U4 Quad Hybrid Android TV Box Unboxing and Teardown with DVB-T2, DVB-S2 and ATSC Tune

[dizzdizzy]

Thanks to the permission of the moderators to create this thread and introduce our box to the forum. We are the developer and manufacturer of the box to be reviewed. It comes after months of continuous hardware and software effort. We would be pleased if it is accepted by the forum members.

There are so many of the Android players in the market, most of them do not have a tuner support. We therefore developed the box to give all the reception possibility to have just one-box-for-all in the living room.

Here is a list of the hardware specifications:

• SoC – Hisilicon Hi3796M quad core Cortex A7 processor with a Mali-450MP GPU
• System Memory – 1GB DDR3-1600 MHz
• Storage – 8GB internal storage and micro SD slot
• Video Output – HDMI 1.4a up to 4K @ 30Hz + AV port (CBVS)
• Audio Output – HDMI, AV and coaxial S/PDIF (optical S/PDIF available as an option)
• Video Decoding – Up to 4K @ 30 fps for H.265, H.264, MPEG-4, AVS, VC-1, VP6/8, etc.. Full HD 3D video (MVC) and blu-ray navigation supported
• Tuners (one or the other)
o DVB-S2 – Hi3136 demodulator; freq range: 950 to 2,150 MHz; symbol rate: DVB-S: 1~55 Mbps; DVB-S2: 1~44 Mbps; Input level: -65 to -25 dBm
o DVB-T2/T/C – AVL6762 demodulator; freq range: 43 to 1,002 MHz; bandwidth: 6/7/8/1.7 MHz; signal level: -80 to -25 dBm
o ATSC – LG 3306A demodulator; freq rage: 52 to 860 MHz; mode: 8/16 VSB | IT-T J83 Annex B; input level: -86 dBm to +10 dBm (Optional to DVB-T2/T/C tuner)
o ANT IN and LNB IN connectors
• Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, built-in WiFi
• USB – 1x USB 3.0 host port, 1x USB 2.0 host port
• Misc – 2x LED, IR/LED connector (looks like mini USB)
• Power Supply – 12V/1.5A
• Dimensions – 135 x 135 x 33 mm



Hardware review:

The reason Hisilicon is chosen over Amlogic is due to the video quality primarily. We want to have a box to display good image in the first place.

The way the hardware is designed allows users to choose the best combination of tuner options preferred, DVB-S2+T2/T/Cable, DVB-S2/ATSC or DVB-S2 twin tuner. Both of the tuners could be used simultaneously, in other words, you could watch channel on one tuner and record on the other.

It is a bit pity with only 1GB ddr RAM. There could be problems with some RAM-Eating games or applications making the box slow. But overall, the box does what it should with reasonable speed and stability

The board called W96M_MAIN VO.4 feature the HiSilicon processor with a heatsink, an 8GB FORESEE NFEFEH68-08G eMMC flash, two SKhynix H5TQ4G63AFR DDR3 chips (2x 512MB), and Realtek RTL8188ETV Wifi module.


If we zoom in on the tuner area, we can see AVL6762TA DVB-T2/T/C demodulator, and on the main board itself and located on the bottom right of the picture above, Hisilicon Hi3136 is the DVB-S2/S demodulator.


There’s also two LEDs, an IR receiver, and a 4-digit LED panel on the front of the board.


There’s basically nothing on the bottom of the board, except S1 switch which should be the firmware recovery button.


Software review:

The software is based on Android 4.4.2 which is a little out-of-date. The delay was due to the intensive coding to create an integrated UI style that caters for both traditional DVB and Media player users together with some handy functions.

The main menu is more traditionally DVB feeling. A shortcut to Android applications is there.


The DVB menu is easy to use and comprehensive. Recording and time shift are smooth.


All the basic Android applications are pre-installed, for example, Netflix, Kodi, Explorer, Skype and IPTV apps


The box supports TVheadEnd. If the box is put to standby, channels coming through tuners could be watched with a smart phone, pad or computer through Kodi. You can zap on the other device and even initiate a recording. Of course, both devices have to be in the same router. It is also possible to watch the box when you are away from it. Though the port forwarding settings are a bit complicated.

Some other functions add up to the value including:
-One-click screen grab
-1080p User interface
-Recovery button: Hold reset button to recover a bricked box
-Software update over the network
-Web interface to modify channel list, IPTV links and more
-Recording TV channels to NAS (Network attached storage)

If any body is interested in the box and wants to get one, please go to the thread in the BuySell and Trade .