h.265 News - Page 27 of 33 - CNX Software

June 16, 2015June 15, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Ruach A20s is a $35 Android TV Box Powered by Rockchip RK3128 SoC

Ruach A20 was a media player based on Allwinner A20 processor released about a year ago. Now Ruach Electronics launched an updated model featuring Rockchip RK3128 quad core Cortex A7 processor with the somewhat confusing name Ruach A20s. Ruach A20s specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3128 quad core ARM Cortex A7 @ 1.2 GHz with ARM Mali-400MP2 GPU @ 500 MHz System Memory – 1 GB DDR3 Storage – 8 GB NAND flash Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi Video Output – HDMI 1.4 up to 1080p, composite (RCA) Audio Output – HDMI, stereo audio output (RCA) USB – 2x USB 2.0 ports Misc – IR sensor, power button (mechanical On/Off switch), recovery pin hole Power Supply – 5V/2A Dimensions – 11.8 x 7.8 x 3.0 cm The features and ports are just like the older model, so the main difference is really only the Rockchip processor. The model still […]

June 14, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 29 Comments

Tronsmart Draco H3 TV Stick Firmware and SDK Released

Tronsmart Draco H3 is a low cost HDMI TV stick powered by Allwinner H3 quad core processor. At $35, the device costs about $5 more than Amlogic S805 based sticks like MK808B Plus with about the same specs (quad core Cortex A7/A5, 1GB RAM, 8GB flash, HDMI out..), but with the added benefit of 4K @ 30Hz support. Tronsmart has now released some firmware files as well as Linux kernel and an Android SDK. Two firmware files have been released: Tronsmart_Draco_H3_720p_Kernel_20150526.zip – Firmware with 1280×720 framebuffer for better performance Tronsmart_Draco_H3_1080p_Kernel_20150526.zip – Firmware with 1920×1080 framebuffer for higher resolution Please note that the resolution will only affect the user interface, and when you play videos you should get the resolution selected in Android settings. So if you play a 4K videos it will truly show as a 4K video on your TV, even though the user interface is only 720p, at […]

May 11, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Kaiboer F5 Plus 4K Android TV Box Powered by Actions Semi ATM7039S SoC

Action Semi ATM7039 quad core Cortex A9 processor was launched in 2013 and can be found in low cost tablets, but the company has now launched ATM7039S processor, with similar features but adding 4K video support for OTT boxes, and Kaiboer F5 Plus is one of the first product to feature the new processor. Kaiboer F5 Plus specifications: SoC- Actions Semi ATM7039S quad core ARM Cortex A9r4 with PowerVR SGX544MP GPU System memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 16GB + micro SD card slot (up to 32GB) Video & Audio Output – HDMI 1.4b with HDCP 1.1 + AV port (RCA) Video playback support – Up to 4K @ 30Hz – AVI, WMV, MOV, MKV, RM/RMVB, MP4/M4V, DivX/Xvid,FLV, 3GP, DAT, VOB, MPG/MPEG, AVS, ASF, TP, TRP, TS, M2TS/MTS. H.265, h.264, etc… Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, and Bluetooth 4.0 USB – 2x USB 2.0 host ports Misc – […]

April 27, 2015August 8, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 46 Comments

Wintel W8 Review – Dual Boot Android & Windows TV Box

Wintel W8 (aka Kingnovel K8) is an Intel Atom Z3735F mini PC inspired from Sunchip Wintel CX-W8 (the hardware is a little different), but instead of just running Windows 8.1, the device can dual boot Android 4.4 and Windows 8.1 with Bing. I’ve already taken pictures or torn down Wintel W8, so today, I’ll focus on the software part of the review, first checking dual boot functionality and Windows 8.1 briefly since it should be very similar to MeLE PCG03, before spending more time on Android as it’s my first Android Intel platform. Dual boot in Wintel W8 When you boot the device, you can select Android or Windows icon, with a 10 second timeout that will boot your latest choice. There’s no menu within Windows to start Android, and vice versa, so to dual boot you need to reboot first, and select the operating systems right after UEFI. The […]

April 17, 2015May 11, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 16 Comments

Popcorn Hour VTEN Review

Popcorn Hour VTEN a Linux based media player powered by Sigma Designs SMP8757 ARM Cortex A9 processor. Contrary to the many Android TV boxes I tested in the last few years, the device is dedicated to media playback, even though it has an App Store with 59 apps including YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. I’ve already taken a few pictures of the device and board, so today, I’ll go through the user interface, quickly test the app store, go through my library of video test files, and check if HDMI audio pass-through is indeed working. Popcorn Hour VTEN User Interface I’ve connected VTEN to an Ethernet Gigabit switch, the HDMI port to Onkyo TX-NR636 AV receiver which itself is connected to LG 42UB820T 4K UHD TV, and the 5V/3A power supply. Pressing the On/Off switch at the back of the player will start it, and the boot takes just under one […]

April 16, 2015April 19, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

Popcorn Hour VTEN 4K Linux Media Player Unboxing & Teardown

Cloud Media (aka Syabas) sent me their latest Popcorn Hour VTEN media player. It supports HDMI output up to 4K, H.265 video codec, and features an eSATA connector, as well as optical and coaxial S/PDIF connectors. Today, I’ll show some pictures of the kit, and teardown the box to checkout the hardware, and in a few days, I’ll report on the user interface, video playback, and HDMI audio pass-through capabilities. Popcorm Hour VTEN Unboxing The unexpected device was sent via Fedex in the package shown below. It lists some of the key features such as H.265, DSD (Direct Stream Digital), FLAC, Matroska, UPnP, 3D, and 4K Ultra HD support, as well as the specs, and more features and package content in English, French, Italian, Spanish, German, Dutch, Swedish, and Danish. The box comes with an IR remote control and two AAA batteries, an HDMI cable, a SATA cable, a 5V/3A […]

April 15, 2015April 15, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 12 Comments

Allwinner H-Series OTT SoC Roadmap Adds H5 and H2+ Processors

Previously Allwinner only had A-Series processor such as A10 that were used in tablets and media players, but they’ve recently launch H-series processors for “Home entertainment” such as H64, H8 or H3 SoCs that have been specifically designed for media players and OTT (Over-the-top) boxes. The company has unveiled its OTT SoC roadmap at the Hong Kong Electronics Fair which adds two new processors Allwinner H2 and Allwinner H5. Allwinner H2+ will a quad core Cortex A7 processor support H.265 video decoding, 1080p decoding, and TrustZone support, and should the cheapest processor of the family. Based on the chart above, the processor must have been sampling by the end of last year, so H2+ media players should come to market very soon. Allwinner H5 will be at the other end of the scale, featuring eight Cortex A53 cores, a 4K H.265 decoder, an H.265 encoder (1080p?), and TrustZone support as […]

April 13, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 13 Comments

Perseus Video Codec Claims 2 to 3 Times Better Compression than H.265 using Legacy Hardware

H.265 (aka HEVC) is supposed to half the video bandwidth / bitrate required compared to H.264 by delivering the same quality, and VP9 should also offer equivalent compression, but it’s just not as broadly supported in media processors. UK based V-Nova claims its Perseus codec can even beat that, by providing 2 to 3 times better compression than H.265 thanks to a new approach to video encoding, that allow the codec to leverage existing hardware, meaning it can be encoded with existing computers, and decoded by leveraging the CPU and GPU parallel processing capabilities in existing mobile & computing devices. Perseus codec highlights: Highly efficient – >3x compression vs. state-of-the-art in practical use cases. Benefits further increase with increasing resolutions & frame rates. Extremely fast – Significant processing time reduction thanks to massively parallel architecture. Designed to take advantage of modern hardware Multi-scale (continuously hierarchical) – Single bit stream for […]