The My86 DTV belongs to the new MyPhone DTV series of Android devices.
A few months ago, MyPhone unveiled a set of phones with an integrated ISDB-T tuner as their answer to the growing demand for DTV phones.
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What we have is a phone with full-seg functions (my81 – my83 DTV can only decode 1seg).
My86 DTV is considered a flagship in the DTV lineup.
It has a removable unibody polycarbonate back cover with a glossy finish.
You may also get the phone in different colors (Black/White/Lime Green/Pink)
What’s inside the box?
The phone packs a 5” IPS Display with 720p resolution which displays a good amount of brightness although it is not good for outdoor viewing.
The rear camera is at 13MP with an aperture of 2.8, capable of recording up to 1080p and the front camera is at 5MP, capable of recording up to 480p.
All myDTV phones come with a removable antenna that can be plugged into the 3.5mm TRRS jack (OMTP standard) which can give the user an option to create stronger antennas. The downside is that it tends to get loose and it doesn’t have a hook unlike the lower-tier devices like my81-my83 DTV.
If you have a CTIA-compliant headset, there are chances that you can not use it as an antenna for your phone.
If you have misplaced your antenna, you may order one at a MyPhone service center.
My|digitaltv is a fork of the FCI TV app developed by SiliconMotion FCI, a Korean company who manufactures DTT chipsets for MyPhone, Samsung, and other companies.
In terms of reception, the phone is fast in picking up signals and it has a signal meter to display signal strength.
The tuner can withstand speeds up to 120km/h for full-seg broadcasts (60-80 km/h on an average), depending on location and transmitter power as we’ve tested it.
The scanning of channels is also fast but we had issues with decoding 720p and 1080i HD channels and it turns out that it has something to do with the limitations of the phone’s chipset according to a technical representative from SiliconMotion FCI.
The icons are quite misleading to new users since the icons for SD broadcasts are labeled as HD and 1seg channels are labeled as SD or HD. This has something to do with the mismatch of the network settings and the configurations of the software.
The player has PVR and EPG functions although recorded broadcasts may not be viewed to other devices since it is saved to .tv file format instead of a .ts file.
The player also has the option to be used in different countries where ISDB-T is adopted and it also accepts channels with 7 and 8 MHz channel bandwidths for countries like Maldives, Botswana, Argentina and etc.
According to them, their DTT chipset is capable of receiving EWBS although we have yet to check on this since tests are not done on a regular basis.
In case if the device failed to receive EWBS in the future tests, they are ready to create fixes for this.
They also have mentioned that BML may be included in future updates as soon as they are done with internal tests.
In our observations, the device could have been better if it could decode HD channels since networks may switch to HD soon. It also needs a multiple channel list which eliminates the need for people to perform a rescan every time he/she goes to a different place.
Battery life may reach up to 2 days on standby, 4-5 hours on mobile data and/or TV watching, 5-9 hours on games and other multimedia functions.
Since we have mentioned that the phone is OTMP-compliant, we tried using CTIA and OTMP compliant headphones (TRRS jack) and the output isn’t satisfactory although with a standard headphone (no mic/TRS jack), the sound output is flat.
If you want to watch TV with a headset, better get a Bluetooth headset or a BT-to-headphone receiver.
On performance, do not expect to play graphic intensive games on this device since it uses an ARM Mali-400 MP, a GPU that has been existing since the beginning of 2011. If you are okay with Pokémon GO or games that are not graphics intensive, you’re good to go.
Navigation is quite as dismay on this device since it is often inaccurate especially on Waze or Google Maps. You need to recalibrate your GPS often just to get into the right location.
Specs:
Spreadtrum SC7731G Chipset
- CPU: 1.3GHz Quad-Core Processor (ARM Cortex-A7)
- GPU: ARM Mali-400 MP
- 5 inch 720p IPS LCD Screen, 338dpi
- ROM (Internal Memory): 8GB (expandable up to 32GB microSDHC)
- RAM: 1GB
- Android 5.1 Lollipop
- Dual SIM, 3G HSPA+
- WIFI 802.11b/g/n
- A-GPS
- Bluetooth 3.0
- SiliconMotion-FCI AirRF FC8300 ISDB-T Demodulator
- FM Radio
- 13 MP Rear Camera (Up to 1080p video resolution)
- 5 MP Front Camera (Up to 480p video resolution)
- 2300 mAh Battery
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PROS:
- Affordable price point
- Build quality
- Slim profile
- Replaceable antennas
- The phone can withstand speeds up to 120km/h for full-seg broadcasts (60-80 km/h on an average), depending on location and Tx power.
- Decent performance
- Dual LED Flash
- UI provides an almost pure Android experience.
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CONS:
- No lanyard slot to place antennas compared to other models in the myDTV lineup.
- Antenna tends to get loose as time goes by.
- HD and SD icons are misleading due to lack of 1seg icon.
- HD means Full-seg HD/SD
- SD means 1seg(mobile)
- my|digitalTV does not decode HD channels (Tried this with ADDTV, INC TV, and Hope Phil HD)
- Battery life (Note: Decoding full-seg consumes more battery power compared to 1seg)
- Recorded TS files can’t be viewed on PC and other devices.
- Inaccurate A-GPS
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Suggested features to be added:
- EWBS and BML
- Manual scanning
- Android 6.0 Marshmallow update (my85 currently has this) or Android 7.0 Nougat update
- Signal Strength and Signal Quality Percentage Display (Make this an optional display function along with the signal meter)
- Portrait Display
- Nationwide Channel List which can be updated online and offline (via scanning).
Preloaded software:
- Pinoy (non-removable)
- Clean Master
- Fotoku
- GigGo
- Kungfood
- Onsale
Verdict: 6.5/10
The scanning of the channels is fast compared to typical set-top boxes, it could have been better if this could decode HD channels and a good sound output for headphones.
Speakers are weak for average TV viewing and screen brightness is not adequate for outdoor viewing.
If you are looking for a phone with a full-seg tuner for a low price, this is not bad for ₱2,999.
Disclaimer: The units were provided by MyPhone for review.
