Mele A1000 TV box - Allwinner A10 hackable device €68 + €72

Allyall · 23-06-2012 03:13AM #1

I have seen this over and over again when looking at the Android driven PC's..
And for the first time, i looked it up on Boards tonight, and realised this isn't posted anywhere (By using search function) on boards.ie..

A bit shocked, as i think this is one of the best TV boxes available, especially for this price.

LINK

The links in the description get you started, Definitely based on the Raspberry Pi.

Of course, the Mele A1000 costs twice what the newly shipped Raspberry Pi Model B does.
Still, with that extra money you get a case along with a faster processor--the Raspberry Pi sports an ARM1176JZFS running at 700MHz--

More RAM, and more audio and video connection possibilities.

LINK IN DESCRIPTION

and

Ubuntu 10.04 Running on Mele A1000 Internet TV Set Top Box

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzC9UtBhslE

The box SPEC.

1. Video output - HDMI, CVBS, VGA .
2. Audio output - R+L, SPDIF
3. Usb host port + SDCard slot.
4. External SATA port (real SATA not from usb)
5. Ethernet.

Internal board has
1. UART port connector.
2. USB device port connector
3. MIC pin
4. CVBS-IN pin.
Maybe you also need the all-in-one "air mouse + wireless mouse and keyboard + remote".
http: //goo.gl/SPbjv

or the debug board
http: //goo.gl/ge3GY

LINK From that quote

It also has an "Older Brother" - The Mele A2000 for €72

Images:
https://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl...le%20a2000

Sites of interest:
http://rhombus-tech.net/
http://www.cnx-software.com/2012/04/28/h...based-stb/
http://lists.phcomp.co.uk/pipermail/arm-netbook/ (check 'threads' of month for mele news)

and

http://www.cnx-software.com/

CPU: ARM Cortex A8 AllWinner A10 @ 1 GHz (It can be apparently be overclocked up to @ 1.5GHz)
GPU: Mali 4000
Memory: DDR3 512MB RAM / 4GB Nand Flash
OS System: Android 2.3.4 (Upgradable to Android 4.0)
External Storage: Supports SD card up to 32GB, supports 2.5″ SATA HDD up to 1TB, Supports max 16GB USB flash disk
Video codecs: HD MPEG-1/2/4. H.264. HD AVC/VC-1, RM/RMVB, Xvid/DviX 4/5/6, RealVideo 8/9/10, VP6
Video Formats: ts, m2ts, tp, trp, mkv, mp4, mov, avi, rm/rmvb, wmv, vob, asf, flv, dat, mpf and mpeg. NB: ISO format is not supported.
Maximum bitrate: 40Mpbs, maximum resolution 2160p (3840×2160)
Audio Formats: MP1、MP2、MP3、WMA、OGG、APE、FLAC、WAV、AC3、AAC、AMR、DTS、RA、M4A
Subtitle Format: SRT/SMI/SSA/rear end
Network interface: RJ45(10/100Mbps)
Wireless: WiFi 802.11b/g and support for external 3G card (WCDMA 3.5G)
Video Output: HDMI 1.4 (1080p) / VGA / Composite
Audio Output: HDMI / Optical Out / Stereo
Interfaces: SD/SDHC + 3 x USB HOST + LAN
Features: Internet TV box, Software application supported, 1080P media player, QQ/MSN/Skype etc.
Language: Simplified Chinese/Traditional Chinese/English

I ordered one 3 days ago, as i haven't had the cash before. I ordered the Mele A1000.

vicwatson · 23-06-2012 07:08AM

Ok, might be a bargain alert, but what is it exactly? What can it do? I looked at the youtube video but it's in chinese or... and am none the wiser.

Cheep Op

nice1franko · 23-06-2012 08:15AM

It's a media player/HTPC.

ei9go · 23-06-2012 09:37AM

Does'nt seem to support AAC

keithclancy · 23-06-2012 01:46PM

I built my whole media center for around 300 euros, I have HD Satellite (Freesat) all my movies, DTS and HDMI out to the surround sound system, all capped off with a Logitech Harmony remote.

These android based yokes suck and will continue sucking until theres a PVR Build of XBMC available for ARM

Just the media center, not including the Telly and Surround system of course

Adyx · 23-06-2012 04:24PM

keithclancy wrote: »

I built my whole media center for around 300 euros, I have HD Satellite (Freesat) all my movies, DTS and HDMI out to the surround sound system, all capped off with a Logitech Harmony remote.

These android based yokes suck and will continue sucking until theres a PVR Build of XBMC available for ARM

Just the media center, not including the Telly and Surround system of course

So why don't you post a bargain alert about your media centre set up instead of ragging on other peoples threads?

Etnies · 24-06-2012 12:10AM

Prefer the Raspberry PI, RaspBMC has had some good updated in RC3 version it's gonna be a winner when it's up to speed. But that looks good for people that just want to plug something in and have it work right away.

Zardoz · 24-06-2012 12:52PM

Etnies wrote: »

Prefer the Raspberry PI, RaspBMC has had some good updated in RC3 version it's gonna be a winner when it's up to speed. But that looks good for people that just want to plug something in and have it work right away.

While Raspberry PI's are great ,they are as scarce as hens teeth .

carbsy · 24-06-2012 01:40PM

Zardoz wrote: »

While Raspberry PI's are great ,they are as scarce as hens teeth .

Finally got 'invited' to order mine with Radionics.6+ weeks waiting time now!

mp3ireland2 · 24-06-2012 03:53PM

carbsy wrote: »

Finally got 'invited' to order mine with Radionics.6+ weeks waiting time now!

yeah me too, hoping by the time we get them that the smart people have everything optimised and XMBC working on it! Plenty of time to look for accessories at least! like a box and a remote etc.

keithclancy · 24-06-2012 04:07PM

Adyx wrote: »

So why don't you post a bargain alert about your media centre set up instead of ragging on other peoples threads?

HP DX2300 - 40 euros second hand
Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-4000 - 110 euros
64GB SSD - 80 euros
700gb HDD - 75 euros
Nvidia Geforce GT520 - 40 Euros

Mediaportal - Free:
http://www.team-mediaportal.com/

The SSD is optional really, increases the performance when querying the EPG, theres about 900 channels after all.

Works pretty much like a Sky box (EPG, Series Records etc, if not better, plays all my online content (RTE Player/iPlayer etc) and all my local stuff too

Not the point though, I'm not saying that those ARM boxes are bad, simply that at the moment there is no port for XMBC PVR, so for me its useless.

If there was i'd be tie wrapping it on the back of a telly in my bedroom and using a power over ethernet adapter to watch HD telly

I've had it for almost 5 years now and added the nvidia card last year, plays 1080p content just fine and all the HD stuff on DVB-S great too, plus passes DTS over HDMI to the surround sound system too.

Also, since Mediaportal is based on a Server/Client system you can just install the front end on an Atom based box and stream HD Content over power over ethernet to anywhere in your house.

zom · 24-06-2012 08:21PM

keithclancy wrote: »

HP DX2300 - 40 euros second hand

link?

Adyx · 24-06-2012 09:28PM

keithclancy wrote: »

HP DX2300 - 40 euros second hand
Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-4000 - 110 euros
64GB SSD - 80 euros
700gb HDD - 75 euros
Nvidia Geforce GT520 - 40 Euros

Mediaportal - Free:
http://www.team-mediaportal.com/

The SSD is optional really, increases the performance when querying the EPG, theres about 900 channels after all.

Works pretty much like a Sky box (EPG, Series Records etc, if not better, plays all my online content (RTE Player/iPlayer etc) and all my local stuff too

Not the point though, I'm not saying that those ARM boxes are bad, simply that at the moment there is no port for XMBC PVR, so for me its useless.

If there was i'd be tie wrapping it on the back of a telly in my bedroom and using a power over ethernet adapter to watch HD telly

I've had it for almost 5 years now and added the nvidia card last year, plays 1080p content just fine and all the HD stuff on DVB-S great too, plus passes DTS over HDMI to the surround sound system too.

Also, since Mediaportal is based on a Server/Client system you can just install the front end on an Atom based box and stream HD Content over power over ethernet to anywhere in your house.

That's all very nice but you're not really comparing like for like. I myself have a very sweet media centre pc (~ size of a Wii, 300GB hd, built in digital tuner etc) that I got on eBay for less than €200. This BA is for nothing like that though. It's a cheap as chips Chinese Android TV box that costs €68. Anyway, enough off-topicness.

Access · 24-06-2012 10:02PM

Adyx wrote: »

I myself have a very sweet media centre pc (~ size of a Wii, 300GB hd, built in digital tuner etc) that I got on eBay for less than €200.

Do you have a link for that adyx... sounds like its worth checking out as am in the market.

Adyx · 24-06-2012 10:56PM

Access wrote: »

Do you have a link for that adyx... sounds like its worth checking out as am in the market.

I'm sorry I don't. I don't have the pc nearby at the moment and I can't even remember the make.

I do know that it's actually a pretty old model, possibly discontinued but it does have a dual core processor and I swapped out the ram for a 1GB stick. It's all laptop parts inside. I should have it to hand tomorrow evening so I'll let you know then. I got a good deal because the owner was upgrading to an Apple TV or something. He had put Ubuntu on it but it came with Windows XP Media Centre discs.

Edit: This is it. Except mine is all black and I'm pretty sure it says Hewlett-Packard on it too. Probably rebranded. Holy shít 2006! -I think I've had mine about 4 years.

Chriscl1 · 25-06-2012 09:12AM

This is all very confusing!

JHet · 25-06-2012 09:33AM

Basically the device has the hardware but no software support at the moment, so until someone ports XBMC for its not really a massive bargain. Its simply a fairly basic piece of hardware(albeit nice packaged) with little or no software (at the moment). However when they do port XBMC and providing they get everything working it will become infinitely more popular and valuable. I'm sceptical as there seems to be a lot of problems getting all the aspects of the hardware working even with the native OS at the moment.

Its a pretty similar situation to the ATV 1, 2, and 3. ATV 3 has not been jailbroken yet to allow playback of XBMC, thats why you see ATV 1s and 2s going for a lot more money than the 3, because it just doesn't have the software support to justify a higher price (and may never have!).

keithclancy · 25-06-2012 09:49AM

zom wrote: »

link?

Just got it from a second hand auction for a company that was closing down.

eBay is a good bet, the type of box didn't really matter for me, only requirements were that it was quiet and had enough space for cards and disks

The main thing is you can stick it somewhere on your network, preferably with PoE or normal ethernet as streaming Video over UDP doesn't really work well over Wi-FI.

In the end, the box was black, it was pretty much silent so I just stuck it next to the telly.

Amalgam · 25-06-2012 01:14PM

This is *exactly* the same as the other USB sticks, basically A10 + Mali 400 GPU. Very hackable. Think of it as an Ainol Aurora/Elf/etc.. plugged into your TV\Screen.

Great price.

So tempted, VGA out, I just need a browser and a torrent client for some power saving browsing. (main PC off..)

mp31 · 25-06-2012 02:59PM

keithclancy wrote: »

HP DX2300 - 40 euros second hand
Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-4000 - 110 euros
64GB SSD - 80 euros
700gb HDD - 75 euros
Nvidia Geforce GT520 - 40 Euros

Mediaportal - Free:
http://www.team-mediaportal.com/

The SSD is optional really, increases the performance when querying the EPG, theres about 900 channels after all.

Works pretty much like a Sky box (EPG, Series Records etc, if not better, plays all my online content (RTE Player/iPlayer etc) and all my local stuff too

Not the point though, I'm not saying that those ARM boxes are bad, simply that at the moment there is no port for XMBC PVR, so for me its useless.

If there was i'd be tie wrapping it on the back of a telly in my bedroom and using a power over ethernet adapter to watch HD telly

I've had it for almost 5 years now and added the nvidia card last year, plays 1080p content just fine and all the HD stuff on DVB-S great too, plus passes DTS over HDMI to the surround sound system too.

Also, since Mediaportal is based on a Server/Client system you can just install the front end on an Atom based box and stream HD Content over power over ethernet to anywhere in your house.

How does MediaPortal compare against Windows Media Centre as supplied with Windows 7.
I'm currently using Windows Media Centre on a PC fitted with a PCI-express based DVB-S card - can I simply download MediaPortal and start using it to play/record TV etc. and use the remote control supplied with the satellite card?

keithclancy · 25-06-2012 06:00PM

mp31 wrote: »

How does MediaPortal compare against Windows Media Centre as supplied with Windows 7.
I'm currently using Windows Media Centre on a PC fitted with a PCI-express based DVB-S card - can I simply download MediaPortal and start using it to play/record TV etc. and use the remote control supplied with the satellite card?

IMO its better,

I had awful problems with the EPG for WinMCE

Plus the plugins were not very good.

This build will grab the EPG from Sky
http://forum.team-mediaportal.com/threads/sky-uk-it-aus-enhancements.87526/

Then install the UK TV Logo plugin using the plugin manager included with it so you get all the logos for the stations.

Also install the online videos plugin for RTE, iPlayer etc.
http://www.team-mediaportal.com/extensions/movies-videos/onlinevideos

Finally Install the Avalon plugin and you get a really nice interface

If you using a Hauppauge card then delete the profile for the 25 button remote otherwise you may get conflicts from IR signals for other devices.

mp31 · 25-06-2012 10:36PM

keithclancy wrote: »

IMO its better,

I had awful problems with the EPG for WinMCE

Plus the plugins were not very good.

This build will grab the EPG from Sky
http://forum.team-mediaportal.com/threads/sky-uk-it-aus-enhancements.87526/

Then install the UK TV Logo plugin using the plugin manager included with it so you get all the logos for the stations.

Also install the online videos plugin for RTE, iPlayer etc.
http://www.team-mediaportal.com/extensions/movies-videos/onlinevideos

Finally Install the Avalon plugin and you get a really nice interface

If you using a Hauppauge card then delete the profile for the 25 button remote otherwise you may get conflicts from IR signals for other devices.

I too have issues with the WinMCE EPG and MediaPortal looks just the job but I've just looked at the website and it says my satellite tuner card - Compro Videomate S800F - is not supported. :mad: and

mp31 · 30-06-2012 11:55AM

keithclancy wrote: »

IMO its better,

I had awful problems with the EPG for WinMCE

Plus the plugins were not very good.

This build will grab the EPG from Sky
http://forum.team-mediaportal.com/threads/sky-uk-it-aus-enhancements.87526/

Then install the UK TV Logo plugin using the plugin manager included with it so you get all the logos for the stations.

Also install the online videos plugin for RTE, iPlayer etc.
http://www.team-mediaportal.com/extensions/movies-videos/onlinevideos

Finally Install the Avalon plugin and you get a really nice interface

If you using a Hauppauge card then delete the profile for the 25 button remote otherwise you may get conflicts from IR signals for other devices.

I installed MediaPortal to test it with my card and it works!
I tried to get the Sky EPG build as per your suggestion but my Avast Antivirus gave a warning about the last item being installed by the sendspace installer 'DownloadSetup.exe' so I aborted the install. Is there another option?

Mele A1000 TV box - Allwinner A10 hackable device €68 + €72

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