Rikomagic MK22 Review – Part 2: Android Firmware, Video & Audio in Kodi, Benchmarks…

Rikomagic MK22 is one of the many Android TV boxes powered by Amlogic S912 octa-core processor with typical hardware specifications such as 2GB RAM, 16GB flash, Gigabit Ethernet and dual band WiFi. I’ve already taken the box apart to check out the hardware in the first part of the review, so I’ll focus on the firmware, but I’ll keep it short focusing on typical problem areas, as I’ve already reviewed a bunch of other Amlogic S912 TV boxes such as Qintaix Q912 or Beelink GT1. First Boot, Firmware Update, and First Impressions After having connected all usual cables and  accessories include a 1TB USB hard drive, and RF dongles for my air mouse and wireless gamepad, I booted the device, and after around 45 seconds (typically), I got to the main launcher. Since I received the device about a month ago, I decided to go to the UPDATE&BACKUP app to […]

Zidoo A5 and A5S Android TV Boxes Powered by Amlogic S905X SoC Sell for $62.99 and Up

Zidoo never stops pushing new hardware, and today I’ve come across the company’s two new models powered by Amlogic S905X processor with Zidoo A5 and A5S sold on GeekBuying for respectively $62.99 and $79.99. Zidoo A5 & A5S models look exactly the same but have different hardware specifications under the hood: SoC –  Amlogic S905X quad core ARM Cortex-A53 @ up to 1.5 GHz with  penta-core Mali-450MP GPU System Memory – A5: 1GB DDR3; A5S: 2GB DDR3 Storage A5 – 8GB eMMC flash + micro SD card slot A5S – 16GB eMMC flash + micro SD card slot Video & Audio Output – HDMI 2.0a, AV Video Codec – 4K@60 Hz video decoding 10-bit HEVC and AVS+ codec support; H.264 up to 4K,VP9 up to 4K,support HDR Connectivity A5 – 10/100M Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 A5S – 10/100M Ethernet, Dual band 802.11 b/g/n/ac WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0 USB – […]

ONENUTS Nut 1 TV Box Specifications, Unbagging and Teardown

I first discovered Shenzhen Tomato’s ONENUTS brand through ONENUTS T1 3-in-1 projector, tablet, and mini PC, but the company has now launched a new product with ONENUTS Nut 1 Android TV box powered by Amlogic S912 processor, and the usual 2GB RAM and 16GB storage, but the product stands out a little thanks to its presentation as we’ll see below. ONENUTS Nut 1 Specifications The technical specifications are pretty much standard: SoC – Amlogic S912 octa-core ARM Cortex A53 processor @ up to 1.5 GHz with ARM Mali-820MP3 @ up to 750MHz System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 16GB eMMC flash + micro SD slot up to 32GB Video Output – HDMI 2.0a up to 4K @ 60Hz with CEC and HDR support, and AV port (composite) Audio Output – HDMI, AV (stereo audio), and optical S/PDIF Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet, dual band WiFi 802.11 b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0 USB […]

CS668 Combines Android TV Box, Power Bank, and Bluetooth Speakers Into One Device

CS668 is an Android 6.0 TV box powered by Amlogic S905X quad core processor, which triples as Bluetooth stereo speakers and a power bank thanks to its built-in 5,000 mAh battery. CS668 3-in-1 TV box specifications: SoC –  Amlogic S905X quad core ARM Cortex-A53 @ up to 1.5 GHz with Mali-450MP GPU System Memory – 1GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB eMMC flash + micro SD slot up to 32 GB Video Output – HDMI 2.0a up to 4K @ 60 Hz Audio I/O – HDMI output, 3.5mm headphone jack, 10W stereo speakers, built-in microphone Connectivity – 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi @ 2.4 GHz and Bluetooth 4.0 (AP6212 module) USB – 3x USB 2.0 host ports, 1x micro USB OTG port Misc – Power & Play/Pause combo button, and volume buttons Battery – 5,000 mAh rechargeable lithium battery good for up to 48 hours Power Supply –  5V/3A Dimensions – 15.1 cm […]

Theobroma Systems Introduces Micro Qseven Allwinner A64 System-on-Module

Theobroma Systems, an Austrian based engineering services and embedded systems solutions company, has been designing Allwinner based systems-on-module compliant with Micro Qseven standard for a while, starting with Allwinner A31 A31-μQ7 module in 2015. The company has now launched A64-μQ7 system-on-module powered by Allwinner A64 quad core Cortex A53 processor. A64-μQ7 module specifications: SoC – Allwinner A64 quad core ARM Cortex A53 processor with Mali-400MP2 GPU System Memory – Up to 2GB DDR3 on module Storage – Up to 64GB eMMC flash, Up to 16MB SPI NOR flash Display I/F (via edge connector) – HDMI 1.4 up to 4K @ 30 Hz, MIPI DSI up to 1920×1200 @ 60 Hz Connectivity – 10/100/1000 Mbps PHY USB – 7x USB 2.0 ports including one dual-role port Other I/Os – On-module communication offload controller for CAN, UART, 8x GPIO, I2S, I2C, SMBus, SPI, FAN Security – Optional Global Platform 2.2.1 compliant JavaCard […]

Beelink GT1 TV Box Review – Part 2: Android Marshmallow Firmware

I’ve previously reviewed other Amlogic S912 TV boxes such as M12N MXQ Plus or Qintaix Q912, but Beelink GT1 has the advantage of being quite cheaper at $56 and up, but still come with many of the same features as more expensive devices. I’ve already posted pictures, and checked out the hardware design in the first part of Beelink GT1 review, so in the second part I’ll report my experience with Android, including video and audio capabilities, hardware features testing, and some benchmarks. First Boot, OTA Firmware Update, Settings, and First Impressions The device comes with two USB ports only, so I connected a USB hard drive to one of the port, and a USB hub to the other with the RF dongles for MINIX NEO A2 Lite air mouse and Tronsmart Mars G01 gamepad, as well as a USB keyboard to take screenshots. I completed the setup by adding […]

Zidoo X8 Android TV Box, OpenWrt NAS, and HDMI Recorder Sells for $109

I posted my review of Zidoo X9S Android TV box, HDMI recorder and OpenWrt NAS a few days ago, and despite some limitations with regards to 4K video playback, the device is working pretty well. The $140 price tag might be a little more than some people are ready to pay, and the good news is that the company has now launched a cheaper model based on the same processor called Zidoo X8, without the external SATA port, and less storage. Zidoo X8 specifications: SoC – Realtek RTD1295 quad core Cortex A53 processor @ 1.4 GHz with ARM Mali-T820 MP3 GPU System Memory – 2 GB DDR3 Storage – 8 GB eMMC flash + micro SD slot + SATA 3.0 interface Video I/O – HDMI 2.0a output, AV output and HDMI 2.0 input (Support up to 4K60 input, but record/stream up to 1080p @ 30 Hz) Audio I/O – HDMI […]

ZTE ZXV10 B860H is an Another Android TV Media Player based on Amlogic S905X Processor

It looks like Xiaomi Mi Box (US) will have some competition, as ZTE is about to introduce their ZXV10 B860H TV box at Broadband World Forum 2016 in London. The device will run Android TV on a quad core Amlogic processor, which can only be Amlogic S905X, the same processor used in the Xiaomi box,  since VP9 is now a requirement for Android TV operating system, and HDR is part of the specifications. ZTE ZXV10 B860H “Android TV” box specifications: SoC –  Amlogic S905X (-H?) quad core ARM Cortex-A53 @ up to 1.5 GHz with penta-core Mali-450MP GPU @ 750 MHz System Memory – 2GB RAM Storage – 8GB flash Video Output – HDMI 2.0a up to 4K @ 60 Hz with HDCP 2.2, CEC, HDR10 and HLG HDR Video Codecs – VP9 Profile-2 & H.265 MP-10 up to 4K @ 60 fps, H.264 AVC up to 4K @ 30 fps, […]

EDATEC Raspberry Pi 5 fanless case