THL Box 1 Pro TV Box Review – Part 1: Unboxing and Teardown

Today we will be taking a look at the THL Box1 Pro box. We will take this is two parts, first being the unboxing and teardown then software and performance. Let’s start with the unit’s specs. THL Box 1 Pro TV Box specifications CPU – Amlogic S905X quad core ARM Cortex-A53 @ up to 1.51GHz GPU – Penta-core Mali-450MP GPU @ 750 MHz Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 16GB eMMC flash + micro SD card slot (up to 32GB) Video Output – HDMI 2.0 up to 4K @ 60 fps, AV port Audio – HDMI, AV port (stereo audio) Video Codecs – VP9 4K @60fps, 10-bit H.265 4K @ 60 fps, H.264 4K @ 30 fps and more Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n/ac Dual Band Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.0 Interfaces – HDMI port, RJ45 port (100Mbps Ethernet), 2x USB Host, micro SD Card Slot, AV Out, DC jack […]

WeTek and Ugoos Release Android 6.0 Marshmallow Firmware for their Amlogic S905 TV Boxes

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 […]

Zidoo X7 RK3328 TV Box to Sell for $69 with Android 7.1

Rockchip RK3328 processor has been getting some attention recently with low cost RK3328 TV boxes, Pine64’s ROCK64 development board, and now Zidoo has announced they are working on their X7 TV box with slightly better specifications and a product that should get better support than the cheaper models. Zidoo X7 specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3328 quad core Cortex A53processor @ 1.5 GHz with Mali-450MP2 GPU System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB eMMC flash + micro SD slot Video Output – HDMI 2.0a port up to 4K @ 60 Hz with HDR support + 3.5mm AV port (composite video) Audio Output – HDMI, AV (stereo audio), and optical S/PDIF Video Codecs – H.264/AVC Base/Main/High/High10 profile @ level 5.1; up to 4Kx2K @ 60fps H.265/HEVE Main/Main10 profile @ level 5.1 High-tier; up to 4Kx2K @60fps VP9, up to 4Kx2K @ 60fps Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, dual band 802.11ac WiFi and […]

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 […]

HiMedia Q30 (Hisilicon Hi3798MV200) Android TV Box Review – Part 1: Unboxing and Teardown

I’ve often read praises about HiMedia TV boxes in the comments section of this blog, but so far, I had never tested any of their products. This is about to change, since the company has sent me their latest HiMedia Q30 TV box running Android 7.0 on Hisilicon Hi3798MV200 processor, a cost-down version of Hi3798CV200 processor with the same CPU,a lower-end Mali-T450 GPU, about the same media capabilities, and less I/Os. I’ll start the review by checking out the TV box and accessories, as well as the PCBA, before reporting the experience with Android 7.0 firmware in several weeks. HiMedia Q30 TV Box Unboxing I received the device is a package that read “HIMEDIA Q30” and “Android TV Box”, and shows some of the key features like 4K @ 60 fps, 10-bit HEVC, HDR and Kodi support. The devices ships with an IR remote control with IR learning function for […]

Sunvell T95P Android Plug Computer mini Review

First of all, I have to say sorry for the delay for the review, but at the time I got this “beauty”, it would not power up, even though the blue light showed up out of the USB connector… I tried to recover a couple of times, no success at all… Getting a little upset, and tried after weeks of not thinking anymore… So I used an old trick, we all know, I guess. The freezer trick! I covered the Sunvell T95P in a soft linen towel, and put it in the freezer for around 3 hours. After that, it really worked like nothing happened before. There is also the old fascinating hairspray trick for “boards”… That could have been of help in some cases, but I couldn’t find a way to open this box without it being damaged for good. Here we go. Claimed Product details of T95P: 2G/8G […]

Realtek RTD1296 STB/Media NAS SoC Coming Soon with Multiple Ethernet Ports, Dual SATA, HDMI 2.0 Input and Output

I have reviewed several Realtek RTD1295 TV boxes with NAS and HDMI input functions such as Zidoo X9S and EWEAT R9 Plus, and those were quite capable devices with a rich feature set, but Realtek has been working on a new higher-end RTD1296 SoC for quite some time. It comes with the same CPU and GPU, but has a larger package with more peripheral interfaces. I received the screenshot above last December, but the information does not seem to have changed since then. Realtek RTD1296 is equipped with a quad core Cortex A53 processor, an ARM Mali-T820MP3 GPU, and the same H.265/VP9 video engine as RTD1295. However, the new SoC adds one extra RGMII (Gigabit Ethernet) interface, one more USB 3.0 port, one extra SATA interface, and offers higher DDR bandwidth. The PCIe interface would also allow you to use more than just two SATA drives. Charbax got in touch […]

U5PVR Deluxe Set-Top Box & NAS Review – Part 2: Android TV, Debian, and Live TV App

U5PVR Deluxe is an set-top box with digital TV tuners that runs Android TV 5.1, and support 2.5″ and 3.5″ hard drive. I’ve received a model with a dual DVB-T/T2 tuner, and already posted “U5 PVR Deluxe Android Set-Top Box Review – Part 1: Specs, Unboxing, Teardown, and SATA HDD Assembly” a few weeks ago, where I described the hardware, and I inserted a one terabytes 3.5″ hard drive. I’ve now had time to test the device, but it took much longer than expected due to a partial firmware update issue, which forced me to redo many of the tests. There are also some undocumented features, so if you want to make the most of the device, be prepared to spend time in the forums. U5PVR Connections, OTA Firmware Update, and Setup Wizard The box have one USB 3.0 ports, and three USB 2.0 ports, so most people won’t need […]

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