Indian e-commerce giant Flipkart is best known for selling all kinds of products under various brands, but it also has a vast catalog of products under its own brands. One of them is MarQ by Flipkart, which is used to market its televisions and home appliances. Taking its experience into the television space even further, MarQ launched its first media streaming device, the Turbostream.
Priced at Rs. 3,499, the MarQ by Flipkart Turbostream is a palm-sized streaming device that plugs into your TV’s HDMI port. It runs on Android TV and gives you access to tons of streaming services and other features, much like what you’d get on a smart television. Is Turbostream worth the price? Find out in our review.
Turbostream connects to your TV’s HDMI port
Design and specifications MarQ by Flipkart Turbostream
Some streaming devices must be placed on top of a table, like Apple TV and Nvidia Shield TV Pro. Others, like the Turbostream, are small and light enough to remain docked in the HDMI port on the back of the TV, out of sight. Once connected and configured, you won’t need to look at the device again.
The Turbostream is diamond shaped with a permanently attached HDMI plug coming out of one end and a Micro-USB port on the other end. A special cable is included in the package, which has a Type-A USB plug on one end, with the second side divided into a Micro-USB plug for power and an IR receiver module. The USB plug can be connected to the included wall power adapter or your TV’s USB port if it provides enough power. Also included in the box is a Bluetooth remote to control the Turbostream and batteries for the remote.
Turbostream runs on Android TV and is powered by an ARM-based quad-core processor with an integrated Mali 450 GPU, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage for apps. There’s dual-band Wi-Fi for connectivity and support for Dolby Audio. Streaming in full-HD resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels) at 60 fps is supported in all major MarQ Turbostream applications. You can use Bluetooth 4.0 to connect audio accessories, such as headphones or speakers, directly to the MarQ TurboStream for sound.
The device is small enough to be out of sight behind the TV once you’ve set it up.
Features and software MarQ by Flipkart Turbostream
The MarQ TurboStream comes with a remote that has both IR and Bluetooth; the infrared emitter can be used to control power and volume on the device, as well as supported televisions via HDMI-CEC, while Bluetooth connectivity allows the remote to communicate with the Turbostream device even when there is no direct line of sight between the two. The remote runs on two AAA batteries and is small and lightweight.
The remote’s buttons include a D-pad for navigation; a Google Assistant button; home, back, and app drawer keys; and buttons to adjust or mute the volume. There are also hotkeys for YouTube and Netflix and the power button. There’s a microphone on the remote to give Google Assistant voice commands.
Turbostream runs on Android TV 9 Pie, with the stock launcher serving as the UI. This makes for a family-friendly experience that we quite like; content and apps are well laid out and it’s easy to access your favorite apps. Having access to the Google Play Store for Android TV also means you can install a huge range of apps, many of which are specially designed for use on TVs.
We used the MarQ by Flipkart Turbostream with a TV from the same brand – the MarQ by Flipkart 43SAFHD, which is about a year old and ran Android TV (Oreo). The TV’s UI has some limitations in terms of supported apps, notably Netflix, so Turbostream gave us an improved software experience and was also easier to use.
The home screen shows your favorite apps at the top and recommendations for various installed apps below, which can be customized. If you have a non-smart TV, Turbostream totally transforms your viewing capabilities, with internet connectivity and well-designed apps for useful content. There’s also a built-in Chromecast receiver, allowing you to stream content directly from a compatible device.
The ‘Realistic Fireplace’ app on Android TV is exactly what the title says it is
The list of apps on MarQ by Flipkart Turbostream is long and includes top video and audio streaming services, sports and educational content providers, useful tools and much more. Netflix and YouTube come pre-installed, and you can download other apps like Spotify, Hotstar, Zee5, Jio Cinema, Facebook Watch, and more. There are even some weird apps that we like to use, like Realistic Fireplace (which puts an animated fireplace on the screen).
While most major streaming services have a good app available for download, one notable omission from the MarQ TurboStream is Amazon Prime Video. This is for somewhat obvious reasons – Flipkart and Amazon are bitter rivals in the e-commerce space in India, and Turbostream users will have no way of accessing Amazon’s streaming service. It’s also not possible to get around this using Chromecast; trying to mirror our smartphone’s screen when using Amazon Prime Video resulted in just a black screen on the TV, although we could hear sound and see subtitles.
MarQ Performance by Flipkart Turbostream
The Android TV MarQ by Flipkart 43SAFHD we used is a full-HD TV, so we were able to properly test the Turbostream’s features. The streaming device was fast and smooth to use during our time with it; We haven’t had any crashes or major problems. Streaming was smooth too, and with a fast internet connection, we had no issues streaming content from multiple services including YouTube, Hotstar, and Netflix.
Netflix and YouTube worked best for us, thanks to the official apps for both services pre-installed and working perfectly. We also had fun watching content on Hotstar, and all these services worked with the TV’s capabilities, streaming content in the highest resolution available.
Dolby Audio support meant it was able to play compatible content with better sound on our Dolby Audio compatible TV. The differences were audible and it certainly helped to have Dolby Audio certified on Turbostream.
We had a small issue with volume adjustment when HDMI-CEC was enabled on the MarQ TurboStream; adjusting the volume with the Turbostream’s remote occasionally changed the device and TV volume, leading to uneven level changes. Disabling HDMI-CEC via the Turbostream settings fixed this, but it also meant we’d have to control the TV and streaming device via their individual remotes.
We found it easier to leave the TV’s volume at a fixed level while only adjusting the Turbostream’s volume, and also avoid turning it off too often by only turning off the TV while leaving the streaming device on but inactive.
The device runs Android TV 9 Pie, with a standard interface
Verdict
The MarQ by Flipkart Turbostream is an affordable, capable device that does its job well. It would be more useful for users who don’t have a smart TV, allowing them to access streaming content online without having to replace the TV. It will also come in handy if you have a smart TV with an interface you don’t really like, or one that hasn’t been updated in a while and has few apps that support it.
The device is simple, easy to use, functional and does the job. However, the lack of support for Amazon Prime Video is a significant shortcoming, and indeed, this will be a deal breaker for many people, considering Prime Video has an excellent catalog of content and affordable subscription prices.
It’s also worth mentioning here that if you have a 4K television or subscribe to any streaming services that offer 4K content, the MarQ Turbostream won’t take full advantage of its resolution. In that case, it’s best to buy a 4K compatible streaming device like the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K.
It’s also worth considering the Airtel Xstream Stick, which is a bit more expensive but has more to offer in terms of content and apps.
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