Giveaway Week – Tronsmart Prometheus Android STB

The last product for this giveaway week will be Tronsmart Prometheus, and Android TV Box with hardware specifications very similar to Gbox Midnight MX2, namely an Amlogic AML8726-MX dual core processor, 1GB RAM, 4GB flash, HDMI and AV output, optical S/PDIF output, Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectivity and 3 USB ports. My first review had Prometheus run Android 4.1 firmware, but since a firmware update meant it was one of the first Android media player that could run Android 4.2 and XBMC, I also decided to write an updated review, in which I found the firmware to be responsive and stable, XBMC to work as expected except for a few videos (RMVB, MPEG-2)  and more critically audio/video sync issues, but these have been fixed in a subsequent firmware update. To enter the draw simply leave a comment below. I can’t find the HDMI cable, so it won’t be included in the […]

Geniatech Announces Dragon Board Industrial SBCs Powered by Amlogic Dual and Quad Core Processors

Not to be confused these DragonBoards, Geniatech has announced two industrial single board boards, namely Dragon Board I and Dragon Board II, respectively powered by Amlogic AML8726-MX dual core Cortex A9 SOC, and S801/S802/M805 quad core Cortex A9r4 SoC, and targeting applications such as digital signage player, and display applications for the hospitality industry. Let’s go through the specifications of both boards: SoC Dragon Board I (DB I) – Amlogic AML8726-MX dual core ARM Cortex A9 @ 1.5GHz with Mali-400MP2 GPU Dragon Board II (DB II) – Amlogic S802 quad core ARM Cortex A9r4 @ 2GHz with Mali-450MP6 GPU System Memory DB I – 1GB (1600Mbps data rate) DB II – 2GB (1600Mbps data rate) Storage – 4GB NAND flash (up to 32GB as option), micro SD card slot, SATA interface Video I/O Common – HDMI output, LVDS, and CVBS. DB I only – VGA DB II only – HDMI input  […]

Giveaway Week – Gbox Midnight MX2 Android Media Player

The fourth prize for this week is Matricom Gbox Midnight MX2, an Android TV box powered by Amlogic AML8726-MX dual core processor with 1GB RAM, 4GB flash, HDMI and AV output, optical S/PDIF, Wi-Fi and Ethernet, and 4 USB ports. The company had specifically worked on the XBMC port at the time, and I found it did a pretty good job. I tested the device in May of last, and I found the firmware to be very stable and responsive, and XBMC works as expected, supporting most video files without issues, except some MPEG-2 had aspect ratio issues,, RMVB files would make XBMC exit, and WebM 1080p could not be played smoothly due to software decode for this particular codec. It could decode all high-end audio codecs such as DTS and Dolby just fine. I did have problems with composite and component outputs but it must have been fixed now. […]

Giveaway Week – Jynxbox M1V2 Pure Linux XBMC

When Theaterinabox sent me a Jynxbox M1V2 for review, I was a little surprised to actually receive two. The reason was that I got one for review, one for giveaway. But since I need to drive to the post office anyway, I’ll just giveaway both, and actually start a giveaway week giving 8 different boxes to my readers starting today with the two Jynxbox M1V2, then one a day until Sunday. Let’s talk about the device a bit more. Jynxbox M1V2 is one of the few Linux based XBMC available on the market. It’s based on Amlogic AML8726-M3 Cortex A9 processor, with 1GB RAM and 2GB flash, with several XBMC add-ons pre-installed. You can read my review to get the detailed specs, and pictures. The conclusion of my testing was that the user interface was pretty smooth considering the low end processor, Wi-Fi was excellent, and I was pleasantly surprised […]

MyGica ATV582 Enjoy TV Box Powered by Amlogic S802 Is Now Available for $139

Geniatech has historically been the company which first delivered set-top box and media player solutions based on Amlogic processors. I’m not sure it’s still the case with Amlogic S802 and other S80x SoCs, as other companies appear to have released their products first such as Tronsmart Vega S89 and M8 Android TV boxes, but Geniatech ATV582 based on Amlogic S802 quad core processor has been available since April under the company’s retail brand Mygica. Mygica ATV582 specifications: SoC – AMLogic S802 quad core Cortex A9r4 processor @ 2GHz with Mali‐450MP6 GPU System Memory – 1GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB NAND flash + micro SD card slot Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, Wi‐Fi 802.11 b/g/n Video & Audio Output – HDMI, AV. HDMI supports 1080p, 4K2K 30fps Video Codecs and Containers – MPEG1/2/4, H.264, AVC, VC‐1, RM/RMVB, Xvid, DivX3/4/5/6, RealVideo8/9/10… Audio – MP3, WMA, AAC, WAV, OGG, AC3, DDP, TrueHD, DTS, DTS […]

Jynxbox M1V2 Pure Linux XBMC Media Player Review

Theaterinabox.tv has sent me Jynxbox M1V2 TV box running XBMC Linux Gotham 13.0, and powered by Amlogic AML8726-M3 processor @ 1 GHz with 2GB Flash and 1 GB RAM. This is an upgrade of the first version featuring AML872-M1 and 512 MB RAM. I’ll go through the specs first, then show some unboxing pictures and video, and complete this post by reviewing the device by playing videos from the network and a USB flash drive, as well as going through the available add-ons in a video review. Jynxbox M1V2/M1+ Specifications Here are the specifications listed for Jynxbox M1V2 Pure Linux, aka Jynxbox M1+: SoC – Amlogic AML8726-M3 @ 1GHz with Mali-400 GPU System Memory – 1GB RAM Storage – 2GB NAND flash + micro SD card reader (up to 32GB) Video & Audio Output – HDMI up to 1080p (default: 720p) Video Codecs & Containers- MPEG 1/2/4, H.264, X264, VC-1, WMV, M2TS, TS, RMVB, […]

Xiaomi Mi Pro Box with Amlogic S802-H Is Now Available for $92 on Aliexpress

Xiaomi announced the Mi Box Pro TV Box powered by Amlogic S802-H SoC and running MIUI TV user interface on top of Android. The company sells the device in China for 399 CNY ($64), but it has now found its way Aliexpress, where anybody can purchase the box for $92 including shipping, which is about the same price as most other S802 devices. Here’s a reminder of the specifications: SoC – Amlogic S802-H quad core Cortex A9r4 processor @ 2GHz with ARM Mali-450MP6 octa-core GPU System Memory – 2GB RAM Storage – 4GB eMMC Flash + micro SD slot up to 64 GB Video & Audio Output – HDMI (Up to 4K30) and 3.5 mm AV Audio / Video Playback – MKV, AVI, MP3 and MOV up to 4K resolution. AC3, Dolby and DTS audio support Connectivity – Dual band 802.11 b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi up to 120 Mbps (vs 40 Mbps for 802.11n) […]

Pivos Unveils XIOS XS Android XBMC TV Box Powered by Amlogic AML8726-MX Processor

When XBMC Android development was announced in 2012, the main development platform was Pivos XIOS DS, a TV Box based on Amlogic AML8726-M1 that can run either XBMC Linux or Android, and the company (Pivos Group) was the main sponsor and contributor for XBMC on ARM. Contrary to many other companies that push faster and faster hardware, Pivos Group focuses on software and user’s experience, and they’ve just announced he successor of the Pivos XIOS DS, called the Pivos XIOS XS powered by Amlogic AML8726-MX dual core Cortex A9 processor and feature their own heavily custom version of Android called ToFu Media OS. Let’s go through the hardware specifications first: SoC – Amlogic AML8726-MX dual core Cortex A9 @ 1.5 GHz with Mali-400MP2 GPU System Memory – 1 GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB eMMC + micro SD card slot up to 32GB Video Output – HDMI 1.4b with CEC support […]