While there are many models of TV boxes on the market, there are only a few companies that will provide firmware updates over time for their products. Two of those companies are WeTek and Ugoos, both of which recently released Android 6.0 Marshmallow firmware for their Amlogic S905 TV boxes. I actually reported about WeTek working on Android 6.0 for Hub TV box last year, but at the time it was still a beta version. The company has now released weOS 3.1 firmware with Android 6.0 for both WeTek Hub and WeTek Play 2 with the following changelog: System Kernel Fixes Streaming apps in 4K Improved Auto refresh rate system for Kodi Improved DRM playback Apps Added Kodi 17.3, update Updted Aptoide Store, Google Apps and File Manager WeTV (Play 2 only) Added XMLTV for Sat PG Fixes for ATSC Now allows ATSC-T and ATSC-C Most people can get the […]
HD3S Android-on-TV Box with HD Webcam is Powered by Amlogic S905X Processor
What I call “Android-on-TV” boxes are some sort of TV boxes, usually with a webcam, that are meant to be placed on top of the TV instead of on the furniture, and apart from being used to watch videos like other TV boxes, are also well-suited for videoconference over Skype or Google Hangout. Over the years. we’ve had a few of those products such as HD23 TV box, but recently I don’t recall having seen new Android-on-TV boxes. That’s until today, and I found out about HD3S TV box running Android 6.0 on Amlogic S905X processor. HD3S specifications: SoC – Amlogic S905X quad core ARM Cortex-A53 @ up to 1.5GHz with a penta-core Mali-450MP GPU System Memory – 1GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB eMMC flash + micro SD card slot up to 64GB Video Output – HDMI 2.0a up to 4K @ 60 Hz, and AV port (composite video) Audio […]
Sen5 Amlogic S905D TV Box Review – Part 2: Android Firmware, Kodi 17, and DVB-T2 & S2 App
Sen5 is one of the first Android TV boxes powered by Amlogic S905D processor, and comes with two tuners (DVB-C/T/T2 and DVB-T/T2) with two demodulators that should allow for recording on one tuner, while watching the other, or recording two channels at the same time. We’ve already check out the hardware in the first part of the review, and seen a glimpse of the neat user interface, so today I’ll report about my experience with the device. Sen5 Android Set-Top Box First Boot, Setup Wizard, & First Impressions The STB comes with two USB ports so I used one for the hard drive, a necessity if you plan to use the PVR function, and connected a USB hub to the other with RF dongles for an air mouse and a gamepad, as well as a USB keyboard to take screenshots. I also connected Ethernet and HDMI cables, as well as […]
Wandboard QuadPLUS Development Board Gets i.MX 6QuadPlus Processor, 802.11ac WiFi and Bluetooth 4.1
The first Wandboard development boards launched in 2012 nearly 5 years ago based on Freescale i.MX6 Solo and Dual processor, with Wandboard Quad launched a few months later. The boards were fairly popular at the time due to their better specifications, and especially Freescale’s much better documentation and software compared to the competition such as Broadcom (Raspberry Pi) and Allwinner (Cubieboard). Since the boards are based on TechNexion EDM system-on-modules they could also be used by companies working on their own products based on the system-on-module. It’s also a good platform if you want to test various version of Android, because the company released Jelly Bean, Kitkat, Lollipop, and Marshmallow images for the boards, and I’m expecting a Lollipop version soon. However, albeit the company worked on other NXP boards such as PICO-IM6UL Android Things, there had not been any hardware upgrade for Wandboard for nearly 4 years, but last […]
AAEON RICO-3288 Pico-ITX Board is Powered by Rockchip RK3288 Processor
When Rockchip RK3288 was launched in 2014 we got a few development boards like Firefly-RK3288, PopMetal, and Radxa Rock 2, and later on MiQi board. ASUS Tinker board made the processor popular again in 2017, and now AAEON, an industrial embedded company of ASUS group, has just unveiled RICO-3288 Pico-ITX Board based on the processor, and targeting OEMs instead of hobbyists & makers. RICO-3288 board specifications with RICO-3288F & RICO-3288V models adding wireless connectivity & battery options, as well as CAN and an extra RS-232 port for for the latter: SoC – Rockchip RK3288 quad core Cortex A17 processor @ 1.8GHz with ARM Mali-T760 GPU System Memory – 2GB DDR3L RAM Storage – 16GB eMMC flash, micro SD slot up to 64GB Video Output / Display IF mini HDMI 2.0 up to 4Kx2K @ 60Hz (Note that 4K @ 60 Hz may not work with all HDMI 2.0 TVs). eDP […]
UP Core is a Low Cost & Compact Intel Maker Board Powered by an Atom x5-Z8350 SoC (Crowdfunding)
The UP community has already launched Intel Cherry Trail and Apollo Lake boards in the past with UP Board and UP2 (squared) boards, and they are now about to launch a cheaper and smaller board called UP Core powered by Intel Atom x5-Z8350 processor with to 1 to 4GB memory, up to 64GB eMMC flash, HDMI, USB 3.0, … and I/O expansion connectors. UP Core specifications: SoC – Intel Atom x5-Z8350 “Cherry Trail” quad core processor @ 1.44 GHz / 1.92 GHz (Burst frequency) with Intel HD 400 graphics @ 200 / 500 MHz System Memory – 1, 2 or 4 GB DDR3L-1600 (soldered on board) Storage – 16, 32, or 64 GB eMMC flash, SPI flash ROM Video Output / Display – HDMI 1.4 port, full eDP (embedded DisplayPort) connector Audio I/O – Via HDMI, and I2S Connectivity – 802.11 b/g/n WiFi @ 2.4 GHz, Bluetooth 4.0 LE (AP614A) […]
MINIX NEO U9-H Media Hub Review – Part 2: Android 6.0 Firmware & Kodi 17
MINIX NEO U9-H is the successor of MINIX NEO U1 media hub with an upgrade from four to eight cores with Amlogic S912 processor, as well as added support for VP9 and HDR. The company sent me a sample, and I’ve already checked out NEO U9-H hardware in the fist part of the review, so I’ll report by testing results in Android 6.0 and Kodi 17 in the second part. Since the user interface & many of the features have not changed, I’ll refer to MINIX NEO U1 review from time to time. First Boot, OTA Firmware, Settings and First Impressions I connected the MINIX A3 air mouse RF to one of the USB port, a USB 3.0 hard drive to another, and a USB hub to the last one with Tronsmart Mars G01 gamepad, a USB keyboard to take screenshots for the review, and a USB webcam. There’s also […]
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 SBCs: Inforce 6640, iWave iW-RainboW-G25S, and DragonBoard 820c
We’ve already covered Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 system-on-modules such as Intrinsyc Open-Q 820 and Inforce 6601, which can be used with baseboards that are suitable for development, but so far I had not seen a single board computer (SBC) powered by the processor optimized for mass production and suitable for integration into products. Bu this is about to change, as three Snapdragon 820 SBCs are now (or soon will be) available with Inforce Computing 6640, iWave iW-RainboW-G25S, and DragonBoard 820c. Inforce 6640 SBC Inforce Computing 6640 Single Board Computer specifications: SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 quad core Kryo processor with 2x cores @ up to 2.2GHz, 2x cores @ up to 1.6GHz, Adreno 530 GPU, Hexagon 680 DSP System Memory – 4GB LPDDR4 Storage – Up to 64GB UFS 2.0 flash, microSD slot Video Output / Display Interface – 2x 4-lane MIPI-DSI DPHY 1.2 , 1x HDMI 2.0 interface for touch […]