I’m normally playing videos from a SAMBA share installed in a Ubuntu PC to play files from Kodi in Android TV box reviews, but sometimes when I use 10/100 Ethernet, or worse WiFi local “streaming” may not be as smooth as possible. SAMBA is convenient because of access control and read write operations, but if you want to get a bit more performance, you may switch to NFS instead, or like I’ve going to show you here to a DLNA / UPnP server to stream videos locally from Kodi 16.1.

There are several options, but MiniDLNA is lightweight compared to MediaTomb, so it will also run on lower end hardware like cheap ARM Linux development boards like Raspberry Pi, Orange Pi, or NanoPi NEO without taking too many resources.

Installation is very easy in Debian / Ubuntu distributions, and I supposed this should also work with Windows Subsystem for Linux in Windows 10:

MiniDLNA can be configured with the same settings for all users, or different settings for specific users. In both case you’ll need to edit /etc/minidlna.conf configuration file. In my case, I only changed or uncommented the following lines for global settings:

You can add as many media_dir lines as you want, and also add A, V or P letter to separate Audio, Video, and Photo media type. For example:

Please note that minidlna daemon (minidlnad) will automatically scan subdirectories, so they don’t need to be specified.

Now that we have modifed the configuration, let’s restart it:

The Wiki on Ubuntu linked in the introduction also mentions to run the following command to rebuild the database:

However, while I could find my new UPnP server in Kodi, there were no files at all, and the log shows the same error message over and over:

eventually the command:

fixed the issue. But that’s not exactly the right way to fix it as it assumes root is running the daemon.

A better way if you’re going to have a decidated server is probably to set the ownership of media files to minidlna with a command like:

So how do you play videos from your DLNA/UPnP server in Kodi 16.1? Go to Videos->Files, and select Add videos…

Now select UPnP devices

Kodi should like your UPnP / DLNA servers. In my case FX8350:root, which correspond to the hostname or friendly_name in the hostname, and to the user, normally minidlna. Select the server, than Browser Folder, or Videos, and click OK.

I’ve shot a short video showing how to setup UPnP devices in Kodi, and compare SAMBA and DLNA performance by playing the same video file in Kodi 16.1 Android through SAMBA and UPnP/DLNA.

[embedded content]

You’ll notice the video played from the SAMBA server starts much faster, but buffers several time during playback, while the video played from MiniDLNA server on the same PC will buffer data longer at start, and always fill the buffer fast enough to avoid bufferring.

I took Conky screenshots for another video showing the traffic shape for both SAMBA with relatively constant speed (6600 KB/s to 7400 KB/s) and DLNA which shows very high bitrate (>10000 KB/s) to fill the buffer the first time, and then play consistently around 6400 to 6800 KB/s.

Of course switching from SAMBA to DLNA won’t do miracles, but if you notice a few buffering while playing videos in SAMBA, switching to DLNA/UPnP may resolve the issue. You can also keep the best of both world, for example using SAMBA to download/copy files, and DLNA to play them back.

Tweet I’m normally playing videos from a SAMBA share installed in a Ubuntu PC to play files from Kodi in Android TV box reviews, but sometimes when I use 10/100…

I’ve launched a survey on behalf of a TV box manufacturer two weeks ago, and the results are now in with over 400 respondents. As promised, the company provided the results so let’s have a look.

First, most of respondents use a TV box without tuner, while some have both, and a few others haven’t purchased one yet.

Survey participants where then asked about the most important apps in an Android TV box with a 1 (not important) to 6 (very important) scale.

The results are not really surprising with Kodi and YouTube being the most sought after apps. Netflix came a distant third, and a fair amount of respondents want their TV box to support HD resolutions. Most people could not care less about Hulu and Sling TV.

The third question was about the price people were ready to pay for a TV box with the same specs, but from various brands. It looks prices listed during the survey changed overtime, so we have three sets of answers instead of just one.

That part of the survey was a little odd, as both WeTek and MINIX TV boxes would sell for the same total price (with shipping), but MINIX would include shipping, while WeTek would have separate shipping.The price listed for Nvidia Shield is most probably for actual specs, rather than similar specs. Anyway, it seems respondents are ready to pay a bit more ($15) to a lot more ($60) for a given brand and the support that comes with it.

The final question was just about the extra price people would pay for specific features such as Netflix HD, and good support.

Click to Enlarge

The majority of respondents some Netflix users, who already paid for their subscription fees, some who don’t use Netflix at all, don’t feel like they want to pay extra to get HD and 4K UHD support for this single app, although some do. $10 extra seems to be the sweet spot for community and support.

There was also a lucky draw for the survey, and the company already selected the winner: Andrés.

Tweet I’ve launched a survey on behalf of a TV box manufacturer two weeks ago, and the results are now in with over 400 respondents. As promised, the company provided…

Shenzhen Tomato has been selling Android TV boxes for a few years now, but one of their next product will be a development board based on Amlogic S905X processor with 8GB flash, 2GB RAM, and the usual 40-pin Raspberry Pi header.

“VIM3316” Board – Click to Enlarge

SZTomato TVI development board specifications:

• SoC –  Amlogic S905X quad core ARM Cortex-A53 @ up to 2.0GHz with penta-core Mali-450MP GPU @ 750 MHz
• System Memory – 2GB DDR3 (1GB or less as option)
• Storage – 8GB Samsung eMMC flash (other capacities as option)  + micro SD slot
• Video & Audio  Output – HDMI 2.0a up to 4K @ 60 Hz
• Connectivity – Fast Ethernet port, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0 (Ampak AP6212) with IPEX connector
• USB – 2x USB 2.0 host ports with 500mA fuses, 1x USB type C port (most likely for power only)
• Expansion header – 40-pin Raspberry Pi compatible header with USB, UART, I2C, ADC, PWM, JTAG, I2S, and GPIOs
• Misc -Blue & red LED, dual channel IR, power/function/reset keys, header for RTC battery
• Power Supply –  5V via USB type C or extra header with 2.5A fuse
• Dimensions – 82.0 x 57.5 x 11.5 mm

Click to Enlarge

The company will provide support for Android 6.0, OpenELEC 7.0 and Ubuntu 16.04, and source code will be provided to customers.

The bad news is that the board will only be sold to companies purchasing in volume, not to hobbyists. The company told me they already have engineering samples, and accept order from OEM/ODM customers. Price has not been disclosed publicly, but I’m guessing it should probably be around $40 or less.

Tweet Shenzhen Tomato has been selling Android TV boxes for a few years now, but one of their next product will be a development board based on Amlogic S905X processor…

As the Intel Developer Forum 2016 is now taking place in San Francisco, Intel has unveiled the Joule Compute Module and development kit targeting IoT applications. The module is not for low cost and low power sensor nodes however, as it features a powerful quad core Atom processor running at 1.5+ GHz, so it more suited to IoT gateways, or other application requiring lots of processing power to handle sensor data.

Two models of the Joule module have been introduced:

• Intel Joule 570x platform
  • SoC – Intel Atom T5700 64-bit quad-core processor @ 1.7 GHz / 2.4 GHz (Burst frequency) with Intel HD Graphics with 4K video capture and display
  • System Memory – 4GB LPDDR4 RAM
  • Storage – 16GB eMMC memory
  • Connectivity – 802.11ac Wi-Fi with MIMO and Bluetooth 4.1
  • Other interfaces –  USB 3.0, MPI CSI and DSI interfaces, and multiple GPIO, I2C, UART interfaces
• Intel Joule 550x platform
  • SoC – Intel Atom T5500 64-bit quad-core processor @ 1.5 GHz with Intel HD Graphics with 4K video capture and display
  • System Memory – 3GB LPDDR4 RAM
  • Storage – 8GB eMMC memory
  • Connectivity – 802.11ac Wi-Fi with MIMO and Bluetooth 4.1
  • Other interfaces –  USB 3.0, MPI CSI and DSI interfaces, and multiple GPIO, I2C, UART interfaces

Both modules run Ostro Linux-based OS – built with the Yocto Project – tailored for IoT and smart devices, and support Intel RealSense cameras and libraries. Intel also mentions that “Developers can choose to develop on Ubuntu/Ubuntu Core (Snappy) or Microsoft Windows 10 IoT Core”.

The modules are already used to develop several products and demos including PivotHead smart glasses used by Airbus for quality control, Vstone bartending robot featuring a RealSense camera to track a person’s face, Eyelights highway patrol motorcycle helmet display used to read license plates, Microsoft Bamboo robotic companion to help parents of children with diabetes, Canonical robots to demonstrate Ubuntu Core and the Robot Operating System (ROS), as well as Gumstix custom carrier boards for Joule Compute Module.

Intel will offer a developer kit for each version of the Joule module, but currently on Joule 570x developer kit can be purchased through partners such as Mouser and Newegg for $370, and Joule 550x devkit will be launched on Q4 2016.

Joule 570x devkit specifications:

• Joule module based on Intel Atom T5700 processor with 4GB RAM (PoP), 16GB storage, 2x 100-pin connectors
• Storage – micro SD slot
• Video Output – micro HDMI port
• USB – 1 x USB 3.0 port, 1x USB 3.0 type C OTG port
• Camera – 2x 4-Lane MIPI CSI Connectors
• Expansion – 2x 40 pin females header with 3.3V (5V tolerant) signals for I2S, digital microphone, PCIe, I2C, RTC, SPI, SDIO, UART, PWM, GPIOs, MIPI DSI…
• Debugging – 1x micro USB port for serial console
• Power – 12V via Power barrel
• Dimensions – Joule module: 48 x 24mm

Beside the board and module, the kit includes a micro-SD card, a type-A to type-C micro USB cable, two Wi-Fi antennas, and a heatsink and fastener. The board will run Ostro OS with Linux 4.4 and application framework for Node.js, Python, and C/C++ applications. The “BIOS” will be an open source UEFI implementation. Software development tools include Intel XDK IoT Edition and Intel System Studio IoT Edition, Intel RealSense API support, and Intel IoT Developer Kit.

While you can get the devkit right now, Intel Joule 570x and 550x platforms will only become broadly available in Q4 2016 at an undisclosed price. They will be available is over 100 countries by the end of Q4 including the United States, Canada, Japan and most of Europe. More details can be found on Intel Joule IDF page.

Tweet As the Intel Developer Forum 2016 is now taking place in San Francisco, Intel has unveiled the Joule Compute Module and development kit targeting IoT applications. The module is…

Since Shenzhen Shiningworth MXQ Plus M12N is my first TV box powered by Amlogic S912 octa-core processor, I’ve decided to write a separate post to show system information with CPU-Z, and benchmark results with Antutu 6.x, Vellamo 3.x, and 3Dmark Ice Storm Extreme. Please note that it may not be representative of all Amlogic S912 boards, as mentioned in the teardown post, there are some concerns about the thermal design of M12N TV box.

M12N / Amlogic S912 System Info

I’ve merged CPU-Z’ SOC, DEVICE and SYSTEM data into a single table.

Click to Enlarge

The app correctly detects an 8 core Cortex A53 processor @ 100 MHz to 2.02 GHz with an ARM Mali-T820 GPU. The brand for this particurlar device is MXQ, and Model m12n. Frame buffer resolution is 1920×1080, and memory and storage data are both OK for a box with 2GB and 16GB flash. The device runs Android 6.0.1 on top of Linux 3.14.29.

M12N / Amlogic S912 Benchmarks

With 8 cores and a faster GPU, I was expecting a much higher Antutu 6.x score with Amlogic S912.

The box however only achieved 41,303 points in Antutu 6.2, which compared to 38,032 points on Amlogic S905 based MINIX NEO U1 running Android 5.1 with the same Android 6.x benchmark. The 3D score is naturally higher because of the fast GPU, and also begin the MaliT-820MP3 GPU also supports OpenGL ES 3.1, which was skipped on Amlogic S905. UX, CPU and RAM scores are about the same, or slightly lower in Amlogic S912. So there’s a problem here either because of thermal design, or Android 6.0 Amlogic SDK still needs some work. I launched the benchmark again another day, and got 38,798 points.. 3D was a little higher (9,353), UX and CPU slightly lower (14,088 + 12,414), but RAM test collapse d to 2,943 points.

Vellamo 3.2 offers some more perspective, and one of the Multicore tests failed (see yellow “warning” triangle) because of a “Sysbench issue with Finepar: Invalid CPU mode”.

For reference, MINIX NEO U1, one of the fastest and most stable Amlogic S905 TV boxes, got respectively 1,587, 1,235, and 2,157 points for Multicore, Metal, and Browser scores. Again, that’s not a pretty picture for Amlogic S912 or M12N TV box.

3Dmark Ice Storm Extreme provides a slightly more positive picture.

Click to Enlarge

M12N achieved 5,752 points, against only 4,327 points for MINIX NEO U1. You’ll also note the CPU frequency appears to maxes out at 1.5 or 1.6 GHz instead of the claimed 2.02 GHz. M12N score is quite lower than the 7,512 points achieved in Rockchip RK3288 (ARM Mali-764 GPU) based Tronsmart Orion R28 running Android 4.4, and released in 2014.

Results are quite lower than what I would have expected, so there could be a problem with cooling (despite the rather short Android benchmarks), and/or Android 6.0 Amlogic SDK or M12N firmware might need some more work.

Tweet Since Shenzhen Shiningworth MXQ Plus M12N is my first TV box powered by Amlogic S912 octa-core processor, I’ve decided to write a separate post to show system information with…

Last year, we found that Allwinner was preparing to launch Allwinner H64 and H5 quad and octa processors in their roadmap, but there have been some changes, and the compny seems to have dropped H64 name, and has now introduced Allwinner H5 quad core Cortex A53 processor designed for 4K TV boxes.

Allwinner H5 Block Diagram – Click to Enlarge

Allwinner H5 main specifications:

• CPU – quad core Cortex A53 with NEON, FPU, 64KB I/D cache per core, and 512KB L2 cache
• 3G GPU – ARM Mali-450MP GPU with 4 pixel processor cores, and 2 geometry cores with support for OpenGL ES 2.0/1.1/1.1, OpenVG 1.1 and EGL
• 2D GPU (Graphics and Display Processor) – Dual display; Main display: 4 video layers, 12 graphics layers, 4 alpha blending channels; Auxiliary display: 4 video layers, 4 graphics layers, and 2 alpha blending channels
• Memory I/F – DDR3/3L SDRAM interface up to 32-bit data width
• Storage I/F – SPI NOR flash, SPI NAND flash, NAND flash (SLC/MLC with 64-bit ECC), and eMMC 5.0 flash interfaces
• Video Decoding – Up to 4K decoding of H.265/HEVC Main10, H.264/AVC, VP6/VP8/VP9, MPEG1/2/4, AVS-P16, VC1
• Image Decoding – YUV400/YUV420/YUV422/YUV444; Picture scale and rotate
• Video & Image Encoding – 1080p60 or 2x 1080p30, or 4x 72030 video encoding with AVC or JPEG
• Audio Encoding/Decoding – MPEG L1/L2, AAC-LC, HE AAC V1/V2, APE, FLAC, OGG, AMR-WB, G.711 (u/a) decoding; G.711(u/a), AMR-NB, AMR-WB, and AAC-LC encoding
• TS Demultiplexing/PVR – 4x TS inputs using SSI or SPI modes, DVB-CSA/AES/DES descrambling, recording of scrambled and non-scrambled streams
• Security – TEE, Secure OS, secure boot, 2K bits EFuse, DRM, conditional access, HDCP 1.4 protection
• A/V Interfaces
  • PAL and NTSC, HDMI Tx with HDCP, CVBS, HD and SD output from same source. 480i to 4K2K resolutions
  • Analog videos – 1x CVBS, 1x embedded VDAC
  • Audio interfaces – 2x stereo input interfaces, 1x stereo output interface, 1x S/PDIF, 2x ADAC, 2x I2S/PCM, HDMI audio
• Peripherals
  • 3x USB 2.0 host, 1x USB 2.0 OTG
  • 10/100M Ethernet with integrated PHY, Gigabit Ethernet MAC
  • 3x 4-bit SDIO 3.0 interfaces
  • 5x UART, 4x TWI (I2C), 2x SPI, multiple GPIOs, 2x PWM
  • 2x smart card interfaces (ISO7816)
  • LED and keypad control interface, IR receiver
  • 1x CSI camera
• Boot program download over serial port or USB port
• Low power CPU – For standby power as low as 30 mW power consumption

Allwinner is actually pushing the limit of “generally accepted marketing principles” by calling Allwinner H5 a “Deca-core 4K OTT Box Total Solution” by adding 4 CPU cores to 6 GPU cores… They also done a “good job” at hiding whether HDMI 2.0 is supported, as the HDMI version is not mentioned, nor the maximum framerate for video codec @ 4K2K. [Update: Allwinner H-Series comparison table shows H.265 @ 4K30Hz, so it’s most likely limited to HDMI 1.4]

The processor will apparently run Android 5.1, and while features look similar to Allwinner A64, the GPU is quite faster, I’ve been told video processing is better by Allwinner marketing team, and I can also see some interfaces (TS input and smartcard) that would make it suitable for Android Digital TV receivers with DVB, ISDB-C and ATSC tuners.

Orange Pi PC 2 – Image Source: ARMBian

Linux support is also likely as two of the first platforms to use the new processor will be Shenzhen Xunlong Orange Pi 3 and Orange Pi PC 2 (pictured above) development boards.

More details can be found on Allwinner H5 product page.

Thanks to Thomas for the tip.

Tweet Last year, we found that Allwinner was preparing to launch Allwinner H64 and H5 quad and octa processors in their roadmap, but there have been some changes, and the…

One of the most common complaints I get from readers when I publish news about new ARM processor is “Why didn’t they include SATA?”. So far Allwinner A20 is the only really low cost ARM processor that includes a SATA port, but it’s been released a few years, and its dual core Cortex A7 processor is getting old. We’ve been hearing rumors about an upgraded version for one or two years with Allwinner A40 or more recently Allwinner A20E, and finally the company has now published details about Allwinner R40 processor on their revamped website, which they claim to be the successor of Allwinner A20.

Allwinner R40 Block Diagram

Allwinner R40 key specifications:

• CPU – Quad-core ARM Cortex-A7 Processor
• GPU – Mali-400 MP2 GPU
• Memory I/F – 32-bit DDR3/DDR3L/LPDDR2/LPDDR3
• Storage I/F – 8-bit NAND flash, SD3.0,  eMMC 5.0, and 1x SATA

  Photoshopped Allwinner R40 System-on-Module

• Networking – 2x MAC: 1x EMAC (10/100M Ethernet), 1x GMAC  (Gigabit Ethernet)
• Display – RGB/LVDS/HDMI/MIPI DSI/TV Out
• Video – [email protected] decoding and H.264 HP [email protected] encoding
• Audio – Up to 2x I2S/PCM interfaces, eight channels of Time Division Multiplexing(TDM) with sampling precision up to 32bit/192KHz
• Camera-  2x Parallel MIPI CSI interfaces
• USB – 3x USB 2.0 host
• I/Os – 8x UART, 4x SPI,  5x TWI/I2C
• STB interfaces – 1x smart card, 2x TS
• Misc – 2x PS2 1x 8×8 keypad, 2x IR receiver, 2x KEYADC, RTP
• Package – 16×16 mm FBGA468

Compared to Allwinner A20, the company explains that R40 is an “Allwinner A20 upgrade edition” with four cores instead of two, 40nm process instead of 55nm, lower power consumption, and a smaller package. They also mention the processor will be supported by their lightweight open source Tina operating system based on Linux.

One of the first devices to use the new processor, beside the unnamed CPU module shown above (Update: that’s a photoshopped C.H.I.P board), will be Banana Pi M2 Ultra development board, which will come with 2GB RAM, 8GB flash, and expose the SATA interface.

Tweet One of the most common complaints I get from readers when I publish news about new ARM processor is “Why didn’t they include SATA?”. So far Allwinner A20 is…

In a recent list of Amlogic S912 TV boxes we found out that factory prices ranged between $47 to $54 for typical devices with 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage, but you can only get those price by buying in quantities, and they don’t include shipping. However, GearBest has just informed me they lowered Beelink GT1 prices to $55.99 shipped with GBGT1 coupon,  which – provided the box works well – looks like a good bargain.

Beelink GT1 specifications:

• SoC – Amlogic S912 octa-core ARM Cortex A53 processor @ up to 2.0GHz with ARM Mali-820MP3 @ up to 750MHz
• System Memory – 2GB DDR3
• Storage – 16GB eMMC flash, micro SD slot up to 32GB
• Video Output – HDMI 2.0a
• Audio Output – HDMI and optical S/PDIF
• Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n/ac, and Bluetooth 4.0
• USB – 2x USB 2.0 ports
• Misc – IR receiver
• Power Supply – 5V/2A
• Dimensions – 9.6 x 9.6 x 1.6 cm
• Weight –  180g

Just like other S912 devices, GT1 runs Android 6.0, and supports 4K VP9, H.265 and H.264 video playback. It sells with an infrared remote control, an HDMI Cable, a power adapter, and a user’s manual in English.

In my case, shipping shows as “unregistered air mail”, so you may want to spend $1.5 to make sure it is shipped with “registered airmal” in order to avoid loss/stolen package. It can’t find GT1 on other Chinese e-retailers for now.

Tweet In a recent list of Amlogic S912 TV boxes we found out that factory prices ranged between $47 to $54 for typical devices with 2GB RAM and 16GB internal…

Paul Stoffregen has been making Teensy USB MCU development boards since 2008, and has just launched the latest Teensy 3.5 & 3.6 boards powered by NXP (previously Freescale) Kinetis K64 & K66 ARM Cortex-M4 MCUs with a micro USB port for power and programming, a micro SD slot, and several I/Os.

Teensy 3.6 (Top) and Teensy 3.5 (Bottom)

Boards specifications:

• MCU
  • Teensy 3.5 (T3.5) – NXP Kinetis K64 ARM Cortex M4 MCU @ 120 MHz with FPU, 512KB flash, 192 KB RAM, 4K EEPROM
  • Teensy 3.6 (T3.6) – NXP Kinetis K66 ARM Cortex M4 MCU @ 180 MHz with FPU, 1MB flash, 256KB RAM, 4K EEPROM
• Storage – micro SD card port

  Bottom of Teensy Board

• USB – 1x USB Full Speed (12 Mbit/sec) Port; T3.6 only: 480 Mbit/sec host port
• Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet mac
• 62x I/O Pins (42 breadboard friendly)
• 25x Analog Inputs to 2 ADCs with 13 bits resolution
• 2x Analog Outputs (DACs) with 12 bit resolution
• 20x PWM Outputs
• 6x Serial Ports (2 with FIFO & Fast Baud Rates)
• I2S Audio Port, 4 Channel Digital Audio Input & Output
• 3x SPI Ports (1 with FIFO), 4x I2C Ports
• CAN bus – T3.5: 1x; T3.6: 2x
• 14x Hardware Timers
• General Purpose DMA channels – T3.5: 16x; T3.6: 32x
• 11x Touch sensing inputs  (T3.6 only)
• Security – Cryptographic Acceleration Unit, Random Number Generator, CRC Computation Unit
• Misc – Real Time Clock; Teensy 3.5 only: 5V tolerance on all digital I/Os.
• Dimensions – N/A

The main way to developer for the board is via the Arduino IDE. You’ll find documentation and sample projects about the older boards on PJRC.com, as well as an active developer community.

The boards launched on Kickstarter yesterday, and already vastly surpassed its funding target having raised around $45,000 from 700+ backers out of a goal of $5,000. Teensy 3.5 requires a $23 pledge, while you’ll need to pledge $28 for Teensy 3.6. Shipping adds $4 to $5 to the costs, and delivery is scheduled for October 2016.

Thanks to Nanik for the tip!

Tweet Paul Stoffregen has been making Teensy USB MCU development boards since 2008, and has just launched the latest Teensy 3.5 & 3.6 boards powered by NXP (previously Freescale) Kinetis…

With WeTek Play 2, initially unveiled as WeTek Play+, we now have a successor to WeTek Play with the same ATSC, DVB-S2/S, DVB-T2/T/C tuners, but much better specs thanks to Amlogic S905-H processor, 8GB storage, 2GB memory, and support for HDMI 2.0 and 4K60Hz video decoding allowing you to watch 4K UHD channels via your satellite dish for example. The device can be pre-ordered for $119.90 with the tuner of your choice, and shipping is slated to start on September 6th.

WeTek Play 2 specifications have changed slightly since January:

• SoC –  Amlogic S905-H rev. C quad core ARM Cortex-A53 @ up to 2.0GHz with  penta-core Mali-450MP GPU @ 750 MHz
• System Memory – 2 GB DDR3
• Storage – 8 GB eMMC 5.0 flash + micro SD card slot
• Video Output – HDMI 2.0 up to 4K @ 60Hz with HDCP 2.2 support
• Audio – HDMI, optical S/PDIF
• Video codecs – H.265 (10bit) & H.264 AVC up to 4K60Hz, H.264 MVC, MPEG-4 ASP, VC-1, AVS, MPEG-2, MPEG-1 up to 1080p60
• Audio codecs – MP3, AAC, WMA, RM, FLAC, Ogg, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS
• Tuners – Modular (replaceable) tuners for DVB-S2 (Satellite), DVB-C/T/T2(Cable/terrestrial), and ATSC (terrestrial for North America and South Korea)
• Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 (Ampak AP6335 module)
• USB – 3x USB 2.0 host ports
• DRM – Playready and Widewine; Netflix HD supported
• Misc – IR receiver, IR extender port, 3.5mm jack RS-232 port,
• Power Supply –  DC 12V
• Dimensions – 180x125x42 mm

The receiver runs Android 5.1.1 with Kodi 16.1, and ships with a remote control, an update nail, an HDMI cable, an RS232 cable, and a power supply.

I’ve been sent a review sample, which has been stuck in customs for about 2 weeks, but I expect it to be “liberated” sometimes next week. You can find more details on WeTek Play 2 product page.

Tweet With WeTek Play 2, initially unveiled as WeTek Play+, we now have a successor to WeTek Play with the same ATSC, DVB-S2/S, DVB-T2/T/C tuners, but much better specs thanks…

There have only been a few phones released with or supporting Ubuntu so far, and those phones will normally be able to run Android too since Ubuntu Touch relies on Android drivers, and you may decide that Ubuntu is not for you and switch back to Android, or the contrary, if you’ve purchased an Android phone, you may want to install Ubuntu instead. In order to simplify the task of installing operating systems, Marius Quabeck has developed “Magic Device Tool“.

As you can see from the screenshot above, 13 phones and tablets are currently supported. You’ll need a computer with Ubuntu 15.04 or greater to install the tool, and I’ve done so on Ubuntu 16.04:

The script will also install phablet-tools if it is not already installed,  so if you are not root, you’ll need your account to be member of sudoers. Once the initial setup is done, you’ll get to choose your phone as shown in the first screenshot. I don’t own any in that list, but I selected LG Nexus 5 to give it a try.

You’ll be asked whether you want to install Ubuntu, OpenStore alternative app store for hacks, developer tools and app previews, Cyanogenmod 13, the Android factory Image, TWRP recovery, or instead lock or unlock the bootloader. I selected [1] Install Ubuntu -> [1] Choose a channel to flash (Will remove existing apps/data) -> [1] stable, and the flash procedure was about to go ahead:

You’d need your Nexus 5 phone connected to your PC via a USB cable to complete the procedure, but I canceled since I don’t own the hardware required (yet).

The utility can also install PhoenixOS on some phones, and it will soon be improved to include an Android backup/restore option, so you can reflash Android will all your settings and apps.

Via UbuntuFun.de and Ubuntu Australia on G+

Tweet There have only been a few phones released with or supporting Ubuntu so far, and those phones will normally be able to run Android too since Ubuntu Touch relies…

Amlogic has just released buildroot with Linux 3.14 with support for Amlogic S905X (p212 board), S905D (p230 board), and S912 (Q200 board) processors, and the company appears to have started working on Linux 4.4 likely for future support for Android 7.0.

You can check the source code as follows:

You’ll need to make sure you have gcc-4.9. If you running Ubuntu 16.04, you should already be good, otherwise you’ll need to download Linaro gcc 4.9 toolchain, and you can select one of three boards config (Q200 / S912 as example) and start building the code:

If you are interested in S905X or S905D instead, use respectively mesongxl_p212_release_defconfig or mesongxl_p230_release_defconfig.

Separately, you can also find buildroot for Linux 4.4, but this is very likely very early work, and should be used together with Amlogic Android 7.0 SDK once it is released.

Tweet Amlogic has just released buildroot with Linux 3.14 with support for Amlogic S905X (p212 board), S905D (p230 board), and S912 (Q200 board) processors, and the company appears to have…

Realtek RTL8710 could eventually become a serious competitor to ESP8266, as it’s based on ARM Cortex M3, provides many of the same features, and sells for roughly the same price. While currently software support is still work in progress and community is very small, I’ve recently written a quick start guide  using AT commands to control RTL8710 connectivity in station and access point mode, and commands are also available for GPIO, OTA firmware updates, servers… This however requires some soldering and a USB to TTL debug board, and is not quite as convenient as ESP8266 board like NodeMCU. Some RTL8710 and RTL8195 development boards are already available but they cost over $25, but I’ve been informed of a cheap no-name RTL8710 board with a micro USB port for programming and power, and well as headers with GPIOs, UARTs, NFC, and power pins, that looks somewhat similar to ESP8266 Witty board.

RTL8710 “Witty” development board specifications:

• WiSoC – Realtek RTL8710 ARM Cortex M3 MCU with 802.11 b/g/n connectivity
• Serial to TTL Chip – CH340G
• Expansion headers – 2x 13 pin with GPIOs, I2C, UART, SPI, NFC, and power signals (5V, 3.3V, GND)
• Misc – RGB LED, temperature sensor, photo resistor, and button
• Power – 5V via micro USB port, 3.3V via header
• Dimensions – TBD

I’ve asked one Aliexpress seller whether it would be breadboard compatible, but they did not manage to answer my question. [Update: After estimating dimensions with pictures, it will most likely not be breadboard friendly]

They did try to help however, by first sending some software manual with AT commands, followed by schematics and PCB layout pictures, all of which you can find here.

You can purchase for board for $8.82 on Aliexpress including shipping, and it’s also sold on Taobao for 35 RMB ($5.26). shipped in China.

Tweet Realtek RTL8710 could eventually become a serious competitor to ESP8266, as it’s based on ARM Cortex M3, provides many of the same features, and sells for roughly the same…

When Amlogic announced S912 processor, they mentioned it would target not only 4K OTT and IP set-top boxes, but also gaming consoles thanks to a faster and better Mali-T820MP3 GPU compared to the Mali-450MP GPU found in their previous S905 and S805 processor, and we’ve already seen that S912 is indeed faster in 3D benchmarks.

So I decided to play several games to show the performance, the pre-loaded retro gaming app, and for people who have never used a TV box to play games show what it looks like, and how to play using M12N TV box, in conjunction with MINIX NEO A2 Lite air mouse and Tronsmart Mars G01 wireless gamepad.

I played four games downloaded from the Play Store or Amazon Underground:

• Candy Crush Saga with air mouse
• Beach Buggy Racing and Riptide GP2 with the gamepad
• Dead Trigger with the air mouse in menus, and the gamepad during the game (requires key mapping)

All four games played just fine in the box, and Riptide GP2 framerate was noticeably higher than on Amlogic S905 TV boxes when “highest resolution” setting is selected. If you don’t want to purchase an air mouse or/and game pad, it should also be possible to use your smartphone with the remote app, but it’s not something I’ve tested.

MXQ Plus M12N TV box also includes KO GameBox app and simply shown as Games in the main menu.

Click to Enlarge

The app has some Chinese logos, and the interface and games are all available with English language. All games appear to be retro games, and include classic like Super Mario Bros. None of the games are installed in the box, but the app will allow you to download them from various mirrors. I tried Fate/Unlimited Codes street fighting PSP game, and it worked well with Tronsmart gamepad. The app also exposes a QR code to download KO TVGame Assistant app in order to use your Android phone as a gamepad.

KO TVGame Assistant App

You can see all games mentioned above tested in MQX Plus M12N TV box in the video below.
[embedded content]

If you want to purchase the setup I used, you can get Shenzhen Shiningworth M12N on Aliexpress for $69.99, Tronsmart Mars G01 RF gamepad for $25.99, and/or MINIX NEO A2 Lite  air mouse for the same price. Of course, you’d have pretty much the same experience with any of the other Amlogic S912 TV boxes, and the gamepad or/and air mouse of your choice.

Tweet When Amlogic announced S912 processor, they mentioned it would target not only 4K OTT and IP set-top boxes, but also gaming consoles thanks to a faster and better Mali-T820MP3…

CNXSoft: An other review by Ray for an Amlogic S905X powered TV box provided by Videostrong.

MECOOL BM8 specifications

The specifications are pretty standard, except for the large flash:

• SoC – Amlogic S905X quad core Cortex A53 @ 2.0GHz with a penta-core Mali-450MP GPU
• Memory – 2GB DDR3 RAM
• Storage – 32GB eMMC flash + card reader for SD/SDHC/MMC cards
• Video Output – HDMI 2.0 up to 4K*2K “super HD video” with HDR support and AV outputs
• Audio Output – HDMI, AV, and optical S/PDIF
• Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, dual band WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, and Bluetooth 4.0
• USB – 2x USB 2.0 port
• Supports HEVC (H.265) decoding

The TV box runs Android 6.0.

Unboxing

The box comes with 3 different Power Adapters, a HDMI cable, power supply and a completely oversized (20cm/5cm) remote control with  “learning modes ability”. No manual was inside the box.

Click to Enlarge

The Videostrong MECOOL BM8 is a 4-core Android TV box, very small and astonishingly smart. Both its length and width are only 95mm and the height is just at a amazing 19mm. You can hold it in your palm.

Click to Enlarge

Review / Impressions

Videostrong MECOOL BM8 is one of the new Android 6.0 TV Box models in 2016. Android 6.0 is to improve user experience compared with other versions of TV Boxes. People can install or uninstall software, games and application programs more convenient and easily. Android 6 is supposed to handle the old memory handling of older Android versions better and more effective.

Videostrong MECOOL BM8 comes with Android 6.0.1 OS, an impressive 2GB RAM, and a massive 32GB storage. It provides users with a better experience to enjoy 4K Ultra HD video. Crispy Pictures and a fantastic sound quality are delivered by this very well designed box.

The device booted in just 13.8 seconds the first time, and the second time even faster. This box reboots in a shocking 11.4 seconds! Boot times are with a 500GB USB HDD and a MeLe F10 Deluxe remote. Those are the best results I ever saw so far with an Android box!

I tested Bluetooth with my iPhone 5S, and it worked flawlessly. MeLe F10 Deluxe air mouse also just worked with out issues. I could install all apps I wanted with the Google Play store.

Kodi is working in a glance, gone the times, where we have to wait endless time, before Kodi switched off, now in 1 to 2 seconds done. The Box comes with a Krypton 17.0 (compiled 28. July 2016.)

Click to Enlarge

By my opinion not a good choice, Krypton Kodi is still in “pre-release” and if you want to install a “build” later on, you may have to uninstall and go for the latest Jarvis Release 16.1. Not many builds made for Krypton right now.

In the apps Section we find a Kodi ADD-ons updater. What this App really does, stays unknown, no update to find, because of the newest version already installed.

Truly one of the better boxes. I never have had any kind of “bad feeling”, by using and testing this box. Big Points collect this box in the field of IPTV and streaming. Glas clear picture, crispy sound. I connected my Samsung Dolby Soundbar, and the result was great. So it should be and has to be!

I am not a big fan of fancy lab testing, these results are often not to read or to handle for the ordinary customers. A TV Box should give no headache, so easy is that, and I must say, this box gives the buyer no headache or trouble at all. I highly recommend this box for the average use.

Benchmarks

Vellamo 3.2:  Browser 2026; Metal 1057; Multicore 1520

Antutu 6.2.1: Overall 34429;  3D 3026; UX 13714; CPU 12396; RAM 5293

Conclusion

IPTV Fan? This Box is for you! Kodi Fan? This Box is for you!

• Pros:
  • Speedy LAN, great Wi-Fi, perfect Bluetooth 4.0
  • Highly stable, smooth and fast firmware
  • Superfast booting
  • Nicely designed, small and compact
  • Very good value for the money
  • No temperature issues
• Cons
  • Again the Remote, to huge, to unhandy

Wholesalers can purchase MECOOL BM8 from Videostrong on Alibaba. I could not find the device on any Chinese online stores at this time, but  GearBest sell a similar looking – but with lower specs (1GB/8GB) – MECOOL HM8 TV box for $29.75 including shipping.

Tweet CNXSoft: An other review by Ray for an Amlogic S905X powered TV box provided by Videostrong. MECOOL BM8 specifications The specifications are pretty standard, except for the large flash:…

In a not so distant future, most humans will live off their government provided basic income, relaxing and drinking their robot brewed, drone delivered beer or soda, opened and served by their humanoid robot maid. Well, maybe… In the meantime, it might be interesting to learn how to make humanoid robots such as InMoov, but since it’s quite complicated, it might be better to start small… with a single finger.

That’s exactly what InMoov Finger Starter Kit offers you to do in order to understand the basics principles of the complete robot. The kit includes:

• 1x 3D printed base support in ABS
• 3D printed finger parts in ABS
• 1 meter braided 200 LB tendon
• 1x 5cm filament for peg/pin use to assemble finger joints
• 1x wheel horn adapter (Servo Pulley)
• 4x screws to fix the servo to the base support.

You’ll also need to provide your own Arduino Uno (or Leonardo or Duelaminove..) board, and servo such as HK15298 or the cheaper MG995. More details and assembly instructions are explained on the kit’s tutorial page. Once assembly is complete, you can run a simple sketch to see the finger moving, or a more advanced one to control it with your voice. It can also be interfaced with muscle or ultrasound sensors.

If you already own a 3D printer, you could also print them yourself. Once you can confident enough, you could move to the next stage, and build the complete InMoov open source robot shown in the video below.
[embedded content]
The starter kit was actually showcased in 2013, but I’ve only come across the kit via Tindie, where it is sold for $37. You can also buy it directly from InMoov website for 34 Euros.

Tweet In a not so distant future, most humans will live off their government provided basic income, relaxing and drinking their robot brewed, drone delivered beer or soda, opened and…

Most Android TV boxes now come with either 8 or 16GB, and in my experience it’s usually enough for most users. However, as we’ve seen recently, while not being as powerful as Nvidia Shield Android TV box, Amlogic S912 TV boxes are suitable for gaming, and games may use a lot of space, and for example a PSP street fighting game took 500 MB space when I tested it. So if you need more storage space, you may consider devices such as YOKATV KB2 that comes with 32GB eMMC flash.

YOKATV KB2 specifications:

• SoC – Amlogic S912 octo-core ARM Cortex A53 processor @ up to 2.0GHz with ARM Mali-T820MP3 GPU @ up to 750MHz
• System Memory – 2GB DDR3
• Storage – 32GB eMMC flash, micro SD slot up to 32GB
• Video Output – HDMI 2.0a with HDR, CEC and (maybe) HDCP 2.2 support + 3.5mm AV jack
• Audio Output – HDMI, AV, and optical S/PDIF
• Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n/ac, and Bluetooth 4.0 with external antenna
• USB – 2x USB 2.0 ports
• Misc – IR receiver, power/standby LED, recovery pin hole
• Power Supply – 5V/2A
• Dimensions – 109 x 109 x 21 mm
• Weight – TBC

The device runs Android 6.0 with Kodi 17.0, and ships with IR remote control, a HDMI cable, a power adapter, and a user’s manual.

I first found about KB2 on GeekBuying where it is sold for $84.99, but the remote control is exactly the same as MECOOL BM8, and naming scheme is typical of Videostrong, so the latter is likely the manufacturer. I have not found any specific info about Videostrong KB2, nor MECOOL KB2 yet, but MECOOL BB2 look and specs are very similar, except the 32GB flash is replaced by a 16GB flash. KB2 is also only found under YokaTV brand in Alibaba, so it’s possible the companies have signed an exclusivity deal for the 32GB storage version, which appears to be based on Videostrong KB3 TV box design.

Tweet Most Android TV boxes now come with either 8 or 16GB, and in my experience it’s usually enough for most users. However, as we’ve seen recently, while not being…

Since Google has changed their way of releasing new version of Android, as they are now taking input from developers using preview releases, we’ve known the main changes in Android 7.0 for a while including multi-window support, improved security, virtual reality support, Vulkan API, a new JIT/AOT compiler, and so on. The company has now made it official, and released Android 7.0 earlier today.

Nexus 6, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Nexus 9, Nexus Player, Pixel C, and Android One smartphones will receive an OTA update with the new firmware, and some other phones enrolled in Android Beta program will also get Android 7.0, but older Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 devices won’t.

Google and LG also unveiled the upcoming LG V20, the first smartphone to ship with Android 7.0. Few details have been provided so far

The LG V20 builds upon the premium and rich multimedia smartphone experience of last year’s LG V10. It will be tuned to take advantage of many of the best features of Nougat, including Vulkan-supported graphics for more immersive gaming while also delivering better battery performance with Doze. Consumers will also enjoy new productivity features such as Direct Reply, which lets users respond quickly to text messages or update tasks using the notification interface.

LG V10 is a 5.7″ QHD smartphone powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 hexa-core application processor, so we should expect something similar or better, but really find more details once the phone is formally launched on September 6th, 2016.

More details about Android Nougat and firmware releases can be found on Android 7.0 page.

Tweet Since Google has changed their way of releasing new version of Android, as they are now taking input from developers using preview releases, we’ve known the main changes in…

Nvidia demonstrated DRIVE PX2 platform for self-driving cars at CES 2016, but did not give many details about the SoC used in the board. Today, the company has finally provided more information about Parker hexa-core SoC combining two Denver 2 cores, and four Cortex A57 cores combining with a 256-core Pascal GPU.

Nvidia Parker SoC specifications:

• CPU – 2x Denver 2 ARMv8 cores, and 4x ARM Cortex A57 cores with 2MB + 2 MB L2 cache, coherent HMP architecture (meaning all 6 cores can work at the same time)
• GPUs – Nvidia Pascal Geforce GPU with 256 CUDA cores supporting DirectX 12, OpenGL 4.5, Nvidia CUDA 8.0, OpenGL ES 3.1, AEP, and Vulkan + 2D graphics engine
• Memory – 128-bit LPDDR4 with ECC
• Display – Triple display pipeline, each at up to 4K 60fps.
• VPU – 4K60 H.265 and VP9 hardware video decoder and encoder
• Others:
  • Gigabit Ethernet MAC
  • Dual-CAN (controller area network)
  • Audio engine
  • Security & safety engines including a dual-lockstep processor for reliable fault detection and processing
  • Image processor
• ISO 26262 functional safety standard for electrical and electronic (E/E) systems compliance
• Process – 16nm FinFet

PX Drive 2 Board with two Parker SoCs

Parker is said to deliver up to 1.5 teraflops (native FP16 processing) of performance for “deep learning-based self-driving AI cockpit systems”.

This type of board and processor is normally only available to car and part manufacturer, and the company claims than 80 carmakers, tier 1 suppliers and university research centers are now using DRIVE PX 2 systems to develop autonomous vehicles. That means the platform should find its way into cars, trucks and buses soon, including in some 100 Volvo XC90 SUVs part of an autonomous-car pilot program in Sweden slated to start next year.

Tweet Nvidia demonstrated DRIVE PX2 platform for self-driving cars at CES 2016, but did not give many details about the SoC used in the board. Today, the company has finally…

We’ve been blessed with a wide range of low cost Allwinner H3 boards thanks to Shenzhen Xunlong Orange Pi and FriendylARM NanoPi boards. Recently, armbian developers have been focusing on NanoPi NEO board, and they’ve now released Debian Jessie and Ubuntu Xenial with Linux 4.6.7 and Linux 4.7.2. The latter is mainline kernel with some patchsets for Ethernet.

You can download the Linux 4.6.7 based “beta” images from armbian NanoPi NEO page, and selected the “Vanilla” versions, then flash then one a micro SD card as you would normally do. Linux 4.7.2 based “experimental” images with USB OTG support and schedutil cpufreq governor can be found on the separate server in a temporary directory.

Thomas Kaiser explains further:

Ethernet and throttling are working (the latter not as efficient as with legacy kernel but at least it protects the SoC from overheating). Please note that all vanilla kernel images currently suffer from random MAC addresses on reboot so better choose a static IP address configuration. Also keep in mind that current cpufreq scaling settings in mainline kernel don’t know the 912 MHz operating point so with our default /etc/defaults/cpufrequtils contents you end up with 816 MHz max cpufreq (feel free to adjust, throttling works with these images).

You can test the schedutil cpufreq governor in Linux 4.7, by changing /etc/default/cpufrequtils to something like:

They have not released equivalent “Vanilla” images for Allwinner H3 Orange Pi boards, but I guess it will done once NanoPi NEO images are proven to be working reasonably. Eventually, you’ll be able to download the Linux kernel directly from Kernel.org for your Allwinner H3 boards. I’ve been told this won’t happen in Linux 4.8, but I’d assume Linux 4.9 or 4.10 are realistic targets.

Since NanoPi NEO board has been designed for IoT applications with low load too, armbian community has also investigated how to lower power consumption, and after finding that disabling Ethernet PHY saved 200 mW, and disabling HDMI and the GPU 210 mW, they created a new tool (bash script) called h3consumption, and working on all Allwinner H3 boards. You can find more power savings tips and h3consumption options in the forums.

Tweet We’ve been blessed with a wide range of low cost Allwinner H3 boards thanks to Shenzhen Xunlong Orange Pi and FriendylARM NanoPi boards. Recently, armbian developers have been focusing…