Last month, I ordered a Mele A1000 in order to hack it to run Linux as it uses the same processor – the Cortex A8/Mali-400MP based AllWinner A10 – as the one planned for the low cost Rhombus Tech board. I have yet to receive the device, but Mele (迈乐) has already released the Mele A2000, an Android 2.3 set-box box also powered by AllWinner A10.
Here are Mele A2000 specifications:
| CPU: | ARM Cortex A8 AllWinner A10 @ 1 GHz (It can be apparently be overclocked up to @ 1.5GHz) |
| GPU: | Mali 4000 |
| Memory: | DDR3 512MB RAM / 4GB Nand Flash |
| OS System: | Android 2.3.4 (Upgradable to Android 4.0) |
| External Storage: | Supports SD card up to 32GB, supports 2.5″ SATA HDD up to 1TB, Supports max 16GB USB flash disk |
| Video codecs: | HD MPEG-1/2/4. H.264. HD AVC/VC-1, RM/RMVB, Xvid/DviX 4/5/6, RealVideo 8/9/10, VP6 |
| Video Formats: | ts, m2ts, tp, trp, mkv, mp4, mov, avi, rm/rmvb, wmv, vob, asf, flv, dat, mpf and mpeg. NB: ISO format is not supported. Maximum bitrate: 40Mpbs, maximum resolution 2160p (3840×2160) |
| Audio Formats: | MP1、MP2、MP3、WMA、OGG、APE、FLAC、WAV、AC3、AAC、AMR、DTS、RA、M4A |
| Subtitle Format: | SRT/SMI/SSA/ASS |
| Network interface: | RJ45(10/100Mbps) |
| Wireless: | WiFi 802.11b/g and support for external 3G card (WCDMA 3.5G) |
| Video Output: | HDMI 1.4 (1080p) / VGA / Composite |
| Audio Output: | HDMI / Optical Out / Stereo |
| Interfaces: | SD/SDHC + 3 x USB HOST + LAN |
| Features: | Internet TV box, Software application supported, 1080P media player, QQ/MSN/Skype etc. |
| Language: | Simplified Chinese/Traditional Chinese/English |
| Accessories: | |
| 1 x AV cable (130cm) | |
| 1 x AC 100~240V power adapter (2-flat-pin plug / 110cm cable) | |
| 1 x Remote controller (2 x AAA batteries not included) | |
| 1 x Chinese & English manual |
Here’s the back of the device with all the audio/video connections, Ethernet, USB and power.
There is also one USB host port, SD card slot and power button on the front panel.
The only differences I can find with the Mele A1000 is the larger flash memory (4GB vs. 2GB) (It turns out the Mele A1000 also has 4GB NAND Flash) and support for an external 3G card. If the later is just a 3G USB dongle then it should also be supported in Mele A1000. The specifications also mention the Allwinner A10 can be overclocked to 1.5 Ghz, but I don’t know if it has always been the case, or the Mele A2000 has a new revision of the chip.
Both devices are so similar that the latest firmware update (v1.5) is the same for both Mele A1000 and Mele A2000 and Mele also promises Android 4.0 (ICS) for a future update which I expect to be rolled out to both media players.
I suspect the hardware to be the same (except for the 4GB flash), so the Mele A2000 should also be hackable.
The Mele A1000 is available now on several Chinese websites such as 天猫 TMall.com for 489 RMB (77 USD) and will probably be available on dealextreme.com soon.
[Update: It is available for 90.77 USD or 92.71 USB with wireless mouse on smalltao.com. Shipping (which is pretty expensive) is not included. On this website, Mele A1000 is slightly more expensive (10 RMB ~2 USD) than Mele A2000]
[Update 2: It is now available on aliexpress.com
for 75 USD + shipping. Tom (the seller) can also provide the USB to TTL adapter for hacking the board for free if you purchase one of the Mele from him, just say you need it in the message box when you order. He also sells the USB to serial adapter separately for 5 USD + shipping (around 2 USD).]
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
Thank you for the comparison, i was just going to order A1000 but now i am ordering A2000 with Mele Fly F10.
@ Haris Sarwar
Haris, is the Mele Fly F10 wireless mouse part of a bundle with Mele A2000, or will you buy both items separately?
If I may ask, where do you plan to order ?
no it is sold separately but i can get a discount of 50 rmb if bought together.
here is the link
http://detail.taobao.com/meal_detail.htm?meal_id=6330330&item_num_id=14603567785
i am buying from the above link.
@ Haris Sarwar
Also ordered the same A2000+F10 bundle from TaoBao. Go to http://www.taobaoenglish.com if you don’t speak Chinese 😉
hi, in dhgate have the mele Fly F10 for 43$ http://www.dhgate.com/3-in-1-mele-f10-2-4-ghz-mini-keyboard-quot/p-ff808081359ee1b50135a0707b441ef4.html
Does it have the same UART connector inside as the A1000?
@ Elis’
I don’t have it, but somebody reported that the main board was the same as the A2000, so it’s likely it has the same UART connector – See http://lists.phcomp.co.uk/pipermail/arm-netbook/2012-April/003232.html
Mele A2000 doesn’t include sata harddisk enclosure in the packing.
@ Haris Sarwar
If that’s the case the pictures in taobao are quite deceiving. I’ll update the post.
Just recieved the A2000,opened the box, but the model number on the device is A100 and internal flash available is 1.6gb.Can Any body else check and verify this,or am i the only one.
Bought this from tom cubie on aliexpress
@ mic
I don’t have the Mele a2000, but you should be able to see the difference by looking at the back of the device. If it is the same as the picture above it is the Mele A2000, otherwise it is really the Mele A1000.
I’ll have to correct the specs of the Mele A1000, the NAND Flash is actually 3800 MB (as reported by U-Boot), part of the flash is reserved for the system, and the other part (1.6GB) is for the user data.
@ Anton
Looking at the AUDIO format section. You see difference in supported formats. I have the A1000, and A1000 lacks DTS and AC3 formats. A1000 does not play DTS and AC3 movies, even við optical out to my Denon, it plays nothing. Using software decoding player (like BS Player) you can get it in 2ch audio. But never the 5ch.
If A2000 plays multi channel – and work’s in other features like A1000, it is much better deal! For me!
@ Anton
I don’t have Mele A2000 myself, those are specs I gathered on several websites.
AFAIK, the hardware and firmware is the same for both the Mele A1000 and A2000 so if something does not work on one, it won’t work on the other other.
It may also depend on the software used, if DTS/AC3 passthru can be enabled it should definitely plays on capable receivers.
The only setting I can find is in Audio Settings->Audio Output Mode, you can choose between “CODEC” and “SPDIF”. But you have probably tried that already.
Hey it seems that A2000 has 1GB ram!… can you confirm this? refer the below link thanks!
@ tom
Last time, Deal Extreme mentioned 2GB NAND flash in Mele A1000 (which has 4GB), so I think it’s just a mistake on their part, and the Mele A2000 really only have 512 MB RAM.
Hey, i got my mele A2000 from that site http://www.cect-shop.com/de/mele-a2000-android-4-0-tv-box.html and it´s got only 512MB Ram
I bought a Mele a2000 from ebay. The firmware version is 1.3. I downloaded a version 1.6 package from the Mele website. I have used Winimage (which confirms that the image disc has been successfully created) to create a boot disc I turn the power off, insert the SD card into the slot and turn the power off. When I turn the box back on, the box ignores the disc completely and enters into the routine of loading the Mele logo and going straight into the box, somewhere along the line it checks and reports the presence of the disc,… Read more »
Correction: after inserting the sd card, I turn the power back on
@ Jason Roberts
You need to use the Phoenix Utility, which is available in firmware version 1.5, to prepare the SD card for firmware update. This image is not suitable for dd / Winimage.
Android 4.0.4 is official now.
http://mele.cn/cn/web/down_show.aspx?id=36
Just ordered one from AliExpress, Tom is quite happy to provide a USB-TTL adapter for free. Hopefully I will receive mine soon.