stb News - Page 23 of 33 - CNX Software

May 8, 2013May 8, 2013 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

Review of Bluetimes MX5 Android 4.2.2 Set-top Box

Bluetimes MX5 is an Android 4.2.2 set-top box powered by AMLogic AML8726-MX that costs around $70, or about $30 less than devices with similar hardware such as G-Box Midnight MX2 or Tronsmart Prometheus. AndroidPC.es got hold of one sample, also called 10moons D6, took some pictures and reviewed the devices for us. Bluetimes MX5 Unboxing The package contains the media player, an RF remote control and a power adapter, but no cables, which is one way to save on costs. Looking at the rear panel of the device front left to right, we can see an external Wi-Fi antenna, the 5V power jack, one USB port, a composite RCA connector and stereo RCA output, an Ethernet RJ45 port, HDMI output, and SPDIF output. An SD card slot and another USB host port are located on the front panel. So Bluetimes MX5 just has 2 USB ports, which is a bit […]

May 6, 2013May 10, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 157 Comments

Matricom G-Box Midnight MX2 Android TV Box Review

Matricom sent me one of their latest G-Box Midnight MX2 media player based on AMLogic AML8726-M6, with 1GB RAM, 8 GB flash, running Android 4.2, and with full support for XBMC. This is an update of the G-Box Midnight based on AML8726-M3 which supports XBMC in Android, as well as XBMC Linux thanks to community builds. Specifications: SoC – Amlogic AML8726-MX Dual Core Cortex A9 CPU + dual core Mali-400 GPU System Memory – 1GB DDR3 RAM Storage – 8GB Flash + SD card slot (Up to 32GB) Video Output – HDMI v1.4, composite (CVBS) and component (YUV) Audio Output – HDMI, AV, and SPDIF Connectivity – 802.11b/g/n internal Wifi + 10/100 Ethernet Port USB – 4x USB 2.0 Ports (1 might be OTG) IR sensor Power Supply – 5V/2A The hardware and software is very similar to Tronsmart Prometheus (See review), as both are based on AML8726-MX, run Android […]

April 29, 2013 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

TP-Link TPmini “Android-on-TV” Box Features 2MP Webcam

Since the beginning of the year, we’ve started to see more and more Android media player with a camera that can be apposed on top of your TV such as the Archos TV Connect. Let’s call them “Android-on-TV” boxes / media players. Several Chinese manufacturers are also selling this type of device, but none of them have brand recognition in the West. TP-Link, however, is relatively well known for its cheap routers, and the company has introduced the TPmini powered by a dual core processor with 1GB RAM, 4GB flash, and a 2.0MP camera. Here are the specs of the device: SoC – Dual core ARM Cortex-A9 processor @ 1.6 GHz + Quad core ARM Mali 400 GPU (They did not say, but it looks like Rockchip RK3066 to me) System Memory – 1GB RAM Storage – 4GB NAND Flash + microSD slot (Up to 32GB) Video Output – HDMI […]

April 28, 2013April 29, 2013 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 30 Comments

AMLogic To Unveil 4 Core Cortex A9 AML8726-M8 SoC with 8 Core Mali GPU

Last Thursday, Geniatech announced an upcoming Android Set-Top Box called ATV1800 featuring a quad core AMLogic processor, more memory, and running Android 4.2, and that will support XBMC. They also expect the device to be available in May for 20 to 24 USD more than the dual core version. There are not enough details about the device itself, so I won’t cover it now, but I had never heard about quad core processor from AMLogic. I’ve finally been told it was AML8726-M8 without much details, except it should be available in Q3 2013, which does not seem match May target for Geniatech’s STB. Luckily, a Google search helped a lot, so we already know some of the key features for this new SoC: Quad Core Cortex A9 @ 2.0 GHz (20,000 DMIPS) Eight Core “Next-Gen” Mali GPU with 3,000 MPixel/s fill rate, 110MT/s, and 45GFLOPS. The GPU is said to […]

April 26, 2013May 29, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

GV-17 Android 4.2 Set-Top Box Features Allwinner A20 SoC, a 2.0MP Webcam

After Clousto A20 Media PC, and Mele A100 Dual, here’s another set-top box powered by AllWinner A20 dual core Cortex A7 SoC. GV-17 Android TV Box comes with 1GB RAM, 8GB Flash, and contrary to the other previous hardware also adds 2.0MP front camera. If you’ve heard about this model before, it’s because it’s an update of GV-17 set-top box based on AllWinner A10. GV-17 (A20) Specifications: SoC – AllWinner A20 dual core Cortex A7 + Mali-400MP2 GPU System Memory – 1GB RAM Storage – 8G NAND Flash + SD card slot Video Output – HDMI, composite and VGA Audio I/O – HDMI, stereo jack, and S/PDIF – Integrated MIC Video Codecs – MPEG-1/2,MPEG-4 ASP, DivX 3/4/5, H.263, H.264, XviD, VC-1, WMV Audio Codecs – MP3, WMA, WAV, OGG, FLAC, ALAC, APE, ACC-LC, ACC-HE, AC-3, DTS, Real Audio Connectivity: WiFi 802.11b/g/n (RALINK 8188) 10/100M Ethernet USB – 2x USB Host […]

April 23, 2013 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 11 Comments

STMicro STiH416 Dual Core Media Processor and Linux SDK

STMicro announced STiH416 SoC for media players at CES 2012 with very few details, but we’ve still known that it is a dual core Cortex A9 @ 1.2 GHz coupled with a quad core Mali-400 manufacturer and an hardware video decoder supporting commonly used codecs such as H.264, VC-1, AVS and MPEG2. Yesterday they put out a press release about a STB development platform based on this solution, and I found out we’ve got much more information now. Key features include: ARM Cortex-A9, dual core CPU, SMP NEON SIMD engine yielding up to 6000 DMIPS ARM Mali-400 quad core GPU yielding up to 1600 Mpixels/s fill rate and supporting up to 1080p60 or 1080p30 stereoscopic 3D graphics Dual HD H.264/VC-1/AVS/MPEG2 video decoder or SVC video decode MVC video decode for 3DTV: supports up to 1080p60L/60R, 3D video formats Dual HD internet video decoding: real video 8/9/10, DivX, Xvid, MP4p2, Adobe […]

April 19, 2013May 29, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Mele Android Set-Top Boxes At China Sourcing Fair 2013

The Mele A1000 and A2000 based on AllWinner A10 have been relatively popular last year, and recently Mele A1000G Quad has been unveiled with AllWinner A31 quad core Cortex A7 processor, and there was talk about a Dual core version as well. Charbax has shot 3 videos at Mele stand at China Sourcing Fair in Hong Kong earlier this month, so I’ve got a bit more news to share. The first video shows the Mele A1000G Quad with a 2.4Ghz remote (which must be Mele F10 Fly Mouse). We don’t really learn much more than we already know, but we can see the device is action with a 3D game controlled with the “Fly Mouse”, and the new “Metro” style user interface. This STB is currently running Android 4.1, but an upgrade to Android 4.2 is expected in June. The device will be available in May for about $110 retail, […]

April 19, 2013 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

Sub $70 Bluetimes MX5 and C150 Android Media Player Powered by AMLogic AML8726-MX

There are many Android set-top box based on single core AML8726 processor, but not so many featuring the dual core AML8726-MX (aka AML8726-M6) processor. Tronsmart Prometheus is one of them, it costs just under $100, has the shape of a spaceship, and the recent Android 4.2 firmware supports XBMC pretty well. But if you don’t like boxes with fancy shape, or/and are looking for a cheaper options, Bluetimes now manufactures two Android set-top box based on AML8726-MX that sells for less than $70 including shipping: Bluetimes MX5 for $69.99 Bluetimes C150 for $66.99 Bluetimes MX5 Specifications: SoC – AMLogic 8726 M6 dual Cortex A9 CPU + Mali-400 GPU System Memory – 1G DDR3 RAM Storage – 4 GB NAND Flash + SD card slot Video Output – HDMI + Composite Audio Output – Optical Audio Output (S/PDIF) + HDMI + Stereo RCA Video Codecs – M-JPEG, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, H.263, […]