Review of Kingnovel K-R68 (R6) Android Mini PC

I’ve already listed specs, and shown a few pictures of Kingnovel K-R68 (R6) Android media player based on the latest Rockchip RK3288 quad core processor. I’ve now gone through all my usual tests, so today, I’ll write the review, going through the user interface, testing video playback, reporting one various performance benchmarks including network and storage performance, tested most hardware features, and played a few games. First Boot, Settings and First Impressions Albeit there’s an infrared remote control with the device. I’ve not used it all, especially, as we’ll see below the default user interface is the stock Android home screen. As usual, I’ve connected an RF dongle to use Mele F10 Deluxe air mouse. Before powering up the device, I’ve also connected an HDMI cable, a USB hard drive, and an Ethernet cable. Albeit there’s a power button, the device will boot automatically as you connect the power adapter, […]

MINIX NEO X6 Features Amlogic S805 Processor with Full HD HEVC Support

Amlogic S805 is a cost down version of the popular Amlogic S802. It features four Cortex A5 cores, and quad core Mali450-MP GPU, only support 1080p resolution (no 4K), but adds hardware decoding for HEVC / H.265 at 1080p resolution, which is not possible with his big brother. In theory, I should also support Gigabit Ethernet, but none of the upcoming media players support it, allegedly because it’s not working yet… After products by the likes of Ugoos, Eny Technology. and Geniatech, it’s time for MINIX to announce their own S805 mini PC with the NEO X6. NEO X6 Specifications: SoC – Amlogic S805 quad core ARM Cortex A5 @ 1.5GHz with quad core Mali-450MP4 GPU System Memory – 1 GB DDR3L Storage – 8 GB eMMC + micro SD slot Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz) with external antenna, Bluetooth 4.0 Video Output – HDMI 1.4 […]

TP Vision Announces Philips UHD 880 Media Player Running Android L for Philips UHD Televisions

TV Vision has unveiled a new 4K media player to bring HEVC streaming capabilities to Philips UHD TVs at IFA 2014 in Berlin. The device will be based on Android L, and is said to be compatible with all 2013 and 2014 Philips UHD TVs. It should be compatible with other 4K TVs as well, but they mention some limitations due to HDCP, and some 2013 Philips TV will only handle 4K at 30 fps. Another interesting point is that if you have bought a recent Philips UHD TV, this media player may be free of charge. The specs are not complete, but here’s what we know: SoC – N/A System Memory – N/A Storage – 12GB storage to install apps (So most probably a 16GB eMMC or NAND flash) Video Output – HDMI 2.0 with HDCP 1.4, HDCP 2.2 support Main Video Codecs and Containers – HEVC (up to […]

Review of UyeSee G1H Rockchip RK3288 Android TV Box

UyeSee G1H is one of the first Android TV boxes powered by Rockchip RK3288 quad core Cortex A17 SoC. I’ve already listed specs, and shown a few pictures of the device and the board in my “UyeSee G1H Unboxing” post, so today I’ll write a full review, checking out the user interface, testing video playback capabilities, network and storage performance, play a few games, check hardware features are working as expected, and runs some benchmarks on the platform. First Boot, Settings and First Impressions There’s an infrared remote control with the device. I’ve inserted a CR2032 battery, and although it works great in the user interface, it becomes useless with Android apps, so instead I’ve opted to use Mele F10 Deluxe air mouse which brings mouse and keyboard support. Before powering up the device, I’ve connected an HDMI cable, the RF dongle for Mele F10 Deluxe, a USB hard drive, […]

Review of Probox2 EX Quad Core Android TV Box and Remote+ Air Mouse

Probox2 EX is an Android TV box powered by Amlogic S802-H processor with 2GB RAM and 16GB eMMC, an hardware very similar to MINIX NEO X8-H, and an upgrade to the Tronsmart Vega S89 Elite and Shenzhen Tomato EM8 / Enybox M8 TV boxes I’ve reviewed previously, with more storage (16GB vs 8GB), dual band Wi-Fi, and S802-H instead of S802 for hardware DTS and Dolby audio decoding. I’ve already published an unboxing post for Probox2 EX, so today I’m going to test the firmware, including overall performance and stability, video playback, gaming, and most hardware features, as well as Remote+ air mouse with audio and gaming capabilities, which comes with the device. First Boot, Settings and First Impressions I’ve found two AAA battery to insert into Remote+ air mouse, connected an HDMI cable, an Ethernet cable, the Wi-Fi antenna, the RF dongle for Remote+, and the power adapter to […]

UyeSee T1H 4K Android TV Box Features USB 3.0, Gigabit Ethernet, and HDMI In

Shenzhen UyeSee Technology, a company specializing in audio / video products, has announced UyeSee T1H Android TV box powered by Mstar MSO9810 quad core processor, with 1 to 2GB RAM, 8 to 32GB eMMC flash, and featuring high speed ports such as Gigabit Ethernet and USB 3.0, as well as HDMI In supporting PiP (Picture-in-Picture) thanks to the dual decoder found in the processor. T1H is not the first Mstar 9810 STB I mention here, as Kaiboer already has a few models with Q5, Q6, and F5, but the latter focuses on the Chinese market, whereas Uyesee plans to expand to oversea markets, and the firmware is available in English, and other languages supported by Android, too. UyeSee T1H specifications: SoC – Mstar MSO9180 quad core ARM Cortex A9 @ 1.5GHz with a quad-core ARM Mali-450 MP2 GPU @ 500MHz. System Memory – 1GB to 2GB DDR3 @ 1866MHz? Storage […]

Review of WeTek Play Android DVB-S2 Satellite Receiver

[Update, December 29, 2014: You may want to read the updated WeTek Play Review with newer firmware including IPTV services, and bug fixes] I’ve already posted pictures of WeTek Play and its boards, and now it’s time to do a full review of this Android DVB-S2 receiver / media player. I’ll start by giving my first impressions, going through the system settings, testing my library of video test files, as well as DVB-S2 support via WeTek Theater, and check most of hardware features. I’ll also test network and storage performance, before running Antutu benchmark to make sure the device runs at optimal speed. First Boot, Settings and First Impressions Contrary to the vast majority of devices, WeTek Play does not come with a basically useless infrared remote, but instead an RF air mouse with an IR transmitter in order to provide true power ON/OFF capabilities. The remote is very nice […]

Ugoos S85 Android HDMI TV Stick Features Amlogic S805 Quad Core SoC, Supports H.265 Video Decoding

HDMI TV sticks used to be popular, but as processors became more powerful, it became more and more challenging to put new SoCs in such a small form factor due to thermal issues. For example, there’s no HDMI TV stick powered by Amlogic S802 (4x Cortex A9 @ 2GHz), as even TV boxes may have troubles keeping things cool with two largish heatsinks. But the new Amlogic S805 quad core ARM Cortex A5 is more power-efficient, and Ugoos will soon release S85 model in an HDMI stick form factor. For now, they’ve just published some pictures of the board. Ugoos S85 specifications: SoC – Amlogic S805 Quad-Core Cortex-A5 @ 1.5GHz with Quad Core ARM Mali-450MP GPU @ 600MHz System Memory – 1GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB NAND FLASH + micro SD card slot Video & Audio Output – HDMI 1.4b with CEC (male connector) Video Codecs –  MPEG1/2/4, H.265, HD […]

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