The vast majority of TV boxes on the market only come with 1 or 2GB RAM, although some Rockchip RK3288 based devices ship with up to 4GB RAM, such as Nagrace HPH NT-V6, but so far the maximum I could see only 64-bit ARM platforms was 2GB RAM. R-BOX Pro changes that with an Amlogic S912 processor with 2 or 3GB RAM and 16GB flash.
R-BOX Pro specifications:
- SoC – Amlogic S912 octo-core ARM Cortex A53 processor @ up to 2.0GHz with ARM Mali-820MP3 @ up to 750MHz
- System Memory – 2 or 3 GB DDR3
- Storage – 16GB eMMC flash + micro SD slot up to 32GB
- Video Output – HDMI 2.0a with HDR and CEC support up to 4K @ 60 fps, and AV port for composite output
- Audio Output – HDMI, AV (stereo audio), and optical S/PDIF
- Video codecs – VP9-10 profile 2 up to 4K @ 60 fps, H.265 MP-10@L5.1 up to 4K 60fps, H.264 AVC up to 4K @ 30 fps, H.264 MVC up to 1080p60, MPEG-4, WMV/VC-1 SP/MP/AP, AVS-P16(AVS+)/AVS-P2 JiZhun Profile, MPEG-2 MP/HL, MPEG-1 MP/HL, and RealVIDEO 8/9/10 all up to 1080p60
- Audio codecs – MP3, AAC, WMA, RM, FLAC, Ogg, and support for 5.1 down-mixing
- Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet, dual band WiFi 802.11 b/g/n + Bluetooth 4.0 (Ampak AP6330 module)
- USB – 2x USB 2.0 ports, 1x micro USB OTG port
- Misc – IR receiver, power button, front-panel LCD display, LEDs
- Power Supply – 5V/2A
- Dimensions & weight – N/A
The Android 6.0 Marshmallow TV box ships with an IR remote control, an HDMI cable, a power adapter, and a user’s manual.
R-Box Pro is currently up for pre-order on GeekBuying for $82.99 with 3GB RAM, or $74.99 with 2GB RAM. You don’t exactly need to rush since shipping is only scheduled for August 31st.
Via AndroidPC.es
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The specifications that I have seen say that the S912 can only support up to 2GB of SDRAM. Has that changed since there is a R-Box with 3GB?
Another crap like R-BOX? First one doesn’t work well even with latest updates.
On more positive note
Sure I recall there is a version of the Amlogic 802, 812 soc that can access 3GB ram, but never heard of a TV box using it.
Right now it’s $74.99 at geekbuying.
first sorry my bad english.
ı know amlogic s905 support linux, and we can install linux distros to this processor.
what about s912 ? will it support linux ??
They have to start supporting thier devices before ill buy anymore.
I thought the 8gb rk3229 was good after they fixed everything. I saw your dissatisfaction with the 16gb one but it is really new.
Yes the 8 gig fine for the price. The 16 gig works now with pharjiasters rom. But for 50 its not being addressed by manufacture so says alot. Its been out for a month and they havent released a fix. That speaks volumes about the issues with stock. Preformance/cost wise the 8 gig best deal. If i was to choose cheap 905 or the 3229 id pick 905 or even 905x over the 16 2 gig Rbox. Poor performance and no support from Rbox.
Add a LOCKED boot.img on 3229 devices so hard for devs to fix (why they would do this is crazy) I got mine on sale would i pay 36 for another one not likly now that good 905 and 905x here.
@Stephen
True. The first one said 4GB, but then the more recent specs set the max to 2GB… I’ve asked a sample for the 3GB version, so I’ll should be able to check this out soon enough.
@Dartigo
I think $74.99 is only for the 2GB RAM version.
@codex
I’d expect S912 to support Linux too, as the processor looks quite similar to S905 with Cortex A53 cores, but just a different GPU. Some features like 2D/3D GPU acceleration, VP9 hardware decode, HDR… may not work in Linux though.
S912 can suppot 3GB ,but the casing is similar to our G9 series
Just pre-ordered a 3gb model. Will let everyone know when I get it. Not sure how good it will be, many of these first ones are rushed out, will probably definitely need updates right out of the box. As far as finding them……. might be a while.
Based on short specs on Amlogic page – http://openlinux.amlogic.com/Android/Mbox S912 supports only 2Gb RAM. On that same page its written that S812 supported dual DDR3 4Gb.
There are delays for the 3GB RAM version according to the manufacturer (Kingnovel):
@cnxsoft
3Gb is not possible, I was talking to one of OEMs engineers. 4Gb yes but 3Gb no because you can’t split ddr chips 3/4. And you cant use only 3 ddr chips. Either 2 or 4. But overall I was wrong, it is possible more than 2Gb RAM.
@Stane1983
I’ve asked for a 3GB RAM/16GB sample, so we’ll see what I get…
S912 specs did mention 2GB max, but they seem to evolve overtime…
I just watched this R-box video,
Might interest others although only simple facts, vensmile TV box,, badged R- box,
http://armdevices.net/2016/08/16/vensmile-t92-49-android-tv-box-on-amlogic-s912-octa-core-arm-cortex-a53/
The above video shows the R-box having 4 USB ports(2 each side). All retailers I see are saying it only has 2 USB. Did they make a change since the video?
According to Geekbuying today Pre orders should ship in about a week so I figure they will ship it in the next 15 days.
Well just got mine. According to both Kodi and CPU-Z it has 3GB ram (2778mb).
Its very fast, ships with Kodi 17 (Alpha). And is rooted.
Assuming that it does indeed have 3gb ram (Not sure how but they insist it will) that would be nice. All the S912 boxes I have seen running Kodi 17 only have about 500mb Ram left with the OS, Launcher, and Kodi (with no build or skin). Would definitely give Kodi more room to breath and allow a fair amount of video cache.
@Jharrison
The resolution you use for display affects the amount of ram used by the GPU, not sure if Androids just sets one large amount or allocates the amount based on resolution chosen.
Side note the s802 ( has Android 5 SDK, but stuck on Android 4.4.2 ) and s812 ( has Android 5.1.1 ) can both use 3, 4 GB ram and s812 can use DDR 4. Pity no cheap box..
I can’t say I have ever seen one with Amlogic and 3gb or 4 GB of ram.
Well my R-Box Pro with 3GB/16GB just got shipped according to geekbuying. Guess I will see within 3-5 days how it is related to the actual RAM in it.
Lucky you. Gearbest just told me mine won’t ship for at least 20-25 more days. No more GB orders from me. I ordered a month ago during presale
its all marketing deploy very disappointing amlogic soc’s
so many release with so little improvements if anything it going backwards
64bit with with 32bit OS hmm
every tom dick and harry fighting to sell you a ott box with a different casing what it come down to is the support after sales and how long they keep releasing updates before you have to use it as a door stopper
So true!
R-Box Pro with 3GB RAM firmware -> http://www.mediafire.com/download/s387uceybb2o8eu/aml_s912_q6330-R-BOX-PRO-3gddr-mac-20160918.rar
A sample is on the way. We should find out about the hardware design by the end of the week.
Well then.
Plugged in my playstation 4 controller all went well for the first few seconds then I switched the cables and
my box froze, pulled power, put power back on, powers on, nothing no power to usb, or hdmi connection.
RIP
I received my R-Box Pro with 3G ddr and i can confirm it does have 3 gigs of memory. After booting up into The Beast Build of Kodi it shows 2778 MB of memory. I have not installed the new update that came out but i can say it runs Kodi 17 at 4K 60Hz just fine! Seems to be very quick and once you figure out how to navigate around it is nice but this box is Hot! As in temperature mine is showing it is running 163 degrees F! That seems excessive to me and may need to take it apart and put in some heat sinks and a fan. It does have the 4 usb ports and a micro SD card slot and it has a power switch and you can turn it on and off from the remote. The light ring changes to blue when it running and red when it is off..it is not very bright. I had a hell of a time getting The Beast build to install on it. If you want to do this make sure and change from the Estuary Skin to Confluence and go into settings and check the allow unknown sources box. You will also need to go to add a source http://wizard.place/repo/, then go to install from zip and install the Wizard. Make sure that you also go to wizard.place and create and account which you then have to confirm the email first! Then you go into the settings of the spartan wizard and add you user name and password. Anyway after you download and install The Beast you unplug the box and then plug it back in and boot into kodi and it will look the same as before with no working build! This is what really screwed with me for awile…i had done everything right but it was not working! The trick is to then go into addons and install the Aeon Nox 5 Redux skin and then you should start seeing The Beast showing up!
If you go to Google Play, then search Complete Kodi Setup Wizard. You will find this app makes Kodi configuring much easier.
I bought the R-Box pro 3 2GB/16 a vew weeks ago and its fast and good.
Only one problem…… after every reboot it changes the language to Korean.
Is this a known problem and is there a way to solve this 🙂
@shakazoeloe
Disable HDMI-CEC
Hi.
First sorry for my english. I bought the R-Box pro 3 GB. I connected it to my Synology NAS and it didn’t work well. It have a lot of problems to use LAN or WIFI connection. The transfer is very low, the films stoped. I tried to upgrade firmware but there is no SDCARD version. I try Amlogic Flash Tool but my computer do not detect anything when i connect R- Box pro to it with cable USB male to male A/A.
If someone did successfully finished the procedure of upgrade firmware? How to do this?
@Jaro
Their should be a build in upgrade option mine was up to date so couldn’t really test it.
Has anyone found the best way to update these R-Box Pro 3 Gig boxes? I have tried both update methods wired and wireless and neither seems to work. I downloaded the new update file and put it on usb key unzipped and zipped and i can’t seems to get the update program to find it. I even copied it to the Downloads folder and still cant see it…does it have to be able to be put in a certain directory for the updater utility to find it?
I have the same problem. I think the upgrade you download is only for flash method (use the PC) but when i tried to do this my PC do not find the usb machine. When someone finished the procedure please tell how to do this.
Jaro, You are correct! That file is only for flashing from PC and i hooked my box up to pc with usb cable and installed the usb flash tool and my computer can not see the box! I found some better instructions but have not had any success yet. It said to hook you R-Box to PC with usb cable and powered up before you install the usb flash tool so it can install the right driver. Then you are supposed to do the toothpick reset to get into the recovery mode and then it is supposed to show up in usb flash tool. So far i cannot get it to see my box in usb flash tool. I just found another file we may need on Freak Tab…you are supposed to unzip it and copy the contents of the license folder into the license folder in the usb flash tool installation folder….i am gonna try this and see if it works!
OK. I will be waiting for your information.
spfx, I found license folder, used it and successful upgrade the R-Box. Now i will test it.
Just wondering how the update went? Any chance of you providing links to update and certificate? Thank you.
@cnxsoft
Thnx for your reply. I looked in every icon but can’t find HDMI CEC. can you tell me where it is located please?
@shakazoeloe
It should be in Settings->HDMI CEC, or Settings->Display-HDMI CEC. However some boxes don’t expose HDMI CEC settings, in that case you’d need to disable it in your TV. It may not be called “HDMI CEC” in your TV, every manufacturer seems to have gotten their own name for HDMI CEC implementation. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumer_Electronics_Control#Trade_names_for_CEC
I am having a problem. Deleted KODI 17 alpha, installed 16.1. KODI kicks me out to main screen constantly. Will the update help?
Why won’t the update tools work on the box! This really burns my a$$ that there is software on the box to upgrade and it doesn’t work!
Get with the program Rbox
Am hopeful that eventually a Libreelec build for S912 with 3gb ram shows up. This box would be an absolute beast with that!
@Jeffh
Have you tried the latest SPMC ?
It works on both my s802, s905. It is a Android fork of kodi, once you explore the menus it will make sense.
I tried it. Even though it is optimized for Android, still the same problem with crashes. It’s definitely the firmware. I read bad things about R-Box and the lack of support or updates. I have faith that Eventually I will find a good update. The hardware is solid. The firmware is crap. I’ll eventually figure it out, I knew I would be in for a bunch of work when I pre-ordered this 3 months ago. If these guys actually pushed out updates I think this box would be awesome.
Hi, I received my R box last week from geekbuying, this is after I ordered it since 22nd Sept and paid for 3-5 day delivery. I am not able to get any sound. I tried everything. My last try was to uninstall Kodi and reinstall it. That did not help. I am going to next try a Factory Reset. I beginning to think that I got a defective box.
regards
Terrence
Hi, I received my R box last week from geekbuying, this is after I ordered it since 22nd Sept and paid for 3-5 day delivery. I am not able to get any sound. I tried everything. My last try was to uninstall Kodi and reinstall it. That did not help. I am going to next try a Factory Reset. I beginning to think that I got a defective box.
Update ; I performed the factory reset, i did hear sound coming from the speakers during the rebooting, however when the reload was completed . No sound. I also noticed this message during the reboot
E : Cannot load volume/misc!
I am not certain if this means that it is some sort of software issue. I am at a lost.
regards
Terrence
@Terrence
Check the audio settings, and make sure audio output is set to PCM, not HDMI.
@Terrence
Another possible reason: have you connected any USB device with audio capabilities, such as an air mouse with audio support? If so, the audio may have been redirected to the USB device.
Yes I did connect an air mouse. I would check and get back to you.
Thanks all. I unplugged the air mouse and got it to work. I still have my audio as HDMI. Is that okay?
Terrence
PS : Just imagine I am still waiting on Geekbuying to get back to me, almost a week now.
@Terrence
Audio HDMI = Pass-through audio which you should use with your AV receiver. If you are playing videos with stereo files it should work even if you play it on your TV, but videos with AC3/DTS will not likely have no audio.
Audio PCM = Audio converted to stereo, which you should use when directly connected to your TV.
will give it a try.Does anyone know how to overcome the air Mouse issue with the volume. I have a Mele f10. I can’t seem to get volume when it is connected.
Try a different air mouse. These cheap Chinese remotes all seem to be set up a little different.
@Terrence
You must have the MeLE F10 Pro… Some firmware include option to disable USB audio, for example MINIX firmware can handle that, but I’ve not seen on other Amlogic devices.
worth buying the box, r-box 3 g 16 g. because I’m thinking to buy one, but do not want to spend a lot of headaches, I have a m8s + that has given me many problems. THANKS for their opinions may give me.
@Jeffh
i having the same problem here do you find a solution?
i having the same problem here do you find a solution?
No. Haven’t been messing with it to much. Been more focused on my boxes flashed with Linux LibreElec lately. Will in the next week or two try to find a viable update option that works. With any luck maybe a community build for LibreElec will come out and I will flash that to this box. I have been extremely disappointed with the quality of the firmware on this box. It was released well before it was ready, and the update tools that came with it do not work at all. The hardware is solid, it’s just a firmware issue which I am sure I can fix if I spend the time.
Tried spmc, same thing happenens, constantly kicking me out of KODI, going to have to try to update box somehow.
Hi, how did your sample with 3GB go and is there a follow up article?
Also, do you know how it is possible to determine the true amount of RAM? Have a S912 box with 2GB RAM recognised at the moment and I was informed that it will recognise ‘the full’ 3GB RAM after software update.
@Tat
Yes. Teardown of the device -> http://www.cnx-software.com/2016/10/01/review-of-r-box-pro-tv-box-with-3gb-ram-part-1-unboxing-and-teardown/
And as you can see from that post I do have 3GB RAM. I have not started it yet,the latest firmware should already show 3GB RAM.
Thanks for the link. Just to clarify I do not have an R-Box Pro. Was interested in 3GB RAM availability for the S912 as originally thought this was not available or not possible? The box I have has MBOX branding at bootup, so unsure of origin.
I can see on the board there are;
2 x SK Hynix H5TC8G63AMA PBA 447A
2 x SK Hynix H5TQ4G63CFR RDC 623V
A quick Google shows they should be 512M*16 and 256M*16 configuration respectively, confirming 3GB total.
What is the max amount of RAM available for the S912 now, 4GB? If I remember they were advertised as 2GB previously.
@Tat
I’m guessing 4GB. Yes, Amlogic has been changing their specs quite a few times so it’s confusing.
@Jeffh Hi there i have same problem ive been kicked off have you upgraded yet ?
Any one have a guide to installing the Beast on to the R-BOX Pro Android 6.0 Smart TV BOX Amlogic S912 Octa Core 16GB 4K D0Q3. The interface and menu on Kodi 17 are completly different to various guides. help appreciated please.
Stan
@Stan Gordon
Have tried going to google app store and searching complete kodi set up wizard
this https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.theappguru.cksw
Read instructions in app.
@Stan Gordon
You need to wait for Chris to release a Krypton compatible Beast build. Hopefully in the next few weeks
I uninstalled Kodi 17 and installed Kodi Jarvis from the play store. I too am kicked off of Kodi a lot. Hoping someone finds a way to update this box soon. Firmware definitely needs updating. The settings menu flashes sometimes indicating a bug.
Hello All, Any links for firmware updates for the RBox Pro 2gb/16gb version?
Its mindblowing that it came stock with severe issues and incompetent firmware.
Any assistance would be appareciated !!
Cheers,
Steve