Allwinner launched Allwinner H3 in December 2014 for Android TV boxes supporting 4K resolution selling for $35 to $50, but the first devices that started showing up in January sold for about $80. As the year passed, prices became more reasonable such as the $59 Zidoo X1 TV Box or $35 Tronsmart Draco H3 TV stick , and when Orange Pi PC development board launched for $15 + shipping, it was clear Allwinner H3 was a dirt cheap processor. The good thing is that you can now buy a 4K Android media player for just $31.99 shipped with Beelink X2 sold on GearBest. Beelink X2 specifications: SoC – Allwinner H3 quad core ARM Cortex A7 @ 1.2GHz with quad core Mali-400MP2 System Memory – 1 GB RAM Storage – 8 GB NAND flash + micro SD slot up to 32GB Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi Video Output – […]
Xiaomi Introduces Mi TV Bar TV Box Speakers Powered by Mstar 6A928 Processor
Xiaomi has introduced a few new products yesterday including Mi TV 3 60″ 4K UHD television, a cheap Bluetooth voice remote, as well as Ninebot Mini self-balancing two-wheel scooter. But the company has also launched a product that looks like the offspring of a sound bar and a TV box with MI TV Bar, featuring Mstar 6A928 quad core Cortex A17 processor with 2GB RAM and running Android 5.1 Lollipop as well as built-in speakers with Dolby Audio technology. It’s actually designed to be the smart system for Mi TV 3, as Xiaomi found out that while TVs may last 10 years, the “smart” part in smart TV may need an update every couple of years. Mi TV Bar specifications: SoC – Mstar 6A928 quad-core ARM Cortex A17 processor @ 1.4GHz with Mali-760 MP4 4 + 4 core GPU System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB eMMC 5.0 flash […]
Review of WeTek Core Android Lollipop Media Player
EThe first devices based on Amlogic S812 processors started shipping by the end of 2014, but in the third quarter of 2015, there’s been a few new device released as some companies ported Android 5.x Lollipop to the platform. I reviewed two of these. Mygica ATV1900AC had potential but the number of bugs was disappointing, while Tronfy MXIV Telos was almost a disaster. Today, I’m going to report my test results with WeTek Core Android 5.1 TV box, also powered by Amlogic S812, more exactly S812-H, which includes DTS and Dolby licenses. I’ve already listed the specs, and torn down WeTek Core in two previous posts, so I’ll focus on the firmware in this review. Initial Setup and OTA Firmware Update First of all, I’d like to mention that I got an early WeTek Core sample, and while the hardware is frozen, the firmware is still being developed before the […]
$48 MXQ Pro TV Box Features Amlogic S905 Processor with Support for 4K, 10-bit HEVC Videos
Amlogic S905 is the only low cost SoC on the market that can offer a future proof TV Box with HDMI 2.0 output compliant with HDCP 2.2, 10-bit HEVC video playback up to 2160p60, and DTS & Dolby audio pass-through. I had also been told the SoC was cheap, going for $4.50 per unit in largish quantities, and now MXQ Pro, one of the first Amlogic S905 TV Box, is available for pre-order for just $55 on GeekBuying. MXQ Pro specifications: SoC – Amlogic S905 quad core ARM Cortex-A53 @ up to 2.0GHz with penta-core Mali-450MP GPU System Memory – 1GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB NAND flash + SD card slot Video Output – HDMI 2.0, AV Video Codec – 4K@60 Hz video decoding 10-bit HEVC and AVS+ codec support; H.264 up to 4K 30 Hz Audio – HDMI, AV, coaxial S/PDIF Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth […]
Zidoo X6 Pro Android TV Box Review
Zidoo X6 Pro is a 64-bit ARM Android TV Boxes based on Rockchip RK3368 processor, promising support for HDMI 2.0 and video decoding up to 4K2K @ 60Hz. While the others I’ve tried so far, such as Beelink i68, are pre-loaded with some version of Kodi 14.2, X6 Pro comes with a modified version of Kodi 15.1. I published pictures of the Zidoo X6 Pro TV box and board a few days ago, and today I’ll review the box’ features, performance, and capabilities. First Boot, Settings and First Impressions I’ve connected a USB hard drive to one of the two USB ports, as well as a USB hub with two RF dongles for Tronsmart Mars G01 gamepad and MeLE F10 Deluxe air mouse, a USB keyboard, and a USB webcam. I’ve also inserted an Ethernet cable, an HDMI cable, an optical audio cable, a Class 10 micro SD card, as […]
Roku 4 Media Player Supports H.265 and VP9 4K Videos, 7.1 Channel Audio Pass-through
Roku has announced the latest version of their video streaming player. Roku 4 comes with a faster quad core processor, supports H.265 & VP9 video playback up to respectively 2160p60 and 2160p30, and includes a new version of Roku operating systems. Roku 4 specifications: SoC – Unnamed Quad core ARM processor with OpenGL ES 2.0 capable GPU System Memory – 1.5GB RAM Storage – TBD internal storage – micro SD slot Video Output – HDMI 2.0 up to 3840×2160 @ 60Hz with HDCP 2.2 support Audio Output – HDMI or optical S/PDIF with support for Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 surround pass-through Video Codecs – 4K UHD 60 fps HEVC Playback, 4K UHD 30 fps VP9 Playback (YouTube) Connectivity – 802.11ac MIMO dual-band wireless, 10/100 Base-T Ethernet USB – USB host port Power supply – 12V/1A Power consumption – 12.4W (typ.) when streaming 4K UHD video Dimensions – About 16.5 x […]
Zidoo X6 Pro Unboxing and Teardown
There are so many Rockchip RK3368 TV boxes on the market that it’s difficult for products to stand out. But Zidoo X6 Pro might be one of these products bringing a little more, as beside frequent firmware updates, Zidoo’s RK3368 TV box may be the first to officially run Kodi 15.x, while most others manufacturers have decided to stick with Kodi 14.2 in their latest firmware, and the company also released Kodi source code modifications for 7.1 audio pass-through, 3D MVC support, and hardware video decoding in compliance with Kodi’s GPL license. As usual, I’ll start by taking some pictures of the device and board, before writing a full review in the next few days. Zidoo X6 Pro Unboxing I got the following package via DHL, which somehow decided to take my picture as I received the parcel… The package includes some of the key features of the device include […]
ARNU Box Mach 10 Pure Linux Review
Most TV boxes on the market are running Android, but if all you’d want to do is watching online or local videos in Kodi, a Linux box may offer a more streamlined experience, and that’s exactly what ARNU Box Mach 10 Pure Linux is offering as an Amlogic S812 TV Box running Kodi 15 Linux. In my “Arnu Box Mach 10 specs, unboxing and teardown” post, we’ve already seen the box bascially uses the same PCB used in Eny M8S, but with some different memory and storage chips. But that’s the software that’s mostly interested in this box, and today, I’ll go through the first time setup and Cloudword, before testing video playback capabilities. Setting Up ARNU Box Mach 10 Pure Linux So I’ve just connected an HDMI cable, an Ethernet cable, and the power adapter to get started, and the very first time you’ll go through a detailed setup […]