Rockchip RK3368 TV boxes looked promising at the end of the summer, but ended up being disappointing, not because of their expected lower performance compared to RK3288, but simply because they could not deliver on their main selling point: 4K H.265 / H.264 video playback, and the sheer number of issues with the first devices selling for nearly the same price as equivalent Rockchip RK3288 devices. Rockchip RK3368 will soon have a worthy competitor with Amlogic S905, which won’t deliver amazing benchmark scores, but looks promising for its 4K 10-bit HEVC video playback, HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2, and historically Amlogic delivers better video playback than Rockchip. The first Amlogic S905 TV boxes should start shipping by the end of the month, and prices are starting very low, just over $40, thanks to competition between the many manufacturers launching devices based on the new Amlogic SoC.
That’s why I’ve decided to make a list of Amlogic S905 Android 5.1 TV boxes and sticks:
- Geniatech ATV495 TV Box – TV box with 2GB RAM, 8 GB flash, Fast Ethernet, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, 2x USB 2.0 host ports and HDMI 2.0 and AV. Price: TBD
- Geniatech ATV1950 STB – TV box with 2GB RAM, 16 GB flash, Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac, 4x USB 2.0 host ports, HDMI 2.0, and dual tuner (ATSC/DVB-T/DVB-T2/ISDBT). Price: TBD
- Ugoos AM1 – TV box with 2GB RAM, 16 GB flash, Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth 4.0, 3x USB 2.0 host ports, and HDMI 2.0. Price: TBD
- Ugoos AM2 – Largish TV stick/dongle with 1GB RAM, 8 GB flash, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth, 2x USB 2.0 host ports, 1x micro USB port, and HDMI 2.0 & AV outputs. Price: TBD
- MXQ Pro TV Box – TV box with 1GB RAM, 8 GB flash, Fast Ethernet, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth, 4x USB 2.0 host ports, and HDMI 2.0 & AV outputs. Price: $50 and up
- Beelink MINI MX – TV box with 1GB RAM, 8 GB flash, Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth, 2x USB 2.0 host ports, and HDMI 2.0. Price: $42.99.
- Guleek A8 Android TV Stick -> TV stick with 2GB RAM, 8 GB flash, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth, 1x USB 2.0 host port, 2x micro USB ports, and HDMI 2.0. Price: TBD
- Eny EM95 -> TV box with 1 or 2GB RAM, 8 or 16 GB flash, Fast or Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0, 3x USB 2.0 host ports, and HDMI 2.0 and AV output. Price: $56.99 with 1GB/8GB configuration.
- Acemax G9C – TV box with 2GB RAM, 8GB flash, Fast Ethernet, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, 2x USB 2.0 host ports, and HDMI 2.0 & AV ports. Price: TBD
- Venz K1 Plus – TV box with 1 GB RAM, 8 GB flash, Fast Ethernet, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, 4x USB 2.0 host ports, and HDMI 2.0 and AV outputs. Price: $42.99. Venz K1 Plus Hybrid is another version with DVB-S2, DVB-T2, ISDB-T, DTMB, or ATSC tuner.
- MXQ Plus – TV box with 1 GB RAM, 8 GB flash, Fast Ethernet, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, a few USB 2.0 host ports, and HDMI 2.0 and AV outputs. Price: TBD.
- Venz K5 – TV box with 2 GB RAM, 8 GB flash, Gigabit Ethernet, dual band Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, a few USB 2.0 host ports, and HDMI 2.0. Price: TBD.
- MXV Plus (MXV+) – TV box with 1 GB RAM, 8 GB flash, Ethernet, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0, 3x USB 2.0 host ports, and HDMI 2.0. Price: $62.99.
- Xiaomi 3 Mi Box – TV box with 1 GB RAM, 4 GB flash, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth 4.1, 1x USB 2.0 host port, and HDMI 2.0 and AV ports. Price: $71.79. Please note: Chinese interface only!
- Eweat M8V – TV box with 1 or 2 GB RAM, 8 or 16 GB flash, Gigabit Ethernet, dual band Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0, 3x USB 2.0 host ports, and HDMI 2.0 & AV ports. Price: $78.78.
- Measy B4TS – TV box with 1 GB RAM, 8 GB flash, Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0, 3x USB 2.0 host ports, and HDMI 2.0. Price: $66.29.
- Quintex S905 – TV box with 1 GB RAM, 8 GB flash, Fast Ethernet, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and optional Bluetooth 4.0, 2x USB 2.0 host ports, and HDMI 2.0 and AV output ports. Price: $78.
- M9+ (M9 Plus) – TV box with 1 GB RAM, 8 GB flash, Fast Ethernet, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0, 4x USB 2.0 host ports, and HDMI 2.0 and AV output ports. Price: $54.99.
Most of the devices come with 1GB RAM and 8GB flash, and price disparity is rather large. In this category the best values appear to be Beelink MINI MX and K1 Plus TV boxes at $43 both. The only TV stick, Guleek U8, is not for sale yet. Two TV boxes stand out in terms of specifications with 2GB RAM, 16GB flash, Gigabit Ethernet, and 802.11ac, namely Ugoos AM1 and Geniatech ATV1950, with the latter also including a dual tuner, but they are not for sale yet.
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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