Unboxing of M-195 TV Box Powered by Realtek RTD1195 Processor

Realtek RTD1195 is a dual core Cortex A7 processor with a Mali-400 GPU, supporting fast interfaces such as USB 3.0, Gigabit Ethernet, and SATA, as well 4K video decoding (including H.265) and output, and HDMI input. Despite all these features, it can be found in ultra low cost Android media players, so I was eager to find out if it’s as good as it looks on paper.  Thanks to GeekBuying which sent me M-195 TV box, I’ll soon be able to find out. Today, I’ll list the technical specifications of the device, and take pictures of the device and the board, before doing a full test early next month.

M-195 specifications

Hardware specifications as listed in the user’s manual and GeekBuying:

• SoC – Realtek RTD1195 dual core ARM Cortex A7 processor @ 1.3 GHz with Mali-400MP2 GPU
• System Memory – 1 GB DDR3
• Storage – 8 GB eMMC  + SD card slot
• Video Output / Input  – HDMI 1.4b out up to 4K30 / 1080p60, HDMI In up to 4K30, and AV output.
• Audio – HDMI, AV, and optical S/PDIF
• Video Codecs
  • Decoding –  H.265, H.263, H.264, AVS, VC-1, RV, VP6/VP8, Sorenson, Spark, MVC up to 4K
  • Encoding – H.264, H.265, VP8, and MVC up to 1080p]
  • H.264, H.265 data rate – Up to 60 Mbps
• Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0.
• USB – 1x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0
• Misc – IR receiver, power LED
• Power – 5V/2A
• Dimensions – 132 x 83 x 23 mm
• Weight – 320 grams

The device runs Android 4.4. This model does not have a SATA port, but everything else seems excellent, except the CPU/GPU which probably means it has potential as a media player, but would probably feel sluggish as a mini PC. Anyway, we’ll find out in the full review.

M-195 Unboxing

GeekBuying sent the parcel via DHL, and the device can be found in the generic “4K OTT TV BOX” package below that highlight features of the device like H.265, 3D video, HDMI input, 4K UHD support, USB 3.0, Gigabit Ethernet, etc.. as well as pre-installed apps like Facebook, Twitter, Skype, XBMC, YouTube, and Netflix.

The box comes with an IR remote control (requiring 2x AAA batteries), HDMI and AV cables, and a 5V/2A power supply.

The front panel just has a window for the IR receiver and LEDs, as well as some logos. A USB 2.0 host port, a USB 3.0 port, and a full size SD card slot can be seen on the side of the device.

The rear panel features both HDMI In and Out ports, as well as AV output, optical S/PDIF, the Gigabit Ethernet port, the power hack, and a Wi-Fi antenna.

Unboxing video.

M-195 Board Pictures

Simply remove the four stick rubber pads on the bottom of the case, and untighten the four screws to open the device.

There’s nothing much interesting on the bottom of the board, so let’s remove three more screws to take out the board.

There’s a thermal pad sticked on top of the processor, the eMMC, and the RAM chips with some extra tape. The four pins header on the bottom of the board could be for the serial console.

So I’ve taken out the thermal pad to have a clearer view. The processor is Realtek RTD1195DD, which controls two NANYA NT5CB256M16CP-DI DDR3 chips for 1GB RAM, and a FORESEE NCEFES78-08G eMMC flash (8GB), which I foresee (that was easy) would probably be slow like other eMMC chips from the company I’ve tested so far. The Wi-Fi module is Realtek RTL8723BS that supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and FM, although the latter is not used in the box. The board name is 902_V3.0 manufactured on 2014/08/29. There are also four unsoldered connectors, but without markings it’s difficult to know what they may be for.

I’d like to thanks GeekBuying which provided this product for review, and sell it for $68 including shipping. Other shopping options include Amazon US, Aliexpress, and Ebay.

Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft)

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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