KWorld TVBox 1680ex Review

Introduction

In a follow up to my PS3 without a HDTV article, I would like to review a product that one can use if their current monitor isn’t HDCP compliant but still wish to experience HD content from your Xbox 360 or PS3 for the lowest cost available.

Recently on many online forums there has been a huge influx of gamers willing to purchase current generation consoles but have a hard time making a decisive decision on whether to purchase a small ‘inexpensive’ HDTV set or an expensive 1080p set with all the bells and whistles just to get their game on in HD glory. The decision is even harder to come to terms with when you have a perfectly functional SDTV in your room of choice but knowingly full well your gaming experience will be cut in half. Lucky for you, there are numerous solutions available to you right now that are quite inexpensive, and will utilize your existing HD display. But I have an SDTV you say? But chances are, if you’re currently reading this text, you have a perfectly capable HD display right in front of you, and to be honest, it maybe one of the better displays on the market! Yes even an old CRT monitor can crank out 720p resolutions without breaking a sweat. You’re just one product away from enjoying your latest hardware in HD, and what’s even better is that the majority of them are price similarly to the cost of a new game. One such product is the KWorld TVBox 1680ex.

The TVBox 1680ex main purpose is to provide a means to watch television on your monitor without a PC, but it also doubles (or triples depending on your needs) as a bridge which allows you to play your games from 480i-1080i, all at a cost of a minuscule amount of $55 USD. I will be reviewing this product on its gaming merits as apposed to its television capabilities which is also impressive in its own right to say the least. Below you can review a full feature list;

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Official feature list

‘ Supports widescreen LCD 1680×1050 resolution LCD TV Box
*Compatible with (VGA(800×600), XGA(1024×768), SXGA(1280×1024), WXGA+(1440X900), 1680X1050
‘ Includes advanced scanning frequency increasing technology to make the refresh rate up to 60Hz or 75Hz, which delivers stable pictures without flicker.
‘ Supports 4:3/16:9 / 16:10 picture aspect ratio.
‘ Allows multi-channel pre-view function to facilitate the channel selection.
‘ Enables still-picture function, which allows you to capture wonderful moments in TV program.
‘ Special PIP function: window size and position are adjustable. (*PIP Mode can’t work on 1680×1050)
‘ Full-function remote control.
‘ 3D-effect OSD to give easy operations.
‘ AV/S-VIDEO/YPbPr input interface can be extended by using MMI cable so that the product can be connected with DVD, PS2 game machine etc. The product supports standard-definition and high-definition signal input (480I/ 480P/ 576I/ 576P/ 720P/ 1080I).
‘ Auxiliary functions such as automatic power up or shutdown within 24 hours, calendar, calculator, game and etc.
‘ Channel number ordering function allows you to arrange the order of programs as your favorites.
‘ PC/TV changeover switch.
‘ Support video output function.
‘ Built in Speaker so there is no need for external speakers

What’s in the box?

The TVBox 1680ex comes in a very sleek and stylish package giving the impression of a high-end quality product, and to be honest I had my doubts when I saw the price, but higher prices alone doesn’t necessarily mean a better product. Inside you will find;

‘ The KWorld TV Box 1680EX
‘ A power Adapter
‘ A VGA Cable
‘ A 3.5mm Stereo Cable
‘ Your User Manual
‘ A Remote Controller
‘ A MMI Cable (YPbPr, AV & S-Video Input)
‘ A Composite Video Output Cable

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All of which is quite generous given the price tag, they even threw in batteries for the remote control, how thoughtful! . The only other thing you would need to purchase, is the individual component cables for your particular gaming console, because of the added cost of those particular cables and the fact that the KWorld manufacturers would have no way of knowing what console you currently own, made the omission perfectly palatable. Although you could use the included composite or s-video cables it pretty much defeats the purpose of HD gaming

Everything in the box was packaged securely in standard fare and I had no qualms with damaged goods or the sort, which is always a good thing when it involves electronics.

Quality of the product

At first glance the actual TVBox 1680ex appears to have weight to support the amount of potential cables that will soon be attached, after inspecting it closer it was a bit lighter than I expected it to be, and it did feel a little on the cheap end but it was built very sturdy and I was quite happy to find out my initial concerns regarding the weight of the cables once applied wasn’t really an issue. I should also mention that the box is able to stand vertically with the included stand, giving it a bonus for adding to the d cor of either the Xbox 360 or PS3 which maybe standing vertically as well.
The cables were of standard make and because of the length and price were nickel plated, which wasn’t in any way an issue. After hookup everything operated flawlessly without a hitch.

Hooking it all up

One of the great features of the TVBox 1680ex was its ease of use, everything was quite self explanatory and colored coded for those meek individuals who may not be tech wizards . KWorld even took the ease of use a step further and placed all commands you’ll need to switch your display and sound sources with a click of a button on the remote, which was a pleasant surprise and very much appreciated on this end, because the last thing I would need is a cumbersome exercise of switching my PC to my gaming source. Having said that, if the screen you plan on using here is the same as your PC screen, the only caveat is that you’ll require a dual line-in to your monitor, either D-Sub or DVI connections. There’s no real need to worry as many of today’s monitors are adequately equipped for such cases.
For my setup I plugged in the MMI component cables for use with my PS3 and the 3.5mm audio cable for use with my PC sound card as I would be using my existing speakers for audio. And speaking of audio, KWorld praises the fact that you can use the TVBox without the need of external speakers since it has one built in, but take it from me they should’ve left that area to the renowned experts in this field as you would want to sidestep this ‘unique’ feature unless of course they’re no other options. It honestly felt or I should say sounded like the built in speaker was an afterthought on this product.

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The good

The best thing about the TVBox 1680ex was that it worked as advertised. In my test I ran it on an older 22′ LCD Benq (widescreen) model with 700:1 contrast ratio, and a similar Dell 19′ LCD monitor (standard). Switching from my PC display to the component output was easy enough, but having the YPbPr (component) option listed at the bottom of available sources meant I had to cycle through each source each and every time making the process not as quick as pushing the source button on my monitor, still this is a minor issue on the grand scheme of things.

Now because my LCD displays were on the lower rungs of the ladder, my experience with HD wasn’t as crystal clear as I would like, and since I’ve been spoiled by crystal clarity in the past on larger HDTV’s and have seen what HDCP enabled monitors with great contrast ratios are capable of I was a bit under whelmed, though this was not due to the fault of the product. I was still able to game with resolutions up to 1080i which looked miles apart in comparison to a regular SDTV.
The added bonus in comparison to other products out there was the ability to have my full display utilized without the annoyance of the common black bars.

The Bad

The first thing you would notice if you’re using a larger monitor like I did for this test is that using the 1680×1050 option won’t grant any additional improvements, in fact it made my display worst by enlarging/up scaling the image making it very unusable, which in essence is fine since the highest resolution the TVBox 1680ex can deliver is 1080i which in PC terms is 1366×768, easily managed by my monitors.

Aside from that there’s the issue with the built in sound, the speakers are not nearly the quality you would require for your gaming needs. So in essence you would need to hook up to an external source for your audio. It’s not as bad as it sounds since PC speakers can be picked up relatively cheap these days.
Another downside for some audiophiles out there would be the omission of an optical sound output (TOSLINK). Although not a glaring omission the fact that the product is highly tooted as bringing you a HD experience it is one aspect that would be missed.

Conclusion

There’s not much more to be said about the product other than it does indeed accomplish what it sets out to do with great success. The ease of use will have you running in no time and the fact that you receive so much value for your money is always appreciated. The product is small and compact and well designed making it a welcome addition to any setup. Would I recommend the TVBox 1680ex? Yes definitely, especially for those who would like to game in HD but don’t have the necessary means to purchase a HDTV.