Realtek RTD1295 based Android TV boxes are usually interesting devices as they play 4K videos relatively well – minus 4K H.264 @ 30 fps -, support HDMI input with PVR and PiP functions, and often come with a SATA interface for NAS functions handled with OpenWrt. Zidoo X9S and EWEAT R9 Plus are examples of such devices, and I found them to work pretty well in my reviews, but they are quite pricey with prices ranging from $130 to $200 (with internal SATA bay) including shipping. A cheaper option is Beelink SEA I, which I started to review, but one firmware update wiped out the HDCP key, and the product became unusable with the company unwilling/unable to provide the HDCP key. There’s now a new even cheaper model with LAKE I Home Cloud TV box sold for $77.99 on GearBest with GBLAKEI coupon.
LAKE I Home Cloud TV box specifications:
- SoC – Realtek RTD1295 quad core Cortex A53 processor with ARM Mali-T820 MP3 GPU
- System Memory – 2GB DDR4
- Storage – 16GB eMMC 5.1 flash + SD card slot up to 128 GB + SATA hard disk bay for 2.5″ drives with 9.5mm / 7.5mm thickness
- Video I/O – HDMI 2.0a output, and HDMI input (recording and streaming up to 1080p @ 60 Hz)
- Audio I/O – HDMI in and out, 1x S/PDIF output
- Video Playback – HDR, 10-bit HEVC/H.265 up to 4K @ 60fps, H.264 up to 4K @ 24 fps, VP9 up to 4K @ 30 fps, BDISO/MKV, etc… automatic frame rate switching
- Audio Features – 7.1 channel audio pass-through
- Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet, dual band 802.11 b/g/n/ac WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0 with two external antennas
- USB – 1x USB 3.0, 3x USB 2.0 ports
- Misc – IR receiver, front panel display, RTC with battery
- Power Supply – 12V/1.5A
- Dimensions – 132 x 124 x 27 mm
- Weight – 210 grams
The “HardDisk” bay shown in the first picture allows you to add a 2.5″ drive inside the box. The box is said to run Android 6.0, but again we don’t know if it also runs OpenWrt just like on Zidoo and EWEAT boxes. One of the picture also indicates “Intel HD Graphics 400” is used to provides 3840×2160, so the information on GearBest page can not be fully trusted. This fanless TV box ships with a HDMI Cable, a power adapter, an infrared remote control, and a user manual.
I asked GearBest for some confirmations, but I did not get a reply in time for the article. Finally, I found out the box on Alibaba, and it is sold by SHenzhen AZW Technology better known as Beelink, and the system is sold a dual OS TV box with Android 6.0 and OpenWrt there.
Via AndroidPC.es
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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very nice case… but it’s small “Hard disk size:2.5 inches”. X9s can support HDD 3.5″ .
> but again we don’t know if it also runs OpenWrt just like on Zidoo and EWEAT boxes
Is there a TV \ NAS box with proper (no chroot \ emulation) openwrt & android support and decent specs? Cause looking at the comments from the previous articles, it seems a lot of people are interested…
@KaFlow
I’m looking at a cheap 1HDD NAS native SATA solution (+benefits 🙂 as well. Benefits being media player features, HDMI LAN broadcast, a decent Linux distribution support to allow customization, and the ability to be a platform for developing DIY projects as well (ie GPIO based, voice control, …)
It seems that if mainline support for RTD1295 is introduced, then any of this boxes will cover my needs.
BTW, anyone got hands any detailed documentation on the SoC to check pinouts/GPIO and the like?
Thx, Wolf