DV7819 review: 4K H.265 decoding Android TV Box

The DV7819 is a box let you run Android apps on a TV. We’ve seen plenty of those. Except the fact that it is designed for operators by supporting DRM (Verimatrix, Playready, Widewine) and OTT management system, there are a few things that help this model stand out.


First, it’s powerful. It has a quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 8GB of storage, dual-band WiFi, and other solid specs. Second, it comes with a H.265 decoding that you can use to get 4K video with less bandwidth.

In other words, the DV7819 isn’t just designed to stream online videos, it can also search the web, play video games, and perform many other tasks. It’s a speedy machine which is capable of running most Android apps without complaint.


Overview




The DV7819 is a white box with red bottom measuring 120mm*120mm*28mm. Put it nearby your TV, connect power and internet, and then hook up the display with an HDMI cable.


It can connect to the internet over Wi-Fi or Ethernet and the box supports dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi. There is a USB 2.0 port as well as a micro USB OTG port on the back. These ports can connect a keyboard, mouse, external storage, or other peripherals.


The box has 2GB of RAM and 8GB of storage, but it also adds removable storage thanks to the USB ports and MicroSD card slot . It features ARM Cortex-A9 quad-core processor and ARM Mali-450 8-core graphics.

Remote


 The remote that comes with DV7819 is also in white and it is small. It features a power button, direction-pad, keys for some basic Android functions including Home, main menu, back, play/stop, volume and mouse buttons. Press the mouse button and then use direction-pad equals using a real mouse controlling the box. But using a keyboard would be more convenient than using this controller to enter long texts.

Software


The DV7819 runs Android 4.4 with a Metro-style interface. There are four main menus for categories including Media, App, Games, and Settings. The arrow keys on the remote can help switch between categories and choose apps.

The DV7819 features the Google Play Store, so it can download just about any app, including XBMC, but when searching apps one by one is wasting time and then the needs of a keyboard or mouse shows up. Fortunately, the mouse feature of the remote can help swipe, but still it will take the time.


The last main menu is settings and you can see all the possible settings here.

DLNA, Miracast, remote control
Passing screen isn’t new and DV7819 also enables you to do so. While mirroring screens, the device needs to be on the same Wi-Fi network as the phone, so as to remote control with a smart phone.


Online video
The tested video runs fluently thanks to its h.265 decoding. The device also supports 4K video output, so for 4K TV users, the DV7819 would be a great option.


Games
The device uses Octo core Mali 450 graphic processor. Technically speaking, it can handle 3D games without any doubts. While the TV box doesn’t pre-install any 3D game, with two simple 2D games instead. The Angry Bird works totally no complaints.



Good:

Metro interface is fast, intuitive
H.265 decoding, fluently playing programs and games
DLNA, Miracast and Airplay seem good
Dual band Wi-Fi

Bad:
No pre-installed 3D games
Remote control do not support voice control
Price unknown

Value added:
DRM (Verimatrix, Playready, Widewine)

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