Review of BFS 4KH Media Player Powered by HiSilicon Hi3798M Processor

Buyforsure (BFS) 4KH is a low cost Android TV box powered by HiSilicon Hi3978M quad core Cortex A7 processor supporting 4K video output and decoding, HEVC/H.265 video decoding, and featuring a USB 3.0 port. I’ve already taken a few pictures of the device and board, so today I’ll reports about my findings after testing features and performance of this media player. First Boot, Settings and First Impressions The remote control included in the package does the job as long as you use the box user interface and play videos with the included player or XBMC, but I also switched to Mele F10 Deluxe air mouse when I need a pointer or to input text. I’ve connected an Ethernet cable, an HDMI cable, a USB 3.0 hard drive to the USB 3.0 port, and a USB hub to the USB 2.0 port including a USB webcam, two RF dongles for the […]

Review of CX-S806 TV Box Powered by Amlogic S812 Processor

I’ve already reviewed one Android media player based on Amlogic S812 processor with MINIX NEO X8-H Plus. Today, I’m going to have a look at another S812 TV box, namely CX-S806, with lower specs, and less support, but that sells for half price compared to the MINIX device. I’ve already published pictures of CX-S806 media player and board, so today I’ll focus on testing the performance and features of the device. First Boot, Settings and First Impressions The package include a simple IR remote control, so I inserted two AAA batteries to give it a try, and it seemed to work OK, but as usual I switched to use Mele F10 Deluxe air mouse for the rest of the review. Since I’ve connected Ethernet and HDMI cables, a USB hard drive, a USB webcam, and a USB hub with two RF dongles for the air mouse and wireless gamepad, and […]

Best Android Mini PCs Awards of 2014

I’ve reviewed quite a few Android media players this year, and as 2014 comes to an end, I thought it might be worth writing a best of 2014. But it’s difficult to announce an overall winner since all have some flaws one way or another, I’ll classified by categories: Best Ethernet, Best Internal Storage, … a bit like for “Oscars ceremony awards, based mostly on objective results from my tests. However, and somewhat oddly for a media player, I won’t select any TV boxes based on their video playback capabilities, as so far I haven’t found one that can play most 4K / H.265 videos reasonably well in Kodi, and video playback tests are also subjective. This is obviously a flawed contest as they all are, because in order to be nominated, the media player must have been reviewed on CNX Software. But it should be fun anyway, so let’s […]

Mini Review of Jesurun T034 Android TV Stick Featuring a Gigabit Ethernet Port

The vast majority of Android TV sticks only provide Wi-Fi to connect to the Internet, but Jesurun T034 is one of the rare TV stick that also features an Ethernet interface, and a Gigabit one at that. I’ve already listed specifications and uploaded pictures of the device, so today it’s time for a review. I’ve reviewed so many Rockchip RK3288 devices in the past, so I won’t write my usual full review, but I will focus on network connectivity, internal storage performance, stability / temperature measurements, as I’ve found high temperature to be problematic in another RK3288 TV stick, and I’ll quickly show the launcher, test the remote with the extension cable, and run Antutu 5.3 benchmark. Jesurun T034 User Interface and Remote Control I’ve connected the IR extension cable, an Ethernet cable, the RF dongle for Mele F10 Deluxe to the USB  port, and the RF dongle for Tronsmart […]

Mini PC Polls: Networking Connectivity, Video and Audio Outputs

It’s always interesting to find out how people use their devices, and I recently discovered Google+ support Polls as Droidmote posted a poll to find out whether people used Wi-Fi or Ethernet with their mini PCs, and I followed up with polls about video and audio outputs. Around 50 people have answered to each poll up to now, so even if it may not representative, let’s have a look at the results so far. About half of the people are connected via Ethernet, and the other half are using Wi-Fi after 43 votes. Wi-Fi is normally more convenient, but may not be as reliable, and for users playing high bitrate videos Ethernet is a must, unless you find buffering enjoyable…. After 58 votes, most people still connect their mini PC to a Full HD television via HDMI, with a few connecting it to a 4K UHD TV, and nobody using […]

Finally… An Android TV Stick with an Ethernet Port

Ever since MK802 hit the market in April 2012, I’ve been expecting HDMI TV Sticks with Ethernet ports, but it never really materialized. There have been many small TV boxes, but AFAIK none of which could simply be insert in the back of your TV. Thanks to MK802 V we now have an HDMI TV dongle, powered by Rockchip RK3288 quad core Cortex A12/A17 processor, featuring an Ethernet port. MK802 V specifications: SoC – Rockchip 3288 quad core ARM Cortex A12/A17 up to 1.8 GHz with Mali-T764 GPU System Memory – 2 GB DDR3 Storage – 8 GB NAND flash (16GB optional) + micro SD slot (up to 32GB) Video / Audio Output – HDMI 2.0 (male) Video Codecs – MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, H.263, H.264, H.265, AVS, VC-1, RV, VP6/VP8, MVC (1080p) Sorenson Spark, MVC up to 4K2K @ 60fps Audio Formats – MP1, MP2, MP3, WMA, WAV, OGG, OGA, […]

How to Make a $15 Web Server for IoT Applications

Arduino_Leonardo_Ethernet_ENC28J60_Assembled

If you have an embedded project that requires some GPIOs, and Ethernet connectivity, you now have a few choices of low cost low boards such as the Raspberry Pi with Broadcom ARM11 SoC for $35 + shipping,  Texas Instruments Connected LaunchPad with an ARM Cortex M4 MCU for $20 including shipping, and today I’ve given a try at a solution to run an HTTP server with an Arduino Leonardo clone connected to ENC28J60 Ethernet module that together cost about $15 including shipping. This Ethernet module has been around for a while and is well supported, I just never took the time to give it a try before. I’ve purchased ENC28J60 module on eBay for $3.46 and connected it via SPI to an Arduino Leonardo clone I acquired as part of a kit via Indiegogo for $12. The kit is not available for purchase outside the crowdfunding campaign, but you can […]

GOsingGO GSG-TB06 Android TV Stick Features an Ethernet Port

There’s a plethora of Android HDMI TV dongles, but all of them only provide Wi-Fi connectivity, and if you need better network performance you need to add Ethernet via an USB to Ethernet dongle. There’s now another solution, that may not be very new, with GOsingGO GSG-TB06 a mini PC based on AllWinner A10 that includes an Ethernet Port. Here are the specifications of the device: SoC – Allwinners A10 @  1.0GHz System Memory – 1GB RAM Storage -4 to 32 GB flash + micro SD card slot Video output – HDMI & AV USB – 1x USB 2.0, 1x micro USB for power Connectivity – Ethernet (RJ45) + Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n (AR6103) Dimensions – 105L x 37W x 15.6Hmm The device comes with a USB power adapter, an RCA (AV) cable, and a user’s manual. The manufacturer says it’s running Android 4.1. The specs are not that great, but […]

EmbeddedTS embedded systems design