DDF Exclusive Airtel Xstream (Android 10) STB Full Review

[Gopi27]

Guys recently I upgraded to Xstream Smart Box -002 thats what Airtel guys calls it.

So, I placed STB Upgrade request on July 29th and after multiple calls & mails they finally upgraded my STB on Aug 5th

STB Upgrade price - Rs.1150 (Hotstar Super Plan Free)

Specs :

STB made by Felxtronics
CPU - Quad-core Mediatek MT5251 clocked at 1.4GHz
GPU - ARM Mali T820
RAM - 2GB
ROM - 8GB (Claimed) but actually we get only 4.7GB of total storage

Pros :

• Very Compact design compared to Internet TV and old Xstream box as it takes very less space.
• Boot animation of Android 10 & Xstream logo is awesome
• Booting time is very fast. Just under 20sec
• UI looks much refined and sleek
• STB is fast enough as i didn't face any lag issues when switching from DTH channels to OTT & vice- versa
• Remote is same as old Xstream box and the response time is quite fast.

Un-verified : As I have LG 2.1ch Soundbar i can't actually feel the difference between PCM & Dolby audio both Audios feels the same on my Soundbar.

Apps like Hotstar, Prime, Netflix are showing DD5.1 tag when Dolby mode is on STB

This is something anyone with Real 5.1ch Home theatre setup should check

Cons :

• On installation STB enables HDR mode across all content which makes non - HDR content i,e TV channels colors looks over saturated and dark whereas HDR content on i,e Netflix, Prime looks good
• To watch TV channels I have to set HDR mode off and for OTT content i have to again turn it back.
• This is very frustrating for everytime i switch between TV channels & OTT i have to turn on/off the HDR mode.
• Now, Coming to Picture quality HD channels looks good but the real problem is with SD channels i,e News channels i can't read the news scrolling.
• My previous Internet TV used to give much sharper PQ therefore SD channels also looks good.
• On STB, Advanced settings the sharpness is set by default to 'Zero' and everytime i try to increase it goes back to default 'Zero'

Known Bugs :

• Auto - HDR mode should be smart enough to differentiate between HDR & Non- HDR content. HDR mode should only be triggered when the Content played is HDR
• Display Sharpness is always set to 'Zero'

These two are the major software bugs i came across which can be easily resolved with right patch update. Let's hope Airtel is quick enough to send OTA updates

Currently, this the Software Version my STB is on. Is this the latest firmware ??



Bottom Line : Overall I'm disappointed with this STB for latest OS & faster CPU i have to compromise on PQ of TV channels

 

[HappySoul]

STB has sharpness controls
First time I am hearing
What about favourite channels? Still need to switch to homescreen to go to fav channels?

 

[Gopi27]

STB has sharpness controls
First time I am hearing
What about favourite channels? Still need to switch to homescreen to go to fav channels?

Yep, STB has Sharpness control we can't control it it's by default set to 'Zero' value.

If we set favourite channels, while playing any channel we press left menu key, it opens My channels tab there our favourite channels appears

 

[sudheep]

STB has sharpness controls
First time I am hearing
What about favourite channels? Still need to switch to homescreen to go to fav channels?

In SITI cable Android BOX I have seen this feature- adjustment of picture settings including colour brightness contrast hue etc..

 

[HappySoul]

Yep, STB has Sharpness control we can't control it it's by default set to 'Zero' value.

If we set favourite channels, while playing any channel we press left menu key, it opens My channels tab there our favourite channels appears

Still worst implementation of fav channels

 

[Bharelak2301]

Thanks for your post,I plan to update and as you have mentioned they are keep on calling,let see how it works

 

[Anil150r]

I call to cc they mentioned that it is Android 9 that we have. So what I do next. Nd they tells that it will update to Android 10. So is there any difference between them or only android difference there.

 

[Gopi27]

I call to cc they mentioned that it is Android 9 that we have. So what I do next. Nd they tells that it will update to Android 10. So is there any difference between them or only android difference there.

Android 10 STB is only available in major cities right now. Once, the old Xstream STB (Android 9) stock is over they will launch the new STB.

Overall, performance is much improved with the new STB. So, i suggest to wait for 1 or 2 months and get the new STB only

And don't believe Airtel CC or dealer guys they don't know anything about techical related questions. Old Xstream STB won't get Android 10 update.

 

[Vijayu Devarakonda]

great buy @Gopi27

 

[Anil150r]

Where I watch recording files.

In Airtel Xtreme recording files can't find where it was.

Media folder maybe, encrypted format.