SDMC DV9286 is an 8K TV box for operators running Android 13 TV OS on an Amlogic S928X penta-core Cortex-A76/A55 processor with 4GB to 8GB RAM, WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity, an HDMI 2.1a port, and 8K AV1, H.265, VP9 video decoding support. We had started to see 8K TV boxes based on the Amlogic S928X processor at IBC 2022 last September, but with few details. SDMC DV9286 announcement brings a few more details such as the GPU used in S928X and which version of Android will be used. SDMC DV9286 (preliminary) specifications: SoC – Amlogic S928X penta-core processor with 1x Cortex-A76 core, 4x Cortex-A55 cores, Arm Mali-G57 MC2 GPU; 12nm process System Memory – 4GB LPDDR4 (up to 8GB option) Storage – 32GB eMMC flash Video Output – HDMI 2.1a up to 8Kp60 with HDCP2.2/2.3, HDR 10, HLG, HDR10+, Dolby Vision (optional), and HDMI 2.1-specific features such as […]
Year 2022 in review – Top 10 posts and statistics
It’s the last day of the year and the time to look at some of the highlights of 2022, some traffic statistics from CNX Software website, and speculate on what 2023 may bring us. The semiconductors shortage continued in 2022, but things are looking brighter in 2023 with the full reopening of the world mixed with forecasts of difficult economic times that should keep the demand/supply equation in check. On the Arm processor front the biggest news of the year, at least in this corner of the Internet, was the launch of the Rockchip RK3588 octa-core Cortex-A76/A55 processor together with interesting single board computers that we’ll discuss below. Announced last year, the Amlogic A311D2 octa-core Cortex-A73/A53 was finally made available in a few SBC’s, and we finally got some news about the Amlogic S928X Cortex-A76/A55 SoC showcased in 8K TV boxes, but we have yet to see it in action. […]
1-Stream IPTV streaming software offers an alternative to Xtream Codes
1-Stream is an IPTV streaming platform with smart load balancing that allows providers to scale their service and integrates geo-location to ensure content delivery from the closest available server for quicker load times and less buffering. One popular professional IPTV platform used to be Xteam Codes for which I wrote a detailed four-part review but they started having trouble on September 18, 2019 with Xtream Codes IPTV Panels having a legal dispute related due to piracy, despite not providing any streams, and it seems they may never come back online, as their latest update contesting the claims date from January 2021. A lot has happened during these two and a half years in the IPTV scene with many alternatives, most of them with another similar name but based on almost the same old, PHP-based vulnerable platform found in the former Xtream Codes Panel version 2.9.3, which could never provide good […]
Broadcom BCM7218X STB SoC Comes with AV1 Hardware Decoding, WiFi 6
CNX Software first covered AV1 open-source, royalty-free video codec aiming to compete against H.265 and succeed VP9 in 2016. I also tried the reference implementation and both encoding and decoding were really slow at that time and an AMD FX8350 powered computer would only achieve 0.36 fps encoding on a 352 x 288 video, while decoding was much faster at over 1,000 fps. This was really early work, and the final AV1 specifications were only released in March 2018, before companies like YouTube and Netflix started to publish AV1 video samples, and now I’ve noticed the former is sometimes streaming videos using AV1 codec on desktop computers and laptops. This still relies on software decoding, and most Arm platforms and entry-level level Intel computer may not be able to handle AV1 decoding, so hardware decoding will eventually be required, especially on battery-operated devices since it will consume much less power. […]
VIP1111 TV Box is Powered by Realtek RTD1395 Processor
A few days ago, the U-boot & Linux source code for Realtek RTD1296 processor was released, and when we checked out the code we found out references to a completely new Realtek RTD1619 hexa-core Arm Cortex-A55 processor, as well as code for the previously announced Realtek RTD1395 processor. The CES 2018 announcement was really short on details though: “Realtek’s Android & RDK STB platform (RTD1395) supports 4K UHD, HDR, an advanced DRM security system, and OTT integration, giving MSOs a reliable SoC partner”. We now have more details thanks to Taiwan based Compal Broadband Networks and their VIP1111 4K IP set-top box powered by RTD1395 processor.VIP1111 TV box specifications: SoC – Realtek RTD1395 quad core Cortex-A53 processor, Arm Mali-470 MP4 GPU System Memory – 2GB DDR4 (4x 512MB x 16bit) Storage – 8GB eMMC Flash Video & Audio Output – HDMI 2.0 Video Codec – HEVC 4Kp60+2Kp60, VP9.2 4Kp60, HDR10 […]
SDMC DV8020 & DV8035 Full HD HDR TV Boxes Feature Amlogic S805X Processor
Most new Android TV boxes on the market today support 4K resolution at least up to 30 Hz, but Amlogic decided to target the lower end of the market with S805X quad core Cortex A53 processor that supports VP9, H.265 and H.264 up to 1080p60 only. However, so far I could not find any products based on the new processor, but this has changed this afternoon, as I’ve come across SDMC DV8020 & DV8035 TV boxes powered by Amlogic S805X processor. Both models share most of the same specifications, with the main differences being an extra S/PDIF output, and the enclosure: SoC Amlogic S805X quad core Arm Cortex-A53 up to 1.2GHz with penta core Mali-450MP GPU up to 650MHz System Memory – 1GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB eMMC flash (option: 4GB to 64GB), micro SD slot Video Output – HDMI 2.0b up to 1080p60 with CEC & HDR support (HDR10 […]
Mecool KII Pro Set-Top-Box Upgraded to Amlogic S905D Processor, Android 7.1.2
VideoStrong is making some of the most popular – at least on this website – Android set-box boxes with digital TV tuner on the market with products like Mecool KIII Pro, or KI Pro, mostly because of their affordability. Software may be hit or miss depending on your local requirement (e.g. AC3 on DVB-T2, language encoding issues, etc..), so there’s fairly large number of users and some community tools or firmware such as DVB Channel Editor or Vitmos OS that may make them better devices. Most models are based on Amlogic S905 or S912, but Amlogic launched S905D processor some time ago with better tuner support (multiple demodulator support) which for example allowing me to watch terrestrial TV (DVB-T2) while recording satellite TV (DVB-S2) on Sen5 TV box. VideoStrong decided to upgrade their KII Pro Android set-top box with S905 processor, DVB-T2/T/C and DVB-S2/S tuners to the new Amlogic S905D […]
SATXTREM OTT Box & WiFi Router Combo Runs Android 7.1 on Amlogic S905X Processor
There are so many Amlogic S905X/S912 TV boxes on the market that offer the same features, I’ve long stopped reporting on all new models, unless they have very specific features, or are made by some of the most popular companies. SATXTREM OTT Box & WiFi Router appear to be a difference beast – as its name implies -, as it’;s both an Android 7.1 TV box, and an Android WiFi router thanks to three Ethernet ports. SATXTREM TV box & router specifications: SoC – Amlogic S905X quad core Cortex A53 processor @ up to 1.5 GHz with ARM Mali-450MP3 GPU System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB eMMC flash (Options: 16GB, 32GB, 64GB) + micro SD slot up to 32GB Video Output – HDMI 2.0a up to 4K @ 60 Hz, AV port (composite) Video Codecs – 4K 10-bit H.265 up to 60 fps, VP9 up to 60 fps, […]