The cool Chinese brand producing TV-BOX Beelink has shifted its priorities, deciding to cease manufacturing portable TV set-top boxes. But it’s too early for competitors to rejoice. The manufacturer does not intend to fully abandon consumers. On the contrary, for many brands, the new policy of the Chinese does not bode well.
BEELINK company leaves the TV box market
The Chinese are selling off the last TV-BOXes at low prices. It is still unclear what will happen with the software support for already sold gadgets. There have been no official statements, nor new firmware releases for devices from 2019-2020. It is very hopeful that Beelink will still support its users, as these gadgets were not purchased in the budget segment.
The main development focus will now be on compact computers for various fields of activity. This is a fairly broad business segment for the Chinese. Besides multimedia for home use, Beelink offers the following solutions:
- Gaming consoles based on single-chip systems.
- Office portable PCs for small and medium-sized businesses.
- Home multimedia systems based on AMD and Intel platforms.
Functionality and performance in one device
The main feature of Beelink solutions is that a single gadget can fully meet all user needs. New devices can replace a PC, laptop, tablet, TV-BOX, NAS.
Such a solution is not new to consumers. For several years, there have been analogs from well-known global brands like HP, DELL, Intel, and others. The distinguishing feature is the price. Beelink products are 5-6 times cheaper and offer more extensive functionality. Besides functioning as a regular PC, the device supports:
- 4K@60FPS image transmission to TV.
- Hardware decoding of video and audio.
- The ability to play demanding games.
- Streaming services.
Is it worth buying new Beelink gadgets?
From a financial perspective, definitely yes. Buying a portable Beelink computer is cost-effective. It can be upgraded, repaired, and customized to suit personal needs. The gadget has compact dimensions and all the necessary interfaces for connecting multimedia and peripherals.
There is also a downside. Returning to gadgets from 2019 (for example, our favorite Beelink GT-KING) reveals one oddity. Complete lack of technical support from the manufacturer. We have not received firmware updates for TV-BOXes for over a year. And it has only been 2 years since purchase. The set-top box works perfectly, but the market is constantly updating with new video and audio formats.
Of course, questions arise for the Beelink brand – why did a $120 set-top box lose support? And what guarantees are there that new portable PCs based on AMD and Intel will receive long-term support? For example, DELL supports users for 5 years. And Intel even releases drivers for platforms that are several years old.
