Video Category - Page 299 of 332 - CNX Software

January 4, 2013January 4, 2013 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 16 Comments

ZEALZ GK802 / HI802 mini PC Can Now Run Ubuntu 11.10

After Freescale made available i.MX6 development resources, we all knew this was a matter of time before Ubuntu runs on Hi802 / Zealz GK802 mini PC based on Freescale i.MX6. The guys at GeekBuying have done it, and a beta version of Ubuntu 11.10 can run on the Zealz GK802. This is not the first time Ubuntu or another Linux distributions can run on one of these mini PCs, but it’s the very first time we should get full hardware graphics and hardware video decoding in Linux. You may have noticed the screen is cut on the sides, that’s because they haven’t done overscan adjustment before shooting the video. They are using Ubuntu 11.10 (Linaro) because that’s the version released by Freescale that supports GPU and video acceleration, and if they used Ubuntu 12.04, it would not work until Freescale releases the proper drivers. However, scrolling does not seem particularly […]

January 3, 2013 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

PlayJam GameStick Console-On-a-Stick Powered by AMLogic AML8726-MX

OUYA is not the only Android device specifically targeting games anymore, as PlayJam has launched a kickstarter campaign for the GameStick, a combo Android 4.1 HDMI TV dongle + BlueTooth game controller that you should be able to get by April 2013 with a $79 pledge. The neat thing is that it’s highly portable as the dongle fits inside the controller for transport. However, I don’t find the design of the controller as beautiful as OUYA controller. The specs of the GameStick do not quite have the same oomph as the OUYA either, but it should still play most Android games smoothly: SoC – Amlogic AML8726-MX dual Cortex cortex A9 @ 1.5 GHz + dual core Mali-400 GPU System Memory – 1GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB FLASH Video Output – HDMI. Final product will also feature MHL, but current prototypes are powered via USB. Connectivity: WiFi – 802.11 b/g/n Bluetooth […]

January 3, 2013 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

Canonical Announces Ubuntu for Phones

Canonical has just announced the Ubuntu for Phones platform that will allows users to have similar experience on desktops (Ubuntu Desktop), TVs (Ubuntu TV) and smartphones, avoiding the need to learn 2 different platform for the desktop and mobile devices. The user interface replaces the “Lock screen” with the “Welcome screen” (As shown in the middle of the picture above), which shows notifications and user data as you turn on your device. The user interface mostly eliminate buttons, and you can access features by swiping the edge of the phone. A swipe on the left edge will show the dash bar, giving access to most used apps and dash search, a swipe on the right edge will cycle through your opened apps, a swipe at the top will give access to notifications and allow changing settings right from there, and a swipe at a button will allow you to customize […]

December 31, 2012December 31, 2012 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

Tronsmart Prometheus: $99 Spaceship-like Android Media Player Based on AML8726-M6

Most media players just look like a boring black or white box, but Tronsmart Prometheus proves it does not have to be that way, as this model comes in the shape of a spaceship. This box running Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean is based on AMLogic AML8726-M6 dual core Cortex A9 processor with 1GB RAM and 4GB Flash. Here are the specs of this spaceship media player: SoC – AMLogic AML8726-M6 Dual Core up to 1.5GHz with Mali-400 GPU System Memory – 1GB DDR3 RAM Storage – 4GB NAND Flash + SD card slot Connectivity Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n 10/100 Ethernet (RJ45) USB – 3x USB 2.0 Host ports. N.B: The specs mentions 3x USB outside, and 2x USB inside. But after a closer inspection of the casing and PCBA pictures, I can only shows 3 ports. Video output – HDMI and composite Video Codecs – MPEG-2, H.264,MPEG-4,VC-1… at 1080P Audio Codecs – […]

December 31, 2012December 31, 2012 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

XBMCHUB to Give Away Jynxbox Android HD Media Players

XBMCHUB has announced the launch of a giveaway to promote XBMCHUB.com and expand this community that provides third party add-ons for XBMC, and the most active members of the community will get one of the 4 Jynxbox Android HD media players available. But before going into details about XBMCHUB “competition”, let’s have a look at the hardware. Specifications: SoC – Amlogic AML8726-M3 Cortex A9 CPU @ 1.2GHz with Mali 400 GPU System Memory – 1GB RAM DDR3 Storage – 4GB Nand Flash + MicroSD slot (Up to 32GB) USB – 3x USB 2.0 Host ports Connectivity Wifi – 802.11b/g/n 10/100 Ethernet Video Output – HDMI 1.3 Misc – IR Sensor for remote Video container formats – AVI, MKV, TS, TP, TRP, M2TS, MPG, MP4, MOV, M4V, VOB, IFO, DAT, WMV, ASF, RM, RMVB, FLV, XVID, DIVX 3/4/5 up to 1080p resolution Audio formats – MP3/ OGG/ WMA/ WAV/ AAC/ FLAC […]

December 30, 2012December 30, 2012 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 19 Comments

H.265/HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) Status and How-To Encode Videos to H.265

Now H.264 is the main standard used for video compression, and most devices that can support video playback feature an SoCs capable of H.264 hardware video decoding. Since 2004, however, work has been done to improve H.264, and a new standard called High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), also referred to as H.265, will eventually replace H.264, even though this will take a few more years to really gain traction. HEVC will be able to double the data compression ratio compared to H.264 with the same quality, or improve the quality using the same bitrate, and it can support 8K UHD (Ultra High Definition) with a resolution of 7680×4320 (4320p). This new video codec is a big deal for those who pay for video bandwidth (80% of internet traffic according to Ericsson), and it should also be welcomed by consumers, as it will magically double their storage device capacity, and they may […]

December 28, 2012December 28, 2012 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 15 Comments

Gechic On-Lap Monitor 2501M Portable Battery Powered Display

Gechic is a relatively new company offering what it calls “On-Lap monitors”, i.e. light weight monitors that you can easily carry around. One of those monitors is the On-Lap Monitor 2501M that is peculiar thanks to its 9300 mAh Li-Po battery, which allow you to use it anywhere. You just need to connect your smartphone, camera, laptop (for 2nd display), etc… via the monitor’s HDMI/MHL/VGA inputs. Here are the specifications of this portable & battery-powered monitor: Screen size – 15.6″ HD LCD. Aspect Ratio – 16:9 Resolution – 1366×768 Inputs – MHL, HDMI-D, VGA (Optional Cable Required) and audio Jack Battery – Li-Po 9300mAh battery Speakers – 1.0W (Max.) x 2 Power – 5V/2.0A (Max.) Dimension – 387mm x 260mm x 12.8mm (without cover) Weight – 1088g (1312g with cover) The monitor is sold with a protection cover, a Micro HDMI cable, a VGA cable, a 5-pin MHL cable, a […]

December 24, 2012December 24, 2012 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 12 Comments

$6.80 Easycap DC60 USB Video Capture Card

You may have some old VHS tapes that you want to digitize to play on your computer or media player, or don’t feel like spending money on an HD recorder for your satellite or cable TV box, but still would like to record your favorite programs. It’s actually possible to do so for less than $7 thanks to USB video grabbers. Those USB capture cards are nothing new, but I did not know the price had come down that much. One of the cheapest capture card is Easycap DC60 (clone?) that sells for $6.80 on Aliexpress, and runs on Windows, and (if you are lucky) in Linux. The device provides stereo audio input, composite input and S-Video input. It is sold with a USB cable to connect it to your computer. CD is normally provided with Windows drivers and program. All you need is a Windows 2000/XP computer with a […]