Finally, we arrive at the third part of the comparison between Micro-Whale and Mi TV—system and content evaluation. This is the concluding section of our overall assessment of these two smart TVs.
The reason I took so long to write this part was to give myself more time to deeply experience and analyze the system features, allowing me to provide a more detailed and comprehensive review.
We believe that the core of a TV lies in its picture quality. If the image quality is lacking, even if other features are superior, it can't compensate for this weakness.
The system is closely tied to user habits. While there are some differences in the content available on each TV, AirPlay (DLNA) can easily solve the issue of content source compatibility.
Starting from the boot process:
System evaluation begins with the startup time. "Startup ads" are one of the most criticized aspects of internet brand TVs.
From the moment you press the power button, the Micro-Whale TV takes 30 seconds to reach the main interface, while the Mi TV takes 45 seconds. The Micro-Whale is definitely the cleanest among internet brand TVs. It doesn’t even have a startup ad (I hope this stays the same in the future).
In fact, the Mi TV isn’t slower than the Micro-Whale; it just plays a 15-second ad after the system starts.
One standout feature of the Micro-Whale is its "sleep" function. Pressing the power button on the remote doesn’t shut down the system—it puts it into hibernation. Pressing the power button again wakes it up in just 1 second.
This 1-second wake-up function is something only the Micro-Whale offers among the devices I use, including the Mi TV, LeTV, and CANTV.
System UI:
Mi TV uses a UI called PatchWall Waterfall, which features horizontal menu switching. The system is quite complex and visually rich.
The PatchWall interface is very intricate, with special effects during menu transitions. After using it for two months, it’s clear that Xiaomi has put a lot of effort into this design. It also shows that Xiaomi has strong system development capabilities, as they started with MIUI.
PatchWall is "infinite," giving users a sense of endless content. Video content is abundant.
However, the complexity of the system may be overwhelming for some users. The back-end team has designed a lot of content topics, which increases the demand for high-quality picture calls and content updates.
In my early days with LeTV, I encountered issues with video resolution mismatches and compression distortions. But the Mi TV didn’t have such problems. The system ensures a high level of completeness.
When opening any program, the interface clearly shows the video source, story summary, popular recommendations, director and actor information, and allows direct navigation to the content you're interested in. The UI is aesthetically pleasing and dynamic.
Overall, the Mi TV's PatchWall system is the best among current internet brand TVs.
Micro-Whale, on the other hand, takes a completely different approach. Its UI is simple and intuitive, which I would describe as "clean."
The Micro-Whale TV uses a vertical menu layout, which is unique compared to the horizontal menus found on other internet brand TVs.
Its menu is straightforward, and you can quickly navigate to the bottom within 30 seconds.
At the top is the navigation bar, followed by today's recommendations, movies, TV shows, etc.
After switching from the Mi TV 4A to the Micro-Whale TV, I found several things unfamiliar. The interface doesn't offer too many choices, and users tend to actively search for what they want rather than relying on system recommendations.
Once inside a movie or TV show submenu, the simplicity of the UI becomes more apparent. It's a list format without details about directors or actors.
Even sometimes, it's not smart enough to place the latest movie sources at the top.
The two systems reflect completely different approaches, and their designs vary significantly.
The Micro-Whale TV's UI is less rich than the Mi TV's, but it provides a "simple" way of using the device. I believe this system will be easy for my parents to adapt to. As an Android-based system, it still leaves room for future development.
Online Content and Membership:
This is a crucial aspect. In the development of internet TVs, competition has long been focused on content richness, with various "firsts" being claimed.
But why aren't all contents fully available?
Most content comes from major video platforms. With AirPlay (DLNA), you can easily cast content from your phone to the TV, eliminating the need for specific sources on the TV itself.
For the Mi TV, it integrates iQiyi, Tencent Video, and Youku, but in reality, it doesn't fully support all platforms. Accurately speaking, the Mi TV only truly owns iQiyi content. Tencent Video is integrated as an app.
So, Mi TV membership = iQiyi membership.
Mi TV members still face ads when watching Tencent or Mango videos. If you want to skip ads or watch paid content, you have to purchase the Tencent VIP separately.
Some Tencent videos on phones are free, but on the TV, you still have to pay. For example, when watching "Ghost Blows: Huangpizifen," I had to use AirPlay to cast it.
Even iQiyi videos aren't all free. Movies like "Fast & Furious 8" and "Manchester by the Sea" require separate purchases.
On the upper left corner of the screen, the words "Separate Payment" are clearly marked.
As for previous evaluations, the Mi TV currently supports HD sources from iQiyi, which is fully supported.
Xiaomi owns shares in iQiyi, and Tencent is an investor in Micro-Whale TV. Therefore, Micro-Whale TV members are connected to Tencent members. Since the Micro-Whale TV only has access to GITV and Tencent videos, there are no issues with online ads.
Micro-Whale TV includes two versions of VIP and SVIP memberships. The ordinary VIP is usually offered as a gift.
During my usage, the two members didn’t differ much in movie content, but the main difference was in TV dramas. For example, "Athletes 2" requires an SVIP membership.
Because the content is fully embedded in Tencent Video, as long as you have access to Tencent Video, you can watch it on the Micro-Whale TV, such as "Athletes 2" and "Wonder Woman."
What needs to be added: I recently got an SVIP membership for the Micro-Whale TV. Even with the same account, the gifted SVIP member couldn’t watch SVIP content on the TV. Each SVIP membership is bound to a device ID.
So, Micro-Whale SVIP membership = Tencent membership.
Because the content is fully embedded in Tencent Video, as long as you have access to Tencent Video, you can watch it on the Micro-Whale TV.
Regarding the speed of new movies, based on my experience, since few platforms currently have exclusive resources, the update speed of free movies (member movies) won’t be too slow. The main difference is in self-produced dramas, such as "Yellow Pebble" by Tencent. The best way to watch it on the Mi TV is via AirPlay. To watch iQiyi videos on the Micro-Whale TV, you need to download the iQiyi app or use AirPlay.
Complementing the content: Due to a personal interest, I searched for the Japanese movie "Rurouni Kenshin." I saw it on the Mi TV, but this time I didn’t find it on the Micro-Whale TV. The Micro-Whale TV could play it normally, showing the source as Tencent Video, but this video wasn’t found on the web version of Tencent. Is it a hidden feature?
Artificial Intelligence, Voice Remote Control, and Mobile App:
In 2017, the term "artificial intelligence" became very popular. Many TVs added the so-called "AI" function. We objectively state that this function hasn’t reached true AI levels yet. The core of AI technology is autonomy and learning, while current voice functions still remain within a specific database.
For example, you can say "lower the volume," which is a predefined command. But if you want to adjust the brightness, it won’t work unless it's in the database.
We must admit that with more speech recognition technology, TV operations have become simpler, especially for searching content.
The Mi TV 4A and Micro-Whale TV 55D don’t come with a voice remote control by default. Both products include a mobile app function. In addition to basic operations and screenshots, the Mi TV app supports voice search and can act as a "voice remote control."
Note: From September, the Micro-Whale TV 55D comes with a Bluetooth voice remote control standard.
Previously, the Micro-Whale TV only used a dedicated remote control.
During the 618 period, I bought a Micro-Whale TV and had to purchase a Bluetooth remote control separately. The software advantage still belongs to Xiaomi.
Talking about the voice (AI) function, the voice function of the Mi TV 4A is indeed powerful. For example, it can quickly search for movies, ask "who is this," and even tell you the introduction of the actor through facial recognition.
Of course, it still has bugs. At the press conference, the password input function was demonstrated. Our test failed. When entering the password setting menu, we said "12345678," but the TV prioritized searching for movies instead of entering the password.
What needs to be added is that using the mobile app as a voice function requires the TV to be connected to the network.
For example, "Yue Yunpeng's shot of running chasing" displayed at the press conference was already pre-set in the database.
If you want to change a movie, like "Feng Xiaogang's movie with a machete pursuing the ostrich" ("Old Cannon"), the TV will only use "Feng Xiaogang" as the keyword for searching. This proves that the TV is now more "smart," but "artificial intelligence" is still far from being achieved. (The gradual maturity of technology is good, but I personally don’t like exaggerated marketing.)
The Micro-Whale TV, after using the voice remote control, can perform some basic functions like movie search, volume adjustment, and video fast forward, which are not much different from the Mi TV.
Just because the Mi TV system is more complex, the content displayed is not as rich as the Micro-Whale TV.
Conclusion:
Three comparative tests have exceeded ten thousand words, but the system introduction is still not very complete, such as app installation, children's education, sports events, etc., which still need further development by the user.
Since my personal usage habits and experiences are prioritized, I cannot fully explain everything.
Smart TV/box information can focus on smart TV information network sofa butler (http://), China's influential TV box and smart TV website, providing information, communication, TV boxes, smart TVs, smart TV software, etc. Answering questions.
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