Nvidia Shield Android TV vs Apple TV vs Roku 3 vs Fire TV vs Nexus Player – Video Capabilities and Features Comparison

Since Nvidia released the Shield Android TV box, I’ve heard several people saying Nvidia raised the bar and even disrupted the TV box market by bringing a powerful HTPC and gaming console to the market for just $199. The company has now released OTA 2.0 firmware that improves HTPC capabilities, including under Kodi and Plex, and the box supports for 10-bit HEVC, H.264, and VP9 @ 4K, and audio pass-through for HD audio codecs such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master. As part of the release announcement, Nvidia also compared the Shield TV media capabilities to the ones of other US centric media players, namely Apple TV (2015), Roku 3, Amazon Fire TV (2015), and Nexus Player. Since it comes from Nvidia, it was also going to show the Shield TV in a good light, but I’m very surprised to see that Apple, Amazon, Google, and Roku would ship a […]

ARNU Box Mach Q Kodi 15 Linux TV Box Specs, Unboxing and Teardown

After having a look at ARNU Box Mach 10 Pure Linux earlier today, I’ll move on to its little brother ARNU Box Mach Q featuring an Amlogic S805 processor with support for H.265 video playback at Full HD. I’ll start by listing the specs, then I’ll take a few pictures, and finally check the board. ARNU Box Mach Q (Pure Linux) specifications Again, the hardware specifications are pretty standard: SoC – Amlogic S805 quad core ARM Cortex A5 @ 1.5GHz with quad core Mali-450MP GPU System Memory – 1 GB DDR3 Storage – 8 GB storage + SD card slot Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Video Output – HDMI 1.4 up to 1080p60, AV output Audio Output – HDMI, AV, optical S/PDIF USB – 2x USB 2.0 ports Misc – IR sensor, Status and Net LEDs Power Supply – 5V/2A Dimensions – 107.5 x 107.5 x […]

Open Hour Gecko 4K Android Player Features Hisilicon Hi3798M Processor

Cloud Media has just introduced yet another media player with Open Hour Gecko, an Android TV box powered by Hisilicon Hi3798M quad core Cortex A7 processor supporting H.265 and video output up to 4K @ 30Hz. Open Hour Gecko specifications: SoC – HiSilicon Hi3798M quad core ARM Cortex A7 processor @ 1.5GHz with a quad core ARM Mali-450MP GPU. System Memory – 1 GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB NAND Flash + micro SD slot Video Out – HDMI up to 4K @ 30Hz, and 3.5 mm jack AV jack Audio Output – HDMI, AV, and optical S/PDIF Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, built-in 802.11 b/g/n WiFi with external antenna USB – 1x USB 3.0 port, 1x USB 2.0 host port Misc – Power switch (On/Off) Power Supply – 5V/2A Dimensions – N/A The device ships with a power adapter, HDMI and AV cables, a remote control with batteries, a Quick Start […]

Hisilicon HI3798C V200 64-bit ARM Processor Supports HDMI 2.0, 10-bit HEVC, USB 3.0, SATA and More

There have been several Cortex A53 processors announced or released on the market such as Rockchip RK3368, Allwinner A64, or Amlogic S905, but in many cases I can read comments complaining about the lack of high speed interface, incomplete code support, or a weak GPU. Hisilicon Hi3798C V200 offers better features than its competitor, as beside four Cortex A53 cores, it includes a Mali-720 GPU, supports HDMI 2.0 output up to 4K at 60 HZ, 10-bit HEVC / H.265 and VP9 video decoding at 3840×2160 resolution at 60 fps, and integrates SATA and USB 3.0 interfaces. Hisilicon Hi3798C V200 key features and specifications: CPU – Quad core Cortex A53 processor (15K DMIPS) GPU – ARM Mali-T720 supporting OpenGL ES 3.1/2.0, OpenVG1.1, EGL, and Imprex 2.0 PQ engine Memory I/F – DDR3 or DDR4 Video Engine (VPU) Codecs – HEVC, H.264, VP9, VC1, MPEG2 Decoder – 10-bit up to 4Kp60 Encoder – […]

Amlogic S905 Android TV Boxes, Sticks, and Digital TV Receivers Are Coming Soon

Amlogic S905 is the first 64-bit ARM processor of the company, with four Cortex A53 cores, a Mali-450MP GPU, as well as support for HDMI 2.0, and 10-bit HEVC video decoding. It will come to market before S912 processor featuring a Mali-T7xx GPU, and compete with Rockchip RK3368 octa-core processor. I’ve already features two Amlogic S905 TV boxes a few months ago with Acemax G9C and Eny EM95, but these two products were announced several months before the actual release, and now several other products have been announced, and should become available very soon. Geniatech unveiled two products based on Amlogic S905: ATV495 Android TV box, and ATV1950 Android digital TV receiver with dual ATSC, DVB-T, or ISDBT tuners, while Guleek A8 is an Amlogic S905 Android TV stick. Geniatech ATV495 TV Box ATV495 specifications: SoC –  Amlogic S905 quad core ARM Cortex-A53 @ up to 2.0GHz with a quad […]

pcDuino8 Uno is an Allwinner H8 Octa-core Development Board with Arduino Headers

H7 Hummingbird development board powered by Allwinner H8 octa-core Cortex A7 processor with support for 1080p H265 video decoding launched this summer, but Merrii does not usually provide much support to individual developers. Linksprite is about to launch a new H8 development board that also comes with Arduino compatible headers. pcDuino8 Uno board specifications: SoC – AllWinner H8 octa-core ARM Cortex-A7 processor @ up to 2.0GHz with PowerVR SGX544 GPU @ up to 700MHz System Memory – 1GB DDR3 Storage – micro SD card slot up to 32GB Video Output – HDMI 1.4 up to 1080p with HDCP support Audio I/O – HDMI, 3.5mm analog audio jack Connectivity – Ethernet (100M LAN shown on board, but “Gbps” listed in specs) USB – 1x USB 2.0 host port, 2x micro USB ports (1x OTG, 1x power only) Camera – 1x MIPI CSI header Expansion Headers – Arduino Uno headers with 14x […]

Popcorn Hour A-500 PRO High-End Media Player is Powered by Sigma Designs SMP8758 SoC (Crowdfunding)

CloudMedia, previously known as Syabas, has been in the Linux media player business for many years, having developed various product based on Sigma Designs secure media processor. Popcorn Hour A-500 PRO is their latest media player, which the company claims have high-end audio and video quality thanks to an ESS SABRE Audio DAC, XLR connectors, and Sigma Designs SMP8758 dual core Cortex A9 processor and its VXP engine. Popcorn Hour A-500 PRO specifications: SoC – Sigma Designs SMP8758 ARM Cortex A9 processor @ 1.2 GHz with ARM Mali-400 GPU and VXP image processing engine System Memory – 2048 MB DDR3 Storage – NAND Flash for firmware, 1x SD card reader, internal SATA bay Video Output – HDMI up to 3840×2160 @ 30 Hz Audio Output Digital – HDMI, optical S/PDIF, and coaxial S/PDIF Analog – Stereo RCA jacks, XLR connectors, and headphones Audio DAC – ESS SABRE Audio DAC ES9018K2M […]

Tronfy MX4 Telos Android 5.1 TV Box Unboxing and Teardown

I’ve recently reviewed Mygica ATV1900AC TV box powered by Amlogic S812 with 2GB RAM and 16GB eMMC running Android Lollipop, a device with some high quality components, and a RF remote with voice command and search function that sells for $180. Tinydeal, a Hong Kong-based online shopping site specialized in electronic goods, sent me Tronfy MX4 Telos with very similar specifications including support for 802.11ac and Gigabit Ethernet, but selling instead for nearly half price at $98.99 including shipping. The firmware is also based on Lollipop, and runs Android 5.1.1 instead of Android 5.0.2, and it will be interesting to find out how the cheaper product fare against the higher-end one. Tronfy MX4 (MXIV) Telos Specifications Since it’s the first time I come across this box, I’ll list the specifications first: SoC – Amlogic S812 quad core cortex A9r4 @ 2 GHz with Mali-450MP6 GPU System Memory – 2GB DDR3 […]

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