Month: January 2013

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments on Marvell SMILE Plug DevKit is Now Available for $199

Marvell SMILE Plug DevKit is Now Available for $199

The SMILE Plug is a development kit, designed jointly by Marvell and Standford University, that brings Wi-Fi connectivity to a classroom, and allows up to 60 pupils / students to interact with their teacher via their phones’ or tablets’ web browser. Other possible applications include cloud computing, wireless AP, industrial control, medical instrumentation, office automation, as well as mesh and grid computing. The SMILE Plug is now available with the following updated specifications: SoC – Marvell ARMv7 compliant Marvell ARMADA 370 CPU System Memory – 512 MB DDR3 Storage – 1 GB NAND Flash + microSD slot Connectivity WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n via Marvell Avastar 88W8764 4×4 WiFi for up to 60 nodes 2x Gigabit Ethernet USB – 2x USB 3.0 External backup battery for hours of reserve power* (optional accessory) Power on button and restart Power Supply – 12V/2amp external power supply JTAG and UART port for programming and debugging […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments on Raspberry Pi Now Has Experimental Support for VP6, VP8, MJPEG and Ogg Theora Video Codecs

Raspberry Pi Now Has Experimental Support for VP6, VP8, MJPEG and Ogg Theora Video Codecs

The guys working on the Raspberry Pi (mainly dom) have added preliminary support for VP6, VP8, MJPEG, and Ogg Theora free video codecs, as well as Ogg Vorbis audio codec. Unlike H.264, MPEG-2 and VC1, those are not handled by the hardware video decoder in Broadcom BCM2835 processor, but are accelerated by the Videocore GPU. This means that only SD (and possibly 720p) videos are supported for those codecs. The best way to get support is probably to patiently wait for the Raspberry Pi foundation to release a new Raspbian image, but in case you couldn’t possibly wait, here are the steps to follow: Download and run Hexxeh’s rpi-update script in the Raspberry Pi in order to get the very latest build:

Add the following two lines to /boot/config.txt:

Reboot the Raspberry Pi The GPU firmware is now updated, but you still need the latest version of omxplayer. […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 21 Comments on Huawei MediaQ M310 Media Player Based on Quad Core K3V2 Processor

Huawei MediaQ M310 Media Player Based on Quad Core K3V2 Processor

I haven’t seen any quad-core set-top boxes on the market (if we exclude some Freescale i.MX6 mini PCs), but this is about to change with Huawei MediaQ M310 media player. The device is based on Hisilicon K3V2 SoC, and comes with 1GB RAM and 4 GB flash. Huawei MediaQ M310 specifications: SoC – HiSilicon K3V2 quad-core Cortex A9 processor with Vivante GC4000 GPU System Memory – 1 GB RAM Storage – 4 GB flash + microSD slot Video I/O – HDMI out and HDMI in Audio I/O – 1x SPDIF, 3.5 mm stereo jack and mic (3-in-1) USB – 2x USB 2.0 host ports Connectivity – Wi-Fi 802.11n & Bluetooth 4.0 Huawei multi-screen (Pushing, mirroring) Content aggregation / Voice Search The box runs a customized version of Android with a user interface designed for the television. CSilie, who tipped me about the MediaQ M310, saw the device at CES 2013, […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on WonderMedia PRIZM WM8980 Dual Cortex A9 SoC

WonderMedia PRIZM WM8980 Dual Cortex A9 SoC

WonderMedia Technologies, a subsidiary of Via Technologies, has recently announced the WonderMedia PRIZM  WM8950, a dual core Cortex A9 processor running up to 1.2 Ghz with a Mali-400MP2 GPU. This new SoC supports Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, Linux, and WinCE 7, and targets applications for mobile, digital home and business applications in devices such as tablets, smart TVs, networked projectors, digital signage players, and thin clients. It also features integration of the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Miracast standard into the WonderMedia SmartStream for support of DMR (Digital Media Renderer) and wireless display functionalities over standard compliant and legacy WiFi direct and WiFi devices in both embedded and Android environments. WM8980 supports HDMI, LVDS, and DVO video interfaces, features a CMOS sensor input for webcams,  SD / SDIO / MMC / e-MMC interfaces, USB 2.0 Host/device, audio interfaces (I2S, S/PDIF, PCM), SPI, I2C, UARTs and GPIO. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth can be supported with […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments on $59.40 HD18M Android 4.0 Media Player Powered by AMLogic AML8726-M3

$59.40 HD18M Android 4.0 Media Player Powered by AMLogic AML8726-M3

Mygica A11 ($65) was the cheapest AMLogic AML8726-M3 Android set-top box I was aware of, but today I’ve come across HD18M with very similar specs (e.g. 1GB RAM, 4GB Flash…) that sells for $59.40 on DealExtreme including shipping. Here are HD18M Android STB Specifications: SoC – AMLogic AML8726-M3 (Cortex A9) processor @ 1.0GHz with Mali-400 GPU System Memory – 1GB DDR3 Storage – 4GB Flash + microSD slot (Up to 32GB) Video Output – HDMI 1.4 (Up to 1080p) Video Formats – AVI, RM, RMVB, TS, VOB, MKV, MOV, WMV, ISO, ASF, FLV, DAT, MPG & MPEG Video Codecs – MPEG1/2/4, H.264, AVC/VC-1, Xvid ,DivX3/4/5/6, and Real Video 8/9/10 Audio Formats – MP3, WMA, WAV, OGG, FLAC, ALAC, APE, TrueHD, AAC, AC3, AC-D, DDP & DTS. Subtitle – srt, smi, ssa and ass USB – 2x USB 2.0 Host ports Connectivity – 10/100 Mbit Ethernet + Wi-Fi 802.11b/g The only […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on MeCam – $49.99 Wearable HD Camera

MeCam – $49.99 Wearable HD Camera

Yes, yesterday I already talked about MeCam, the self video nano copter, and no, this is not a double post, as the MeCam is also another product (this may keep some lawyers busy, or maybe not), which you can pin on your clothes, or wear as necklace, that shots 720p videos, or take 5MP still pictures by the press of a button. The MeCam comes with 3 buttons: Power Button- To power on/off the device and enter standby mode. Video Button – To start/stop video capture. Photograph Button – To take photos, or enable/disable IR mode (Long press). IR (InfraRed) mode allows you to shoot videos or take pictures at night. To transfer your media files to you computer, you can either copy the files from the removable microSD card (4 to 16GB), or transfer them via USB. You can watch the promo video below to see the MeCam in […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments on Always Innovating MeCam is a $49 Voice-Controlled Nanocopter Camera

Always Innovating MeCam is a $49 Voice-Controlled Nanocopter Camera

Earlier today, I’ve posted a list of some interesting sessions for the upcoming ELC 2013, and one of the talk entitled “Lessons Learned in Designing a Self-video Self-hovering Nano Copter” by Gregoire Gentil, Always Innovating CEO, caught my attention. In this presentation, he will talk about the technical challenges the company encountered when they designed MeCam, a self video nano copter to point-and-shoot yourself, that should sell for just $49 retail. The MeCam launches from the palm of a hand and hovers instantly. It streams video to an Android or iOS phone or tablet that can be easily shared on social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Google+ and Twitter. There’s no remote control for the MeCam as it’s either controlled by voice commands, or it can be setup to follow you around thanks to the follow-me feature. It can also do panorama shots automatically. The products is still in […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 11 Comments on $199 Gizmo Explorer Kit Powered by AMD G-Series APU is Now Officially Available

$199 Gizmo Explorer Kit Powered by AMD G-Series APU is Now Officially Available

Back in November, I came across the Gizmo Explorer Kit, an embedded development platform based on AMD G-Series G-T40E dual core APU that includes the development board itself (Gizmo Board), two expansion I/O boards, Sage SmartProbe JTAG development tool, some accessories such as cables and power supply, and a DVD with the documentation and SDK. Today, Sage Electronic, Texas Multicore Technologies, and Viosoft officially launched GizmoSphere community that aims at “fostering innovation and development for x86-based embedded Accelerated Processing Units (APUs), and driving and enabling technology projects of interest to independent developers with a focus on stimulating and encouraging innovation for existing and new applications that leverage APUs”. To help with this initiative, they also produce the Gizmo Board, and corresponding Gizmo Explorer Kit, a development board that boots with coreboot, and can run a variety of operating systems such as Android, Linux, Windows, and other RTOS. You can refer to […]