TBS, a producer of digital TV tuners for PC, has decided to launch their own ARM mini PC called Matrix to interface with their USB DVB tuners. The board is based on Freescale i.MX6 Quad ARM Cortex A9 SoC with 2GB RAM, 16GB eMMC flash, and costs about $150. The company also claims to have XBMC,
VDR, Tvheadend software running on the platform.
Here are the specifications for this quad core ARM board / computer (Codename: TBS2910):
- SoC – Freescale i.MX6 Quad (MCIMX6Q5EYM10AC) quad core ARM Cortex A9 processor @ 1.0 GHz with Vivante GC2000 3D GPU
- System Memory – 2GB DDR
- Storage – 16GB eMMC, SD card slot, micro SD card slot, and SATA interface
- USB – 3x USB 2.0 host ports, 1x USB OTG
- Video Output – HDMI
- Audio Output – HDMI and 3.5mm audio jack
- Connectivity – 10/100/1000M Ethernet, and Wi-Fi 802.11n/b/g
- Expansion – 16-pin header for access to GPIO/UART/I2C, and mini PCIe connector
- Debugging – RS232 serial header
- Misc – Burn/Boot mode switch, power and activity LEDs, and Reset, Power & Vol +/- buttons.
- Power Supply – 5V/3A
- Dimensions – Board: 130 x 83 mm, Case: 135 x 90 x 45 mm
The Matrix is sold with a power adapter, a SATA power cable, and an optional RS32 adapter board for debugging.
The company provides supports for Android, Ubuntu and other Linux based distributions can also run on the device. As mentioned in the introduction, XBMC, Tvheadend, and Video Disc Recorder (VDR), MuMuDVB and dvblast have been ported, and are pre-installed in the board (Linux/Ubuntu images). Some documentation is already available, and eventually Android, Ubuntu, and Linux source code will be published to the Download section.
Some of the company’s DVB-T2, DVB-T, DVB-S2, DVB/C and DVB/C2 USB tuners are currently supported: TBS5922, TBS5980, TBS5925, TBS5680, TBS DVB-C sticks, and TBS5220. Despite the mini PCIe board on the board, none of the mini PCIe DVB tuner is currently supported.
The board can be purchased for $149.99 plus shipping from BuyDVD, and the six tuners aforementioned can be added as option for $59 to $240 depending on the chosen model. The device will also be available from other distributors lateron. Further details may be found on TBS 2910 Matrix page, as well as on their forums.
Thanks to Bogdan for the tip.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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