Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft), Author at CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

October 20, 2016October 20, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

This Video Shows Vulkan API’s Higher Power Efficiency Compared to OpenGL ES API on ARM SoCs

Vulkan was introduced as the successor of OpenGL ES in March 2015, promising to take less CPU resources, and support multiple command buffers that can be created in parallel and distributed over several cores, at the cost of slightly more complex application programming since less software work in done inside the GPU drivers themselves with app developers needing to handle memory allocation and thread management. This was just a standard at the time, so it still needed some time to implement Vulkan, and work is still in program but ARM showcased the power efficiency of Vulkan over OpenGL ES in the video embedded at the end of this post. The demo has the same graphics details and performance using both OpenGL ES and Vulkan, but since the load on the CPU in that demo can be distributed over several CPU cores with Vulkan against a single core for OpenGL ES, […]

October 20, 2016October 20, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

HiSilicon Kirin 960 Octa Core Application Processor Features ARM Cortex A73 & A53 Cores, Mali G71 MP8 GPU

Following on Kirin 950 processor found in Huawei Mate 8, P9, P9 Max & Honor 8 smartphones, Hisilicon has now unveiled Kirin 960 octa-core processor with four ARM Cortex A73 cores, four Cortex A53 low power cores, a Mali G71 MP8 GPU, and an LTE Cat.12 modem. The table below from Anandtech compares features and specifications of Kirin 950 against the new Kirin 960 processor. SoC Kirin 950 Kirin 960 CPU 4x Cortex A72 (2.3 GHz) 4x Cortex A53 (1.8 GHz) 4x Cortex A73 (2.4 GHz) 4x Cortex A53 (1.8 GHz) Memory Controller LPDDR3-933 or LPDDR4-1333 (hybrid controller) LPDDR4-1800 GPU ARM Mali-T880MP4 @ 900 MHz ARM Mali-G71MP8 @ 900 MHz Interconnect ARM CCI-400 ARM CCI-550 Encode/ Decode 1080p H.264 Decode & Encode2160p30 HEVC Decode 2160p30 HEVC & H.264 Decode & Encode2160p60 HEVC Decode Camera/ISP Dual 14bit ISP 940MP/s Improved Dual 14bit ISP Sensor Hub i5 i6 Storage eMMC 5.0 UFS 2.1 Integrated Modem […]

October 20, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

TOPEET iTOP4412 Exynos 4412 Boards Support Up to 3 LCD Displays, GPS, 3G, 4x UARTs, etc…

Beijing TOPEET Electronics iTOP4412 board based on Samsung Exynos 4412 quad core Cortex A9 processor, and a developer has very recently committed patchsets to mainline Linux kernel to add support for the board. Exynos 4412 is not quite the latest and most powerful processor, but the board is still interesting due to mainline Linux support, and some hardware features like interfaces for up to 3 LCD displays plus HDMI, two DB9 serial interfaces, two camera interfaces, and more. iTOP4412 is comprised of the company’s Exynos 4412 SoM and a baseboard with the following specifications: SoC – Samsung Exynos 4412 quad-core Cortex A9 clocked at up to 1.4GHz-1.6GHz + ARM Mali-400MP4 GPU @ 440MHz System Memory – 1 GB dual channel DDR3 Storage – 4GB eMMC flash and microSD slot Video Output / Display IF – HDMI 1.4 port, 2x LVDS interfaces (including one via an HDMI connector?), 1x LCD RGB […]

October 19, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

MUSES-α & MUSES-β DVB-T/C, ISDB-T, DTMB & ATSC Modulator Boards Review – Part 1: The Hardware

V-Bridge Muses digital TV modulator boards launched on Kickstarter earlier this month, with the cheaper $200 MUSES-α board modulating video from a PC, and $600 MUSES-β turnkey solution capable of broadcasting HDMI or AV + stereo input to various digital TV standards including DVB-T/C, ATSC/QAM, DTMB, and ISDB-T/TB without the help of a computer. The company sent me the two hardware kits for evaluation and review on CNX Software, and today I’ll start by showing off the hardware I received. I got 3 packages and a F-female to F-female cable, which means you can connect the board directly to your TV tuner without having to rely on actual RF signals, and potential legal issues that goes with it. The first package I open if for the PC modulator kit that include MUSES-α board, an “RF” board, as a USB cable to connect to your computer. MUSES-α board features Vatek A1 […]

October 19, 2016October 19, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 22 Comments

Ferguson Ariva 4K Android STBs Come with Digital TV Tuners, a Pay TV Card Reader, and a SATA Bay

We already have a choice of Android TV boxes with digital TV tuners (DVB-T2, DVB-S2, ATSC…) with devices like K1 Plus T2 S2, U4 Quad Hybrid, and Wetek Play 2, but Ferguson, a company based in Poland, has two other options based on Amlogic S905 processors with their Ariva 4K and Ariva 4K Combo with one or two tuners, a Pay TV card reader which is not available on competitors’ models, and 2.5″ HDD bay in the bottom of the case implemented via a USB 2.0 to SATA bridge. Ariva 4K & 4K Combo specifications: SoC – Amlogic S905-B quad core ARM Cortex-A53 @ up to 1.5 GHz with Mali-450MP GPU System Memory – 1 GB DDR3 Storage – 8 GB eMMC flash + slot for HDD mounting (on the bottom) + micro SD card slot Video Output – HDMI 2.0 up to 4K @ 60Hz and AV port Audio […]

October 19, 2016October 19, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 12 Comments

Vocore2 Lite is a $4 Linux MIPS WiFi Module based on Mediatek MT7688AN SoC (Crowdfunding)

I’ve already written about Vocore v2 Crowdfunding campaign, where the second generation Vocore WiFi module supports audio, PoE, and ultimate dock, and price starting at $12. But there has been some development since the launch of the campaign, as the developer received request for a cheaper board, and after looking into it, has now added Vocore2 Lite WiFi module reward for only $4, or $7 once shipping included. He obviously had to make some trade-offs to bring the cost down, but the Lite board impressively still keep many of the same features. VoCore (2014) VoCore2 Lite (2016) VoCore2 (2016) Price 19.99 USD 3.99 USD 11.99 USD CPU RT5350, 360MHz MT7688AN MIPS24KEc @ 580MHz MT7628AN, 580MHz Memory 32MB SDRAM 64MB DDR2 128MB DDR2 Storage 16MB NOR 8MB NOR 16MB NOR Antenna Slot x1 x1 x2 On-Board ANTENNA √ × √ Wireless Speed ~75Mbps ~150Mbps ~300Mbps Ethernet Port x5 x1 / x5 […]

October 18, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

PiPo V5 Android Virtual Reality Headset Powered by Rockchip RK3399 SoC to Sell for $200

Las month I reviewed VR SKY CX-V3 Android virtual reality headset based on Allwinner H8vr octa-core SoC, and based on a report from Netbook Italia at the Hong Kong Electronics Fair, PiPo will launch a device looking exactly the same but featuring a much more powerful Rockchip RK3399 processor, next month for about $200. Beside Rockchip RK3399 hexa-core SoC with two cores ARM Cortex-A72 cores and four Cortex-A53, and a Mali-T864MP4 graphics, Pipo V5 VR headset will support 4K video with HEVC/H.265, H.264 and VP9 video codec support, features 2GB RAM, 32GB storage, one USB type C port, one USB 2.0 host port, a microSD slot, an audio jack, and a 5.5″ Full HD (1920×1080) IPS display. The headset will also include sensors such as an accelerometer and s gyroscope. Just like VR SKY CX-V3, it will include power, back and Nibiru buttons, and a touchpad. One important features missing from […]

October 18, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Qualcomm Introduces Three New LTE Cat. 7 SoCs with QC 3.0 and Dual Camera Support: Snapdragon 427, 626, and 653

Qualcomm has announced three new Snapdragon 400 & 600 SoCs for entry-level and mid-range LTE smartphones that share Quick Charge 3.0 and dual camera support, as well as an a Snapdragon X9 LTE CAT 7 modem capable of 300Mbps downlink, 150Mbps uplink. Snapdragon 427 Snapdargon 427 quad core Cortex A53 processor is a pin-to-pin compatible update to Snapdragon 425 processor with a faster Cat 7 modem. The Snapdragon 427 is also the first in the Snapdragon 400 family to offer TruSignal antenna tuning for 802.11ac WiFi, includes a 16MP dual ISP, and supports displays up to 1280×800 resolution. You’ll find more details on the product page. Snapdragon 626 Snapdragon 626 octo-core ARM Cortex A53 processor up to 2.2 GHz features a “PC-class” Adreno Adreno 506 GPU, a 24MP dual ISP, also supports TruSignal, 4K @ 30 fps video recording, and displays up to 1920×1200 resolution. It’s a pin-to-pin compatible upgrade […]