Do you have a Smart TV that’s not as Smart as it used to be? Instead of plugging in laptops or mini desktops to the back of your TV to be able to watch your favorite shows and get the annoying pop-ups saying “your device is not compatible” yet it still works? (Yes this has been my experience thus far).
Look no further than the Mediabox NEO Stick, it’s a book for a once smart TV – it can turn your hopeless soon-to-be-thrown-away TV back to its former glory using Google Android TV at a low cost, able to support Prime Video, Disney+, Showmax, AppleTV, DSTV, Netflix and various other applications through the Play Store.
With the dongle being officially certified by Google and Netflix, it is guaranteed to not only work but be reliable and be a step above the competition by using OK Google voice integration to speak to your TV instead of searching for your remote in between the couches.
The initial unboxing took me off guard considering the size of the dongle, and a plan or 2 might have to be made to keep everything as neat as possible as the dongle would still need a power outlet to have it running, but once this was done my life has changed.
The dongle has 1GB RAM and a 2.1Ghz Quad Core Cortex A35 processor which in plain English means that it would not slow down on you like some of the smart TVs might, along with 9GB eMMC flash storage to further improve performance it is also able to stream via HDMI up to 1080p with HDR.
Surely this cannot be more convenient, can it? YES it can, it connects to the internet via WiFi and provides you batteries with the remote, and let’s be honest, there is nothing more annoying than getting your new toy to find out there are no batteries.
Worried about the future that a new platform might appear such as Disney+ did recently? No worries, due to the MediaBox using Play Store you would be able to download and use it as it releases/
If you don’t want to struggle having multiple remotes for your sound bar, TV, and Mediabox, the NEO Stick can take charge of these as you can allow the Mediabox to control the audio output of the TV/Soundbar as well which means you only need 1 remote to dominate the living room.
There is another thing that I feel is usually overlooked on the matter but you do miss it when it’s not available, is when you see something on YouTube that you need to show those around you, you can broadcast it to the Mediabox to show everyone instead of passing your phone around and risk your search history being exposed!
Final Thoughts:
Initially, the price might seem a bit daunting to its competitors on the market but once you start using the device you will soon realize that the features and futureproof built quality that a mere R990.00 would be a small price to pay for such a great device, the features and functionality of the device ensures that we can enjoy TV with the least amount of effort, the way it should be!
