Giveaway Week – Popcorn Hour VTEN 4K Media Player

Linux based Popcorn Hour VTEN media player is based on Sigma Designs SMP8757 Cortex A9 processor, and supports video playback up to 4K @ 30 fps (H.264 and H.265), and 7.1 channel audio pass-through. It’s not running Kodi, but CloudMedia’s own media application, and the build quality is superior to most devices thanks to its metallic enclosure. That’s one of the best media player I’ve reviewed so far with H.265 10-bit 4K video playback support, HDMI audio pass-through working for 5.1 and 7.1 channels audio, and very good playback quality. There were a few codecs that were not supported at the time however, such as RealMedia and VP8, and it does not support VP9 either like the vast majority of players on the market today. There were also a few bugs here and there, so the winner may want to upgrade to the latest firmware in case the OTA update […]

Giveaway Week – Tronfy MXIV Telos Android Lollipop TV Box with Amlogic S812 Processor

After Eny M8S yesterday, I’m now giving away another Amlogic S812 quad core TV Box with Tronfy MXIV Telos. Noticeable differences are that it runs Android 5.1 instead of Android 4.4, and features more storage (16GB), 802.11ac WiFi, and Gigabit Ethernet. So on paper Tronfy MX4 Telos appears to be a great improvement over products like M8S with better hardware, and a more recent Android firmware. While Tronfy MVIX Telos review did confirm the hardware was pretty good with good networking performance and a fast internal storage, the firmware was not quite ready for prime time, with disastrous Kodi support, and a settings app that would keep on crashing. There’s not much you can do about the latter without a newer firmware, but you might try out some other versions of Kodi to improve video playback. You can find more photos on the unboxing and teardown post. To enter the […]

Giveaway Week – Zidoo X6 Pro Android TV Box

Time for another giveaway week that will take place on November 2 – 8, with one device or board given away per day. The first device is Zidoo X6 Pro TV box powered by Rockchip RK3368 octa core SoC with 2GB RAM and 16GB Flash. Zidoo X6 Pro review showed a capable device, and pretty good, although not perfect yet, Kodi 15.1 implementation, however the device tends to overheat pretty quickly leading to very poor performance at times. So the company will have to work on improving thermal management in their firmware, beside fixing a few other bugs. I received two Zidoo X6 Pro samples due to miscommunication: one from Zidoo directly which I used for the review, one from GeekBuying which I’m giving away today, and is basically new, although I’ve quickly tried it to make sure it boots. You can find more pictures on Zidoo X6 Pro unboxing […]

$47 Beelink MINI MX Android 5.1 TV Box Features Amlogic S905 Processor

It really feels like Christmas is around the corner, as deals on new and existing products keep on coming. About two weeks ago, I noted one of the first TV boxes based on Amlogic S905 processor, MXQ Pro, was starting (pre-)selling for as low as $48. Not bad for a device that is supporting HDMI 2.0 and 10-bit HEVC up to 4K @ 60 fps. Since then the price has gone up a little to $52 shipped, but Beelink MINI MX has started to up show up on a few sites, and the device is pre-sold for $46.89 on GearBest with GBMINIX coupon. The case is very similar to Allwinner H3 based Beelink X2, and the specifications similar to the ones for MXQ Pro: 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 – […]

$64 Allwinner V3 Action Cameras Support 4K Video Recording (or Not?)

Cheap_4K_camera

An “Allwinner V3 4K Ultra HD DV Sport Camera” just appeared in GeekBuying product feed which the company sells for $84.39, and searching for alternative sellers led me to Soocoo F60 4K action camera sold for $63.34 on GearBest. Both cameras look the same, and the price appears amazing cheap as 4K cameras such as GoPro Hero4 or Sony X1000V normally sell for $500 and more. But one of the tricks is that both “4K” cameras are likely based on Sunchip 4K camera design, which does support 4K video recording, but only at 15 fps. Soocoo F60 camera specifications: SoC – Allwinner V3  ARM Cortex A7 processor @ 1.2GHz System Memory – N/A Storage – micro SD card up to 64GB Display – 2″ LCD Camera OmniVision OV4689 image sensor (4MP according to sensor page, but 16MP on camera description, probably achieved with extrapolation). 170-degree wide angle Recording time up […]

Beelink X2 4K TV Box Powered by Allwinner H3 is Now Selling for $32

Allwinner launched Allwinner H3 in December 2014 for Android TV boxes supporting 4K resolution selling for $35 to $50, but the first devices that started showing up in January sold for about $80. As the year passed, prices became more reasonable such as the $59 Zidoo X1 TV Box or $35 Tronsmart Draco H3 TV stick , and when Orange Pi PC development board launched for $15 + shipping, it was clear Allwinner H3 was a dirt cheap processor.  The good thing is that you can now buy a 4K Android media player for just $31.99 shipped with Beelink X2 sold on GearBest. Beelink X2 specifications: SoC – Allwinner H3 quad core ARM Cortex A7 @ 1.2GHz with quad core Mali-400MP2 System Memory – 1 GB RAM Storage – 8 GB NAND flash + micro SD slot up to 32GB Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi Video Output – […]

Xiaomi Introduces Mi TV Bar TV Box Speakers Powered by Mstar 6A928 Processor

Xiaomi has introduced a few new products yesterday including Mi TV 3 60″ 4K UHD television,  a cheap Bluetooth voice remote, as well as Ninebot Mini self-balancing two-wheel scooter. But the company has also launched a product that looks like the offspring of a sound bar and a TV box with MI TV Bar, featuring Mstar 6A928 quad core Cortex A17 processor with 2GB RAM and running Android 5.1 Lollipop as well as built-in speakers with Dolby Audio technology. It’s actually designed to be the smart system for Mi TV 3, as Xiaomi found out that while TVs may last 10 years, the “smart” part in smart TV may need an update every couple of years. Mi TV Bar specifications: SoC – Mstar 6A928 quad-core ARM Cortex A17 processor @  1.4GHz with Mali-760 MP4  4 + 4 core GPU System Memory – 2GB  DDR3 Storage – 8GB eMMC 5.0 flash […]

Review of WeTek Core Android Lollipop Media Player

EThe first devices based on Amlogic S812 processors started shipping by the end of 2014, but in the third quarter of 2015, there’s been a few new device released as some companies ported Android 5.x Lollipop to the platform. I reviewed two of these. Mygica ATV1900AC had potential but the number of bugs was disappointing, while Tronfy MXIV Telos was almost a disaster. Today, I’m going to report my test results with WeTek Core Android 5.1 TV box, also powered by Amlogic S812, more exactly S812-H, which includes DTS and Dolby licenses. I’ve already listed the specs, and torn down WeTek Core in two previous posts, so I’ll focus on the firmware in this review. Initial Setup and OTA Firmware Update First of all, I’d like to mention that I got an early WeTek Core sample, and while the hardware is frozen, the firmware is still being developed before the […]

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