Vu Official review: A pure Android TV experience at a killer price

This one's just like a solid television of yore, says Abhik Sen.

Photograph: Courtesy vutvs.com

My first impression of the 55-inch Vu Official Android TV (₹55,999) was that of a solid television of yore.

It is no size zero; instead, we have a TV that has ample space for components and inputs.

But the big logo on the front can be distracting, and the chunky black back does look a tad boring.

The Android TV took some time to start, but I loved the fact that I could quickly pair my Android phone to take the hassle out of logging into all my apps every time I switched on a new TV.

Quickly connecting my TataSky box, I took in the variety of inputs offered, and soon, was watching my high-definition (HD) channels at ease.

And best of all, I didn't need to connect it to the home theatre to hear the dialogues; the built-in soundbar performed admirably.

Switching on the TV did present me with a dilemma -- there was a regular remote and a "smart" one, which connected over Bluetooth.

I chose the smart one as it was easier to use. Plus, it had the special sauce: ActiVoice.

While I was sceptical at first, it seemed to get better with use.

Of course, it's no Alexa, Siri or Google Assistant. But sometimes, it's easier to be able to search TV shows without laboriously typing it in on the onscreen keyboard.

Photograph: Courtesy vutvs.com

With the broadcast channels looking as good as they were, I connected my Blu-ray player and pulled Prometheus in a dark room.

While I enjoyed the movie, I've seen better HDR performance, albeit on TVs that cost four times the Vu.

But there was very little reflection, even when I turned on a light opposite the TV.

On the Vu, while the colours are life-like, they do appear a tad bland.

But pure Android meant I had, on my command, all my favourite streaming apps.

On Amazon Prime, I watched a few episodes of the fourth season of Mozart in the Jungle and the soundbar impressed again.

A built-in Chromecast meant I could play Asphalt 8: Airborne on the big screen.

Next, I connected the Microsoft Xbox One X, a true-blue 4K gaming console.

But, I could play games only in full-HD.

The console reported that the TV didn't support 4K at 60 frames per second (fps), the native resolution for the console, something my old Samsung does.

That said, watching 4K movies weren't a problem.

The Vu Official Android TV is for those who want a pure Android experience on a big television at a killer price and are okay with the rough edges that come with it.