Xiaomi Mi Box (US/International) was so far the most affordable solution if you wanted a full Android TV experience, and the box is part of our best TV boxes list for under $100. But the company has now introduced Xiaomi Mi Box S with a design very similar to Xiaomi Mi Box 4 sold in China, but running Android 8.1 TV geared towards the US market instead of Android plus a Chinese user interface. Xiaomi Mi Box S specifications: SoC – Amlogic S905X quad core ARM Cortex-A53 @ up to 1.5GHz with penta-core Mali-450MP GPU System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB eMMC flash Video Output – HDMI 2.0a up to 4K @ 60 Hz with HDR support Audio – 3.5mm audio jack, Dolby Audio and DTS support Video Codecs – 4K H.265 @ 60 fps, 4K VP9, 4K H.264 up to 30 fps, MPEG1/2/, VC1, DivX 4/5 up […]
Xiaomi Mi Box International Sold for $49.99 Shipped (Promo)
Xiaomi Mi Box (International) is one of the recommended TV boxes as it runs the official Android TV OS with support for Netflix and Amazon Prime HD/4K, and normally sells around $60. But Banggood currently has a promotion until July 24, 2018, where it offers the TV box for just $49.99 shipped. Stocks are limited to around 100 units for this promotion however. The device was released in 2016, so a little reminder of the specifications is in order: SoC – Amlogic S905X-H quad core ARM Cortex-A53 @ up to 1.5 GHz with penta-core Mali-450MP GPU @ 750 MHz System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB eMMC flash Video Output – HDMI 2.0a up to 4K @ 60 Hz with HDCP 2.2 and CEC support Audio Output – HDMI, optical S/PDIF and 3.5mm audio jack Video Codecs – VP9 Profile-2 & H.265 MP-10 up to 4K @ 60 fps, […]
Top 10 Best Selling TV Boxes (on GearBest)
I’ve already written articles such as the “Best Android TV boxes in 2018” to help people select a TV box that matches their requirements, but today it will be a little different. GearBest provides a speadsheet with discount and coupons to bloggers and YouTube reviewers (sadly not shareable link here), and this time I noticed they also list the top 10 best sellers in the TV box category. Those may not necessarily the best TV boxes, but at least many other people bought them, and you may get unofficial support via communities such as Freaktab or LibreELEC. Withoutany further delay, here’s the list in no particular order and with prices for reference only as listed in the spreadsheet: Mecool M8S PRO L 4K TV Box (Buy Link) – Amlogic S912, 3GB RAM, 32GB flash, Android 7.1 – $75.99 W95 TV Box (2GB) (Buy Link) – Amlogic S905W, 2GB RAM, 16GB flash, […]
Xiaomi Mi Box Gets Android 8 Oreo Firmware Update
Xiaomi Mi Box US is one of the recommended TV boxes if you want a pure – and official – Android TV experience at an affordable price. However, updates to the latest version of Android has been slow, and until recently the device was running Android TV 6.x (Marshmallow) only, despite Android 8 being released in August 2017, and Nougat a year ealier. But according to reports from reddit users, Xiaomi Mi Box has finally gotten an OTA upgrade to Android 8.x Oreo. Some of the changes include support for Google Assistant, the new Android Oreo launcher for Android TV, and other new features introduce in Marshmallow and Oreo. More geeky users reported Linux has also been updated to version 4.9.54, and Project Treble is installed with should allow for more timely firmware updates in the future, although without seamless upgrade support. The Android Oreo upgrade has been reported in […]
Google ADT-2 is an Android TV Dongle for Developers
You may remember we covered a “4K ATV Stick” last month, as a mostly unknown manufacturer (Shenzhen SEI Robotics) applied for FCC certification, with the device featuring a large G marking, leading some to speculate it may be an upcoming Google device. At the time, I dismissed it, and believed if was just another Chinese “Android TV” or “Android” TV device, but Google has now released a similar looking Android device which probably means I was wrong… It’s not a consumer device however, and after Google ADT-1 Android TV developer kit launched in 2014, Google has now unveiled ADT-2 developer device that runs Android P developer preview with Google Assistant. ADT-2 OTT HDMI stick specifications: SoC- Amlogic S905X quad core Cortex A53 processor with Arm Mali-450MP GPU System Memory – 2GB RAM Storage – 8GB eMMC flash Video & Audio Output – HDMI 2.0a with HDCP 2.2 support Video Decoding […]
$38 Nexbox A95X Pro Runs Android TV, Supports Netflix HD
TV box manufacturers should move and more more from Android to Android TV operating systems, so we can expect cheaper TV boxes offering an Android TV experience. One of those device is Nexbox A95X Pro that sells for $37.99 on GeekBuying (pre-orders shipping in about 4 days), and also happens to support Netflix HD (720p). [Update: The promo on GeekBuying appears to be over, but it’s now available on GearBest for $36.99 with coupon GBA95X1] Nexbox A95X Pro TV box specifications: SoC – Amlogic S905W quad core Arm Cortex-A53 processor with Arm Mali-450MP GPU System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 16GB eMMC flash, micro SD card slot Video Output – HDMI up to 4K @ 30 Hz, AV port (composite) Video – 4K 30 fps H.265, 4K 30 fps VP9 Profile-2, MPEG1/2/4, H.264, HD AVC/VC1, RM/RMVB, Xvid/DivX3/4/5/6, RealVideo8/9/10 Audio Output – Via HDMI and AV ports, coaxial S/PDIF port Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi […]
Com Hem TV Hub is an Hybrid TV Box Powered by Broadcom BCM7271 SoC with VideoCore V GPU
Most people reading this blog will know VideoCore IV is the GPU used in Broadcom BCM283x processors found in Raspberry Pi board, but we’ve previously seen work was done on its successor – VideoCore V GPU – in the Linux kernel. It’s unclear whether the GPU will be used in the next generation Raspberry Pi boards, but there’s a least one hardware platform featuring VideoCore V GPU with Com Hem TV Hub, an Android TV TV box for the Swedish market based on Broadcom BCM7271 SoC. UZX8020CHM specifications based on AndroidTV Guide page: SoC – Broadcom BCM7271 quad core processor @ 1.6 GHz with VideoCore V (V3D-520) GPU System Memory – 2GB RAM Storage – 16GB eMMC flash, microSD slot, optional stackable 1TB hard drive Video Output – HDMI 2.0 up to 4K 60 Hz with HDR support Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 n/ac WiFi 4×4 MIMO Tuner – Quad […]
4K ATV Stick Looks like the Offspring of ChromeCast and FireTV Stick 2017 with a Big “G” Logo
A new Android TV device has shown up on the FCC website, and generated quite a lot of buzz last time online with the source of the story originating from Reddit or Ausdroid, and picked up by many blogs because the device comes with a “G” logo that looks like the one Google might use… But in all likelihood it should just be another TV stick running Android TV OS, and the FCC listing has been submitted by Shenzhen SEI Robotics, an Android TV box manufacturer. The device is based on Amlogic S905X processor with 2GB RAM, and looks like a mix between the ChromeCast and Amazon FireTV 2017 with its short built-in HDMI cable and rounded shape. Hardware specifications: SoC- Amlogic S905X quad core Cortex A53 processor with Arm Mali-450MP GPU System Memory – 2GB RAM Storage – 8GB eMMC flash Video & Audio Output – HDMI 2.0a with […]