MINIX unveils NEO X8 and X8s, delivering 4K UHD capability.
MINIX today announced the latest additions to their product line – NEO X8 and X8s. The NEO X8 and X8s will both be powered by the latest generation of Amlogic chipsets; the NEO X8 will use the standard Amlogic S802, whilst the NEO X8s will adopt the Amlogic S802-H – offering full Dolby Digital and DTS support.
Both devices will offer:
- 4K2K UHD Video Decoding and Output - 1080p FHD Video Encoding - Quad Core Cortex A9r4 Processor - Octo Core Mali-450 GPU - Android KitKat 4.4 OS - TrustZone & Trusted Video Path for Security & DRM - Support HDMI-CEC - Bluetooth 4.0 and Ethernet - Audio and Headphone Jacks, 3 USB Ports + 1 OTG Port.
However, there are noticeable differences between the two models:
- NEO X8 will offer only 8GB EMMC internal storage, whilst the NEO X8s offers 16GB EMMC. - NEO X8 delivers single-band Wi-Fi, whilst the NEO X8s includes dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4GHz and 5GHz) - The NEO X8s offers full Dolby Digital and DTS Support, which is not available on the NEO X8.
The NEO X8 and X8s will be priced according to their different specifications, with exact retail prices to follow shortly, and are expected to be available to buy from late May onwards.
MINIX also announced a new addition to its range of air-mouses, the NEO M1, delivering six-axis gyroscope support and built-in anti-shake technology for superior accuracy and control.
The form factor of the NEO M1 is much smaller than that of previous models, being just 146mm x 39mm x 12.6mm, and also includes a built-in rechargeable lithium battery. Pricing information for the NEO M1 will also follow shortly.
prima.king Serial Newser
Messages : 2171 Réputation : 100 Inscrit le : 30/06/2013
[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir cette image] MINIX Also, it's important to note that we are not replacing Amlogic within RockChip. It has always been our plan this year, 2014, to partner with multiple chipset providers and release devices running both Amlogic and RockChip - including RK3288.
Vidéo pour se faire une idée du SOC du Minix X8:
Belchine Revendeur/Partenaire Certifié
Messages : 4505 Réputation : 235 Age : 48 Inscrit le : 12/05/2012
En parlalnt de RAM, quelle est la capacité maximale de ces nouveaux SOC, AMLogoc et Rockchip ? Le dernier AllWinner gère jusqu'à 8Go [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]
spacecak Petit scarabée
Messages : 89 Réputation : 7 Age : 45 Inscrit le : 26/09/2012
La navigation dans l'interface est pas fluide du tout. je ne comprend pas pourquoi les constructeurs ne mettent pas un peu plus de sous dans un processeur descend ? un tegra 4 ou un snapdragon 800 ou 801 serait excellent pour ce genre de produit
prima.king Serial Newser
Messages : 2171 Réputation : 100 Inscrit le : 30/06/2013
La navigation dans l'interface est pas fluide du tout. je ne comprend pas pourquoi les constructeurs ne mettent pas un peu plus de sous dans un processeur descend ? un tegra 4 ou un snapdragon 800 ou 801 serait excellent pour ce genre de produit
voir le sujet du RK3288, qui fait mieux que le snapdragon800 sur certains benchmarks
prima.king Serial Newser
Messages : 2171 Réputation : 100 Inscrit le : 30/06/2013
Review de la box M8 équipée du SOC AmLogic: - Lecture fluide en 4K, idem pour l'interface - Support des ISOs blu-ray et de nombreux codecs - XBMC installé par défaut, cependant le testeur devait jongler avec MX Player afin de lire correctement certaines vidéos - Support des webcam usb pour skype et hangout - kitkat comme OS - problème de stabilité (surchauffe ?) - le bluetooth ne fonctionne pas - H.265 pas optimisé, faute au GPU (?) - Wifi déplorable
Review of M8 Android Kitkat TV Box Powered by Amlogic S802 SoC - [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]
Ce SOC donne l'impression d'être arrivé avec 5 à 6mois de retard, est-ce que Minix a fait un bon choix ?
Belchine Revendeur/Partenaire Certifié
Messages : 4505 Réputation : 235 Age : 48 Inscrit le : 12/05/2012
Un tableau comparatif des différents SOC AmLogic: [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]
Les prochains Mediatek, AllWinner et Rockchip sont bien plus prometteurs D'ailleurs Google pourrait proposer dans les mois à venir un Nexus basé sur sur SOC Mediatek 64Bits pour $100 [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]
prima.king Serial Newser
Messages : 2171 Réputation : 100 Inscrit le : 30/06/2013
MINIX NEO X8 and X8s Android TV Boxes are Now Available for Pre-order for $119 and up [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]
Last month, MINIX announced their NEO X8 and NEO X8s Android TV boxes powered by Amlogic S802 and S802-H (with Dolby/DTS support). The company disclosed the specifications but they did not provide price information. This morning, I noticed the devices were available for pre-order on DealExtreme for $132 and $151.56, and I went to look for it on Aliexpress where NEO X8 sells for as low as $119 and NEO X8s for $148. All prices include shipping. One shop also sell these for well over $200 with the new MINIX NEO M1 air mouse.
[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir cette image] MINIX NEO X8 and Accessories
[size][color][font] Both devices come with 2GB RAM, HDMI video output, stereo and optical S/PDIF audio outputs, Ethernet and Wi-Fi connectivity, and 3 USB ports. Whereas NEO X8 features 8GB RAM, 2.4GHz Wi-Fi and Amlogic S802 SoC, NEO X8s boasts 16GB flash, dual band 2.4/5GHz Wi-Fi, and Amlogic S802-H which properly supports Dolby and DTS audio pass-through via HDMI and S/PDIF. Software-wise, the media players run Android 4.4.2, and are pre-loaded with XBMC, Netflix and Hulu among other apps. Both are sold with a 5V/3A power adapter (1.80m cable), a short OTG cable (23cm), a micro USB cable (1m), an HDMI cable (1.02m), a Wi-Fi antenna, an IR remote control, and an English user’s manual. Power adapter for the US, Europe, UK, and Australia are said to be available, although on DX you can only choose a UK plug for NEO X8s, and US and Europe plugs for NEO X8. None of the sites actually indicate when the products will ship, but a seller on Aliexpress said stock will be available by the end of this month.[/font][/color][/size]
prima.king Serial Newser
Messages : 2171 Réputation : 100 Inscrit le : 30/06/2013
A new crop of Android TV boxes featuring Amlogic S802 processors are starting to hit the streets. Like earlier TV boxes, they’re designed to let you run Android apps ranging from Netflix to XBMC toAsphalt 8: Airborne and other games. But Amlogic’s new chip is said to be faster, offer better 3D graphics, and add support for 4K video playback, among other things. So does it live up to the promise? Kinda. [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir cette image] Geekbuying sent me a Amlogic-powered Tronsmart Vega S89 to test, while the folks at Rikomagic sent me an [url=http://liliputing.com/2014/05/ [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]MK902[/url] with a Rockchip RK3188 CPU. Both devices typically sell for between $100 and $120. Both devices are small boxes designed to hang out by your TV and each features a quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 processor, 2GB of RAM, and 8GB of storage, WiFi, Bluetooth, HDMI and Ethernet. But there are plenty of differences which you’ll notice once you take these little guys out of the box and start using them.
The chips Amlogic’s S802 processor is a 2 GHz, ARM Cortex-A9 quad-core processor with ARM Mali-450 graphics. While the official spec sheet mentions support for 4K videos, I haven’t found any 4K videos that play smoothly. You’re results may vary depending on the video files, formats, and Android apps you use to watch the movies. Note that I’m primarily concerned with the out-of-the-box experience in this overview… some users have reported that downloading firmware updates and custom codec packs has helped add support for additional videos. [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir cette image] The Tronsmart Vega S89 box also boasts support for H.265/HEVC videos, although I also haven’t been able to get any files in these formats to play smoothly. The S802 processor supports up to 4GB of RAM, and unlike many earlier ARM chips, it supports Gigabit Ethernet on devices with the appropriate hardware. The first devices featuring S802 chip started appearing in the second quarter of 2014. Rockchip’s RK3188 processor was released in 2013 and it’s also a quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 processor. But this chip features top speeds of 1.6 GHz, up to 2GB of RAM, and ARM Mali-400 graphics. [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir cette image] The RK3188 chip has been used in dozens of Android tablets, game consoles, and TV boxes over the past year or so, and while it doesn’t have all the features of Amlogic’s latest processor, it’s certainly no slouch. Not only have people been using RK3188-powered devices to play Android games, watch HD video, and perform other common tasks… but there’s an independent community of developers that have been running full Linux operating systems such as Ubuntu on devices with this chip, turning Android TV boxes into Linux desktops. Both the RK3188 and S802 chips are powerful enough for most basic tasks… but in my tests, the S802 processor is clearly faster. There are more details in the performance section below… but note that the RK3188 isn’t Rockchip’s newest processor: The company recently launched theRK3288 ARM Cortex-17 chip with Mali-T764 graphics. Hardware comparison Both the MK902 and Vega S89 TV boxes are small enough to hold in one hand, although the hockey puck-shaped Vega S89 is a little bigger and heavier than Rikomagic’s square box. Each device features 2GB of RAM, 8GB of storage, a microSD card slot, 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth, 10/100 Ethernet, AV ports, SPDIF, and full-sized Ethernet jacks. [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir cette image] The MK902 has 4 USB 2.0 ports while the Vega S89 has just 2. But the Vega S89 has a micro USB OTG port. Rikomagic’s box also has a built-in camera, which the Tronsmart device lacks. But the Vega S89 has a power button on the box, something which the MK902 lacks. It also comes with a remote control. [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir cette image] Both the power button and the remote are of limited use — you have to press the power button to turn on the device after plugging it in, but once the device is turned on, pressing the power button won’t turn it off and pressing and holding it won’t give you a shutdown prompt. You can use the infrared remote control’s power button to turn off the display and enter sleep mode without actually completely powering down the box. This lets you bring the device back to life quickly. But if you want to fully power down the Vega S89, you’ll need to unplug it. [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir cette image] The remote has arrow buttons, number keys, media buttons, and dedicated function keys for home, menu, and back functions as well as music, browser, media, and app drawer keys. You can also enable mouse mode to move an on-screen cursor, but slowly moving a mouse with the arrow keys can be tedious. I found it much easier to test this device by plugging in a wireless mouse and keyboard, especially since some Android apps such as YouTube and Netflix are virtually impossible to navigate without using the tedious mouse mode — they were designed for touchscreen input, not media center remote controls. [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir cette image] All told, it’s nice that the Tronsmart Vega S89 comes with a remote control, but it’s not quite useful enough to replace a traditional mouse and keyboard, or at least an air mouse like the Rikomagic MK704. [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir cette image] The MK902 has an external antenna, which you would think would mean it would offer better WiFi reception than other Android TV boxes… and that might be true. I didn’t really encounter problems with my WiFi signal using this box. But the Vega S89 was able to connect to my router’s 5G WiFi network while the MK902 only recognized the slower 2.4 GHz network. [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir cette image] After running a series of speed tests, it became clear that performance can vary greatly, but on average, the Tronsmart Vega S89 was able to achieve higher download speeds than the Rikomagic MK902… although both were fast enough to handle HD video streams from Netflix and YouTube.
MK902
S89
WiFi down
6.09 MB/s
9.8 MB/s
WiFi up
2.73 MB/s
1.87 MB/s
Notes
5GHz
2.4GHz
Avg of 5 tests
Avg of 5 tests
[size][color][font] What these test results don’t show is that when I downloaded a large data file for the 3DMark benchmark on each devices, the S89 finished the download in about half the time it took the MK902. Software and user interface Rikomagic’s MK902 ships with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean while the Tronsmart Vega S89 comes with Android 4.4 KitKat. Like many Chinese TV boxes, the software on each device seems to be a bit of a work in progress. For instance, Geekbuying tells me that there’s a known problem with audio/video synchronization in XBMC on the Vega S89, but that Tronsmart plans to fix the issue with a future firmware update. Some users have also found that rooting the device has allowed them to tweak performance. Also like many Chinese TV boxes, you may have a hard time finding some apps in the Google Play Store when using these devices. That’s because while both boxes are technically capable of running virtually any app that will run on an Android phone or tablet, the Play Store might not think they’re compatible. I ran into more problems finding apps with the MK902 than the Vega S89… but every app I did download ran just fine. There are plenty of devices that let you stream internet video, play games, or surf the web on your TV. You could buy a Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Google Chromecast, Apple TV, or other device made specifically for this purpose. What sets boxes like the S89 and MK902 apart are their versatility. Yes, these devices let you run Android apps on the TV… but they let you run most Android apps on your TV. That includes apps that aren’t officially available for the Fire TV or classic Google TV boxes like the Vizio Co-Star or Asus Cube. On the flipside, there are some apps available for other platforms which are not available for general-purpose Android devices. The most glaring example is Amazon Instant Video. While you can use one of these boxes to stream content from Netflix, Hulu Plus, YouTube, Vudu, Crackle, and many other popular video sites, Amazon support isn’t included (although you may be able to sorta/kinda get it to work if you install a web browser that still supports the outdated Adobe Flash plugin for Android). [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir cette image] The MK902 user interface looks almost exactly like what you’d get with an Android phone or tablet. There’s a home screen with room for icons and widgets, a tray on the bottom of the screen with buttons for home, back, recent apps, and settings, and on-screen buttons for volume controls, since there are no hardware volume keys. There’s also an on-screen power button which you can use to power-down the device. But since there’s no physical power button on the box itself, you’ll need to unplug it and re-insert the plug to turn the MK902 back on again. Tronsmart’s Vega S89, on the other hand, has a home screen that was clearly designed for a TV. There are large tiles and icons for frequently-used apps and shortcuts for groups of apps including Online Video, Music, and Settings. You can also customize the home screen with shortcuts to frequently used apps, or select “My Apps” to see a list of all the apps installed on your device. [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir cette image] The Vega S89 hides the notification tray when you’re on the home screen, although you can pull it down from the top of the screen if you’re using a mouse. You also won’t see any home, back, or recent apps buttons on screen — you’ll need to use the remote control or another supported device to access those functions. That can be a problem when navigating some apps — especially multi-column apps like the latest versions of Netflix and YouTube. I’ve found that it’s nearly impossible to switch from one column to the next or select a video you actually want to play in Netflix without using mouse mode on the remote control… and scrolling a tiny bit at a time to select your video takes forever. So while the Tronsmart Vega S89 app launcher looks better on a TV than the MK902 stock Android app launcher, it’s pretty clear neither device is running an operating system that’s fully designed for use in the living room. That said, you can do things with these boxes that you wouldn’t easily be able to do with a Fire TV, Apple TV or Chromecast. You can install XBMC Media Center. You can use QuickOffice. You can turn them into Linux desktop computers, or home media servers. Those features could help justify the $100+ price tags on these TV boxes for some users. But if you’re looking for something more user-friendly, get a Roku or Chromecast and save yourself some money. Performance Benchmarks only tell part of a story, because while they attempt to measure CPU and graphics performance, they don’t always measure it in a way that reflects real-world performance. What’s more, device makers have been known to cheat benchmarks by artificially boosting performanceonly when certain apps are running. That said, one of the quickest ways to pit one device against another is to throw a few benchmarks at it, so I fired up AnTuTu, AnTuTu X, and 3DMark and they all seem to agree that the Vega S89 is much faster. [/font][/color][/size]
MK902
S89
3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited
3781
7841
3DMark Ice Storm
3377
7731
AnTuTu
13589
23102
AnTuTu X
15597
17051
[size][color][font] That’s hardly shocking, since we know the S89 has a 2 GHz chip with Mali-450 graphics while the MK902 has a 1.6 GHz CPU with a Mali-400 GPU. But it’s nice to see it confirmed. In terms of day-to-day usage, both devices take a minute or two to boot, but feel pretty responsive once they’re up and running. You can switch between apps quickly, and most apps load much more quickly on these devices than on an old-school Google TV box like the Asus Cube, which has a much slower Marvell Armada 1500 dual-core CPU. On the other hand, the Asus Cube and other Google TV boxes are designed for TV, which means the user interface is meant to be navigated with a wireless remote control and most app should be remote-friendly as well. Google is expected to launch a major update to its TV platform this year, and it could mean we’ll see an even more TV-friendly version of Android in the future… which could make boxes like the S89 and MK902 feel even more like someone hacked together a TV box using a tablet operating system. Anyway, back to performance, I had no problems with video streaming from Netflix or YouTube on either box, but when it came to local video playback I wanted to see how each box handled some tricky file formats including 4K video and H.265/HEVC video. Long story short: I couldn’t find a video player that could perform either task with hardware-accelerated support… which means that video playback was choppy at best, and non-existent at worst with most of the files I tried. I tested 720p, 1080p, and 4K versions of Tears of Steel, as well as some DivX HEVC versions of the movie. The only app I tested that could handle every file format was MX Player… but it would only play the files using software decoders, not hardware decoders. Neither device could really handle the 4K video without turning it into a sort of photo slideshow. The lower-resolution videos tended to have issues with audio and video being out of sync, but there were fewer problems on the Tronsmart Vega S89. If you try less challenging files such as 720p or 480p H.264 videos, you probably won’t have problems on either device. But if you have dreams of using one of these devices to power your 4K television, the out-of-the-box experience isn’t great. You may be able to find workarounds by rooting, tweaking, or installing other third-party apps — part of what makes TV boxes like these appealing is their versatility. But again, for ease of use, you might be better off getting something that’s designed (and tested) to handle basic tasks without a lot of tweaking. Verdict All things being equal, if I had to choose one of these boxes for use as a media center, I’d probably get the Tronsmart Vega S89. It has a faster CPU, better graphics performance, and stronger wireless reception. It also ships with a newer version of Android and has a more TV-friendly user interface as well as better support for apps from the Google Play Store. [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir cette image] That said, the MK902 is also reasonably fast, has more USB ports, reliable WiFi performance, and a built-in camera. It might be a better choice if you want to plug in a number of external devices such as USB storage, a mouse, keyboard, or game controller. As of May, 2014, we also know that you can run Ubuntu and other Linux distributions on the MK902 — something that hasn’t yet been proven for the Vega S89. You can even buy a version of the MK902 with Ubuntu pre-loaded. Since it’s been on the market longer, there’s also a bit of a developer community for the MK902, allowing you to install custom ROMs and other system tweaks. So the MK902 might be a better option if you’re looking for a mini PC and not just a media center device But even though the Tronsmart Vega S89 is new, there are already custom ROMs and other tweaks for it as well. Note that for the purposes of this overview, I haven’t tried any custom ROMs on either device, nor have I rooted them. In the end, neither of these boxes makes me want to replace the Windows-powered home theater PC in my living room or the Chromecast plugged into the TV in my basement. But they could meet the needs of some users who don’t already have home theater solutions they’re happy with. The Tronsmart Vega S89 is available from Geekbuying (among other places) for about $105 and up and the Rikomagic MK902 is available from a number of stores for around $100 and up.[/font][/color][/size]
Belchine Revendeur/Partenaire Certifié
Messages : 4505 Réputation : 235 Age : 48 Inscrit le : 12/05/2012
Comme pour le X7, Belchine ne pourra être fourni lors de la première production, qui est réservée aux gros vendeurs Donc le X8 sur Belchine, ce sera pour début Juillet
A noter, que le X8-S devient X8-H
prima.king Serial Newser
Messages : 2171 Réputation : 100 Inscrit le : 30/06/2013
MINIX is pleased to announce the NEO X8 and NEO X8-H (previously known as NEO X8s), our first 4K Media Hubs for Android.
Fully equipped with Android 4.4 OS (KitKat) the NEO X8 and NEO X8-H bring the complete Android experience to the big screen; offering web browsing, XBMC, 4K2K UHD video playback, Full 1080p HD streaming, Internet radio, gaming and much more.
XBMC MINIX Edition (Gotham) comes pre-installed on the NEO X8 and NEO X8-H, with full hardware decoding support. This exclusive edition delivers the optimum XBMC experience for Android.
The NEO X8-H will be released on Wednesday 4th June, whilst the NEO X8 will be available the following week, Wednesday 11th June. Official presales shall commence this Wednesday 28th May. Please visit our website for full list of MINIX Authorized Resellers: ([Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien])
For a limited period, the NEO X8-H shall include the NEO M1 GyroMouse as a free-gift (worth US$24.90)
[RE-POST THIS MESSAGE ON YOUR WALL TO BE ENTERED INTO A FREE PRIZE DRAW TO WIN ONE (1) NEO X8-H + NEO M1 GYROMOUSE – WINNER TO BE ANNOUNCED NEXT WEEK] (6 photos) [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir cette image]
ptitpaj Accro'
Messages : 329 Réputation : 7 Age : 67 Inscrit le : 21/05/2012
Perso ,j'aurai pas besoin d'un truc puissant aussi un bête dual core ,voir au mieux un quad core me conviendra très bien .
La quantité de mémoire ,je pense que deux Go serai déjà pas mal ,8 Go j'ai pas besoin bien que pour un Windows 8.1 cela est certainement nécessaire .
J'aurai surtout besoin de pouvoir utiliser ce boitier comme console de jeux voir ordinateur d'appoint pour lire quelques vidéos You-Tube ,un Linux ou un Android donc comme OS .
Un prix entre 70 et 100 euros maximum .
Le processeur ,je m'en moque un poil qu'il soit Rockchip ou Amlogic ,le gros truc c'est qu'il ne me faut pas un format clé mais bien une boite disposant d'une connectique standard en HDMI ,USB et lecteur SD .
Existe t'il mon bonheur dans ce petit monde de la box android ?
J'ai un boitier avec une puce Via mais j'aimerai un truc équivalent a ma tablette Honda (Amlogic dual core) ou ma clé dote d'un RK 3066 .
Allvinner ne m'intéresse pas comme processeur .
prima.king Serial Newser
Messages : 2171 Réputation : 100 Inscrit le : 30/06/2013
Sam 12 Avr 2014, 13:50
