Yesterday, I wrote about U4 Quad Hybrid Android Digital TV receiver based on HiSilicon Hi3796M processor, and supporting for DVB-T2/T/C, DVB-S2, and ATSC standards. Today, I’ve received the device, taken a few pictures, and torn it down to find out more about the hardware. The full review will come out in a few weeks. U4 Quad Hybrid Unboxing DHL did their job quickly as I received the set-top box in about two days in the following package. The box comes with a 12V/1.5Am AV and HDMI cables, a WiFi antenna, an IR remote control requiring two AAA batteries (not included), a user’s manual in Korean language only and… a separate tuner… So let’s check that tuner more in details… The demodulator chip is LG3390A, so an ATSC tuner is included in the package. Not very useful in Thailand, but it’s good to know it’s included. I also open the cover […]
PIPO X9S Atom x5 mini PC comes with 4GB RAM, 64GB Storage, and a 8.9″ Touchscreen Display
PIPO has a line of products that few others companies have. They are not really simple mini PCs, not really tablets, and not exactly panel computers, but some mixture of all three. They started their mini PCs with tablet display with PIPO P8 model featuring a Bay Trail processor, and they now have an upgraded version called PIPO X9S that features an Intel Atom x5-Z8300 processor with 4GB memory, 64GB eMMC flash, and a 8.9″ display, and is itself upgrade over PIPO X9 featuring less memory and storage, and an Atom Z3736F processor. PIPO X9S specifications: SoC – Intel Atom x5-Z8300 “Cherry Trail” quad core processor @ 1.44 GHz/1.84 GHz with Intel Gen8 HD graphics System Memory – 4 GB DDR3 Storage – 64 GB flash, and micro SD slot up to 64GB Video Output – HDMI 1.4a Audio Output – HDMI, 3.5mm audio jack, and stereo speakers Connectivity – […]
U4 Quad Hybrid Android Set-top Box Supports DVB-S2, DVB-T2/T/C & ATSC Tuners
So far most of the Android receiver with digital TV tuners I covered on CNX Software are based on Amlogic processor, with a few exceptions such as Infomir MAG277 based on STMicro STiH301 processor. There’s now another choice with U4 Quad Hybrid, an Android 4.4 TV box powered by Hisilicon Hi3796M quad core Cortex A7 processor that supports DVB-S2, DVB-T2/C, and ATSC tuners. U4 Quad Hybrid specifications: SoC – Hisilicon Hi3796M quad core Cortex A7 processor with a Mali-450MP GPU System Memory – 1GB DDR3-1600 MHz Storage – 8GB internal storage and micro SD slot Video Output – HDMI 1.4a up to 4K @ 30Hz + AV port (CBVS) Audio Output – HDMI, AV and coaxial S/PDIF (optical S/PDIF available as an option) Video Decoding – Up to 4K @ 30 fps for H.265, H.264, MPEG-4, AVS, VC-1, VP6/8, etc.. Full HD 3D video (MVC) and blu-ray navigation supported Tuners […]
Tronsmart Ara X5 Plus mini PC Comes with Faster Storage, 802.11ac WiFi, and Higher USB 3.0 Speeds
Tronsmart Ara X5 was one of the first Intel Atom Cherry Trail mini PCs to launch on the market. It came with an Intel Atom x5-Z8300, and the now typical 2GB RAM combined with 32GB flash. But in my review of Tronsmart Ara X5, I found out that the flash was quite slower than other Windows mini PC I tested, and the USB 3.0 port would not recognize my 1TB Seagate USB 3.0 hard drive. The company has now introduced an upgraded model simply called Tronsmart Ara X5 Plus with a faster Samsung eMMC 5.0 flash, faster USB 3.0 read and write speeds (and hopefully better compatibility), 802.11ac WiFi support by replacing Ampak AP6330 module by Intel Wireless-AC 3160 and adding an external antenna, as well as fixed some micro SD card compatibility issues, and an updated UEFI binary that should reduce blue screen of death appearances in Windows. The […]
JaguarBoard is a $65 Single Board Computer Powered by Intel Atom Z3735G Processor (Crowdfunding)
While we have recently started to see low Intel Atom x5 “Cherry Trail” development boards such as UP Board and LattePanda, we have not really seen any Intel Atom Z3735F/G “Bay Trail” boards despite their popularity in mini PCs and TV sticks. JAGUAR ELECTRONIC H.K. aims to fill that avoid with their JaguarBoard single board computer powered by an Intel Atom Z3735G processor coupled with 16GB flash and 1GB RAM. JaguarBoard specifications: SoC – Intel Atom Z3735G quad core processor @ 1.33GHz / 1.83GHz (burst) with Intel HD graphics @ 311 MHz / 646 MHz System Memory – 1GB DDR3L RAM Storage – 16GB eMMC flash, 1x micro SD card slot up to 32GB Video Output – HDMI 1.4 @ up to 1080p Audio – HDMI, Line In and Line Out (stereo) 3.5mm jacks Connectivity – 10/100Mbps USB – 3x USB 2.0 Expansion Headers 8-pin header with 2x UART and I2C 4-pin […]
Ugoos UT4 Android 5.1 TV Box Review
Ugoos UT4 is one of many Rockchip RK3368 TV boxes available on the market today, but it’s one of the model with higher-end specifications including 2 GB RAM, and 16 GB flash, as well as Gigabit Ethernet and 802.11ac WiFi, Ugoos offers regular firmware updates for their devices, and as I found out in Ugoos UT4 specs and teardown post, the mini PC features a fan to keep the device cool at all times. Today, I’ll focus on reviewing the firmware including video playback capabilities, performance and whether advertised features work as they should. First Boot, Settings and First Impressions Before powering on the device, I connected some cables (Ethernet, HDMI, optical audio, AV to speakers), and made use of all four USB ports with a USB hard drive, a webcam, a keyboard, and a USB hub with two RF dongles for MINIX NEO A2 Lite air mouse and Tronsmart […]
MeLE Star Cloud PCG60 Plus Cherry Trail Mini PC Comes with HDMI and VGA Outputs, Gigabit Ethernet and More
Most Cherry Trail mini PCs on the market features only one video interface, usually HDMI, and only support 10/100M Ethernet. After introducing MeLE PCG03 Plus a few months ago, MeLE is about to launch a new Cherry Trail mini PC called Start Cloud PCG60 Plus that includes both HDMI and VGA video output, two USB 2.0, but also faster networking thanks to Gigabit Ethernet and 802.11ac. MeLE Star Cloud PCG60 specifications (highlights in bold show improvements over MeLE PCG03 Plus): SoC – Intel Atom x5-Z8300 “Bay Trail” quad core processor @ 1.44 GHz / 1.84 GHz (Turbo) with Intel HD Gen8 graphics System Memory – 2 GB DDR3L Storage – 32 GB eMMC + micro SD card slot up to 128 GB Video Output – HDMI 1.4, and VGA Audio I/F – HDMI, 3.5mm earphone jack Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.0 USB – 2x USB […]
96Boards Mezzanine Add-on Boards with Sensors, Buttons, Relays, etc.. Are Starting to Show Up
Beside excellent software support, and a great community, the two most popular maker boards on the market, namely Arduino and Raspberry Pi, also have many add-on boards, respectively called Shields and Hats, to expand their user and connect sensors, buttons, displays, and so on… Several Linaro’s 96Boards compliant development board launched last year such as LeMaker Hikey and DragonBoard 410c with support for recent versions of Android and Debian, and recently three Mezzanine add-ons boards, as well as somewhat pricey USB to TLL debug board, have started to show up to make it an even more interesting platform. Linker mezzanine card starter kit for 96Boards The first kit is made by LinkSprite and includes Linker Base Mezzanine Card with several sensors and cables. Eight 4-pin connectors with ADC, UART, I2C, and GPIOs allow you connect the eight sensors ad modules provided with the kit:a button module, a red LED module, […]

