Amlogic S922 processor was first shown in roadmaps in early 2018, and since then we know there are at least two variants with Amlogic S922X and S922D processors both coming with Cortex A73 & A53 cores, and an Arm Mali-G52MP GPU, but the latter adds a Neural Network co-processor. So far the only hardware announced with Amlogic S922X was ODROID-N2 SBC, but since most Amlogic processors are primarily designed for TV box, it was just a question of time before we see some Amlogic S922X TV boxes hit the market, and the first model to surface is Beelink GT1-K “King” TV box running Android 9.0 OS. Beelink GT1-K specifications: SoC – Amlogic S922X hexa-core big.LITTLE processor with 4x Arm Cortex A73 cores @ up to 1.8 GHz, 2x Arm Cortex A53 cores @ 1.9 GHz, Arm Mali-G52MP GPU @ 846MHz; 12nm manufacturing process System Memory – 4GB LPDDR4 RAM Storage […]
Phicomm N1 Android 7.1 TV Box Supports Multiple Linux Distributions
I like to look at new hardware platforms supported by Linux mainline, and recently covered MapleBoard MP130 SBC which I found in Linux 5.0 changelog. Today, I had a look at another device. Phicomm N1 is an Amlogic S905D powered TV box running Android 7.1 with a user interface geared towards to the Chinese market. Nothing that interesting so far, but a topic on Armbian forums made it more interesting as the box comes with a larger heatsink than most other cheap TV boxes, a 12V/2A power supply which should allow you to connect several USB hard drives, and potentially more importantly, it became popular among Chinese users, with the community releasing several Linux based distributions for the device including CoreELEC, LibreELEC, Alpine Linux, CentOS, Debian, Deepin, ArchLinux Arm, and more. Phicomm N1 hardware specifications: SoC – Amlogic S905D quad core Arm Cortex-A53 processor @ 1.5 GHz with Arm Mali-450 […]
Tanix TX6 Allwinner H6 TV Box Gets Android 9.0 Firmware
The first Android 9.0 TV boxes appeared a few months ago in some Rockchip RK3328 based models, Amlogic also showcased Android 9 Pie in S905X2 / S905Y2 TV box reference platforms, but so far I don’t think I had heard about Android 9.0 for Allwinner processors. But GeekBuying and Aliexpress are now listing Wechip / Tanix TX6 Allwinner H6 TV box previously launched with Android 7.1, with Android 9.0 Pie instead for $39 and up. Here’s a reminder of Tanix TX6 hardware specifications: SoC – AllWinner H6 quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 processor up to 1.5 GHz with Mali-T720MP2 GPU System Memory – 4GB DDR3 Storage – 32GB eMMC flash, micro SD card slot up to 128GB Video Output – 1x HDMI 2.0a up to 4K @ 60hz with HDR support Audio I/F – HDMI, coaxial S/PDIF Video Playback H.265/HEVC Main/Main10 profile @ level 5.2 high-tier up to 4K @ 60fps / 6K […]
Wechip R69 Allwinner H3 TV Box goes for $19 Shipped
A few years ago, it was relatively easy to purchase sub $20 TV boxes with some patience, but with the increase in RAM and flash prices, it’s been more difficult to find those ultra-cheap TV boxes. It turns out there’s such a deal now on Aliexpress where Wechip R69 TV box is sold for just $18.99 shipped. Now with an Allwinner H3 processor, 1GB RAM, and 8GB flash, I would not necessarily recommend such device for your media needs, but they can be useful for some specific use cases like a simple digital signage, or even to run Linux with some efforts. Wechip R69 also looks to be similar to Sunvell R69 TV box that is officially supported by RetroOrangePi, but with the pin-to-pin compatible Allwinner H2 processor, so it could make an inexpensive retro gaming console as well. Wechip R69 specifications: SoC – Allwinner H3 quad-core Cortex A7 processor […]
Spare TV Box Board Sold for MXQ-4Q / MXQPro DIY Repairs
Once somebody asked me if spare TV box boards were available for purchase since his TV box died after a few months, and he wanted to repair it himself without having to purchase another complete TV box. Usually, such boards are not sold, except maybe on Alibaba, where you may or may not have to purchase in quantities. So I basically told him it would be hard to find, and buying a new or second hand TV box would be a better option. But I was recently made aware that at least one seller was offering spare TV box boards for MXQ-4Q and MXQPro on Aliexpress for $20.61 shipped in order to let people repair their boxes themselves. If your goal is to repair a TV box, I can only think of two reasons for buying a spare TV box board: saving money and/or reducing electronics waste. MXQ-4Q and MXQPro […]
Xunison X-Brain Android Smart Home Hub Supports Z-Wave and Bluetooth Controllers
Xunison X-Brain is an All-in-One smart home hub that integrates a high-performance secure router, a home server, a WiFi, Z-Wave & Bluetooth gateway. X-Brain runs Android TV operating system, so you can watch live television, stream videos from Netflix, Hulu or IPTV services with EPG, as well as install apps from Google Play. The home automation part of the system allows you to control Z-Wave & Bluetooth Smart Home devices, monitor your home security system, control your home energy consumption, and so on. Xunison X-Brain V1 preliminary hardware specifications: Multimedia subsystem SoC – Unnamed quad-core processor @ 1.5 GHz with penta-core Arm Mali-450 3G GPU, likely Amlogic S905X System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 16 GB eMMC flash + micro SD card slot Video Output – HDMI + AV port (composite) Audio – HDMI output, AV (stereo audio), and S/PDIF Router subsystem SoC – Mediatek MT7628 580MHz MIPS 24KEc […]
SEI 520 is a 2-in-1 Android TV Hybrid Set-top Box and Smart Speaker
SEI Robotics has showcased a new device at CES 2019 that looks like a smart speaker, and SEI 520 is indeed a smart speaker with Google Assistant support, but it also adds a digital TV tuner and a quad-core Cortex A53 processor running Android TV 9.0 operating system to allow you to watch live TV, and stream videos. Preliminary specifications for SEI 520 smart speaker: SoC – Quad core Arm Cortex-A53 processor, possibly Amlogic S905X2 System Memory – 2GB RAM Storage – 16GB eMMC flash Video Output – HDMI up to 4K UHD Video Decode – VP9 and H.265/HEVC Audio Output – HDMI audio + optical S/PDIF Input – Far-field microphone Speaker – No technical details provided Connectivity – Ethernet, 2T2R MIMO WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0 Tuner – DVB-S2X/T2/C, ATSC, ISDBT USB – 1x USB 3.0 port, 1x USB 2.0 port Misc – IR blaster Power Supply – 12V DC via […]
MECOOL KM8 P Octa-core TV Box Sells for $21 and Up (Promo)
From time to time some pretty good deals come up in my news feed, and today I’ve found out MECOOL KM8 P, a TV box powered by Amlogic S912 octa-core processor is sold for $21.28 and up including shipping. The lowest price is for the 1GB RAM / 8GB flash version, so you may consider selecting the 2GB/16GB model for $33.60 instead if you are interested in this type of device. Mecool KM8 P specifications: SoC – Amlogic S912 octa-core ARM Cortex A53 processor @ up to 1.5 GHz with Arm Mali-820MP3 System Memory – 1 or 2GB DDR3 Storage – 8 or 16GB eMMC flash, micro SD slot up to 32GB Video & Audio Output – HDMI 2.0a up to 4K @ 60Hz with CEC and HDR support, and 3.5mm AV port (composite + stereo audio) Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, dual-band 802.11 b/g/n/ac WiFi 5 USB – 2x USB […]