Katarzyna Petru
Acer, known mainly for its laptops and monitors, has decided to enter the streaming device segment. Pre-orders have started in South Africa for the Acer AiTV – 4K UHD Google TV Box, which has the potential to stand out from the competition. This is the first device of its kind from the Taiwanese brand, and it appears that the company has chosen South Africa as its test market.
A true powerhouse in terms of ports
Where most set-top boxes are limited to one HDMI and possibly USB, Acer took a completely different approach. AiTV offers HDMI, USB-C, USB-A, Ethernet, a microSD card slot, and even Toslink S/PDIF for connecting a soundbar or amplifier. Additionally, there is a separate power socket, allowing USB-C to be fully utilised for other devices. There is also support for Wi-Fi 6.
Specification and AI on Board
The heart of AiTV is the Amlogic S905X5 processor with four Cortex-A510 cores and ARM Mali-G310 graphics. The hardware allows for 4K streaming and utilises "super-resolution upscaling" technology. An additional NPU with 4 TOPS supports AI applications. Users have 32 GB of internal memory at their disposal, with the option to expand via microSD. However, there have been discrepancies regarding RAM – the announcement mentions 3 GB, while the pre-order states 2 GB.
Google TV with Dolby Vision and Atmos
It includes all the most important streaming apps, and the remote has shortcuts to Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, and YouTube Music, as well as a large "Live TV" button. Acer provides support for Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10, Google Cast, Google Assistant, and Dolby Atmos sound.
Price and Availability
AiTV has gone on presale in South Africa for 1,499 rand, which is around 295 PLN. It is not yet known when shipping will start or if the device will be available outside Africa. However, if the project succeeds, Acer may launch its device globally – and then the competition will have a tough nut to crack.
