0.52
09-10/2014
20
TELE-audiovision International — The World‘s Leading Digital TV Industry Publication
— 09-10/2014
—
TEST REPORT
Android PVR with full Internet capability
A Android-based multi-
purpose box for all TV
and streaming options
Look at the new Amiko A3
receiver for the very first time
and – if our reaction is any-
thing to go by – you’ll stand
in awe before this beautifully
designed piece of technol-
ogy that wants to be so much
more than a bland set-top
box. Made from high-quality
aluminium coating, the casing
alone appears like a thought-
through piece of art, rather
than a bunch of electronic
components screwed togeth-
er.
The front panel is perhaps
the most striking manifesta-
tion of the manufacturer’s fo-
cus on design and looks: All
it visibly boasts is a four-digit
segment display and an On/
Standby button together with
a status LED. Nothing else
disturbs the flawless harmony
of the receiver’s front. Turn
the box around and you’ll no-
tice that this innovative de-
vice is by no means all bark
and no bite.
On the contrary, the Amiko
A3 shines with all connec-
tion options you should rea-
sonably require, such as the
obvious LNB input, RJ45 net-
work socket, micro SD slot,
internal card reader for pay
TV reception, HDMI connec-
tion for crystal-clear video
and mind-blowing audio, USB
OTG interface, as well as an
S/PDIF connection and USB
2.0 interface. Not visible from
the outside but the more im-
portant is the built-in WLAN
to connect the box wirelessly
to the Internet.
What about power supply?
The Amiko A3 comes with
an external 12V power pack
which saves valuable space
inside the receiver’s casing,
but also – and at least as im-
portantly – does away with
the need for cooling fans.
Since we’re talking about
a PVR receiver here, the
Amiko A3 is equipped with a
hard-disk slot on the bottom
of the box. At first sight this
area looks much like a bat-
tery compartment, and in ac-
tual fact it can be opened and
accessed just as easily. The
only difference is that it can
take up any 2.5-inch hard-
disk, which is another major
bonus of this new receiver:
Your storage medium is hid-
den behind the shiny case of
the Amiko A3, rather than po-
sitioned on top or behind the
receiver, with all the cabling
that comes with an external
USB solution. We like how
Amiko has run their focus on
smart looks right through to
even the smallest detail, as
it goes to show how much
thought and effort this manu-
facturer has put into its latest
offering.
Let’s turn to the remote
control now, which is anoth-
er signature feature of the
Amiko A3. Contrary to what
we have experienced so far,
this remote does not run on
batteries, but uses a built-in
Amiko A3
Latest-generation receiver,
fitting perfectly into the smartphone era
