offer many advantages compared to Chromecast or other similar sticks: they can be used as a local and independent media center, suitable for playing streaming content from the internet and adding support for Android apps on any TV (Smart and non-Smart) .

If you are a geek and love experimenting with new things, we recommend that you build your own TV Box, using the Raspberry PI with a dedicated Linux distribution: there will be greater satisfaction and potential in making the most of these small devices.

For videos streaming from the Internet or via dedicated platforms we can always connect the old laptop with Windows or take advantage of it Miracast to add TV as additional screen for Windows (provided your TV supports Miracast).

If instead we were looking for traditional TV boxes without TV antenna we can read the ai guide best Android TV Boxes for films, TV series and IPTV.