In a somewhat surprising move, telecommunications giant Vodafone has announced its first UK set-top streaming box.
In a similar vein to Sky Stream, Vodafone TV will be a subscription-based device aiming to bring together Freely live TV, streaming and even gaming under a single hub.
With Netflix and HBO Max included, as well as support for Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, it certainly has some home cinema credentials and has piqued the interest of the What Hi-Fi? team, in theory at least.
But how does the streaming box work in practice?
I have been lucky enough to try the all-in-one video streamer/set-top box/gaming machine over the past week (rather good timing, as my ageing smart TV now refuses to connect to the internet) and have a few first impressions ready to share below.
As the worlds of mobile and home entertainment become far more linked, what can Vodafone offer our living rooms? Let’s have a look...
Like: a slick, responsive and personalised UI
Vodafone TV is a rather late entrant to the world of streaming interfaces, which have been evolving and improving for more than a decade now. The Android OS on the Vodafone TV doesn’t reinvent the wheel here, but it excels at what it’s supposed to do: make it as easy as possible to find the content and services you want to watch.
Freely live TV, domestic catch-up services, international streamers and digital purchases are all integrated nicely into the homepage, allowing the user to browse everything on offer at once. There was no need for me to jump between various services to decide what to watch, and there are several categories at the top that let me filter by shows, movies, sports and more.
There is also an AI-powered search service complete with Google Assistant, which lets me search by whatever niche genre or mood I like (‘scare me’ and ‘mind-blowing storylines’ are two of the suggestions) and the Vodafone TV promptly spits out some suggestions.
The homepage and suggestions also get more personalised the more I watch, with recommendations slowly getting more aligned to my taste over the week.
Ads are also far less prevalent than on services such as Fire OS, and the 3GB of RAM makes browsing silky smooth (and far faster than my sluggish budget TV UI).
So, will all this put an end to Friday nights spent searching for a film, only to run out of time and go to bed? Well, it’s not a miracle worker, but the Vodafone TV is at least intuitive in providing options from across the increasingly broad spectrum of streaming services. You’ll at least get several options before deciding to rewatch Back to the Future for the hundredth time.
Like: promising picture and sound
We have yet to perform a full test of the Vodafone TV or pit it against its rivals, but early impressions have been promising. Freely presents a bright, sharp HD picture even when channel hopping, with only a few channels requiring a bit of buffering before reaching full quality.
The impressive array of streaming and catch-up also apps all work as they should, presenting in 4K HDR and Dolby Atmos where applicable and loading snappily.
A challenging one-shot fight scene in a dingy warehouse in Daredevil: Born Again performs well, showing impressive contrast where light breaks through the darkness and providing plenty of detail despite the shadowy scene. We are interested to see how this performs against its rivals.
Like: unexpected gaming support
Unlike key rivals such as Sky Stream, Vodafone TV is betting big on gaming and comes with several video games available over the cloud – at no extra cost. 302 fully fledged cloud games are included, to be precise, with the Google Play Store offering access to more games and apps.
As with other video game streaming services, it’s a quick and painless process. All you have to do is pair a Bluetooth controller, click on the game, and it is loading in less than 30 seconds.
The game library won’t convince any hardcore gamers to give up their consoles – it’s largely a mix of older titles and smaller indie games – but there is at least a good mix of genres, age ratings and multiplayer titles that will appeal to children, casual gamers and those on a budget.
Your experience may well depend on the strength of your internet, however. Mafia: Definitive Edition, probably one of the more challenging titles in the Vodafone TV gaming catalogue, was rather stuttery and borderline unplayable on my (admittedly unreliable) home broadband.
However, I had no such issue using the office wi-fi in What Hi-Fi? Towers, where gameplay was smooth and responsive, though the graphics took a hit in fast-paced scenes.
Dislike: the price remains a mystery
Vodafone has been open with most aspects of its set-top streaming box, but the price has remained a closely guarded secret.
We imagine this could get complicated, as there will be all sorts of offers available depending on any existing Vodafone plans you have as well as any extra streaming services you add; still, it’s a really crucial piece of the puzzle that’s missing here. With the cost of streaming services forever rising, a chance to bundle several together is tempting, but the price could really make or break this.
Sky Stream, arguably its closest rival, offers Sky and Netflix from £26 a month. Vodafone TV comes with a similar offering of Netflix and HBO Max, which are £7.99 and £5.99 respectively for their cheapest tiers, which at least gives us a baseline. Will Vodafone follow Sky’s lead with an up-front cost? Will it also cost more for a rolling contract than a fixed one? Time will tell…
Dislike: it might struggle to stand out from the tough competition
If you are already on a Vodafone contract for broadband, a mobile phone or a SIM, we can see how it would be convenient to add TV and streaming into one centralised monthly bill.
However, if you're starting from scratch, there are already several other five-star options available: Sky Stream and its convenient access to Sky channels, the budget and subscription-free Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2nd generation) or the premium Apple TV 4K with its top-notch AV performance.
Will Vodafone TV be able to carve out a niche of its own? Will cloud gaming or a Vodafone ecosystem be enough of a draw? We’ll find out when Vodafone TV launches in October...
MORE:
Read our full Sky Stream review
Here are our picks for the best streaming devices
And check out our picks for the best streaming services for movies and TV
