The television world has changed a lot in past few years that we can now do more than just watch TV channels on it. The advent of the smart TVs changed it all allowing users to connect internet to the TV and do things like watch online TV, connect to social media and browse the internet. Though the prices were quite high during early times, nowadays you can easily afford them. You can even choose to buy devices like Google Chromecast or Amazon Fire TV Stick around 3k to convert even a normal TV into one of those smart ones.
The set-top box vendors saw this opportunity and tried to incorporate this ‘smart’ functionality into their set-top boxes. Airtel made one earlier this year that supports its TV channels along with some apps and games. Now we here have Videocon entering the contest. The Videocon D2H HD Smart Connect is a set-top box with extra features like apps and games functionality. It can do various other things that we will see in this review. Let us get right into it.
Build and Design
The Videocon D2H HD Smart Connect looks similar to any other set-top box. It is white in colour and has a slope shape that goes downwards from the top of the box. The white coloured body is prone to dirt and dust after some usage.
On the front, the Videocon logo is at the left while there’s the HD Smart Connect branding at the right. There is a power LED in blue between these two. Nothing else there on the front.
There are some vents on the right of the set-top box and a USB port on the left. On the rear, it has all the ports: HDMI, Ethernet, AV jacks, DTH cable and power cable.
Features and Performance
The set-top box’s smart functionality is the highlight here and with it you can use apps to access web content. The interface is pretty simple and it requires a setting up to be done first. You can connect to internet with either Ethernet or Wi-Fi. The recommended speed is 4 MBPS. After connecting, you can browse the apps like YouTube, NDTV, Facebook and Twitter. You can add more apps like EROS Now, Sony LIV and TED Talks. Videocon is working with other providers like Hotstar, Amazon Prime Video, Voot and even Netflix.
Typing with the remote is obviously a weary task. So, there’s another way – you can have an app installed on your Android and use your phone as a remote. The name of this app is d2h Smart Remote App. This will help big time if with the overall experience you get in this system.
There is also a mobile casting feature that lets you cast music, videos and images from your phone to the TV. Other than that, there is an USB to connect flash drives, which is common in set-top boxes nowadays.
The device performs really well. The connectivity through all interfaces work perfectly. The UI is very usable but it does not definitely compare with the likes of Apple TV or Amazon Fire TV Stick. The online video loading on the device worked great too just like it would on any other systems like Amazon Fire TV Stick or Google Chromecast.
Final Words
The Videocon D2H HD Smart Connect is Videocon’s attempt to capture the ‘smart’ set-top box market. They almost pulled it off. At just Rs. 3,490, the D2H HD Smart Connect not only saves you money but also gives you simplified and unified system. But there are some drawbacks too. The UI could have been better and you have to wait till it gets more major providers like Netflix. But if you consider the price it’s not bad at all, we recommend it.
Feel Free to share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Don't forget to follow us on Twitter, like our Facebook Fan Page and Add us to your circles on Google+ to keep you updated with the latest technology news, gadget reviews, launches around the world and much more
