CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

February 5, 2014August 20, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

BrightSign 4K Digital Signage Player Delivers 4K 10-bit HEVC Video Playback at 60 fps via HDMI 2.0

When you buy a media player advertized as supporting 4K (aka 2160p, 4K2K, or UHD), you have to read the fine print to find out what you really get. First on the market were media players capable of decoding 4K videos put outputting to 1080p60 maximum such as Mele M9, then we’ve been shown some media players such as Geniatech ATV1800, decoding 4K video using 2160p resolution (3840×2160) as expected, but with a framerate limited to 24 fps or 30 fps due to limitation of HDMI 1.4. However, if you want to experience 4K video with the maximum framerate (60 fps) or “True 4K”, you’ll need a player and a TV support HDMI 2.0 standard. There are not many players currently supporting 4K @ 60fps, but BrightSign 4K digital signage media player is one of them, and it also happens to support HEVC/H.265 video codec. The company did not disclose […]

February 5, 2014February 5, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Iridium GO! is a Satellite / Wi-Fi Access Point for Android and iOS devices

If you are stuck in the middle of nowhere, and need Internet access or to make a call with your Android or iOS mobile device, you can now do so with Iridium GO! a Wi-Fi / Satellite mobile access point that supports up to 5 mobile devices. The company has not exactly provided detailed specs: Connectivity – Wi-Fi, Satellite communication, and GPS Dimensions – 11.43 x 8.25 x 3.17 cm (4.5″ x 3.25″ x 1.25″) Standards – Military grade ruggedness (MIL-STD 810F), and IP65 ingress protection You just need to the antenna, and the device connects automatically to Iridum network, and Wi-Fi network is created with around 30 meter range for your mobile devices. You’ll also need to install Iridium GO! app on your device, apparently to compress data before sending it out to the 25 Kbps link. You’ll then be able to use your smartphone pretty much as if […]

February 5, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

$74 RIoTBoard Development Board Features Freescale i.MX 6Solo

RIoTBoard, which stands for “Revolutionizing the Internet of Things Board”, is a new Android & GNU/Linux development board sold by Element14 /Newark powered by Freescale i.MX6Solo Cortex A9 processor. The board also features 1GB DDR3 RAM, 4GB eMMC and plenty of ports including Gb Ethernet, HDMI, and more. The board can be used to design netbooks , nettops, mobile internet devices (MIDs), PDAs, portable media players (PMP) with HD video capability, portable navigation devices (PNDs), industrial control and test and measurement (T&M), and single board computers (SBCs). RIoTBoard specifications: SoC – Freescale i.MX 6Solo ARM Cortex A9 MPCore Processor @ 1 GHz with Vivante GC880 and GC320 GPUs for 3D & 2D graphics, and HD video processing unit. System Memory – 1GB DDR3 RAM Storage – 4GB eMMC, microSD and SD card slots Video Output – HDMI, LVDS, and parallel RGB interfaces Audio I/O – Analog headphone/microphone, 3.5mm audio jack […]

February 4, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

U-BRAIN MicroSmart is a Tiny “15-Axis” Sensor Module with Bluetooth or Zigbee Connectivity

Usuda Research Institute & Systems Corporation has just announced U-BRAIN MicroSmart, a tiny and lightweight 3D modules module with a “15-axis” sensor, 5 GPIOS, as well as optional Zigbee and Bluetooth connectivity allowing up to 100 meter range. The module targets wearable devices used for fitness and health applications. U-BRAIN MicroSmart (UBN-MS8) Specifications: Processor – MCU + DSP Sensors – 6-axis position sensors, 3-axis posture sensor, 3-axis direction sensor, 1 temperature sensor, 1 audio sensor, and 1 light sensor. Connectivity – Optional? Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR or ZigBee with up to 100 meter range. GPIO – 5 GPIOS, TTL. Power Consumption – 10 mA max during use, 100 uA max in sleep mode Power – Via microUSB port Dimensions – 20 x 19 x 3.8 mm Weight – 2g to 5g depending on presence and selection of communication module The module will support Windows XP/Vista/7/9.0/8.1, Android 2.3 and greater, iOS, […]

February 4, 2014February 4, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Google Cast SDK Officially Released for Chromecast

Since it’s release in July 2013, Google Chromecast HDMI TV stick has been very popular thanks to its low cost, and despite of its lack of feature, it does what it ‘s supposed to do – multi-screen experience across mobile devices and large screen displays – reasonably well. A Google Cast API preview was released at launch time for both the receiver (Chromecast) and sender (Android, iOS or Chrome) but the license terms prevented developers to release apps without written permission by Google as the API could still evolve. This restriction has just been lifted, as Google has now officially released Google Cast SDK for Chromecast and other upcoming Google Cast devices. The Sender SDK is available for Android, iOS, and Chrome on the sender side, and the Receiver SDK allows you to run an app on the Chromecast. Google claims the Google Cast SDK is simple to integrate because […]

February 3, 2014March 4, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 17 Comments

BIOSTAR J1800NH mini-ITX Motherboard with Celeron J1800 Processor Sells for $56

Many people got interested in my post about MSI J1800i Motherboard because it was one of the first motherboard based on a low power Intel Bay Trail-D processor, namely Celeron J1800 dual core processor with 10W TDP, and the $60 price tag. However, I and others had doubt about the price, because Intel listed Celeron J1800 recommended price at $72, and that’s just the price for the CPU. I still can’t find site selling MSI J1800i in US dollars, although I could find for 66.90 GBP and 69.99 Euros on some European websites. You can really convert it into US dollars using the current exchange rate, as you have to take into account VAT and taxes. But today Fanless Tech has reported about two new motherboards based on Celeron J1800: Gigabyte J1800N-D2H, and BIOSTAR J1800NH. I could not find price for the Gigabyte motherboard, but BIOSTAR J1800NH is sold for […]

Rockchip RK3568/RK3588 and Intel x86 SBCs

February 3, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Huawei Ascend Y300 F1 Firefox OS Phone Features Qualcomm MSM8225 SoC

Firefox OS devices are slowly coming to market, but it could be that most of them are existing Android phones or tablets repurposed to run Firefox OS with little, if any, hardware changes. We’ve already seen Mozilla selected InFocus New Tab F1, an Android Tablet, for its development program, but actual products such as Huawei Ascend Y300 smartphone, will soon be sold with Firefox OS using the model name “Ascend Y300 F1” or “Ascend Y300 II”. Huawei Ascend Y300 F1 specifications: SoC – Qualcomm MSM8225 dual core Cortex A5 @ 1 GHz with Adreno 203 GPU System Memory – 512MB RAM Storage – 4GB NAND Flash, microSD card slot Display – 4″ touchscreen (WVGA – 800 x 480) Connectivity – 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, GPS with A-GPS Cellular networks – GSM/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900, UMTS 850/1900/2100. Camera – 5MP rear camera, 0.3MP front-facing camera Battery – 1730mAh Dimensions – 124.5 x 63.75 […]

February 3, 2014February 3, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Tivizen USB Dongles Bring Digital TV (DVB-T, ATSC, 1Seg) to Your Android or iOS Devices

If you want to watch digital terrestrial TV on your Android tablet / phone / mini PC, or your iPad / iPhone, I’ve already written about Geniatech WiTV / Yeshgo Meron, as well as Geniatech PT115m / PT115e. The former are battery powered DVB receiver sending TV channel to your mobile via Wi-Fi, and is already available for purchase. The latter are micro USB or USB DBT-T dongles that you can insert into your Android or iOS devices, but they still do not seem to be available for purchase. Today, I’ve come across Tivizen USB dongles that appears to be very similar to PT115m/PT115e except there are several models with support for DVB-T, DVB-H (iOS and PC), ATSC (iOS only), 1Seg, and SBTVD standards, and they’ve been available since 2012… I won’t list the available technical specs for each device (mainly connector, dimensions, and weight), but here are the key […]