Over the past few days, we have come across a lot of sneak peeks into the upcoming smart streaming devices from Reliance Jio. In our last review of the Jio non-RF STB, we exhibited the hardware of the device along with its tech-specs. In this article, we will have a look at the user interface and app ecosystem of the device.
This box does not have live Tv capabilities at the moment due to lack of RF input or the Jio Tv app but it does have Jio Tv+ app which is basically like Patchwall in Mi Tv and it aggregates video content from various streaming apps like Eros Now, Alt Balaji, etc. Apart from Jio TV+, there seems to be a separate custom version of all the Jio apps such as JioSaavn, Jio cinema, etc.
YouTube app can be installed exclusively through the Jio store app since this device lacks the Google play store, being a forked version of Android. Both YouTube and Sonyliv seem to be a custom app created for Jio based on their package names “YouTube” (com.jio.yt) and “SonyLIV” (com.jiotv.sonyliv). But their functionalities are the same as the original app. Youtube plays 4k HDR video without any issues.
The box seems to have native DLNA support. It was able to play a 4K HDR stream from our Network Attached Storage (NAS) server without frame loss using the built-in Photos app. Jio Games app seems to have some issue since It wasn’t working as of writing the review.
Overall impression:
All the hype that was created for the STB is definitely not worth the wait. Even if Live TV is added in the future we are still limited only to the JioStore for installing new apps, no option of Google Play store. Also, no support for Google assistant or built-in Chromecast could be a dealbreaker for many. Comparison of Jio IPTV STB with Airtel Xtream or Hathway Playbox or ACT Stream4k is like comparing android TV which is prevalent now vs smart TV or internet-connected tv from the past.
Jio fiber is most dud launch of this decade. People had so much expectations but it seems they are failing at all fronts.
No progress on new connection, no updates on paid plan as well
I am a follower of TT since 2011. I think so. Earlier TT is focusing on quality articles when Esmail, Tarun etc. Where there. I don’t remember most of the names. Very informative comments was also there. But now chakri and so on killed TT. Quantity of articles are high. But no quality is there. Old wine in new bottle. Like that he is posting articles again and again with different headlines. Still fanboys like me like the name ‘TT’ only because of what Esmail, Tarun etc. Like i m still living the name ‘Nokia’ but not using it right now.
We don’t believe in recycling old articles and posting them as new to maintain site traffic since we have no shortage of new and original content. Go through the articles we have here on DreamDTH, hopefully it will remind you of the good old days, and with readers like you we can have our own little community to interact with here. Have a pleasant browsing experience 🙂
I remember those days.. Tarun, Esmail, Sanjay Bafna and so on. If anyone knows others name please mention.
🤪🤪 Sudhakar, Duane 😝😝
Lol, I hope Sudhakar doesn’t find me here, let him stick with TT only. 😛
Sudhakar is not active on TT also nowadays, may be he lost his Samsung note 😂
Yes our very own Sudhakar. He is currently going by the name of ‘Thamilan Da’.
I’m also a reader of TT from 2015 onwards. Back then I grew my interest in telecom sector by reading the informative articles of the likes of Esmail, Tarun, Srikapardhi, Rudradeep Biswas, Zara Ali and many others who commented on that forum insightfully. But now Chakri killed it with arrogance and whimsical behaviour.
Looking forward to find those past charm here. Keep up the good work.
Here at DreamDTH we believe in a healthy and courteous interaction between readers and the editors which fosters a mutually enriching bond of knowledge.
Seriously, chakri is most arrogant person have ever seen. No ready to accept the feedback. It’s like my way or highway