After several months of development, including H.265 hardware decoding in Android, Kodi 15 “Isengard” has recently been released by the developers. It’s available for Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, and Android, and for the first time a stable release can directly be downloaded from Google Play store with so far over 400,000 active installs from the app store. Key features and improvements of Kodi 15 include: Android specific changes – 4K, refresh rate switching and H.265 for hardware that support it including several Amlogic platforms, and Nvidia Shield Android TV. Android 5.0 and greater is required. New chapter selector window – Allows users to visually browse and select chapters from mkv videos and other containers that support chapters Adaptive seeking (aka Skip Steps) – The more times a user presses a button to seek in a period of time, the larger the jump forward or backward will be. Audio and […]
Tronsmart Orion R68 64-bit ARM TV Box Sells for Up to 50% Discount
We’ve seen several Rockchip RK3366 TV boxes being announced recently such as Eny EKB368 or Beelink i68, and it’s no surprise that Tronmart decided to launch their own model Orion R68 based on the latest Rockchip processor. Two models are available: Orion R68 Meta with 2GB RAM, 16GB eMMC, GbE, and 802.11 ac WiFi, and Orion R68 Pro with 1GB RAM, 8GB eMMC, Fast Ethernet, and 2.4 GHz 802.11n WiFi. The latter appears to be the same Beelink i68 TV Box going for $66. Tronsmart Orion R68 specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3368 octa core Cortex A53 processor @ 1.5 GHz with PowerVR G6110 GPU System Memory- 1 GB DDR3 (Pro); 2GB DDR3 (Meta) Storage – 8GB eMMC flash (Pro); 16GB eMMC flash (Meta); SD card slot up to 64GB for both models Video Output – HDMI 2.0 up to 4K @ 60Hz Audio Output – HDMI, optical S/PDIF Connectivity Pro […]
Rockchip RK3368 based Beelink i68 Media Player Sells for $66 and Up
The 64-bit ARM TV boxes are coming either with Rockchip Rk3368, Amlogic S905, or Allwinner A64, but so far I could not find much price information. The good news is that the first 64-bit ARM mini PCs will be cheap, as Beelink i68, powered by Rockchip RK3368 octa-core Cortex A53 processor, is listed for as low as $66.35 with 1GB RAM on Gearbest, but you can also select the 2GB RAM version for $81.68. Using coupon BI68 will reduce the price further by one or two dollars. Beelink i68 specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3368 octa core Cortex A53 processor @ 1.5 GHz with PowerVR G6110 GPU System Memory – 1 or 2 GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB eMMC flash + SD card slot up to 64GB Video Output – HDMI 2.0 up to 4K @ 60Hz Audio Output – HDMI, optical S/PDIF Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, dual band Wi-Fi 802.11 […]
Eny EM95 Android Mini PC Runs Android 5.1 on Amlogic S905 Processor
Amlogic S905 is the first 64-bit ARM processor by Amlogic, and comes with four ARM Cortex A53 cores coupled with a Mali-450MP GPU, with S912 to follow later with the same CPU cores, but more powerful Mali-T7xx GPU. With Acemax G9C we already have one company working on an Amlogic S905 TV box, but Eny Technology just informed me they are about to launch two models based on Amlogic armv8 processor: EM95-MXQ, which looks exactly like G9C, and EM95 with a different casing, but very similar specs. Eny EM95 specifications: SoC – Amlogic S905 quad core ARM Cortex-A53 @ up to 2.0GHz with quad core Mali-450MP GPU up to 750MHz System Memory – 1GB DDR3 (Option: 2GB) Storage – 8GB NAND flash (Option: 16GB) + SD card slot Video Output – HDMI 2.0 up to 4K @ 60Hz with support for CEC and HDCP 2.2 , AV output Video Codecs […]
Zidoo X9 Android HDMI Recorder & Media Player Gets Picture-in-Picture (PiP) Support
Zidoo has released another firmware for their X9 Android mini PC with HDMI input, which implements Picture-in-Picture (PiP) support, on top of the existing HDMI video recording. That’s the first Android TV box that I know of that supports it, although I’ve seen Geniatech demo HDMI input and PiP with their ATV1810 last year, but it does not seem to be available for sale anywhere. Changelog for Zidoo X9 firmware version 1.0.3.5: Added PiP function, You can press the TV button on the IR remote to enable it. Optimized audio compatibility. Fixed various Player bugs – Audio compatibility, OSD timeout, typos fix, etc… Fixed various File Manager bugs I don’t have the box with me right, so I could not try it, and Zidoo did not reply to my request for pictures and demo in time for this post, so I’m not sure if there are any shortcomings with the […]
Tronsmart Pavo M9 is a $90 Android HDMI Recorder and 4K Media Player
If you need your Android TV box to record external video via HDMI, few options are available on the market, and one of them is Zidoo X9. It works relatively well, and gets frequent firmware update. It now costs around $120, but Tronsmart has now launched a model based on the same Mstar MSO9810 processor with HDMI recording function that costs $89.90 shipped on GeekBuying or Ebay. Tronsmart Pavo M9 specifications: SoC – Mstar MSO9180D1R quad core Cortex A9 processor up to 1.5GHz with a Mali-450MP2 GPU System Memory – 1GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB eMMC flash + micro SD slot Video Output / Input – HDMI output up to 4K, HDMI input with PVR and Time Shifting support (up to 1080p), and AV port (Composite + stereo audio) Audio I/O – HDMI Out and In, AV, and optical S/PDIF (Main) Video Codecs – H265, VC-1, WMV-HD, MPEG1/2/4 up to […]
$28 CX939 Android TV Stick is Powered by Rockchip RK3128 Processor
We’ve seen a few low costs devices powered by Rockchip RK3128 quad core processor recently, such as FirePrime development board, or Ruach A20s TV box, but CX939 is an even cheaper device, in HDMI TV stick form factor that currently sells for $28.20 on Aliexpress. Transpeed CX939 TV dongle specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3128 quad core ARM Cortex A7 @ 1.2 GHz with ARM Mali-400MP2 GPU @ 500 MHz System Memory – 1 GB DDR3 Storage – 8 GB NAND flash + micro SD card slot Connectivity – 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi with external antenna, and Bluetooth Video & Audio Output – HDMI 1.4 up to 1080p USB – 1x USB 2.0 port, 1x micro USB OTG port, 1x micro USB port for power Misc – Button (for power?) Power Supply – 5V/2A via micro USB port Dimensions – N/A The device runs Android 4.4.2, and is said to be pre-loaded […]
Ruach A20s is a $35 Android TV Box Powered by Rockchip RK3128 SoC
Ruach A20 was a media player based on Allwinner A20 processor released about a year ago. Now Ruach Electronics launched an updated model featuring Rockchip RK3128 quad core Cortex A7 processor with the somewhat confusing name Ruach A20s. Ruach A20s specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3128 quad core ARM Cortex A7 @ 1.2 GHz with ARM Mali-400MP2 GPU @ 500 MHz System Memory – 1 GB DDR3 Storage – 8 GB NAND flash Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi Video Output – HDMI 1.4 up to 1080p, composite (RCA) Audio Output – HDMI, stereo audio output (RCA) USB – 2x USB 2.0 ports Misc – IR sensor, power button (mechanical On/Off switch), recovery pin hole Power Supply – 5V/2A Dimensions – 11.8 x 7.8 x 3.0 cm The features and ports are just like the older model, so the main difference is really only the Rockchip processor. The model still […]