The new Xiaomi TV Stick is a very interesting bet if we compare it with the Chromecast with Google TV, the Fire Stick 4K from Amazon or even the Nvidia Shield TV. Comes with Android 11, its SoC has improved compared to the previous version and has many extra features, such as Chromecast integration.
Features of the Xiaomi TV Stick 4K 2021
The brain of Xiaomi’s new multimedia device is an Amlogic S905Y4, a SoC of 4 cores (accompanied by 2 GB of RAM) that integrates a Mali G31 MP2 GPU. Has 8 GB of storage that we will be able to expand using cards Micro SD. The body is constructed of plastic and weighs only 42.8 grams. It comes with your command, very minimalist, with a jog wheel, a couple of dedicated buttons for Netflix and Prime Video, and a button to invoke the Google assistant.
Xiaomi’s 4K TV Stick comes with Android TV 11Although the brand is expected to update the software to Android 12 in the coming months. Its recommended price is $ 54.99 in United States.
Regarding connectivity, it has Wi-Fi 2.4 and 5 GHz, as well as Bluetooth 5.0. The loading port is microUSB, which, at this point, seems to us not to be the most appropriate. Lastly, the Xiaomi TV Stick 4K supports DTS HD audio and Dolby Atmos. Regarding its video formats and codecs, it has compatibility with AV1, VP9, H.265, H.264, MPEG-2 and MPEG-1.
What is AV1 and why is it the future?
AV1 means AOMedia Video 1, and it is the video format that should be imposed soon if common sense triumphs and, obviously, a superior technology does not hit the market. It is a format of open source video compression and it has been developed by the Alliance for Open Media, which is driven by many multinationals that we all know, such as Amazon, Google or Microsoft.
AV1’s goal is to become the new generation standard. For the past six years, the market has been led by the H.265 (HEVC) codec, which is owned by the Moving Picture Experts Group, or as it is known worldwide, MPEG. Therefore, AV1 would give us the possibility of enjoying a codec higher than H.265 without having to pay no type of license.
Among the characteristics of AV we find the possible clossless video compression, the depth of 8, 10 and 12 bits per channel with support HDR and native support for videos HFR (High Frame Rate) and with resolution 8K. Being a codec, we will be able to apply it to the same .mp4 container of all life. Without a doubt, it is a success that Xiaomi has decided to bet on AV1, since its adoption is key to prevent H.266 from being imposed.
