Based on previous reviews on our portal, readers already know that all budget set-top boxes for TVs with the Amlogic S912 chip demonstrate excellent performance characteristics. Naturally, for their class. Therefore, the TV BOX V9 PRO attracted attention. The Technozon channel even made an interesting review of the gadget. And we, in turn, will detail the specifications and share our impressions.
TV BOX V9 PRO: specifications
| Chipset | Amlogic S912 |
| Processor | 8x Cortex-A53, up to 1.5 GHz |
| Video adapter | Mali-450 up to 750 MHz |
| RAM | DDR3, 2 GB, 2133 MHz |
| Internal storage | EMMC Flash 8 GB |
| Storage expansion | Yes |
| Memory card support | up to 32 GB (SD) |
| Wired network | Yes, 100 Mbps |
| Wireless network | Wi-Fi 2.4/5 GHz, IEEE 802.11 b/g/n |
| Bluetooth | Version 4.2 |
| Operating system | Android 7.1.2 |
| Update support | No |
| Interfaces | HDMI, RJ-45, 2x USB 2.0, AV, Coaxial, DC |
| External antennas | No |
| Digital panel | No |
| Root access | No |
| Price | $35 |
TV BOX V9 PRO: review
At first glance, the device has a sticker on the case – Core 8 Box. And immediately questions arise. The Amlogic S912 chip has six cores (by technology). The Mali-450 video adapter also has 6 cores. What does the sticker mean and what does it indicate – is unclear. But! The Aida64 app detects 8 cores. Which looks very strange.
The second surprise is the version of the Android operating system. Instead of the declared 7.1.2, the device runs Android 6.0. Such deception will clearly not bring joy to the user.
It cannot be said that the throttling test failed, but the temperature rise of the TV BOX V9 PRO to 80 degrees Celsius in just 5 minutes caused rather unpleasant impressions. Okay, 70 degrees, but not 80! Among the positive aspects – the set-top box can independently reduce the processor frequency when overheating. It’s a pity that fine-tuning this reset is not available. The user does not have Root rights.
The lack of a USB 3.0 interface affected the effectiveness of the TV box in playing 4K movies from external drives. Random read – 4.5 MB/s, sequential read – 33 MB/s. That is, a one-and-a-half-hour UHD movie larger than 35 GB cannot be played even from an SSD if the data is recorded in a scattered manner. The only solution is to delete everything from the disk and write the movie sequentially.
The network capabilities of the device leave much to be desired. Okay, the wired interface handles the task well. But the wireless modules cause negative impressions.
| TV Box V9 PRO | ||
| Download, Mbps | Upload, Mbps | |
| LAN 100 Mbps | 95 | 90 |
| Wi-Fi 5 GHz | 38 | 40 |
| Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz | 15 | 30 |
TV BOX V9 PRO: multimedia
Surprisingly, the device plays 4K movies at 60 FPS from an SSD drive. Even large files (50-70 GB). Only HDR is missing. The set-top box handles fast forwarding and rewinding well. No freezes detected.
Owners of audio systems and receivers can forget about high-quality sound. The device cannot pass through the signal. Movies in different players output Logic 7 move, which causes negative impressions.
And even YouTube at 4K@60FPS the TV BOX V9 PRO could not handle. Video drops, and the image is displayed in the middle of the screen as a small square. Interestingly, there were no problems with IPTV and torrents. Although the device heated up to 81 degrees Celsius, videos did not lag or disappear.
In the end, the budget device simply does not justify its price. The same Amlogic S912 chip is used in the excellent Tanix TX9S TV box. And at the same price. What’s the point of buying a non-functional V9 PRO Android 6.0 set-top box?
