mini pc News - Page 84 of 138 - CNX Software

April 12, 2016August 7, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 49 Comments

How to Change Language to English and Install Apps Remotely on Xiaomi Mi Box 3 Enhanced

Just like other Xiaomi TV boxes the latest Xiaomi Mi Box 3 Enhanced (aka MiBox 3 Pro) comes with a Chinese only user interface, but a similar method as used for Xiaomi Mi Box Mini to change English and remotely install apps. I’ve gone through this and taken pictures and screenshots to show how to change the language. I had connected the HDMI cable, a USB hard drive, as well as a USB keyboard and RF dongle for my airmouse and gamepad to the device, and after powering up the device, you are know some text in Chinese, you can press OK, and you’ll soon be presented with a list of WiFi access points. Select one, and you’ll be asked to input the password for the network. However, in my case I had no connect button, and pressing OK on the remote did not work at all. It turns out […]

April 12, 2016April 12, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

MeLE StarCloud PCG61U Ubuntu Mini PC is Powered by Intel Braswell Celeron Processor

So far, most Chinese manufactures of Intel based mini PCs simply ignored Linux distributions, with Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 the only game in town. However, a few days ago, we found out about MeLE PCG02-U TV stick running Ubuntu on Intel Atom Z3735F processor, but the company appears to now taking Ubuntu more seriously as they are now promoting two other Ubuntu products with PCG01-U TV stick, and MeLE StarCloud PCG61U Braswell mini PC at the Hong Kong Electronics Fair. The product is not finalized, but the main specifications are already known: SoC – Intel Braswell Celeron processor @ 1.6 to 2.08 GHz with 12 EU Gen8 Graphics, likely Celeron N3150 processor (6W TDP) System Memory – 2, 4 or 8 GB DDR3L Storage – 32, 64 or 128 GB internal storage, or HDD/SSD slot, SD card slot Video Output – HDMI & VGA Audio – HDMI, microphone and […]

April 11, 2016April 11, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 14 Comments

Zidoo X1 II 4K Android TV Box (Rockchip RK3229) Review

After skipping MXQ-4K TV box review due to severe issues with video playback, Zidoo X1 II is actually the first device powered by Rockchip RK3229 processor that I’ve fully tested. I’ve already taken pictures of the box, and opened it up to check the board in Zidoo X1 II unboxing and teardown post, and confirmed 4K videos could play pretty well from my USB hard drive using Zidoo Media Center after disabling Media Scanner process. So today, I’ll review other parts of the firmware, as well as video playback with ZDMC 16.0, Zidoo’s fork of Kodi 16.0. First Boot, Settings and First Impressions The device only has two USB ports, and I used one for a USB hard drive, and the other for RF dongles for MINIX NEO A2 Lite air mouse, a USB keyboard, and the RF dongle for Tronsmart Mars G01 gamepad via a USB hub. I also […]

April 11, 2016April 12, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

Xiaomi Mi Box 3 Enhanced Unboxing and Teardown

Xiaomi Mi Box 3 Enhanced launched earlier this year, must be one of the most powerful Android TV Box thanks to its Mediatek MT8693 hexa-core processor with two ARM Cortex-A72 cores @ 2.0GHz and four Cortex-A53 cores @ 1.6 GHz coupled with Imagination PowerVR GX6250 GPU. The downside is that the product has been specifically launched for the Chinese market, however we can still purchase it via Chinese e-retailers, and likely modify the user interface to use English. To find out, GearBest sent me one review sample. But first, I’ll check the device and hardware, before fully reviewing the TV box in a few weeks. Xiaomi Mi Box 3 Enhanced Unboxing I normally received samples by DHL, but this time the postman brought it to me. It’s slower, but it can also be advantageous since custom duties are less likely. The package has not much to it, but the back […]

April 10, 2016April 11, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 39 Comments

Zidoo X9s Android 6.0 TV Box Features Realtek RTD1295 Processor with SATA 3.0, HDMI 2.0a Output and Input

Zidoo has been busy this year, after releasing Zidoo X5 and Zidoo X1 II in Q1 2016, the company is about to launch Zidoo X9s Android media recorder and player, successor of Zidoo X9, powered by Realtek RTD1295 quad core Cortex A53 processor, and be one of the first TV box to run Android 6.0. Zidoo X9s preliminary specifications: SoC – Realtek RTD1295 quad core Cortex A53 processor with ARM Mali-T820 MP3 GPU System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 16GB eMMC + micro SD slot + SATA 3.0 interface (external?) Video I/O – HDMI 2.0a output, AV output, and HDMI input (recording and streaming up to 1080p @ 60 Hz) Audio I/O – HDMI in and out, 1x S/PDIF output Video Playback – HDR, 10-bit HEVC/H.265 up to 4K @ 60fps, H.264 up to 4K @ 24 fps, VP9 up to 4K @ 60 fps, BDISO/MKV, etc… automatic frame […]

April 8, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 18 Comments

MeLE PCG02U Intel Bay Trail TV Stick Runs Ubuntu, Costs $59

Once I asked MeLE if they planned to sells Bay Trail Ubuntu mini PCs, and they did not really seem interested, but the company has now changes their mind, as they are about to launch PCG02U TV stick powered by Intel Atom Z3735F processor with 1GB RAM, and 32GB flash for $59, which is likely to be the factory price, not the retail price. MeLE PCG02U specifications: SoC – Intel Atom Z3735F “Bay Trail” quad core processor @ 1.33 GHz (Bust freq: 1.83 GHz) with Intel HD graphics Gen 7 (2W TDP) System Memory – 1 GB DDR3 Storage – 32 GB eMMC + micro SD slot Video & Audio Output – HDMI Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 with external antenna USB – 1x USB 2.0 host port, 1x micro USB port (for power only) Misc – Power button, Kensington lock Power Supply – 5V/2A […]

April 7, 2016April 11, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

Rockchip RK3229 Video Playback Take 2 – 10-bit H.264 & H.265, Audio HD Pass-through with Zidoo X1 II

A few weeks ago I tried to play 4K videos in MXQ-4K TV box powered by Rockchip RK3229 processor. The device costs only about $30 including shipping, and it would have been if it could indeed play 10-bit H.265 and 10-bit H.264 videos for that price point, but sadly the results were catastrophic, and most of my 4K videos were unwatchable, either playing in slow motion, or with many slow downs and audio cuts. This happens in all players be it Kodi or Androids Video Player with the worst results occurring when playing from USB hard drive with network share video playback being a bit better. But I have now tested another Rockchip RK3229 based TV box – Zidoo X1 II – and the results are much better, so I also decided to show the results of HD audio pass-through over HDMI too. I played the videos from USB hard […]

April 6, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

$50 Roku Streaming Stick 2016 Edition (Model 3600) Is Faster and Smaller

Roku has introduced a updated version of their Roku Streaming Stick with a faster quad core processor, that’s supposed to he 8 times faster than the previous model, and with more processing power than Amazon Fire TV stick and ChromeCast. The company did not release all hardware specifications, but here’s what we know: Processor – Unnamed quad core processor Video Output – HDMI with 720p or 1080p resolution Audio Output – Digital stereo over HDMI, DTS Digital Surround pass-through over HDMI Connectivity – 802.11 (a/b/g/n compatible) with WEP, WPA, and WPA2 support Power Supply- 5.0V – 1.5A USB power adapter; 3W typical power consumption when streaming HD video Dimensions – ~8.4 x 2.03 x 1.27 cm Weight – 17 grams The device runs the latest Roku OS 7.1, and ships with a point-anywhere RF remote, two AAA batteries for the remote, a USB power cable and power adapter, and a […]