Hey guys, we have with us today is what Xiaomi recently announced a Mi TV which is an LED TV that has launched in India.
And apart from being at an attractive price point and boasting of 4K HDR capabilities, the TV has an interesting feature set. The TV is really slim measuring 4.9 mm at its thinnest point and about 38.9 at its thickest.
The speakers are down firing and the TV is edge lit from the bottom, which is why it is so thin at the top. Let's get some disappointing factors out of the way.
The TV only has a SPDIF port for audio output. It has an HDMI arc too but I have a pair of speakers that are about 3.5 mm or RCA and I can't connect them to the TV which is a bummer.
You will have to invest in a coaxial digital adapter cable if you want this to work. If you have a pair of speakers that support Bluetooth then you can connect them via Bluetooth to the TV. When it comes to connectivity the TV has three HDMI ports.
Recommended: Check out other review on Mi Tv 4
One of them is an arc and two USB ports on the side. At the back, you have an Ethernet port, AV input, and good old antenna connection as well. Now the Mi TV 4 does support the 4k resolution but it only supports HDR 10 and not Dolby vision.
The company says that since most of the content is produced in HDR 10 it will continue to support HDR 10. And Dolby vision, well if the future demands it then they may just consider it.
We played some 4K content on Netflix with the Xbox one X attached to the TV. And for the most part it looked good. The panel on the TV is quite reflective though and the audio output from the speaker is underwhelming too.
But we will reserve a final judgment of the picture quality for our review. To remember the TV does support 4K at 60 Hertz. Now when it comes to the user interface which xiaomi calls patch wall on this TV, things get very interesting.
Xiaomi has tried to redefine the Smart TV user experience by keeping content at the center stage. So you no longer need to go through apps like hotstar or voot or Netflix or any of the service provider apps to actually get into the content. Well, Netflix is not yet a part of these services.
But the content is what takes center stage. So you actually select the content and the app comes later. If you're confused let me explain. When you switch on the TV you will be greeted by a host of content and not apps.
So you will see a bunch of movies and TV shows that you can start watching irrespective of the source. So for example, if the content in front of you is The Dark Knight and you click on it, it will either start playing on the Hungama app or start on a channel on your DTH box if the movie is playing on a DTH service provider at that point in time.
This is very similar to the TV OS that we've seen on Apple's Apple TV devices. But unlike the Apple TV which focuses on being online all the time because all the content that the Apple TV pulls is online, Xiaomi's operating system focuses on offline.
So this OS essentially picks up everything that your DTH service provider is giving you. So you no longer need to go to your DTH service providers remote control nor do you need to go through their program guide.
The program guide, the channels, the TV's, the movies or TV shows, everything is integrated into the operating system of the TV which is really really interesting. However, we haven't been able to test that feature yet.
But stay tuned as we will bring you an in-depth look at that in our review. The TV doesn't come with a subscription to the online content sources such as Hungama or Voot or any other paid subscription that is available on the TV.
If you want to watch content on Hungama and that content is in a part of the free library then you will have to get a subscription to watch it. Sadly Netflix isn't a part of the service providers that Xiaomi has partnered with and sideloading a Netflix app will not help.
Search is a very interesting feature on the Mi TV4. If you search for dark shadows for example and the movie is available on any of the services that Xiaomi has tied up with, it will appear in search. When you click the movie it will start playing.
You don't need to open the specific service provider app or go to the particular app's login. It is quite seamless especially if you are subscribed to the services on Xiaomi's offer. Sticking with services, as of making this video, only Sony, Hungama and VOOT are active on the TV.
But Xiaomi says that there are more services that will be active soon. Users will not need to do anything to implement the service apart from subscribing to them. As long as the TV is connected to the Internet, the update will happen automatically.
The sad news is that Netflix and Jio TV are not a part of the eight to ten services that will be active soon. The services will be available in 15 languages 14 Indian languages plus English. Now based on your viewing experience the TV will throw up content that you really like to watch.
If you like to watch a lot of action movies then you will get a lot of action movies as recommendations. However if mom at home likes to watch a lot of soap operas and TV shows then that will come up as recommendations to the TVs operating system.
Currently it doesn't support profiles but Xiaomi says that they are working on profiles and that should come soon. Now another very interesting thing is that the operating system of the Mi TV is actually based on Android but it doesn't have the Google Play Store.
So you'll have to sideload any apps that you want to run on the TV. Now xiaomi understands that sideloading might not be a very easy thing for everyone to do. So they are working on something that is actually very very cool in the future.
If you have a xiaomi smartphone you can simply download an app that you want to TV on that smartphone and so long as you are on the same Wi-Fi network that app will automatically download and install on the TV.
Now this is a fantastic feature in concept and xiaomi is working on it which means we will get to see it in action in the near future and we actually can't wait to try it out.
Now taking inspiration from the Fire TV stick remote control and the Apple TV remote control, the Mi TV 4 brings a minimalistic remote control that gets the job done.
On the top left corner we have the power button below which rests the directional buttons with the select button in the center. You also have the home, back and menu buttons along with the volume rocker. Overall the Xiaomi Mi TV 4 is packed with features and we are still digging and getting used to the UI.
An interesting thing that Xiaomi has emphasized on is the fact that they will not just launch this TV and forget about it.
The company will work on improving the services and features on offer via updates and we would like to see the performance and evolution of the services on the main TV in the coming days.
And apart from being at an attractive price point and boasting of 4K HDR capabilities, the TV has an interesting feature set. The TV is really slim measuring 4.9 mm at its thinnest point and about 38.9 at its thickest.
The speakers are down firing and the TV is edge lit from the bottom, which is why it is so thin at the top. Let's get some disappointing factors out of the way.
The TV only has a SPDIF port for audio output. It has an HDMI arc too but I have a pair of speakers that are about 3.5 mm or RCA and I can't connect them to the TV which is a bummer.
You will have to invest in a coaxial digital adapter cable if you want this to work. If you have a pair of speakers that support Bluetooth then you can connect them via Bluetooth to the TV. When it comes to connectivity the TV has three HDMI ports.
Recommended: Check out other review on Mi Tv 4
One of them is an arc and two USB ports on the side. At the back, you have an Ethernet port, AV input, and good old antenna connection as well. Now the Mi TV 4 does support the 4k resolution but it only supports HDR 10 and not Dolby vision.
The company says that since most of the content is produced in HDR 10 it will continue to support HDR 10. And Dolby vision, well if the future demands it then they may just consider it.
We played some 4K content on Netflix with the Xbox one X attached to the TV. And for the most part it looked good. The panel on the TV is quite reflective though and the audio output from the speaker is underwhelming too.
But we will reserve a final judgment of the picture quality for our review. To remember the TV does support 4K at 60 Hertz. Now when it comes to the user interface which xiaomi calls patch wall on this TV, things get very interesting.
Xiaomi has tried to redefine the Smart TV user experience by keeping content at the center stage. So you no longer need to go through apps like hotstar or voot or Netflix or any of the service provider apps to actually get into the content. Well, Netflix is not yet a part of these services.
But the content is what takes center stage. So you actually select the content and the app comes later. If you're confused let me explain. When you switch on the TV you will be greeted by a host of content and not apps.
So you will see a bunch of movies and TV shows that you can start watching irrespective of the source. So for example, if the content in front of you is The Dark Knight and you click on it, it will either start playing on the Hungama app or start on a channel on your DTH box if the movie is playing on a DTH service provider at that point in time.
This is very similar to the TV OS that we've seen on Apple's Apple TV devices. But unlike the Apple TV which focuses on being online all the time because all the content that the Apple TV pulls is online, Xiaomi's operating system focuses on offline.
So this OS essentially picks up everything that your DTH service provider is giving you. So you no longer need to go to your DTH service providers remote control nor do you need to go through their program guide.
The program guide, the channels, the TV's, the movies or TV shows, everything is integrated into the operating system of the TV which is really really interesting. However, we haven't been able to test that feature yet.
But stay tuned as we will bring you an in-depth look at that in our review. The TV doesn't come with a subscription to the online content sources such as Hungama or Voot or any other paid subscription that is available on the TV.
If you want to watch content on Hungama and that content is in a part of the free library then you will have to get a subscription to watch it. Sadly Netflix isn't a part of the service providers that Xiaomi has partnered with and sideloading a Netflix app will not help.
Search is a very interesting feature on the Mi TV4. If you search for dark shadows for example and the movie is available on any of the services that Xiaomi has tied up with, it will appear in search. When you click the movie it will start playing.
You don't need to open the specific service provider app or go to the particular app's login. It is quite seamless especially if you are subscribed to the services on Xiaomi's offer. Sticking with services, as of making this video, only Sony, Hungama and VOOT are active on the TV.
But Xiaomi says that there are more services that will be active soon. Users will not need to do anything to implement the service apart from subscribing to them. As long as the TV is connected to the Internet, the update will happen automatically.
The sad news is that Netflix and Jio TV are not a part of the eight to ten services that will be active soon. The services will be available in 15 languages 14 Indian languages plus English. Now based on your viewing experience the TV will throw up content that you really like to watch.
If you like to watch a lot of action movies then you will get a lot of action movies as recommendations. However if mom at home likes to watch a lot of soap operas and TV shows then that will come up as recommendations to the TVs operating system.
Currently it doesn't support profiles but Xiaomi says that they are working on profiles and that should come soon. Now another very interesting thing is that the operating system of the Mi TV is actually based on Android but it doesn't have the Google Play Store.
So you'll have to sideload any apps that you want to run on the TV. Now xiaomi understands that sideloading might not be a very easy thing for everyone to do. So they are working on something that is actually very very cool in the future.
If you have a xiaomi smartphone you can simply download an app that you want to TV on that smartphone and so long as you are on the same Wi-Fi network that app will automatically download and install on the TV.
Now this is a fantastic feature in concept and xiaomi is working on it which means we will get to see it in action in the near future and we actually can't wait to try it out.
Now taking inspiration from the Fire TV stick remote control and the Apple TV remote control, the Mi TV 4 brings a minimalistic remote control that gets the job done.
On the top left corner we have the power button below which rests the directional buttons with the select button in the center. You also have the home, back and menu buttons along with the volume rocker. Overall the Xiaomi Mi TV 4 is packed with features and we are still digging and getting used to the UI.
An interesting thing that Xiaomi has emphasized on is the fact that they will not just launch this TV and forget about it.
The company will work on improving the services and features on offer via updates and we would like to see the performance and evolution of the services on the main TV in the coming days.
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