vp9

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 20 Comments on Amlogic S912(-H) TV Box Boards Are Starting to Show Up

Amlogic S912(-H) TV Box Boards Are Starting to Show Up

Amlogic S912 is one of the most expected processor this year for TV box users, and while there’s still a few months development needed before devices based on the new platform go on sale, some boards have started to surface on the Internet. The first board named S912_MBX_REF_Q02_V01 is shown above, and has the following specifications: SoC – Amlogic S912 or S912-H octo core ARM Cortex A53 processor @ 2.0GHz  with ARM Mali-820MP3 @ 750MHz+ System Memory – 2GB  (Optional 1GB) Storage – 16GB eMMC flash (Optional 8GB) + micro SD slot Video Output – HDMI 2.0 and AV ports Audio Output – HDMI, AV, and optical S/PDIF Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n/ac + Bluetooth 4.0 Misc – IR receiver, recovery push button (behind AV jack) As a reminder the -H suffix means Dolby and DTS licenses are paid for, so audio down-mixing will work in all apps. […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 192 Comments on Shenzhen Tomato X96 Amlogic S905X TV Box is Designed to be “Hooked” Behind Any Monitor or Wall Mounted

Shenzhen Tomato X96 Amlogic S905X TV Box is Designed to be “Hooked” Behind Any Monitor or Wall Mounted

There are several solutions to mount a mini computer or TV box behind a display, and while VESA mount is one of them, your TV may not support it, so Shenzhen Tomato has come up with “magic tape” combined with an IR extension cable to help you hook their latest X96 TV box behind your TV. Let’s go through the main specifications first: SoC –  Amlogic S905X quad core ARM Cortex-A53 @ up to 1.5GHz/2.0GHz with penta-core Mali-450MP GPU @ 750 MHz System Memory – 1GB DDR3 (option: 2GB) Storage – 8GB eMMC flash (option: 16GB) + micro SD card slot up to 64GB Video Output – HDMI 2.0a up to 4K @ 60 Hz, and AV port (composite video) Audio Output – HDMI, optical S/PDIF, AV port (stereo audio) Video Codecs – 4K VP9 @ 60 fps, 4K 10-bit H.265 @ 60 fps, 4K H.264 up to 30 fps Connectivity […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 11 Comments on ARM Announces Mali Egil Video Processor with VP9 Decode, VP9 & HEVC Encode, and 4K @ 120 Hz Support

ARM Announces Mali Egil Video Processor with VP9 Decode, VP9 & HEVC Encode, and 4K @ 120 Hz Support

ARM has recently introduced Mali “Egil” video processor with support for VP9 Profile 0 (8-bit) and 10-bit Profile 2decoding, as well as VP9 8-/10-bit, and HEVC Main 10 encoding, on top of the currently supported codecs in Mali V550 VPU unveiled in 2014. The new VPU can also support displays ranging from 1080p60 up to 4K @ 120 Hz depending on the number of cores chosen in the VPU, clocked at 800 Mhz, and manufacturing using 16 nm FinFET technology. Mali Egil also brings some other improvements such as a redesign of the motion estimation engine, and finer granularity. From a user’s perspective, that means that 4K YouTube videos should be available in premium mobile devices soon, as well as higher quality video conference thanks to H.265 encode and decode. You can find some more information in the “Introduction to the Mali Egil Video Processor” presentation slides. Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft)Jean-Luc […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 26 Comments on H.265, H.264 and VP9 4K Video Playback with Hisilicon Hi3798C V200 TV Box (Video)

H.265, H.264 and VP9 4K Video Playback with Hisilicon Hi3798C V200 TV Box (Video)

VP9 is starting to become a first class citizen as more and more ARM SoC, such as Amlogic S905X and Hisilicon Hi3798C V200, are getting 4K VP9 hardware video decoding support. I’ve already tested 4K VP9 in Amlogic S905X based NEXBOX A5, and today I’ll report my results with Sunhed S3 TV box based on the new Hisilicon processor. I won’t do a full review yet, as just like NEXBOX A5, it’s still an engineering sample, and the firmware is not quite ready for public release. For example, Google Play is working, but I could not install YouTube, and Kodi 16.0 (likely a custom version) would not start, even after clearing the cache and data. Anyway, I tested 4K VP9, as well as 4K H.265 and H.264 since the last two codec are also here to stay. I first tried to play over SAMBA through the Gigabit Ethernet connection, but […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments on EWEAT R9 Android Media Players and Recorders Feature Realtek RTD1295 Processor with HDMI 2.0, SATA, USB 3.0, Gigabit Ethernet, and More

EWEAT R9 Android Media Players and Recorders Feature Realtek RTD1295 Processor with HDMI 2.0, SATA, USB 3.0, Gigabit Ethernet, and More

Eweat has now introduced three TV box models based on Realtek RTD1295 64-bit processor with Eweat R9, Eweat R9 mini, and Eweat R9 Plus, bringing some competition to the upcoming Zidoo X9s TV box, with respectively an external SATA port, no SATA, and an internal SATA bay. All three devices share most of the same specifications: SoC – Realtek RTD1295 quad core Cortex A53 processor with ARM Mali-T820 MP3 GPU System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage R9 Mini – 8 GB eMMC + SD card reader R9 – 16 GB eMMC + SATA 3.5 connector for external drive + SD card reader R9 Plus – 16 GB eMMC + internal 3.5″ SATA 3.0 bay + SD card reader Video I/O – HDMI 2.0a output, HDMI 2.0 input, and AV Audio I/O – HDMI, AV, optical S/PDIF output Video Playback – HDR, 10-bit HEVC/H.265 up to 4K @ 60fps, H.264 up […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments on 4K VP9 Video Playback in Amlogic S905X based NEXBOX A5 Android TV Box

4K VP9 Video Playback in Amlogic S905X based NEXBOX A5 Android TV Box

I’ve never been able to play 4K VP9 videos smoothly in any Android TV boxes so far. It’s possible in Nvidia Shield Android TV, but the device is relatively expensive, and hard to source in many parts of the world, and NEXBOX A5 is the first Android TV Box I own capable of handling 4K VP9 @ 60 fps thanks to Amlogic S905X processor. So I tested 3 4K Vp9 video using MoviePlayer app pre-loaded in the device: 4K Hawaii Sunset _ GoPro Hero 4 Black [email protected] – 3840×2160 resolution @ 30 fps; no audio; ~24 Mbps; Downloaded from YouTube with youtube-dl script phfx_4KHD_VP9TestFootage.webm – 3840×2160 resolution @ 25 fps; no audio; ~14 Mbps The.Curvature.of.Earth.4K.60FPS-YT-UceRgEyfSsc.VP9.3840×2160.OPUS.160K.webm – 3840×2160 resolution @ 60 fps; Opus audio; ~30 Mbps As you’ll see in the video below, the good news is that all three videos could be played relatively smoothly. The not-so-good news are that […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 19 Comments on Unboxing and Teardown of NEXBOX A5 TV Box Powered by Amlogic S905X Processor

Unboxing and Teardown of NEXBOX A5 TV Box Powered by Amlogic S905X Processor

NEXBOX A5 is one of the first Android 6.0 TV boxes based on Amlogic S905X processor capable of 4K H.265, H2.64 and VP9 video decoding. The company sent a sample for review, and I’ll start by taking pictures of the device and board in the first part of the review, before fully testing its performance and features in the second part.NEXBOX A5 Unboxing I got the device in a black package with NEXBOX logo, and “Android 6.0 TV Box” text. I received the TV box with the default cofiguration (2GB RAM / 16GB flash), but they also have a cheaper model with 1GB and 8GB flash. Some of the new feature brought by this device has shown on the bottom of the package such as VP9, Android 6.0 and HDR (High Dynamic Range) support. I don’t think I’ll be able to test the latter, since my TV does not support […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments on Sunhed S3 Android TV Box is Powered by Hisilicon Hi3798C V200 Processor

Sunhed S3 Android TV Box is Powered by Hisilicon Hi3798C V200 Processor

HiSilicon Hi3798C V200 processor is designed for high-end TV boxes and media centers with a a quad core Cortex A53 processor, 4K 10-bit H.265 and VP9 video decoding at 60 fps, built-in SATA, Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0, and so on. One of the first model to hit the shelves was Himedia Q10 Pro, but I’ve received an engineering sample for Sunhed S3 based on the processor, so let’s have a closer look starting with the specifications and pictures of the device. Sunhed S3 specifications: SoC – HiSilicon Hi3798CV200 quad-core ARM Cortex A53 processor with ARM Mali-T720 GPU System Memory –  2GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB eMMC + SD card slot + external SATA interface Video Output – HDMI 2.0 up to 3840×2160 @ 60 Hz and CVBS output (RCA) Video Codecs – H.265/HEVC 4Kx2K@60fps, MVC, MPEG1/2/4, VC-1, WMV Video Containers – TS, MKV, FLV, MOV, AVI, RM, MP4, ISO Blue-ray […]