CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

April 15, 2018April 16, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 23 Comments

How to Install and Use Ace Stream Easily in Ubuntu / Mint Linux

Ace Stream enabling the streaming of videos using P2P (peer-to-peer) technology – specifically BitTorrent protocol – and is especially useful for live streams, but also works for Audio and Video on Demand, and IOTT (Interactive-Over-The-Top). Ace Stream is implemented in a fork of VLC (Ace Player HD) working in Windows, Linux and Android, and I’ve found Full HD quality to be higher than services like YouTube, and with less buffering provided enough users watches the stream. It’s easy to use in Windows, and there used to be an Android app installable from the Play Store but it’s been removed, possibly because of the association of the solution with piracy. But just like Kodi, it’s up to do what you want to use it for. Using Ace Player was easy in Ubuntu up to version 14.04 thanks to a ppa, but with Ubuntu 16.04 it become a little more complicated as you […]

April 14, 2018April 14, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

Optimizing JPEG Transformations on Qualcomm Centriq Arm Servers with NEON Instructions

Arm servers are already deployed in some datacenters, but they are pretty new compared to their Intel counterparts, so at this stage software may not always be optimized as well on Arm as on Intel. Vlad Krasnow working for Cloudflare found one of those unoptimized cases when testing out Jpegtran – a utility performing lossless transformation of JPEG files – on one of their Xeon Silver 4116 Server:

vlad@xeon:~$ time  ./jpegtran -outfile /dev/null -progressive -optimise -copy none test.jpg

real    0m2.305s
user    0m2.059s
sys     0m0.252s

vlad@xeon:~$ time ./jpegtran -outfile /dev/null -progressive -optimise -copy none test.jpg

real 0m2.305s

user 0m2.059s

sys 0m0.252s

and comparing it to one based on Qualcomm Centriq 2400 Arm SoC:

vlad@arm:~$ time ./jpegtran -outfile /dev/null -progressive -optimise -copy none test.jpg

real    0m8.654s
user    0m8.433s
sys     0m0.225s

vlad@arm:~$ time ./jpegtran -outfile /dev/null -progressive -optimise -copy none test.jpg

real 0m8.654s

user 0m8.433s

sys 0m0.225s

Nearly four times slower on a single core. Not so good, as the company aims for at least 50% of the performance since the Arm processor has double the number of cores. Vlad did some optimization on The Intel processor using SSE instructions before, so he decided to look into optimization the Arm code with NEON instructions instead. First step was to check which functions may slowdown the […]

April 13, 2018April 15, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

Com Hem TV Hub is an Hybrid TV Box Powered by Broadcom BCM7271 SoC with VideoCore V GPU

Most people reading this blog will know VideoCore IV is the GPU used in Broadcom BCM283x processors found in Raspberry Pi board, but we’ve previously seen work was done on its successor – VideoCore V GPU – in the Linux kernel. It’s unclear whether the GPU will be used in the next generation Raspberry Pi boards, but there’s a least one hardware platform featuring VideoCore V GPU with Com Hem TV Hub, an Android TV TV box for the Swedish market based on Broadcom BCM7271 SoC. UZX8020CHM specifications based on AndroidTV Guide page: SoC – Broadcom BCM7271 quad core processor @ 1.6 GHz with VideoCore V (V3D-520) GPU System Memory – 2GB RAM Storage – 16GB eMMC flash, microSD slot, optional stackable 1TB hard drive Video Output – HDMI 2.0 up to 4K 60 Hz with HDR support Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 n/ac WiFi 4×4 MIMO Tuner – Quad […]

April 13, 2018June 18, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Yamaha RX-V385 A/V Receiver to Support eARC (part of HDMI 2.1 specifications)

HDMI 2.1 promises features such as 8K/10K video output, dynamic HDR, or enhanced audio return channel (eARC), but so far I had not seen any hardware boasting support for the new specifications. It’s not really surprising, as the HDMI Compliance Test Specifications (CTS) for HDMI 2.1 is expected to be released in stages starting in Q2 2018. While I have yet to see any HDMI 2.1 capable TV, Yamaha is already showing off a 5.1 A/V receiver allegedly HDMI 2.1 via their upcoming RX-V385 model that will be sold for $299.95 in the US. Key features listed by the company: 5.1-Channel powerful surround sound Bluetooth for wireless connectivity HDMI 2.1 with HDCP 2.2 (4 in/1 out) 4K Ultra HD support, HDR10, Dolby Vision, Hybrid Log-Gamma and BT.2020 YPAO auto-calibration technology for ideal sound That looks good, and if we look into the details specifications we can see HDMI eARC (part […]

April 13, 2018April 13, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Beelink Gmini1 and S2 Gemini Lake Mini PCs Support 2.5″ SATA Drives

Beelink is now showcasing two upcoming Intel Gemini Lake based mini PC at the Hong Kong Electronics Fair 2018. Beelink Gmini1 is a compact actively cooled mini PC powered by Intel Celeron J4105 processor with dual HDMI output, and a 2.5″ SATA bay, while Beelink S2 is a larger – yet thinner – fanless model based on Celeron N4100 processor, also equipped with SATA bay, but instead featuring HDMI and VGA video output ports. Beelink Gmini1 Specifications: SoC – Intel Celeron J4105 quad core processor up to 2.5 GHz with Intel UHD Graphics 600; 10W TDP System Memory – 4GB DDR4 Storage – 32GB eMMC flash, 2.5″ SATA bay, micro SD card slot Video Output – 2x HDMI ports Audio – Via HDMI ports, built-in microphone, 3.5mm audio jack Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet, dual band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0 USB – 4x USB 3.0 ports Misc – Power button Power […]

April 12, 2018April 13, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

ESP32-LyraT Speech Recognition Board Sold for 22 Euros

Just last week, we wrote about Espressif ESP-ADF Audio development framework that can be used to develop smart speakers and other audio applications with ESP32 boards. There was only one board with documentation at the time however: ESP32-Lyra-T. One tiny problem: it was not for sale just yet, but today Olimex has announced the board is in stock, selling it for 22 Euros. Main features: Wireless module – ESP32-WROVER module with WiFi and Bluetooth LE Audio Many audio inputs – Wi-Fi, BT-audio, DLNA, 3.5mm audio Line-in 3.5mm headphone jack 2x microphones Speaker connectors Storage – micro SD slot Debugging – JTGA header, USB UART Misc – Touch sense buttons, function/boot/reset keys, DIP switch for configuration Power – 5V via micro USB port; battery header + charger chip You’ll find documentation on Espressif website (user guide) as well as on Github’s ESP-ADF (getting started guide).

April 12, 2018April 13, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

MeLE PCG02 GML (Gemini Lake) Fanless TV Stick Coming in June for $180 and Up

MeLE launched PCG02 Apo HDMI TV Stick based on Intel Celeron N3450 Apollo Lake processor and featuring a Gigabit Ethernet port last month. The company is now showcasing the product at the Hong Kong Electronics Fair, and promoting their next generation TV stick based on the same design, but instead powered by Intel Celeron N4000 or N4100 Gemini Lake processor. MeLE PCG02 GML (PCHD26 GML3) specifications: SoC Intel Celeron N4000 dual core Gemini Lake processor @ 1.1 – 2.4 GHz with Intel UHD Graphics 600; 6W TDP Intel Celeron N4100 quad core Gemini Lake processor @ 1.1 – 2.2 GHz with Intel UHD Graphics 600; 6W TDP System Memory – 2GB, 4GB or 6GB LPDDR3 Storage – 32GB eMMC flash, micro SD card slot Video Output – HDMI 2.0 up to 4K @ 60 Hz Audio Output – HDMI, 3.5mm earphone jack Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet, dual band WiFi, Bluetooth […]

April 12, 2018April 12, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 21 Comments

Banana Pi BPI-W2 Multimedia Router / NAS Board Launched for $93

SinoVoIP has really been busy for products launches this month, as Banana Pi BPI-W2 is the fourth board they’ve started selling on Aliexpress. The board is designed for media, storage, and networking application, thanks to its Realtek RTD1296 quad core processor combined with 2GB RAM, dual Gigabit Ethernet, dual SATA interfaces, M.2 slots, USB 3.0/2.0 ports, HDMI 2.0a output and input, and more. Banana Pi BPI-W2 specifications have not changed since the early announcement last fall: SoC – Realtek RTD1296 quad core Cortex A53 processor with ARM Mali-T820 MP3 GPU System Memory – 2GB DDR4 RAM Storage – 8GB eMMC flash (optional 16, 32 or 64GB), 2x SATA 3.0 interfaces, micro SD slot up to 256GB Video Output – HDMI 2.0a up to 4K @ 60 Hz, mini DP Input – HDMI 2.0 input up to 1080p60 Playback – HDR, 10-bit HEVC/H.265 up to 4K @ 60fps, H.264 up to […]