Despite the small size of this broadcast box, the Thomson THA100 provides a connection that meets most needs. There is obviously an HDMI output – the review is not specified – along with an AV jack to connect the Cinch RCA converter, for use on older TVs. There is also an optical audio output for connecting the box to an amplifier without an HDMI input.
With 8GB of storage (eMMC format, approximately 5GB is accessible), the THA100 can count on two USB-A ports (one USB 2.0 and one USB 3.0) and a microSD card reader to expand its storage capacities. Equipped with an IR receiver on the front, the box also provides a mini-jack for connecting an external IR receiver (not included).
An RJ45 network jack is available, but it is limited to the theoretical speed of 100Mbit/s.However, this is sufficient for most current 4K formats, but we find it difficult not to offer a gigabit link. The same applies to the built-in wireless connectivity, which is limited to wifi 5 and Bluetooth 4.2.
Disassembling the case does not reveal the Amlogic S905X2 chip. The SoC is locked in a metal cage topped with a thermal pad, which is itself in contact with a thick metal plate that acts as a coolant. This chip is not revolutionary: it has four Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1.8 GHz, a Mali-G31 graphics circuit, and is accompanied by 2 GB of DDR4 RAM – a configuration very close to that of I’Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max.
The power supply passes through a 12-watt sector block in a special format. We find it a pity that the manufacturer has not opted for a standard power supply via USB-C, which is easy to replace in the event of a failure once the warranty period has expired. Power consumption is also contained (between 5 and 7 watts depending on the activity). In standby mode, less than 1 watt.
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