Giada DN25 fanless 4K digital signage player features Raspberry Pi CM5 Lite module and eMMC flash (and H.266 codec support?)

Most products based on Raspberry Pi CM5 make use of the eMMC flash version, but Giada DN25 fanless 4K digital signage player relies on the Raspberry Pi CM5 Lite module instead, but still uses 32GB or 64GB flash. This looks like a contradiction at first since the CM5 Lite module has no eMMC flash, but more on that later.

The media player uses a CM5 Lite module with 2GB RAM and a wireless module, and features two full HDMI ports to drive up to two 4K displays, a 3.5mm audio jack, a Gigabit Ethernet port, four USB ports, and an RS232 port for peripheral connection (e.g. barcode scanner).

Giada DN25 specifications:

• Compute Module – Raspberry Pi CM5 Lite Module
  • SoC –  Broadcom BCM2712
    • CPU  – Quad-core 64-bit Arm Cortex-A76 processor @ 2.4GHz
    • GPU – VideoCore VII GPU with support for OpenGL ES 3.1 graphics, Vulkan 1.3
    • VPU – 4Kp60 HEVC decoder (based on CM5 specifications, see more information below)
  • System Memory – 2 GB LPDDR4-3200 MHz
  • Wireless – Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth module (2.4 GHz / 5 GHz dual-band)
• Storage – 32 GB eMMC flash (optional 64GB)
• Video Output – 2x HDMI ports up to 4Kp60 (3540 x 2160 @ 60 Hz)
• Audio – 3.5mm 2-in-1 (mic+audio out) jack
• Networking – Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 port via Maxlinear GPY111/Pef7071 PHY
• USB – 3 x USB 3.2 Gen1, 1 x USB 2.0
• Serial – RS232 DB9 connector
• Misc
  • Power buttons
  • U-boot pinhole
  • 2x antenna connectors, one for WiFi, and one “reserved”
  • Watchdog timer
  • Auto power on
  • RTC
• Power Supply –  12V/2.08A via DC jack
• Dimensions – 116 x 106 x 30mm (metal enclosure)
• Temperature Range – 0°C to 45°C @ 0.7m/s air flow
• Humidity – 95% @ 45°C (non-condensing)
• Certifications – FCC Class B, CE, UKCA

By default, the Giada GN25 digital signage player ships with a Raspberry Pi CM5 Lite, a power adapter, a power cord, and a WiFi antenna, but a VESA mounting kit is available as an option. The system ships with Raspberry Pi OS installed on the eMMC flash.

Initially, I thought there was a mistake in the specifications since having a system with a Raspberry Pi CM5 Lite and eMMC flash makes no sense. But then I realized that storage was not listed in the Compute Module section of the specifications, and the most likely explanation is that Giada decided to put the eMMC flash on the carrier board instead of getting a Raspberry Pi CM5 with eMMC flash.

“But why?” you may ask. I can only think of two reasons: either the company figured out it would be cheaper to design the device that way, or on the contrary, they wanted an eMMC flash with better performance and/or longevity since digital signage players are often required to operate 24/7. There might also be a third option that I’ve just thought of: the Raspberry Pi CM5 Lite might be easier to source than other models with eMMC flash. That’s just speculation on my part since I have no specific insights on the supply situation with CM5 modules at this time.

There’s another oddity in the company’s product page and press release:

The player features an enhanced VideoCore VII GPU. It supports hardware decoding for H.266 (VVC) and H.265 (4Kp120), as well as H.264 (1080p120) and VP9 (4Kp60), and hardware encoding for H.265 (4Kp60) and H.264 (1080p60).

When the Raspberry Pi 5 launched with the Broadcom BCM2712 SoC, one downside was that the SoC now only supported 4K H.265 hardware decoding, and H.264 and other codecs had to be done by software. This should still be the case for the Giada DN25, but they are explicitly claiming H.266 (VVC) hardware video decoding support in multiple locations on the website. Is it a copy/paste mistake, or does the BCM2712 have a hidden H.266 video decoder, and Giada just decided to pay for the extra license? I suppose time will tell…

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