minix News - Page 10 of 11 - CNX Software

December 7, 2014January 8, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Unboxing of MINIX NEO X8-H Plus Quad Core Android Media Hub

MINIX NEO X8-H Plus is an update to the popular NEO X8-H, replacing Amlogic S802 by Amlogic S812 processor, which adds HEVC/H.265 hardware video decoding up to 4K UHD (2160p), as well as Gigabit Ethernet. The new version also supports 802.11ac Wi-Fi. GearBest agreed to send me one sample for review. First. I’ll post picture of the device, and the board, before writing a full review in a few days. MINIX NEO X-8H Plus Unboxing Pictures and Video The company sent me the box by DHL, and which I got within a few days together with a document reading “Inbound Charges Invoice” in order to pay import taxes to my local government, and the courier’s service charge. Th device comes in the usual black, gray and green package from MINIX, customize with NEO X8-H Plus module, and highlighting support for H.265/HEVC 2160p, and Dolby Digital Plus. The media player, or […]

November 20, 2014November 21, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 16 Comments

MINIX NEO X8-H Plus Supports H.265 4K UHD Video, Gigabit Ethernet with Amlogic S812 Processor

MINIX has now announced an updated version of their MINIX NEO X8-H android media player simply called MINIX NEO X8-H Plus, replacing Amlogic S802 by Amlogic S812, which brings support for video playback of H.265 / HEVC videos up to 4K resolution, and Gigabit Ethernet. The Wi-Fi module also appears to been upgraded to support 802.11ac. The rest of the specifications are exactly the same as NEO X8-H: SoC – Amlogic S812 quad core cortex A9r4 @ 2 GHz with Mali-450MP6 GPU System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 16GB eMMC + SD/MMC card reader Connectivity – 10/100/1000M Ethernet, dual band 802.11 b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 Video Output – HDMI 1.4 up to 4K @ 30 fps, with CEC support Audio Output / Input – HDMI, 3.5mm stereo jacks for speakers and microphone, optical S/PDIF Video Container Formats – DAT, MPEG, MPE, MPG, TS/TP, VOB, ISO, AVI, MP4, MOV, 3GP, […]

November 18, 2014December 12, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 18 Comments

MINIX NEO X6 Media Hub Review

Last week-end, I took a few pictures of MINIX NEO X6 media hub, and had a look at the company’s firmware and forum support which indeed seems to be good. Today, I’ve completed the full review of MINIX NEO X6, and I will compare it to two of its lower priced competitors: MXQ S85 and EM6Q-MXQ. First Boot, Settings and First Impressions The IR remote control works fine, including continuous up ad down pressing, but I switched to using Mele F10 Deluxe air mouse for convenience. I’ve connected an Ethernet cable, an HDMI cable, a micro SD card, a USB hard drive, and a USB hub with two RF dongles for my air mouse and gamepad, a USB flash drive, and a UVC webcam. I’ve connected the power, pressed the power button on the side of the box, but nothing happened at first… You have to press the button one […]

November 15, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Unboxing of MINIX NEO X6 Android Media Hub

MINIX is a Hong Kong company known for its NEO series Android media players, which are a bit more expensive that the company, but the hardware and especially support is supposed to be better, justifying the higher price. I had never tried it a MINIX device, but thanks to Tinydeal I now have MINIX NEO X6 powered by Amlogic S805 quad core processor, with 1GB RAM, and 8GB eMMC, so I’ll soon be able to find out if the praises for the company are justified, or simply hyped. Today, I’ll take some pictures of the devices, and try to open it to check out the hardware, before writing a full review in a few days, and compare it a much cheaper device like MXQ S85. MINIX NEO X6 Unboxing Photos The parcel was sent by Singapore Posts so it took a couple of weeks to be delivered. The device is […]

September 24, 2014September 24, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

MINIX NEO X6 H.265 Android Media Player is Available for Pre-order for $99

Android media players based on Amlogic S805 such as MXQ S85 or EM6Q-MXQ are currently available for $50 to $70, but MINIX NEO X6 has now been listed for pre-order on sites such as DealExtreme. Geekuying, Aliexpress, and Amazon USstarting at $99 including shipping, with some sellers providing an extra gift (SD card or flash drive). MINIX devices are usually a bit more expensive than other equivalent products, because of potentially better hardware, and the company provides regular firmware updates and a support forum. The specs remain the same as the initial announcement: SoC – Amlogic S805 quad core ARM Cortex A5 @ 1.5GHz with quad core Mali-450MP GPU System Memory – 1 GB DDR3L Storage – 8 GB eMMC + micro SD slot Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz) with external antenna, Bluetooth 4.0 Video Output – HDMI 1.4 up to 1080p with HDMI-CEC support Audio […]

September 5, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 17 Comments

MINIX NEO X6 Features Amlogic S805 Processor with Full HD HEVC Support

Amlogic S805 is a cost down version of the popular Amlogic S802. It features four Cortex A5 cores, and quad core Mali450-MP GPU, only support 1080p resolution (no 4K), but adds hardware decoding for HEVC / H.265 at 1080p resolution, which is not possible with his big brother. In theory, I should also support Gigabit Ethernet, but none of the upcoming media players support it, allegedly because it’s not working yet… After products by the likes of Ugoos, Eny Technology. and Geniatech, it’s time for MINIX to announce their own S805 mini PC with the NEO X6. NEO X6 Specifications: SoC – Amlogic S805 quad core ARM Cortex A5 @ 1.5GHz with quad core Mali-450MP4 GPU System Memory – 1 GB DDR3L Storage – 8 GB eMMC + micro SD slot Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz) with external antenna, Bluetooth 4.0 Video Output – HDMI 1.4 […]

September 1, 2014September 1, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 19 Comments

MINIX NEO Z64 is an Intel Atom Z3735F Bay Trail mini PC Selling for $129

If you thought the upcoming ZBOX ZOTAC PI320 mini PC powered by Intel Bay-Trail-T Atom Z3735F quad core processor was nice and small (and powerful), but at $199, a little pricey, MINIX NEO Z64 may be what you are looking for. On On the outside, NEO Z64 looks very much like the company’s NEO X8 Android TV Box, but inside it’s powered by the same Z3735F processor with 2GB RAM, and 32GB eMMC, and it’s is expected to sell for just $129. MINIX NEO Z64 specifications: SoC – Intel Atom Z3735F “Bay Trail” quad core processor @ 1.33 GHz (Burst freq up to 1.83 GHz) and Intel HD Graphics System Memory – 2GB DDR3L Storage – 32GB eMMC flash + micro SD slot Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, Wi-Fi 802.11n + Bluetooth 4.0 Video Output – HDMI Audio Output – Analog Stereo output, HDMI USB – 2x USB 2.0 Misc – […]

July 2, 2014December 14, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 104 Comments

Easy and Safe Way to Try Linux on Popular Rockchip RK3188 mini PCs

Until recently, installing Linux on Rockchip R3188 based TV boxes or HDMI TV dongles meant you had to flash one or more binaries to your device using various type of tools for Linux or Windows. But thanks to various members of the community, it’s now as easy as flashing an image for the Raspberry Pi, as long as you own Minix Neo X7, PQ Labs iStick A350-SSD, Radxa Rock development board, or Rikomagic MK802IV (AP6210 or 8188EU Wi-Fi module versions) thanks to images provided by Ian Morrison on G+ mini PC community that can be booted from a (micro) SD card, which the added advantage that it won’t mess with your Android installation. You can do it whether you use a Windows or Linux PC, and it should also be possible on Mac OS X, but I don’t know the commands. Here are the steps to follow for MINIX NEO […]