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8
Egreat A11 Review
Egreat makes a grab at the high-end of the media streamer market with the A11. It offers excellent video playback, object based audio passthrough, frame packed 3D and host of other features but is it really worth all that extra cash?
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8
Minix Neo N42C-4 Mini PC Review
The Minix Neo N42C-4 is the first device from the manufacturer that allows for upgrades to RAM and internal storage. It features Triple Display 4K video output, there's a VESA mount and UHD HEVC 4K decoding, Netflix, YouTube and the rest to keep...
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8
DVDFab Movie Server Review
Billed as part NAS and part 'high-end' Android Media Player, the DVD Fab Movie Server is designed to simplify and enhance the process of watching your own disc rips but does it broach the inter-device duties successfully?
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8
Apple TV 4K Review
Apple finally upgrade their TV streaming box, adding 4K, HDR and Dolby Vision support. Does the new device eclipse the competition and have Apple changed the game yet again?
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9
Roku Streaming Stick Plus Review
Do you want pretty much all the major UK streaming services, in up to 4K HDR, packed in to one, tiny and incredibly easy to use package? Look no further, the Roku Streaming Stick Plus is indisputably the best supported dedicated streamer...
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8
Amazon Fire TV 3 Review
For less than £70 the new Fire TV offers up to 4K HDR streaming, an absolute wealth of apps and games and all the benefits of Alexa but is there a reason why it's £110 cheaper than the Apple TV 4K and NVIDIA SHIELD Android TV?
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8
Minix NEO Z83-4 Pro Mini PC Review
The biggest draw for the Minix NEO Z83-4 Pro Mini PC is a cut-price Windows 10 Pro licence but, as a KODI alternative, the new CPU has stifled matters, somewhat. Still there's lots to like with excellent networking and great build quality among them.
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9
OSMC Vero 4K Media Streamer Review
The OSMC Vero 4K benefits from tailor made software, superb manufacturer support and some excellent hardware on which to build. There are minor limitations but, chances are, they will be ironed out soon, making this one serious little contender.
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9
Egreat A10 Android Media Player Review
Egreat makes a very credible assault on the upper end of the Android media streaming market with the A10. It lacks some of the features of the competition but, in pure playback terms, it is right up there with the best.
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7
Xmedex XTREME Plus (2nd Gen) Android Media Player Review
The Xmedex Xtreme Plus has some good features, a nice UI and promises playback of HD audio, frame-packed 3D and 10-bit HEVC but there are some shortcomings.
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8
Minix Neo U9-H Android TV Media Hub Review
The Neo U9-H is another solid and reliable Android media player from Minix but has it arrived too late and is it worth the price.
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9
Zappiti Duo (2017) 4K HDR Media Streaming Player Review
The Zappiti 4K HDR family are a simple solution to replaying virtually any media format, you also get a well-rounded media centre ecosystem into the bargain but is it really worth paying the extra? Well, it depends...
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8
Wetek Play 2 Android Media Player Review
The Wetek Play 2 is a hybrid media hub running Android with a built-in tuner for live TV and PVR functions but can it marry its duties to provide value for money?
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10
NVIDIA Shield 4K TV Media Gaming Box Review
It's a new SHIELD TV with a host of added features, a redesigned controller and all-new smaller form factor chassis. Is it still the daddy of all-in-one solutions?
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8
Minix NEO Z83-4 Mini-PC Review
The new budget Windows 10 Mini PC from Minix is built well, performs great and makes for a very decent option as a media hub.
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6
Probox2 Air Android TV Box Review
The Probox2 Air has a better than average remote and decent all-round performance but, as a media hub for enthusiasts, there are vital shortcomings.
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7
Vorke V1 Mini-PC Review
While the Vorke V1 is a pretty competent Windows 10 Mini PC, for the sums involved, it's not really a great choice as a mini HTPC or streaming device.
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9
Zidoo X9S Android TV Box Review
The Zidoo X9S is a highly capable Android media hub with the ability to play 3D, 4K, 10-bit HEVC and HD audio although one or two issues remain.
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9
Wetek Hub Android TV Media Player Review
The Wetek Hub delivers impressive video playback all the way up to 10-bit HEVC 4K and pass-through of HD audio formats. It's also comes with its own customised KODI media player as well as a range of other useful Wetek apps and features.
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7
Wintel W8 Android & Windows 10 TV Box Review
You can pretty much forget the dual-boot capability of this little TV Box. If you're buying this as a media streamer, it's Windows all the way.
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8
HiMedia Q10 Pro Android Media Player Review
The HiMedia Q10 Pro is a highly capable Android media hub with the ability to play 4K video up to 60 frames per second and even HDR. There are some kinks to iron out but it's still up there with the best.
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8
Popcorn Hour A-500 Media Player Review
The Popcorn Hour A-500 supports a very wide array of video and audio formats, has great build quality and a good feature-set but it's still playing catch-up in the UI stakes.
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6
Matricom G-Box Q2 Android TV Box Review
The Matricom G-BOX Q2 is the successor to a very popular Android media streamer, will it prove just as popular and has it the right to?
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7
DroidBOX T8-S Plus Android TV media player Review
DroidBOX produces another solid Android media hub with added value features and solid audio/visual playback
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8
Tronsmart Ara X5 Plus Mini-PC Review
Tronsmart make some hardware changes to slightly improve the media player performance of their competitively priced Windows 10 mini-PC.
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7
Voyo V3 Windows 10 Mini PC Review
As a light-use Windows 10 mini PC the Voyo V3 is a sleek an stylish choice with decent specifications but it's lacking in several areas as a dedicated media device.
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8
Xmedex Xtreme Plus Media Player Review
This is a very solid media player for the here and now but it will struggle with future formats. There's also the consideration that you'll currently need to import at a price that isn't right.
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8
Zappiti 4K Player Duo Media Player Review
It's more expensive than most but the Zappiti 4K Player boasts a simple setup together with comprehensive support for most media files and excellent picture quality
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8
Minix NGC-1 Mini PC Review
The Minix NGC-1 is not just a media player, it could easily act as a fully-fledged HTPC and/or replace your ageing desktop or laptop.
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7
Tronsmart S95 Vega Android Box Review
The Tronsmart Vega S95 has quite a lot going for it, including good 3D and HD audio support but is lacking in some other areas key to AV enthusiasts
Streaming is the delivery of audio and video (called 'content') into your home and/or on to your mobile device through a local network and over the internet from a delivery service.
Streaming content has never been so popular and as internet speeds continue to get faster it is likely to be the biggest growth area of the audio visual industry.
New music streaming services seem to appear on a weekly basis with the most popular being Spotify. In terms of movie and TV show streaming both Netflix and Amazon are fighting it out for top dog status.
When it comes to equipment to stream content there are also different approaches. In the home it may be that you want to stream your own music library around the house and there are a few approaches to this. The most popular are modular systems like Sonos and Samsung wireless systems. You also have hard drive based music players. These stream the contents of the HDD around the home using your network.
For video streaming we have media players and streamers like the Apple TV and Roku boxes. These have services such as Netflix, BBC iPlayer, 4OD, Demand5 and Plex. Netflix started the world’s first 4K Ultra HD streaming service in early 2014.
Popular brands include Yamaha, Roku, Apple, Samsung, Now TV, Kindle TV, iTunes, Sonos, Netgear and Sony.