Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 11 Comments on Broadcom Unveils BCM725x SoCs for STBs and TV Sticks

Broadcom Unveils BCM725x SoCs for STBs and TV Sticks

Broadcom has recently announced two new SoCs, namely BCM7250 and BCM72502, respectively targeted at OTT streaming media player form factor and  HDMI stick or dongle applications.  Both feature Broadcom’s Brahma-B15 ARMv7-A cores, support 10-bit H.265, HDMI 2.0, MHL 2.0, and up to to 4×4 5G WiFi via BCM4366 WiSoC. Key features listed by Broadcom for both SoCs: High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC)/H.265 compression 6000 DMIPS B15 ARMv7-A CPU 1.0 Gpix/s OpenGL ES 3.0 3D GPU Supports HDMI 2.0 with HDCP 2.2 or MHL 2.0 digital video output PCIe connectivity to Broadcom BCM4366 4×4 carrier-grade 5G WiFi 480/576p30 transcode 1080p60 10-Bit HD HEVC decode and 4Kp60 upscale High Performance DDR3/DDR4 system memory interface Supports Android, Chromium, DIAL, DLNA CVP2, Miracast protocols Supports Broadcom Trellis Multi-Application Framework and DTVKit software stack The company can also provide reference platforms with 2×2 and 4×4 5G WiFi connectivity options via a high-speed PCIe interface, and announced that BCM7250, BCM72502 and BCM4366 are currently sampling. Smart Labs …

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 26 Comments on Rockchip RK3036 Android 4.4 TV Boxes with H.265 Codec Support To Sell for $10

Rockchip RK3036 Android 4.4 TV Boxes with H.265 Codec Support To Sell for $10

Rockchip announced RK3368 64-bit processor yesterday for mid-range tablets and 4K media player, but the company also have some new ultra low cost TV box and HDMI TV stick solution with Rockchip RK3036 dual core Cortex A7 processor that will go into $9.9 TV boxes running Android 4.4. The price is most probably factory price, but that means $20 H.265/HEC capable Android media players are probably around the corner. You can already get an RK3066 TV dongle (MK808 and similar) for less than $30 in Aliexpress, so the new solution will likely decrease the price by $5 to $10. Technical specifications of RK3036 reference design: SoC – Rockchip RK3036 dual core Cortex A7 processor @ up to 1.2 GHz with Mali-400MP GPU System Memory – 256MB DDR3 or DDR3L Storage – 2GB flash. RK3036 supports MLC NAND, eMMC 4.5. Video & Audio Output – HDMI 1.4a. The chip also supports CVBS, and optical S/PDIF. (Main) Video Codecs – 1080p multi …

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments on superMHL Standard Support 8K Video Output, 48-bit Color Depth, Dolby Atmos, and More

superMHL Standard Support 8K Video Output, 48-bit Color Depth, Dolby Atmos, and More

As we all just so happen to play with our 4K television… NOT, the MHL Consortium is already preparing for the future with a new superMHL specifications supporting 8K video up to 120 fps, the ability to charge more powerful devices, new audio format support and more. Key features of superMHL specifications: Delivery of up to 8K 120fps video (4320p  @ 120 Hz) Deep Color support up to 48-bit color depths Wider color gamut to view content the way filmmakers intended High-Dynamic Range (HDR) support to strike the perfect balance of bright spectral highlights along with shadow details Immersive surround sound with support for object audio such as Dolby Atmos, DTS-UHD, 3D audio, and an audio-only mode Advanced connectivity configurations to link multiple MHL devices together (TV, AVR, Blu-ray player) and control them via one remote Power charging up to 40W Content on multiple displays when connecting a single device New reversible superMHL connector New support for the MHL Alt …

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments on AllWinner A64 is a $5 Quad Core 64-bit ARM Cortex A53 SoC for Tablets

AllWinner A64 is a $5 Quad Core 64-bit ARM Cortex A53 SoC for Tablets

Allwinner already announced H64 octa-core Cortex A53 processor for OTT boxes together with Nobel64 development board in the last quarter of last year, and the Chinese silicon manufacturer has now introduced Allwinner A64 quad core Cortex A53 processor for entry-level tablets, as the processor will only cost $5 per unit in large quantities. As usual, Allwinner only provided a subset of information for their first announcement, and some technical details like the GPU are unknown. Key features listed for Allwinner A64: 64-bit Cortex-A53 architecture Supports H.265/H.264 video decoding in hardware, and supports HDMI 4K display Supports various DDR memory types, making the BOM cost more competitive Supports eMMC 5.0 for better IO performance and enhanced data throughput capacity Allwinner SmartColor display technology for more vivid and eye-pleasing visual experience Supports Trusted Firmware security architecture from ARM The company is finally moving to a device tree enabled kernel with Linux 3.10, and Allwinner 64-bit ARM tablets will also run Android 5.0 Lollipop. Hopefully, this processor implements proper H.265 hardware decoding, not GPU accelerated decoding as in Allwinner A80 processor. Interestingly neither Allwinner A64, nor Rockchip RK3368 announced recently, support VP9, despite it being the codec of choice for YouTube 2160p content. Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft)Jean-Luc started CNX …

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments on $100 Razor Forge TV Android Game Console Runs Android TV on Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 Processor

$100 Razor Forge TV Android Game Console Runs Android TV on Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 Processor

Some Android games console are getting quite powerful, after the Tegra K1 based OBox, Razor Forge TV is an Android game console powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor, and instead of running Android 4.4 or 5.0 for tablets, it’s running Android TV, and a separate app called Razer Cortex Stream will even let you play PC games on the console,  possible the same way Nvidia demonstrated at CES 2013. Razor Forge TV specifications: SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 quad core Krait 450 CPU @ 2.5GHz per with Adreno 420 GPU System Memory –  2GB RAM Storage – 16GB Video Ouput – HDMI 1.4 output Connectivity –  Gigabit Ethernet, Wireless 802.11ac 2X2, Bluetooth 4.1 + HS USB – 1x USB 3.0 port Power – N/A Dimensions –  105mm X 105mm X 17mm The console supports up to 4 wireless game controllers, as well as voice search via a mobile app. You can also use the device to stream music, movies, and …

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 11 Comments on Rockchip Introduces RK3368 Octa Core Cortex A53 SoC for Tablets and 4K TV Box

Rockchip Introduces RK3368 Octa Core Cortex A53 SoC for Tablets and 4K TV Box

Rockchip is also at CES 2015, and they’ve announced and are showcasing a new octa-core processor called RK3368 with eight 64-bit ARM Cortex A53 cores that will go into tablets and 4K UHD media players in the coming year. Most news outlet and blogs at CES only cover big brand, so all I got are a few tweets from Rockchip twitter account. The eight cores will be clocked up to 1.5 GHz, and the SoC includes an unnamed GPU with support for OpenGL ES 3.1, OpneCL 1.2 and DirectX 9.3. 4Kx2K H.265 and H.264 video decoding will be handled by the chip too, as will out HDMI 2.0 for up to 2160p @ 60 Hz video output. RK3368 tablets and media players will run Android 5.0 Lollipop. RK3368 is probably the official name for MayBach processor. I’m now fully relying on Charbax to get more details about Rockchip new processor… 🙂 [Update: Liliputing shot a video with RK3368 Reference Tablet. …

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments on Intel Curie Board Designed for Wearables is Powered by Quark SE SoC

Intel Curie Board Designed for Wearables is Powered by Quark SE SoC

Intel announced the Edison board at CES 2014, a board targetting wearables and IoT applications about the size of an SD card. At CES 2015, the company has gone smaller, by unveiling the button-sized Intel Curie module powered by a new Intel Quark SE SoC with a motion sensor, Bluetooth Low Energy connectivity and battery charging capabilities. Intel Curie specifications: Low-power, 32-bit Intel Quark SE SoC 384kB Flash memory, 80kB SRAM Low-power integrated DSP sensor hub with a proprietary pattern matching accelerator Bluetooth Low Energy 6-axis combo sensor with accelerometer and gyroscope Battery charging circuitry (PMIC) The module runs an unnamed open source RTOS, and the company will provide IQ software kits for references applications for wearables, such as counting steps, apps for mobile device, and so on. Intel Curie is  expected to be found in smart products such as rings, bags, bracelets, pendants, fitness trackers and buttons. There’s basically no other information about Quark SE SoC per se, but Intel …

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 12 Comments on Intel Compute Stick HDMI TV Dongle Runs Windows or Ubuntu for as Low as $89

Intel Compute Stick HDMI TV Dongle Runs Windows or Ubuntu for as Low as $89

People got really interested in low cost small factor Intel devices at the end of the year, and one of my article about MeegoPad T01, an HDMI TV Stick powered by an Intel Atom Z3735F processor, even made it to the top 10 posts of 2014 on this blog. But instead of simply relying on partners, Intel had decided to enter the fray with Intel Compute Stick that will run Windows or Ubuntu on an Atom Bay Trail processor. There will actually be two versions of the hardware one for Windows 8.1 with Bing with 2GB RAM, and 32GB storage, and one for Linux with 1GB RAM, and 8G Storage. Intel Compute Stick preliminary specifications: SoC – Unnamed Intel Atom “Bay Trail” processor System Memory – 2 GB RAM (Windows) or 1 GB RAM (Linux) Storage – 32 GB eMMC (Windows) or 8 GB eMMC (Linux) + micro SD slot up Video & Audio Output – HDMI Connectivity – 802.11 …

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