RTD1195 is only a dual core Cortex A9 A7 processor, but supports high speed interfaces like USB 3.0 and Gigabit Ethernet, as well as 4K/H.265 hardware decoding, and Realtek has a long history with set-top boxes, so video playback might be better than some other platforms, such as the ones based on Rockchip processors. Egreat and Mele are both working on Realtek RTD1195 based Android media players, but none of the models from these two companies are available yet. EC Tech has listed their EC-U6D Android TV box on Aliexpress for $59.99 including shipping, so it competes on price with Amlogic S805 TV boxes powered by a quad core Cortex A5 processor, with H.265 hardware decoding, but that only support Fast Ethernet (for now), 1080p video output and decoding, and USB 2.0.

EC-U6D specifications:

SoC – Realtek RTD1195 dual core ARM Cortex A9 A7 processor @ 1.4 GHz with Mali-400MP GPU

A7 processor @ 1.4 GHz with Mali-400MP GPU System Memory – 1 GB DDR3

Storage – 8 GB flash (16 / 32GB optional) + micro SD slot

Video Output / Input – HDMI 1.4 up to 4K30 / 1080p60, HDMI In, and AV.

Audio – HDMI, AV, and optical S/PDIF

Video Codecs Decoding – H.265, H.263, H.264, AVS, VC-1, RV, VP6/VP8, Sorenson, Spark, MVC up to 1080p60 Encoding – H.264, H.265, VP8, and MVC up to 1080p] H.264, H.265 data rate – Up to 60 Mbps

Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi. No Bluetooth>.

USB – 1x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0

Misc – IR receiver, power LED

Power – 5V/2A

Dimensions – N/A

The box runs Android 4.4 with XBMC pre-installed, and comes with a power adapter, a remote control, an HDMI cable, and a user’s manual.

There are lots of discrepancies in both the Aliexpress and EC Technology EC-U6D pages however. Both titles mention USB 3.0 and Gigabit Ethernet support, but the text inside the product page only mentions 2x USB 2.0 host ports, and 10/100M Ethernet. The Aliexpress page also mentions 802.11ac support, and Mali-T764 GPU also pops up in the specs, but both are certainly mistakes. Despite being capable of outputting 4K, video decoding is said to be limited to 1080p, but I believe it does support 4K video decoding based on specs listed for the Mele and E-great media players. The specs also mention RF input and output, but I’m not quite sure what means unless the box also comes with a tuner… If all these features are indeed correct, the $60 price tag seems almost too good to be true. The listed price on Alibaba is $32 to $40.

If you are about to say “still no SATA”, other RTD1195 models from Mele, Egreat A9, as well as EWEAT EW902 will come with an external SATA port, or a SATA bay, but none of these are currently listed on Aliexpress or other e-retailer sites.

Thanks to Gabe for the tip.