Android 9.0 digital signage player supports 4G LTE, watchdog timer, screen orientation

Rikomagic RKM DS03 is an Android 9.0 digital signage player based on Rockchip RK3399 processor with up 4GB RAM, 32GB eMMC flash storage, HDMI 2.0 output for 4K displays, Gigabit Ethernet, etc…

The device looks very similar to an Android TV box, but it does come with some features specifically useful for digital signage players including optional 4G LTE connectivity, a watchdog timer to make sure the system continues running even after the system hangs, an on/off timer to schedule operating times, as well as screen orientation support for landscape or portrait operation.

RKM DS03 specifications:

• SoC – Rockchip RK3399 hexa-core processor with 2x Cortex-A72 cores up to 2.0GHz, 4x Cortex-A53 cores up to 1.5GHz, Mali-T860 MP4 GPU
• System Memory – 4GB RAM
• Storage – 32GB eMMC flash, MicroSD card socket
• Video Output – HDMI 2.0 up to 4Kp60 with CEC support; touchscreen support via USB
• Audio – 3.5mm audio jack
• Networking
  • Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 port with Wake-on-Lan (WoL) support
  • Dual-band 802.11n/ac WiFi 5 with external antenna
  • Optional 4G LTE with Micro SIM card slot additional external antenna
• USB – 2x USB 2.0 host ports, 1x USB OTG Type-C port
• Internal headers – Reserved pins for LVDS, backlit, AVR output, MIC, touch panel
• Misc – Real-time clock, watchdog timer, on/off timer
• Power Supply – 12V DC via power barrel jack
• Dimensions – 147 x 140 x 30mm with antenna; 140x114x30mm without antenna
• Temperature Range – 0°C -70°C
• Humidity –  0%~95%By default, the box ships with a power adapter, a remote control, and an HDMI cable. The Android 9.0 firmware supports rotation by 0°, 90°, 180°, and 270°. Note that screen rotation used to be supported by apps on TV boxes, but with some potential limitations, as portrait video playback would not always work as expected, and most apps are not optimized for TV boxes so your mileage may vary. Having it integrated into the firmware should mean it just works as expected.

The timer on/off, watchdog timer, and real-time clock should be implemented through a separate microcontroller found on the board, and most TV boxes won’t come with that chip. I used to write software for digital signage boxes and boards and the timer was mostly used to automatically turn on/off the system during work hours, while the watchdog timer would automatically reboot the system if it failed to receive a “heartbeat” signal from the main processor within a period of time in order to ensure maximum uptime.

RKM DS03 digital signage player has been around for a while on Rikomagic website but the company has just started to sell it on Aliexpress for$169.90 with WiFi only or $209.90 with WiFi and 4G LTE connectivity.

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