SDMC DV8919 Amlogic S905X4 Android TV 10 TV Box Supports AV1 Decoding

Amlogic S905X4 TV Box

We’ve previously covered several TV box & set-top box SoCs with support for the royalty-free AV1 video codec including Broadcom BCM7218X SoC, and Amlogic S805X2, S905X4, and S908X processors. But so far, apart from an AV1 demo on the RTD1311/RTD1319 development board (Pymparticle EVB?), and new about Technicolor Jade STB, I had not really seen AV1-capable TV boxes so far. SDMC DV8919 appears to be the first Amlogic S905X4 TV box on the market and one of the first running the recently released Android 10 on Android TV OS. SDMC DV8919 specifications: SoC – Amlogic S905X4 quad-core Arm Cortex-A55 processor @ up to 2.0 GHz with Arm Mali-G31MP2 supporting OpenGL ES3.2, Vulkan 1.1 and OpenCL 2.0 System Memory – 2GB DDR memory (options: 1GB or 4GB) Storage – 8GB eMMC flash (options: 16GB, 32GB, 64GB), MicroSD card slot Video Output – HDMI 2.1 up to 4K @ 60+Hz with CEC […]

Nebula Cosmos Max 4K Video Projector is Powered by Amlogic T962X2 Processor (Crowdfunding)

Cosmos Max 4K Projector with Amlogic T962X2

Amlogic recently launched its first Cortex-A55 processors for TV boxes with S905X3, S905Y3 & S905D3 quad-core processors, but as noted by one commenter Amlogic already had some other Cortex-A55 processor specifically designed for TVs and projectors: T950X2 for full HD systems, and T962X2 for 4K UHD systems. Most smart TVs and projectors don’t advertise which chip they are using internally but I’ve just come across Anker Nebula Cosmos Max 4K home theater/video projector featuring Amlogic T962X2 processor. Based on the illustration below they also have a Full HD model based on the same processor. But I’ll focus on the 4K model in this post. Anker Nebula Comos Max key features & specifications: SoC – Amlogic T962X2 quad-core Cortex-A55 processor @ 1.9 GHz with Arm Mali-G31MP2 GPU System Memory – 2GB RAM Storage – 16GB eMMC flash Projector 0.47″ DMD chip 4K UHD resolution (3840×2160) 30″ to 150″ display 1500 ANSI […]

MINIX NEO T5 Google Android TV Certified Media Hub Launched for $85

MINIX NEO T5 & Voice Remote

MINIX has been pretty busy in the last few months with the launch of their NEO J50C-4 (64GB) and NEO G41V-4 mini PCs, and the company has now just officially launched MINIX NEO T5, their first Google Android TV certified media hub for $84.90 on Aliexpress or Amazon. MINIX NEO T5 specifications: SoC – Amlogic S905X2 quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 processor with Arm Mali-G31 MP2 GPU System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage –  16GB eMMC 5.1 flash, microSD card slot Video Output – HDMI 2.1 output up to 4K @ 60 Hz with HDR10+ support Audio – 3.5mm audio jack, optical S/PDIF, HDMI digital audio; Dolby Digital support; Dolby TrueHD / Atmos and DTS-HD pass-through is also supported Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet, dual-band 802.11ac WiFi 5 2×2 MIMO, Bluetooth 4.2 USB – 1x USB 2.0 port, 1x USB 3.0 port Power Supply – 5V/2A NEO T5 ships with an IR remote […]

Arm Introduces Ethos NPU Family, Mali-G57 GPU, and Mali-D37 Display Processor

Arm Ethos NPU: Ethos-M37, Ethos-N57 & Ethos-N77

Arm has just announced four new IP solutions with the most interesting being Ethos NPU (Neural Processing Unit) family with both Ethos-N57 and Ethos-N37 NPUs for mainstream devices, but the company also announced the new Arm Mali-G57, the first mainstream Valhall GPU, as well as Arm Mali-D37 DPU (Display Processing Unit) for full HD and 2K resolution. Arm Ethos NPU Family There are three members of the new Ethos family, and if you’ve never heard about Ethos-N77 previously, that’s because it was known as Arm ML processor. The three NPU’s cater to different AI workloads / price-point from 1 TOPS to 4 TOPS: Ethos-N37 Optimized for 1 TOP/s ML performance range 512 8×8 MAC/cycle 512KB internal memory Small footprint (<1mm2) For smart cameras, entry smartphones, DTV Ethos-N57 Optimized for 2 TOP/s ML performance range 1024 8×8 MAC/cycle 512KB internal memory For mainstream smartphones, smart home hubs Ethos-N77 Up to 4 […]

HK1 MAX PLUS TV Box Features Upgraded Rockchip RK3368PRO SoC with USB 3.0, HDR Support

Rockchip RK3368Pro TV Box

Rockchip RK3368 octa-core Cortex-A53 processor @ 1.2 GHz was introduced in 2015 mostly in TV boxes running Android 5.1 such as Beelink i68 or Tronsmart Orion R68. Unsurprisingly we don’t read much about new Rockchip RK3368 products four years later. But Rockchip appears to have launched a RK3368 “refresh” with RK3368PRO processor equipped with most of the same features, plus the addition of a USB 3.0 interface, and HDR support. The company also updated software support to Android 9.0 Pie. We don’t actually have much information about the processor as we learned about it via a listing on Aliexpress for HK1 MAX PLUS TV box with the following (preliminary) specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3368PRO Octa-Core Arm Cortex-A53 @ 1.5 GHz with Imagination PowerVR G6110 GPU System Memory – 4 GB DDR3 Storage – 32GB, 64GB, or 128GB flash; MicroSD card slot Video Output – HDMI 2.0a up to 4K @ […]

X96 Air Amlogic S905X3 Android 9.0 TV Box Sells for $30 and Up

X96 Air

Amlogic S905X3 is the first Arm Cortex-A55 processor from the company, and we’ve seen it does not differ that much from the previous generation in our S905X3 vs S905X2 comparison. The Cortex-A55 cores have similar performance compared to Cortex-A53 cores., but S905X3 SoC does provide support for DDR4 memory up to 3200 MHz which may improve 4K HDR video playback and 3D gaming, as well a 1.2 TOPS NPU for AI workloads such as voice recognition. The first Amlogic S905X3 TV box launch we covered was Beelink GT2 Mini with price starting at just under $50 for the 2GB/16GB version and $70 with 4GB and 64GB RAM. Prices have now somewhat come down, but if you’re looking for a cheaper model X96 Air is now offered on Aliexpress for $29.39 including shipping with 2GB RAM, 16GB flash, while the 4GB/32GB variant is sold for $38.01, and up to $40.95 with […]

Khadas VIM3L SBC up for pre-order for $50 and up, VIM1 & VIM2 Price Reduced

VIM3L pre-order

Shenzhen Wesion recently unveiled Khadas VIM3L SBC designed for HTPC / media center use cases. The board is based on Khadas VIM3 PCB but replaces the powerful Amlogic A311D processor by Amlogic S905D3 processor that should be just as good for video playback, but enable much cheaper hardware. Khadas VIM3L Pre-orders The board is not quite available yet, but the company has started to take pre-orders for Khadas VIM3L at discounted prices either as a bare board with Android 9.0 pre-installed ($49.99), or as a CoreELEC HTPC kit with enclosure, heatsink, WiFi antennas, and IR remote control ($69.99). Both feature Amlogic S905D3 quad-core Cortex-A55 processor coupled with 2GB LPDDR4(X) RAM, 16GB eMMC flash, and support 4Kp60 video output and playback with HDR support. Prices will increase with time as follows: September 3-16 (Early Bird) – $49.99 and $69.99 for the board and HTPC kit respectively September 17 – October 7 […]

ODROID-N2 CoreELEC Edition Media Center Launched for $65 and Up

ODROID-N2 CoreELEC Edition

ODROID-N2 is an Amlogic S922X single board computer with 2GB or 4GB  RAM that’s fairly popular thanks to its great performance/price ratio, good cooling, and decent support from Hardkernel. Hardkernel have worked in collaboration with CoreELEC, and have just introduced ODROID-N2 CoreELEC Edition media center featuring the SBC. The company offers the media center at introductory prices of $65 for the 2GB RAM model, and $75 for the 4GB model with limited stocks at those discounted prices. ODROID-N2 CoreELEC Edition media center includes the following: ODROID-N2 SBC with either 2GB or 4GB RAM ODROID-N2 Case Black An 8GB Industrial MicroSD UHS-1 card pre-loaded with CoreELEC for ODROID-N2 preinstalled 12V/2A Power Supply (with chosen type of plug) CoreELEC Logo Sticker CoreELEC for ODROID-N2 supports 4K HDR10 and HLG high dynamic-range, Auto frame rate switching & dynamic range matching,  DTS-HD & Dolby-HD audio pass-through including DTS:X and Dolby Atmos. The firmware is […]