Audio Category - Page 25 of 32 - CNX Software

November 30, 2016November 30, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments

You Can Buy AirPods-like Wireless Bluetooth Stereo Earbuds for $16 and Up

Most Bluetooth headsets on the market actually come with some sort of wire or holding mechanism, which may not always be convenient, for example I can’t use mine comfortably while lying down on the bed. But that to electronics miniaturization, companies have recently started to offer truly wireless Bluetooth earbuds, including Apple’s yet-to-be available $159 Airpods. This morning I noticed two similar products in new arrivals list, first with $59.99 QCY Q29 mini Earburds on GeekBuying, and then even cheaper, but not quite as good looking (and likely not so good sounding), “FreeStereo Twins Wireless Bluetooth v4.1 In-Ear Headset w/ Mic” on DealExtreme going for just $22.25 including shipping. Let’s start with QCY Q29 earbuds specifications: Connectivity – Bluetooth 4.1 with HFP, HSP, A2DP, AVRC protocols support; up to 5-10 meter range Built-in Microphone Charging port – pogo on earbuds, micro USB to storage/charging box Battery – 45mAh for up […]

November 18, 2016June 18, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

$49 Dashbot Car Dashboard Assistant is Powered by C.H.I.P Pro Allwinner GR8 Module (Crowdfunding)

Most companies specializing in development boards may sell a few accessories for their boards, but usually leave product design to their customers. Next Thing Co. does that too, but the company also produces some products like PocketCHIP portable Linux computer & retro game console, and more recently Dashbot, a voice controller assistant for your car’s dashboard powered by CHIP Pro module. Dashbot hardware specifications: CPU Module – CHIP Pro with Allwinner GR8 ARM Cortex A8 processor @ 1.0 GHz, 512MB NAND flash, 256 DDR3 RAM, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 4.2 External Storage – micro SD slot Display – Red LED display Audio – 32-bit audio DSP for beamforming & noise suppression; fairfield audio pre-processor with 24-bit ADC; high fidelity MEMS microphone array (106 dB dynamic range) USB – 1x USB host port Power Supply – 5V via USB port or 12V via power port (aka cigarette lighter) + backup LiFePo4 […]

November 2, 2016November 4, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 152 Comments

Giveaway Week – Vana Player Linux Based HiFi Audio Player

After giving away a virtual reality headset on Monday, and a TV box on Tuesday, I’ll offer a very unique device for the third day of this giveawat week with Vana Player, an HiFi audio player based on Allo Sparky ARM Linux development board. Beside the development board the kit includes two audio DAC boards, a 30W amplifier, a reclocker board, a capacitance multiplier board, and accessories like an acrylic “case” and a power supply. The system is running Ubuntu 12.04 with Max2Play web interface to configure the system running a SqueezeBox server, Kodi and more. I found a few bugs during my review, but the company has now released a new firmware update that should fix many of the issues I encountered. All items shown above will be included in the package. Note that you’ll also need a 19.5V power supply, for example from an old laptop to power […]

October 25, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Renesas SK-RZG1M Board Powered by R8A7743 Processor Gets Mainline Linux Support

Another board has gotten initial mainline Linux support recently, with Renesas SK-RZG1M starter kit board based on Renesas RZ/G1M dual core ARM Cortex A15 SoC with 2GB RAM, a SATA interface, HDMI, LVDS, AV Ethernet bridge, and more. Renesas SK-RZG1M starter kit board actually has the exact same features as Renesas R-Car M2 Porter board except for the processor: SoC – Renesas RZ/G1M (R8A7743) dual core ARM Cortex-A15 processor @ 1.5GHz with PowerVR SGX544MP2 3D GPU, Renesas 2D graphics processor System Memory – Dual channel 2GB DDR3 Storage – On-board 4 MB SPI, and 64 MB SPI, 1x SATA rev 3.1 connector, 1x SD card slot, and 1x micro SD card slot Video Output / Display I/F – HDMI (via ADV7511), and LVDS + touchscreen Analog Video In – ADV7180 video decoder with RCA jack, NTSC/PAL/SECAM autodetection Audio codec – AK4643EN with 3.5mm jacks for Line In and Line Out Connectivity […]

October 6, 2016October 10, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Meet NXP i.MX8 Processor Families: i.MX 8 for High performance, i.MX 8M for Audio/Video & i.MX 8X for Low Power

Freescale and then NXP have been talking about i.MX8 processors for several years, and this spring unveiled i.MX 8 Multisensory Enablement Kit without giving much details about the processor except it would include both Cortex A72 & A53 cores. But NXP put out a press release yesterday about “Multisensory Automotive eCockpit Platform to Advance Multimedia Experiences in Future Cars” which appears to be the same news but with different words, except the content of the PR has more interesting bits such as: The new family, which is based on up to six 64-bit ARMv8-A technology processor cores and includes a HiFi 4 DSP, LPDDR4 and DDR4 memory support as well as dual Gigabit Ethernet with audio video bridging (AVB) capability, is designed to advance automotive dashboard graphics such as instrument clusters, infotainment visuals, heads-up displays, rear-seat screens and more. Capable of driving four HD screens with independent content or a […]

October 5, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Two More Google Products: Google WiFi Mesh Router, and Google Home, an Amazon Echo Competitor

Google made a bunch a new product announcements with their Pixel phones, Daydream View VR headset, and Chromecast Ultra 4K dongle, but in this post I’ll write about two other new products: Google Home an Amazon Echo competitor powered by Google Assistant and supporting multi-room, as well as Google WiFi (Mesh) router aiming at providing WiFi all over the house by combining multiple WiFi routers. Google WiFi Router Most households now use a single router to provide WiFi to the home, but inevitably this introduce some dead or “slow WiFi” zones within the house. One way to work around this is to use WiFi repeaters, but it’s not always easy to setup and may lead to lower bandwidth. Google WiFi router uses a technology called mesh WiFi, where each router work together to determine the best path for your data using Network Assist technology to automatically choose and update the […]

October 2, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments

Review of Allo Vana Player Linux HiFi Audio System with Max2Play, SqueezeBox and Kodi

Last month I showcased what I called “Allo Sparky Audio Kit” with a DAC board (Piano), an amplifier board (Volt), and usually hard to find reclocker and capacitance multiplier boards (Kali & CM), all connected to Allo Sparky ARM Linux development board powered by Actions Semi S500 quad core Cortex A9 processor, and running Ubuntu 12.04. In the first post, I just described the boards, and showed how to assemble the kit, but now that I have received the user’s manual, it turns out the kit is actually called “Vana Player” and the provided Ubuntu firmware image runs Max2Play Browser based system that’s also available for Raspberry Pi and ODROID boards. Before starting the kit, you’ll need to connect speakers to Piano DAC board and/or Kali board, as well as a 19.5V power source such as a laptop power supply to connect to the CM board. I connected some USB […]

September 20, 2016October 6, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

$16 and Up RGB LED Bluetooth 4.0 Light Bulbs include Speakers

I’ve just stumbled upon “H1007 Smart E27 Bulb Bluetooth 4.0 Speaker” on GeekBuying. It’s a smart Bluetooth 4.0 RGB LED E27 light bulb that also include a speaker, and sells for $22.59 shipped. I find it’s a good idea, and after looking for other models, I’ve found the $99 Twist light, as well as a much cheaper “OY-QP-BM13” model on eBay going for $15.99. I’ll look at (HZ-)H1007 specifications first: Light Bulb 5W; adjustable RGBW; 330 Lumens; Color temp: 6500K Screw Type – E27/E26 Connectivity – Bluetooth 4.0 LE up to 20 meters range Audio – 3W amplifier; 3D surround audio Voltage – 100 to 240V 50/60Hz Dimensions – 72 mm diameter x 136 mm length Weight – 146 grams The body of the light bulb is available in white, red, golden, and blue, and it ships with a user’s manual in English and Chinese. I could not find the […]