TV box News - Page 70 of 107 - CNX Software

February 4, 2015May 29, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 14 Comments

Latest Ubuntu 14.10 Image for Tronsmart Draco AW80 Supports Hardware Video Decoding

Tronsmart Draco AW80 is one of the most powerful ARM mini PC on the market thanks to Allwinner A80 octa core processor, and the company also released an early Linux (Ubuntu) image at the end of last year. However, this firmware could not support hardware video decoding nor 2D/3D graphics acceleration. Since then progress has been made, and Tronsmart has just released an image with hardware video decoding. There’s still some work to be done as 4K and H.265 are not supported, and support for Kodi also needs to be implemented. At least for now you should be able to play 1080p video with VLC without issues, and the company also claims online video will play without lags. If you’d like to give it a try, download and extract Draco_AW80_Ubuntu_20150204.zip. Then follow Allwinner A80 firmware upgrade instructions with PhoenixSuit (Windows) or LiveSuit (Linux) firmware tool to complete the process. You […]

January 30, 2015January 30, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 31 Comments

Videostrong K1 is a Quad Core Android TV Box with a DVB-T2 Tuner

There are several Android media player with a digital TV tuner on the market, such as WeTek Play, but most, if not all, are based on Amlogic AML8726-MX dual core Cortex A9 processor, and so far, I have not seen quad core Android TV boxes with a built-in tuner. This is about to change thanks to Videostrong K1 an Android 4.4 media player powered by Amlogic S805 quad core processor, and an optional DVB-T2 tuner. K1 OTT TV Box specifications: SoC – Amlogic S805 quad core Cortex A5 processor @ 1.5GHz with a quad core Mali-450MP2 GPU System Memory – 1GB DDR3 (512MB, 2GB as option) Storage – 4 or 8 GB NAND flash (Options: 16 or 32GB), micro SD card slot Video Output – HDMI 1.4, AV (Composite and YPbPr supported) Audio Output – HDMI, AV, and optical S/PDIF Tuners – DVB-T2 Tuner with RF In and Out Connectivity […]

January 28, 2015January 28, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 12 Comments

$46 EKB318 / F6 Android Media Player Features Rockchip RK3128, Supports H.265 Decoding

Rockchip RK3128 is a quad core Cortex A7 processor with a Mali GPU that supports H.265 video decoding up 1080p, and aimed at tablets, but it also found it way into mini PCs such as EKB318 (aka F6) with 1GB RAM, and 8GB flash in what looks like the answer from Rockchip to Amlogic S805 solutions. F6 / EKK318 specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3128 quad core ARM Cortex A7 @ 1.3 GHz (or 1.2GHz) with ARM Mali-400MP2 GPU System Memory – 1 GB DDR3 Storage – 8 GB NAND flash + micro SD slot (up to 32GB) Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, and optional Bluetooth 4.0. Video Output – HDMI 1.4 Audio Output – HDMI, optical S/PDIF Video Codec Decode – H.265, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, H.263, H.264, AVS, VC-1, RV, VP6/VP8, Sorenson Spark, MVC up to 1920×1080 @ 60fps Encode – H.264, H.265, VP8, MVC (1080p) USB – […]

January 23, 2015January 23, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 14 Comments

Ugoos UT3S is an Update to UT3 Android & Ubuntu TV Box with a Fan

Many people like ARM based media player because most of them run Android providing access too many apps available via Google Play Store, a similar experience to what they got used with phones and tablets, and also because they are small, inexpensive, and fanless. However, the latest ARM processors such as Rockchip RK3288, can get really hot, so most of the time CPU frequency needs to be limited to avoid overheating and stability, which reduces performance. Which may be why, Ugoos decided to launch UT3S mini PC, an upgrade to UT3 mini PC with a mini Fan placed on top of a larger heatsink. Ugoos UT3S specifications and look remain very similar to the original model: SoC – Rockchip RK3288 quad core CortexA17 @ 1.80 GHz + Mali-T764 GPU with support for OpenGL ES 1.1/2.0 /3.0, and OpenCL 1.1 System Memory – 2GB to 4GB DDR3 Storage – 16GB or […]

January 20, 2015January 20, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 21 Comments

Popcorn Hour VTEN Media Player Powered by Sigma Designs SMP8757 STB SoC Supports 4K, H.265 Codec

Cloud Media must have noticed the shortcomings of Rockchip SDK and RK3288 processor found in their Open Hour Chameleon box with pseudo 4K video playback and only partial audio pass-through capability, and the company have not given up on more traditional Linux based media players with a proven track record, as they’ve just announced Popcorn Hour VTEN featuring the latest Sigma Designs SMP8757 SoC with 4K video output. Popcorn Hour VTEN specifications: SoC – Sigma Designs SMP8757 ARM Cortex A9 processor @ 1.2 GHz with ARM Mali-400 GPU System Memory – 1024MB DDR3 Storage – 512MB SLC NAND Flash, 1x eSATA port, 1x SD card slot Video Output – HDMI Audio Output – HDMI, optical S/PDIF, and coaxial S/PDIF Video Containers – MPEG 1/2/4 Elementary, MPEG 1/2 PS, MPEG-2 TS, AVI, ASF, WMV, MKV, MOV (H.264), MP4, 3DMKV, BD-ISO, BDMV, 3D-BD Video Codecs – XViD SD/HD, MPEG-1, MPEG-2 MP@HL, MPEG-4.2, […]

January 16, 2015May 29, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Mini Review of VidOn Box Android Media Player

Vidon Box is an Allwinner A31s based TV box made by Vidon.me, a Diamond sponsor for Kodi entertainment center. I’ve already listed specs, subscriber services, and uploaded pictures in the unboxing post, so it’s time for a review. Since Allwinner A31s has been around for a while, I’ve decided to write a shorter review. First Boot, Setup, and First Impressions Since the box provides some services with a subscription, with a free 1-year top-up card included, you’ll probably want to register an account on Vidon.me first, as it’s needed to activate all services in the box as shown on the back of the top-up card. After the optional Subscription is $14.99 per year, and it’s only needed if you need features like Blu-ray navigation, or audio pass-through. The simple remote included does the job if you only use the box for settings and XBMC, but otherwise you’ll need an air […]

January 15, 2015January 15, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 16 Comments

Mediatek based Xiaomi Mi Box mini Android TV Box Sells for $32

Today (2015/01/15), Xiaomi has launched four new products: Mi Note and Mi Note Pro 5.5″ Android smartphones powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 and 810, Mi Headphones (audiophile-grade), as well as Mi Box mini. The latter is a tiny Android TV box powered by a quad core ARM Cortex-A7 processor, with 1GB RAM and 4GB Flash, and selling for just 199 RMB in China (~$32 US). Mi Box mini specifications: SoC – Mediatek MT8685A quad core ARM Cortex A7 @ 1.3Ghz with Mali-450MP4 GPU (4 fragment + 2 vertex cores) System Memory – 1GB DDR3 Storage – 4GB eMMC 4.5 flash Video & Audio Output – HDMI up to 1080p with Dolby and DTS pass-through Video Codecs – Support H.265 Connectivity – Dual band 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi + Bluetooth 4.0 Power Supply – Integrated into device. 100-240V input Dimensions – 38 x 38 x 38? mm Weight – 73 grams The […]

January 13, 2015January 14, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Actions Semi Introduces Quad Core 64-bit ATM9009 Processor for Tablets and TV Boxes

2015 will clearly be the year of 64-bit ARM processors, and one more company has now announced yet another ARMv8 SoC. Action Semi ATM9009 features four Cortex A53 cores coupled with an Imagination Technologies PowerVR GPU and targets entry-level and mid-range tablets and TV boxes, and certainly not high-end products as per the press release. The key features of ATM9009 include: Processor – Quad core Cortex A53 processor to 1.8 GHz GPU – PowerVR G6230 up to 600 MHz with support for OpenGL ES 1.1/2.0/3.0, OpenCL 1.1, and DirectX 10 Memory I/F – eMMC 4.5, NAND flash controller, 4x SD/SDIO controller, DDR3/DDR3L and LPDDR2/LPDDR1 (Up to 8GB RAM) Video – HEVC/H.265 video decoding up to 30 fps, H.265 encoder up to 1080p60 Display / Video Ouptut – LCD controller up to 4K, HDMI 1.4, MHL 2.1, dual channel LVDS , MIPI DSI, eDP up to 2560×1600 Camera I/F – MIPI […]