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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments on Matricom G-Box Q Media Player Features Amlogic S802 SoC, HyperStream P2P Video Streaming

Matricom G-Box Q Media Player Features Amlogic S802 SoC, HyperStream P2P Video Streaming

Last year, I reviewed Matricom GBox Midnight MX2, and at the time It was the best Android media player I had tested. The company has now launched a new Android media player called G-Box Q with an Amlogic S802 processor, 2 GB RAM, 16 GB eMMC, Ethernet and 802.11ac Wi-Fi. The box will also feature HyperStream, a P2P video streaming technology providing a “more reliable and faster transmission of on-demand and streaming video data”.   Matricom G-Box Q specifications: SoC – Amlogic S802 quad core ARM Cortex A9r4 at 2.0GHz with ARM Mali-450MP6 GPU System Memory – 2G DDR3 Storage – 16 GB internal storage + micro SD card slot up to 64GB Video Output – HDMI 1.4 up to 4K30, AV port Audio Output – HDMI, AV, optical S/PDIF Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, dual band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0 USB – 2x USB 2.0 host ports Misc – […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 13 Comments on CuBoxTV is a $100 OpenELEC TV Box Powered by Freescale i.MX6 Quad SoC

CuBoxTV is a $100 OpenELEC TV Box Powered by Freescale i.MX6 Quad SoC

Last year, Solidrun launched their Cubox-i mini PCs powered by Freescale i.MX6 single, dual or quad core processor, and running Debian, OpenSUSE, Android 4.4, or various XBMC based Linux distributions. The company has now announced a new product called CuboxTV, that on surface looks similar to their Cubox-i4Pro mini PC with a quad core processor, but instead of running Linux desktop distributions, or Android, it’s pre-loaded with OpenELEC Linux distribution running Kodi 14. CuboxTV specifications: SoC – Freescale i.MX6 Quad with four Cortex A9 core up to 1GHz, and Vivante GC2000 3D GPU System Memory – 1GB SDRAM @ 1066 MHz Storage – 8GB internal storage + micro SD interface Video Output – HDMI 1.4b, 3D support Video Decoders – MPEG-4 ASP, XVID, H.264 HP, H.263, MPEG-2 MP, MJPEG BP, VP8, Sorenson-H263. Video Encoders –  MPEG-4 SP, H.264 BP, H.263, MJPEG BP Image Codecs – JPEG, BMP, GIF, PNG. Audio […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 13 Comments on Unboxing of Cloud Media Open Hour Chameleon Android Media Player

Unboxing of Cloud Media Open Hour Chameleon Android Media Player

Cloud Media (previously Syabas) recently announced Open Hour Chameleon Android media player powered by Rockchip RK3288 processor. Compared to the many competing solutions based on Rockchip’s quad core Cortex A12/A17 processor, Open Hour comes with a metallic case to provide better casing, and instead of coming with internal NAND or eMMC flash, they provide a bootable SD card (Class 10) pre-loaded with Android 4.4.2, and they also have a preliminary Lubuntu image. They also recommend to use SPMC for video playback as “going forward, Rockchip will fully support SPMC instead of their custom Kodi”. Before writing the full review, I’ll show some pictures of the device, and take it apart to check out the hardware and their thermal dissipation solution. Open Hour Chameleon Unboxing I’ve received the box by Fedex in the following package. They list the key features on the top of the box namely RK3288, XBMC,  Android Kitkat, […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 16 Comments on MINIX NEO X8-H Plus Supports H.265 4K UHD Video, Gigabit Ethernet with Amlogic S812 Processor

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, […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 18 Comments on MINIX NEO X6 Media Hub Review

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 […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments on Unboxing of MINIX NEO X6 Android Media Hub

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 […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 12 Comments on Rikomagic to Launch MK80 and MK12 TV Boxes based on Allwinner A80 and Amlogic S812 Processors

Rikomagic to Launch MK80 and MK12 TV Boxes based on Allwinner A80 and Amlogic S812 Processors

There’s a three processors fight right now in the Android mini PC market with Rockchip RK3288, Allwinner A80, and Amlogic S802/S812 SoCs. All have their own strength and weaknesses, and have about the same performance, but so far I like Rockchip RK3288 for 3D gaming, Amlogic S802 and S812 for video playback, and Allwinner A80 for its possibly better potential to run Linux desktop distributions (TBC). Rikomagic have already been selling Rikomagic MK902 II powered by Rockchip RK3288 processor for a little while, and they’ve now announced two new upcoming products: MK80 with Allwinnert A80, and MK12 with Amlogic S812. Rikomagic MK80 and MK80 Plus Preliminary and probably incomplete product specifications: SoC – AllWinner Ultra Core A80 4x Cortex 15 @ 2016 MHz, 4x Cortex A7  @ 1320 MHz big.LITTLE processor with Imagination Technologies PowerVR GC6230 GPU with support for OpenGL ES 1.1/2.0/3.0, Directx 9.3 System Memory – 2GB (MK80), […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 21 Comments on Unboxing of Tronsmart Draco AW80 Meta mini PC Powered by AllWinner A80 Processor

Unboxing of Tronsmart Draco AW80 Meta mini PC Powered by AllWinner A80 Processor

GeekBuying sent me a sample of their Tronsmart Draco AW80 mini PC powered by Allwinner A80 octa core processor. I’ve received the Meta version with 2GB RAM, and 16GB eMMC, but next month Telos version will ship with 4GB RAM and 32GB eMMC instead. Today I’ll show some pictures of the product and the internal boards, and in a few days I’ll write a full version with the Android 4.4 firmware. Later, I’ll most certainly review the Ubuntu beta image that’s scheduled for released by the end of the month. Tronsmart Draco AW80 Unboxing I’ve received the device by DHL in the black and gold package below. I was surprised by the size of the box (16.4 x 16.4 cm) which quite larger than what I’m used to with other TV boxes, and all cables and accessories are stored in little black boxes within the main package. Accessories include a […]