We haven't reviewed media players for quite some time, although they haven't disappeared from the market and still remain relevant. Not all users have a TV with Smart TV support, and upgrading it solely for modern services is much more expensive than simply buying a compact device with similar functionality. That's why we decided to test a new model from Vinga.

Vinga 014 (VMP-014-162) is positioned in the mid-price segment within the brand's model range. Its recommended retail price is 1749 UAH ($73). The media player is based on a 4-core Rockchip RK3328 processor. It works in tandem with the standard 2 GB of RAM for this segment. A pleasant bonus is the support for the penultimate version of Android 9.0. Let's take a closer look at this device and determine the feasibility of its purchase.

Specification

Packaging and Completeness 

The Vinga 014 media player arrived in a cardboard box with pleasant printing. On the top side, you can appreciate its appearance. The back side lists the main technical specifications and the contents of the package.

In the box, we found a short manual, a power adapter, an HDMI cable, and a compact remote control with a USB receiver.

Appearance

The Vinga 014 media player is housed in a compact case (85 x 85 x 20 mm). It certainly won't take up much space next to the TV. The main material of the case is plastic, but we had no complaints about the sturdiness of the construction. The player feels like a solidly built device in the hands, without any creaks or squeaks.

The top panel has an interesting porous design reminiscent of honeycombs with a textured surface. The rest of the cover area is glossy and semi-transparent.

The top side and one of the sides are completely devoid of any elements, except for the ventilation slots for air circulation inside the case.

On the right side, you can find a couple of ventilation holes, a microSD card reader, and USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 ports. One of them will be constantly occupied by the receiver for the remote control unless you purchase a hub additionally.

On the rear side, there is an RJ45 network socket, a power connector, HDMI, and an AV audio output.

On the front panel, there is a light indicator. It lights up blue when the device is in operation.

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

Connecting the Player, Control

Like most other media players, connecting to a TV or monitor with the Vinga 014 is very simple. Just connect the power and HDMI cable. There is no power on/off button on the case, and these functions can only be performed using the remote control.

We really liked the remote control itself. It uses pleasant-to-touch matte textured plastic. The build quality is also excellent - there are no creaks or gaps. With Google Assistant, you can get answers to your questions, manage installed apps, and search for information online. You won't need a keyboard to enter a search query or other text; instead, you can use the voice search function. It is supported in Google Chrome, YouTube, Lazy media, HD videobox, and other apps. For example, just go to YouTube, click on the microphone icon in the search bar, press the corresponding button on the remote, say the name of the content, and then choose from the list what you need. So the remote turned out to be simple, convenient, and functional.

Hardware Platform and Functionality

Vinga 014 is built on the SoC processor Rockchip RK3328, although the CPU-Z program mistakenly indicates Rockchip RK3066. It combines four ARM Cortex-A53 cores running at up to 1.5 GHz. The graphics are handled by Mali-450MP2 with support for OpenGL ES 1.1/2.0. The RAM is 2 GB, and the internal storage is 16 GB (about 11.43 GB available to the user).

The media player easily recognizes external storage devices 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 videos with 4K resolution. There is also support for HDMI and hardware decoding of multi-channel sound.

The operating system used is Android 9.0. Upon first boot, you are offered to set one of two launchers by default. The first is MediaBox, which features a simple, convenient, and functional menu. 

As an alternative, there is Square Home, which strongly resembles Windows in appearance.

Traditionally, there are also several pre-installed programs. For example, right out of the box, there are several services for watching online videos: LazyMedia, OLL.TV, MEGOGO, HD VideoBox, and apps for IP-TV. MX Player is traditionally used for watching video files. For audio, there is only the basic AOSP app - if desired, additional players can be installed or music can be listened to online.

As with other previously reviewed Vinga media players, there is a pre-installed KODI shell for managing multimedia files. As for installing additional software, it can be easily downloaded from the Google Play store or via APK files from external devices or over the network.

For more convenient work with the file system, there are two pre-installed managers: FileBrowser and Total Commander, which do an excellent job with their tasks. Files were displayed and played correctly from internal and external sources. The media player also handles Google services excellently.

A pleasant feature is the support for Miracast thanks to the AirScreen app. This means you can stream images from your smartphone to the TV without using cables. For example, show photos from a trip or connect to the internet and play a video from YouTube. The only nuance: if the TV's resolution is lower than that of the smartphone, the image quality will be worse than the original.

The settings menu is completely standard. Anyone who has ever used a smartphone or other Android device will have no problem understanding it.

Performance

The hardware platform at the core of Vinga 014 is far from the most productive, so forget about resource-intensive games. And controlling the gaming process with a remote is not the best idea. But for running one or two programs, it is sufficient. If you simultaneously launch three or more applications, the player starts to slightly lag.

With continuous long-term use of about eight hours, it heats up significantly. When measured with a non-contact infrared thermometer on the top panel (near the microphone icon), a temperature of 65°C was recorded. Such heating does not positively affect performance.

And how does Vinga 014 perform with video playback? It plays 4K Ultra HD @ 60 FPS videos from YouTube without problems. As for videos from external devices, only one MPEG4 3840x2160 @ 60 FPS (22 Mbps) video did not play very smoothly. Otherwise, there were no issues with mp4 and mkv formats up to 4K resolution.

Regarding Wi-Fi performance, the download speed when connected to a 5 GHz network reached 67.2 Mbps, and the upload speed was 65.4 Mbps.

With wired connection, the result was the best. The download and upload speeds were 77.3 and 69.5 Mbps, respectively. All this with an internet channel width of 100 Mbps.

Conclusions

The media player Vinga 014 (VMP-014-162) belongs to the mid-price range with a cost of around $73. For this amount, you get a compact device in an attractive case with a convenient remote control.

The media player handles its main tasks well - playing multimedia files, searching for information on the internet, and running simple programs. If desired, you can play casual games, but don't count on heavy projects. And the 2 GB of RAM and budget 4-core Rockchip RK3328 processor are insufficient for a comfortable multitasking mode - you'll need to close unnecessary tabs and programs to prevent the interface from lagging.

Also pleasing in Vinga 014 is the dual-band wireless interface module 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi+ Bluetooth 4.1, the ability to connect any external storage devices (USB flash drives, HDD, SSD, or microSD cards) without issues, support for HDR10 content, good functionality of the remote control (support for Google Assistant, voice input, and gyroscope), and the current software interface under the control of Android 9.0 OS with a number of useful pre-installed programs. For example, there is access to online cinemas and file managers, support for KODI and Miracast. And very importantly: the media player is certified (i.e., imported to Ukraine legally and according to all rules), and there is an instant service in case of factory defects (exchange for a new device).

The only thing that was not liked in Vinga 014 is the cooling system. Yes, it is passive and silent, but with prolonged use (about 8 hours), the top cover heated up to 65°C, and the media player began to lag.

As a result, Vinga 014 can be considered for the role of a media player to expand the functionality of your TV, but keep in mind its not very high performance and think in advance about additional cooling in case of constant long-term use.  

Advantages:

• functional remote control included with voice input, gyroscope, and support for Google Assistant;
• support for USB 3.0 and HDMI 2.0a;
• pleasant design and compact dimensions;
• ability to connect external hard drives;
• support for most popular formats and codecs;
• support for 4K video;
• support for Micracast;
• functional Android 9.0 OS interface;
• installed popular online broadcasting services for our region;
• multimedia interface KODI;
• official service and warranty.

Features:

• 2 GB of RAM;
• heavy games won't run;
• case heating up to 65°C with prolonged use (8 hours or more).

Author: Kostyantyn Shorokhov 
Translation: Liliya Masyuk

Link to the review on the GECID.com website