U4 Quad Hybrid Review: Android TV Box with DVB-T2/T/C and DVB-S2 Tuner (2024)

Recently we showed you reviews TV Boxes equipped with the SoC Amlogic S905. Today, for a change, we want to show you a review TV Box called U4 Quad Hybrid equipped with Hisilicon Hi3796M processor, who also has a built-in tuners: DVB-T2/T/C and DVB-S2.We have already had the opportunity to test similar devices with DVB-T2/T/C tuner – Mygica ATV586 and WeTeK Play. How will withU4 Quad Hybrid you will read in this review.In this review we want to bring you the the features andimpressions of using U4 Quad HybridTV Boxand answer the questions: how U4 Quad Hybridworks in normal use as copes withvideo playback at 4K and that we stumbled upon some problems.Together we follow the standard stages of our review. We invite you to read.

I want to say thanks to Vivant Tech companyfor sending us a U4 Quad Hybrid TV Boxto review. Now U4 Quad Hybridis available on Aliexpress.com in the Vivant Tech official store for $106.69 + free shipping.

U4 Quad Hybrid specifications:

• CPU – Hisilicon Hi3796M quad core Cortex A7
• GPU – Mali-450MP GPU
• Memory – 1GB DDR3-1600 MHz
• Storage – 8GB internal storage and micro SD slot
• OS –Android 4.4
• Video Output – HDMI 1.4a up to 4K @ 30Hz + AV port (CBVS)
• Audio Output – HDMI, AV and coaxial S/PDIF
• Video Decoding – Up to 4K @30 fps for H.265, H.264, MPEG-4, AVS, VC-1, VP6/8
• DVB-S2 Tuner – Hi3136 demodulator; freq range: 950 to 2,150 MHz; symbol rate: DVB-S: 1~55 Mbps; DVB-S2: 1~44 Mbps; Input level: -65 to -25 dBm; LNB IN connector
• DVB-T2/T/C Tuner – AVL6762 demodulator; freq range: 43 to 1,002 MHz; bandwidth: 6/7/8/1.7 MHz; signal level: -80 to -25 dBm, ANT IN connector
• Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
• USB – 1x USB 3.0 host port, 1x USB 2.0 host port
• Misc – 2x LED, IR/LED connector (looks like mini USB)
• Power Supply – 12V/1.5A
• Dimensions – 135 x 135 x 33 mm
• Weight – 900 g

What we find in the box? The box included everything that you need to get started:

• U4 Quad Hybrid Android TV Box
• HDMI cable
• Power adapter 12V/1.5A (EU)
• Remote control (without AAA batteries)
• WiFi Antenna
• AV Cable

The following video from our YouTube channel where you can take a look at more U4 Quad HybridTV Boxand bundled accessories.

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JI4bkBl1Kbc[/embedyt]
First impressions, settings, overview of features

The outer casing is solidly constructed and aesthetically pleasing. Apart from the fact that the device has a built-in DVB-T & DVB-S2 TV Tuner Box is well equipped with I / O ports.

As we said at the beginning of his heart is a Hisilicon Hi3796M quad core Cortex A7 processor whichsupports
HiVXE Video Decoding:

• H.265 Main Profile@L5.0 High-tier
• H.264 BP/MP/HP@L5.0
• Full-HD 3D videos (MVC), blu-ray navigation
• AVS baseline profile@L6.0, AVS-P16 (AVS+)
• MPEG1
• MPEG2 SP@ML, MP@HL
• MPEG4 SP@L0−3, ASP@L0−5, GMC
• MPEG4 short header format (H.263 baseline)
• VC-1 SP@ML, MP@HL, AP@L0−3
• VP6/8
• MJPEG decoding, maximum 1080p@30 fps
• 4K x 2K@30 fps decoding
• Low delay decoding
• Simultaneous 4-channel HD decoding

Device runs on Android 4.4 KitKat. The front panelhas IR receiver and power LED. On one side is the micro SD slot,USB 2.0 host port and a USB 3.0 host port. Also we find AV port, and a mini USB port for an IR/LED extension cable (not included). On the rear panel of the TV Box is ANT IN and LNB IN antenna connectors, coaxial S/PDIF, the WiFi connector, HDMI output, 10/100M Ethernet, and a DCjack.

At the bottom of the devicethere are four rubber pads to prevent shifting. The U4 Quad Hybridalso has holes for the discharge of hot air.Below also remote control.

On the front panel U4 Quad Hybrid has an LED display that displays in addition to the time (in standby mode), and information about the status (during operation).

Booting Android to the “home screen” takes about 00:24.8seconds. “Home screen”launcherlooks very simple and is called eOn Center. UI is easy to use and intuitive.In addition to theremote controlI used astandard keyboard andmouseandXiaomi gamepad.

The device worked in the resolution of FHD 1920×1080 (1080p 60Hz) but you can alsoadjust thepreferred resolution (max2160p 24Hz ). The main screen has six tabs: TV, EPG, File Manager, Fav App, App All, Setup.Under the TV tab, we find digital TV and IPTV. IPTV operates on an application that requires a special code. At EPG we have access to the Electronic Program Guide for digital TV. Through which we can set the record channel. File manager does not need to explain. Fav App – your favorite applications. All Apps do not need to explain. The setup we can find all the most important settings. In a very easy way to configure tuners, set search preferences and search all available digital TV channels.

The device has the access control function, setting the PVR (personal video recorder), and more. Recording is very easy. Below are a few screenshots.

As we wrote recording is easy and works without a problem. After starting recording in the upper left corner of the red dot appears. When you stop recording, the recorded file is saved in a fixed location. To play back the recorded sample, you have to enter through the File Manager and select the tab PVR.

Below more real photos.

Tuners are working properly, the detection channels of digital television and radio channels is correct. We do not have any objections. The device is not fast, but it works stably. The U4 Quad HybridTV Boxhas also DLNA and Miracast. We hadno problem with Ethernet and WiFi connection to router and to Internet.Below other screenshots.

The U4 Quad HybridTV Box alsohas SAMBA service. Which works without a problem.You can easily share files at home. You can also set password when you need to loginfromPC / Smartphone to any resources on the TV Box. Below screenshots.

The U4 Quad Hybridin the local network (home network) was recognized as ANDROID_523880. I had no problems getting to “share” through my Smartphone Xperia Z1 and laptop. Below screenshots.

The U4 Quad Hybridhas a pre-installed kodi 15.2Isengard.For the tests, we chose version with added TV Addons.For the tests, it was also installed version 16.1 kodi Jarvis.

Unfortunately, a lot of applications in Google Play showed the information “Your device is not compatible with this version”,therefore it failed to install some applications for testing.On the U4you can run simple games such as Beach Buggy Racing and Jetpack Joyride. They work without a problem and stable. The problem occurs when controlling games using a mouse and keyboard, the lack of compatibility.Unfortunately, there is a problem with bluetooth and we could not pair the TV Box with Xiaomi Gamepad. When you turn ONbluetooth, after 2 seconds, turn off bluetooth. When you try to search for devices, turn off bluetooth. This is probably a bug, which should be repaired as soon as possible by manufacturer.

Operating system and components

The U4 Quad Hybridruns on the Android 4.4 KitKat, namely version 5.1.1 and the Linux Kernel version 3.10.0_s40. Received device has firmware build number Hi3796MV100-eng 4.4.2 KOT49H eng.ukheeham.20160328.135543 test-keys.TV Box is equipped with a Hisilicon Hi3796M quad core Cortex A7@ 1.50 GHz and GPUMali-450MP, CPU speed between 600 MHz and 1.50GHz. On the following screens you can see exactly the components used and their specification (Information taken from the CPU-Z app ).The device is detected as Hi3796MV100 (HiSTBAndroidV6)and board bigfish. Below screenchots.

After using the DRM info (app) we know that U4 Hybrid TV Boxdoes not support Google Widevine Moudlar DRM,Microsoft Playready DRM and Verimatrix VCAS.

Performance tests and benchmarks

AnTuTu Video Tester 3.0is incompatible with U4 Quad Hybrid.Unfortunately, failed to perform a test video the earlier version. During testing samples from Sorenson codec, the applicationAnTuTu Video Tester application stops at this codec and it was necessary to reset the device. Of course, this has no impact on the user experience. At the beginning of the TV Box has surprised us smooth playback of samples – Chimei HD Club – H264 / AAC 2.0 – 60Mbps. After the update to Kodi 16.1 version was worse. For most samples 4K hadonly sound or play notsmoothly. Despite the return to version 15.2, nothing has changed once again we have installed version 16.1 Jarvis. Video playback byMX Player runs smoothly and stable. The U4 Quad HybridTV Box without problem seems plays movies with the resolution of480p, 720p and1080p(24fps, 30fps,60fps) with variouscodecs video such asH.264, H.265, MPEG2, MPEG4, RMVB and audio – DTS and AC3. Dolby Digital 5.1 passthrough worked fine via HDMI. Also I tested several videoformats –AVI, MKV, MP4 (typical formats in which it holds the majority of films) and also videos wasplayedwithout anyproblems. The following table compares Kodi and MX Player for some video samples. TV Boxcopes well with playing the video on YouTube.

U4 Quad HybridTV BoxBenchmarks

The U4 Quad Hybrid scored 15760(MyGicaATV586 – 18588,WeTeK Play –14665)onAnTuTu Benchmark v5.7.1. TheU4 Quad HybridonGeekBech 3 scored:Single Core score– 322andMulti Core score – 1034.Below someof screenshots.

No Ice Storm Extreme tests, the problem with application compatibility.Below screen with the results in Vellamo. U4 Quad HybridTVBox has the internal memorybenchmarks: Read 22.64MB/s – Write 35.34MB/s. RAM copy speed was 854.39MB/s.

Conclusions

The U4 Quad Hybrid TV Box is asolid and well-made TV Box which has two tuners:DVB-T2/T/C and DVB-S2,that work perfectly and allow you to watch digital TV. The device has several features, for example,Access Control, EPG, PVR, Samba and more.The device does not work quickly, but stable.Unfortunately, the resulting sample was not working bluetooth and not all applications from Google Play are compatible, probably a problem with the firmware. The device has Android 4.4. TV Box plays typical video content in 1080pand copes well with the video in4K (also with 60fps) via MX Player. The U4 Quad Hybridhas nice and an easy to use UI which provides quick and intuitive access to key features.Once againI want to say thanks to Vivant Tech for sending us a U4 Quad Hybridreview sample.Kodi requires optimization. We hope that the manufacturer will prepare a firmware update soon. If you are looking for TV Box for digital TV, U4 Quad Hybrid it is for you. When it comes to broader entertainment device must receive the necessary corrections.