Most people reading this blog will know VideoCore IV is the GPU used in Broadcom BCM283x processors found in Raspberry Pi board, but we’ve previously seen work was done on its successor – VideoCore V GPU – in the Linux kernel.
It’s unclear whether the GPU will be used in the next generation Raspberry Pi boards, but there’s a least one hardware platform featuring VideoCore V GPU with Com Hem TV Hub, an Android TV TV box for the Swedish market based on Broadcom BCM7271 SoC.
UZX8020CHM specifications based on AndroidTV Guide page:
- SoC – Broadcom BCM7271 quad core processor @ 1.6 GHz with VideoCore V (V3D-520) GPU
- System Memory – 2GB RAM
- Storage – 16GB eMMC flash, microSD slot, optional stackable 1TB hard drive
- Video Output – HDMI 2.0 up to 4K 60 Hz with HDR support
- Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 n/ac WiFi 4×4 MIMO
- Tuner – Quad DVB-T/T2/C
- USB – 2x USB 2.0 ports
- Dimensions – 155 × 155 × 30 mm
- Weight – 400g
The device runs Android TV 7.1.1, and ships with a remote control supporting voice commands. Broadcom has decided it was not necessary to create a page for this processor on their website, so we have to find details from third parties like Geekbench or Wikidevi, and it appears BCM7271 may be relying on four Cortex A7 cores, so not the most powerful platform, but good enough for TV boxes / set-top boxes. [Update: BCM7271 is a quad core Cortex A53 processor, see hwti comments below]
More details can be found on the product page (in Swedish).
Via Phoronix and Theguyuk
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.
Support CNX Software! Donate via cryptocurrencies, become a Patron on Patreon, or purchase goods on Amazon or Aliexpress
This is a free “rental” that comes with their TV service. So it’s limited to customers of Com Hem, which is one of the main cable TV and broadband providers in Sweden.
Broadcom BCM7271 will fully support open source for linux ? 😛
Speaking of VideoCore, rev VI appeared not long ago on the vulkan conformance pages at khronos.
If it is a quad A7 with better GPU , its like a super charged graphics Raspberry Pi of the old quad A7 range, and it runs Android. So can we assume the old Raspberry Pi GPU, really is just not up to Android?
Does that mean Raspberry Pi while need this GPU upgrade to stay current?
Yes they Raspberry Pi has Linux , but the Android market grows, and a Pi trained engineer is now one OS experience down, on a engineer with Linux and Android experience, in the Job market?
Some one has bug test and build, all those Android builds.
It’s a quad A53, not A7.
The older BCM7252S already had VC5 (but there are several HW versions).
GeekBench shows its Armv7 and Wikidevi lists it as a quad core Cortex A7 processor.
Cortex A53 would be Armv8. That’s still possible, but where did you get that info?
I work with those chips, but there there is actually almost no public info…
https://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/b4b32e321639859738e0226f42e05ed0f7e2fc64 and https://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/5a4ecd4b273b81b8e826ec8713b71448c09ffd3f : you can see BCM7268/7271/7278 are named “B53” (BCM7252(S) were B15).
Geekbench probably shows ARMv7 since these tests were done in 32 bit mode.
Wikidevi seems to have several errors, for example :
– BCM7241 is listed as a dual core ARM, but it’s a single core MIPS with SMT
– BCM7251/7252 use DDR3, not DDR2