VOYO Mini PC could be a portable Home Theatre PC that seamlessly connects to your TV and hooks you up to the world of online entertainment: movies, TV shows, on demand sports streaming, photos, web surfing and more. Its support for 4K (UHDTV) graphic dispensation, and the latest incarnation of Windows (Windows 8.1 with Bing) provides the next level of multimedia streaming experience. VOYO is a Chinese manufacturer of tablets, mini PCs and entertainment devices. The portable VOYO Mini PC could be a great HTPC with Kodi. In the burgeoning compact HTPC (Home Theater PC) market, it is one of the simplest and most affordable. [Read: A budget HTPC-NAS Combo with an old PC and OpenELEC]
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Technical Specs of VOYO Mini PC
This compact HTPC box uses Intel Baytrail Quad Core processor, which is powerful enough to stream multimedia content without any hiccups. Its internal storage is 64 GB, which is remarkable given most mini PCs in the market have an internal storage ranging from 16 to 32 GB. You also have the option of adding more memory using a micro SD slot and increase it up to 128 GB. RAM is 2GB, which is a bit of a downside since you can’t enjoy high-powered gaming in this amount. It also has a built-in 1000 mAh battery that will keep it on for few minutes after a power failure (but I see limited real-world benefit for it). [Read: A budget HTPC-NAS Combo with an old PC and OpenELEC]
At the rear end of the box, you will see a series of outlets: an audio jack, an HDMI 1.44 port to link this box to your TV, and three USB ports which you can use for keyboards, mouse, webcams, USB sticks and external hard drives. Other than Wi-Fi for internet connection, it supports Bluetooth 4.0 to connect with other devices in your home.
While this mini computer comes with Windows 8.1 with Bing built-in, the hardware will soon be supported well by Linux. So it would be possible to install Ubuntu Server or OpenElEC, and other media center OSes or home server software.
Size Matters
The box comes in several colors: blue, yellow, white, pink and green. Total weight is 140 grams, while its outline dimensions are 12.6 x 12.6 x 1.2 cm - which gives you an idea of how easy it is to carry around.You could easily hide these behind the TV, setup Kodi MySQL library sharing, and enjoy a well synced media setup. What is remarkable about this box is the fact that running its temperature doesn't touch abnormal levels and the mini Kodi box never worries you by becoming too hot. And for all the multimedia streaming, its load consumption is pretty low: 3W when on standby, and 10W when running. [Read: Raspberry Pi vs Amazon Fire TV for Kodi media center]
What's in the box, and what's missing?
Other than a warranty card and an instruction manual, the package contains a VOYO Mini PC, a USB Power adapter and a USB power cable. While unboxing, you are likely to get two slight disappointments. First, the package does not include an HDMI cable; which has become a norm in mini PCs these days. Second, the HDMI port is a mini HDMI, instead of a standard-sized one. That means you will have to invest in a special adapter. Also, the VOYO Mini box does not feature an Ethernet port. In most cases, this shouldn't be a problem given the Wi-Fi performance is more than satisfactory. But if you still need to use Ethernet cable, you can do so by using a USB-to-Ethernet dongle. Also, the although the specification claims support for 4K video, it probably implies 1080p output of decoded 4K video.
An affordable HTPC
Priced at about $128.99 ($118.99 with coupon code "VOYOHTPC" and worldwide free shipping) at GeekBuying, the mini Kodi box supports a wide range of video, audio and image formats. In video streaming and coding, for example, it supports 3GP, MPEG, H.263 and H.264 files. List of audio formats supported includes MP3, WMA, RA, OGG, APE, FLAC, AC and DTS. And lastly, in image category it supports three widely used formats: JPG, PNG and Bitmap. It can be swiftly set up in office and home; and serves you equally well for educational, presentation, and entertainment purposes. Yoyo compact PC is a treat for people who are not tech savvy (kids and elderly people), and those who crave for a plug-and-play streaming box which they can carry in their pockets. With Gigabit Ethernet port and USB 3.0 port, the Voyo Mini PC could have been a great low-power home server.