TV box News - Page 54 of 108 - CNX Software

May 23, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 21 Comments

Popcorn Hour A500 4K Linux Media Player Specifications, Unboxing, and Teardown

CloudMedia introduced Popcorn Hour A500 Pro last summer on Kickstarter, and as the company is about the ship rewards to backers, they has now recently introduced a lower cost version, called Popcorn Hour A500, based on the same processor but overall lower specs to bring the price down to $269. The company has sent me a review sample, so I’ll start by listing the hardware specifications, and post pictures of the device and its internals, before testing media playback capabilities later on. Popcorn Hour A500 Specifications The “non-PRO” version has less RAM, dropped the XLR connectors, and uses a cheaper audio DAC: SoC – Sigma Designs SMP8758 dual core ARM Cortex A9 processor @ 1.2 GHz with ARM Mali-400 GPU and VXP image processing engine System Memory – 1GB DDR3 Storage – 512 MB SLC NAND Flash for firmware, 1x SD card reader, internal SATA bay for 2.5″ and 3.5″ […]

May 23, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

HiPo S905X Amlogic S905X Android TV Box is Available for Pre-order for $40 and Up

Amlogic S905X processor adds a few features over Amlogic S905 such as 4K VP9 hardware video decoding and HDR support, but thanks to better integration including built-in 10/100M PHY and audio codec, as well as support for 2-layer PCB, products with the new processor could potentially also be slightly cheaper, all other hardware specs being equal. We can now get a first idea of the price as one company has listed HiPo S905X TV box for pre-order on Aliexpress for $39.99 with 1GB RAM/8GB flash (Type 1), and $49.99 with 2GB RAM/16GB flash (Type 2). HiPo S905X (preliminary) specifications – Type 1 & Type 2 models: SoC – Amlogic S905X quad core ARM Cortex-A53 @ up to 2.0GHz with penta-core Mali-450MP GPU @ 750 MHz System Memory – 1GB (Type 1) or 2 GB (Type 2) DDR3 Storage – 8GB (Type 1) or 16 GB (Type 2) eMMC flash + […]

May 20, 2016May 20, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments

Amlogic S905X Boards Showing Up for Eny Technology and Inphic TV Boxes

While NEXBOX A5 was the first Amlogic S905X TV box to be announced, it’s still not available, and others has started to show off their products such as Xiaomi Mi Box (US), and I got specs and pictures of boards for Inphic Spot i7 Pro and Eny TV box. Eny TV Box Board and Specifications That’s actually two boards before separation, and fitted with Amlogic S905X-H processors. If you look closely are the “silkscreen” however, you’ll find that it has been edited in a photo editor to add ENY_X_V0.93. I’m not quite sure why they felt they had to do this… Eny TV box specifications: SoC – Amlogic S905 or S905X-H quad core ARM Cortex-A53 @ up to 1.5GHz or 2.0 GHz with penta-core Mali-450MP GPU @ 750 MHz System Memory – 1 or 2GB DDR3 Storage – 8 or 16GB flash + micro SD card slot Video Output – […]

May 19, 2016May 23, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 39 Comments

Xiaomi Mi Box Comes to the US with Android TV 6.0 Running on Amlogic S905X Processor

Xiaomi Mi Boxes have been available in China for a couple of years, and the only way to ship them to the rest of the world was to purchase via Chinese e-retailers. Xiaomi and Google have now worked together to bring Mi Box with Android TV 6.0, instead of the usual Chinese MIUI TV interface, to the US, and possibly to other countries. Xiaomi Mi Box (US) specifications: SoC – Amlogic S905X-H quad core ARM Cortex-A53 @ up to 2.0GHz with penta-core Mali-450MP GPU @ 750 MHz System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB eMMC flash Video Output – HDMI 2.0a up to 4K @ 60 Hz with HDCP 2.2 and CEC support Audio Output – HDMI, optical S/PDIF and 3.5mm audio jack Video Codecs – VP9 Profile-2 & H.265 MP-10 up to 4K @ 60 fps, H.264 AVC up to 4K @ 30 fps, H.264 MVC up to […]

May 19, 2016May 18, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Android N Developer Preview 3 Adds VR Support, Instant Apps, and Sustainable Performance Mode

Google has also unveiled the third Android N Developer Preview at Google I/O 2016, and the first “beta quality” release, available on Nexus 6, 9, 5X, 6P, Nexus Player, Pixel C, and Android One as a “seamless updates” if you opt-in to the Android Beta Program in order to get an over-the-air update with the very latest firmware. Google wants Android N to be faster, safer and more productive. The first two previews addressed performance with a new JIT compiler and Vulkan 3D graphics API support, productivity with multi-window support and direct reply from notifications, as well as security thanks to seamless updates bringing the latest security patchsets to your phones in a timely manner. The third preview brings fixes, and some interesting new features: VR Mode in Android – Google has modified and augmented the Android stack in N to reduce lag between sensor data readings (e.g. head motion) […]

May 5, 2016May 5, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

NEXBOX 809VI Octa core Android TV Stick is Powered by Rockchip RK3368 Processor

While there are many Rockchip RK3368 TV boxes, I had not seen an RK3368 TV stick until today, with NEXBOX 809VI that combines the octa-core processor with 2GB RAM, and 8GB flash. NEXBOX 809VI specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3368 Octa-core Cortex A53 processor @ 1.2GHz with PowerVR G6110 GPU System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB flash Video Output – HDMI 2.0 up to 4K*2K 60Hz Connectivity – 802.11 b/g/n WiFi @ 2.4GHz, Bluetooth 4.0 USB – 2x USB 2.0 host ports, 1x micro USB port for power Power Supply – DC 5V/2A via micro USB port Dimensions – TBD The stick will run Android 5.1 just like all other RK3368 devices. The company claims the 809VI is available now, but they have a (short) history of promoting devices quite early in the development cycle, so it could be that only have a few engineering samples, and retail availability […]

April 25, 2016December 26, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 24 Comments

What’s the Best Android TV Box?

[Update December 26, 2017: I’ve posted a new version of this post entitled “What’s the Best Android TV Box (2017/2018 Edition)?“. I’ll leave the post below to have an historical perspective] I often get asked which TV box to buy, or what the best Android TV box is, and the answer is the TV box that fits your needs for the lowest price point possible. Considering there are around 2 millions apps for Android, they are multitudes of use cases, and you can’t provide a single answer for everybody. So I’ll provide a list of things to look for beside the processor, and three TV boxes that I think are worth considering, before providing alternatives for people who want cheaper devices. Things to Look for There are still a few things you may want to specifically look for before purchasing an Android TV box: History of regular firmware updates – […]

April 21, 2016April 22, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 28 Comments

NEXBOX A5 Android 6.0 TV Box Powered by Amlogic S905X Processor Supports HDR & 4K VP9 Videos

Amlogic S905X is a low cost version of Amlogic S905 with a lower operating frequency, built-in stereo DAC, integrated Ethernet PHY, 4K VP9 and HDR10 & HLG support, and NEXBOX A5 TV box will be one of the first devices with the processor. NEXBOX A5 (preliminary) specifications: SoC – Amlogic S905X quad core ARM Cortex-A53 @ up to 1.5GHz with penta-core Mali-450MP GPU @ 750 MHz System Memory – 2GB DDR3 (Option: 1GB) Storage – 16GB flash (8GB option) + micro SD card slot Video Output – HDMI 2.0a up to 4K @ 60 Hz, and AV port (composite) Audio Output – HDMI, optical S/PDIF, AV port (stereo audio) Video Codecs – 4K VP9 @ 60 fps, 4K 10-bit H.265 @ 60 fps Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.0 USB – 2x USB 2.0 host ports Misc – Power button and LED. Power Supply – 5V/2A Dimensions […]