Good afternoon, dear readers! There have been no reviews of TV boxes on Mysku for a long time, we’ll try to fix that. In today's review, I propose to consider a new product from Mecool - the Mecool KM3 TV box. The device runs Google Android TV 9 (ATV 9) operating system with support for Widevine CDM level L1 certification. In this review, we will look at the characteristics, appearance, and contents of the device and check its capabilities. Anyone interested, please refer to cat. TV boxes based on SoC (system on a chip) Amlogic S905X2 are already familiar to many and have recently flooded the Chinese market. SoС was presented by Amlogic in September 2022, at the IBC 2018 exhibition in Amsterdam. Amlogic S905X2 is a quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 SoC, which differs from older chips (S905, S912) by the integrated Mali-G31 (Dvalin MP2) graphics accelerator, USB 3.0 support in most devices, Bluetooth 5.0 and support for modern Ampak Wi-Fi adapters with MIMO 2x2. Official support for Android TV 9 was also announced. Due to the fact that the SoC is manufactured using a 14 nm process technology, it is quite productive and heats up significantly less under maximum loads. A noticeable drawback of most devices based on new SoCs is “raw” firmware, which manufacturers are in no hurry to fix. Firmwares are edited “on the fly” by inquisitive minds from Freaktab and w3bsit3-dns.com. Sometimes it seems that Chinese developers put up devices for sale with raw software and wait for developers from third-party sites to make their edits and changes to it for free. Mecool KM3 is not the first device from this brand that I have reviewed. Previously, I reviewed the Mecool KM9 TV box, which I liked for its functionality. But after the release of the first KM9 devices with a Bluetooth remote control and the Google ATV operating system, Mecool had some problems with Google and legal VoD services stopped working on the TV boxes. Mecool took the path of least resistance and while the working issues with certification from Google were being sorted out, they began to equip the KM9 with a regular IR remote control and install on these TV boxes not ATV but the regular Android operating system. Relatively recently, the situation with certification changed and Mecool released updated models KM9 and KM3. The manufacturer emphasizes that devices are certified by Google and have the Google ATV 9 operating system installed.
Characteristics of Mecool KM3
Processor
– Amlogic S905X2 quad-core Cortex A53 processor up to 1.9 GHz;
GPU
- ARM Dvalin MP2 (Mali-G31 MP2);
RAM
– 4 GB LPDDR4;
Flash memory
- EMMC: 64 GB;
Wi-Fi
- IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, 2.4 + 5 GHz;
Bluetooth
- Bluetooth 4.1;
Connectors
: 1 * HDMI - version 2.1 1 * AV - 480i/576i standard definition 2 * USB - 1x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0 1 * RJ45 - Ethernet interface, support 10/100 m 1 * TF card - Supports memory cards up to 32 GB (tested with 64 GB, no problems)
Power
- 5 V, 2 A;
OS
- Google ATV 9;
Video support * Amlogic video engine (AVE) with dedicated hardware decoders and encoders * Multi-mode decoder support - 4K x 2K 60fps + 1x1080P 60fps * Supports multiple video encoding/decoding sessions, simultaneous decoding and encoding * Video/image decoders : -VP9 profile-2 up to 4K x 2K 60fps -H.265 HEVC MP-10 L5.1 up to 4K x 2K 60fps -AVS2-P2 profile up to 4K x 2K 60fps -H.264 AVC hp L5 .1 up to 4K x 2K 30fps -H.264 MVC up to 1080P 60fps -MPEG-4 ASP L5 up to 1080P 60fps (ISO-14496) -WMV/VC-1 SP/MP/AP up to 1080P 60fps -AVS -P16 (AVS+)/AVS-P2 JiZhun profile up to 1080P 60fps -MPEG-2MP/HL up to 1080P 60fps (ISO-13818) -MPEG-1MP/HL up to 1080P 60fps (ISO-11172) -RealVideo 8/9/10 up to 1080P 60fps Additionally
: Bluetooth remote control with built-in microphone.
Package
The manufacturer did not skimp on the packaging of Mecool KM3. The box is packed in cardboard packaging with full-color printing. The packaging shows the TV box and its characteristics, which the manufacturer would like to draw your attention to. There is a renewed emphasis on Google certification and the Google ATV9 operating system. The box is made of fairly thick cardboard, the top opening part has magnetic latches.
Introduction
The abundance of modern smart TVs is simply amazing. Today in an electronics store you can find models with a variety of functions - from simple to more sophisticated ones. However, what to do if the house already has a large plasma panel, albeit with limited capabilities? It's too early to write it off. Inexpensive TV set-top boxes running on Android are sold on the market. By connecting such a device to your TV, you seem to be giving it a second life. It becomes available to watch IPTV, online movies, Internet surfing, social networks and much more. This article provides an overview of the Mecool KM3 android set-top box. Let's look at what advantages and disadvantages it has.
Contents of delivery
The delivery set includes: - Mecool KM3 TV box - bluetooth remote control with built-in microphone - power supply 5V, 2A;
— HDMI cable; - user manual. The included remote control is the same as the first versions of KM9. It works via Bluetooth without an additional adapter, which “saves” a USB connector for us, of which the device does not have many. The buttons are pressed clearly, with a slight click. The sensitivity of the built-in microphone is good, voice commands are easily recognized at arm's length. An IR LED is installed behind the front panel in the remote control to implement the function of turning the device on/off.
The power supply and HDMI cable are the same as those included with most budget TV boxes. The block is marked JTHY-052000 and the output voltage parameters are 5V, 2A. The board has input and output chokes; we saved on the fuse and noise suppression capacitor. This did not affect the operation of the TV box; the unit operates stably, practically without heating up.
Cooling
To cool the Mecool KM6 Deluxe console, the manufacturer installed a special aluminum radiator. Thanks to the presence of a metal cover with holes located on the back of the device, the set-top box does not heat up.
The cooling of this model is passive. Small rubber feet provide the clearance necessary for free air access.
Aluminum radiator
Appearance
The Mecool KM3 case is made of glossy plastic, only the back panel with connectors is matte. In the packaging, the TV box is covered with protective films; after removing them, the case begins to collect micro scratches and fingerprints. Case dimensions (L x W x H): 10.9 x 10.8 x 1.7 cm, weight - 130 g. The Mecool logo is printed on the top side of the case. On the front side we can see an LED indicator of the device’s operating modes.
The KM3 indicator works the same as the KM9 in the “Smart breathing light” mode - smart breathing (flickering) light. While the device is operating, it constantly flickers in different colors, depending on the operating mode. The intensity of the indicator light is medium. It strains the eyes a little in the evening.”
The lower part of the body is made of metal. It has rubber feet glued to it and ventilation holes.
On the left side there are the following connectors: 1xUSB 2.0, 1xUSB 3.0, Micro SD.
On the back side there are the following connectors (from left to right): analog audio/video output AV, Ethernet RJ45, HDMI, power connector. You can connect an old TV to the AV connector using RCA “tulip” connectors.
Watching films on illegal and semi-legal VOD services.
I rightfully consider the HD Video Box program to be the best and most convenient application for watching movies. Thousands of films: new releases, old films, TV shows, series and cartoons - almost any video content will be available on the TV box. For each film or TV series, short information about it is presented: its ratings, information about the film crew and a brief description of the plot. You can watch a short trailer.
Depending on the speed of the Internet tariff, HD Video Box allows you to select the video of different quality we need, from modest 240p to HD quality films at 2160p.
We will write a separate article on the HD Video Box application soon, it is really worth it.
Disassembly
To disassemble the device, you need to unscrew the four screws that are located under the rubber feet. Removing the cover, we can see the device board. The board has a dual-band WiFi/Bluetooth 4.1 module Ampak AP6356S. The module is built on the BCM4356A2 chip from Broadcom.
Next, unscrew four more screws and remove the board. Two WiFi antennas are glued to the inside of the case, which indicates that the AP6356S module supports MIMO 2x2 technology.
MIMO
(Multiple Input Multiple Output; multiple inputs, multiple outputs) is a method of spatial signal encoding that allows you to increase the channel bandwidth, in which two or more antennas are used for data transmission and the same number of antennas for reception. The transmitting and receiving antennas are spaced so far as to achieve minimal mutual influence on each other between adjacent antennas. For the end user, MIMO provides a significant increase in data transfer speed. Depending on the configuration of the equipment and the number of antennas used, you can get a twofold, threefold or up to eightfold increase in speed. Typically, wireless networks use the same number of transmitting and receiving antennas, and this is written as, for example, 2x2 or 3x3. Those. if we see a MIMO 2×2 recording, it means two antennas are transmitting the signal and two are receiving.
There are no complaints about the quality of the board's manufacturing. It can be noted that the HDMI and USB 3.0 lines are fully protected. All resistor and varistor assemblies are installed in their places.
The elements on the board include the following: - SoC Amlogic S905X2; — eMMC 5.1 Samsung KLMCG4JENB-B041 drive with a capacity of 64 GB; — DDR4L RAM chip 4 GB — Spectek PS082-062BT; — audio signal amplifier with built-in converter dio2133; — network transformer H1601SG for 100 Mbit/s networks.
In fact, the Mecool KM3 board is the same board as the Mecool KM9, as we can see from its markings. The differences are in the installed WiFi module with support for MIMO 2×2 and a different SoC cooling implementation. In KM9, heat was dissipated through a heat-conducting pad to a metal plate inside the case; in KM3, a small radiator was glued to the SoC. Looking ahead, the implementation with a radiator has fully justified itself. The temperature under load did not exceed 50 degrees.
operating system
Mecool KM3 runs on the 32-bit Android 9 operating system with Google ATV 9 shell. Root access is denied.
There are no OS updates as of the date of review. At first launch, 2.8 GB of RAM and about 52 GB of internal flash memory are available. After turning on the TV box, we see the initial setup screen. We are offered to connect a standard Bluetooth remote control to the device and set up a Google account. You can set up an account manually using the remote control, or automatically using a smartphone. You need to activate the voice assistant on your smartphone and say: “Ok Google. configure the device." After this, the smartphone will scan available devices nearby and prompt you to enter a code that will be displayed on your TV to which the Mecool KM3 is connected. After entering the code, your Google account will be copied to the TV box.
Mecool KM3 uses Google Home Launcher as its home screen. The interface is designed in the form of tiles. You can assign the application you need to the top row tiles. Below are lines with recommendations and channel events. Each line is scrollable horizontally. If necessary, you can disable recommendation lines that you do not need. Google Home Launcher is adapted to work with the standard remote control and voice control. Global voice search works well both on the home screen and in applications.
Near the clock, in the upper right side of the screen, there is a settings icon, next to it is a system notification counter and a voice search line. On the left, there are icons for the application menu and connected channels. Only apps adapted for Android TV are displayed in the application menu. Third-party apps appear in the Sideload Launcher menu.
The settings menu is only available in an ATV-adapted form. I did not find a way to get into the standard Android settings menu, therefore I did not get the opportunity to use such a function as a WiFi hotspot. If anyone knows how to do this on an ATV, please post in the comments. The translation is done at an average level. All items have been translated except “Advanced Settings”, which contains settings for screen, sound, playback, HDMI CEC, and device behavior when you press the on/off button.
The system has a minimum number of applications installed: Google services, YouTube, DRM manager, file manager and player. An application is also installed to control the TV box using a smartphone. The pre-installed Google Play Market allows you to install only applications adapted for TV, which introduces certain inconveniences. You can install third-party applications by downloading them to the Internet, or by installing the alternative market “Aptoide”.
Problems and their solutions
Despite the high quality of the Mecool KM6 Deluxe set-top box, users often complain about many problems that arise during the operation of the device. Below you can find the most common bugs and ways to solve them.
- Always-on HDR mode . Against this background, the appearance of menu elements becomes too contrasting and bright. By installing new firmware you can get rid of the problem.
- The set-top box freezes when AFR is enabled in applications . To deal with this problem, just reboot your device.
- Inability to turn on the set-top box from the remote control . In this case, you will need to install third-party software.
It is worth considering that the problems listed above most often occur on early versions of Mecool KM6 Deluxe. New versions have updated firmware installed by default.
If a flashing is required to fix the problem, don’t worry. You can do it yourself. First of all, download the appropriate firmware from the manufacturer’s official website, upload the archive to a USB flash drive and connect it to a free USB port of the device. Then open the application, select the “Local updates” category and enter the path to the file that was downloaded.
After this, the automatic update process starts. As a rule, flashing takes no more than 5 minutes.
In cases where the remote control stops working and does not turn on the set-top box, experts advise installing the Wakelock v3 application. You can download it absolutely free from the Play Market https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.thedarken.wldonate&hl=ru&gl=US. Next, activate the Processor tab (a yellow stripe should appear opposite).
Wakelock v3
The next step is to go to the Settings category, Applications section. After selecting the Special Access folder, click on “Energy Saving”. Among various software, you need to select Wakelock V3, click Input Device and disable Economy Mode for them. Problem solved. After these steps, the remote control will turn the device on/off.
Defects noticed in the firmware
Before turning it on for the first time, I inserted the adapter from the air mouse into the USB connector.
When asked to enter a WiFi password, I placed the cursor in the input field, but the on-screen keyboard did not appear. Then I found out that the device perceives the air mouse as a physical keyboard and does not display the on-screen one. It can be treated by installing Lean Keyboard, which works great with an air mouse, or setting the option “When connecting a physical keyboard, display the on-screen keyboard” in the “Language and input” settings menu. Mecool KM3 sometimes does not exit sleep mode after being put into it by the shutdown button (the “sleep now” option in the “Powerkey definition” menu is enabled). When the “Shutdown” option is enabled, the box is normally turned on/off using the standard remote control. I note that the “sleep” function was normally implemented only in a few previously reviewed TV boxes on the S905X2. The same problem was observed on the first versions of Mecool KM9, but was quickly fixed by the developers from w3bsit3-dns.com. I hope they fix it for Mecool KM3 too.
The next point is optimizing applications for ATV 9. During testing, I encountered a problem with the performance of test applications with Android 9 and in particular with ATV 9. Most of them either did not launch at all, or were launched rotated horizontally. I had to resort to dancing with a tambourine and the Rotation Control application, which allows you to set the screen orientation for each of the installed applications. Despite dancing with a tambourine, some test applications never launched.
Voice control
As we already mentioned, the Mecool KM3 TV Box is equipped with a Bluetooth remote control with a voice search button (with colored circles), so by pressing this button you can issue voice commands. The service works well and quickly. It's really very convenient, you don't have to spend a long time selecting with the remote control, just say what you're looking for. For example, say “kitchen episode 25” and the system will open exactly this episode for you on YouTube (pictured).
When you request “Terminator 3,” the system displays brief information about this film, a list of actors, a link to the trailer on YouTube, as well as links to the film in all installed film applications.
You can also ask to tell (in Russian) about the weather for tomorrow or for any day. Overall, voice search is incredibly convenient and one of the biggest benefits of Android TV.
Testing
The tests conducted showed the performance level of the quad-core Amlogic S905X2 SoC, which can be compared with the older, eight-core Amlogic S912 SoC. Here are some synthetic test results: Antutu 6.2.7
Geekbench 4
Antutu Video Benchmark
showed the lack of support for only one of the formats. Upon further testing, the box did not want to play AC-3 on the hardware decoder.
Bonsai Benchmark
3D mark
Drive speed
The speed of RAM, internal flash memory and MicroSD card was measured using the A1SD Bench application.
Based on the test results, we can conclude that Mecool KM3 drives showed good speed for TV boxes in the budget segment. When trying to measure the speed of an external drive connected to USB 3.0, the application generated an error. I measured the speed of writing a file from a media connected to USB 3.0 - about 58 megabytes per second (about 464 Mbit/s)
Price
This set-top box in the 4/64 GB version was purchased from the Gearbest online store for $70 (~ 4,500 rubles ). Now you can buy Mecool KM3 there at a price of about 5,700 rubles for a similar version, and for 7,800 rubles for a version with a 128 GB drive:
Mecool KM3 4/64 GB
Mecool KM3 4/128 GB
Periodically, the price changes in both directions due to the volatility of the ruble exchange rate; in addition, Gearbest often organizes sales, as a result of which the price can be significantly reduced.
In the AliExpress online store, the 4/64 GB version of the set-top box costs a little cheaper – 5,600 rubles with free shipping from China. For a small surcharge, you can choose fast delivery throughout Russia from a warehouse in Moscow:
Go to the console page on AliExpress
Back to contents
Network interface speed
The Mecool KM3 network interfaces are responsible for the operation of: WiFi/Bluetooth
- Dual-band 2.4+5 GHz WiFi/Bluetooth 4.1 Ampak AP 6356S module with support for MIMO 2x2;
Ethernet
is a controller built into the SoC that supports speeds of 100 Mbit/s. The speed test was performed using the multi-platform utility iPerf 3, which allows you to measure the real speed of your network connection. The server running on the computer transmits data, the client receives it in Mecool KM3. The network is built on a router supporting MIMO 2×2 Xiaomi MiWiFi Router 3G with firmware from Padavan. The router is located in the same room with the TV box, at a distance of about 7 meters. Under these conditions, no problems were found with WiFi reception levels. The connection was stable, without interruptions. There was no need to perform additional positioning to improve the level of WiFi reception.
As a result of measurements, the following speeds were obtained: - WiFi 2.4 GHz - 13 Mbit/s; — WiFi 5 GHz — 198 Mbit/s; — Ethernet — 91 Mbit/s. In the 5 GHz band and over Ethernet, the speed is acceptable. It’s not clear why there is such a low speed in the 2.4 GHz range, apparently something was done wrong in the firmware. Despite the support for MIMO 2×2, the Ampak AP 6356S in Mecool KM3 lacks stars from the sky.
Bluetooth worked well, all available devices in the environment were detected. Headphones, a standard remote control, and a Bluetooth gamepad paired with the KM3 without any problems and worked flawlessly.
Playing test videos
Like all set-top boxes on the Amlogic S905X2, Mecool KM3 played most UHD BDRip, BDRip, BD Remux, and videos with bitrates up to 70 Mbps without any problems. The difficulty arose when playing 2160p files at 60 fps (encoded in H.264). The Amlogic S905X2 hardware decoder supports H.264 2160p files at up to 30 fps and 1080p up to 60 fps. Some action cameras can shoot videos in this format. There were also difficulties with playing sound in AC-3 format, which were easily resolved by installing the MX Player player and turning on the HW+ decoder in it.
Playing video
For testing for support of playable codecs, the set-top box scored 1004 points and only two unsupported codecs. The TV Box seamlessly plays movies at 480p, 720p and 1080p resolution (24 fps, 30 fps, 60 fps), as well as 4K (60 fps) with various video codecs such as H.264. H.265, MPEG2, MPEG4, RMVB and audio - DTS and AC3. Dolby Digital 5.1 works great over HDMI.
Additionally, we tested several video formats - AVI, MKV, MP4 (the typical formats most movies are created in), ISO - and video playback is smooth and stable.
We also tested the playback of a series of different videos with different codecs and bitrates:
Sony 4K – Camp HDR MP4/HEVC 10bit – 75.8Mbps Jellyfish 4k uhd HEVC 10bit – 140Mbps Jellyfish 4k uhd HEVC 10bit – 200/250/300/400Mbps LG Demo – Istanbul 3840×2160 MP4/H264 8bit – 116Mbps Demo Samsung 2014 – USA Road Trip TS/HEVC 10bit – 51.4Mbps Demo Samsung 2014 TS/HEVC 10bit – 51.4Mbps Ducks.Take .Off.2160p.QHD.CRF25.x264-CtrlHD.mkv – MPEG4 Video (H264) 3840×2160 29.97fps Philips Surf 4K Demo.mp4 o - HVC1 3840×2160 24fps 38013kbps LG Cymatic Jazz 4K Demo.ts - Video: HEVC 3840×2160 59.94fps
All videos were played without any problems with picture or sound. Autoframerate does not yet work on this console and due to the lack of root access, it will not be possible to do it yet. But it will probably appear in the next update, judging by other models running on this processor, for which autoframerate already works.
The TV Box also does a great job of playing YouTube videos in 4K (2160p).
DRM, Netflix, YouTube,
DRM
DRM
- an abbreviation that stands for “digital restrictions management”, that is, management of digital restrictions.
Copyright supporters usually decipher this abbreviation as digital rights management. In Russian, DRM is called Technical means of copyright protection. This technology is implemented in Netflix, Amazon Video, BBC, HBO, etc. The DRM Info application shows that Mecool KM3 supports Google Widevine DRM level 1 and HDCP 1.x. This level allows you to view HD video in legal VoD services.
Having installed the Netflix application for Android TV and registered on the service’s website, I checked its functionality. There were no problems when playing HD video.
The pre-installed YouTube application allows you to watch videos in 2160P quality.
Thanks to certification from Google, Chromecast is supported. You can stream YouTube videos from your smartphone to your TV without any additional software. To do this, you need to click the corresponding icon on your smartphone and select the TV to which you want to stream the video.
Perfect Player, HD VideoBox
To watch IPTV I use a paid playlist from Eden TV. For a symbolic price of 1$/month. we get a stable playlist with the ability to watch more than 400 channels, including in HD quality. The channels in the playlist are sorted into thematic groups, and a four-day archive of recordings is available. To watch I use the Perfect Player, an excellent player with a user-friendly interface that supports EPG (electronic program guide).
I watch new video rentals and other media files using the Online Cinema Hub application - HD VideoBox in conjunction with MX Player. There are no complaints about video playback. With a good transmission speed from cinema servers, the video plays smoothly, with sound.
Additional software
The popular On-line cinema HD Videobox works on the MECOOL KM3 set-top box without any comments.
HD VideoBox + version paired with Ace Stream Engine or TorrServe allows you to enjoy very convenient viewing of movies from torrents directly without prior downloading. Any selected video, including 4K, is played back perfectly, no problems with image or sound are observed.
Other popular cinemas – KinoTor and Megogo – also work without problems.
The powerful LazyMedia Deluxe aggregator also works without problems.
Playback of TV channels using IPTV technology was tested using the IPTV and playlist. Everything works perfectly.
Games
Since TV boxes on Amlogic S905X2 do not overheat, you can safely connect a gamepad and play not too demanding games. I installed several games and invited children to test them. After several hours of playing, the children were happy, the KM3 worked without overheating or failures. I tried to install World of Tanks Blitz, it is quite possible to play on medium and low settings at 35-40 fps.
Conclusion
Mecool KM3 is actually Mecool KM9 in a new case with improved cooling and a WiFi adapter that supports MIMO 2x2.
The model under review is one of the few in its price segment of TV boxes that has working certification from Google. The box works quickly under the latest Android TV 9 (ATV 9) operating system and supports legal VOD services and other goodies from Google. The software, although it has some flaws, is quite functional. Mecool KM3 can easily serve as a home media center or a simple game console for children. What I liked: - cold Amlogic S905X2 chip; - latest operating system Android TV 9; — working certification from Google with support for relevant VoD services; — improved cooling system; — complete Bluetooth remote control with excellent voice control and search; From what I would like to fix: - not working out of the Autoframerate box; — sleep mode not working correctly; - low WiFi speed in the 2.4 GHz range;
That's all I wanted to talk about in this review. All the best. Thank you for your attention!
The product was provided for writing a review by the store. The review was published in accordance with clause 18 of the Site Rules.
About the brand
The appearance on the Russian market of products from the Shenzhen plant and especially the Mecool product line has opened up access to the functionality of high-tech TVs for the majority of citizens of our country, without purchasing expensive equipment.
Despite some bias towards the quality of products manufactured in China, this manufacturer, valuing its reputation, fully controls production at all stages, which allows us to guarantee the high functionality of the model range of this brand.
Where can I buy
- eHome Tech Store – https://ehometech.ru.aliexpress.com/store/4350002
- Official Store MECOOL Official Store – https://mecool.aliexpress.ru/store/4662078
- Hulk 3C Store – https://ru.aliexpress.com/store/4499150
Thanks to thoughtful technical solutions and ergonomics, laconic design style and relatively low cost, Mecool products successfully compete with more famous brands.
In particular:
- Particularly in demand are models equipped with multi-core processors, which ensure high performance and speed of information transfer, and their large amount of memory or the presence of a so-called card reader allows for the connection of external devices.
- The diversity of the model range provides a choice of how to connect to a television receiver and the Internet, which makes it possible to purchase a Chinese-made set-top box that is optimally suited to a particular equipment.
- The compactness and thoughtful configuration of most Mecool models increases the speed and comfort of operating the console.
The manufacturer is constantly improving the software of devices, introducing the latest communication modules, which helps to increase the functionality of devices, expand the range of products entering the Russian market and, therefore, increases the possibility of choice.
