Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments on UTStarcom MC8718 is a Funny Looking Tegra K1 Based Android Game Console

UTStarcom MC8718 is a Funny Looking Tegra K1 Based Android Game Console

An article about a Mediatek MT8685 based Android media player on AndroidPC.es, made me look into UTStarcom products, and beside some other MT8685 based quad core set-top boxes such as MC8685A and MC8685B, I found a weird/funny/intriguing/futuristic looking game console STB powered by Nvidia Tegra K1 quad core cortex A15 processor named MC8718. UTStarcom MC8718 specifications: SoC – Nvidia Tegra K1 quad core Cortex A15r3 processor @ 2.3 GHz with Kepler GPU System Memory – 2GB RAM Storage – 16GB internal storage + micro SD card slot Video and Audio  Output – HDMI 1.4b up to 4K @ 30Hz Video Decode – H.264, MPEG-4, etc.. Audio Decode – MP3, AAC, optional Dolby and DTS, etc.. Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, Dual band 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.0 USB – USB 2.0 interface Misc – IR receiver Power Supply – 5V The company claims support for TegraZone and Shield games, as […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment on Wi-Fi Sunglasses with Action Camera based on Ambarella A5 SoC

Wi-Fi Sunglasses with Action Camera based on Ambarella A5 SoC

GoPro launched the action camera craze a few years ago, and many companies made lower cost products inspired my the popular action / sports camera. These can be great, but sometime mounting the camera can be an issue, and a company has decided to make some sort of GoPro sunglasses with a camera and Wi-Fi connectivity, in a style similar to Google glass but for shooting videos only. The OEM product is sold as TC62 on Tinydeals ($250), Iwearcam HD-S568 on Ebay ($210), or G200 on Aliexpress ($387). All these sunglasses look the same and are based on Ambarella A5 SoC, so if you look for ambarella A5 sunglasses on Google, you may find even more model names. Wi-Fi glasses action camera specifications: SoC – Ambarella A5 SoC System Memory – N/A Storage – N/A GB internal storage + micro SD card slot for videos Camera – 5 or 8MP […]

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 62 Comments on Review of BFS 4KH Media Player Powered by HiSilicon Hi3798M Processor

Review of BFS 4KH Media Player Powered by HiSilicon Hi3798M Processor

Buyforsure (BFS) 4KH is a low cost Android TV box powered by HiSilicon Hi3978M quad core Cortex A7 processor supporting 4K video output and decoding, HEVC/H.265 video decoding, and featuring a USB 3.0 port. I’ve already taken a few pictures of the device and board, so today I’ll reports about my findings after testing features and performance of this media player. First Boot, Settings and First Impressions The remote control included in the package does the job as long as you use the box user interface and play videos with the included player or XBMC, but I also switched to Mele F10 Deluxe air mouse when I need a pointer or to input text. I’ve connected an Ethernet cable, an HDMI cable, a USB 3.0 hard drive to the USB 3.0 port, and a USB hub to the USB 2.0 port including a USB webcam, two RF dongles for the […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 13 Comments on So This is How Allwinner A80 Cheats at Antutu Benchmark…

So This is How Allwinner A80 Cheats at Antutu Benchmark…

Ever since Allwinner A80 was released, the Antutu scores did not add up with some devices getting around 30,000 points, while other devices scoring close to 50,000 or even higher. But what about 143,430 points? Now that would be impressive, and that’s exactly what Byron got in his Tronsmart Draco AW80 box, after changing a single parameter. The screenshot above reports a Nexus 10 because he must be using one of Freatab ROM, where they often change the device name for better Google Play compatibility. Nevertheless what kind of sorcery is that? How could he achieve this? It turns out build.prop, as a key called ro.sys.hiritsu. It’s set to 30 in the stock firmware, but if you change this to 95, some magic happens, and you get the very high score above. Byron reported his box got pretty hot with this setting, so it’s probably better not to try a […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on $60 MarsBoard Rockchip PX2 Development Board Runs Ubuntu, Debian, openSUSE, or Android 4.4

$60 MarsBoard Rockchip PX2 Development Board Runs Ubuntu, Debian, openSUSE, or Android 4.4

Haoyu Electronics has made a new board similar to their MarsBoard RK3066, but instead of using a CPU module with Rockchip RK3066, they’ve used the industrial version of the chip called Rockchip PX2 dual core Cortex A9 processor. The board is also comprised of a baseboard and CPU module (CM-PX2), and based on the name of the pictures it’s using the exact same PCB: CM-RK3066 SoM, and SOM-RK3066 baseboard, but they simply replaced RK3066 by PX2, and increased the NAND flash capacity to 8GB. CM-PX2 Computer-on-Module: SoC – Rockchip PX2 dual core ARM Cortex A9 @ 1.4 GHz + Mali-400MP4 GPU System Memory – 1GB DDR3 Storage – 8 GB NAND Power Management Unit – TPS659102 Misc – TX indicator LED use for debug, Power Indicator LED 10/100M Ethernet PHY – LAN8720A Connectors – 2x 100- pin for baseboard connection, 40-pin connector (unsoldered) Dimensions – 70 x 58 mm SOM-RK3066 […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 57 Comments on AV Receiver and 4K UHD TV Crowdfunding for Better Reviews on CNX Software

AV Receiver and 4K UHD TV Crowdfunding for Better Reviews on CNX Software

I’ve written a fair amount of reviews, mostly of Android mini PCs and development boards, and I intend to continue, but there are currently a few things I’m unable to test: S/PDIF and HDMI pass-through, and 4K video output, 3D videos, and HDMI-CEC.  The main reason is that the AV receiver and TVs required to test this are rather expensive, and these are not something I really need personally, since I seldom watch movies myself, I purchased a new Full HD TV last year, and I don’t expect to access 4K content for a few more years. Yet it would be interesting to prospective buyers to find out if advertized features such as audio pass-though of 5.1 & 7.1 codec does work, and whether 4K output (listed and real), HDMI-CEC, 3D videos and other features not supported by my current Panasonic can work properly. It would also be fun for […]

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments on WeTek Play Set-Top Box Now Also Comes with an ATSC Tuner

WeTek Play Set-Top Box Now Also Comes with an ATSC Tuner

WeTek Play is an Android media player that comes with a digital TV tuner, and in my recent updated review with a DVB-S2 tuner I found out that the software for live TV either via Internet or satellite was pretty good, and despite the older Amlogic AML8726-MX processor used in the box, it could still be recommended for watching live TV, with featuring like PVR, TimeShifting and EPG working reasonably well. At launch however, WeTek Play was only available with DVB-S2 or DVB-C/T/T2 tuners, so North American did not have the option to watch free-to-air digital TV on the box. This has now been resolved, as the company has launched Wetek Play with an ATSC tuner. The rest of the specifications for the ATSC model are exactly the same: SoC – Amlogic AML8726-MX dual core Cortex A9 @ 1.5GHz with a dual core Mali-400MP GPU System Memory – 1GB DDR3 […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on Patchsets for Nvidia Tegra K1 “Denver” Submitted to Linux Mainline

Patchsets for Nvidia Tegra K1 “Denver” Submitted to Linux Mainline

Some patchsets have been submitted for Nvidia Tegra 132 a few days ago to the Linux ARM Kernel mailing list. Tegra 132 is the codename for the 64-bit version of Tegra K1, and they’re also a mention of Norrin64 FFD board, that should be a Chromebook reference design.

Tegra114 and Tegra124 are the codename for Tegra K1 32-bit processor with Tegra124 clocked at a higher frequency. Norrin64 board dts does not seem included in the patchsets, but it’s available from Chromium OS code, and shows it’s using 2GB RAM too. That also means Chrombooks like Acer Chromebook 13 (CB5) or  HP Chromebook 14 with the 32-bit version of the Tegra K1 might soon get an upgrade to the 64-bit version. Thanks to David for the tip.

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