The last few months have been pretty quiet in terms of new Android mini PCs and media players, at least when it comes to new platforms. But finally there’s something new, as Telechips TCC893x based devices are starting to show up on the marketplace. The devices won’t beat performance records as the new Telechips SoC features a dual core Cortex A9 processor with a Mali-400MP2 GPU, but they’ll be very affordable. Hotach HTV003 is one of the first media player powered by Telechips TCC8935, and sells for $50 on Aliexpress.

Hotach HTV003 specifications:

SoC – Telechips TCC8935 with two ARM Cortex A9 cores up to 1GHz, one Cortex M3 core, and an ARM Mali-400MP2 GPU

System Memory – 1GB DDR3

Storage – 4GB NAND Flash + micro SD card slot up to 32 GB

Connectivity – Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi

Video Output – HDMI

Audio Ouput – HDMI

USB – 2x USB host ports, 1x micro USB OTG port

Power Supply – 5V/1A via micro USB port

Dimensions – 77 x 40 x 14.5 mm

The box is sold with an HDMI cable (optional), a USB cable, a 5V/1A power adapter, and a user’s manual. HTV003 currently runs Android 4.2.2, and is said to support Miracast DLNA, and Airplay. The company does not mention the Ethernet speed, but TCC893x processors integrate a Gigabit Ethernet MAC, which would be a unique feature for a device at this price. It still believe it’s a 10/100M Ethernet port though. I’m not exactly sure if the Cortex M3 is used in the device, but it could potential handle remote control input, while the Cortex A9 cores are down, to lower standby power consumption.

The Linux kernel, Android Jelly Bean, and a VPU “driver” (actually a wrapper around a binary) source code is available for Telechips processors on the company’s open source SW page. So there’s potentially some hacking potential, but the Linux kernel was also available for previous processors, and interest failed to take off except somewhat for CX-01 (Android only).

At $50 + shipping ($58 in total), it’s about the same price as the cheapest AllWinner A20 media player with Ethernet, but features faster Cortex A9 cores compared to the Cortex A7 cores found in AllWinner SoC. The GPU is the same: MAli-400 MP2. Beside Aliexpress, you could checkout the company’s Alibaba store if you want to buy in quantities, or visit Hotach website. The complete company name is actually Shenzhen Hongtai Auspicious Technology Co. Ltd…

Thanks to Gabe for the link.