CNXSoft – Embedded Systems News

We’ve already seen several laptops and notebooks powered by Intel Apollo Lake processors such as CHUWI LapBook 14.1, Voyo VBook A1, or Acer Spin 1. However, most of the time those models only come with 32 or 64GB eMMC flash for the operating system, which – for my needs at least – is clearly not enough, as I need extra space for data. Some allow for M.2 or mSATA card expansions but that’s usually expensive, and I’d prefer the combination of an eMMC flash (or ideally a similarly sized SSD) for optional performance, together with the capacity and cheaper price of an hard drive.

DERA A3 Air notebook appears to provide just that as it includes a 64GB SSD and a 500GB HDD. The device also comes with a 14.1″ display, and is powered by an Intel Celeron J3455 quad core Apollo Lake processor.

DERA A3 Air notebook specifications:

• SoC – Intel Celeron J3455 quad core “Apollo Lake” processor @ 1.50 GHz / 2.30 GHz (Burst frequency) and 12 EU Intel HD graphics 500 @ 250 MHz / 750 MHz (Burst freq.); 10W TDP
• System Memory – 4GB DDR3L RAM upgradeable to 8GB
• Storage – 64 GB SSD flash, SD card slot up to 128 GB, optional 500GB hard drive, mSATA connector
• Display – 14.1″ LED display with 1920 x 1080 (FHD) resolution
• Video Output – 1x mini HDMI port
• Audio – HDMI, 3.5mm audio jack, microphone jack, built-in stereo speakers and microphone
• Connectivity – 802.11 b/g/n WiFi
• Camera – 1.3 MP front-facing camera
• USB – 1 x USB 2.0 host port, 1 x USB 3.0 port
• Power Supply – 19V DC / 2A
• Battery – 4,000 mAh/7.4V Li-ion polymer battery good
• Dimensions – 32.90 x 21.90 x 2.50 cm
• Weight – 1.50 kg

The laptop comes with Windows 10 Home, and ships with a charger and English user manual. The choice of Celeron J3455 is interesting as it’s supposed to be a desktop processor, while N-series processors – often used in mini PCs – are for “mobile” applications such as laptops and 2-in-1 hybrids. That will mean cooling will be more challenging, but at 10W they may have managed. For some reasons Bluetooth is not listed anywhere, and battery capacity looks quite low.

DERE A3 Air notebook can be pre-ordered for $289.99 with 64GB SSD and 500GB HDD, and $249.99 with the SSD only. Shipping is expected after October 15.

Tweet We’ve already seen several laptops and notebooks powered by Intel Apollo Lake processors such as CHUWI LapBook 14.1, Voyo VBook A1, or Acer Spin 1. However, most of the...

D-Link Boxee

D-Link Boxee Box is a Linux based media player powered by Intel Atom CE4100 processor that became available in 2010, and features a dual sided  RF remote / QWERTY keyboard that probably inspired many of the air mouse that are available today.

The box features many of the ports and connectors that are available on most Android STB today, namely an HDMI port, an optical S/PDIF) out, a stereo analog audio out, Ethernet and 802.11n Wi-Fi, two USB ports, and an SD card slot. Many people however got disappointed with the firmware at launch time, and even if subsequent firmware updates have improved the user experience, some people have considered it was worth the effort to port XBMC to the device.

Myles McNamara wrote the instructions to install XBMC on D-Link Boxee Box. I’ll summarize the steps below, and it appears to be relatively easy.

1. Installing Boxee+Hacks to gain root access
   The first thing you’ll have to do is to gain root access by following these steps:
   1. Download install.zip (Boxee+Hacks) from http://boxeed.in/
   2. Format a USB flash drive or SD card to FAT32 using the label BOXEE (case sensitive)
   3. Copy the files from the zip files to the USB drive or SD card.
   4. Plug it into the device, and boot Boxee Box
   5. Go into ‘Settings’->’Network’->’Servers’ to enable ‘Windows File Sharing’
   6. Add ‘;sh /media/BOXEE/install.sh‘ to your ‘Host Name’. Make sure it looks like ‘boxeebox;sh /media/BOXEE/install.sh‘ after you’re done.
   7. Reboot the device to start the install process.
   8. Once it’s complete, you’ll have a device with root access.
2. Installing XBMC on Boxee Box
   There are two ways to install XBMC on D-Link media player: building XBMC from source using code and instructions available on https://github.com/quarnster/boxeebox-xbmc, or much simpler, download the latest version from devil-strike.com which as of today is xbmc13.alpha12.boxeebox2014.01.18.early_alpha2_92146e8.zip. You’ll notice this is an alpha version, and this XBMC port to Boxee Box is new, so although the system will run, you can’t expect everything to magically work out of the box.Once you’ve downloaded the zip file, extract the files to the root of a storage device (USB flash drive or SD card) making sure xbmc.bin is in the root folder, insert the storage device in Boxee Box, power the device, and it should automatically boot into XBMC. If you remove the storage device, it will just boot Boxee+Hacks you’ve installed previously.

Tweet D-Link Boxee Box is a Linux based media player powered by Intel Atom CE4100 processor that became available in 2010, and features a dual sided  RF remote / QWERTY...

Intel announced the Atom CE5300 Media Processor (codenamed Berryville) to be used in set-top boxes and smart TVs at IPTV World Forum.  This new processor is the replacement for CE4100, CE4130  and CE4150 media processors used in the D-Link Boxee Box and Sony NSX-24GT1 Google TV.

The Intel Atom CE5300 Media Processor is manufactured using 32nm part and features a dual Intel Atom core with support for hyper-threading and virtualization, an advanced 3D/2D graphics engine, integrated power management, and an H.264 B-picture hardware encoder. That’s all we know for now, as Intel did not provide further information such as a product brief for their new SoC.

The Amino Freedom Live Media Gateway, an Hybrid/OTT media gateway powered by the Intel Atom CE5300, is currently showcased at IPTV World Forum. This STB also features the latest Opera TV Browser that support HTML5, JavaScript and WebGL technology among other things.

Tweet Intel announced the Atom CE5300 Media Processor (codenamed Berryville) to be used in set-top boxes and smart TVs at IPTV World Forum.  This new processor is the replacement for...

With Internet-connected flat TVs and set-top boxes, we can now use browse the web and play games. But the traditional remote is not up to the task and new solutions are needed to interact with smart TVs and internet STB such as gesture recognition,  wii-like remotes and tablet/smartphone control.

A few companies showcased their solutions at IBC (International Broadcasting Convention) 2011, which took place between the 9th and 13th of September 2011 in Amsterdam:

• PrimeSense Gesture Recognition
  

Primesense Gesture Recognition UI

PrimeSense, an Israel-based company known for its range image sensor embedded in the “Kinect” motion-based controller for Xbox, began to promote the sales of its range image sensors to TV and STB makers.  PrimeSense ran a prototyped UI software on a notebook PC and controlled the UI by using a gesture recognition device connected to a PC. The UI can be operated by moving a hand.

You can then control TV screen like the touch-sensitive screen of a smartphone or tablet. It is also possible to select a content by extending a hand toward the TV. A new screen can be pulled down by moving a hand as if the hand pinches a tab shown on the upper area of the screen and pulls it down.

• SoftKinetic Time-of-Flight Technology
  

SoftKinetic, a company based in Belgium, demonstrated its gesture-based control technology for TVs using a self-developed CMOS image sensor. “Time-of-Fight” technology can recognize three-dimensional hand motion by combining an image sensor with multiple LEDs and detecting LED light reflected on the hand.

At IBC 2011, SoftKinetic used the gesture-based control technology for an STB equipped with an Intel Atom CE4100.

SoftKinetic Demo at IBC 2011

• Philips uWand
  

Philips uWand

Philips operated a UI for TVs by detecting the “uWand” remote control movements. With a TV equipped with multiple infrared LEDs, it detects the remote’s movement by using the remote’s infrared camera to detect light from the LEDs and transmit the commands via the RF transmitter.

It is possible to select a content by grabbing the remote like the controller of the “Wii” home-use game console and moving it. When the remote is moved horizontally, the TV screen can be switched and you can zoom out/ zoom in by “pulling”/”pushing” the remote.

The remote is equipped with a sensor that detects a tilt, and it can be used to turn up or down the volume by tilting the remote by hand. At IBC 2011, Philips and Access demonstrated a technology to combine the uWand and Access’ browser for TVs.

• NDS Tablet Control
  

NDS demonstrated “SnowFlake 12”,  a newly-developed UI for TVs. A tablet was used to control the UI remotely. You can switch a list of contents by flick operation and select content by touch operations.

The user interface can be operated like the UI of a tablet. The tablet is connected to a television or a set-top box via a WiFi router. Data is exchanged by using DLNA, a technology standard used to exchange media content via a home network.

You can watch a demo of the SnowFlaske 12 User Interface controlled by the tablet below.

Source: http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20110922/198490/

Tweet With Internet-connected flat TVs and set-top boxes, we can now use browse the web and play games. But the traditional remote is not up to the task and new...

Free (Iliad) has just announced the Freedom v6 Révolution on the 14th of December 2010.  This solution that offers 28 Mbps internet access, digital television (IPTV/DVB), telephony (DECT, VoIP, Mobile…), Network Access Storage (NAS) and Gaming is actually  based on two boxes designed by Philippe Starck:

• Freebox server: Handles networking (ADSL 2+ /wifi), NAS, telephony…
• Freebox player: Handles multimedia functions with the blu-ray player, digital television support…

Top: Freebox Server, Bottom: Freebox Player

Free also released the technical specifications for both devices:

Technical Specification of Freebox Server

• ADSL / ADSL2+ ANSI T1 413 / ITU G.992.1, G.992.3, G.992.5 Annex A
• 4 Ethernet  ports 10 / 100 / 1000 Base-T
• SFP Port
• 2 USB 2.0 Ports
• e-SATA Port
• Stereo audio input/output with integrated speakers
• FXS Port (Telephony)
• WiFi 802.11b/g/n 3×3 450 Mbps 2.4 Ghz
• Base Station DECT CAT I/Q
• Internal 250 GB Hard Disk
• ARM9 Processor @ 1.2GHz with 512 MB RAM
• Noise < 37dB (while HDD is working)
• WiFi Authentication: WiFi WEP 64 and 128 bits / WPA / WPA2 – MAC Address Restriction –  WPS
• DHCP server
• NAT / DNS / Firewall
• FTP server / Web administration
• CIFS / SAMBA server (NAS)
• Audio/Radio streaming server
• BT / HTTP / FTP download server
• Support for NTFS / FAT32 / Ext4 (RW) file systems
• Power Supply: 12V DC / 3A max
• Dimensions (W x H x D) : 310 x 70 x 220 mm
• Weight : 1.5kg

Technical Specifications of Freebox Player

• Multimedia Connections: USB Peripherals, via UPnP
• Supported Picture Formats: GIF, JPEG, PNG
• Supported Audio Formats: MP1, MPEG4 AAC
• Supported Video Codecs: H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, VC1, DivX
• Processor: Intel Atom CE4100 @ 1.2 Ghz
• Blu-ray DVD Player: CD-DA, CD-ROM ; CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-ROM, DVD+-R DVD+-RW, BD-ROM, BD-R, BR-RE
• DTT Tuner:  DVB-T ETSI EN 300 744
• Audio support: Mono, Stereo, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS 2.0 + Digital out
• Video Outputs:  SCART , HDMI 1.3 up to 1080p60.
• Power Supply : 12V DC, 700mW (60mA) max (Standby), 15W (1.3) max (Video playback) 25W (2A) max (DVD + Video)
• Dimensions: (W x H x D) : 310 x 70 x 220 mm
• Weight: 2 kg

This product looks quite impressive. For 29.99 Euro per month (Internet access) and 6 Euros box rental fee you’ll get:

• 28Mpbs ADSL2+ internet access
• Free Wifi when you connect to any of all other 3 million Freebox
• Web TV Support
• Public Fixed IP (Very useful for remote access)
• Free phone calls to 103 countries and to mobile phones in France
• Internet FAX Support
• Over 400 TV Channels (179 free of charge)
• Replay Programs within 7 Days (out of a selection of 33 channels)
• Video On Demand (VoD)
• Multiple TV support (You’ll need one Freebox Player per TY)
• DECT Base Station with support for up to 8 DECT handset.
• Power Over Ethernet (PoE) support via “FreePlugs”
• Gyroscopic Remote (Similar to Wii Remote)
• A Game Console with 3D graphics performance between a Wii and a PlayStation 3. A Gamepad is included.

As you can see from the Freebox player technical specs, Intel Atom CE4100 powers the box. This is the same processor as Sony Google TV, so it could potentially support Google TV in the future if Free wishes to do so or if there is enough demand for it.

In the meantime, the software and user interface of the Freebox Player looks pretty neat as you can see in the video showcasing the web browser below.

Gameloft partnered with Free to provide games for the platform. At the launch (6th January 2011) there will be 5 games: Asphalt 5, Uno, Real Football 2011, Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance (NOVA) and Let’s Golf 2.

Tweet Free (Iliad) has just announced the Freedom v6 Révolution on the 14th of December 2010.  This solution that offers 28 Mbps internet access, digital television (IPTV/DVB), telephony (DECT, VoIP,...

Intel Atom CE4100 (Codename: Sodaville) is a System-on-Chip (SoC) media processor designed for use in set-top boxes, media player and internet TVs such as D-Link Boxee Box and Sony NSX-24GT1 Google TV.

The Atom CE4100 is a 45nm-manufactured SoC running at 1.2 GHz. The Atom CE4100 supports hardware decode of up to two 1080p video streams (H.264, VC-1, MPEG-4/Divx..)  and advanced 3-D graphics. It is also able to handle Adobe Flash 10 and 3D gaming as well. For further details about the processor, please refer to Intel Atom CE4100 Product Brief.

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The Atom CE4100 custom linux kernel and SDK are not publicly available, and you’ll need to contact an Intel FAE if you want to develop on the platform.

However, some development tools for Atom (i.e The Intel(R) Embedded Software Development Tool Suite for Intel(R) Atom(TM) Processor) including a C++ compiler (GCC compatible), performance primitives (optimized multimedia functions), performance analyzer, application debugger ans JTAG Debugger that have been validated against the CE Linux build can be downloaded at http://www.intel.com/software/products/atomtools. You can download the evaluation for free (valid 30-days), but you’ll need to purchase the tools if you wish to use them more than 30 days. For an overview of the tools, you can download Intel Embedded Toolsfor Atom Processor Product Brief.

They also have a section for free non-commercial software development where you can download Intel Software Development Tools such as  Intel^® Parallel Studio XE 2011 for Linux or Intel^® C++ Studio XE 2011 for Linux.

You can also refer to Intel Atom Embedded Tools Online Documentation if needed.

If you cannot get the SDK, you won’t be able to change the kernel or compile drivers,  however, you’ll still be able to develop applications for some hardware using Atom CE4100. For example, D-link Boxee Box developper’s page describes their own API and explain how to build an application (Python/Javascript).

Currently, Google TV – that now runs on Intel Atom CE4100 – is closed source, but Google intends to release Google TV source code in 2011.

If you need a reference design for development, Intel website redirects to Videon Central that provides 2 development platforms for Intel Atom CE4100:

• Connected A/V – 800 USD
• Blue-Ray Disc Player – 1000 USD

Both are out of stock at this time.

However, that should not be a problem since you can order a Logitech Revue Companion Box with Google TV (if you did not get a free Google TV device from Google) at a much cheaper price than the development kits above.

Tweet Intel Atom CE4100 (Codename: Sodaville) is a System-on-Chip (SoC) media processor designed for use in set-top boxes, media player and internet TVs such as D-Link Boxee Box and Sony...

Nikkei Electronics has recently teared down Sony Google TV as seen at IFA 2010.

They used Sony NSX-24GT1, a 24″ internet HD television powered by Google TV, for this little exercise.

They found three boards:

1. Power supply board at the upper left.
2. Main board (“Android board”) at the lower left.
3. TV board at the right.

The SoC mounted on the TV board is Renesas Electronics Corp. EMMA3TL2 (MC-10157), an image processing SoC designed for digital TVs supporting ATSC (USA), DVB (Europe) and ARIB (Japan).

Google TV Main Board based on Intel Atom CE4100 platform

Finally, they disassembled the TV to access the main board. It turned out that Sony NSX-24GT1 Google TV main board is based on Intel Atom CE4100 (center) and Foxconn is the manufacturer (lower right).

Eight Samsung K4B1G0846F DRAM modules are mounted on the board (Right of Atom CE4100) and since each of the DRAM has a capacity of 128 Megabytes, the total memory capacity is 1 Gigabyte.

The “Android” board receives the video data from the TV board via LVDS (Connector on the left), processes Internet data, combines it with the video data and outputs the resulting video data to the front panel.

Sources: http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20101116/187433

Tweet Nikkei Electronics has recently teared down Sony Google TV as seen at IFA 2010. They used Sony NSX-24GT1, a 24″ internet HD television powered by Google TV, for this...

D-Link Boxee

D-link Boxee set-top-box is available for  pre-order on amazon for 199 USD. It can only be pre-ordered to addresses in the US for now and shipments should start in November. D-Link disclosed that its device is based on an Intel Atom processor CE4100 (Sodaville), not an ARM or MIPS processor as many other STBs do. It is running on embedded Linux.

Key features listed by D-Link for the device (beside its weird shape) are basically those of the Boxee media-streaming software on which it’s based:

• Enjoy thousands of shows available for free from your favorite networks, ready to watch at any time
• Check-out free movies from the web & watch new releases in stunning HD from premium movie services
• Play videos, songs, or pictures from your computer or home network
• Plays any non-DRM video, music, and photos and media from anywhere on the Internet

The device features the following input/output and power connections:

• HDMI port
• Optical digital audio (S/PDIF) out
• Stereo analog audio out
• Ethernet RJ-45 connector
• Wifi (802.11n)
• 2 USB 2.0 ports
• SD Card slots
• AC power

It also has an RF remote and a qwerty keyboard.

Tweet D-link Boxee set-top-box is available for  pre-order on amazon for 199 USD. It can only be pre-ordered to addresses in the US for now and shipments should start in...