A TV box is a device that you connect to a TV set to watch any streaming content directly on the TV. To use the box, only an internet connection and a charger are required – all media content will already be available on the TV. A TV box should work with new TVs as well as older models.
By using a TV box, you can turn a normal TV into a smart TV that plays videos in 4K. The abbreviation “4K” stands for 4.000 horizontal screen pixels. Compared to the resolution in full HD with 1.080 pixels, videos in 4K are almost four times as sharp. The resolution in 4K is also known as ultra-HD. If streaming in 4K quality is very important to you, make sure that your TV can display videos in ultra-HD before buying a TV box – the box itself won’t enable a TV to stream in 4K if the TV hasn’t got this display capacity.
Streaming boxes are slightly larger than streaming sticks – what is compromised in size is made up for in power. What you’ll be able to stream via a TV box ultimately depends on the manufacturer and model, the installed software, and on the operating system. For example, Apple offers several apps different to those on Android TV boxes, or the Fire operating system from Amazon. However, well-known and frequently used apps can be used with all TV boxes. These include:
- Apps to stream films as part of a subscription: Amazon (Prime) Video, Netflix, Hulu, HBO
- Apps to access TV channels online: DirectTV, SlingTV
- Video media libraries of TV stations: NBC, CNN
- Apps to stream music: Deezer, Spotify, Amazon Prime Music, Amazon Music Unlimited, Apple Music
- Video portals: YouTube, Vimeo
- Internet radio stations
- Games apps
These are just a few examples; the actual selection of possibilities is huge. It is also possible to access the photos you may have on cloud storage systems and view them on your TV – holiday snaps can be viewed by the whole family as a slide show, for example.
Probably the biggest advantage of a TV box is that, unlike with conventional television, you’re not dependent on live content. Although some apps offer the option of watching certain TV channels live, the real advantage of a TV box lies in the on-demand services. This means that you can start and stop content at any time. The device remembers where you stopped the video, and resumes from that point when you start watching again.
Some boxes also include a feature for recording live streamed content, either to internal and external storage media, or to a paired cloud. Thanks to this, you’ll never miss a single show.