The Best multimedia centers (Android TV, tvOS, Roku, Fire OS, May 2017)
December 05, 2017
Being the halls still the nerve center of
any home, and having more and more things to teach from a phone, tablet or PC,
the choice of a good multimedia center is essential. There are more and more
types of products to interconnect with the TV, and this guide gives a review of
the most interesting.
All companies in the Internet sector are
involved in one way or another in this sector of multimedia centers with
various proposals. Some range from the mere HDMI bar to allow the transmission
of content to smart TVs, through the consoles, which are still good options.
What is a multimedia center
A multimedia center is a device that can be
connected to any television or monitor to provide it with intelligent
capabilities. It is similar to what smart TVs have included, but few can be
replaced by more modern versions, and many times they will not even be updated
by the manufacturers.
Those smart capabilities are what you are
already used to, such as retransmit videos and photos from a smartphone,
duplicate the screen of a tablet, install applications such as Netflix or HBO Go to disconnect from the phone and other devices, or install
games and use them as a microconsole with a control.
Certain types of simplified media centers -
to name them somehow - are more oriented to allow the retransmission of content
from other devices such as Google's
Chromecast, so they are not totally intelligent when they do not have the
option to install applications on them. , or they include very basic
applications.
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Operating systems of multimedia centers
tvOS
Apple's system underwent a major remodeling in tvOS 9, and as a result it
is now a complete multimedia center. The previous version of Apple TV allowed to install certain
applications adapted for content reproduction, and now you can install all kinds
of applications and games from a reduced version of the App Store.
tvOS also allow using a screen that has an
Apple TV connected as a second monitor, extending the desktop of a computer
with OS X. It is one of the main advantages for those who use a Mac at home, and very useful in
multiple situations. It is the most evolved system, even taking into account
that tvOS has been the last to arrive.
Android TV
Android TV is the most used since it can be
included in multimedia centers or smart TVs, which gives manufacturers a lot of
flexibility when it comes to creating their product ranges. Allows access to
the Google Play Store, with a small
selection of apps specifically designed for use with the TV.
The biggest problem with Android TV is in practice the hardware
included in the TV. While in high-end televisions will be perfectly fluid and
can be used without problems any game and application, in the low-end can go
little fluid or disable the use of certain games and applications. Therefore
you have to be a bit cautious when buying an Android TV product.
Roku OS
The American company Roku was actually one of the first to reach the market of
multimedia centers with a solid product, and that is why it has its own system
called Roku OS. Version 7 is included in the devices that the company currently
sells. It is primarily an aggregator of content from different sources, such as
Netflix, Plex, Hulu, YouTube and
others, with a powerful content search engine, and although they are mainly
content for EE. UU., With the expansion of the VPN proxy can be enjoyed in any
country.
The company's multimedia centers are also
among the few devices that support 4K UHD playback, although in reality it is
more future proof than something that can be enjoyed today due to the short
selection of 4K content that they offer. streaming services, although they are
increasing. Roku OS also has a variety of games and applications support,
although quite limited and unattractive. Roku devices are often unattractive to
those who are deeply involved in the Apple ecosystem.
Fire
OS
Amazon has been offering Fire TV products for several years to provide,
based on Android, a user experience more in line with the company's content. It
includes a small selection of games that has been increasing slowly, and in the
section on content services, the options are very varied and you can find all
the usual ones. Amazon has also
started to take smart TVs to other manufacturers.
Firefox
OS
It takes a while in the market in different
televisions but has much to prove. Mozilla
is focusing on adapting Firefox OS to
all types of Internet of Things devices, since for smartphones the iOS-Android duality is impossible to
break. There are some manufacturers like Panasonic
that have supported this operating system in their smart TVs.
Multimedia centers
Apple TV (4th gen.)
Apple has taken a
long time to renew the Apple TV, and finally it did with a renamed firmware to
tvOS 9. Based even more on the iOS code, tvOS 9 also offers access to the App
Store, along with integration to voice control through Siri from the Siri
Remote control itself.
Apple TV (3rd gen.)
The previous
generation of Apple TV is a multimedia center that allows the basic
functionalities for the reproduction of content from the usual services such as
Netflix or Hulu, as well as others such as Crunchyroll or NFL Game Pass games.
For users of OS X
is the cheap option to use the living room television as a second monitor to
show in it series, movies and all types of content, being advisable for this
that both the original Mac and Apple TV are
connected by Ethernet . It also allows the retransmission of content by
AirPlay, such as YouTube videos from
an iPhone, and others.
Xbox One
The Xbox One is one of the most atypical
consoles because it doubles its function perfectly as a multimedia center. Microsoft took this into account when
it created the console, and although the PlayStation
4 has doubled in sales in these years that both have in the market, it is a
quality that users often overlook completely.
It includes an
HDMI input to connect another device as a streaming services decoder like the
one Movistar provides (but also another console like the PS4), and thus manage
it from the Xbox One itself so you
do not have to change the Xbox's input One on the television. It also allows
the transmission of content by Miracast, so you can also send content from
phones or even the PC.
In turn, and
thanks to the upgrade to the core of Windows 10, the Xbox One can broadcast the
games directly to a PC with Windows 10 in case the TV in the room is occupied
by another member of the family and want to play.
Family Chromecast
Google has the
most versatile HDMI bar for use as a multimedia center. It allows to use
services like Spotify or Netflix, and the management and
configuration is done mainly through the application available for Android and
iOS. You can send the content of Chrome tabs, and other simple tasks.
Google is embarking on developers to adapt games for Android phones to use a
Chromecast as the screen while using the phone as the command, but it is
something that developers still do not have too much interest in the lack of
profitability of that extra work.
The Chromecast Ultra version allows you to
play content at 4K UHD. On the other hand, Chromecast Audio is the ideal
complement so that any speaker can be used without having to physically connect
it to a phone or other types of audio players.
Televisions as multimedia centers
Currently many TVs
provide similar features to multimedia centers, so it would not be appropriate
not to mention in this article some TV options with Android TV or Firefox OS that are already on the
market. Especially in the case of Android
TV, its functionality is identical to that of multimedia centers: offer
games, applications and playback of content from other Android devices.
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