GoKawiilTushar Mehta / Android Authority
TL;DR Xiaomi’s TV Stick HD (2nd-Gen) is now set for global availability.
The TV Stick offers a 38% faster CPU and improved video playback with AV1 decoding compared to the 1st Gen.
The Stick also gets HDR10+ support along with a Netflix certification, just like the previous model.
There are plenty of ways you can turn your old LCD or plasma TV into a smart one, and one of the easiest and most economical options is to buy a TV streamer stick or set-top box with internet connectivity. If you’re also looking to add Android’s diversity to your TV, a Google TV device makes the most sense. A new one is now on the horizon, and it comes from one of the most popular Android phone makers.
Xiaomi’s second-generation TV Stick HD has been listed on its global website, suggesting a wide release in regions, including Western Europe and the UK. It arrives nearly five years after the first generation was released, and follows the Xiaomi TV Stick 4K (2nd Gen), which came out last year.
Like the 4K variant, the Xiaomi TV Stick HD (2nd Gen) runs on the Google TV platform, allowing you to download a plethora of apps from the Play Store. It is also Netflix-certified, like the first generation, meaning you wouldn’t need to resort to stopgap solutions like sideloading an APK to run Netflix’s mobile or tablet version, as you might with certain Android TV devices.
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The Stick’s video output is capped at 1080p, and it supports HDR10+ for better contrast in HDR content through apps such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Apple TV. For lossless audio, the TV Stick HD (2nd Gen) gets DTS, DTS:X, and Dolby Audio support. While the 4K model also supports Dolby Vision, that’s missing here. Xiaomi also brings AV1 decoding, allowing for faster video streaming. Notably, AV1 decoding is a prerequisite for any device made after March 2021 to be licensed for Google TV.
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