How to set up a Xiaomi TV 4S: a complete guide with photos and tips

Xiaomi TV 4S is one of the most popular smart TVs in the budget segment, combining high-quality picture, smart features and ease of control. However, even with the intuitive interface of MIUI TV, users often have questions: how to adjust the image to watch movies, optimize the sound for the home theater or connect the console without delay. This article will help you to understand all the nuances from the basic settings at the first turn on to hidden features that are not written in the official instructions.

We're not going to be limited to standard tips like "select a language and connect to Wi-Fi." Instead, you'll learn how to calibrate the screen for the perfect color balance, why Game Mode doesn't always improve the gaming experience, and how to get around the limitations of Google Play on a TV. And also, we'll examine the typical mistakes that make the Xiaomi TV 4S slow down or play 4K HDR content incorrectly. Ready? Let's start with the most important thing.

First Installing and Basic Setup

When you first connect the Xiaomi TV 4S to the outlet, the TV automatically triggers the setup wizard, so it's important to take your time and carefully select key settings that will be difficult to change later, starting with the language and region:

• 🌍 System language: select Russian (Russia) – this will ensure the correct operation of voice search and localized applications. If you choose English (USA), some services (for example, Wink) may not run.
• 📡 Region: Indicate Russia, even if you live in another country, for Google Play to work properly and prevent geoblocking issues.
• 🔄 Software Update: During the setup phase, the TV will prompt you to update your firmware. Refuse to update at this step, complete the basic setup first, or you risk an error 0x0001 first-start.

Once you've chosen a region, the TV will suggest you connect to the Internet, and here's a caveat: if you have a dual-band router (2.4 GHz). + 5 GHz, it is better to connect to the 5 GHz network – this will reduce delays when streaming 4K-However, if the walls in your apartment are thick and the router is far away, you may need 2.4 GHz for stability of the connection.

At the stage of setting up your Mi Account, you can skip this step by clicking Skip. However, please note that without linking your account, you will not be able to use cloud storage for screenshots or synchronize settings between Xiaomi devices. If you decide to link your account later, you can do this in the Settings → Accounts and Security menu.

Image customization: Calibration for movies and games

The factory settings of the Xiaomi TV 4S screen are far from perfect – often the picture looks too bright, with over saturation and the wrong white balance. To fix this, go to Settings → Display and Sound → Image Settings. Here it is important to understand that the optimal parameters depend on the type of content:

• 🎬 For movies (HDR/Dolby Vision: Select Movie Mode, turn off Dynamic Contrast and Noise Reduction, set the color temperature to Warm, and this will reduce eye fatigue with long viewing.
• 🎮 For games: activate Game Mode (in the menu Additional) → Game mode, but note that it turns off some of the post-processing, which may make the picture look paler, but the input lag will decrease from 30 ms to 15 ms.
• 📺 For regular TV: Standard mode with Adaptive lighting enabled (if the light level changes in the room).

For accurate calibration, we recommend using YouTube test videos (for example, videos from RTINGS.com channel).

If the image still seems dim after setting up, check the HDMI settings for the connected device. For example, an Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5 can automatically switch the TV to Dolby Vision mode, which requires separate calibration. To fix this, go to Settings → HDMI → Signal Format and select Auto (limited) instead of Extended.

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If you calibrate the colors to look unnatural, reset the image to factory settings (Settings → Display and Sound → Reset image settings) and start over. Often the problem lies in the conflict of user presets with automatic corrections of the TV.

Sound optimization: from bass to voice commands

The built-in speakers of Xiaomi TV 4S (2×8W) can handle speech and background music, but for a full-fledged theater, they are not enough power. However, even with factory speakers, you can significantly improve the sound.

1. Go to Settings → Display and sound → Sound settings.
2. Select Mode Mode Mode – it activates the virtual surround effect.
3. Enable Dynamic Compression (helps with quiet dialogues and loud explosions).
4. Turn off the automatic volume – it often works unpredictably.

If you are a soundbar user or AV-receiver HDMI ARC or optical output, make sure the correct output format is selected in the sound settings:

• 🔊 For HDMI ARC: Auto (Passthrough) – This will allow you to transmit multichannel sound (Dolby Digital, DTS) non-recoding.
• 💿 For optical exit: PCM (If your sound system does not support Dolby, or Dolby Digital).

Voice control on Xiaomi TV 4S works via the built-in remote microphone or Google Assistant connected to activate voice search:

1. Press and hold the Google Assistant button on the remote.
2. Say a command like “turn on Netflix” or “turn up the volume by 20%.”
3. For Russian-speaking teams, use phrases like “Show Leonardo DiCaprio movies.”

Connecting devices: consoles, laptop, smartphone

The Xiaomi TV 4S has three HDMI 2.0 ports (one with ARC support), which allows you to connect the game console, receiver and laptop at the same time.

• 🎮 Game consoles (PS5, Xbox: Always connect to the port HDMI 1 -- optimized for low input lag. In the set-top boxes, turn on the set-top boxes. 4K @ 60 Hz and HDR, But turn off 120 Hz - Xiaomi TV 4S It doesn't support that frequency.
• 💻 Laptop/PC: If the picture does not fit on the screen, change the resolution on the laptop on the screen 1920×1080 frequent 60 Hz. In the settings of the TV, activate PC Mode (Settings) → HDMI → Regime. PC).
• 📱 Smartphone (Mi Screen Mirroring): for wireless screen broadcasting, use the built-in Miracast function (Settings) → Connection and sharing → Wireless display: iPhone will require Apple TV or Lightning adapter → HDMI.

If the TV can’t see the connected device through HDMI, try:

1. Disconnect and reconnect the cable (sometimes the ports fall asleep).
2. In the Settings menu → HDMI → CEC mode to enable HDMI Management – this will allow you to control the console from the TV remote.
3. If you use an HDMI extender or splitter, try connecting the device directly – some cheap adapters do not support HDCP 2.2.

HDMI port not physically damaged

The cable supports HDMI 2.0 (for 4K HDR)

The source device has the correct output format enabled

The TV's on mode. CEC (if you need remote control)-->

Secret functions and hidden settings

Xiaomi TV 4S hides a few useful features that are not mentioned in the official documentation.

• 🔍 The mode for the visually impaired: in Settings → Special features can include a larger screen (magnifying glass) and a higher contrast.
• 📼 Screen recording: TV can record video from the screen in resolution 1080p. To do this, press Menu. → Screen recording (the function works only with internal sources, not with the data) HDMI).
• 🔄 Quick input switching: double-click the Home button on the remote – a quick access panel will appear. HDMI-port.
• 🎛️ Engineering menu: to access advanced image settings, enter the Menu sequence on the remote → 1969 (not working on all firmware). ⚠️ Warning: changing the settings in the engineering menu can cause the TV to work in an unstable way.

Another hidden possibility is to change the animation of the interface, so if the TV slows down when switching between menus, you can speed it up.

1. Go to Settings. → On TV.
2. Click 5 times in a row on the MI Logo (top of the screen).
3. In the menu that opens, select Interface Animation → Quickly.

If you like customization, you can change the screensaver on the home screen.

1. Download your favorite image in a resolution of 3840×2160 on the flash drive.
2. Connect the flash drive to the TV and open the Explorer.
3. Select the file and click Set as Wallpaper.

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Engineering menus and hidden features may vary depending on the firmware version. Before experimenting, check the relevance of instructions in forums (e.g., 4PDA or Mi Community).

Firmware Update: How to Avoid Errors

Regular firmware updates fix bugs, add new features and improve performance, but an incorrect update can lead to a "brick" (inoperability) of a TV. Here's how to upgrade safely:

• 🔄 Automatic Update: The easiest way. Go to Settings → On TV. → Update system and click Check Updates. Make sure the TV is connected to the Internet via an Ethernet cable (not Wi-Fi) to avoid a download break.
• 💾 Manual update through USB: Download the firmware from the official Xiaomi website (Support section) → TV → Mi TV 4S). The file must have a.zip extension and weigh ~1.2 GB. It does not need to be unpacked!

For manual updates:

1. Copy the firmware file to a flash drive formatted in FAT32.
2. Connect the flash drive to the TV and go to Settings → About TV → Update via USB.
3. Select a file and wait for the process to be completed (~10-15 minute). ⚠️ Warning: if the update has been stuck at the "Package Check" stage for longer 5 Wait for the error and try again with the other flash drive.

If after the update the TV stopped turning on or got stuck on the Mi logo, try resetting the settings:

1. Turn the TV off the socket.
2. Press the Menu button on the case (not on the remote!) and connect the power.
3. Hold the button for 10-15 seconds until the recovery menu appears.
4. Select Wipe Data/Factory Reset (Reset to factory settings).

Resolving typical problems

Even after setting up properly, the Xiaomi TV 4S can be unstable, and here are the most common problems and solutions:

If the TV doesn’t find apps on Google Play (like Disney+ or Okko), the problem lies in regional restrictions.

• 📱 Use Send Files to TV (app from Xiaomi for transmission APK-smartphone files.
• 🌍 Change the region in your Google account to the US, install the app, then return the region back to the US.
• 🛠️ Install an alternative launcher, for example, ATV Launcher (requires the developer mode to be enabled).

If the image "breaks" when watching movies from a flash drive, check:

• Video format: Xiaomi TV 4S does not support MKV with H.265 10-bit codecs in resolution above 1080p.
• File system: Must be FAT32 or exFAT (NTFS cannot be read).
• Bitrate video: If it exceeds 40 Mbps, use an external player (VLC or Kodi).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions