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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments on Top 10 Posts of 2013 and Stats on CNXSoft Blog

Top 10 Posts of 2013 and Stats on CNXSoft Blog

This is the last day of the year, and just like in 2012, I’ll look back on the main trends of this year,  post a list of the top 10 posts of 2013 on cnx-software.com, and add some fun stats about the site and my visitors. 2013 has been the year of quad core media players and mini PCs, especially those based on Rockchip RK3188, XBMC is now featured in many Android STBs, “big.LITTLE” and “Octa-core” have been the buzz words on the application processor front, Google has entered the HDMI TV sticks market with the ChromeCast, and is competing with Miracast / DLNA TV dongles, we’ve gotten more and more low cost Linux development boards, crowdfunding has almost gone mainstream, and the Internet of things has started to take off thanks to new technologies such as Bluetooth Low Energy. I’ve compiled the list using data from Google Analytics, filtered […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments on Jynxbox M6 Android TV Box Review

Jynxbox M6 Android TV Box Review

I’ve shown some unboxing pictures and video of Jynxbox Android M6 earlier this week, and today I’ll write a review of this AMLogic AML8726-M6 dual core Android media player. I’ll start with my first impressions, go through the different settings, test video playback, wi-fi performance, and reports about different miscalleous tests: Bluetooth, USB mass storage, USB webcam, etc… First Boot, Settings and First Impressions First, you’ll need to insert the provided AAA batteries in to the remote control. Opening the remote is a bit tricker than I would like as the cover does not come off that easily. Before powering up the device, I’ve connected the provided HDMI cable between the device and my HDTV, and an Ethernet cable to my hub. The first Ethernet cable would not click with in the device RJ45 connector, although it works with my laptop and other devices, but using another one worked just fine. Connecting […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments on XBMC ARM News – AllWinner A20 / A31 Apk Released – $10 Discount on OUYA Console

XBMC ARM News – AllWinner A20 / A31 Apk Released – $10 Discount on OUYA Console

I’ve just been informed that VidOn.me has released XBMC for Android apks for their AV100 (based on AllWinner A20) and AV200 (powered by AllWinner A31) media players with accelerated hardware video decoding. It’s not clear yet whether these will run on any AllWinner A20 / A31 devices, or have been locked to VidOn players, but you can give it a try and download them for your platform(s): android42-Vidon.me-release-a20-AV100-free.apk – For AllWinner A20 android42-Vidon.me-release-a31-AV200-pro.apk – For AllWinner A31 VidOn does have a github repo for XBMC, but it hasn’t been updated for nearly a year, so the recent releases are not there (yet). I had never personally heard about this company, but an article on Wikipedia gives the following description with regards to XBMC: VidOn.me (or VidOnMe) is a company that maintain a commercial fork and derivative of XBMC media center software, and other than offering non-XBMC based media player software […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 18 Comments on TBS Matrix ARM mini PC Features Freescale i.MX6Q, Supports USB DVB Tuners

TBS Matrix ARM mini PC Features Freescale i.MX6Q, Supports USB DVB Tuners

TBS, a producer of digital TV tuners for PC, has decided to launch their own ARM mini PC called Matrix to interface with their USB DVB tuners. The board is based on Freescale i.MX6 Quad ARM Cortex A9 SoC with 2GB RAM, 16GB eMMC flash, and costs about $150. The company also claims to have XBMC, VDR, Tvheadend software running on the platform. Here are the specifications for this quad core ARM board / computer (Codename: TBS2910): SoC – Freescale i.MX6 Quad (MCIMX6Q5EYM10AC) quad core ARM Cortex A9 processor @ 1.0 GHz with Vivante GC2000 3D GPU System Memory – 2GB DDR Storage – 16GB eMMC, SD card slot, micro SD card slot,  and SATA interface USB – 3x USB 2.0 host ports, 1x USB OTG Video Output – HDMI Audio Output – HDMI and 3.5mm audio jack Connectivity – 10/100/1000M Ethernet, and Wi-Fi  802.11n/b/g Expansion – 16-pin header for […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 12 Comments on Geniatech Releases XBMC Linux Image for AML8726-MX based Media Players

Geniatech Releases XBMC Linux Image for AML8726-MX based Media Players

A couple of week ago Geniatech released the source for XBMC for Android, and today I’ve been informed they’ve released an XBMC Linux image for their media players based on AMLogic AML8726-MX dual core Cortex A9 SoC, just a few days after the release of MX Linux v1.00 RC1 working for MX2REF, G18REF and g02refDongle (These are not product names, but board codes that can also be found in ro.product.device or ro.product.board in build.prop of Android firmware). You can download MX_BOX-Linux_XBMC20131205.zip which is said to contain the XBMC Linux image for ATV1200, ATV520, ATV400, ATV360, etc… However, it’s said not to work for HDMI dongles such as ATV120, contrary to MX Linux. I haven’t been able to download the file within a reasonable amount of time, so I haven’t been able to check the content, and installation instructions. An anonymous source told me it was likely Geniatech just took the community […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 24 Comments on XBMC MX Linux v1.00 RC1 for AMLogic AML8726-MX Devices

XBMC MX Linux v1.00 RC1 for AMLogic AML8726-MX Devices

Developer “croniccorey” has recently announced the release of MX Linux v1.00 RC1, an XBMC Linux image for media players based on AMLogic AML8726-MX, on XDA Developers’ Forums. This release supports G18REF and MX2REF devices (See build.prop in Android) such as Matricom G-Box Midnight MX2, and a test image has also been released for g02refDongle devices such as Droid Stick A2. Checking the MTD layout Before starting the installation, you may want to check your flash partitions in order to avoid bricking your device: Install and run Terminal Emulator Run the command below to make sure your partition table is compatible with the image:

If your partition table is different, do not install the default image for MX2REF / G18REF. However, If you’ve got Matricom Android firmware version 1.1.6 or greater or WJB’s Linux builds from November 21 2013 onwards, the MTD layout will be different, and you’ll need to […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments on HiMedia Q5II Android STB Features HiSilicon Dual Core SoC, a 2.5″ SATA HDD Bay, and Supports XBMC Hardware Decode

HiMedia Q5II Android STB Features HiSilicon Dual Core SoC, a 2.5″ SATA HDD Bay, and Supports XBMC Hardware Decode

Many Android set-top boxes are based on application processors mainly targetting tablets such as Rockchip RK3188, and media capabilities including video quality, and audio pass-through are not always optimal, or not working at all. On the contrary, HiMedia Q5II, an Android 4.2 media player, is powered by HiSilicon 3718 (or is it Hislicon 3716C V200?), a dual core Cortex A9 SoC designed specifically for media players. It also features an external SATA slot, HDMI and composite video output, optical and coaxial S/PDIF, and I’ve just found out the company worked on making video hardware decoding work with XBMC. HiMedia Q5II specifications: SoC – HiSilicon Hi3716C V200 dual core ARM Cortex A9 @ 1.6GHz + ARM Mali-400MP4 GPU. N.B.: HiMedia indicates the processor is Hi3718, but most resellers give specifications with a dual core processor called 3716C… Hi3718 is not listed at all in HiSilicon website, and Hi3716C is a single […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 14 Comments on Qubi Android Media Center Features Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 SoC

Qubi Android Media Center Features Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 SoC

Traditionally Qualcomm Application Processor have mostly been found in tablets, smartphones, and in development board such as the company’s own Mobile Development Platforms (MDP) or MyDragonBoard boards. But recently, a Snapdragon S4 has found its way into a smartwatch and today, I’ve found an upcoming, or maybe not, media player  powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 600. Beside Qualcomm quad core Krait SoC, Qubi Android media center features 2 GB RAM, 16 GB NAND Flash,  dual band Wi-Fi b/g/n/ac, Gibabit Ethernet, and more. Here are the specifications of the device: SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 Quad Core Krait CPU @ 1.7 GHz with Adreno 320 GPU System Memory – 2GB RAM Storage – 16GB NAND Flash + microSD slot Connectivity – Dual band Wi-Fi b/g/n/ac, Gigabit Ethernet, and Bluetooth 4.0 Video Output – HDMI with HDMI-CEC support Audio Output – HDMI, optical SPDIF Video – 1080p video decoding USB – 3x USB […]