The launch of new ROCKHIP 3566 chips for TV set-top boxes has opened access to new capabilities. These include increased memory capacity and support for all kinds of interfaces. However, instead of properly organizing these technologies, manufacturers rushed to produce semi-finished products. A great example is the TV-BOX T-95 Plus. Its technical specifications and attractive design simply make you want to buy the set-top box. But as soon as you connect the device to a TV, all these claimed features start to become irritating.
TV-BOX T-95 Plus – technical specifications
| Chip | ROCKHIP 3566 |
| Processor | 4x ARM Cortex-A53 up to 1.8 GHz |
| Video adapter | Mali-G52 2EE |
| RAM | 8 GB DDR4 |
| Flash memory | 64 GB (eMMC Flash) |
| Memory expansion | Yes |
| Operating system | Android 11.0 |
| Wired network | 1 Gb/s |
| Wireless network | 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2.4GHz/5GHz |
| Bluetooth | Yes, version 4.0 |
| Interfaces | 1x USB 3.0, 1x USB 3.0, HDMI 2.0, 1x LAN, SPDIF, DC |
| Memory cards | microSD up to 128 GB |
| Backlight | LED on the case, display with clock |
| Price | $75-90 |
Review of TV-BOX T-95 Plus – advantages
The set-top box is truly attractive and beautiful, like in the seller’s picture. From afar, it resembles a Christmas tree, shimmering with all the colors of the rainbow. But there are two points:
- The short cable included limits the ability to connect the set-top box to some TVs due to the panel. Usually, gadgets are mounted behind the TV, using a Bluetooth remote control.
- At night, if the lights are turned off, these bright LED lamps can be slightly irritating. And even interfere with movie viewing.
The manufacturer claims full support for all video codecs (popular for Full HD and 4K content). And they work perfectly. Even the sound is transmitted. You can safely watch movies from any signal source with good quality and sound. The built-in Mali-G52 2EE graphics accelerator, paired with ROCKHIP 3566, runs quite demanding games. Additionally, the manufacturer installed popular multimedia programs for working with the set-top box.
Review of TV-BOX T-95 Plus – disadvantages
Not leaving aside the games for Android set-top boxes. They launch well and are easy to control. But they only work for 2-3 minutes. The chip overheats and freezes completely. This is because the cooling system in the set-top box is poorly designed. Even if a cooler is attached, the problem won’t be solved. The chip was initially improperly assembled. This overheating is the main problem for the TV-BOX T-95 Plus.
The manufacturer claimed support for 8K. There are already 8K resolution videos on YouTube channels, but they do not run on this set-top box. Either they are not supported, or the chip cannot handle processing. Regarding 4K at 60 FPS, the situation is mixed. Movies from external NAS Synology work well, no issues. But on YouTube – 50/50. If it’s a cooking blog, everything is fine; if videos about tropical countries – there are freezes. HDR is also not supported. Turning it on and off repeatedly does not change the picture.
A pleasant feature of the TV-BOX T-95 Plus is the presence of a wired gigabit port. If you plan to use Wi-Fi wireless interface, it’s better not to buy the set-top box. Because at 2.4 GHz, its download speed is up to 20 Mbps, and on Wi-Fi 5 GHz – up to 60 Mbps. This means that 4K is out of the question.
Another negative point is the blatant user deception. The built-in program shows one value (for example, 60 degrees Celsius), but the infrared thermometer measures significantly higher values (70-80 degrees). Naturally, we trust the infrared thermometer, as it performs all other measurements correctly.
Verdict on the T-95 Plus TV set-top box
It could be said that the gadget is suitable for trivial tasks – watching videos in all formats in Full HD and 4K. For videos from flash drives, network, and YouTube, the TV-BOX T-95 Plus is suitable. But its price simply does not match these capabilities. In our review, there was TV-BOX X96 Max Plus 2/16 GB with half the price ($40). So, it’s better to buy that – it’s faster and cheaper.
Another oddity is the hundreds of positive reviews on the product in Chinese online stores. It’s unclear who these people are who praise the TV-BOX T-95 Plus. It is not worth its money. For $80, you can buy the same Xiaomi, which will be much better and more convenient to use.
Buy the TV-BOX T-95 Plus on AliExpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_A8m9pY
