In the modern world, users are not very interested in television in its original form. Nowadays, mobile gadgets are increasingly used for watching videos, surfing the internet, and performing other popular functions. However, fans of quality content are unlikely to be satisfied with a small screen or the lack of surround sound. TV manufacturers understand this well and equip their creations with various media capabilities, including Smart TV, turning them into a true entertainment center. Naturally, this results in a hefty price for such solutions. Those who don't mind saving money or simply have an old TV or monitor that they want to give a "new life" to, look towards media players. One of them, namely Vinga 021 (VMP-021-82), visited our test laboratory.

This model is executed in the Set-top Box form factor and is based on the popular 64-bit Amlogic S905 processor. The manufacturer claims support for 4K Ultra HD video, online broadcasting, and much more. We will discuss all of this during the review. To start, let's take a look at the device's specifications.

Specification

Supply and Package Contents

Vinga 021 greets its potential buyers with a small package made of dense cardboard. Its design is done in an ascetic style, but the informativeness is quite sufficient and allows you to assess the equipment of the set-top box.

The package contents include the following components:

• 1 m HDMI cable;
• Remote control with USB receiver and charging cable;
• Power supply with activity indicator (cable length 85 cm);
• User documentation.

Appearance, Element Placement

In terms of design, Vinga 021 is a pretty and compact (208 x 127 x 51 mm) box in black tones. The broken lines slightly resemble the NVIDIA Shield TV. The case is entirely made of plastic with different textures: the top and bottom parts are slightly rough, stylized as roughly processed metal; the sides are glossy. While the latter makes the device a bit more elegant, it is impractical as it actively collects dust and small scratches with careless handling. If Vinga 021 is hidden from view, there won't be any particular issues with this.

The front panel houses only the activity indicator, which is visible only when connected. It lights up red when the media player is off and blue when it is on.

The main interfaces are located on the rear edge of the gadget. In addition to the network adapter socket, there are the following input-output ports: HDMI, RJ45 network interface, two audio ports (S/PDIF and AV), and USB 2.0.

The right side is reserved for the card reader and three USB 2.0 ports, while the left side is empty.

On the bottom panel of the case, there is the manufacturer's logo and the model's article number. It is secured with four screws hidden under the feet. There are also ventilation openings here.

Accessing the media player's hardware platform is not difficult at all.

The system board is made on green-colored textolite and has a fairly high density of component placement, among which the following should be highlighted:

• Processor (Amlogic S905 Quad-Core), covered with a heatsink;
• AMPAK AP6330 adapter for implementing wireless interfaces Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n (2.4 / 5 GHz) and Bluetooth 4.0;
• eMMC storage Samsung KLM8G1WEMB-B031;
• Four LPDDR3 RAM chips Samsung K4B4G16646D with a total volume of 2 GB;
• USB 2.0 interface controller GL850G.

Separately, we highlight the interesting placement of the Wi-Fi + Bluetooth module antenna. However, there is no possibility to replace or improve anything, as with other similar solutions.

The build quality of Vinga 021 and the rigidity of the case are good. Only the central part of the base slightly flexes, but only with strong pressure.