Hey everyone, welcome back! Today, I’m reviewing the Octastream Elite Max. If you love live TV and video-on-demand, this device might be perfect for you. So, let’s dive right in!
First, let’s talk about what’s inside the box. When you open it, you’ll find everything needed for setup. The Octastream Elite Max comes with a wireless air mouse, which is a great addition. You also get an HDMI cable, an IR extender cable, a DC power adapter, and a user guide. With everything neatly packed, setting it up is quick and easy.
Design and Ports of Octastream Elite Max
Moving on, the Octastream Elite Max has a sleek plastic shell with polished edges. This gives it a premium look. At the front, there’s an LED power light. At the back, you’ll find two Wi-Fi 6 antennas for strong connectivity.
As for ports, this device is well-equipped. It includes an HDMI 2.1 port, an Ethernet LAN port, an optical audio port, an AV port, and an IR extender port. Additionally, it has a USB 3.0 port, a USB 2.0 port, and a microSD card reader. The reset button is conveniently placed on the side.
However, the base has a metal panel with four rubber feet but no ventilation holes. This could lead to heat buildup. Now, let’s talk about the boot-up process.
Boot-Up and Launcher Interface of Octastream Elite Max
When you power it on, you’ll see a simple Octastream Elite Max animation. There’s no startup wizard. Instead, it takes you straight to the launcher. This launcher has 15 shortcut spaces for quick access to your favorite apps.
At first, there are no live TV or video-on-demand apps installed. However, once connected to the internet, a shortcut appears to install an APK app store. Installing this store is optional, but it’s necessary for accessing live TV and video-on-demand services. After installation, you get three main apps: Elite TV, Elite VOD, and Elite Replay.
System and Performance of Octastream Elite Max
The Octastream Elite Max runs on Android 12 TV OS, and it supports 4K at 60Hz, HDR10, and HDMI CEC. However, the screen rotation feature does not work properly. Additionally, while it supports 10-bit color depth, it lacks built-in surround sound decoders.
For hardware, it features an Allwinner H313/H616 chipset, a quad-core Cortex A53 processor, and a Mali G31 GPU. Moreover, it includes 4GB of DDR4 RAM and 128GB of internal storage. Furthermore, Bluetooth 5.0 is also available.
In terms of connectivity, its Wi-Fi 6 adapter offers excellent reception with dual-band 2.4GHz and 5GHz support. Nevertheless, it runs a hybrid version of Android TV OS. Consequently, it uses a mobile version of the Google Play Store. In addition, the firmware is rooted, which affects compatibility with paid streaming services.
Streaming and Digital Rights Management on Octastream Elite Max
Streaming services do come with some limitations. Specifically, the Octastream Elite Max only supports Google Widevine L3 without HDCP protection. As a result, Netflix and other paid streaming platforms are limited to 480p. Even though users may have an HD subscription, higher resolutions remain unavailable.
Fortunately, YouTube performs exceptionally well. Both the Android TV and Smart YouTube TV apps fully support 4K playback. Nevertheless, HDR functionality is not included.
Media Playback and Surround Sound on Octastream Elite Max
For media playback, HDR10 content works well. However, formats like AV1, Dolby Vision, and HDR10+ are not supported. When playing videos encoded in these formats, they either fail to play or default to HDR10. Some files with Dolby Atmos or HDR10+ cause a buzzing noise on TVs.
With an AV receiver, performance improves. Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital Plus work with a multi-speaker setup. However, Dolby TrueHD in MKV or M2TS formats does not play. DTS HD Master triggers DTS Virtual X, which sounds great on compatible speakers. To enable these formats, audio passthrough must be activated in the settings.
Gaming and Performance Benchmarks
Gaming is possible but has some drawbacks. The Octastream Elite Max can get very hot. I recorded temperatures reaching 81°C, which is too high for extended gaming. Also, since the CPU is only 1.5 GHz, high-graphics games struggle.
However, Bluetooth gamepads connect smoothly. Some games require touchscreen controls, so a keymapping app is needed.
Now, let’s look at the benchmarks:
- RAM transfer speed: 2874 MB/s
- Internal storage read speed: 155 MB/s
- Internal storage write speed: 152 MB/s
- Wi-Fi 6 speeds: 315 Mbps (5GHz) and 235 Mbps (2.4GHz)
- Gigabit LAN: Full network speed
- Geekbench 5: 111 (single-core), 376 (multi-core)
- 3DMark Wild Life: 129 score, 0.77 FPS
- Antutu: 76,566 (ranked 93rd on my TV Box chart)
Final Thoughts
In summary, the Octastream Elite Max is a strong performer in its category. The company markets it under the vSeebox brand, which sometimes replaces the Octastream Elite Max name. Also, alternative apps beyond the default three may not work forever, so keep that in mind.
Performance-wise, this device offers excellent Wi-Fi reception and a good streaming experience. If you want to buy one, check the link in the description for a discount and a coupon code.
Lastly, as a disclaimer, this review highlights both the pros and cons of the Octastream Elite Max. The purchase link is an affiliate link, meaning I earn a small commission if you buy through it. Your support is greatly appreciated!
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