Reviews - Page 83 of 119 - CNX Software

June 12, 2016June 13, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 12 Comments

Mini Review of Popcorn Hour A500 Media Player

Last month I received Popcorn Hour A500 high-end media player powered by Sigma Designs SMP8758 dual core Cortex A9 processor, and in the firtst part of the review I posted the specifications, and pictures of the devices and its internals. Today, I’ll write a short review of the device, as it’s basically an update of Popcorn Hour VTEN which I reviewed last year with a faster processor, more memory, and an internal SATA bay for 2.5″ and 3.5″ drives. User Interface, Remote Control, Internal HDD, and Technical Support The user interface is basically the same as on VTEN with two home screens to select: Media or Music. The performance is a little better, but if you want to find out more about the user interface, I propose you watch the video I shot for Popcorn Hour VTEN During the first boot, Music Home was selected, and I soon got asked whether […]

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

Unboxing and Teardown of ARNU Box Mach 10 64-bit Pure Linux TV Box based on Amlogic S905 SoC

While there are plenty of Amlogic S905 TV boxes, the vast majority is running Android, and albeit there’s been people successfully installing Linux or OpenELEC on such device, if you’d just like a TV box running Linux with 4K video playback without hassle, there’s almost no option. ARNU Box (previously ARMADA) has delivered such Linux TV boxes in the past, with products such as ARNU Box Mach 10 Pure Linux based on Amlogic S812 and running Linux based EmbER OS with Kodi 15, and I’ve now received the updated version simply called ARNU Box Mach 10 64-bit Pure Linux with Amlogic S905 processor instead. ARNU Box Mach 10 64-bit specifications SoC – Amlogic S905 quad core Cortex A53 @ 2 GHz with ARM Mali-450MP GPU System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 16GB eMMC flash + SD card slot Video Output – HDMI 2.0 (Up to 4k@60fps) Audio Output – […]

June 7, 2016June 8, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments

4K VP9 Video Playback in Amlogic S905X based NEXBOX A5 Android TV Box

I’ve never been able to play 4K VP9 videos smoothly in any Android TV boxes so far. It’s possible in Nvidia Shield Android TV, but the device is relatively expensive, and hard to source in many parts of the world, and NEXBOX A5 is the first Android TV Box I own capable of handling 4K VP9 @ 60 fps thanks to Amlogic S905X processor. So I tested 3 4K Vp9 video using MoviePlayer app pre-loaded in the device: 4K Hawaii Sunset _ GoPro Hero 4 Black [email protected] – 3840×2160 resolution @ 30 fps; no audio; ~24 Mbps; Downloaded from YouTube with youtube-dl script phfx_4KHD_VP9TestFootage.webm – 3840×2160 resolution @ 25 fps; no audio; ~14 Mbps The.Curvature.of.Earth.4K.60FPS-YT-UceRgEyfSsc.VP9.3840×2160.OPUS.160K.webm – 3840×2160 resolution @ 60 fps; Opus audio; ~30 Mbps As you’ll see in the video below, the good news is that all three videos could be played relatively smoothly. The not-so-good news are that […]

June 7, 2016June 7, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 19 Comments

Unboxing and Teardown of NEXBOX A5 TV Box Powered by Amlogic S905X Processor

NEXBOX A5 is one of the first Android 6.0 TV boxes based on Amlogic S905X processor capable of 4K H.265, H2.64 and VP9 video decoding. The company sent a sample for review, and I’ll start by taking pictures of the device and board in the first part of the review, before fully testing its performance and features in the second part.NEXBOX A5 Unboxing I got the device in a black package with NEXBOX logo, and “Android 6.0 TV Box” text. I received the TV box with the default cofiguration (2GB RAM / 16GB flash), but they also have a cheaper model with 1GB and 8GB flash. Some of the new feature brought by this device has shown on the bottom of the package such as VP9, Android 6.0 and HDR (High Dynamic Range) support. I don’t think I’ll be able to test the latter, since my TV does not support […]

June 5, 2016June 27, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 35 Comments

Beelink BT7 Review – Windows 10 mini PC Based on Intel Atom x7-Z8700 Processor

Beelink BT7 mini PC powered by Intel Atom x7-Z8700 processor offers an interesting alternative to the fanless Voyo V3 mini PC, as it is actively cooled by a small fan, supports (Gigabit) Ethernet, and comes with three full USB 3.0 ports. There are three versions with either 64, 128 (64+64) or 320 (64+256) GB stortage, and I got Beelink BT7 128GB to play with. Since I’ve already checkout the hardware, I’ll focus on the performance and stability of the device on Windows 10 in the second part of the review. Setup and System Information I placed the mini PC on my desk, made use of the three USB 3.0 ports with a USB keyboard, a USB mouse, and a Seagate USB 3.0 hard drive, and connected Ethernet, HDMI and the power cable. However, if you happen to own a TV or monitor that supports VESA mounts, you can use the […]

May 31, 2016May 29, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 15 Comments

Pine A64 Board Quick Start Guide & Benchmarks with Android 5.1

Pine A64 is one of the development boards with the best cost/performance ratio, as it sells as low as $15 + shipping. I received Pine A64+ board with 2GB RAM at the end of last month, and decided to start playing with Android, as Linux distributions such as Longsleep Ubuntu appear to require a little more work. So in this post, I’ll report my experience with installing and running Android 5.1 on the board, and share some Android benchmark results. Pine A64 Board Pictures You’ll receive the board in cardboard package with Pine64 branding. You can check which version of the board you’ve been sent on the side of the package: PA64512 (512 MB RAM), PA641GB (1GB RAM), or PA642GB (2GB RAM). The top of the board has been photographed often but here it is again. I’ve been sent the 2GB version without wireless module. The bottom of the board […]

May 30, 2016June 2, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 23 Comments

Beelink BT7 mini PC Unboxing and Teardown

Beelink BT7 is one of the few mini PCs based on Atom x7-Z8700, the fastest Intel “Cherry Trail” processor on the market, and should provide a decent alternative to Voyo V3 for people wanting an Ethernet port, and better cooling. The company sent me the version with 128 GB eMMC flash and 4GB RAM, and before reviewing the tiny computer, I’ll post some pictures and check out the hardware, especially the thermal design. Beelink BT7 Unboxing The package looks very similar to Intel NUC retail packages. It will show the complete specs, with highlights for Intel Atom x7-Z8700 processor, and 4K display support. The storage can be 64GB, 128GB or 320 GB, and a sticker on the side shows which model you’ve got. I’ve got the 128 version, but more on that later… The mini PC ships with a 12V/2A power supply (US, UK, EU or AU as requested, a […]

May 30, 2016May 12, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Sunhed S3 Android TV Box is Powered by Hisilicon Hi3798C V200 Processor

HiSilicon Hi3798C V200 processor is designed for high-end TV boxes and media centers with a a quad core Cortex A53 processor, 4K 10-bit H.265 and VP9 video decoding at 60 fps, built-in SATA, Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0, and so on. One of the first model to hit the shelves was Himedia Q10 Pro, but I’ve received an engineering sample for Sunhed S3 based on the processor, so let’s have a closer look starting with the specifications and pictures of the device. Sunhed S3 specifications: SoC – HiSilicon Hi3798CV200 quad-core ARM Cortex A53 processor with ARM Mali-T720 GPU System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB eMMC + SD card slot + external SATA interface Video Output – HDMI 2.0 up to 3840×2160 @ 60 Hz and CVBS output (RCA) Video Codecs – H.265/HEVC 4Kx2K@60fps, MVC, MPEG1/2/4, VC-1, WMV Video Containers – TS, MKV, FLV, MOV, AVI, RM, MP4, ISO Blue-ray […]