Android hardware
Devices | Android | Android hardware |
This is a list of Android SoC's (System on a Chip, which is the CPU, GPU, VPU, etc. Also known as "chipsets".) that will playback common video codecs smoothly using XBMC. For most HD videos, hardware video decoding is necessary for smooth video playback. While some devices might be able to do SD and even some 720 content using software video decoding, hardware video decoding is considered essential for most Android devices.
Basic requirements
It is highly recommended for users to not make any hardware purchases in anticipation of running Kodi on Android without first researching the device you want to buy. Before you do buy, make sure multiple people have verified that it works! If in doubt, do not buy any hardware! |
- Kodi v17 and later requires Android 5.0 or higher.
- x86 (Intel) or a NEON-compatible ARM-processor, (for example: Nvidia Tegra 3 and newer are fully supported by Kodi, while Tegra 2 and older are not).
- The main aim for the Android port of Kodi is to foremost target media-players/set-top-boxes/sticks that connect to a large screen television and uses a standard remote control as its main interface device, (that is the same market as for HTPC).
How do I know what chipset I have?
These are some good websites for looking up the SoC (System on a Chip) chipset used in your Android hardware device:
- http://www.iboum.com - Digital media players
- http://gsmarena.com - Phones
- Wikipedia:Comparison of Android devices
- http://www.androidcentral.com/devices
Also a referense you can compare different SoC (System on a Chip) chipset specifications on system-on-a-chip.findthebest.com
Compatible chipsets
Note: Please only list devices that are able to play at least one of the three "video decoding" columns in Full HD (1080)
A | Yes | mark indicates the device should be able to play those codecs at least 1080p. |
Chip manufacturer |
Chipset | Examples | Hardware video decoding | Notes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H.264 & other common codecs [1] | MPEG-2 | VC-1 / WMV 9 | ||||
Allwinner | A31 / A31s | VidOn.me AV200, Justop Quadro, Mele A1000G, Mele M8, Mele M9, Measy B4K, Measy U4K | Yes | ? | ? | |
AMLogic | AML8726-M1 / AML8726-M3 | Pivos XIOS DS (older hardware uses AML8726-M1 and newer AML8726-M3), G-Box Midnight, JynxBox M1 | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
AMLogic | AML8726-M6 / AML8726-MX | GameStick (by PlayJam), Geniatech ATV1220/ATV520, MyGica TV420/TV500, G-Box Midnight MX2, JynxBox Android M6 | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
AMLogic | M801 / M802 (AML8726-M8) | Geniatech ATV1800 | ? | ? | ? | |
Freescale | i.MX6 | Wandboard, Utilite, Udoo, Matrix TBS2910, CuBox-i | Yes | Yes | Yes | [2] |
MediaTek | MTK6589T | Yes | ? | ? | ||
Nvidia | Tegra 3 | OUYA | Yes | SD and some 720 | SD | |
Nvidia | Tegra 4 | Nvidia Shield | Yes | Yes (CPU) |
? | |
Qualcomm | Snapdragon S4 | Nexus 7 (2013) | Yes | ? | ? | |
Rockchip | RK3066 | Imito MX1/MX2, Minix NeoG4/X5, MK808/802, Ugoos UG802/UG007 | Yes | ? | SD | [3] |
Rockchip | RK3188 | Tronsmart T428/MK908, CS968, CR11s, J22, GM282, LT88, T-R42, CS919-II, K-R24, CS918, MK888, Jesurun DX05, Minix X7, MK802IV, MK809III, MK902, Ugoos UG007B | Yes | Yes (CPU) |
? | [3] |
Samsung | Exynos 3110 | Yes | ? | ? | ||
Samsung | Exynos 4210 | Yes | ? | ? | ||
Samsung | Exynos 4212 | Yes | ? | ? | ||
Samsung | Exynos 4412 | ODROID-U2/U3/XU | Yes | Yes (CPU) |
Yes (CPU) |
|
Texas Instruments | OMAP4430 | Yes | ? | ? |
Avoid officially unsupported chipsets
Until further notice it is recommended that non-developers avoid hardware platforms that are not yet supported in XBMC mainline. Official support for chipsets that are not yet support today might be added at a later date, though there are no guarantees that they will all be developed for mainline.
Example:
- Allwinner A1x (A10/A10s/A13) and A2x (A20/A23) because its VPU is not yet supported in XBMC mainline, so you need to use third-party builds which are not officially supported, and those builds not recommended for mainstream use by non-developers.[4]
- Freescale i.MX6 because its VPU is not yet supported in XBMC mainline, so you need to use third-party builds which are not officially supported, and those builds not recommended for mainstream use by non-developers.[5]
- TeleChips TCC893x (TCC8930/TCC8933/TCC8935) because its VPU is not yet supported in XBMC mainline, so you need to use third-party builds which are not officially supported, and those builds not recommended for mainstream use by non-developers.[6]
ARM SoCs without NEON support
Team XBMC had to limit itself to officially only support SoCs which feature support for NEON instruction set (ARM's general-purpose SIMD engine) or the overall experience of XBMC is deemed to be too slow without those extra optimizations.
Examples:
- Nvidia Tegra 1 and Tegra 2 SoCs CPUs lack support for NEON instruction set which XBMC mainline requires so will officially never be supported by Team-XBMC at xbmc.org or its community.
Notes
- ↑ Sych as WebM (VP8/VP9), Xiph Theora (VP3/Ogg), On2 TrueMotion VP6, and RealVideo/RMVB (RV 8/9/10)
- ↑ Freescale i.MX6 VPU is not yet supported in XBMC mainline, so you need to use third-party builds which are not officially supported, and those builds not recommended for mainstream use by non-developers
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Some devices might need an updated firmware from the hardware manufacturer for smooth 1080p playback. [1]
- ↑ http://www.cnx-software.com/2013/12/20/xbmc-arm-news-allwinner-a20-a31-apk-released-10-discount-on-ouya-console/ VidOn.me AV100 features Allwinner A20 SoC and manufacturer claims XBMC support with their own builds
- ↑ http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=161793 XBMC is being ported to Freescale i.MX6 SoC series
- ↑ http://www.cnx-software.com/2014/01/20/telechips-tcc893x-dual-core-arm-cortex-a9-cortex-m3-socs-tcc8930-tcc8933-tcc8935/ Mele X1000 and Hotach HTV003 features TCC8935 SoC and manufacturer claims XBMC support with their own builds