After many months of delays due to Intel not mass-producing Gemini Lake processors, Hardkernel started selling ODROID-H2 again, more exactly ODROID-H2 Rev. B, and the end of last month, and the company sent me a full kit for evaluation. You can check out ODROID-H Rev. B with Type 3 case and the assembly instructions in the first part of the review. I’ve now had time to play with the board using the pre-installed Ubuntu 19.04 operating systems so I’ll report my experience in this second part. Note that ODROID-H2 does not rely on a custom version of Ubuntu, and instead you can download and flash Ubuntu 18.04 or 19.04 ISO directly from Ubuntu website. First Boot and System Information I had already connected two SATA drives inside the enclosure, one SSD and one HDD, but before booting the device I connected an HDMI cable, one Ethernet cable, USB keyboard & […]
Amlogic A311D and S922X-B Processors Support 8K VP9 Video Decoding
We’ve already written about future processors that will support 8K video decoding, such as Rockchip RK3588 that is expected to launch in early 2020. But I’ve just read claims that Amlogic A311D and S922X-B processors could also decode VP9 8K at 30 fps. So let’s have a look at Amlogic A311D datasheet first: Amlogic Video Engine (AVE-10) offloads the Cortex-A53 CPUs from all video CODEC processing. It includes dedicated hardware video decoder and encoder. AVE-10 is capable of decoding 4Kx2K resolution video at 75fps with complete Trusted Video Path (TVP) for secure applications and supports full formats including MVC, MPEG-1/2/4, VC-1/WMV, AVS, AVS+, AVS2 RealVideo, MJPEG streams, H.264, H265-10, VP9 and also JPEG pictures with no size limitation. The independent encoder is able to encode in JPEG or H.265/H.264 up to 1080p at 60fps There’s only mention of 4Kx2K decoding at up to 75fps, and further down in the document, […]
XIDU PhilPad 2-in-1 Hybrid 2K Laptop Review
I had never heard about XIDU laptops and tablets, and it’s apparently the brand name of “Shenzhen Baohuazhong Co Limited” that was founded in 2014 and specializes in the design, development, manufacturing, distributions, and support for computer systems. I came to know about the company as they approached me to review one of their laptops, namely XIDU PhilPad XT133A model with an Intel Celeron N3350 dual-core Apollo Lake processor coupled with 6GB RAM and 64GB storage, and equipped with a 13.3″ touchscreen display with 2K (2560×1440) resolution. XIDU PhilPad Specifications SoC – Intel Celeron N3350 dual core Apollo Lake processor @ 1.10 GHz / 2.40 GHz (Turbo) with 12EU Intel HD graphics 500 GPU; 6W TDP System Memory – 6GB DDR3 Storage – 64GB eMMC flash, microSD card slot Display – 13.3″ touchscreen IPS display with 2560 x 1440 resolution Audio – 3.5mm headphone jack, built-in microphone and speaker Camera […]
Ivport Stereo CM Breakout board for Raspberry Pi Compute Module Supports Two Cameras
We’ve previously written about IVport V2 camera multiplexer board that can connect up to 16 cameras to a single Raspberry Pi board in order to create 360 degrees camera setups for example. The company also offered a version with two cameras for stereo recording and capturing modes. But if you’d rather use a Raspberry Pi Compute Module with or without eMMC flash, and use either Raspberry Pi camera V1 or V2, the company has launched Ivport Stereo CM breakout board with support for up to two cameras and exposing some extra ports. Ivport Stereo CM specifications: RPi module compatibility Raspberry Pi CM1 Raspberry Pi CM3 (eMMC equipped) Raspberry Pi CM3 Lite Raspberry Pi CM3+ (eMMC equipped) Raspberry Pi CM3+ Lite RPi camera compatibility Raspberry Pi Camera Module V1.3 (OV5647 sensor) Raspberry Pi Camera Module V2 (Sony IMX 219 sensor) Storage – microSD slot Video Output – HDMI Networking – 10/100M […]
PiJuice Zero a UPS for the Raspberry Pi Zero (Crowdfunding)
Made to work with the Raspberry Pi Zero, the PiJuice Zero is an Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS) and project platform board, that can fit inside the Pi Zero case. The latest innovation from the tech gurus at Pi Supply, the PiJuice Zero is easy to use and quite powerful. The original product was the PiJuice HAT which was released in 2016. The rundown on this platform and the crowdfunding page can be found on Crowd Supply. The PiJuice Zero allows users to take their Raspberry Pi Zero projects anywhere and still keep things running, while intelligent power management controls how that power is utilized. The user-friendly software, programmable LEDs and switches allow for maximum options in applications. The PiJuice Zero was made for those in-the-field projects. Completely wireless and off-the-grid power supply the PiJuice Zero is packed with features and allows for applications for the Raspberry Pi Zero, that couldn’t […]
DisplayPort 2.0 to Support 16K Displays thanks to its 80 Gbps Bandwidth
4K monitors and TVs are now very common, and 8K displays, media players and camera are just coming to market and there’s still pretty expensive and content is basically nonexistent. 8K displays must be quite large or viewers must sit really close to get any benefit over 4K, but some people think 16K displays will be a thing in the not-to-distant future. Announced in 2016, DisplayPort 1.4 took care of 8K 60Hz output thanks to a 32.4 Gbps link bandwidth and compression, but the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) has now announced DisplayPort 2.0 standard with support for one 16K display at up to 60 Hz, or two 4K displays at up to 144 Hz with HDR thanks to a 80 Gbps link bandwidth / 77.4 Gbps payload bandwidth. DisplayPort 2.0 will work with either native DP connectors or USB Type-C connectors with DisplayPort Alt Mode for video and audio. […]
Pi-Top [4] mini-PC runs the New Raspberry Pi 4
The features and design have changed, but the reliability and the advanced processing capability are all the well-known new Raspberry Pi 4, housed in the new Pi-Top [4]. The popular platform has come out with a portable design with expanded connectivity, scalability, and increased processing capabilities. It boasts an OLED display in a mini-PC form-factor that the company has announced will go on sale on Kickstarter. The SBC industry is seeing a general increase in features and processing ability. Added device connectivity, especially in multimedia capability. The Pi-Top [4] is no exception. The laptop version of Pi-Top is still a viable computer with many features for an SBC footprint. The new Pi-Top [4] mini-PC has expanded RAM, increased ports, and comes with an inventor’s kit. The Pi-Top [4] comes with a roster of accessories that include; sensors, LED’s, and potentiometers to get those just beginning their journey on the path […]
4K Video Playback on Raspberry Pi 4 with LibreELEC (Alpha)
In my short Raspberry Pi 4 review, I tested 4K video output and playback in Raspbian, and sadly neither are working properly, with video output stuck to 1080p60 even after selecting 4K HDMI in the settings and yes, I double checked for “hdmi_enable_4k=1” in config.txt, while H.265 video playback is still clearly using software decode in both VLC and omxplayer. However, LibreELEC team announced support for Raspberry Pi 4 in LibreELEC 9.2 Alpha1 release based on Kodi 18.3 and Linux 4.19.x. So I downloaded LibreELEC-RPi4.arm-9.1.001.img.gz and flash it to a microSD card with balenaEtcher. The good news is that I could manually set the resolution to 3840×2160 and confirm it works with my TV, but the refresh is limited to 30 Hz maximum. Other refresh rates currently available include 23.98 Hz, 24 Hz, 25 Hz, and 29.97 Hz. The hardware is capable if 4K 60Hz, so it’s just a question […]