Hisilicon Hi3798M Quad Core Android TV Box with USB 3.0, and 4K / HEVC Support Sells for $53

I’ve been informed about a quad core Cortex A7 TV box supporting 2160p output, H.265 codec and featuring a USB 3.0 port, that’s currently selling for just $52.99 on Aliexpress including shipping, as well as Ebay for $62 from the same seller. Only “quad core ARM cortex A7” was listed in the specs, and the exact processor was not mentioned, but I could see marketing material about “Q3 quad core” used, and a quick search redirected me to Himedia Q3 Quad Core also powered by an Hisilicon processor, but a different device. So I decided to contact the seller (“Buyforsure”) who quickly replied it was indeed powered by Hisilicon Hi3798M processor.

Hisilicon_quad_core_TV_box

The model is called BFS 4KH on Aliexpress/Ebay, but that name has probably been made up by the seller, so it will also be found under other name. Nevertheless here are the specifications of this low cost 4K TV Box:

  • SoC – HiSilicon Hi3798M V100 quad core ARM Cortex A7 @ 1.5GHz + quad core ARM Mali-450MP GPU.
  • System Memory – 1 GB DDR3
  • Storage – 8GB NAND Flash
  • Video Out – HDMI 1.4a with HDCP 1.2, and composite RCA output
  • Audio Output – HDMI, and L/R stereo output (RCA)
  • Video Codecs – MPEG1/2/4, H.264/AVC, H.265, VC-1, REALVIDEO 8/9/10, XviD, DviX, VP6 ,etc.. up to 2160p
  • Audio Support – MP3, WMA, AAC, APE, FLAC, WAV, MKA, DTS, DTS HD, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby True HD,
  • Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, and 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi with external antenna
  • USB – 1x USB 3.0 port, 1x USB 2.0 host port
  • Misc – Power switch (On/Off)
  • Power Supply – N/A
  • Dimensions – N/A

4KH_Media_player_Hisilicon_Hi3798M_USB_3.0

The box runs Android 4.4.2 with Google Play support, and XBMC pre-installed. It ships with an IR remote control, a power adapter, and an HDMI cable. Supported file systems include NTFS, FAT32, and EXT2/3. In theory, it’s great to have a USB 3.0 port, but it becomes pretty useless, as least for storage devices, if all you have is 10/100M Ethernet, or 802.11n Wi-Fi. Unfortunately, this HiSilicon processor only features an 10/100M Ethernet PHY, so it’s a limitation from the processor itself, and not the device. The power on/off switch is mechanical, but power control is allegedly handled by an MCU, which could allow clean power off, and power on from the remote control.

I’ve included a block diagram for Hi3798M for reference below. Also it only shows 1080p60 for the video decoder, the product brief specifies 4K x  2K video decoding is indeed supported.

Hi3798M V100 Block Diagram (Click to Enlarge)
Hi3798M V100 Block Diagram (Click to Enlarge)

Thanks to Gabe for the tip.

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9 Comments
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Harley
Harley
9 years ago

Same SoC as HiMedia H7-II, HiMedia M3, HiMedia Q5-IV, and HiMedia Q10-IV

Ahmed Othman
Ahmed Othman
9 years ago

Dear Sir
We intersted in this device Hisilicon Hi3798M Quad Core Android TV Box but with android 4.2.2 cortex a9 to our IPTV servers .

Best regards
Ahmed Othman
AfamiaSat HB/Sweden

eugene28
eugene28
9 years ago

Harley :
Same SoC as HiMedia H7-II, HiMedia M3, HiMedia Q5-IV, and HiMedia Q10-IV

Are you sure all of mentioned are based on same chip?

EDSON
EDSON
7 years ago

BOA TARDE,EU POSSUO UM APARELHO DECODIFICADOR DE CANAIS COM ESTE MESMO PROCESSADOR E CONFIGURAÇOES CITADAS ACIMA,ESTOU TENTANDO FAZER ROOT NEL MAIS NAO CONSIGO OS DRIVERS USB,PRA CONECTAR NO PC,SERA QUE O PODERIA ME AJUDAR? COM OS DRIVERS OU UMA FORMA DE FAZER O ROOT,OU ATE MESMO EM DESBLOQUEAR O BOOTLOADER DO MESMO,SE PUDER ME AJUDAR FICAREI AGRADECIDO,UMA BOA TARDE,GRATO.

ell-loco
ell-loco
6 years ago

@EDSON
da uma olhada nesse forum
https://linuxsat-support.com/thread/113820-easy-rooting-u4-u4quad/#post394171

se for o pra fazer root no duosat next uhd me chama no forum tb estou tentando uma solução.

Khadas VIM4 SBC