MECOOL KM9PRO MAX 4K Streaming Box runs Google TV 12.0 on Realtek RTD1325 SoC

MECOOL KM9PRO Max 4K GTV Box

MECOOL KM9PRO MAX 4K is a Google TV 12.0 streaming box based on the Realtek RTD1325 quad-core Cortex-A55 SoC which we initially found in the Formuler Z Mini 4K Android 12 dongle. Since it’s a more traditional TV box as opposed to an HDMI dongle, it adds features like 10/100Mbps Ethernet, optical S/PDIF output, an AV composite and audio jack, two USB 2.0 ports, while keeping the 4K-capable HDMI 2.1 port and WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity. The KM9PRO Max 4K also comes with a larger 32GB eMMC flash. MECOOL KM9PRO MAX 4K specifications: SoC – Realtek RTD1325 CPU – Quad-core Arm Cortex-A55 @ 1.7GHz with 512KB L3 cache; 20,000 DMIPS GPU – Arm Mali-G57 MC1 with OpenGL ES 3.2 VPU – 4Kp60 10-bit AV1, VP9, H.265 video decoder System Memory – 2GB LPDDR4 Storage – 32GB eMMC flash Video & Audio Output HDMI 2.1 up to 4K resolution […]

Android 14 released, source code hits AOSP

Android 14

Google has just released Android 14 for supported devices such as Google Pixel phones and pushed the source code to AOSP (the Android Open-Source Project). Most of the changes to the fourteenth version of the Android operating system were introduced with the first Android 14 developer preview – released in February 2023 – which included performance improvements, better privacy and security, and additional user-side customization options. Some of the new features unveiled since the first Android 14 developer preview include: AI-generated wallpapers using text-to-image diffusion models to help users easily create unique wallpapers HDR images with Ultra HDR (Android 13 already supported HDR videos) Built-in Health Connect support to let people track their fitness, health, and wellness levels across apps in a secure way respecting privacy. Android 14 encourages users to set a six-digit PIN (or longer) to improve security. Improved accessibility with vision-and hearing-inclusive features such as an enhanced […]

Raspberry Pi Camera Module 3 review – HDR, autofocus, wide angle, and NoIR camera

Raspberry Pi Camera Module 3 review

A few days before launching the Raspberry Pi Camera Module 3 with HDR and autofocus, Raspberry Pi Trading asked me whether I would be interested in reviewing the new modules, and sent me three samples: the standard module, the Raspberry Pi Camera Module 3 Wide, as well as the NoIR version that lacks an IR filter and is better suited for night shots. It took a full week for DHL to send the package to my house, but I’ve now had time to review the new Raspberry Pi Camera Module 3, mostly with libcamera, but also Picamera2, focusing on the new features such as HDR, autofocus, and wide angle. I also had a quick try at the Raspberry Pi Camera Module 3 NoIR but without IR lights. Regular readers know I had already made some DIY camera mounts using empty gum bottles, and I just replaced the Lotte XYLITOL stickers […]

Raspberry Pi Camera Module 3 launched with autofocus and HDR

Raspberry Pi Camera 3

Raspberry Pi Trading has launched the Camera Module 3, their first camera module supporting autofocus and HDR, designed to work with all Raspberry Pi boards that can take a camera, and offered with either a standard or wide field-of-view, and an optional infrared cut filter. All four variants of the new camera module are equipped with a Sony IMX708 12MP sensor that supports high-dynamic range (HDR) and features phase detection autofocus. The Camera Module 3 has the same X/Y dimensions and mounting holes as the popular Camera Module 2 launched in 2016, but is several millimeters taller due to the improved optics. Raspberry Pi Camera Module 3 specifications: 12MP Sony IMX708 back-illuminated and stacked CMOS image sensor Sensor size – 7.4mm diagonal Pixel size: 1.4μm x 1.4μm Resolution  – 4608 x 2592 pixels FoV – See comparison table between different models below Common video modes: 1080p50, 720p100, 480p120 Autofocus system: […]

NVIDIA Jetpack 5.0.2 release supports Ubuntu 20.04, Jetson AGX Orin

NVIDIA Jetpack 5.0.2 Ubuntu 20.04

The NVIDIA Jetpack 5.0.2 production release is out with Ubuntu 20.04, the Jetson Linux 35.1 BSP 1 with Linux Kernel 5.10, an UEFI-based bootloader, support for Jetson AGX Orin module and developer kit, as new as updated packages such as CUDA 11.4, TensorRT 8.4.1, cuDNN 8.4.1. NVIDIA Jetson modules and developer kits are nice little pieces of hardware for AI workloads, but the associated NVIDIA Jetpack SDK was based on the older Ubuntu 18.04 which was not suitable for some projects. But the good news is that Ubuntu 20.04 was being worked on and initially available through the Jetpack 5.0.0/5.0.1 developer previews, and NVIDIA Jetpack 5.0.2 SDK is the first production release with support for Ubuntu 20.04. Besides the upgrade to Ubuntu 20.04, the Jetpack 5.0.2 SDK also adds support for both the Jetson AGX Orin Developer Kit and the newly-available Jetson AGX Orin 32 GB production module. It still […]

LibreELEC 10.0 minimal Linux OS for media playback released with Kodi 19.1

LibreELEC 10.0

While most TV boxes and SBCs nowadays ship with or support a version of Android, people who just want the best viewing experience may prefer to switch to a Linux distribution such as LibreELEC or CoreELEC. The good news is that LibreELEC 10.0 has just been released with Kodi 19.1 and Linux 5.10 LTS. LibreELEC 10.0 is said to work well for Allwinner, Rockchip, and “Generic” Intel/AMD devices, while the Raspberry Pi 4 release’s codebase is rather new, and there may still be a few rough edges. Support for the previous generation Raspberry Pi boards has been dropped, and there’s no support for Amlogic platforms as CoreELEC already provides good support. Since LibreELEC 10.0 is based on Kodi 19.1, it benefits from the same features as Kodi 19 “Matrix” release including AV1 video decoding, a new skin, HDR support, and more. LibreELEC 10.1 support a wide range of single board […]

S805X2 AV1 Android TV dongles and TV boxes are starting to show up

S805X2 TV box tv dongle

Amlogic S805X2 AV1 capable processor was first teased as an update to S805X and S805Y Full HD TV box processors in 2019 with very little details. But companies have started to list some S805X2 based Android dongles and TV boxes. That means we also have additional details for the processor, and we’ll look into SDMC DV9035 TV box and SEI Robotics SEI103 dongle, neither of which should be sold to end-users, but instead OEM’s or content providers. SDMC DV9035 S805X2 TV box Specifications: SoC – Amlogic S805X2 quad-core Arm Cortex-A35 processor with Mali-G31 MP2 GPU System Memory – 1GB DDR4 Storage – 8GB eMMC flash Video Output – HDMI up to 1080p60 with HDR support Video Codecs – AV1, VP9, H.265, H.264 High-dynamic Range – HDR 10, HLG, HDR10+Optional Connectivity 10/100M Ethernet Dual-band 2.4GHz/5GHz 802.11a/b/g/n/ac WiFI 5 with optional 2×2 MIMO, Bluetooth 4.2 or higher USB – 2x USB 2.0 ports DRM – […]

T95 Plus Android 11 TV Box features Rockchip RK3566 AIoT processor, 8GB RAM

T95 Plus RK3566

Last month, we wrote about the first Rockchip RK3566 TV box we had seen so far with a new version of the H96 Max TV box running Android 11 with up to 8GB RAM. While Rockchip RK3566 processor has multimedia capabilities with 4K HDR video playback and output, it has many other interfaces such as native PCIe and SATA that would not make it as cost-effective as TV Box SoC’s like Rockchip RK3328 or Amlogic S905X4. But this does not stop companies from making TV boxes with the AIoT processor, and T95 Plus TV box offers another option, again with up to 8GB RAM. T95 Plus specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3566 quad-core Cortex-A55 processor @ 1.8 GHz with Arm Mali-G52 EE GPU, 0.8 TOPS NPU/AI accelerator System Memory – 4GB, 6GB, or 8GB RAM Storage – 32GB, 64GB, or 128GB eMMC flash, MicroSD card slot Video Output – HDMI 2.0a […]

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