Tanggula X1 PRO 4GB/64GB Android 13 Streaming Media Player Review

Our pen pal Ponyo, who used to hawk wares for Naenka, reached out to ask if we would review the oddly-named Tanggula X1 PRO streaming media player. Now, we are an audio-focused site, and since swearing off CNN my TV watching consists mostly of NBA games and slasher films. However, I really like Ponyo and was intrigued enough by the X1’s specs to give it a whirl.

The (orig. $249 now $179 on Amazon) X1 PRO is an Android device which provides no additional-fee access to a staggering 11,000 TV channels, including >100 from Bulgaria and >2000 porno channels, which I have not (yet) sampled. It also includes some 40,000 free movies and is pre-loaded with the popular paid apps like Netflix, for which the usual subscription costs apply.

Granted, you can use your smart TV or spend as little as $20 on an external device like a Roku to perform more-or-less the same function, but you would have to pay monthly fees for cable or a live streaming TV service like Hulu or Fubo and your channel and movie choices are much thinner (by way of comparison, I’m currently spending something like $100/month to get a hundred or so mostly useless channels on cable). The X1 also has 64Gb on onboard ROM storage (expandable via USB drive), which enables you to record shows just in case you run out of content.

Tanggula promises five minute set-up for the X1 PRO —HDMI cable to the TV, a wireless or Ethernet connection and downloading the “Tang TV” and “Tars TV” apps from the homepage. It’s a bit more involved than that (you have to activate it and grant various permissions) and the included manual is singularly unhelpful. I also found the remote (which isn’t backlit) to be unintuitive and the search process slightly cumbersome (there is a voice function I haven’t tried). Once you muddle through it, though, you can get where you need to go.

 The main techy highlights of the X1 PRO are its super-duper ultra HD 8K image quality (as opposed to the 1080p of entry-level competitors) and its allegedly speedy and powerful processor, which promises to eliminate buffering and latency. Video quality on TV content is, in fact, excellent—contrast is good, color gamut is wide and images are extremely sharp.

The X1 PRO also promises no stuttering or buffering, which isn’t quite accurate—with an excellent wifi connection I had very good results (and seamless play) with TV channels but very mixed results with movies—about 75% of the  mainstream films I sampled played flawlessly but the rest experienced buffering, in some cases rendering the film unwatchable. There is also constant updating upon start-up—it usually takes a minute or so before you can actually watch. (I will do further testing with Ethernet and post my results). 

Note: Tanggula did provide some useful tips to improve streaming speed and reduce buffering, including installing a free VPN

For me, though, the big selling point of the X1PRO is the sheer volume of free content—Bulgarian soap operas aside, the on-board movie collection is shockingly good (it includes both “American Psycho” and “Booty Call”!) and I get my sports channels; assuming their OS doesn’t get shut down for licensing issues, the X1 PRO would pay for itself in a couple of weeks.

Because of the buffering issues with movies, I’m not yet sufficiently awed by this little box to cancel my AT&T cable service (tempting though it may be) and buy a couple more X1 PROs. Right now I see its main virtue is the absolutely staggering amount of content; as it’s UI and server functionality are refined, it will become a centerpiece to many systems.

Disclaimer: Ponyo made me promise to mention the product name, describe its features and post a link to purchase: https://tanggulamedia.com/products/tanggula-x1-pro 

Fair enough.  He never asks for editorial approval.