Homatics Box R 4K Plus Review: Dolby Vision Certified Streamer

We had the opportunity to test the Homatics Box R 4K Plus Certified Streaming TV Box, so today we can show you the Homatics Box R 4K Plus review. First of all, the Box R 4K Plus from Homatics is a long-awaited by fans of streaming and home entertainment. Why? comes with the answer. Compared to the majority of certified devices on the market, it has “full” certification.

Homatics Box R 4K Plus is a certified Google and Netflix streaming player that supports HDR10, HDR10+, HLG, Dolby Vision, Dolby Audio, Dolby ATMOS, and DTS. In addition, it has 4GB RAM and 32GB eMMC, where in other models you can find at most 2GB RAM and 16GB eMMC. Besides, has the newest Amlogic S905X4 chipset with AV1 decoding, and supports WiFi 6 and Gigabit Ethernet.

Unfortunately, it’s not cheap because it costs $149.99. So the question arises is it worth buying Homatics Box R 4K Plus Dolby Vision Certified Streamer despite the price? We will try to answer this question in our Box R 4K Plus review.

Availability and price

I want to thank the Homatics brand for sending us a Homatics Box R 4K Plus TV Box to review. Now Homatics Box R 4K Plus Certified Android TV Box can be found on the Homatics website for $149.99.

Homatics Box R 4K Plus Review: Product details

Homatics Box R 4K Plus Streaming TV Box Specification

• SoC – Amlogic S905X4-K Quad-Core A55 up to 2.0GHz, 24000DMIPS with ARM Mali-G31 MP2 GPU
• OS –  Google Certified Android TV 11
• Memory – 4GB DDR4
• Storage – 32GB eMMC flash, (no MicroSD card slot)
• Video
  • Output – HDMI 2.1 up to 4Kp60 with HDCP 2.3, HDMI-CEC support
  • HDR – HDR10+, HDR, HLG and Dolby Vision
  • DRM – Widevine L1, Playready 3000
  • Video Decode:
    • AV1 Video decoding up to 4K*2K@60fps
    • VP9 Profile-2 up to 4K*2K@60fps
    • H.265 HEVC MP@L5.0 up to 10bits HDR 4K*2K@60fps
    • H.264 AVC MP@L5.1 up to 10bits 4K*2K@30fps
    • H.264 MVC up to 1080P@60fps
    • MPEG-4 ASP@L5 up to 1080P@60fps
    • WMV/VC-1 SP/MP/AP up to 1080P@60fps
    • AVS-P16(AVS+)/AVS-P2 Jizhun Profile up to 1080P@60fps
    • MPEG-2 MP@HL up to 1080P@60fps
    • MPEG-1 MP@HL up to 1080P@60fps
    • RealVideo 8/9/10 up to 1080P@60fps
    • WebM up to VGA
• Audio
  • Optical S/PDIF, AV, digital audio via HDMI;
  • Codec – AAC & HE-AAC; Dolby Digital & Dolby Digital Plus & MS12; Dolby Atmos Passthrough
• Networking – Gigabit Ethernet, Dual-band 802.11b/g/n/ac 2T2R Wi-Fi 6 (AP6275SR3) & Bluetooth 5.0
• USB – 1x USB 3.0 Type-A port, 1x USB 2.0 Type-A port, 2x USB Type-C 
• Power Supply – 12V/1.5A via DC jack
• Certifications
  • Google ATV, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video
  • MS12 including DD & DD+/HDMI 2.1 (with CEC)/HDCP 2.3, CE/FCC, RoHs, PoPs, REACH
• Dimensions – 114 x 114 x 28mm
• Weight – n/a

The box contains everything you need to get started:

• Box R 4K Plus Android TV Box
• 12V/1.5A Power Adapter
• HDMI cable
• AAA bateries
• Quick Manual
• White G10 Bluetooth Voice Remote Control

Unboxing Homatics Box R 4K Plus 4K Dolby Vision Certified Streamer on Youtube

On our YouTube channel, you can take a look at more Homatics Box R 4K Plus details and bundled accessories.

First impressions, settings, an overview of features

Like the MECOOL KM2, the Dolby Vision streamer from Homatics has white housing with rounded corners. On the other hand, the top cover has a brushed aluminum insert on one side. The entire case looks stylish and elegant. Additionally, an RGB LED backlight is placed in the upper edge of the housing. In the operating mode, the LED backlight is bright blue, and when turned off – red.

On the right side of the device, there is a USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 port and a recovery hole. At the back, are the SPDIF optical, AV port, RJ45 Ethernet port, HDMI 2.1 port, USB Type-C port, and DC jack (12V/1.5A). On the bottom, there are four rubber pads that ensure a stable position of the device. In addition, we find another USB-C port as well as a serial number and MAC address.

Like the recent streaming players, the Homatics Android TV Box comes with well-known G10 Bluetooth voice remote control. G10 Android TV / Google TV reference design remote control has 4 dedicated buttons. In addition to the typical Youtube, Netflix, and Prime Video button, we have a button with a rocket symbol. You can assign any application to this button in the device settings. We assigned the HBO MAX app. Of course, there was a Google Assistant button, as well as buttons to control the TV. Pictures below.

Impressions from the use

First of all, after launching Homatics streaming player, we were pleasantly surprised with the information about the system update (via OTA) as well as the remote control update. Additionally, you can configure the remote control to operate the TV, so one remote control can operate the TV and media player. 

As with most certified streaming players, we have at our disposal the well-known Android TV 11 OS with built-in Google Assistant and Chromecast. Both Chromecast, Google Assistant and voice commands via G10 voice remote work perfectly. The device works fast and stable, especially since it has 4GB of RAM on board. In addition, WiFi and Ethernet connection works fast. Wifi: Download – 229.9Mbps Upload – 185.2Mbps, Ethernet: Download – 906.8Mbps Upload -318.5Mbps. It is worth recalling that the Box R 4K Plus supports WiFi 6 and Gigabit Ethernet, which was missing from the currently certified streamers. Among other certified devices, the streamer is also distinguished by the presence of 32GB eMMC storage.

In addition to streaming, Homatics Android TV Box is good at gaming. You can easily play typical games available on Google Play for Android TV (Beach Buggy Racing, Asphalt 9 etc.) and in the cloud (via GeForce NOW). In addition, you can install games from an external source via USB. If you want to use a gamepad, we recommend GameSir G4 Pro or Xbox controller. Besides, the streaming box also works well with Kodi (19.4) and Plex. For managing Box R 4K Plus via smartphone, you need to install the Google TV app from the Google Play store, or use CetusPlay app. The TV Box also offers many picture settings including HDR, sound and general settings for use. A few screenshots are below.

Streaming Services via Homatics Box R 4K Plus Android TV Box

Like the MECOOL KM2 Plus also based on the S905X4 SoC, the Homatics streamer also supports video content in 4K resolution and 4K AV1 decoding. Box R 4K Plus supports all available streaming services (Netflix, Youtube, Disney+, Prime Video, HBO MAX, Apple TV, etc.)  up to 4K@60fps with HDR10, HDR10+, HLG. Finally, it is one of the few TV Boxes that supports Dolby Vision. If you’ve been waiting for Dolby Vision support, this streaming TV Box has that functionality. Below are some photos.

Besides, Homatics streaming player has Dolby Audio certification and supports Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS HD, DTS 5.1 / 7.1, and Dolby Atmos.

Operating system and components

The heart of the Box R 4K Plus Android TV Box is the Amlogic S905X4-K SoC (Quad-core ARM Cortex-A55 CPU) with ARM-G31 MP2 GPU supporting AV1 codec (AV1 MP-10@L5.1 up to 4Kx2K@60fps). The streaming box runs on Android TV 11.0 OS, Kernel version 5.4.180-ab2856, and supports OTA updates. CPU speed between 100MHz and 2.0GHz. The factory model of the device is SEI804HM from SEI Robotics manufacturer. Besides device supports Google Widevine L1(HDCP 2.3), Playready, and CENC ClearKey. The device does not have root access. Some screenshots.

Performance tests and benchmarks

Video test

In addition to online streaming, the Box R 4K Plus streamer can also be used as a media player for local playback or via NAS, Kodi or Plex. Playback by Kodi 19.4 runs almost smoothly and is stable. As in other tested streaming players, AV1 samples work better with MX Player or VLC. A device without problem seems to play movies with the resolution of 480p,720p, and 1080p (24fps, 30fps, 60fps) and also 4K (60fps) with various formats and codecs videos such as AV1 codec, H.265/ HEVC, VP9, H.264, MPEG2, MPEG4, RMVB, and audio. Dolby Digital 5.1 passthrough worked fine via HDMI. Besides, the device supports also Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS HD, DTS 5.1 / 7.1, and Dolby Atmos.

Video Playback via Kodi 19.4 Matrix

Typical 1080p	Result
MPEG2 / MP2 2.0 – 6.6Mbps	OK
MPEG4 / MP3 2.0 – 7.6Mbps	OK
H264 / AAC 2.0 – 7.2Mbps	OK
VC1 / WMA3 2.0 – 25Mbps	OK
VP8 / VORBIS 2.0 – 7.8Mbs	OK
Jellyfish 1080p HEVC 10bit – 90Mbps	OK
4K Video
Sintel – H264 / AAC 2.0 – 24fps	OK
BBB Sunflower -H264 – 30fps	OK
BBB Sunflower -H264 – 60fps	OK
Honey Bees – 96fps	OK
Skyfall – H264 / AAC 2.0 – 10Mbps	OK
Puppies Bath – h264/AAC 2.0	OK
Cinemartin H265/HEVC	OK
Tears of steel – 60fps	OK
HD Club Chimei – H264 / AAC 2.0 – 60Mbps	OK
Jellyfish 4k uhd HEVC 10bit – 140Mbps	OK
Jellyfish 4k uhd HEVC 10bit – 200/250/300/400Mbps	OK
LG Demo – Istanbul 3840×2160 MP4/H264 8bit – 116Mbps	OK
Sony 4K – Camp HDR MP4/HEVC 10bit – 75.8Mbps	OK
Demo Samsung 2014 – USA Road Trip TS/HEVC 10bit – 51.4Mbps	OK
Samsung UHD DUBAI TS/HEVC 10bit – 51Mbps	OK
H.265/VP9 Video
Tears of steel – H265-HVEC / AAC 2.0 – 15Mbps	OK
Youtube – VP9 / 1080p	No
VP9 / 4k – Eye of the Storm 4K Ultra HD.webmv	OK
VP9 / 4k – 10 Incredible 4K (Ultra HD) Videos.webmv	OK
VP9 / 4k – Australia – Land Down Under in 4K.webmv	OK
AV1/ 4k – Summer Nature.webm	Not smooth
AV1 / 4k – Holi Festival.webm	Not smooth

Benchmarks

For testing, we use Antutu Benchmark v9.4.7, GeekBench 5.4.4, 3D Mark. Internal memory benchmarks (via A1SD Bench app): Read 80.77MB/s – Write 69.01MB/s. RAM copy speed was 3566.96MB/s. Below are benchmarks screenshots.

Review Homatics Box R 4K Plus TV Box Conclusions

Box R 4K Plus is one of the best-certified streaming players we have tested. In addition, the housing looks stylish and elegant. However, what it offers deserves attention. It has a powerful S905X4 chipset with support for AV1 decoding, 4GB RAM and 32GB eMMC storage, WiFi 6, Gigabit Ethernet, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos. Do you need more? Well, its price seems not too friendly and excessive, $149.99. However, taking into account what this streaming TV Box offers, it is worth adding a little more and buying a streamer that will serve for longer. As one of the few stream boxes, let’s add “certified devices”, it supports Dolby Vision and Atmos, and it has 4GB RAM and 32GB eMMC storage on board. If you are looking for a streamer that has the above functionalities, as well as, importantly, firmware updates via OTA, the Box R 4K Plus streaming player is for you. We recommend Homatics Box R 4K Plue Certified Dolby Vision Streamer.