Back in 2014, Google killed Google TV and announced Android TV, and as a result, introduced ADT-1, the first developer kit specifically designed for Android TV. Since then ADT-2 was introduced in 2018 in an HDMI stick form factor, and now the company has announced the launch of Android TV on Android 10 together with ADT-3 devkit targetting Android TV app development for Android 10. The “developer kit” just looks like a standard TV box, although It’s really tiny and comes with what looks like a voice remote control. Google did not provide the full specifications, but ADT-3 is equipped with a quad-core Cortex A53 processor coupled with 2GB DDR3 memory, and supports 4Kp60 HDR video playback and output via an HDMI 2.1 output port. That probably means the box is powered by an Amlogic S905X2 processor since few other TV box SoCs combine 4x A53 cores with HDMI 2.1. […]
MINIX NEO T5 Google Android TV Certified Media Hub Launched for $85
MINIX has been pretty busy in the last few months with the launch of their NEO J50C-4 (64GB) and NEO G41V-4 mini PCs, and the company has now just officially launched MINIX NEO T5, their first Google Android TV certified media hub for $84.90 on Aliexpress or Amazon. MINIX NEO T5 specifications: SoC – Amlogic S905X2 quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 processor with Arm Mali-G31 MP2 GPU System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 16GB eMMC 5.1 flash, microSD card slot Video Output – HDMI 2.1 output up to 4K @ 60 Hz with HDR10+ support Audio – 3.5mm audio jack, optical S/PDIF, HDMI digital audio; Dolby Digital support; Dolby TrueHD / Atmos and DTS-HD pass-through is also supported Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet, dual-band 802.11ac WiFi 5 2×2 MIMO, Bluetooth 4.2 USB – 1x USB 2.0 port, 1x USB 3.0 port Power Supply – 5V/2A NEO T5 ships with an IR remote […]
NVIDIA Launches Upgraded Shield TV with Tegra X1+ Processor
Ever since NVIDIA launched the Shield TV in 2015 it features in lists of best Android TV boxes in the $200 budget range, although it can raise to close to $300 if you do not live in a country where the Shield TV is not officially sold. The company launched a more compact version in 2017, and NVIDIA just officially announced upgraded Shield TV and Shield TV Pro 2019 models with a more powerful Tegra X1+ Processor delivering a 25% boost, as well as Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision support. As you can see from the photo above the Shield TV now has a completely different cylindrical design, while the Shield TV Pro keeps the traditional design of the box. However, both share many of the same specifications: SoC – NVIDIA Tegra X1+ processor with a 256-core NVIDIA GPU Memory & Storage Shield: 2 GB RAM; 8GB eMMC flash; MicroSD card […]
MINIX Unveils NEO T5 & NEO U22-XJ Amlogic S905X2 / S922XJ Android TV Media Hubs
We’ve already seen MINIX showcased a fanless Gemini Lake mini PC at IFA 2019, but the company also had two upcoming Amlogic TV boxes on display at the event. MINIX NEO T5 features Amlogic S905X2 quad-core Cortex-A53 processor, while MINIX NEO U22-XJ TV box is powered by an Amlogic S922XJ hexa-core Cortex-A73/A53 processor. The former runs Android TV 9.0 with Google certification, while the latter comes pre-loaded with Android 9.0 OS. I had never heard about S922XJ, and apparently, Amlogic has yet to formally announce it, so I wonder whether it could be Amlogic S922X-B tipped by Khadas a while ago with higher CPU & GPU clock speeds. The processor will also come with Dolby Vision and Dolby Audio licenses, and Amlogic has a history of giving different processor names depending on the audio licenses. MINIX NEO T5 Specifications: SoC – Amlogic S905X2 quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 processor with Arm Mali-G31 […]
Onenuts Nut 9 TV Box Runs Android TV, Doubles as a Smart Speaker
We’ve previously covered HF10 2-in-1 Android speaker and TV box that looks more like a speaker than a TV box, and since we’ve posted about it several years got improved to work as a smart speaker supporting Amazon Alexa. If you’re a distributor looking for something with the same functionalities, but in a more compact TV box form factor, Shenzhen Tomato got you covered with their Onenuts Nut 9 TV box that works as a traditional TV box running Android TV 7.1, as well as a smart speaker with support Google Assistant even when the TV is off thanks to a built-in microphone and a speaker placed on the bottom of the enclosure. Onenuts Nut 9 specifications: SoC – Amlogic S905X Arm Cortex-A53 processor up to 1.5GHz with penta-core Mali-450MP GPU up to 750Mhz+ System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 16GB eMMC flash, micro SD card slot Video Output – […]
Google OTT Turnkey Solution to Deliver Fast-to-Market Pre-Certified 4K HDR Dongles
Despite Google offering Android TV for an optimized big screen experience, many TV boxes are still running a heavily modified version of Android for smartphone, since it’s not that trivial for manufacturers and TV operators to get certification for Android TV. Operators normally just want their own branded hardware with their own streaming app and/or launcher, and “Google OTT Turnkey” aims to help this section of the market by providing pre-certified OTT (Over-The-Top) hardware with low investment and a quick time to market. The dongle/TV box will come with a voice remote control, include certified for Google services and Netflix, receive firmware from Google, while still allowing operators’ customization. The solution would allow a time to market of about 2 to 3 months. We learned about Google OTT Turnkey in the first part of “the Android TV Workshop” at the Connected TV World Summit 2019. The solution is quickly mentioned […]
MECOOL KM3 Android TV 9.0 Certified TV Box Sells for $65.99 (Promo)
Several Amlogic S905X2 TV boxes have been launched in the last few months, but most of them are still running a modified version of Android 8.1 for smartphones. MECOOL KM3 is said to be a Google certified TV box running Android 9.0, which has to be Android TV 9.0 since Google will not certify a TV box without their TV optimized operating system. MECOOL KM3 hardware specifications: SoC – Amlogic S905X2 quad core Arm Cortex-A53 processor with Mali-G31 MP2 “Dvalin” GPU System Memory – 4GB DDR4 Storage – 64GB eMMC flash, micro SD card slot up to 32GB Video & Audio Outputs HDMI 2.1 output up to 4K @ 75 Hz with HDR/HDCP 2.2/CEC 3.5mm AV port (composite + stereo audio) Video Codecs – VP9 Profile-2 up to 4K 60fps, 10-bit H.265 up to 4K 60fps, AVS2-P2 up to 4K 60fps, H.264/AVC up to 4K 30fps, H.264 MVC up to […]
WeTek Air Hybrid 4K HDR Set-top Box Now Available for 119 Euros and Up
We previously covered WeTek Air, an upcoming Android TV set-top box taking DVB-T2/C, DVB-S2 or ATSC tuner cards and certified by Google. The company has now officially launched the device, and you can buy WeTek Air for 119.00 Euros without tuner or for 129.90 Euros with either a DVB-S2 or DVB-T2/C tuners. Just two caveats, only 400 pieces are available now, and they will only ship to Europe, although a worldwide launch is planned for the next batch. Here’s a reminder of the specifications: SoC – Amlogic S905D quad core Arm processor System Memory – 2 GB DDR4 Storage – 16 GB eMMC flash + micro SD card slot Video & Audio Output – HDMI 2.0a up to 4K @ 60Hz with HDR-10 support Video codecs – H.265 & H.264 AVC up to 4K60Hz, H.264 MVC, MPEG-4 ASP, VC-1, AVS, MPEG-2, MPEG-1 up to 1080p60 Audio codecs – MP3, AAC, […]