Earlier this year BuzzTV released an upgraded version of their original vidstick, the ST4000 that boasts some impressive specs on par with many TV boxes but all crammed inside of a portable HDMI stick.
BuzzTV ST4000 Pros
- Designed for low power consumption
- Lightweight and highly portable
- Easy to setup
- Handles 4K & HDR
- Great user-interface
- Internal storage of 16gb
- Remote is very easy to use
Cons
- Does not support wired ethernet connection
- Performance is noticeably slower than IPTV boxes
- IR on TV Stick is not that responsive
This new device claims to offer the utility and power of a regular-sized IPTV set-top box, but does it truly perform as well as the specs suggest? We’ll be able to answer that question by the end of this in-depth review of BuzzTV’s latest product.
What is the BuzzTV ST4000?
The BuzzTV ST4000 is essentially a portable version of their previous set-top boxes that you plug in directly to your TV’s HDMI port. It boasts comparable storage and RAM to various IPTV boxes but comes in a portable form.
The ST4000 is designed to easily upgrade your television to give it the capability of connecting to dedicated IPTV platforms so you can stream online content from a service provider. The ST4000 also uses the Android 9.0 OS and therefore has access to the Google Play Store. This will allow you to download many apps like Kodi or Youtube to improve your TV viewing experience.
Devices like the ST4000, TV sticks, or even TV boxes are basically upgraded peripherals that allow your TV to access more functions and apps, particularly adding IPTV support.
How Do You Use The BuzzTV ST4000?
Setting up the BuzzTV ST4000 is quite simple. First, you will plug it into an HDMI port on your TV. Then, you will plug it into its power adapter via a micro-USB plug. The TV stick also has an IR sensor in order to pick up commands from the remote control. The last thing you have to do is set up your channels. For those who use an IPTV service, refer to the following section.
How to Setup IPTV Service on BuzzTV 4 App
The Buzz TV 4 App is an integrated application that comes with all BuzzTV products, including the ST4000. This app can be used to set up your IPTV service.
First, make your way to the Settings menu which can be found on the home menu of the ST4000. Now click on the Server option that comes up on the next screen.
Next, input the Server URL you acquired from your IPTV subscription. You will also have to add a name to this URL, which can be any name you wish. After that is done, click on Connect. This will now add all of the channels that you signed up for with your preexisting IPTV subscription.
Top Features of the BuzzTV ST4000
The most notable feature of the BuzzTV ST4000 is the fact that it boasts the capability of an IPTV set-top box all housed inside of one tiny TV stick. This TV stick is only somewhat larger than a USB stick for a computer and is so portable that you could fit several of them inside of your pants’ pocket.
Another main feature of the ST4000 is that like many other popular TV boxes or TV sticks, it uses Android 9.0 Pie OS. This means that the ST4000 is compatible with the Google Play Store and can thus be used to download thousands of apps to enhance your overall TV experience. The most important app you will be using is the BuzzTV4 Application which is BuzzTV’s own IPTV player which gives you a cable-like experience.
Perhaps most impressive is the fact that the BuzzTV ST4000 is capable of video output at 4K resolution with HDR at 60fps. Let’s take a closer look at its specs to see what this thing is really made out of.
Specifications
If one were to only look at a specs sheet of the ST4000 and not the actual device itself, many people would conclude that it is actually a set-top box of normal size. That’s how impressive this thing looks on paper.
The ST4000 has 2GB of RAM and a max storage capacity of 16GB. It uses an MP2 GPU and a quad-core CPU at 2.0 GHz. It is compatible with a wide array of video, photo, and audio codecs as well. It can also support 5.1 surround sound and a TF card can also be used to extend the storage capacity up to 64GB.
The ST4000 also supports 2.4G and 5G wi-fi as well as Bluetooth connectivity.
Unboxing and Hardware Quality
As promised, the ST4000 is indeed a small and portable device. It is also sturdier than I expected and seems to be made from some fairly durable materials.
While the TV stick is small, it comes with a solid amount of ports, including a TF Card reader, a reset button, an LED power light, and a port for an IR connector.
The remote control for the ST4000 is more or less identical to the remote control that comes included with BuzzTV’s regular IPTV boxes like the XR4500 or the XRS4500.
Wi-Fi and Internet Performance
Like BuzzTV’s other products, the ST4000 uses an internal antenna to connect to the wi-fi connection. Because the ST4000 is so small, it does not support wired ethernet connections, which will be a bummer for those that prefer this method.
Overall, the ST4000 has decent wi-fi stability but the internal antenna does not seem to have the range of antennae found in larger set-top boxes. I would not recommend having your router be too far away from this TV stick but if it is only a few meters away, even if on a different floor, the connection should still be solid enough to stream content, even if it is in 4K.
Processing and Loading Speeds
This is an area where the ST4000 unfortunately disappoints. Despite having some solid technical specs, the BuzzTV ST4000 is noticeably slower than IPTV boxes, including those sold by BuzzTV.
Slow Streams or Buffering?
Are your streams loading too slow? Getting constant buffering? Not able to stream at full resolution? Check out these tips to improve your streaming experience:
- Use a modern Router that has advanced features like QoS to prioritize video content. Check out our recommended Routers for Streaming.
- If you are using a Wifi connection, be sure to check out our 9 easy steps to improve your Wifi for Streaming.
- Some Internet Service Providers throttle video streaming traffic without telling their customers. A VPN encrypts all your traffic and circumvents throttling, blocking and geographical restrictions.
The UI of the ST4000 is similar enough to the but it is certainly slower. Scrolling through menus takes a bit longer and moving to a different page or turning on the app takes more time than expected. It should also be said that the ST4000 experiences are even slower when the internal storage device is closer to being full, which is likely a result of the limited RAM.
Another similar issue with the ST4000 is that the IR sensor on the TV stick itself is not particularly responsive. Despite using an identical remote found in BuzzTV’s IPTV boxes, pointing the remote at the IR sensor on the ST4000 requires some tedious levels of precision. You are much better off using the included IR extension device, which is much better but still isn’t as precise as it should be.
Playback and Video Quality
While there are limitations in other areas of this device, the ST4000 performs very well with picture quality. Loading up a Youtube video or a movie in 4K HDR at 60fps works really well. I would reckon that the picture quality here isn’t quite as good as set-top boxes or even other TV sticks but it still looks very nice even if some colors like green and blue aren’t quite as vibrant.
ST4000 Vs. Other TV Sticks
One question that may have crossed your mind is asking whether the BuzzTV ST4000 is one of, if not the best TV sticks on the market today. My honest answer has to be that while it does excel in certain areas, the overall performance does not make it the best TV stick out there.
I have been more impressed by the speeds, quality, and other performance aspects of TV sticks such as the Amazon Firestick or the TiVo Stream 4K. These devices offer similar levels of portability and energy conservation at similar price ranges and they are also capable of 4K streaming and the ability to have thousands of apps installed.
The main reason why you would buy this stick over others is the really cleanly integrated IPTV support right out of the box.
Final Thoughts: Is the ST4000 Worth Buying?
While it was a solid effort by BuzzTV, the ST4000 falls a little short in one too many areas. The specs look impressive on paper, but in practice, the choppy load screens, average at best wi-fi connectivity, and the unreliable remote control sensor give the ST4000 a few too many problems to really recommend.
Perhaps if the price were lower I could recommend it to some people, but there are better TV sticks out there that offer better performance at similar or even lower prices.
You would be better off just getting one of BuzzTV’s regular-sized TV boxes that have similar or better specifications and none of the problems that this review discussed. It’s not a terrible TV stick by any means but it simply cannot compete with the competition that is out there.
Thank you for reading this BuzzTV ST4000 review and I hope you’ll leave this page with a better understanding not only of BuzzTV but of IPTV boxes and TV sticks in general.
Last update on 2024-04-24 at 18:45 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
