DisplayPort 1.4 To Support 8K Displays over USB-C, 4K@120 Hz, 32 Audio Channels

Just as 4K UHD televisions are getting more affordable with prices ever closer to their Full HD equivalent, the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) has published DisplayPort 1.4 specifications with support for 8K QUHD (7680 x 4320) resolution, High Dynamic Range (HDR), video compression and more. Some of the key enhancements or new features of the new specifications include: Up to 8Kp60Hz HDR deep color and 4Kp120Hz HDR deep color Display Stream Compression (DSC) – DSC 1.2 natively supports YCbCr 4:2:0 and 4:2:2 coding, and offers nearly lossless 3:1 compression ratio Forward Error Correction – FEC, which overlays the DSC 1.2 transport, addresses the transport error resiliency needed for compressed video transport to external displays. HDR meta transport – HDR meta transport uses the “secondary data packet” transport inherent in the DisplayPort standard to provide support for the current CTA 861.3 standard, which is useful for DP to HDMI 2.0a protocol […]

Hubpixed is a Neat and CableFree USB Hub for the Raspberry Pi Zero (Crowdfunding)

While the Raspberry Pi Zero is not exactly broadly available, there are still several tenths of thousands who own, and I’ve seen several use a USB to OTG adapter combined to a USB hub to add USB devices such as a WiFi dongle, or/and keyboard. This works, but it’s quite messy. That’s why Vikas Shukla created Hubpixed USB hub for the Raspberry Pi that does not require any cables and cleverly uses the test pins on the back of the board for USB data and power. The board’s spring pins are the only electrical connections between Raspberry Pi Zero and the hub, with both boards attached with spacers, screws and bolts using the four mounting holes of RPi0. Vikas also showed the hub in action with a USB WiFi dongle. I’m not sure how it would fare with a USB hard drive however. Hubpixed is on Kickstarter, and has already exceeded […]

Review of K1 Plus Android TV Box with Combo DVB-S2/DVB-T2 Tuner

VideoStrong has launched K1 Plus TV box powered by Amlogic S905 processor last year, and I had the chance to review their model last November. But here I am reviewing K1 Plus again. Why? That’s because the company’s has several K1 Plus models: the “standard” version that’s just like any Android TV boxes, and the DVB version with DVB-S2, DVB-T2/C, or DVB-T2/C + DVB-S2 combo, and the latter is the one I’m reviewing today. K1 Plus DVB combo teardown revealed that the main board was exactly the same as K1 Plus “standard”, and that only a tuner card was added. So I’ll have a two part review with the first part checking if they fixed any of the bugs found on K1 Plus “Standard” with “November 2015” firmware in the new “January 27, 2016 DVB” firmware, and the second part will focus on testing DTV app with DVB-S2 and DVB-T2, […]

Super VOOC Technology Fully Charges Your Depleted Phone Battery in 10 to 15 Minutes

Several fast charging technology are either available or available now with Quick Charge  probably the better known, but Huawei has also showcased their own fast charging solution capable of filling up a typical smartphone battery to about 50% in 5 minutes, and Oppo has been using VOOC in their smartphones since 2014. The second version of VOOC, called Super VOOC, is promising even faster charging as the company showcased a smartphone with 2,500 mAh at Mobile World Congress 2016 that can be charge from about 5% to 100% in 10 to 15 minutes. Oppo revealed some of the key advantages of the technology in a blog post: Charging is always done at 5V, contrary to Qualcomm Quick  Charge that starts with the high voltage (12V), and as the battery fills up drops to 9 and eventually 5V. Temperature is lower compared to competing solution due to the 5V charging, which […]

Alcatel OneTouch / TCL Xess 17.3″ All-in-One PC Runs Phoenix OS, Supports Gesture Control

Xess (pronounced Excess) is an All-in-One PC with a 17.3″ touchscreen that runs Android based Phoenix OS on top of Mediatek MT8783 octa-core processor, with some cool added features like an adjustable stand, retractable ports, magnetic stylus, and gesture control.  It is sold under the TCL brand in China, and will be launched by Alcatel OneTouch in the US and Europe. Xess specifications: SoC – Mediatek MT8783 octa-core ARM Cortex-A53 processor @ 1.5GHz with Mali-T720MP3 GPU System Memory – 2GB RAM Storage – 32GB storage + micro SD slot Display – 17.3” IPS panel with wide visual angle; 1920×1080 (16:9) resolution; 10-point touch Audio – Stereo speakers (JBL 2x 3W), 2x microphones, 3.5mm headphone jack Connectivity – WiFi and Bluetooth Camera – 5MP front camera USB – 2x USB 2.0 host port Sensors – G-sensor, 2x P-sensor, 1x L-Sensor Misc – 1x MagTouch Port, power and volume buttons Battery – […]

Hexiwear is an Open Source Wearable Development Kit Expandable with Add-on Boards (Crowdfunding)

MikroElektronika has designed Hexiwear, a wearable development kit that you can wear and hack as a smartwatch thanks to an (optionally) included wristband, or use a an IoT development kit thanks to its docking station taking up to three “Click” boards among a choice of over 180 modules. . Hexiwear hardware specifications: MCU – NXP Kinetis K64x ARM Cortex-M4 MCU @ 120 MHz with 1MB Flash and 256KB SRAM Storage – 8 MB Flash memory Display – 1.1” full color OLED display with capacitive touch Connectivity – Bluetooth 4.0 LE and 802.15.4 via NXP Kinetis KW4x Cortex-M0+ wireless MCU Sensors -3D accelerometer and magnetometer (NXP FXOS8700CQ), 3-Axis gyroscope (NXP FXAS21002), pressure sensor (NXP MPL3115A2R1), light-to-digital converter, humidity and temperature sensor, heart-rate sensor (HRM) USB – micro USB cable for power and charging Misc – RGB LED, haptic feedback engine, docking connector Battery – 190 mAh 2C Li-Po battery; 600 mA […]

Makibes F69 IP68 Smartwatch & Fitness Tracker is Designed for Swimming

The market is flooded with wearables such as smartwatches and fitness trackers that all track activities (walking/running) with more or less accuracy, and while some offer good IP67 or IP68 ingress protection rating, or even better 5ATM rating, allowing them to be used in water, I have not found many that can actually track swimming patterns, especially among the cheaper ones. But that’s exactly what Makibes F69 sports smartwatch promises. Makibes F69 specifications: MCU/Memory/Storage – TBD Display – 1″ round capacity touchscreen display, 128×128 resolution, always on Connectivity – Bluetooth 4.0 LE Sensors – 3-axis accelerometer and gyroscope, heart rate monitor Battery – 180 mAh charged via magnetic dock good for 6 days in power saving mode, 4 days in “healthy” hear rate mode, and 30 hours using the HRM in sports mode. Dimensions – 38 x38 x 10 mm (stainless steel case, silicon band) Weight – 34 grams IP […]

How to Configure DVB-S2 and DVB-T2 Tuners in K1 Plus Android DTV Receiver

I have previously reviewed VideoStrong K1 Plus Android TV box, but the company also has another model with the exact same name “K1 Plus” that includes a combo DVB-S2 & DVB-T2 tuner. That’s rather confusing, but nevertheless, since I now have the tuner version of the device, I’ve installed the latest firmware, started to play with it, and today I’ll explain how to configure DTV app for both satellite and terrestrial digital TV reception. Hardware Setup and DTV App The first step is to connect both your satellite dish and indoor or outdoor TV antenna to the device, as well as all necesarry cables, and possibly a USB hard drive if you want to use PVR function. Now go to the list of apps start DTV app, or press the DTV button on the remote control. Each time the app starts you’ll be asked to select DVBT2 or DVBS2, and […]