UPDATE: Check out the latest from SkyStream with our updated SkyStream review.
The hard part about technology is that you either have to be first or you have to be better.
Android boxes based on the AmLogic S905 chipset have been around for a while, so first is out of the question. The SkyStream One is trying to be better than the competition.
If you’ve read any of the older reviews of their products, like the SkyStream X4, you’ll know that I have a soft spot for these guys. Maybe it’s because their offices are just across town from me and I like seeing local companies succeed. Maybe because I’ve met Pete and Phil and they’re both great guys that care about their customers. Either way, it’s exciting to see the company growing and releasing new stuff.
Based on the Amlogic S905 chipset, the SkyStream One sports a modern powder-white case and a slick new launcher sitting on top of Android 5.1.1. Take note of that last part. Android 5 (or higher) is a requirement to run the new version of Kodi 17 Krypton when it is released later this year.
TV boxes running the Amlogic S905 were already some of the better-performing TV boxes I’ve tested, and one of my personal favorite chipsets because of their video performance within Kodi. This one was further tweaked with some custom firmware to squeeze every bit of speed out of the device.
So how does it perform? See for yourself in my SkyStream One review.
SkyStream’s support network
Most people look for a cheap Android TV box and forget about one thing. There’s more to something than just how much it costs when you buy it. That’s why you get better service from Mercedes than you do from Dodge. Sure, that Dodge may cost less, but you’re going to miss a lot of the extra support that the Mercedes gives you.
SkyStream offers that “Mercedes level support.”
SkyStream Updater App
One way they do that is with the SkyStream Updater App.
The first step in the Quick Start Guide (you DO read those, right?), is to run the SkyStream Updater App. That ensures that the latest firmware, bundled apps, and addons are running the latest versions.
Yes, I said add-ons as well. The Updater App gives you a choice of whether you want a “Family Friendly” or “Adult Friendly” version of Kodi installed. The versions are identical, except the Family Friendly installation removes any apps that have access to “adult only” viewing.
One of the first things I do whenever I set up an Android TV box is to update the firmware and any installed apps. It’s a nice touch for that to be taken care of for me.
SkyStream Support
SkyStream has several different options for support before and after the sale. For quick answers, there’s a host of FAQ sections talking about how to get started with their devices, XBMC\Kodi help, some different third-party apps, as well as potential issues with the device or remote control. If speaking to a human being is more your style, their toll-free phone number is front-and-center on their website. They also have an official forum for news, tips, and troubleshooting of both their streaming players and some of the Kodi add-ons that ship with them.
Finally, SkyStream offers an optional 2-year extended warranty for $9.99 and an optional Extended Care Plan for $3.99 per month, which gives you access to even higher levels of service.
First Impressions
Styles change quickly.
Anything that bucks the current design trend is going to get a lot of attention. Think about the original, white Xbox 360, or Apple’s iPod with the scroll wheel. The SkyStream One will also turn a few heads.
The SkyStream One has a familiar “square with rounded edges” shell found on almost every Android box ever made, but it is coated in a powder-white finish. Rather than blending in, the white color scheme sharply contrasts with everything else in your TV stand. And I’ll admit, this could be a good or a bad thing, depending on how you want your living room to look.
It attracts just enough attention to be recognizable. It’s a conversation starter when your cord-cutting friends come over.
Just get ready to answer some questions about what it is, and what’s under the hood.
SkyStream One Specs
| Hardware | |
| CPU: | Amlogic Quad Core S905 2.0 GHz 64-Bit ARM Cortex |
| GPU: | Penta Core Mail-450 |
| DRAM: | 2GB DDR3 |
| Flash Memory: | 16GB |
| Bluetooth: | Yes |
| Software | |
| Operating System: | Android 5.1.1 Lollipop |
| User Interface: | SkyStreamTV |
| Platform: | SkyStreamTV |
| Dimensions | |
| Length x Width x Height: | 5 inches x 5 inches x 1.25 inches |
| Ports | |
| LAN: | RJ-45 10/100/1000 GigaPort Ethernet |
| WLAN: | 802.11 b/g/n/ac Dual Band WiFi (2.4 & 5 GHz) |
| Host USB: | 4 x External Ports (2.0) |
| SD Card: | 1 x External Port (SD/SDHC/MMC) |
| Video Output: | HDMI 2.0 with HDCP Support |
| Audio Output: | Dolby Digital via HDMI & SPDIF (Optical Audio) |
| Remote Control | SkyStream Remote |
| Power Supply | |
| External Power Supply: | 5V@2A (100-240V, 50/60Hz) |
| What’s Included | |
| SkyStream ONE Streaming Media Player | |
| Power Adapter | |
| SkyStream Remote Control | |
| HDMI Cable | |
| SkyStream Quick Start Guide & Manual | |
| Audio & Video Formats | |
| Video Resolution: | Up to 4k x 2k, 3D-HD(1080Px2), 1080P, 720P, 480P |
| Video Formats: | MPEG-1 MP/HL, MPEG-2 MP/HL, MPEG-4 Part 2, ASP, WMV/VC-1 SP/MP/AP, H.264 HP@L4.1, H.265, REAMDEO 8/9/10, M-JPEG & JPEG |
| Video Codecs: | MPEG, MPE, MPG, M2V, ISO, TS, VOB, DAT, AVI, MKV, MP4, MOV, 3GP, 3GPP, FLC, WMV, FLV, RM |
| Video Subtitles: | SRT, SUB, IDX, PGS |
| Audio Codecs: | ACC, AC-3, ADPCM, AMR-NB, MIDI, MP2, MP3, MS-ADPCM, PCS, RV40 Vorbis WMA, AAC+ (HE-AAC vi), eAAC+ (HE-AAC v2) |
SkyStream One Unboxing
I’ve said this before, but I’ve been more and more impressed with the packaging for TV boxes lately. In the early days of TV sticks, you saw generic brown boxes with no company name or graphics at all. Since then, companies have begun to put a little bit more effort into their packaging. That’s great because, in my opinion, when you actually open the box, it’s the last time that they have to make an impression on you about the quality of the unit.
The SkyStream One box opens up to the full-color interior design that segments the player and the accessories like the bundled remote. The streaming device itself is fully shrink-wrapped, presumably to keep it protected in case any dust or liquid gets inside the box. I’m not sure that level of protection is necessary, but it’s a nice touch.
Sitting on top of the player is a full-color Quick Start Guide, designed to help you get up and running with your new SkyStream One very quickly. On the front side, it has the usual “package contents” section, which I’ll get into below, button descriptions for the remote control, and an explanation of the various ports on the back and side of the device.
On the back (shown here in the image), the customer service information is in the first panel you see. A lot of places will do their best to bury their contact information. Not so with SkyStream. They list their email address, telephone number as well as Facebook and YouTube channel’s address. It’s clear they want you to know where to go if you have a problem.
The actual setup section has basic instructions that, honestly, should be self-explanatory. It covers how to connect to your TV and the Internet. What I did appreciate was that the very first step after setting up your Wi-Fi and adjusting your screen was to run the SkyStream Updater app to make sure that the latest updates and firmware are installed. Kudos!
Setup and SkyStream TV launcher
Speaking of setup, the setup was super simple, except for one curious quirk. My box powered on without the Wi-Fi turned on in the settings screen. Presumably, this is their way of suggesting that we use the faster, more reliable wired Ethernet connection. At first, I thought this was a glitch, but then I went back and reviewed the setup instructions. Yes, yes, I know. I only read the instructions after there was a problem. I’m a guy, what do you want from me?
The direction to turn the Wi-Fi on is there, on Page 1, one paragraph underneath the “Power ON’ section. You can actually see it under the “Connecting to the Internet” section of the Quick Start Guide image above.
Once that minor hiccup was dealt with, the rest of the setup was a breeze. The launcher is different, yet familiar. If you’ve used any Android media box before, you’ll instantly be able to navigate the SkyStream One. Even if you haven’t used an Android box before, you’ll pick it up quickly.
The launcher is laid out with super-sized icons that let you easily get to folder-like sections for streaming video, music, settings, local storage as well as your favorites. The bottom row is a customizable section of quick-launch icons that you can configure to launch individual apps in one click. The “My Apps” icon will take you to the default Android app screen.
One of the nice extra touches is that, even on the app screen, you still have access to the folder sections for your favorites, music, and video. That way, you’re never too far away from what you want to watch or listen to.
SkyStream One Remote Control
If there’s one thing about the SkyStream One that could use some work, it would be the bundled remote control.
It’s not that it’s bad, just uninspired and awkward.
I’ve said before, that the user interface and launchers get a lot of attention, but it’s the remote control that is the link between us and our TVs. When I pick up the remote, it should fit snugly in my hand. I should be able to navigate the buttons without looking down at them. If I do look at the remote, I’m missing what’s on the TV.
The SkyStream One’s remote is modeled after the great remotes from NVIDIA and Amazon. With only eight buttons and a circular D-pad, it’s got a simple, uncluttered look to it. It also lacks a microphone for voice control.
However, I felt that the remote is awkward to pick up and hold comfortably. With 2 AAA batteries, it’s thicker than the Shield’s razor-thin remote, which has an internal rechargeable battery. When I hold it in my hand, my fingers are all the way up at the top row, between the power and mute buttons – not resting near the D-pad where they belong. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve muted the movie I was watching by accident.
Picking up the remote is likewise challenging. Since there’s no texture on the back of the remote, it’s very easy for it to spin out of your hand as you try to maneuver your thumb down to press a button.
Benchmarks
Let me be blunt: Benchmarks have become less and less of a factor in the past year or so.
Honestly, the difference between a 30,000 score and a 33,000 AnTuTu score is minimal. More often than not, you can significantly affect a score just by running the test after you’ve been watching a movie for two hours, or by not clearing the memory cache.
Still, I couldn’t honestly call this a very good SkyStream One review without running these tests, right?
The MINIX NEO U1 has roughly the same specs as the SkyStream One, so that will be our baseline comparison. The advantage that the MINIX has is that it has had several firmware revisions already, and that shows in a slightly higher AnTuTu score. 38,738 compared to 36,454 for the SkyStream One. I’ll say it again though, in practice, you’re not going to see a difference in performance between 38K and 36K scores.
Where you should see a difference though is in the graphics performance, which is tested by 3DMark’s Ice Storm demo.
I grew up playing computer games, so tests like the Ice Storm demo still hold a special place in my arsenal of tests. I don’t think there’s any better way to abuse your system and see if it cries for mercy than running an intense 3D simulation.
Here, the SkyStream One registered a score of 4194, which was over 35% better than the MINIX NEO U1 scored. That score also puts it even better than most of the newer TV boxes to hit the market in the past year.
All-in-all, solid performance from SkyStream.
Video playback
All this is good, but you really came here to find out how the new SkyStream One performs when you’re watching a movie, right?
I figured as much.
I recently found myself with a day to kill, waiting out the first hurricane visit to Central Florida in a decade. Thankfully, that was the perfect time to curl up with the SkyStream One and watch movies for as long as the power stayed on.
Part of the setup process of running the SkyStream Updater is choosing how you’d like to set up your Kodi installation. The SkyStream One is one of the few “fully loaded Kodi boxes” that are still being sold. Many companies have moved away from pre-loading Kodi\XBMC with add-ons because they change so fast and it’s very difficult to keep them up-to-date. That’s where the updater app comes in. As addons are updated by the developer, it’s very easy to push that update down to your SkyStream One via the app.
Once I made sure that everything was updated and current, I started my day on the couch watching movies studiously studying the Skystream One’s video playback. Thankfully, the weather (and my home’s power) held throughout the day.
Kodi
SkyStream’s custom Kodi installation flawlessly played several 1080p and smaller 4K video files, streamed from my Western Digital MyCloud NAS. Some of the larger 4K video files I tried were ripped from Blu-ray movies, so the file size is extremely large. Occasionally, other traffic on my network would cause some slowdown and buffering. This didn’t happen with smaller 4K clips and trailers, however. Likewise, 1080p videos played without any problems.
Netflix
Netflix on the SkyStream One suffers from the same limitations as most of the other Android boxes: Netflix’s stringent certification rules. You see, Netflix limits many devices to standard definition playback unless the manufacturer meets their certification standards. More often than not, many great manufacturers find themselves on the wrong end of Netflix’s rules for no good reason at all.
The Netflix app performed well and streamed the shows I selected almost instantly. Still, the resolution was disappointing.
Amazon Prime Video
In sharp contrast to Netflix, Amazon Prime Video looked great. Although there aren’t as many titles available on Amazon’s streaming video service, what I did watch looked much better than Netflix. You may not be able to get the latest Marvel superhero show, but you can get the guys from Top Gear in their new show: The Grand Tour. And the quality is far superior to what you’ll find on Netflix.
The Verdict
I really can’t say enough good things about the SkyStream One.
It’s an Android box that checks all of the important boxes that I look for when I’m shopping for a new device.
Android 5.1? Check
4K UHD capability? Check
Automatic updater app? Check
Great support network? Check
Yes, the SkyStream One cost a little more than some of those “other boxes” out there. But it’s worth every penny. Personally, I like knowing that I’m going to be taken care of if I’ve got a question or problem with my device. That kind of peace of mind makes this Android box a great deal at the price.
Find the best price on the SkyStream One at SkyStreamx.com
I am interested in purchasing my first Android box. I would like to find out how much to setup to stream audio and video. Also what the cost is and where a quality device can be purchased.
Hi Alan. Great questions. I’d suggest taking a look at my Start Here page. It’s a great place to start learning about Android TV boxes, setting them up, protecting them and getting Kodi up and running.
I am sick of dealing with directv and dish network. Mainly because I am not big into watching movies and television. I am more looking for something that will allow me to watch my Michigan Wolverines, Oakland Raiders, and San Antonio Spurs. I do have a couple tv shows I like to watch (Big Bang Theory, Bones, Blacklist, and occasionally the news), but mostly I just want to watch my sports. Can Skystream give me all my favorite sports and the television shows?
Might be a good TV box – IF – the software is up to the task?
The technical specifications for this box sound a whole lot like my MXQ pro+ TV box I purchased a few months ago. By the way I do not recommend this box. After many months of learning; a major consideration seems to be how well the software is implemented. Good programming, good box. Poor programming, not so much.
The following comments are NOT related to Tim’s review of the specific product or device above. Instead it is intended to be my FINAL posting regarding my purchasing experience of an Android MXQ pro+ TV box. My purchasing experience truly does validate the old adage of “you get what you pay for”.
Besides having a horrible software package installed at the factory, my specific TV box seemed to have an overheating problem which caused it to reboot after about 2-3 hours of operation. To solve this perceived overheating problem I disassemble the case from the motherboard, cut about a 2 1/4″ hole in the plastic in the bottom of the case and then mount a small 60 mm pancake fan to the outside of the case and powered it from a 5 volt DC USB port. The end result was this. Both the perceived overheating and rebooting problems disappeared.
As a retired Quality Engineer who frequently worked on root cause analysis problems; more and more Android TV boxes might start to exhibit these types of problems. You know, as we install more and more stuff in those USB ports like external hard drives while trying to charge our cell phones and stream a movie.
So I believe what Roku did with some of their early TV boxes was correct. Even though they only used about 5 or 6 watts they put ventilation holes in the bottom AND top of the boxes to allow for cooling. That same type of case design should work well for most TV boxes with power supplies in the 2 – 3 amp range. Going much over that amperage will probably mean having some form of forced cooling. Unless of course some very smart programmers implement energy saving techniques which in my case – they did not 🙁
But to enclose a quad core 2 GHz processor, graphics, WiFi, Bluetooth and USB chips in a totally enclosed plastic case with no ventilation to me is NOT a very wise business decision. Of course the fan I installed is far larger than needed but it was what I had laying around in my electronics goodies box.
Your mileage will of course vary, ha ha.
Thank you for reading my very long posting.
Hi Tom. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
I’ve seen the SkyStream operation, since they’re one of the two manufacturers that are local to me in Orlando. I don’t think they’d give you a bad experience like your MXQ pro+ TV box that you mention. I haven’t gotten to try the Skystream One yet, but their previous devices were both pretty decent quality.
Once I get a test box, I’ll take some internal pictures and add them to this article for you.
HI Tim, I’m thinking of buying a new Android TV box, I currently have a Matricom G box Q and a Beelink M18, the G box Q started to give me sound problem and had to continually reboot the system to get the sound back in the middle of a movie, Matricom costumer service is a joke, and couldn’t get any help. The Beelink M18 works fine except for the blue ray remote, its almost unusable as it jumps a few spots if is pressed for more than a millisecond, have to use the Kore up to navigate Kodi, too bad it cant control the box itself, there is very little info on their website and the forum they have is of no use as the few people that posted there are still waiting for answers and cant find a way to get any updates
After reading your article: The best android TV box, I was thinking that the Minix Neo U1 would be the right box for me, now you have this new box and it sounds good too, the costumer service side is what interests me and both this units according to you have good after sale service, no sense saving a few dollars if you cant get help, I’m a senior with just basic computer skills and some of this stuff goes over my head
What remote control with keyboard wold you suggest to get to navigate the Beelink M18
Hi Steve. If you’re looking for a great remote with a keyboard, I highly recommend either the MINIX NEO A2 or the Probox2 Remote+. You can find what I thought of both (and a ton of other remotes) in my air-mouse roundup review.
I have had 3 different models of SkyStreamX. Updating everytime a new one came out.
Don’t like the ONE.
No SHOWBOX.
I’m…confused….Showbox is a Kodi addon. It’s not made by SkyStream.
Tim,
Is there really a big difference between the SkyStream One and the SkyStreamx5? It really kinda SUX that I had just bought the X5 and they discontinue it really fast. I read the party line that it was a manufacturing issue but ah come on that really sounds fishy to put it kindly. Anyway I am interested if its worthwhile for me to upgrade to SkyStream One or are the boxes about the same? Thanks Tim for all the help I have received from your site, I appreciate the hard work.
Michael
Hi Michael. Great question!
Yeah, that didn’t sit well with me either. The X5 just seemed to have a really short lifespan – too short, IMO. I see why they replaced it, though. The X5 had an S812 CPU which is a dinosaur by today’s standards. Even the S905 that the One has isn’t the latest chipset from Amlogic, but it’s still one of the most popular and best performing (as of today).
So, is it worth it to upgrade? Maybe. But that depends on you.
The One has a better CPU, and HDMI 2.0 – not 1.4 like the X5. HDMI 2.0 is capable of 4K resolutions at higher framerates than HDMI 1.4. But, I have to stress that the increased frame rates ONLY matter for 4K video. 1080p and below will operate the same.
My advice for upgrading is always the same: If the box you have does what you want it to do, and performs well (no stutters, buffering, digital artifacts, etc), then why do you want to upgrade? Does the new box do anything special that you NEED? If not, then the X5 is still a capable box that still has all of SkyStream’s support network.
Thanks Tim you’re tthe best. Its so nice to find someone that isnt selling anything and is just passing along his knowldge and the facts. Really thank you for all your hard work.
Michael