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December 30, 2015December 30, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 30 Comments

Why Doesn’t your Android TV Box Play Full HD or 4K Videos in Netflix?

I’m not a Netflix user myself, but I know many of my readers are, and a frequent complain was the inability to play Full HD or 4K content, except on specific devices such as WeTek Core or Nvidia Shield Android TV. Until now, I thought most TV box manufacturers did not get DRM and Netflix support to reduce costs, but after reading one article about this very subject on AndroidPCReview, I realized it was more complicated than that. Beside the obvious hardware requirements that you need a Full HD or 4K capable player and television, the device needs to be certified by Google, and Widevine Level 1 DRM is required to stream anything above SD resolution from premium apps such as HBO Go or Netflix. However while many devices are certified by Google, only a few are officially supported by Netflix. The company also ranks device by categories such as […]

November 16, 2015July 19, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 12 Comments

DRM Info Android App Reports Widevine and Playready DRM Information

I test a fair amount of features in my Android TV boxes review, but I usually don’t test Netflix and other premium online video services since I don’t have any such accounts. These kind of applications appear to be limited by the DRM features enabled in Android. For example, Full HD and 4K video streaming in Netflix requires Google Widevine Level 1, and most devices only come with Level 3 which only supports standard definition, due to cost reasons. So I decided to look whether I could find an app that would list DRM features, and DRM info appears to be it. The app will report both Google Widewine and Microsoft Playready DRM information. The screenshots above show Google Nexus 5 and 6 firmwares include Widevine Security Level 1, but no Microsoft Playready support. So it looks like a neat and easy way to test DRM features of Android device, […]

October 19, 2015June 18, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 36 Comments

Review of WeTek Core Android Lollipop Media Player

EThe first devices based on Amlogic S812 processors started shipping by the end of 2014, but in the third quarter of 2015, there’s been a few new device released as some companies ported Android 5.x Lollipop to the platform. I reviewed two of these. Mygica ATV1900AC had potential but the number of bugs was disappointing, while Tronfy MXIV Telos was almost a disaster. Today, I’m going to report my test results with WeTek Core Android 5.1 TV box, also powered by Amlogic S812, more exactly S812-H, which includes DTS and Dolby licenses. I’ve already listed the specs, and torn down WeTek Core in two previous posts, so I’ll focus on the firmware in this review. Initial Setup and OTA Firmware Update First of all, I’d like to mention that I got an early WeTek Core sample, and while the hardware is frozen, the firmware is still being developed before the […]

October 7, 2015October 7, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Roku 4 Media Player Supports H.265 and VP9 4K Videos, 7.1 Channel Audio Pass-through

Roku has announced the latest version of their video streaming player. Roku 4 comes with a faster quad core processor, supports H.265 & VP9 video playback up to respectively 2160p60 and 2160p30, and includes a new version of Roku operating systems. Roku 4 specifications: SoC – Unnamed Quad core ARM processor with OpenGL ES 2.0 capable GPU System Memory – 1.5GB RAM Storage – TBD internal storage – micro SD slot Video Output – HDMI 2.0 up to 3840×2160 @ 60Hz with HDCP 2.2 support Audio Output – HDMI or optical S/PDIF with support for Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 surround pass-through Video Codecs – 4K UHD 60 fps HEVC Playback, 4K UHD 30 fps VP9 Playback (YouTube) Connectivity – 802.11ac MIMO dual-band wireless, 10/100 Base-T Ethernet USB – USB host port Power supply – 12V/1A Power consumption – 12.4W (typ.) when streaming 4K UHD video Dimensions – About 16.5 x […]

August 25, 2015October 6, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 19 Comments

WeTek Core Android 5.1 TV Box to Support Netflix in HD, OpenELEC, Lubuntu and More

Last year, WeTek launched WeTek Play Android TV receiver with DVB-T2, DVB-S2 or ATSC tuners, and in my review of the DVB-S2 version I found out it was a rather capable device despite the low hardware specifications. The company is about to launch WeTek Core, a media player powered by Amlogic S812-H processor, running Android 5.1.1, as well as supporting Netflix up to 1080p. something most other Android media players can’t handle. WeTek Core preliminary specifications: SoC – Amlogic S812-H quad core processor @ 2.0GHz with an Octa-core Mali-450MP gpu System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB NAND flash, micro SD slot Video Output – HDMI 1.4 up to 4K @ 30Hz + AV Audio Output – HDMI, AV, and optical S/PDIF Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n & 802.11ac (TBC), and Bluetooth 4.0 USB – 2x USB 2.0 host ports Misc – Power button and LED Power Supply […]

April 7, 2015April 8, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 22 Comments

Mygica ATV1900AC Quad Core Media Player Runs Android 5.0 Lollipop

Geniatech has launched a new Amlogic S812 quad core media player that should be one of the very first to run the full version of Android 5.0. It comes with 2GB RAM, 16GB internal flash and fast connectivity options with a Gigabit Ethernet port and 802.11ac Wi-Fi with MIMO. Mygica ATV1900AC specifications: SoC – Amlogic S812 quad core cortex A9r4 @ 2 GHz with Mali-450MP6 GPU System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 16GB eMMC flash + micro SD card reader Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi 2T2R Video Output – HDMI 1.4 Audio Output – HDMI, optical S/PDIF Video Codec – H.265 up to 4K2K, H.264, etc… USB – 4x USB 2.0 host ports Misc – IR receiver, reset pinhole, power button, network and power LEDs Power Supply – 5V/2A Dimensions – 168 x 132 x 21 mm Weight – 300 grams. The Android 5.0 Lollipop firmware will […]

April 17, 2014August 17, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 242 Comments

Review of M8 Android Kitkat TV Box Powered by Amlogic S802 SoC

A few days ago, I wrote an Unboxing and Specs post about the M8, an Android TV Box powered by Amlogic S802 quad core Cortex A9 processor. The review took a little as I was waiting for a new firmware. I’ve now upgraded this S802 Box, and been able to complete a review. As usual , I’ll start by giving my first impressions, have a look at the user interface and settings, test different king of video files, evaluate Wi-Fi performance, and try to cover most hardware features including Bluetooth, external storage, USB webcam, and so on. The overall user’s experience, is very similar to Tronsmart Vega S89, but there are some notable differences I’ll go through during the review. First Boot, Settings and First Impressions Shenzhen Tomato sent me a sample unit which they call TM8 (Tomato M8?), but I’ll just refer to the device as M8 in the […]

April 12, 2014December 18, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 41 Comments

Review of Tronsmart Vega S89 Elite Amlogic S802 TV Box

Tronsmart Vega S89 is an Android TV Box based on Amlogic quad-core Cortex A9 processor. You can refer to Tronsmart Vega S89 specs for more technical details, and check out my Tronsmart Vega S89 Unboxing post for pictures of the device and the board. As a reminder, there are two models of the device: Tronsmart Vega S89 with 16GB flash and dual-band Wi-Fi (AP6330 module), and Tronsmart Vega S89 Elite with 8GB flash and 2.4 WiFi (AP6220 module). I’ve been sent the Elite version, but both versions should have similar performance. I’ll start by giving my first impressions, going through the user interface and settings, then I’ll switch to video and audio tests, Wi-Fi performance, and perform some other tests for Bluetooth, gaming, external storage, USB webcam, etc.. trying to cover most of the hardware features available on this device. First Boot, Settings, and First Impressions Vega S89 (Elite) comes […]