Zoomtak T8 Plus Review

Pick a streaming device. Any one. Doesn’t matter if it’s a Roku, Apple TV, or any one of the Android TV boxes like a MINIX or a Matricom. They all have one thing in common.

They look more like a hockey puck than a video player.

Think about it: they’re a small, plastic box with rounded off corners. Try putting that next to your AV receiver and you’ll see what I mean. It just looks out of place.

We spend a lot of time on our couch in front of our TV’s, so I love it when companies design something that actually looks like it belongs next to your stereo. That’s what Zoomtak did with their T8 line of streaming media players. I took a look at the Zoomtak T8 Plus to see if it performs as well as it looks. Does it deserve a place next to your stereo? Read on to find out.

T8 Model line: T8, T8 Plus, T8 V…

Zoomtak T8 Plus TV box

There are a couple different versions of the Zoomtak T8 model line, and, at first glance, they don’t have much in common other than the exterior shell.

It’s not uncommon for a manufacturer to keep the same name for a device even though what’s inside goes through some massive design changes – look at Apple, for example. However, it does make it a little confusing when the devices are all being sold at the same time.

I’ll highlight some of the different models and their major specs here, just so we’re all on the same page:

  • Zoomtak T8: AmLogic S802 CPU with 2GB of RAM and 8GB of flash storage. Android 4.4 (cannot update to 5.0)
  • Zoomtak T8H and T8V: AmLogic S905 chipset. Either 1GB or 2GB of RAM and 16GB of flash storage. Android 5.1
  • …and the Zoomtak T8 Plus that you’re reading about here. It has the AmLogic S812 chipset, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of flash storage. It runs Android 4.4 or 5.1, depending on when you’re reading this review.

First Impressions

Zoomtak review

There are people out there that want something to look as good as it performs.

I happen to be one of them. I think the people at Zoomtak fall into that category too.

That’s one of the nice things about the Zoomtak T8 Plus. It’s a larger device made of matte black aluminum which gives it a much higher end look. There’s no big, flashy bright blue LED light that makes your entire TV cabinet glow in the dark. On the front panel, there’s a simple red\blue power switch and a small LCD screen with, of all things…a clock.

The clock may seem like a small thing to add. But that LCD screen adds an extra level of sophistication which couldn’t have cost more than a dollar or two to make. It’s a little extra, certainly. But, every stereo component I’ve ever had has had a clock on the front.

That’s the look that Zoomtak is going for, and they’ve hit the nail on the head with this design.

One of the curious things about the design is that the Zoomtak T8 Plus has the ability to add a SATA hard drive for extra storage. However, there are two tricks to this, though. First is that Zoomtak doesn’t give you enough space in the aluminum shell to actually permanently mount the drive inside. Second, they don’t give a dedicated hard drive access port. There are pictures showing a second bay on the bottom of the box which can be used to access the drive bay. The T8 Plus that I received had no such port. I had to remove the entire case to get at the internals.

Specs: Zoomtak T8 Plus

CPUAmlogic S812 Quad core Cortex A9r4 2GHz
GPUOcta-core Mali-450MP GPU @ 600MHz
FLASH16 GB eMMC
SDRAM2GB DDR3
Main Features
OSAndroid 4.4 KitKat OS,Android 5.1 Coming soon
Support Decoder formatHD MPEG1/2/4,H.264,H.265, HD AVC/VC-1,RM/RMVB,Xvid/DivX3/4/5/6 ,RealVideo8/9/10
Support Media formatAvi/Rm/Rmvb/Ts/Vob/Mkv/Mov/ISO/wmv/asf/flv/dat/mpg/mpeg
Support Music formatMP3/WMA/AAC/WAV/OGG/AC3/DDP/TrueHD/DTS/DTS/HD/FLAC/APE
Support Photo formatHD JPEG/BMP/GIF/PNG/TIFF
USB host3 High speed USB 2.0,support USB DISK and USB HDD
Card readerSD/SDHC/MMC cards
HDD file systemFAT16/FAT32/NTFS
SATA HDDSupport  internal 2.5 in. SATA HDD For Option
Support SubtitleSRT/SMI/SUB/SSA/IDX+USB
High Difinition video outputSD/HD max 4096*2160. pixel
LANEthernet:10/100/1000M Gigabit Ethernet, standard RJ-45
WirelessBuilt-in 2.4G/5.8G Dual Band WIFI Module AP6330 With External Antenna
BluetoothBluetooth V4.0
HDMIHDMI 1.4a up to 4K 2K
DOLBY TrueHD and DTS HDDOLBY TrueHD and DTS, AC3 located hardware decoded
Software Specifications
Network FunctionKODI,Miracast,Airplay,Skype chatting,Youtube,Netflix,Facebook,Online movies,etc.
User InterfaceZoomtak Unique User Interface
OTASupport OTA Update Online
Kodi UpdateSupport Addon Installed Update Online
Other featureFree Internet searching,thousands of android applications,many kinds of games,etc.
TV BOX Specification
ColorBlack/Gold
TV BOX Size180(L)x120(W)x25(H)mm
TV BOX Weight450g
Package Size215(L)x173(W)x85(H)mm
Package Weigh1050g
Package Including1 * Google TV Box,1 * Power Adapter,1 * IR remote control,1 * HDMI Cable,1 * User Manual

Unboxing

Zoomtak T8 Plus unboxing

Personally, I think unboxing videos have gotten a little stale over the last few years.

Nowadays, most manufacturers include everything you need to get up and running, so there aren’t too many surprises. The Zoomtak T8 Plus is no exception.

All of the usual cords, plugs and accessories are included. Again…no surprise. You’ve got the AC adapter and HDMI cable. There’s also an an IR remote, but I’ll get more into that later on.

What is actually surprising though is that Zoomtak includes an honest-to-goodness instruction manual complete with specs, basic setup, troubleshooting, screenshots or basic processes, and even a keymap for the remote control. I’ve seen less detailed instructions on much higher priced components, so this is a very welcome surprise.

Setup

Zoomtak-Setup-Menu

Speaking of welcome surprises…

When you first boot up the Zoomtak T8 Plus, you’re greeted with a “Welcome” message which begins a guided setup process designed to get you up and running quickly. The process takes you through choosing a wired or wireless network connection, adjusting your screen aspect ration to fit the entire launcher, as well as some other basic settings. The only major thing that the process leaves out is adding your Google account information so you can get access to the Google Play Store. Presumably this is because you don’t really need to use the Google Play Store to get your apps. You could just use the Amazon App Store, or sideload the apps you want to install.

Still, if I had any feedback about an otherwise simple and well-thought-out process, it would be to include some app store setup.


BONUS: I’ve just posted my largest ever guide on How to set up Kodi the right way. Check it out here or using the image below!

New Users guide: How to Setup Kodi the right way.

 

Zoomtak launcher

Zoomtak-launcher

When you think about TV box launchers there are two main designs. You can go dark and sleek, or you can go bright an colorful like some technicolor rainbow. Zoomtak broke the tradition and went somewhere in between. There’s definitely a dark undertone to their theme, but it’s coupled with big, brightly colored icons that grab your attention.

Some launchers I’ve seen just have the basic, flat, material design icons which I don’t think gives any sort of “pop” to the interface. The Zoomtak launcher, on the other hand uses the modern material design as a basis for the User Interface (UI), but adds a bit more dimension to the icons. The background images use a kind of “sunburst” glow around the center of the image, drawing your eyes to the icon or image on top.

Zoomtak-all-apps

The main screen has a “Live Tiles” type layout, with the Kodi button in the prime location on the left hand side of the screen. The center section shows a “tip of the day” type box, which will cycle through different tips and tricks. Above that is the buttons to take you to your default web browser and the All Apps section, shown on the right. Finally, the right hand section will show a live snapshot of the local weather, as well as options for Settings, Videos, Music and the Clean Memory app. Videos and Music are folders which you can populate with whichever apps you choose.

The colors may be a bit gaudy. If you’re in a dark living room, you might feel some eye strain from the glare of the bright, almost neon buttons covering most of the screen. Still, it’s a very well done interface with a lot of care put into the design.

Remote Control

Zoomtak-remote

Zoomtak includes a full-featured infrared (IR) remote control, complete with a numberpad, so it’s a little larger than some of the remotes I’m used to seeing packaged with TV boxes.

The entire remote is surprisingly thin and light, except for the battery bubble on the bottom of the device. That “bubble” makes for a natural place to rest your fingers when you’re holding the device so it feels very comfortable when you’re holding it. From that position, it is a slight stretch to reach the D-pad, but nothing that is uncomfortable.

The top three rows of the remote have hot-button options that are labeled with both words and icons – another nice touch. I, for one, would have some issues trying to figure out what some of the icons mean, so having the labels as well is much appreciated.

The buttons give you a quick way to access Setup, Zoom options, Bookmarks, AV options, Subtitles, Audio options, Aspect Ration (16:9), as well as media controls like Play, Stop FWD, RWD and Repeat.

For not being an airmouse, the remote is surprisingly capable for navigating around most of the apps that you’ll want to use in your TV box, unless they are specifically designed to rely on a touch screen, like Netflix. If I had any criticism of the remote, it  would be that the “battery bubble” doesn’t extend high enough up the back of the device. Other than that one point, the remote looks and feels the part of a stereo component remote control. Again, that is what Zoomtak is going for with this device.

Zoomtak T8 Plus Review: Benchmarks

As part of this Zoomtak review, I put the T8 Plus through the usual series of benchmarks, so I’ll share some of the highlights below. A good benchmark score doesn’t always mean that a device will perform well in the real world, but they’re a nice way to compare products with similar specs.

Zoomtak-AnTuTu

AnTuTu 6.0 is an overall performance benchmark that tests the various components of a device. I like the breakout scores that AnTuTu provides since it gives a little more detail than just one overall score. It also provides a 3D video score, but since I got my start in PC building and benchmarking, I prefer 3D Mark for anything graphics related. Call it a personal preference.

Here, the AnTuTu score was 32456, which is on par with other AmLogic S812 based devices like the MINIX NEO X8-H Plus, and not too far behind the S905 based boxes that are popular today. The main advantage to an S812 based device like the T8 Plus is that the firmware tends to be a little more mature and less prone to bugs and glitches.

Zoomtak-PCMark

As I mentioned, 3D Mark has been doing graphics performance testing for years and is my “go-to” benchmark test for anything related to gaming and 3D performance.

One of the reasons I like the the 3D Mark Ice Storm test is that it is a very graphics intense, computer generated movie that flat-out abuses a device’s GPU. It also records the framerates in live time on the bottom of the screen. This way you’re able to see exactly where a device slows down, and where it performs well.

The overall score for the Ice Storm test was 6026, which is very good for a device overall. Framerates were averaging between 24 and 29 frames per second, which is just under what the human eye sees as fluid motion. I did notice some stuttering in the demo, which confirmed those figures, but nothing that detracted too much from the video. Again, it’s important to stress that these tests were designed to abuse the device and find it’s limits. Real world use is nowhere near this demanding.

Kodi

A stock version of Kodi 16.0 Jarvis comes pre-loaded on the Zoomtak T8 Plus and you can tell from the massive orange button on the homescreen that this is where they expect you to be spending a lot of your time. It’s worth noting that, at the time of this writing, Kodi 16.1 has just been released, so it’s not surprising that my review box didn’t come with it. I was immediately notified that the update was available though. Still, for the purposes of this test, I stuck with 16.0.

Another nice surprise is that the Kodi interface just felt snappy on the T8 Plus – even more so than my Windows PC which has an Intel Core i7 CPU and 32GB of RAM. There was little to no delay in scrolling through the menu options and adding videos to my library took only about fifteen seconds from start to finish. I’ve done enough tests to know that this process can take upwards of a minute for small directories like the one I use for testing.

My videos are held on my Western Digital MyCloud NAS device, connected wirelessly through an ASUS RT-66U 802.11 a\b\g\n router. Video playback in both 720p and 1080p was flawless. The videos were quick to launch and there was no dropped frames or stuttering during video playback. 4K videos had some issues, however. Image quality was perfect, although there was noticeable stuttering in Big Buck Bunny at times. When I transferred the same file to a thumb drive and played it directly from the T8 Plus’ USB port, the stuttering was greatly reduced.

The Verdict

There’s a lot that I liked about the Zoomtak T8 Plus, and not much that I didn’t. Most of my critiques were small tweaks like remote control ergonomics and adding a section on choosing an app store to the guided setup process.

It’s clear Zoomtak took a lot of time to come up with a user-friendly TV box that’s not only a great performer, but also looks the part of a high-quality stereo component. They have an excellent Android launcher that’s comfortable to use from your couch, and makes it easy for new users and tweakers alike to get to where they want to go. Bundling the stock version of Kodi is a huge plus. You can freely upgrade to new versions as they come out without worrying about losing performance.

All in all, if you’re like me and want a device that looks as good as it performs, you should check out the Zoomtak T8 Plus.

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16 Comments

  1. It’s the same box that Stream D-TV uses. The only difference is it only has one external antenna for wireless instead of two, and the name on it. It comes loaded with KODI and more add-ons than you’ll ever use. (most don’t work or don’t have English subtitles available. Stream D-TV comes with a remote, if you want a keyboard remote or game controller, those are extra. Mine cost me $249.95 plus one extra remote ($24.95) and shipping. It lasted 45 days of minimal use due to no instructions, and NO WARANTY, so I’m stuck with it and out my money. I would be very wary of purchasing this unit reviewed here.

    1. Hi Gregory. I started this site three years ago to stop people from having experiences like yours. I just hate it when a company rips off people like that and gives you no support after the sale. Stream D-TV looks like another fly-by-night TV box company that brands somebody else’s player as their own, modifies it to throw bloatware and crappy addons on it, and then marks up the price by hundreds of dollars to make a quick profit.

      That being said, it looks like the box that Stream D-TV uses is more like this one from EWEAT, than the Zoomtak I reviewed here. It’s hard to tell though, because NOWHERE on Stream D-TV’s website do they list any specs on their products. They seem to count on people like you being sucked in to their marketing hype, getting excited about all the stuff they promise it can do, without stopping to ask questions about the box.

      I’m sorry you had that experience with them. Drop me an email and let me know if there’s anything I can help with. I don’t have a lot of clout, but I might be able to reach out to them for you.

    2. Brian Braddocksays:

      do not buy from zoomtak they will take you money ans thats ALL you will get because there is NO custoimer support NO firmware updates and NO chance of running ANY newer version of KODI than 16.1!

      ZOOMTAK dont give a damn about you once youve bought from them. Their talk of lifetime updates etc is just that TALK you dont get any updates WHAT SO EVER – BUY from these at you peril.

      1. I have a Zoomtak UPlus and it’s a phenomenal TV box and is very fast with HDR and 4K to mention a couple. I purchased this box from Zoomtak back in feb.2018 and I too never received an OTA update until my box would go black on my 4k TV screen.I called them and explained the issue and they sent me a firmware link and I thought great they’re doing what they said they were going to do until I tried to update my Uplus with this link and it did NOT work.3 days later of racking my brains and talking to ppl in broken english they sent me the correct firmware link.I have a buddy over at Freaktab.com I sent him the link to check it out like I did with the 1st link and he told me the 1st link was an old android update and he told me in caps DO NOT UPLOAD!I sent him the 2nd link and he said “Yes its good”so I loaded my sd card and popped it into my uplus and VOILA!THE BOX UPDATED.All this took me about 4 days to get the correct firmware so yes this was a HUGE NIGHTMARE for me dealing with these Chinese ppl who were not tech support specialists but customer service reps!.The box is a really great box for $60 bucks but the tech support was next to non existant.My take on this issue is dont purchase this box from zoomtak.net but from zoomtak.ca which is in Canada and they offer tech support and firmware updates with their warranty.Yes you are correct about getting a refund…forget about it your wasting your time.Other than all I’ve mentioned the box is solid.You really should check out the specs cuz they are eye popping for the money.Amlogic s912 processor with 4k and hdr and Android 7.1.2 for starters.Zoomtak.ca has a very nice and helpful website but Zoomtak.net is really set up for bulk purchasing of TV boxes not individual firmware updates or warranty services. I wished that I knew then what I know now but hey as they say “you live and learn”.Hope this helps someone…Hlato

      2. As Brian mentions Zoomtak provide no support for their boxes. I purchased mine directly from the zoomtak.ca site, so no, H. Lato, support isn’t any better from them.

        Zoomtak implies they update these boxes, but the only thing they update is the “BUILD” (basically the list pirate add-ons) you can install. In over 2 years of owning a T8H I’ve received 0 firmware, Android, KODI, or other application updates.

        Contrast this with the MyGica box I bought – the folks there bent over backwards to help with a flash issue I had with one of their products.

        While my Zoomtak T8H is a nice box, the 0 updates, really shitty implementation of Netflix (can’t access a lot of data without an “air mouse” and even with one the UI is awful compared to KODI), and non-removable wireless antenna really detract from it.

        Having owned several Android boxes I’d buy the MyGica box simply for the fact that they actually do update their boxes and seem to give a damn about their customer base. Don’t buy a Zoomtak box if you expect updates or support.

  2. Looks like a great machine. I would love to have one for my motorhome so I always have access to this entertainment stream.

    1. Hi Jim. The Zoomtak is higher than your $100 price point, unfortunately. It’s a good device, but more than you’re looking to spend.

  3. Glenn Halloransays:

    Hi. I purchase the Zoomtak T8 Plus earlier this year with android 4.4 on it, and it’s still not updated to 5. I had an online talk with someone from the company and they told me it would not be update to 5 as people were complaining that the audio wasn’t as good with android 5. Now, how they managed to sort that out without it being updated to 5 is beyond me, and since I just found this site I thought I’d drop you a line and see if you’ve heard anything. I’m really interested in trying Kodi 17 Krypton on it, but without android 5 that’s a no go. Thanks for your attention.

    1. Hi Glenn. I think that the person you spoke to was just giving you an excuse, to be honest. I haven’t heard of any issues with Android 5.1. In fact, here in mid-2016, I would highly recommend ONLY buying a device that had Android 5.1 on it. Even if you think about it from a Kodi perspective, the new version of Kodi 17 Krypton requires you to have at least Android 5 on your device.

      1. Hello,

        I just purchased a T8 Plus last month.
        Very disappointing it can’t be upgraded to 5.1
        You should state that somewhere in your review that it can’t be upgraded.
        I’ve talked to many different people at zoomtak and they say you have to purchase a new box.
        Nice review and I am happy with the T8 Plus…just wish I could upgrade it to 5.1

    1. sold 30 of the t8 plus last cristmas no returns were run on 4.4 got some on 5.1 verry good again tried the v plus on 6.0 wow well worth the extra few euro anyone can ote upgrade rom or kodi anytime simple to use best boxes by a distance

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