PTVdisplay DA02, or trying to connect a smartphone to a TV

This purchase was partly prompted by the fact that I still had a fairly large number of points in my store account, and I heard they might “expire” at the end of March. I didn’t want to lose them, so I decided to pick up something useful while I was at it.

I’ll start with a simplified explanation of what this little gadget actually is.
It’s a small flash-drive-sized box with an HDMI plug that connects to a TV or monitor. If there’s a USB port, you can power it from that; otherwise, you’ll need a small power adapter.
Then you connect to it over Wi-Fi from a smartphone or tablet and use it as a second screen. That’s exactly what I needed: I can play a movie on my smartphone and watch it on the TV, while still having full control. Lovely :)

I’ll try to cover all of this in more detail (and show it) in the review, but first, here are the device’s specifications.
CPU: AM8252, Single Core
RAM: 128MB ,DDR3
ROM: 128MB

Decoder Format: "HD MPEG1/2/4,AVS,H.263,H.264,H.264/AVC,H.265,HD MPEG1/2/4,HD MPEG4,RealVideo8/9/10,RM/RMVB
Video format: AVI,DAT,DIVX,MKV,MP4,MPEG1,MPEG2,MPEG4,MPG,RM,RMVB,TS,WMV
Audio format: AAC,MP3,OGG,WMA
Photo Format: BMP,JPEG
Support 5.1 Surround Sound Output: No

5G WiFi: No
Power Supply: USB Port
Interface: HDMI
Language: Multi-language
HDMI Version: 1.3

The device comes in a neat little white box.


The back of the packaging mentions an HDMI output supporting 1080p, as well as the manufacturer’s website.
The package contents are spartan: the device itself, a manual, and a power cable.
The manual is in English and has plenty of color illustrations. There’s a PDF version on the website.
And here’s the power cable. It’s about a meter long, and although the device only needs power, the included cable is a full one. When connected to a computer, it reports that an unknown device has been found.


As I said at the very beginning, it looks like a flash drive, although full-fledged computers are now made in this form factor too.


There’s a power connector on one long side and the only control—a button—on the other. The button is only used to switch between AirPlay and Miracast modes; the device turns on automatically.


The case cover slides toward the connector, though I’m not quite sure what this feature is for. If it’s meant to protect the connector, it’s useless—dust will get in anyway. If it’s supposed to make the device easier to pull out of the TV, that seems unlikely to help either.


I won’t beat around the bush; let’s get straight inside.
To take it apart, first remove the cover, then separate the two halves of the case. They’re held together by clips.


Inside is a relatively simple circuit board, although it’s essentially a low-end microcomputer. The processor (SoC), RAM, and Wi-Fi module are on top.


The flash memory, power converters, and antenna are on the bottom.
Yes, that’s all there is to it: 128MB of RAM and flash memory, a processor, Wi-Fi, and power :)


A closer look at the components.
1. AM8252B processor (SoC), running at 600 MHz, with a maximum resolution of 1920x1080. The processor has no heatsink, but I didn’t notice any overheating.
2. SKhynix RAM, 128MB
3. Wi-Fi module based on a Realtek RTL8188 chip. It only operates at 2.4 GHz. The software does show the connection frequency, so devices with 5 GHz may well exist, just not this one.
4. Printed Wi-Fi antenna. The connection behaves a little strangely, but I’ll get to that toward the end of the review.
5. Toshiba flash memory, which is pretty nice. I was a little surprised to see name-brand components; I expected no-name RAM and Foresee flash memory.
6. The three converters are grouped together and use the same chips. There are three identical inductors on the other side of the board—neat and simple.


The first time you turn it on (and every time after that), the screen shows:
The current AirPlay/Miracast mode; I think the difference is clear from the pictures.
The device’s SSID and the password for connecting to it.
Connection status, showing whether the smartphone is connected to the device and whether the device is connected to the router.
The device’s IP address and a QR code in AirPlay mode.


Connecting an Android smartphone or tablet (which is what I bought the device for). Connection is made in Miracast mode.
There are two possibilities here: either you won't be able to do it at all, or everything will be extremely simple.
The thing is, connecting requires WiFi display support, which not all smartphones have. For example, my Doogee X5 Max doesn't have it, and neither does the Cubot rainbow, but the Vernee Thor does, and it works great.

So, connecting takes five taps. Open the Settings menu.
1. Go to Display.
2. Find WiFi display in the list.
3. Turn on this mode using the switch in the upper-right corner.
4. Tap the line that appears with the device name.
Wait about 10 seconds for it to connect, and that's it.


On some phones, this mode may be called Cast. Also, if your phone or tablet supports FullHD (the Vernee Thor only supports 720p), you'll be able to set the casting resolution. Keep in mind that higher resolutions demand a better connection.


Your TV will now display a copy of your smartphone or tablet screen. Don't worry if it's in portrait orientation: the TV mirrors your device's screen exactly. Turn your smartphone sideways, and the TV will show the same thing.


I did the first part of the testing on a TV converted from a monitor, so its resolution is a little different from the now-familiar FullHD, and the image from the smartphone doesn't quite fit the screen. Still, it looks pretty good.


Video works great too, with no problems. What's more, I tried playing videos from YouTube. In other words, the video played online and was then sent to the TV over the same WiFi connection, with a lag of about 0.2--0.3 seconds depending on the distance.


Here's a short demo video showing the connection, operation, and disconnection.


Although I didn't need to connect a Windows tablet, curiosity got the better of me, so I decided to give it a try too. There are a few more options here, but connecting is more complicated.

First, DLNA mode.
Open the list of available access points, find PTV-хххххх, and connect to it. The password is shown on the TV screen.


After that, Playback device will appear in the list of devices.
The barcode scanner isn't mine. I found it by accident while trying to search for the device another way. Looks like one of the neighbors has one :)))))


More information about the device.


If you now go to the address shown on the TV screen, you'll get to the device settings menu.
It was set to English by default, but you can easily switch it to Russian, and the translation isn't in that typical "AliExpress style".


Since the device can work as part of a network, there's a menu for connecting it to a router. I was only interested in Android to begin with, so I didn't use this feature. If you're interested, I can test it.


Default startup mode. Here you can choose which mode the device starts in. Instead of having to press the button on the device, you can select the mode you need here, and it will start in that mode every time you turn it on.


Available resolutions. It was initially set to 720p; later, I switched it to 1080p.


I didn't find DLNA mode particularly convenient, though it's fine if you only plan to use the device for watching videos.
Right-click the video file and select “Cast to device.”


The media player will launch on your computer, while the movie itself will appear on the TV.


There are other video streaming modes, but to be honest, I couldn't figure them out.



I was more interested in simply connecting the TV as a second monitor. The manufacturer also has instructions on its website for this.
In short, first switch the device to Miracast mode. This will disconnect it from Wi-Fi; then search for new devices.


Click the device name and a connection window will appear. It should have asked for a password here, but I can't remember whether I entered one.


That's it. Your TV is now connected as a projector, and you can use the usual settings for an additional monitor.

I almost forgot an important detail: when I tested it with a computer, the device was connected to the monitor through an HDMI-to-VGA adapter, as you can see in the screenshot. So you can also use this device with TVs that only have a VGA port, but you'll need a converter. I hadn't expected it to work this way in the first place.


Available display modes:
1. Duplicate: the TV shows the same image as the computer screen.
2. Extend: the second screen extends the desktop (or vice versa).
3, 4. Show only on the first or second screen.

There is one minor issue in duplicate mode: the image is output to the additional screen at a resolution of about 1280x720. Worse, it's displayed “pixel for pixel,” so it doesn't fill the screen. But I tested it with a regular monitor, not a TV. The TV will probably stretch it to fill the screen.
The tablet's resolution is 1920x1200.


In extended desktop mode, the image is output to the additional monitor at its native resolution—in this case, 1920x1080. In other words, the device fully “emulates” a second monitor, but without a cable.


Now for the bad news: connection quality.
The device behaved strangely. First, I tried it with a Vernee Thor smartphone. The connection worked perfectly within 5-7 meters; I didn't test it any farther.
It also worked reasonably well with the tablet, but the range was shorter—though the resolution was noticeably higher.
But when I tried watching video from another smartphone, I ran into a problem: at just 1-1.5 meters, the connection deteriorated badly. The image broke up into blocks and lagged heavily. The device was set to 1080p.


The device gets noticeably warm during use. Interestingly, it's not the processor that heats up the most, but the area around the power converters and Wi-Fi module.


That's all for now. Next, my verdict and a few more details.
Pros
Extremely easy to connect to Android devices.
Good image quality.
Works in several modes: Airplay/DLNA/Miracast.
The manufacturer's website is quite informative.

Cons
Limited range, with performance heavily dependent on the resolution and device.
No password prompt when connecting to a smartphone.


My verdict: the device itself is interesting. When I tested it with the Vernee Thor smartphone, it worked well and had a relatively long range. I'd like to say I was completely satisfied, but the problem is that I didn't check whether it would work with my Doogee X5 MAX before buying it. It turns out that not all smartphones are compatible with this device. What a shame. I liked how easy it was to set up—just a few clicks to connect—but that's also a downside, since a neighbor could connect to your device just as easily.
But I see only one real drawback: the limited range, which depends especially on the resolution of the video being displayed. The second part of the tests did take place after I had taken it apart, but the same Vernee Thor worked just as well before and after.
There is some video output lag, so some games won’t be very comfortable to play, but I didn’t really care since I bought it just for watching videos.

I bought the device for $8.62 ($10.99 minus points). The store is running various promotions right now, so the current price without points is $9.99. I could have waited a little and bought it for just $7, but I didn’t know there would be a discount.

That’s about it. I’m looking forward to your comments, advice, and questions :)