MX HD23 Allwinner H3 Android Mini PC Includes an HD Camera

When Android TV boxes started to take off around 2013, a few model would include a camera and sit on top of the TV such as MK818. However I’ve seen less model in that form factor since then, until I came across MX HD23 Android TV Box powered by Allwinner H3 quad core processor and featuring a HD webcam for videoconferencing. Beside the camera, MX HD23 specifications are pretty standard: SoC – Allwinner H3 quad core ARM Cortex A7 @ 1.2 GHz with quad core Mali-400MP2 @ 600 MHz System Memory – 1 GB DDR3 Storage – 8 GB eMMC + micro SD slot up to 32GB Connectivity – 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi Video Output – HDMI up to 4K2K @ 30Hz, 3.5mm AV jack Audio Output – HDMI, and 3.5mm stereo audio jack Camera – 2.0 MP front-facing camera with two microphones (up to 5 meter range) and swivel arm. […]

Lenkeng HDMI PowerLine Extender Brings one HDMI Signal to Many Displays over Electrical Cables

Shenzhen Lenkeng Technology is a company specializing in video converters, splitters, and extender products. One of their latest product is LKV380Pro HDbitT HDMI over powerline extender that allows to carry one HDMI signal from a source to up to 4 displays through existing electrical cabling. Some of the features and specifications listed for LKV380Pro transmitters and receivers: Technology – HDMI over power line with HDbitT technology Video I/O – 1x HDMI 1.3 / HDCP 1.2 output, transmitter also includes an HDMI loop out. Resolution – 480i/p, 576i/p, 720p50/60, 1080i50/60, and 1080p50/60 Range – 1080p video transmission up to 300 meters One transmitter supports to 4 receivers simultaneously IR pass back function (20 to 60 kHz IR devices) with IR output on transmitter, and IR input on receivers. Security – AES encryption Power Supply – 100~240V AC Dimensions – 150 x 92.7 x 25 mm Weight – Tx: 330 grams, Rx: […]

Videostrong K1 Plus Amlogic S905 Android TV Box Unboxing and Teardown

Many Amlogic S905 TV boxes have been announced, and thanks to Videostrong, I’ve received my first Amlogic S905 device for review with their K1 Plus media player (aka KI Plus). Today, I’ll start by listing the specifications, before taking a few pictures of the device and its board. with the full review following up in a few days. Videostrong K1 Plus Specifications K1 Plus is one of the entry level models with 1GB RAM and 8GB storage by default: SoC –  Amlogic S905 quad core ARM Cortex-A53 @ up to 2.0GHz with  penta-core Mali-450MP GPU @ 750 MHz System Memory – 1GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB NAND flash (4 to 32GB optional) + micro SD card slot Video Output – HDMI 2.0 up to 4K @ 60Hz with HDCP 2.2 support, and 3.5mm AV jack Audio – HDMI, AV (stereo), optical S/PDIF Video Codecs – 10-bit H.265 up to 4K60, […]

Converting H.264 Videos to VP9 In Linux / Ubuntu

1080p videos are all good, but my Internet connection’s upload speed is limited to 512 Kbps, so for example uploading a 20 minutes H.264 video shot at 1080p30 may easily take 10 hours, even after some processing with Handbrake. So this week-end I investigated how I could reduce the upload size, and going with H.265 codec appeared to be a good idea at first. So I tried again H.265 encoding in Handbrake in Ubuntu 14.04, and discovered that adjusting CRF (constant quality factor) to 25 with H.265 was roughly equivalent to 20 with H.264, and both the compression ratio and encoding speed were greatly improved compared to default settings with a minor degradation in quality. If you happen to have a second generation Nvidia Maxwell graphics card you may want to check Nvidia Video Encoding SDK for speedier encoding. All was good until I decided to upload a test video, […]

Huawei Quick Charging Li-Ion Batteries Promise 10 Times Faster Charge

Watt Lab, part of Huawei’s Central Research Institute, has demonstrated new fast charging batteries for smartphone and tablets at the 56th Battery Symposium in Japan. The lab claims these new batteries can be charged 10 times faster than normal batteries, reaching about 50% capacity in a 5 minutes for a 3,000 mAh battery. Two video demos were uploaded online both using a special charger for the battery only, and compared it to a mobile phone charge with a power adapter. The first demo includes a depleted 600 mAh filled to 68% in just 2 minutes. The second demo is quite similar but with a 3,000 mAh battery (620 Wh/L energy density) charged to 48% in 5 minutes. That means you could get about half day worth of battery with a 5 minute charge. The feat can apparently be achieved by adding “heteroatoms“: According to Huawei, the company bonded heteroatoms to […]

$99 pi-topCEED Raspberry Pi 2 Based Desktop Computer Includes a 13.3″ Display (Crowdfunding)

Pi-Top, a laptop kit based on Raspberry Pi 2 board and a 13.3″ display, and which cost about $299.99 with the board, and had a successful crowdfunding campaign despite the price nearly matching equivalent laptops on the market. CEED is now back on Indiegogo with pi-topCEED desktop computer also based on a Raspberry Pi 2 board and a 13.3″ display, but which much more aggressive pricing, as the kit could be yours for $99 with the board, or $70 without, and shipping was included to the few countries I checked out. pi-topCEED Specifications: SoC – Broadcom BCM2836 quad core Cortex A7 processor @ 900MHz with VideoCore IV GPU System Memory – 1GB LPDDR2 Storage – micro SD card slot Display – 13.3″ HD LCD screen screen with eDP 1.2 interface; 1366×768 resolution;  262K colors; 60Hz refresh rate; 3W power consumption. Video & Audio Output – HDMI (connected to display board […]

Turris Omnia Open Source Hardware Router’s Crowdfunding Campaign is Up

CZ.NIC is a non-profit organization running the .cz domain of the Czech Republic, and as part of their activities they are also making open source hardware routers such as Turris 1.1 based on Freescale QorIQ P2020 communication processor. I’ve previously written about Turris Omnia router based on Marvell ARMADA 385 dual core processor, and the organization has now launched an Indiegogo campaign where you can get the bare board for $99, and a complete router with WiFi modules, power supply, cables, and enclosure for $189, shipping not included. Turris Omnia router specifications: Processor – Marvell ARMADA 385 (88F6820) dual core ARMv7 processor @ 1.6 GHz with 1MB L2 cache System Memory – 1GB DDR3 Storage – 4GB flash, mSATA slot Connectivity 5x Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports 1x Gigabit Ethernet WAN port 1x SFP cage 3×3 MIMO 802.11ac, 2×2 MIMO 802.11 b/g/n (Included in router perk, not with bare board) SIM […]

GTEK GP100 Rugged Waterproof Bluetooth Speakers Can Be Used in the Bathroom and Outdoors

I normally put my smartphone on a shelf to listen to music while taking a bath or showering, and a few years back I thought about using Bluetooth speakers, but few solutions were waterproof, and/or the price must have been high, so I forgot about it. Following a post on ARMDevices.net about GTEK speakers, I found out there are now many waterproof Bluetooth speakers to choose from with prices starting as low as $7. But I found GTEK GP100 speakers quite interesting, as beside being waterproof (IPx7), there are also rugged and suitable for outdoor activities, come with a 3,000 mAh battery good for 8 to 10 hours, and can fit into your bicycle bottle’s holder. Some of key features of GTEK GP100 (GT-D201): Connectivity – Bluetooth 3.0 (Website also says Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR); 10 meter range Speakers – 2x 5W (or 3W?); 80db+ SNR; 80Hz – 18Khz frequency […]