Not long ago, we got acquainted with the media player Vinga 012, which is based on the Rockchip RK3328 processor and comes with a pre-installed Android 7.1 OS. This is a model from the lower price range, which is not devoid of a number of features, but it will be interesting for budget-conscious users.

This time we received the media player Vinga 022 (VMP-022-162) for testing, which is from the middle price range, built on a similar platform, but has a number of significant differences, starting with increased RAM and ending with a much more interesting remote control with a QWERTY keyboard and mouse emulation function. Let's examine this device in more detail and determine the feasibility of its purchase.

Specification 

Model

Vinga 022 (VMP-022-162)

Processor

Rockchip RK3328 (4 x ARM Cortex-A53 @ 1.5 GHz)

Graphics Adapter

ARM Mali-450 @ 750 MHz

RAM

2 GB LPDDR3 (SK hynix H9CCNNN8JTML)

Storage

16 GB eMMC (Samsung KLM8G1WEMB-B031)

External Interfaces

1 x micro-HDMI 2.0a

1 x USB 2.0

1 x USB 3.0

1 x micro-USB

1 x RJ45

1 x Audio Port (AV)

1 x Optical S/PDIF out

1 x Power Connector

Card Reader

microSD

Network Capabilities

Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n (2.4 / 5 GHz) and Bluetooth 4.0 (AMPAK AP6330)

Power Supply

Input:  100~240 V AC at  50/60 Hz

Output:  5 V DC, 3 A

Color

Black

Dimensions

156 x 113 x 23 mm

Operating System

Android 7.1.2 Nougat

Manufacturer's Website

Vinga 

Device Page 

Purchase Page 

Packaging and Package Contents

The media player comes in a small cardboard package without printing. On the back, there is a sticker with a description of the main technical characteristics and a list of the package contents.

In the box, besides the device itself, we found a short manual, a power supply unit, a micro-HDMI ↔ HDMI cable, a remote control with a USB receiver, and a charging cable.

Appearance

Compared to the previously reviewed Vinga 012, the tested model differs in larger dimensions (156 x 113 x 23 mm) and an original wedge-shaped body. The main material used is plastic of two types: glossy on the sides and rough on the top and bottom. The first can be very easily scratched even during the process of connecting cables, so it requires more careful handling. The quality of the plastic itself is quite decent, although if you look closely, you can find minor molding defects in the body. We had no complaints about the build quality: the system board does not wobble, and the bottom removable panel does not creak.

The front side and one of the sides are completely devoid of any elements, except for a small status indicator that lights up blue during device operation or red in standby mode.

On the back side, there is an RJ45 socket, USB 3.0, S/PDIF out, micro-HDMI video output, micro-USB port with OTG support, AV audio output, and a power connector. On the left side, there is a USB 2.0 port and a card reader supporting the microSD format.

Notably, there is a power button on the top panel, which lights up blue during device operation.

The back side is notable for several ventilation holes, a sticker with the device's serial number, and four rubber feet under which the screws for disassembling the case are hidden.

Removing the cover, we found a blue printed circuit board on which all the key components of the media player are soldered.

First of all, a small solid aluminum heatsink with fins, which dissipates heat from the Rockchip RK3328 processor, immediately catches the eye.

Support for wireless interfaces Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n (2.4 and 5 GHz) and Bluetooth 4.0 is implemented using the AMPAK AP6330 adapter.

The storage is a 16 GB chip Samsung KLMAG2GEND B031.

The 2 GB RAM is implemented based on SK hynix H5TQ2G43BFR chips.

The power subsystem is implemented using Rockchip RK805. 

Player Connection, Control

Connecting the Vinga 022 (VMP-022-162) to a TV or monitor is very simple: just connect the power and HDMI cable. Unlike the Vinga 012, the device can be turned on/off using the corresponding button on the case.

Another undeniable advantage of the Vinga 022 is the functional remote control, which connects to the player via a USB receiver. Similar ones have been seen before in models Vinga 021, Vinga 031, and Vinga 041. It is equipped with a battery, for charging which the appropriate cable is included.

As for its functional capabilities, the remote is equipped with a Qwerty keyboard with a Cyrillic layout, as well as a mouse emulation function, which significantly simplifies the process of controlling the player, especially in optimized applications. A separate button on the front of the remote is designated for activating this mode.

Hardware Platform and Functionality 

The Vinga 022 is equipped with two gigabytes of RAM and is built on the SoC processor Rockchip RK3328, although the CPU-Z program mistakenly indicates the use of Rockchip RK3066. It combines four ARM Cortex-A53 cores running at up to 1.5 GHz. The graphics are handled by Mali-450 MP2 with support for OpenGL ES 1.1 / 2.0.

The media player easily recognizes external drives connected to it, whether it's a regular flash drive, memory card, or external hard drive. The platform supports many modern codecs, including H.265, and allows playing video with a 4K resolution. In addition, there is support for HDMI and hardware decoding of multichannel sound.

The operating system used is Android 7.1.2 Nougat with a custom launcher installed on top. The menu is quite convenient and functional. A pleasant bonus is the presence of Russian and Ukrainian localization, although there are minor translation flaws in places.

As usual, there are a number of pre-installed programs. For example, right out of the box, there are several services for watching online videos: Divan.TV, OLL.TV, MEGOGO.NET, Lanet.TV, and applications for IP-TV. For watching video files, MX Player is traditionally used. For audio, there is only the basic AOSP application, so additional players should be installed if necessary.

As with other previously reviewed solutions from Vinga, there is a pre-installed multimedia shell KODI. Additional software can be easily downloaded from Google Play or APK files from external devices or over the network.

The settings menu is completely standard, and anyone who has ever used a smartphone or other Android device will have no problem figuring it out.

Performance

As we have already mentioned, the Vinga 022 is based on the same hardware platform as the more affordable Vinga 012, with the only difference being the increased RAM to 2 GB. As a result, the performance is only slightly better than the previously reviewed model. The increase in RAM helped speed up the operation of the shell, but we cannot recommend the Vinga 022 for gaming.

The Vinga 022 handles video and audio playback from external sources quite confidently:

As for Wi-Fi performance, while the speed indicators were quite low during testing of the Vinga 012 (within 3-7 Mbps), they are much higher in the Vinga 022, despite using the same AMPAK AP6330 adapter. Specifically, the reception speed exceeded 18 Mbps, and the transmission speed exceeded 23 Mbps. This is quite sufficient for comfortable online video viewing in high quality.

Conclusions

The media player Vinga 022 (VMP-022-162) is positioned as a mid-range model and is offered at an average price of about $80, which is $20 more expensive than the previously reviewed Vinga 012. Both models are based on the identical Rockchip RK3328 hardware platform with a Mali-450 MP2 graphics accelerator.

You may wonder: "If both players use the same hardware, what are we paying extra for?" It's very simple. The Vinga 022 has 2 GB of RAM instead of 1 GB, which significantly speeds up the operation of the graphical shell. Additionally, you get 16 GB instead of 8 GB of storage, support for S/PDIF out, an external antenna on the case for more confident Wi-Fi signal reception, as well as a functional remote with a built-in Qwerty keyboard and mouse emulation function.

As for the drawbacks, despite the increase in RAM, the player is still not the best choice for gaming. There may also be issues with the micro-HDMI port, as the included interface cable is quite short.

Overall, in our opinion, the $20 surcharge compared to the Vinga 012 is more than justified by the presence of a functional remote, which significantly simplifies the control of the set-top box, not to mention other advantages. This model is perfect for those who want to use the media player for its intended purpose - for watching videos from the internet and external sources, as well as for running simple applications.

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Author: Костянтин Шорохов 
Translation: Лілія Масюк